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☆ Explainer: The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant: who controls it and why is it important?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Guy Faulconbridge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

LONDON, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Repeated shelling of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine has raised the possibility of a grave accident just 500 km (300 miles) from the site of the world's worst nuclear accident, the 1986 Chornobyl disaster. What nuclear material is at Europe's largest nuclear power plant, what are the risks and why are Russia and Ukraine fighting over it? The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has six Soviet-designed VVER-1000 V-320 water-cooled and water-moderated reactors containing Uranium 235, which has a half-life of more than 700 million years. The biggest risk is from overheating nuclear fuel, which could happen if the power that drives the cooling systems was cut. Besides the reactors, there is also a dry spent fuel storage facility at the site for used nuclear fuel assemblies, and spent fuel pools at each reactor site that are used to cool down the used nuclear fuel.

☆ Europe’s Energy Risks Go Beyond Gas
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Mira Rojanasakul | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +14 min

In terawatt hours of energy per month Gas Coal 80 80 60 60 2022 40 40 20 20 Previous years since 2015 Jan. Dec. Jan. Dec. In terawatt hours of energy per month Wind Solar 60 60 40 40 2022 20 20 Previous years since 2015 Jan. Dec. Jan. Dec. In terawatt hours of energy per month Gas Coal 80 80 60 60 2022 40 40 20 20 Previous years since 2015 Jan. Dec. Jan. Dec. In terawatt hours of energy per month Wind Solar 60 60 40 40 2022 20 20 Jan. Dec. Jan. Dec. In terawatt hours of energy per month Gas Coal 80 60 2022 40 20 Previous years since 2015 Jan. Dec. Jan. Dec.

"Many countries faced with sharply rising energy costs and heightened security of supply concerns are turning to nuclear power," the IAEA said in a release announcing the exhibit. "We don't get to net zero by 2050 without nuclear power in the mix." The United States has already earmarked billions of dollars toward keeping existing nuclear power plants open as part of a broader strategy to decarbonize the economy and is hoping to encourage new projects. The nuclear power industry has had trouble raising money in recent years, having taken a huge public relations hit following the 2011 reactor meltdown at the Fukushima power plant in Japan. Even so, Hannah Fenwick, the co-lead of Nuclear for Climate which represents a network of 150 associations advocating for governments to embrace nuclear power, said her organization was lobbying policy-makers at COP27 to consider nuclear energy investments and was getting decent feedback.

☆ Russia's invasion of Ukraine has accelerated a nuclear renaissance. Europe's nuclear startups have raised a record $403 million in 2022.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Nuclear power has long been shunned by policymakers due to disasters like Chernobyl and Fukushima. Rising energy costs caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine have sparked a nuclear resurgence. For most, nuclear energy sparks memories of the large-scale disasters at Fukushima and Chernobyl. To generate energy via nuclear fusion, two atoms have to be combined – the same process that fuels the sun. Both are needed to fight climate change, according to Aneeqa Khan, a nuclear fusion research fellow at the Dalton Nuclear Institute.

☆ Climate Change Is Real. Markets, Not Governments, Offer the Cure. - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Bret Stephens | Mr. Stephens Is An Opinion Columnist. Mr. Winter Is A Staff Photographer On Assignment In Opinion. | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +32 min

worse-case, highest-carbon-emission scenario.” (The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is the U.N. body that assesses climate change.) How do we weigh the risks of underreacting to climate change against the risks of overreacting to it? While he’s not an expert on climate change, he has spent decades thinking deeply about every manner of risk. That’s particularly true if climate change is akin to cancer — manageable or curable in its earlier stages, disastrous in its later ones. Maybe, I realized, in assessing my newfound concerns about climate change, my long-held beliefs might provide a solution — look to the market.

Its ultra-loose stance has accelerated Japanese investment flows abroad, helping to turn the yen's slump into one of historic proportions. Its net international investment position, the difference between the stock of assets it holds overseas and stock of Japanese assets held by foreigners, was $3.29 trillion at the end of June. International Monetary Fund figures show that of Japan's $9.96 trillion assets overseas, around $3.7 trillion is in equity-related investments, and some $5.7 trillion in debt instruments, including official reserves. Deutsche Bank strategist Alan Ruskin says a YCC change could have spillover effects that could last for a few weeks. Meanwhile, Japanese retail foreign currency deposits at domestic banks rose to 26.58 trillion yen ($182 billion) at the end of August, up 8.3% since the start of the year.

☆ Explainer: How will Germany implement its nuclear power extension?
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The operators of the three remaining nuclear power plants are E.ON (Isar 2), RWE (RWEG.DE) (Emsland) and EnBW (EBKG.DE) (Neckarwestheim 2). HOW LONG CAN THE PLANTS RUN WITH EXISTING FUEL RODS? According to industry group Nuclear Technology Germany (KernD), it usually takes around one year until fresh fuel rods are delivered. CAN GERMANY EXTEND NUCLEAR POWER BEYOND APRIL 2023? Politically, extending the lifespan of nuclear power is a red line for the Greens party, which has ruled out buying new fuel rods for longer operation of the country's remaining nuclear power plants.

Currency intervention is costly and could fail to influence the yen's value in the huge global foreign exchange market. Analysts say Japan may face difficulty winning backing for intervention unless volatility becomes highly excessive. Investors see solo action by Japan being far less effective than concerted intervention. Last month, Japanese authorities sold dollars and bought yen in a market intervention for the first time since 1998, spending 2.8 trillion yen ($19.2 billion) to slow a rapid slide in the yen that was considered a threat to the economy. read moreAs for dollar-buying, yen-selling intervention, Japan has stayed out of the market since 2011 when the devastating earthquake and tsunami triggered the worst nuclear disaster in Fukushima since Chernobyl.

☆ Explainer: What are the risks to Ukraine's nuclear reactors in war
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Guy Faulconbridge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

What nuclear material is at Europe's largest nuclear power plant, what are the risks and why are Russia and Ukraine fighting over it? The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has six Soviet-designed VVER-1000 V-320 water-cooled and water-moderated reactors containing Uranium 235, which has a half-life of more than 700 million years. The biggest risk is from overheating nuclear fuel, which could happen if the power that drives the cooling systems was cut. Besides the reactors, there is also a dry spent fuel storage facility at the site for used nuclear fuel assemblies, and spent fuel pools at each reactor site that are used to cool down the used nuclear fuel. Special Russian military units guard the facility and Russian nuclear specialists are on site.

☆ At U.N., Micronesia denounces Japan plan to release Fukushima water into Pacific
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A worker, wearing protective suits and masks, takes notes in front of storage tanks for radioactive water at Tokyo Electric Power Co's (TEPCO) tsunami-crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Okuma town, Fukushima prefecture, Japan February 10, 2016. REUTERS/Toru HanaiUNITED NATIONS, Sept 22 (Reuters) - The president of the Pacific island state of Micronesia denounced at the United Nations on Thursday Japan's decision to discharge what he called nuclear-contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station into the Pacific Ocean. Japan said in July that its nuclear regulators had approved a plan to release into the Pacific ocean water used to cool reactors in the aftermath of the March 2011 Fukushima disaster. Panuelo also highlighted the threat posed by climate change, to which Pacific island states are particularly vulnerable. He called on geopolitical rivals the United States and China to consider it "a non-political and non-competitive issue for cooperation."

☆ The world is staring down a brutal winter of soaring energy prices, rolling blackouts, and freezing homes. But there's a clear solution to the crisis — if we aren't too scared to use it.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Kartik Menon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Confronted with energy shortfalls into the colder months and years of potential energy uncertainty, one solution has gained traction around the globe: nuclear energy. Many nations, including the United Kingdom, Netherlands, France, and Japan, have begun or reconsidered massive sovereign investment into nuclear power. Reliable, low-cost, and carbon-free, nuclear energy allows these nations to arrest the economic decline from higher energy prices and make progress toward net-zero goals. Compared to other sources of energy, nuclear power is relatively safe — the number of deaths per terawatt hour produced is comparable to wind and solar energy. These are encouraging steps toward getting the West off of Russian energy and helping consumers weather the tough times ahead.

☆ Bank of Japan needs to pick yen battles carefully
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-15 | by ( Jennifer Hughes | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Battling the Bank of Japan, however, has historically offered better odds. The People’s Bank of China has been fixing the yuan’s daily range at stronger rates than trading patterns have forecast. Yen weakness has not triggered intervention since the 1998 Asian Financial Crisis. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterIf Japan is serious about reversing or at least slowing currency weakness, it would need to do more than buy yen. CONTEXT NEWSThe Bank of Japan checked currency rates with banks on Sept. 14, Reuters reported.

☆ Elon Musk says shutting down nuclear power plants is 'insane' for national security and 'anti-human'
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-27 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk called some environmentalists "anti-human" for shutting nuclear power plants. Nuclear energy is back in the spotlight as energy insecurity grows after Russia invaded Ukraine. You should not only not shut down the nuclear power plants, but you should also reopen the ones that have already shut down. It is crazy to shut down nuclear power plants now, especially if you are in a place where there are no natural disasters." If there is no massive natural disaster risk, which Germany does not have, then there is really no danger with the nuclear power plants."

☆ The climate crisis has world leaders rethinking nuclear power
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-18 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Climate change and Russia's invasion of Ukraine has world leaders looking again at nuclear power. Gavin Newsom's plan to keep a nuclear power plant open points to a trend. Nuclear power doesn't emit greenhouse gases and provides 10% of global electricity. Gavin Newsom wants to extend the life of a nuclear plant that was slated to close by 2025. The race to combat the climate crisis and shore up energy supplies after Russia's invasion of Ukraine is pushing policymakers to reconsider nuclear power.

☆ Japanese support for a nuclear restart is at its highest since Fukushima disaster, says former IEA executive director
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-17 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

In a first for Japan since the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011, public support for a nuclear restart is now at more than 60%, said a former executive director of the International Energy Agency, citing a possible energy shortage and a "very cold winter" as reasons. "Japanese public support's more than 60%, and it was the first time ever that support of nuclear power is starting to come over 50% after (the) Fukushima accident," said Nobuo Tanaka, now the chair of the Innovation for Cool Earth Forum. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced in May that the country will take firm steps to restart idled nuclear power plants to stabilize energy supply and prices. In 2011, the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was hit by a massive earthquake and tsunami, which killed nearly 16,000 people and caused the world's worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986. Though there have been reservations among the Japanese public over the use of nuclear energy, particularly when it comes to the issue of safety, Tanaka said the future of nuclear power is now safer, and stressed the importance of minimizing risk and maintaining "peaceful use."

☆ Germany and the US aren't going to deter Putin with a few sanctions and frozen bank accounts. It's going to take a strong, democratic alliance to stop the war in Ukraine.
▼ + stars: | 2022-02-25 | by ( Mathias Döpfner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Germany must abandon its pacifist foreign policy and stand up against Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Germany needs to form tighter ties with the US, stop using Russian gas, and confront Vladimir Putin. Stirred by the nuclear-power-plant disaster in Fukushima, Germany made an epochal blunder and created an unnecessary dependence on Russian energy and Russian policy. Time for a new German foreign policyNow Putin has started the long-feared war with Ukraine. The people of Ukraine need our solidarity, and words will not be enough.

☆ Doi oameni au murit și 20 sunt dați dispăruți după o alunecare de teren dintr-un oraș de pe coasta de est a Japoniei
▼ + stars: | 2021-07-04 | by ( Publika.Md - Aici Sunt Știrile | ) www.publika.md time to read: +4 min

Doi oameni au murit și 20 sunt dați dispăruți după ce o alunecare de teren a măturat o porțiune dintr-un oraș de pe coasta de est a Japoniei. „Alunecarea de teren a trecut prin fața casei mele. „A fost un sunet inimaginabil. A fost constant, nu o aversă bruscă”, a povestit un alt bărbat. Specialiștii au estimat că viteza pământului care a luat-o la vale a fost de aproximativ 40 de kilometri pe oră.

Persons: Torentul, Cutremurul, Tsunamiul Organizations: World Trade Center, Fukushima Locations: Japoniei, Japonia, Tokyo, Atami, Osaka

☆ Germania obţine sprijinul altor patru state din UE pentru ca energia nucleară să nu fie considerată „verde”
▼ + stars: | 2021-07-03 | by ( ) www.jurnal.md time to read: +2 min

Sursa foto: yeenet.euGermania obţine sprijinul altor patru state din UE pentru ca energia nucleară să nu fie considerată „verde”Germania a obţinut sprijinul altor patru state membre ale UE în opoziţia sa faţă de clasificarea energiei nucleare drept energie ''verde'' şi sustenabilă în taxonomia Uniunii Europene, relevă o scrisoare a Comisiei Europene consultată vineri de Reuters. Spania, Austria, Danemarca şi Luxemburgul s-au alăturat Germaniei în opoziţia acesteia faţă de energia nucleară, motivând că investitorii preocupaţi de deşeurile radioactive şi-ar putea pierde încrederea în produsele financiare etichetate drept „verzi” dacă acestea cuprind energie nucleară fără ştiinţa lor, scrie Digi24. Includerea energiei nucleare în taxonomia UE este una dintre temele care divizează statele membre. Conform unuia dintre acestea, UE are nevoie de o cercetare mai aprofundată asupra potenţialelor efecte nocive ale energiei nucleare înainte de a o include în investiţiile sustenabile. Germania a decis cu 20 de ani în urmă să renunţe la energia nucleară, în urma temerilor privind siguranţa centralelor atomoelectrice.

Organizations: Uniunii Europene, Reuters, Europene Locations: Germania, UE, Spania, Austria, Danemarca, Luxemburgul, Germaniei, Franţa, Polonia, Ungaria, Japonia, Fukushima, Berlinul

☆ Mască pusă pe statuia unei zeițe în Japonia, ca o rugăciune pentru sfârșitul pandemiei
▼ + stars: | 2021-06-17 | by ( ) www.jurnal.md time to read: +1 min

Sursa foto: AFPMască pusă pe statuia unei zeițe în Japonia, ca o rugăciune pentru sfârșitul pandemieiO statuie gigantică din Japonia poartă o mască facială din această săptămână, ca o rugăciune pentru sfârșitul pandemiei de coronavirus. Operaţiunea a fost realizată de patru muncitori, care au lucrat trei oreMuncitorii au ridicat masca gigantică cu ajutorul unor frânghii până la înălţimea de 57 de metri a statuii de culoare albă, care o înfăţişează pe Kannon, zeiţa budistă a compasiunii, instalată în faţa templului Houkokuji Aizu Betsuin, din prefectura Fukushima. Muncitorii au desfăşurat masca, realizată dintr-un material asemănător unei plase, cu o lăţime de 4,1 metri şi o lungime de 5,3 metri, cântărind 35 de kilograme, în partea inferioară a feţei statuii. Statuia, construită în urmă cu 33 de ani, are o scară în spirală în interior care duce până la înălţimea umerilor zeiţei. Horigane a mai spus că mascava rămâne până când situaţia COVID-19 va fi menţinută sub control în Japonia.

Persons: Operaţiunea, Horigane Organizations: Muncitorii Locations: Japonia, Kannon, Fukushima, braţe

☆ Un nou dezastru nuclear s-ar putea produce la centrala de la Cernobâl; Cum încearcă autoritățile să-l prevină
▼ + stars: | 2021-05-10 | by ( ) www.jurnal.md time to read: +2 min

Sursa foto: GettyUn nou dezastru nuclear s-ar putea produce la centrala de la Cernobâl; Cum încearcă autoritățile să-l previnăCentrala nucleară de la Cernobâl a fost distrusă în urmă cu zeci de ani într-un oribil accident radioactiv. „Este ca jarul într-o groapă pentru grătar”, a declarat pentru Science, chimistul nuclear al Universității din Sheffield, Neil Hyatt. Dar, înainte de a putea stopa un potențial dezastru, trebuie să ajungă la uraniul activ. Abandonat la câteva ore după explozia reactorului nuclear sovietic în 1986, orașul care găzduia cândva lucrătorii centralei nucleare și familiile lor există de atunci ca un oraș fantomă. Dar acum bulevardul său central a fost curățat de copaci și arbuști și chiar reconectat la rețeaua electrică.

Persons: Neil Hyatt, Maxim Saveliev Organizations: Science Magazine, Universității din, Science Locations: Universității din Sheffield, Kiev, Ucraina, Cernobîl, Fukushima, Cernobâl, Pripiat, Uniunea Sovietică

☆ Primul caz de infectare cu coronavirus în cadrul ştafetei flăcării olimpice din Japonia
▼ + stars: | 2021-04-22 | by ( Publika.Md - Aici Sunt Știrile | ) www.publika.md time to read: +2 min

Organizatorii Jocurilor Olimpice de la Tokyo au semnalat joi primul caz de infectare cu coronavirus în cadrul ştafetei flăcării olimpice care are loc în Japonia, în timp ce pandemia continuă să perturbe pregătirile în vederea acestui eveniment sportiv planetar, informează AFP.Responsabilii comitetului Tokyo-2020 au precizat că un bărbat în vârstă de 30 de ani, are a participat la ştafeta de pe insula Shikoku (vestul ţării), a fost testat pozitiv la Covid-19, fără a specifica însă rolul sau identitatea acestuia, scrie agerpres.ro Aceştia s-au angajat să colaboreze cu autorităţile medicale pentru "a lua măsurile de precauţie necesare în vederea organizării unei ştafete sigure a flăcării", după ce Jocurile Olimpice din capitala Japoniei au fost amânate cu un an din cauza pandemiei, urmând să debuteze acum pe 23 iulie.Acesta este primul caz raportat în legătură cu ştafeta flăcării olimpice, la care a fost interzis accesul publicului în unele zone, de teama răspândirii virusului.Oraşul Kyoto este ultimul care şi-a exprimat reticenţa puternică, mass-media locală anunţând că oficialii din acest oraş vor cere ca ştafeta să nu aibă loc pe drumurile publice.Potrivit ziarului Asahi, Kyoto ar putea propune organizarea ştafetei în interiorul Castelului Nijo, un sit inclus Patrimoniului Mondial UNESCO.Săptămâna trecută, flacăra a fost purtată pe un traseu închis, într-un parc din apropiere de Osaka, la care publicul nu a avut acces.Okinawa, din sudul Japoniei, Matsuyama, oraş din vestul Japoniei, au anulat de asemenea ştafeta flăcării olimpice, din cauza creşterii numărului de cazuri de Covid-19.Organizatorii insista asupra faptului că ştafeta, care implică aproximativ 10.000 de alegători care traversează cele 47 de departamente japoneze, poate avea loc în condiţii de siguranţă, în conformitate cu reguli antivirus foarte stricte. Aceştia au avertizat că părţi ale ştafetei ar putea fi suspendare dacă se adună prea mulţi spectatori într-un singur loc.Ştafeta a început pe 25 martie la Fukushima (nord-estul ţării),iar spectatorii nu au fost autorizaţi să asiste la ceremonia organizată înaintea startului şi nici la prima etapă.Japonia se confrunta în prezent cu un nou val de infectări cu Covid-19, iar o nouă stare de urgenţă ar putea fi declarată vineri în unele departamente, inclusiv Tokyo şi Osaka.

Persons: agerpres.ro, Aceştia Locations: Tokyo, Japonia, Shikoku, ţării, Japoniei, Kyoto, Nijo, Osaka, Matsuyama, Fukushima

☆ „Pădurile sfinte” ale Estoniei amenințate de cererea de biocombustibili — Moldova.org
▼ + stars: | 2021-04-19 | by ( Eugenia Wetz | Diana Preașcă | ) www.moldova.org time to read: +4 min

Cutremurul cu magnitudinea 9,0 – cunoscut sub numele de „Marele cutremur din estul Japoniei” sau cutremurul „Tohoku din 2011” – a fost atât de puternic, încât a mutat Pământul de pe axa sa. Sursa imagine: bbcTsunami-ul a distrus sistemele de răcire a reactoarelor din Fukushima, așa încât trei dintre ele s-au topit. Industria a fost extrem de afectată după dezastrul din 2011, multe țări interzicând importul de alimente de mare capturate în largul coastei de nord-est a Japoniei. Cu toate acestea, accidentul de la Cernobîl a fost mult mai periculos, deoarece nucleul reactorului explodat s-a spulberat foarte rapid și violent. În jurul orașului Fukushima a fost creată o zonă interzisă care se întindea pe 20 de kilometri, iar reactoarele avariate au fost închise definitiv.

Persons: Organizației Mondiale a Sănătății . Organizations: bbc, Organizația Mondială a Sănătății, REUTERS, Fukushima, Organizației Mondiale a Sănătății, Greenpeace International Locations: Japonia, Japoniei, Honshu, Fukushima, Cernobîl, Ucraina, Rusia, Belarus

☆ Cum cererea de biocombustibil afectează pădurile sfinte din Estonia — Moldova.org
▼ + stars: | 2021-04-19 | by ( Eugenia Wetz | Diana Preașcă | ) www.moldova.org time to read: +4 min

☆ Ştafeta torţei olimpice, anulată în oraşul japonez Matsuyama din cauza coronavirusului
▼ + stars: | 2021-04-14 | by ( Publika.Md - Aici Sunt Știrile | ) www.publika.md time to read: +2 min

Ştafeta torţei olimpice a Jocurilor de la Tokyo va fi anulată în oraşul japonez Matsuyama din cauza situaţiei sanitare, a anunţat miercuri un responsabil local, la o săptămână după o decizie similară luată într-un alt departament, informează AFP, citează Agerpres. "Vom anula ştafeta flăcării la Matsuyama", a declarat Tokihiro Nakamura, guvernatorul departamentului Ehime, a cărui capitală este Matsuyama. Acesta a precizat că decizia a fost acceptată de Comitetul de organizare Tokyo-2020, care nu a comentat pentru moment informaţia. Trecerea flăcării a fost deja considerată indezirabilă pe străzile departamentului Osaka, din cauza numărului de cazuri de Covid-19, în creştere puternică. Odată cu apropierea Jocurilor Olimpice, organizatorii sunt nevoiţi să facă faţă unui număr tot mai mare de dificultăţi.

Persons: Nakamura, Nakamura ., Hideki Matsuyama Organizations: Evenimentul Locations: Tokyo, japonez Matsuyama, Ehime, Matsuyama, Japonia, Fukushima, ţării, japonez, Osaka

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