Bill for nuclear safety improvements: Y19 bn. per reactor

Posted by zichi Lorentz

 
 

Measures required to improve nuclear security at Japanese nuclear facilities may cost up to Y19.4 billion ($252 million) per reactor, according to the government.

Most expensive measures are emergency steps like those required to maintain cooling, which would cost about Y11.8 billion, according to estimates by a committee under the National Policy Unit.

An additional Y1.3 billion would cover risks against explosions and protective equipment in the event of a severe nuclear accident. Other costs would go to establishing emergency power generators and other external power sources.

Costs for building new reactors would be higher as well. A 5 percent increase is expected, according to the report which estimates a Y420 billion bill would be necessary to build a new reactor with a capacity of 1.2 million kilowatts.

Should the risk of a new serious nuclear accident be included in the cost of generating nuclear power, its price would rise by up to Y1.6 per kilowatt hour, the same panel of experts announced last week. It estimated a nuclear disaster would cost about Y5 trillion.

via tokyotimes.co.jp

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Japanese power companies waged campaign to win lawmakers' support

Posted by zichi Lorentz

 
 

In a disturbing pattern dating to the 1990s, electric power companies have been found to be wooing Liberal Democratic Party Diet members at breakfast meetings organized by an industry organization, along with offering major campaign contributions and other perks, such as wining and dining at pricy Tokyo restaurants.

The LDP members were mainly those working on issues related to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, which supervises the electric power industry, according to aides and other sources.

A former employee of the LDP headquarters said of the parties that were held by Tokyo Electric Power Co. executives in ryotei, traditional first-class Japanese restaurants, in Tokyo until the late 1990s:

"We ate gorgeous cuisine in ryotei restaurants in Mukojima (known as a traditional entertainment district). We also received fruits and other goods as souvenirs. In addition, cars were reserved to take us home. In those days, we often received such entertainment from TEPCO."

Recently, it was revealed that TEPCO purchased tickets to LDP lawmakers' fund-raising parties and orchestrated a campaign of "personal donations" by power company executives to the LDP.

In addition, the latest revelation of the breakfast meetings and related issues shows that the nine electric power companies, including TEPCO, were jointly engaged in activities to win LDP lawmakers' support.

Such activities were often conducted in the 1990s when the LDP was the ruling party and thus controlled legislation and regulation of the power industry. The breakfast meetings continued until recent years, the aides and sources added.

According to aides to lawmakers and former executives of the electric power companies, the breakfast meetings were organized by the Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan. They were held once every two or three months at Tokyo hotels.

In addition, luncheon meetings were also held between several electric power companies and lawmakers on an irregular basis.

Participants at the breakfast meetings were executives of nine electric power companies, excluding Okinawa Electric Power Co., and LDP lawmakers or their aides. Many of the Diet members were mid-ranking lawmakers and were engaged in issues related to the industry ministry.

At election time, the executives visited lawmakers' offices and handed cash donations to them or their aides. An aide to a lawmaker said, "In some cases, an amount ranging from two million yen to three million yen (about $25,000 to $37,500) was contained in each envelope."

via ajw.asahi.com

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True cost of British nuclear energy

Posted by zichi Lorentz

 
 

If nuclear energy is the safest, cleanest, cheapest energy to use to generate power why does Big Nuke need to prop up their argument with the climate change debate?

Why have both Germany and Switzerland decided to end their nuke power.

The British nuclear industry can only survive because of government subsidies, and every year the industry calls for more of them.

The link is an excellent report on the British nuclear industry and the real cost of nuclear power. It also provides the figures for using renewables.

"A network of land-based 2.5-megawatt (MW) turbines restricted to  non forested, ice-free, nonurban areas operating at as little as 20% of their rated capacity could supply more than 40 times current worldwide consumption of electricity and more than 5 times total global use of energy in all forms. There is additional potential in offshore wind farms."

http://www.mng.org.uk/gh/private/nuclear_subsidies1.pdf

also another good report,"Reports on the feasibility and costs of decarbonising the UK, Europe and the world—and the costs of not taking action."

http://www.mng.org.uk/gh/scenarios.htm

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SDP adopts plan to get nuclear plants eliminated by 2020

Posted by zichi Lorentz

 
 

The Social Democratic Party said Monday it adopted an action plan of seeking to get all nuclear power plants in Japan abolished by 2020 in the wake of the massive accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

SDP leader Mizuho Fukushima will submit the plan, which also calls for shifting to power generation fully dependent on natural energy sources like wind and solar, to Prime Minister Naoto Kan Tuesday, the opposition party said.

The document describing the plan reads, ‘‘The option of sticking to nuclear energy is no longer acceptable’’ in light of the unfolding crisis at the nuclear power plant crippled by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

The document also calls for terminating thermal power generation based on such energy sources like oil by 2050 to forestall climate change.

It proposes making the Tohoku northeastern district a model area where the SDP will seek to get the government to implement the action plan fully by 2020 before it is applied to other areas.

via japantoday.com

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