A near-accident, involving a scenario that, according to Greenpeace Canada, almost led to a meltdown, occurred 11 February at the Hinkley Point nuclear power station (UK). An attempt to cover up the problem ended 5 days later, when a Member of Parliament, Paddy Ashdown, revealed the incident on 16 Feb. The incident occurred when high winds led to a power loss. The emergency power systems were manually switched off when the power returned. When a second loss of power occurred there was no automatic safety system available. It has been reported that for a period of 20 minutes no electricity was supplied to the cooling system, which is essential for keeping the reactor under control and avoiding a meltdown. Greenpeace also reports that the scenario mirrored a similar operator error at the plant in 1984. For more information contact: Ian Fairlie, 427 Bloor St. West, Toronto, Ont. M5S 1X7, Canada, tel: 416-538-6470. Greenpeace (Canada) (via GreenNet, gn.nuclear, topic 213, 16 Feb. 1990
Unit 2 of the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant (US) was shut down on 27 Oct. 1989 and an "unusual event" was declared. The reactor was manually shut down due to sparks coming from the electrical generator and the building was evacuated. The cause was determined to be a failed bearing which caused parts in the turbine to rub together. The reactor was restarted on 4 Nov. Diablo Monitor (via GreenNet, gn.nuclear, topic 211, 11 Feb. 1990)
On 8 December, 30 gallons of contaminated cooling liquid spilled from a nuclear submarine into the VSEL shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, UK. Anti-Nuclear Network Newsletter, Feb/Mar 1990
In mid-February the Polish government announced a one-year halt in construction of the much protested Zarnowiec nuclear power plant (see WISE News Communique 325.3253). It has also been revealed that large amounts of cement have been stolen from the construction site for which sand has been substituted. WISE-Stockholm
A majority of the members of the Ukrainian parliament requested on 17 February that Moscow close all the nuclear power plants at Chernobyl. Svenska Dagbladet (Sweden), 18 Feb. 1990
As of December 1989 the Japanese National Network for the Enactment of a Nuclear Phase Out Law has collected 2.5 million signatures for its petition (see WISE News Communique 320.3209). Although this is only a quarter of the 10 million targeted, it is the largest number of signatures opposing nuclear power to have ever been collected in Japan. The signatures will be submitted to the Japanese Diet on 27 April. It is unlikely that a Nuclear Phase Out Law would be enacted purely on the strength of the first petition, as there is still not enough anti-nuclear influence within the Diet, but the aim at this stage is to bring the nuclear issue to the Diet and spark discussion among Diet members. The Network recognizes that there is no guarantee that simply submitting the signatures will lead to substantial discussion in the Diet, so in the meantime, citizens have begun to talk with their local constituency members. Questionnaires on the nuclear issue have been distributed to candidates expected to stand for the general election, occurring this month. And a roundtable Diet members' conference will be organized for March. Network members intend to continue the petition drive and keep submitting it as many times as it takes to get it enacted. Nuke Info Tokyo (Japan), Jan/Feb 1990
The Japanese government has announced its draft budget for fiscal 1990 (Apr. 1990 - Mar. 1991) which includes an estimated 420 billion yen (approximately US $30 billion) to be allocated to nuclear power. The draft budget features various new incentive measures - outright bribes, in fact - to "encourage" regional authorities to accept nuclear plants. It also features an increased public relations budget to enable the continued construction of nuclear plants in the face of growing public opposition. Communities are to be offered subsidies to invite other industries to the area if they accept nuclear plants and to hold fairs for local products in major cities. The subsidy for the area where the nuclear-fuel cycle facilities are to be sited in Aomori Prefecture is higher by 20%. The draft budget also gives strong support to the construction of the Aomori facilities. A large budget is allocated to establish a Comprehensive Research Institute on Environmental Science which is supposed to investigate and study the impact of radioactivity on the environment, and a' Reprocessing Technology Research Institute. In addition, the Japan Development Bank's ceiling for financing nuclear facilities has been raised to 200 billion yen (US $14.3 billion), of which 45 billion yen is for the nuclear-fuel cycle facilities. Nuke Info Tokyo, Jan/Feb 1990
Meanwhile, according to a survey by the Ministry of General Affairs, public and private sector funds for energy research in fiscal 1988 totalled 889.3 billion yen (US $66.4 billion), 50% of which was for nuclear research. Seventy-nine per cent of total nuclear research funds was used by the national research institutions. Nuke Info Tokyo, Jan/Feb 1990
On November 7 police seized 110 lbs of enriched uranium from a Western Australian hoteL Two men were arrested. The uranium is believed to have originated in South Africa. Anti-Nuclear Network Newsletter (UK), Feb/Mar 1990
The problems relating to the distribution of the limited water supplies between the nuclear power station at Golfech (France) and the other interested parties (which includes everyone from Agen to Marmande who depends on the Garonne river for drinking water) has yet to be resolved (see WISE News Communique 325.3254). According to official Electricite de France figures, the no. 1 reactor at Golfech, still scheduled to be started in March, will be responsible f or the evaporation of 28,732,000 cubic meters annually. (That is if it can run for that long without problems!) The total water consumption for irrigation and domestic use last year for the department of Lot et Garonne was 18,000,000 cubic meters. For the last five years, the level of the Garonne has progressively dropped and last year rainfall was 40% below the norm and temperatures were the highest for thirty years. With the onset of global warming this trend is likely to continue. In 1989 water shortages led to rationing for irrigation and the poor quality of drinking water caused outbreaks of gastro-enteritis and three cases of typhoid. Vivre Sans le Danger Nucleaire de Golfech (France)
In our last News Communique (see In brief) we mentioned that the 'Stop Nogent' Committee had passed on information that the Nogent-1 PWR had been discovered by EdF to be sinking slowly downwards. EdF made the discovery in June of 1986 and at that time the reactor had sunk 16 centimeters. Now 'Stop Nogent' says that in an attempt to prevent further sinking, a re-enforced concrete apron had been hastily built around the foundations. Despite this, sinkage is now estimated to be 28-30 centimeters and has led to emergency repairs on a number of pipes directly concerned in cooling the core of the reactor. To compensate for the uneven subsidence, in a moment of hi-tech inspiration for which EdF is well known, one side of the reactor was counter-balanced with a 2,600 tonne weight... Vivre Sans le Danger Nucleaire
All these technical problems and their associated costs are only part of EdF's worries. The stateowned utility recently announced a deficit of 4.7 billion francs to add to it's overall debt of 231.8 billion francs. Golf ech was originally built to supply Spain bit as the Spanish, faced with serious nuclear problems of their own, have withdrawn, desperate attempts are being made to sell to Portugal even at cost price. Vivre Sans le Danger Nucleaire
Not all the news from France is bad. French anti-nuclear activists have achieved a great success in at least one area: The French government has temporarily stopped its plans for final storage of high-level nuclear waste. Four sites had been proposed for this purpose: Bourg d'Ire near Angers, Bourgen-Bresse near Lyon, Neuvy-Bouin in western France, and Sissone in northern France. Such strong opposition to these plans had developed during the last months that the government has had to promise a revision of its plans and a discussion with all interested parties before any further plans are made. taz (FRG), 10 Feb. 1990
Thousands of people in the Bulgarian town of Swischtow participated in a general strike held on 15 February to show opposition to the proposed construction of a nuclear power plant. According to the Yugoslavian news agency "Tanjug", citizens thus protested the decision of the Bulgarian government to continue construction of the Belena nuclear power plant. The news agency also reported that employees of the Kosloduj nuclear power station, at which there are already 4 operating reactors, indicated they were willing to join the strike. taz (FRG), 16 Feb. 1990; Nuclear Power Reactors in the World, Apr. 1989 Edition
The Czechoslovakian nuclear lobby wants to establish an intermediate high-level nuclear waste deposit for the next 50 years in a former uranium mine at Hradec, near the Austrian border. The mine is fillec with groundwater which correspond: with the Nezarka river, from which the city of Hradec takes its drinking water. The site is moreover locatec in an area of elevated seismic activity. Source and Contact: Fritz Holzinger, Grünes Büro Oberösterreich, Graben 22, A-4690 Schwanenstadt, Austria, tel: +43-7673-2357, fax: +43-7673-4823.
A demonstration calling on New Hampshire's Governor Judd Gregg (US) to stop the licensing of Seabrook nuclear power station by withdrawing its flawed evacuation plan ended with the arrest 15 January of the 200 Clamshell Alliance members who participated. All were charged with criminal trespass after refusing to leave the governor's office at closing time. They were released on their own recognizance. Clamshell spokesperson Sam Miller said, "The Clams have spent the last 13 years trying to prevent a nuclear catastrophe at Seabrook, and now we're down to this grossly inadequate evacuation plan." Although the Nuclear Regulatory Commission identified the major flaws in the plan, it is now ready to approve an operating license, according to Clamshell organizers. Guardian (UK), 7 Feb. 1990
Meanwhile, in a letter to Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairperson Kenneth Carr, Sen. Gordon Humptrey (a republican from New Hampshire) compared the agency's granting of a low-power license for Seabrook to decisions Benito Mussolini made in 1922 to have Italian services function efficiently. "The granting is more like a diktat from Il Duce than a deliberative decision from a regulatory body charged with protection the health and safety of the American people," wrote Humphrey. "It was especially disturbing to read that the Commission made this decision 'in the interests of efficiency and effectiveness...' Mussolini would have liked the Commission's attitude." Nucleonics Week (US), 14 Dec. 1989
The State of New York said it would sue to overturn a federal law that requires it to find a place to store low-level nuclear waste. The action, announced by Governor Mario Cuomo and Attorney General Robert Abrams, is the first legal challenge from any Us state against the 1980 law. The move failed to calm angry residents of rural villages who fear their communities may become dump sites. Residents want the siting process to be halted for the duration of the lawsuit. However, according to Cuomo it will continue because it is mandated by the Legislature and he as Governor has no authority to suspend siting commission's activities without state legislation). According to David Yarrow of Solstice magazine (us), anti-nuclear dump networks should take sharp note of New York's action, alert officials in their states and urge them to join New York in court. Greenpeace (via GreenNet, gp.press, topic 210, 11 Feb. 1990)
According to the 11 Jan. issue of Japan Economy and Industry Newspaper, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has started to promote its nuclear reactor parts in China. Serious negotiations are expected to begin the middle of this year. China's first reactor, Quinshan 1, which it developed independently, and two more reactors, Guangdong 1 and 2, developed jointly by France and the UK, are now under construction. Mitsubishi has already exported a pressure vessel for Quinshan 1. The United States is in the lead with sales for Quinshan 2 and 3 and the USSR is believed to have received an order for Liaoning 1 and 2. Nuke Info Tokyo, Jan/Feb 1990
GREEN LANGUAGE SCHOOL"The Unique Green Language School" of The Centre f or Alternative Technology, UK, is a special summer educational program, which bases its teaching on the vital concern of Europe's young people for the environment. The course will adopt an ecological approach to the learning process, in terms both of method and of content of lessons. There will be three schools, each of 24 students. They will begin on a Sunday and end on the Friday twelve days later: School One from 22 July-3 August; School Two from 5-17 August and; School Three from 19-31 August. The price is UK 300 pounds stirling. This includes all accommodation and meals, learning materials and tuition, local transport to and from the Centre, and transport for organized excursions. Sleeping is in four-bunk rooms, maximum three per room (these are eco-cabins, with energy supplied wholly from renewable sources). Participants must be over 16 years of age.
The Centre, founded in 1973, has some 60,000 visitors per year, who come to see the exhibition of a wide range of renewable energy technologies, the organic gardens and the displays concerning conservation and ecology. Besides the summer program, the Centre runs over eighty residential courses each year, for the general public and school and university groups. The staff includes some of Britain's leading experts in Alternative Technology, which is defined very broadly - from energy to ecology, and from philosophy to education. Fully qualified and experienced 'Teaching English as a Foreign Language' personnel will direct the activities of other qualified staff. Students should have a basic level of the English language, but expert knowledge will not be assumed and technical language will not interfere with students' progress.
For further information on the school, Centre and booking arrangements, contact: Centre for Alternative Technology, Education Officer Damian Randle, Machynlieth, Powys, SY20 9AZ, UK, tel: Machynileth (0654) 2400.
March 2-4: IPPNW Congress on Nuclear Phase-Out, Kiel, West Germany. The International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) are holding this congress on the dangers of nuclear energy and the chances of a post-nuclear age. Topics to be covered are: Health hazards through low-level radiation; nuclear waste - threat to future generations, and; electricity without nuclear power - ways to an ecologically feasible production of energy. Contact: IPPNW Kiel, c/o Karin Rudzki, Franckestr.23, D2300 Kiel 1, FRG, tel: +49-431-81662.
March 4: Anti-Nuclear Carnival, Golfech, France. A demonstration protesting the Golfech reactor. Contact: Vivre Sans Le Danger Nucleaire de Golf ech, B.P. 343, 47008 Agen Cedex, France, tel: 63 29 26 54; English-speakers can contact Jim Rowe, Canazille, 47270 St. Maurin, France, tel: 53 95 38 31.
March 9-11: Disarm the Seas UK Conference 1990, Birmingham, UK. Details from SCANN, 119 Orchard Rd., Southsea, Portsmouth, UK, tel: 021-643-540672.
March 24: Scientists Against Nuclear Arms 1990 Annual Conference, London, UK. The focus of this year's SANA conference will be "The 1990s: The Decade of Real Arms Reductions?" because, say conference organizers, after years of stagnation, the nuclear deadlock is starting to loosen. In 1990, with the Fourth Review Conference of the NonProliferation Treaty and the inininent prospect of agreements on strategic arms reductions, on conventional forces and on chemical weapons, all set against the background of radical political change in Eastern Europe, real arms reductions are in sight at last. Contact: SANA, 9 Poland Street, London WAY 3DG, UK, tel: 01-734 5281.
April 21: The 10 year anniversary of the 24 hour, continual guarding of Kynnefjäll in Sweden against test drilling for high-level nuclear waste storage, will be marked with a big celebration. Contact: Save Kynnefjall, Lunden, Box 1411, S-450 52 Dingle, Sweden. tel: 46-524-510 80.
April 21: March protesting nuclear trains, Kings Heath, Birmingham, UK. People from the West Midlands and elsewhere will meet in Kings Heath to march several miles through communities on the route taken by a train which regularly transports nuclear flasks. This is the next step in a campaign which, since October 1987, has alerted Birmingham citizens to the dangers of nuclear transport. The campaign has so far involved many public meetings, wide-spread publicity in local press, radio and TV reports, and a 9,200 signature petition to the city council. And recently campaign organizers initiated a monthly torchlight vigil to oppose the train as it travels through Kings Heath at midnight on Thursday nights. Contact: South Birmingham Nuclear Train Action Group, c/o Dave Quinnen, 12 Turville Rd., Handsworth, Birmingham B20 3PL, tel: 021 554 2990.
Beginning 26 April: BIKE TRIP FOR A CLEAN BALTIC SEA. A Minsk, USSR, environmental group is organizing a bicycle trip for a clean Baltic Sea. All interested people are welcome to join, and support is requested for the cyclists along the way. The trip begins from Minsk the 26 April to commemorate Chernobyl day. The route includes: Helsinki, Stockholm, Malmo, Copenhagen, Lubeck, Szcecin, Gdansk, and Kalingrad. The photos, slides, and paintings that the participants make will later be used in a exposition in the Baltic countries. Money raised from sales will go to a fund for dealing with the consequences of the Chernobyl accident. Source and contact: L.G. Tarasenko, ul. Belorusskaya, d. 14, kw. 5, 220030 Minsk, USSR, tel: 22 60 01 or 39 46 61. In Sweden call Susanne Forsberg, tel: 46-46-13 07 63 or Sara Aurelius, tel: 46-415-14 911.
July 3-7: 9th END Convention, Helsinki, Finland and Tallinn, Estonia. The largest annual meeting of peace movements in Europe. Organizers include the Green Union in Finland, the Estonian Green Movement and major peace organizations in both Finland and Estonia. Despite its name, the END Convention embraces a broad range of issues from the creation of nuclear-free zones and demilitarization of societies to environmental hazards and nationality questions. In their joint declaration, the preparatory committees state that they "want a detente growing from below, directly from the people, their movements and small communities to act as an example and a challenge for the states and governments...Our Europe has a civilian face." Organizers expect some 1,000 participants from all over Europe as well as from other continents. Contact: Eesti Rohelihe Liikumine, Jane Frey, Tartu, Estonia, tel: 31972; Green Union, Anne Brax, 3, linja 31 B 39, 00530 Helsinki, Finland, tel: 90-7731 173; PKE, Wojciech Dobrowski, Krakov uL Z.Miunowskiego 3, Poland, tel: 374879; Green Party, Fiona Björling, Väpplingvägen 17 E, S-222 38 Lund, Sweden, tel: +46-152429; OOA, Hellen Fischer, Blegdamsvej 72 A, 2100 Copenhagen, tel: 31-392237; UK Green Party, Astra Seibe, 39 Argyle Rd., London W13 0LW, 01-5626514; Inese Lapa, Street Saulkalnes 3-19, Riga, Latvia; Nature Protection Society, Ivan Blokov, Street Mojaiskaia 7-2, Leningrad, USSR; Joachim Drewes, Märzgasse 3, 6908 Wiesloch, FRG, tel 06222- 50922.
September 20-23: Conference on "Uranium Mining and its Consequences" at Ronneburg, German Democratic Republic. The church ecological group of Ronneburg and the Gem branch of the IPPNW are preparing the first independent conference on uranium mining in one of the uranium mining centers of East Germany. The proposed topks of the conference are: Social and cultural consequences of low-level radiation due to radon (discussion on risk and on limit values), ethical challenges and ceo-political consequences. Potential participants and speakers are asked to send word to the contact address before 1 April 1990. Contact: Wolfram Haedicke, Kirchplatz 3, DDR-6516 Ronneburg, GDR, tel: +37-7092-3119.
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