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☆ Microsoft is planning to use nuclear energy to power its AI data centers, according to a job posting
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Microsoft is hiring a project manager for nuclear technology as it looks to power its AI data centres with nuclear energy. AdvertisementAdvertisementMicrosoft is exploring plans to use nuclear energy to power its AI data centres as it grapples with the huge amount of energy needed to run models like ChatGPT. The company is hiring a "principal program manager for nuclear technology" to assess how nuclear energy could be used to power the data centres hosting AI models, according to a job listing posted on Thursday. The job listing suggests that Microsoft sees nuclear energy as the way to meet this spiraling energy demand. Microsoft recently pledged to accelerate efforts to power data centers with renewable energy and reduce emissions, and plans to make its business carbon negative, water positive, and zero waste by 2030.

Persons: — Organizations: Microsoft, Service, CNBC, Reactors, OpenAI

☆ Microsoft is hiring a nuclear energy expert to help power its AI and cloud data centers
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Artificial intelligence takes a lot of compute power, and Microsoft is putting together a road map for powering that computation with small nuclear reactors. However, Microsoft has publicly committed to pursuing nuclear energy from an innovator in the fusion space. In May, Microsoft announced it signed a power purchase agreement with Helion, a nuclear fusion startup, to buy electricity from it in 2028. Interest in nuclear energy has increased alongside concerns about climate change in recent years, as nuclear reactors generate electricity without releasing virtually any carbon dioxide emissions. Nuclear energy also makes up 47% of America's carbon-free electricity in 2022, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

Persons: Satya Nadella, ChatGPT, Bill Gates, Microsoft's, Sam Altman, they're Organizations: Microsoft, Modular Reactor, CNBC, Helion, U.S . Energy Information Administration, U.S . Department of Energy Locations: Redmond , Washington, OpenAI, Helion, U.S

☆ The US is planning its first fusion plant, and it could generate pollution-free power by 2035
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Nuclear fusion is a breakthrough technology that could help the US achieve pollution-free power. Calling nuclear fusion a pioneering technology, Granholm said President Joe Biden wants to harness fusion as a carbon-free energy source that can power homes and businesses. A successful nuclear fusion was first achieved by researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California last December in a major breakthrough after decades of work. Nuclear energy is an essential component of the Biden administration's goal of achieving a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035 and net zero emissions economy by 2050. "We want to see everybody moving forward as quickly as possible (on the clean energy transition), including ourselves," she said.

Persons: it's, —, Biden, Jennifer Granholm, Granholm, Joe Biden, It's, Dennis Whyte, Rishi Sunak, Sunak Organizations: Service, US, Associated Press, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Control, Plasma Science, Fusion Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Energy, UK Locations: VIENNA, Vienna, California, France, Washington

☆ How hydrogen bombs compare to atomic bombs, and how scientists created the most destructive weapon ever
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( Adam Barnes | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Hydrogen bombs and atomic bombs are both nuclear weapons that can cause mass destruction. But just seven years later an even more destructive nuclear bomb was built — the hydrogen bomb. Whereas hydrogen bombs get their power from a combination of fission and its opposite — nuclear fusion — the binding of atoms. Hydrogen vs. atomic bombs: damage and destructionWhile atomic bomb blasts are measured in kilotons — 1 kt is equivalent to the explosive force of 1,000 tons of TNT — hydrogen bombs are often measured in megatons. AdvertisementAdvertisementBoth atomic and hydrogen bombs are nuclear weapons and therefore create long-lasting, dangerous nuclear fallout.

Persons: Otto Hahn, Fritz Strassman, Hahn, Lisa Meitner, Otto Frisch, Meitner, Frisch, Alex Wellerstein, Wellerstein, Little, Amanda Macias, Tsar, Soviet Union —, Bomba, it's Organizations: Service, Trinity, Stevens Institute of Technology, Little Boy, Lions, TNT, Little, Bravo, US, Hanford , Washington . Department of Locations: Wall, Silicon, United States, Japan, Austrian, Nagasaki, Hiroshima, megatons, Soviet Union, Soviet, Manhattan, Los Angeles, Hanford , Washington

Uranium stone is seen at a news conference of Macusani Yellowcake and Plateau Energy in Lima, Peru July 16, 2018. Investors in uranium have sharply outperformed investors in clean energy and oil & gas majorsThe significance of that change extends well beyond Finland's power market, which gets over a third of its electricity from nuclear plants. The Global X Uranium ETF , the world's largest ETF exposed to the uranium space, is up 31% year-to-date, while Canada's first uranium ETF, the Horizons Global Uranium Index ETF (HURA.TO), is up over 45%, LSEG data shows. However, even with the broad new backing for nuclear, it is far from certain that a significant increase in nuclear power output will actually materialise. In addition, the cost of building new nuclear plants has sky-rocketed in recent years.

Persons: Macusani, Mariana Bazo, NuScale, Gavin Maguire, Sonali Paul Organizations: Plateau Energy, REUTERS, Finland's Green Party, Green Party, Green, Finland Green Party, World Nuclear Association, Uranium, CME, France's EDF, EDF, Institute for Energy Economics, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Lima , Peru, LITTLETON , Colorado, Spain, Belgium, Sweden, Germany, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Russia, Niger, China, Europe, United States, England, U.S

LONDON (AP) — Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced Wednesday that he’s delaying by five years a ban on new gas and diesel cars that had been due to take effect in 2030, watering down climate goals that he said imposed “unacceptable costs” on ordinary people. U.K. greenhouse gas emissions have fallen by 46% from 1990 levels, mainly because of the almost complete removal of coal from electricity generation. The government had pledged to reduce emissions by 68% of 1990 levels by 2030 and to reach net zero by 2050. Automakers, who have invested heavily in the switch to electric vehicles, expressed frustration at the government’s change of plan. Ford U.K. head Lisa Brankin said the company had invested 430 million pounds ($530 million) to build electric cars in Britain.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Sunak, ”, Boris Johnson, backtrack, Prince William —, Will McCallum, Lisa Brankin, Richard Burge, Tara, Hargreaves Lansdown, Clee, Sadiq Khan, Alok Sharma, Peter Cox Organizations: —, Conservative Party, Former, United Nations General Assembly, Greenpeace, Ford, London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Britain’s Conservatives, Labour, London’s Labour, BBC, Global Systems Institute, University of Exeter Locations: New York, Britain, London Uxbridge, Glasgow

☆ India-Canada relations: how could trade be affected as tensions rise?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Manoj Kumar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

On Tuesday, New Delhi dismissed the allegations as "absurd", and asked Canada instead to crack down on anti-India elements operating in its territory. Here is what is at stake for both countries:HOW ARE TRADE TALKS AFFECTED? Steady growth has seen goods trade rising to $8 billion in 2022, with Indian exports to Canada touching $4 billion and imports from Canada also worth $4 billion. Pharmaceutical products, worth about $418 million, made up the bulk of Indian exports last year, followed by iron and steel products worth about $328 million and machinery, nuclear reactors and boilers worth about $287 million. India's growing demand for imported lentils has benefited Canadian farmers, while Indian pharmaceutical and software companies have expanded their presence in the Canadian market.

Persons: Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Nanak, Chris Helgren, Justin Trudeau, Canpotex, Manoj Kumar, Arpan Varghese, Jaiveer, Clarence Fernandez, Anil D'Silva Organizations: REUTERS, Trading Economics, UN, Canpotex, Pharmaceutical, Caisse, Ontario Teachers, Bombardier, SNC Lavalin, TCS, Infosys, Wipro, Canadian Bureau of International Education, Thomson Locations: Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, DELHI, India, New Delhi, India's, Punjab, Bengaluru

He also warned that escalating fighting is increasing the danger of a nuclear accident at Europe’s largest nuclear plant in Ukraine. Grossi said he is seeking to re-establish a dialogue with North Korea, which expelled U.N. nuclear weapons inspectors in 2009. Stop it!”Iran has denied impeding the work of IAEA inspectors though it has also been years since its experts have been able to examine surveillance footage. So he has been urging the Ukrainians and Russians not to attack any nuclear plant. There are also some Russian experts and IAEA inspectors who from time to time have acted as “a buffer” and defused some tense situations, Grossi said.

Persons: Rafael Grossi, Grossi, Ebrahim Raisi, ” “, “, ”, hasn’t, ” Grossi, Wang Yi, Wang, Said, “ I'm, Edith M, Lederer Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, General Assembly, International Atomic Energy Agency, Associated Press, Fukushima, IAEA, Foreign Locations: Ukraine, North Korea, China, Beijing, IRAN, Iran, Tehran, Vienna, United States, Ukraine's, Ukrainian, Russian, Pyongyang, “, Korea, South Korea, Fukushima, New York

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Environmental groups called on federal regulators Thursday to immediately shut down one of two reactors at California’s last nuclear power plant until tests can be conducted on critical machinery they believe could fail and cause a catastrophe. “We will not sit idly by while PG&E cuts corners on Unit 1’s safety,” Hallie Templeton, legal director for Friends of the Earth, said in a statement. Friends of the Earth, a longtime critic of plant safety, was a central player in negotiating the 2016 closing agreement. He noted that unlike most other reactor safety components, the pressure vessel has no independent backup system that can be called upon if it should crack or fracture and lose essential cooling water. According to the NRC, embrittlement occurs as a result of reactor operation when neutrons from the nuclear fuel irradiate the steel plates and welds used to construct the reactor vessel.

Persons: Peace, “, ” Hallie Templeton, Suzanne Hosn, ” Hosn, Gavin Newsom, Digby Macdonald, ”, Macdonald, ” Macdonald, Critics, Newsom, it’s Organizations: ANGELES, —, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Pacific Gas &, Democratic, University of California, NRC Locations: Los Angeles, San Francisco, California, Washington, Berkeley

France's own hefty nuclear power sector - which generates over 60% of the country's electricity - is clearly a key beneficiary of the allowances made by lawmakers as part of the deal which aggressively lifts EU renewable energy usage targets. But all of Europe's nuclear power producers may get a lift from the new deal, which allows for certain non-emitting nuclear facilities to bypass rules relating to hydrogen production. In addition, the EU's apparent acceptance that nuclear power is a key source of low-carbon energy will likely further shore up support for nuclear power. Beyond France, several European countries rely on nuclear power to generate a substantial share of electricity, including Sweden, Spain, Switzerland, Finland, Belgium and Bulgaria. The nuclear sector still has plenty of opponents, who point to decades-long construction times and multi-billion dollar price tags as key reasons why cheaper and quicker-to-build renewable sources may be a better fit for Europe's energy needs.

Persons: Regis, France's, Gavin Maguire, Stephen Coates Organizations: REUTERS, European Union, Beyond, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Agen, Toulouse, France, LITTLETON , Colorado, Europe, Ukraine, Beyond France, Sweden, Spain, Switzerland, Finland, Belgium, Bulgaria, Italy, Germany

Instead, it will explore the technology developed by Dual Fluid Energy Inc. to address the need for cleaner sources of energy. Much of the country's electricity comes from hydropower and diesel plants, according to the Rwanda Energy Group, and only about 68% of people have access to electricity. The CEO of the Rwanda Atomic Energy Board, Fidel Ndahayo, said the deal is part of a strategy of partnerships with startup companies developing small modular nuclear reactor technologies. “The Dual Fluid technology has nuclear safety design features that make it accident-free," Ndahayo asserted in the statement. “Living near a nuclear energy plant is like living near a nuclear bomb which can explode and cause more damages," The New Times reported.

Persons: Götz Ruprecht, ”, Juan Matthews, Matthews, Fidel Ndahayo, Ndahayo, ” Ndahayo, Frank Habineza, ___ Anna Organizations: Dual Fluid Energy Inc, Rwanda Energy Group, Fluid Energy, Organization for Economic Cooperation, Development's Nuclear Energy Agency, International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, Energy, Dalton Nuclear, University of Manchester, New Times, Africa Climate Summit, Rwanda Atomic Energy Board Locations: KIGALI, Rwanda, Canada, Africa, Russia, Nairobi, Kenya

The Fukushima Daiichi plant began discharging the treated and diluted wastewater into the Pacific Ocean on Aug. 24. During the 17-day first release, the plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, said it discharged 7,800 tons of treated water from 10 tanks. About 1.34 million tons of radioactive wastewater is stored in about 1,000 tanks at the plant. The radioactive wastewater has accumulated since three of the plant's reactors were damaged by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. TEPCO plans to release 31,200 tons of treated water through March 2024, and officials say the pace will pick up later.

Persons: Fumio Kishida, Teruaki Kobashi Organizations: TOKYO, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, TEPCO, International Atomic Energy Agency, Japan, Korea Institute of Nuclear, IAEA, South Korean Locations: Fukushima, China, South Korea, Japan

TOKYO (AP) — Fishermen and residents of Fukushima and five other prefectures along Japan’s northeastern coast filed a lawsuit Friday demanding a halt to the ongoing release of treated radioactive wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea. Three reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant melted after a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami in 2011 destroyed its cooling systems. “The intentional release to the sea is an intentional harmful act that adds to the (nuclear plant) accident," said another lawyer, Hiroyuki Kawai. He said the ocean is a public resource and it is unethical for a company to discharge wastewater into it. China banned all imports of Japanese seafood in response to the release, while Hong Kong and Macau suspended imports from 10 prefectures including Fukushima.

Persons: Kenjiro Kitamura, Hiroyuki Kawai, Fumio, Kishida Organizations: TOKYO, —, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Nuclear, Authority, TEPCO, International Atomic Energy Agency, Groups Locations: Fukushima, Tokyo, China, Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea, Indonesia

Depleted uranium is a dense by-product left over when uranium is enriched for use in nuclear reactors or nuclear weapons. The depleted uranium is still radioactive, but has a much lower level of the isotopes U-235 and U-234 - way less than the levels in natural uranium ore - reducing its radioactivity. The United States, Britain, Russia, China, France and Pakistan produce depleted uranium weapons, which are not classified as nuclear weapons, according to the International Coalition to Ban Uranium Weapons. Ingesting or inhaling quantities of uranium - even depleted uranium - is dangerous: it can depress renal function and raises the risk of developing a range of cancers. A United Nations Environment Programme report on the impact of depleted uranium on Serbia and Montenegro found "no significant, widespread contamination".

Persons: Sergei Ryabkov, Ryabkov, Guy Faulconbridge, Frank Jack Daniel, Tomasz Janowski, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Pentagon, International Atomic Energy Agency, Associated Universities, of, DU, WHO, International Coalition, Uranium, NATO, Royal Society, IAEA, United Nations Environment, TASS, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Tennessee, United States, Britain, Russia, China, France, Pakistan, Yugoslavia, Balkans, London, Serbia, Montenegro, RUSSIA, Washington

Summary U.S. regulators are ready to review and license the next generation of nuclear reactors while staying committed to safety, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) says. The NRC is under pressure to show it can move fast on a new generation of nuclear technology, including small modular reactors (SMRs) and other previously untested designs, as many in the industry call for deep reforms at the regulator. NuScale’s VOYGR 50-MW SMR power plant became the first SMR design certified by the NRC in January. Earlier this month, the NRC accepted NuScale's uprated VOYGR-6 plant design for a Standard Design Approval (SDA) application. “We are yielding timelier and more cost-effective reviews without compromising on safety,” Taylor says.

Persons: ”, Judi Greenwald, “, Steven Arndt, NRC Robert Taylor, NuScale’s VOYGR, ” Taylor, “ We're, Taylor, Kairos, they're, it's, –, bro, Allison Macfarlane, Macfarlane skewered, ” Macfarlane Organizations: Nuclear Regulatory Commission, NRC, Nuclear Innovation Alliance, Department of Energy, DOE, American Nuclear Society, New Reactors, ” Tech bros, Institute of Art, Thomson Locations: United States

☆ Ukrainian drone attacks Russian town near major nuclear plant
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Summary Drone attacks nuclear townNo damage to nuclear power stationKursk power station is one of biggestUkrainian drone shot down near MoscowMOSCOW, Sept 1 (Reuters) - A Ukrainian drone attacked a town in western Russia which is home to one of the country's biggest nuclear power stations, though there was no damage reported to the plant, Russian officials said. Governor Roman Starovoit said a Ukrainian drone had damaged the facade of a building in the town of Kurchatov, just a few kilometres from the Kursk nuclear power station, early on Friday. Starovoit did not mention any potential damage to the Kursk nuclear power plant. The Soviet-era Kursk nuclear power station has the same graphite-moderated reactors as the Chernobyl nuclear plant. Russia and Ukraine have in the past accused each other of plotting to attack the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station in Ukraine.

Persons: Roman Starovoit, Starovoit, Sergei Sobyanin, Vyacheslav Gladkov, Guy Faulconbridge, Clarence Fernandez, Michael Perry Organizations: Kremlin, Thomson Locations: Kursk, Moscow MOSCOW, Ukrainian, Russia, Kurchatov, Soviet, Soviet Ukraine, Europe, Ukraine, Russian, Moscow, Moscow's Vnukovo, Belgorod

☆ How China became the king of new nuclear power, and how the U.S. is trying to stage a comeback
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

That is two and a half times more nuclear reactors under construction than any other country. China was just getting started as the United States nuclear industry began to take a back seat. Power follows demand, so the new nuclear reactors tend to be built where fast-developing economies need power to fuel their growth. For the United States to win the export business, it must prove it can put steel in the ground in the United States. "We and our close nuclear energy allies are at what I think is just the start of a fierce competition for supremacy in global nuclear energy export markets," Kotek said.

Persons: Jacopo Buongiorno, Kenneth Luongo, Luongo, John F, Kotek, they've, Buongiorno, Westinghouse, Trump, Biden Organizations: Plant, China National Nuclear Corporation, China Huaneng, Changjiang, China News Service, Getty, International Atomic Energy Agency, United, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, CNBC, Partnership for Global Security, World Nuclear Association, Chicago Tribune, Tribune, Service, IAEA, Organization for Economic Cooperation, Development, OECD, U.S . Energy Information Administration, Nuclear Energy Institute, International Energy Agency, France, Visual China, Georgia Power, Westinghouse Locations: China, Changjiang Li Autonomous County, Hainan Province, India, Turkey, United States, Georgia, Byron , Illinois, France, Russia, HUIZHOU, CHINA, Huizhou, Guangdong Province of China, Europe, Eastern Europe, U.S

Now I’m sure you’re going to say the same thing about my beloved F-35s, B-21s, SSN-774s and so on. Gail: That reminds me — during the Republican debate, when the candidates were asked to raise their hands if they believed human activity causes climate change, nobody was brave enough to do it. I know you don’t agree with our friend Ramaswamy, who called the climate change agenda “a hoax.” But do you feel yourself moving toward our oh-lord-this-is-a-world-crisis side? Conservatives could have something meaningful to contribute if they acknowledged that climate change was real and that big-government solutions aren’t the way to go. We could support a carbon tax and offset it with a reduction in income tax.

Persons: Gail, it’ll, Bret, they’d, me, Haley, Ramaswamy, Teddy Roosevelt Organizations: Republican, biodiesels Locations: California, San Francisco, San Jose, Burbank, United States

☆ Japan says seawater radioactivity below limits near Fukushima
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A view of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant after it started releasing treated radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean, seen from the nearby Ukedo fishing port in Namie town, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, Aug. 25, 2023. REUTERS/Tom Bateman/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc FollowTOKYO, Aug 27 (Reuters) - Japan's environment ministry on Sunday said tests of seawater near the Fukushima nuclear power plant did not detect any radioactivity, days after the discharge of treated water that had been used to cool nuclear reactors. The east-Asian nation on Thursday started releasing water from the wrecked Fukushima plant into the Pacific Ocean, sparking protests within Japan and neighbouring countries and prompting China to ban aquatic product imports from Japan. It said the seawater "would have no adverse impact on human health and the environment". Japan's fisheries agency on Saturday said tests of fish in waters around the plant did not detect tritium.

Persons: Tom Bateman, Kaori Kaneko, Christopher Cushing Organizations: REUTERS, Rights Companies Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Reuters, Tokyo Electric Power Co, Tepco, Thomson Locations: Fukushima, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, China

Circuit Court of Appeals found that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission lacked the authority under federal law to issue permits for private, temporary nuclear waste storage sites. Circuit Judge James Ho, writing for the court, agreed with Texas that the Atomic Energy Act does not give the agency the broad authority "to license a private, away-from-reactor storage facility for spent nuclear fuel." Abbott opposed the plan, saying he would not let Texas become "America's nuclear waste dumping ground." The plan for a temporary facility was devised in order to address a growing nuclear waste problem in the United States. The Andrews County site was chosen after efforts to build a permanent storage facility in Nevada fell apart amid fierce local opposition.

Persons: James Ho, William F, Buckley, Jr, Michelle McLoughlin, Ho, Donald Trump, Greg Abbott's, Abbott, Clark Mindock, Will Dunham Organizations: Yale University, REUTERS, Republican, Circuit, Appeals, U.S . Nuclear, Commission, Partners, Atomic Energy, Waste, NRC, Thomson Locations: New Haven , Connecticut, U.S, Texas, New Orleans, Andrews County , Texas, United States, Andrews, Nevada, New York

☆ Europe’s summer of extremes triggers health warnings, nuclear output fears and shipping disruption
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Europe's protracted battle with extreme weather conditions comes shortly after official data showed July was the hottest month in history. To be sure, the climate emergency — which is primarily driven by the burning of fossil fuels — is making extreme weather and its impacts more frequent and more intense. People stand at an overflooded petrol station in Gjovik on August 11, 2023 after extreme weather with heavy rain hit south-east Norway. This gives us the long-term context for the increasing occurrence and severity of such extreme weather and extreme events." On the same day, France issued an extreme heat warning for four regional departments in the southern regions of Rhone, Drome, Ardeche and Haute-Loire.

Persons: Angelos Tzortzinis, Alvaro Silva, Heiko Junge, Silva, Christophe Archambault, Nero, sweltering, Fabrice Coffrini Organizations: Sikorsky, Afp, Getty, EDF, Turkish, Meteorological Organization, Firefighters, Reuters Locations: Acharnes, Athens, Europe, Greece, French, Italy, Norway, Gjovik, Alexandroupolis, France, Rhone, Drome, Ardeche, Haute, Loire, Bordeaux, Sardinia, Dardanelles, Switzerland

☆ Fukushima nuclear plant begins releasing treated radioactive wastewater into the sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Protesters hold signs reading "Don't throw radioactive contaminated water into the sea!" The operator of the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says it has begun releasing its first batch of treated radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean. But the Japanese government and TEPCO say the water must be released to make room for the plant's decommissioning and to prevent accidental leaks. The water release begins more than 12 years after the March 2011 nuclear meltdowns, caused by a massive earthquake and tsunami. TEPCO executive Junichi Matsumoto said Thursday's release was to begin with the least radioactive water to ensure safety.

Persons: Fumio Kishida, Junichi Matsumoto, Matsumoto Organizations: Tokyo Electric Power Company, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, TEPCO, Fisheries Agency Locations: Tokyo, China, South Korea, Fukushima

☆ Japan Begins Releasing Treated Radioactive Water at Fukushima
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Motoko Rich | More About Motoko Rich | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Within Japan, fishermen’s unions fear that public anxiety about the safety of the water could affect their livelihoods. BackgroundEver since a huge earthquake and tsunami in 2011 led to a meltdown at the Fukushima plant, Tepco, as the power company is known, has used water to cool the ruined nuclear fuel rods that remain too hot to remove. As the water passes through the reactors, it picks up nuclear materials. What’s NextThe first release of 7,800 tons of treated water is expected to last about 17 days. To compensate fishermen who lose business due to public anxiety, the Japanese government is allocating 80 billion yen ($552 million).

Persons: Yoon Suk, Miharu, Hisako Ueno Organizations: Japan, Tepco, International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA Locations: China, South Korea, Japan, Tokyo

☆ As cracks emerge in Russia, US plots fresh sanctions to crank up pressure on Moscow
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Matt Egan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN Business —Washington plans to keep piling pressure on Russia through additional sanctions in a bid to force hard choices in Moscow, a senior US official tells CNN. The preparations of further economic punishments come as cracks emerge in Russia’s economy and society because of the war in Ukraine and sanctions from the West. The scramble in Russia to shore up the crumbling ruble shows the pressure on Moscow is working, the senior US official told CNN. The United States has steadily imposed sanctions on Russia and the US official said Washington plans to continue doing so in a bid to ramp up pressure. Former CIA director David Petraeus argues now is the time for the United States to crank up the pressure on Russia.

Persons: . Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Putin, David Petraeus, “, ” Petraeus, Petraeus, ”, Ed Mills, Raymond James, Mills, Biden Organizations: New York CNN Business —, CNN, ., US, United, Washington, CIA, KKR Global Institute Locations: New York CNN Business — Washington, Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, United States, South Africa, Washington, United

☆ Japan released treated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear disaster into the ocean. Experts say it's safe, but one would avoid the fish.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Rupendra Brahambhatt | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Japan said it plans to release 1 million metric tons of treated radioactive water into the Pacific. Nuclear experts said the discharge is safe but one said he'd avoid eating fish near Fukushima. The water is from its Fukushima nuclear power plant that, in 2011, underwent a meltdown and is considered one of the biggest nuclear tragedies in history. AdvertisementAdvertisementAfter the 2011 disaster, the radioactive water leaked into the plant's basements where it was collected and later stored in tanks. Why treated radioactive water is 'quite safe'This isn't the first time humans have released water from nuclear plants into a larger body of water.

Persons: Rafael Mariano Grossi, Kathryn Higley, Aldo Bonasera, Higley, Wang Wenbin, Wenbin, there's, JUNG YEON, Bonasera Organizations: Service, Electric Power Co, REUTERS, Kyodo, TEPCO, Tokyo Electric Power, Oregon State University, Texas, Power, Getty, World Health Organization, Greenpeace Locations: Japan, Fukushima, China, Hong Kong, Russia, South Korea, Fish, Seoul, California, Coast

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