Good Nuclear News For A Change, August 2013
Channel: OTWTE
Date: 2013-09-01

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/ 

FUKUSHIMA TOWNS TO CALL FOR SCRAPPING ALL REACTORS

Municipal leaders in Fukushima will demand the decommissioning of all the 10 nuclear reactors in the prefecture, not just the damaged 4.

 Mayors and assembly chiefs from the host towns of Futaba, Okuma, Tomioka and Naraha have for the first time jointly made their stance public after a meeting on Thursday.

 Futaba and Okuma host the Fukushima Daiichi plant, where 4 of the 6 reactors were crippled in the 2011 earthquake and tsunami and are to be scrapped.

 Tomioka and Naraha host the Fukushima Daini plant. Its 4 reactors escaped serious damage in the disaster.

 Operator Tokyo Electric Power Company has yet to make clear what it will do with the remaining 6 reactors.

 Many leaders said they can think of no alternative other than decommissioning all reactors when residents have been forced to live as evacuees for 2 and half years.

 The towns plan to file the requests with the central government and TEPCO after their assemblies approve the plan.

 Fukushima Prefecture Governor Yuhei Sato and the prefectural assembly have repeatedly called for all the reactors to be scrapped.

 The chief of the utility's Fukushima headquarters, Yoshiyuki Ishizaki, said he wants to discuss the issue with the towns. But he said the firm is unable to reach a conclusion now because it must weigh both local views and the nation's energy policy.

Aug. 29, 2013 - Updated 10:20 UTC

US POWER UTILITY TO SHUT DOWN NUCLEAR PLANT

A US power company says it will permanently shut down a nuclear power plant by the end of next year due to economic reasons.

 Entergy Corporation announced the closure of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant in the eastern state of Vermont on Tuesday.

 Entergy says it made the decision because the price of natural gas is declining due to the increased production of shale gas. It says the high cost of running the plant is another reason.

 The 41-year-old reactor at Vermont Yankee is the same type as the No.1 and No.2 reactors at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

 In the wake of the nuclear disaster in Fukushima, officials in the state of Vermont opposed the continued operation of the plant on safety grounds.

 The US nuclear power regulator granted Entergy a renewal of the plant's operating license that would have allowed it to remain in service until 2032. The utility had earlier filed a lawsuit to prevent the state from closing the reactor.

 Vermont Yankee is the fifth nuclear reactor in the US this year to be marked for closure. Nuclear plants in New Jersey, Wisconsin, Florida and California are also being taken out of operation as a result of the supply of low-priced shale gas.

 Power utilities in the US also face higher costs to keep aging reactors operating in line with stricter regulations following the nuclear crisis in Fukushima.

Aug. 28, 2013 - Updated 09:58 UTC

TAIWANESE MOTHERS PROTEST NUCLEAR PLANT PROJECT

A group of mothers in Taiwan has staged a rally against the construction of a nuclear power plant near the capital Taipei.

 About 1,000 women gathered on Saturday to call on authorities to scrap plans for a 4th nuclear plant.

 They are worried about the safety of the plant following the accident at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant 2 and a half years ago.

 They sang a protest song they'd written themselves in which they express their hope for a world without nuclear plants.

 One of the protestors said she will continue expressing her opposition and concerns to the project to the authorities for the sake of her children.

 The event organizer has produced a video of the song being sung by celebrities including the actress Lin Chi-ling.

 It plans to post the clip and footage of the demonstration on their website. The protestors are hoping to boost support for the anti-nuclear-plant movement before the end of this year when Taiwanese authorities plan to hold a referendum.

 The authorities are promoting the construction project which involves Japanese companies.

Aug. 24, 2013 - Updated 13:32 UTC