Nuclear Contamination Knows No Borders
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On today’s podcast, Arnie talks about international nuclear contamination with Dr. Gordon Edwards, President of the Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility.
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Happy New Year, 2013
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Thanks to our listeners and viewers, Fairewinds' fundraiser was a success. Thank you to all our donors who helped us to reach our goal. It's a new year, and 2013 has already kicked off a repeat of the same safety and engineering issues that plagued the nuclear industry in 2012. The two, eye opening nuclear safety issues we discuss in today's Fairewinds' Podcast are: a radiation scandal in Japan and a major safety problem in the US at Fort Calhoun. Arnie Gundersen alerts us to the fact that radiation exposure cover-ups did not occur only in Japan, and have occurred repeatedly in the US as well as in many other countries. Finally, we discuss Wall Street's financial worries over US reactors.
Read MoreNuclear Power's 70th Anniversary: Then and Now
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Today marks the 70th anniversary of the first man-made self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction. In this edition Arnie Gundersen discusses this first "atomic pile", the decades of secrecy that followed, and the birth of what has become known as the "nuclear priesthood". Also in this episode we discuss nuclear subsidies, water usage, and the problem of nuclear waste.
Read MoreUnit 3 Fuel Pool Repairs Support "Detonation" and More Contamination Found in Fish and Tokyo Suburb
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Events in Japan begin the Fairewinds weekly podcast this week. Gundersen analyzes TEPCO's recently released plans to install a protective cover over Unit 3 and discovers more proof that a detonation (not deflagration) did indeed occur in Unit 3 back in March 2011. Gundersen then analyzes recent radiation readings in Japan and concludes that the contamination is not abating.
Read MoreLearning Lessons
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In this edition, we'll discuss the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy and what lessons must be learned including the breakdown in emergency preparedness. - Nuclear power plants are built to a "design basis" in an effort to prepare them for Mother Nature's worst events. Are these design bases still sufficient? - Containment Venting has long been a concern associated with Mark 1 BWR containment systems. Now, NRC staff has recommended that these filtered vents be hardened. - Looking at industry wide changes, we discuss the new Vogtle nuclear power plant, under construction in Georgia, that will cost billions of dollars for ratepayers and US taxpayers. Finally, in response to reader questions, we discuss what other radioactive isotopes in addition to cesium were released into the environment from the Fukushima Daiichi triple meltdown.
Read MoreSpecial Edition Podcast: After Hurricane Sandy - Questions and Answers About What Happened
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In this special edition question & answer podcast, Gundersen and KH discuss what effects Hurricane Sandy had on U.S. nuclear power plants, especially Oyster Creek. Gundersen explains how spent fuel pools are not configured to be cooled with diesel power in the event of a loss of offsite power. Oyster Creek and several other nuclear power plants did lose offsite power and Thomson Reuters reports that they may use fire pumps to cool the pools.
Read MoreDiscussion of Hurricane Sandy and its potential impact on U.S. Nuclear Plants, the Woods Hole Report, Kudankulam, and the Shutdown of the Kewaunee Nuclear Plant
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In this week's podcast Arnie Gundersen discusses with KH what effect we can expect Hurricane Sandy to have on operating U.S. nuclear plants. Nuclear power plants rely on off-site power to cool the reactors, but in the event of a "loss of off-site power" (which is likely in a hurricane,) plants rely entirely on backup diesel generators. A new report from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution finds Fukushima Daiichi accident released more radiation into the Pacific Ocean than any other nuclear event. Massive protests in India, at the site of the new Kudankulam nuclear plant, are met a harsh response by the Indian government. The U.S. Kewaunee Nuclear Power Plant is about to shut down for good. Gundersen discusses the costs of operating a nuclear power plant and suggests that other single-unit nuclear plants may soon follow suit.
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