Price of power
13 years, 11 months ago

Price of power

The Hindu  

Japan's centuries-old experience in dealing with natural disasters proves inadequate to help it handle the man-made nuclear crisis. THE magnitude 9.0 earthquake of March 11, the 10-metre-high waves of tsunami that followed, and the aftershocks have left Japan devastated, with thousands dead and radiation from damaged nuclear power plants threatening to endanger more lives. Moreover, the government refused offers of help from other countries on the somewhat specious excuse that since foreign rescue workers would not have Japanese medical degrees they could not work in Japan. The Kobe earthquake was also a major turning point in terms of the vigorous response of civil society groups even private retail chains came forward to help. Japan is the world's third largest nuclear power user in the world, with 55 nuclear plants, which supply over one-third of its energy needs.

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History of this topic

US energy secretary touts nuclear power as tech sector’s thirst for electricity grows
1 month ago

US energy secretary touts nuclear power as tech sector’s thirst for electricity grows

Associated Press  

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright says it’s critical that the nation be out in front when it comes to artificial intelligence, and that means having reliable and affordable sources of electricity to meet the growing demands of the technology sector. Federal energy analysts say the U.S. has generated more nuclear electricity than any other country and that …

UN nuclear chief Rafael Grossi visits Fukushima as Japan returns to nuclear power
1 month, 1 week ago

UN nuclear chief Rafael Grossi visits Fukushima as Japan returns to nuclear power

The Hindu  

The UN nuclear watchdog chief visited Japan's stricken Fukushima plant on Wednesday the day after Tokyo approved an energy plan that marks a return to nuclear power. The International Atomic Energy Agency is monitoring Japan's efforts to decommission the Fukushima Daiichi plant after a 2011 earthquake-triggered tsunami killed 18,000 people and set off the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl. Explained …

Japan adopts new carbon reduction targets as it plans to boost nuclear and renewable energy by 2040
1 month, 1 week ago

Japan adopts new carbon reduction targets as it plans to boost nuclear and renewable energy by 2040

Associated Press  

TOKYO — Japan’s government adopted on Tuesday new decarbonization targets aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 70% from 2013 levels over the next 15 years, approving a renewed energy plan to help meet the goal. It marks an end to Japan’s nuclear energy phaseout policy adopted after the 2011 meltdown crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant …

UN nuclear chief arrives in Japan to inspect Fukushima soil storage
1 month, 1 week ago

UN nuclear chief arrives in Japan to inspect Fukushima soil storage

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Rafael Grossi, the head of …

A decade after Fukushima disaster, Japan decides to bank on nuclear power
1 month, 2 weeks ago

A decade after Fukushima disaster, Japan decides to bank on nuclear power

New Indian Express  

Japan is turning to nuclear power more than a decade after the triple meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant. Japan is ditching plans to lessen its reliance on nuclear power amid struggles to reach its emissions targets and bolster its energy security. In a draft strategic energy plan due to be approved by the cabinet this month, according to …

Nuclear energy sees new era in Southeast Asia as region seeks cleaner power
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Nuclear energy sees new era in Southeast Asia as region seeks cleaner power

Firstpost  

Southeast Asia will account for a fourth of global energy demand growth between now and 2035, and fossil fuels account for most of the region’s energy capacity This aerial view on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, shows the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant in the Philippines, which has never produced a single watt of energy. “We see multiple signs of a new …

Why Atomic Power Fails as a Climate Solution – Data, Costs, and Industry Myths Debunked
1 month, 4 weeks ago

Why Atomic Power Fails as a Climate Solution – Data, Costs, and Industry Myths Debunked

The Hindu  

Published : Jan 31, 2025 21:32 IST - 8 MINS READ Thirteen years after his path-breaking book The Power of Promise: Examining Nuclear Energy in India comes Professor M.V. Ramana shows the historical underperformance of nuclear energy, including power projection targets that were widely off the mark, chronic cost and time overruns as well as overriding safety issues. Ramana writes: …

Japan to maximize nuclear power in clean-energy push as electricity demand grows
3 months ago

Japan to maximize nuclear power in clean-energy push as electricity demand grows

Live Mint  

TOKYO — A government-commissioned panel of experts on Wednesday largely supported Japan's new energy policy for the next few years that calls for bolstering renewables up to half of electricity needs by 2040 while maximizing the use of nuclear power as the country seeks to accommodate the growing power demand in the era of AI while meeting decarbonization targets. The …

Japan to maximize nuclear power in clean-energy push as electricity demand grows
3 months ago

Japan to maximize nuclear power in clean-energy push as electricity demand grows

Associated Press  

TOKYO — A government-commissioned panel of experts on Wednesday largely supported Japan’s new energy policy for the next few years that calls for bolstering renewables up to half of electricity needs by 2040 while maximizing the use of nuclear power as the country seeks to accommodate the growing power demand in the era of AI while meeting decarbonization targets. The …

Japan to maximize nuclear power in clean-energy push as electricity demand grows
3 months ago

Japan to maximize nuclear power in clean-energy push as electricity demand grows

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A government-commissioned panel of experts …

Japan plans to double reliance on nuclear power 13 years after Fukushima disaster
3 months, 1 week ago

Japan plans to double reliance on nuclear power 13 years after Fukushima disaster

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Japan is poised to amp …

Chernobyl effects ‘overestimated’ says Blair Institute as it pushes for nuclear energy
3 months, 4 weeks ago

Chernobyl effects ‘overestimated’ says Blair Institute as it pushes for nuclear energy

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. In a report published on Monday, the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change said …

Letters to the Editor: Nuclear power’s promise: Live well now, poison humanity in the future
4 months ago

Letters to the Editor: Nuclear power’s promise: Live well now, poison humanity in the future

LA Times  

Pacific Gas and Electric’s Diablo Canyon Power Plant, the only operating nuclear plant in California, is seen in Avila Beach in 2023. To the editor: To paraphrase a popular aphorism about men and therapy, it appears that young people would rather risk destroying entire landscapes with nuclear waste than have less electricity to power the internet. I would recommend that …

Japanese nuclear reactor which survived earthquake that badly damaged Fukushima power plant restarts
5 months ago

Japanese nuclear reactor which survived earthquake that badly damaged Fukushima power plant restarts

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ …

Can nuclear power help mitigate the climate crises?
6 months, 1 week ago

Can nuclear power help mitigate the climate crises?

Hindustan Times  

Nuclear power has always been viewed with suspicion owing to the devastating military usages it has had. The Fukushima nuclear accident of 2011 further pushed global narratives against the usage and accumulation of nuclear power, even if it is for civilian purposes. The capacity of nuclear energy to ensure our energy independence and to guarantee the production of low carbon …

What is nuclear energy and how does it work?
9 months ago

What is nuclear energy and how does it work?

ABC  

In June, the Coalition released the locations and timelines of proposed nuclear power plant sites, as part of its telegraphed stance on moving Australia towards nuclear as an energy source. "The heat to drive a nuclear power station comes from breaking up uranium atoms in the core of the reactor … then that hot nuclear fuel is used to boil …

Nuclear power in Australia — a silver bullet or white elephant?
1 year ago

Nuclear power in Australia — a silver bullet or white elephant?

ABC  

"It's time to talk nuclear," Ted O'Brien declared in a video message filmed on an isolated beach last February. Appointed shadow energy spokesperson a few months earlier, Mr O'Brien's enthusiasm for nuclear power was already well known, but not yet fully formed as Coalition policy. A year on, nuclear energy for Australia has firmed as Coalition policy, and Mr O'Brien's …

Conditions inside Fukushima’s melted nuclear reactors still unclear 13 years after disaster struck
1 year ago

Conditions inside Fukushima’s melted nuclear reactors still unclear 13 years after disaster struck

Associated Press  

TOKYO — Japan on Monday marked 13 years since a massive earthquake and tsunami hit the country’s northern coasts. Nearly 20,000 people died, whole towns were wiped out and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was destroyed, creating deep fears of radiation that linger today. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s government reversed that policy and has accelerated restarts of workable reactors …

Japan marks 13 years since massive tsunami disaster. A closer look at the Fukushima nuclear plant
1 year ago

Japan marks 13 years since massive tsunami disaster. A closer look at the Fukushima nuclear plant

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Nearly 20,000 people died, whole …

Nuclear energy's six biggest myths busted as Australia seriously considers making the change - and why coal isn't necessarily the safe option
1 year ago

Nuclear energy's six biggest myths busted as Australia seriously considers making the change - and why coal isn't necessarily the safe option

Daily Mail  

The fear of a scare campaign against nuclear energy has prompted one Coalition MP to debunk some myths about nuclear reactors - and warn even coal plants can be potentially dangerous. The prospect of a nuclear energy scare campaign has prompted a Coalition MP to debunk some myths about nuclear reactors and point out coal plants are also potentially dangerous …

Is nuclear power a fix for climate change? Experts think it's too dangerous
1 year ago

Is nuclear power a fix for climate change? Experts think it's too dangerous

Salon  

As the climate crisis grows worse every year, alternative energy options are increasingly important. Some climate activists "promote nuclear power as a possibility to battle climate change," said Nikolaus Muellner, a professor of safety and risk sciences at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna. "If one evaluates nuclear energy as a way to deal with climate …

Quake highlights safety issues for Japan's nuclear power plants
1 year, 2 months ago

Quake highlights safety issues for Japan's nuclear power plants

China Daily  

Local residents walk between collapsed houses at a tsunami-devastated residential area in Suzu, Ishikawa prefecture, Japan Jan 3, 2024. Japan has once again caught worldwide attention with the latest earthquake causing spent fuel pool water to overflow in a number of nuclear power plants. On the day of the latest quake, the Japan Nuclear Regulation Authority said that one set …

UN nuclear chief says nuclear energy must be part of the equation to tackle climate change
1 year, 4 months ago

UN nuclear chief says nuclear energy must be part of the equation to tackle climate change

Associated Press  

UNITED NATIONS — Nuclear energy must be part of the equation to tackle climate change, the U.N. nuclear chief said Wednesday. Over a quarter of the electricity from nuclear power is low-carbon electricity and global carbon dioxide emissions would be considerably higher without nuclear power, Grossi said. And in Africa, where electricity capacity is set to grow fivefold by 2050, …

Granderson: Nuclear power could save our air quality. At what cost to the water?
1 year, 7 months ago

Granderson: Nuclear power could save our air quality. At what cost to the water?

LA Times  

You know it was a remarkable week when dumping tons of radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean wasn’t even the lead story. That’s right: While much of the globe’s attention was on the former American president’s legal battles and the mug shot seen around the world, Japan started its 30-year plan to release the diluted yet still contaminated water that …

Japan pivots back to nuclear power
1 year, 8 months ago

Japan pivots back to nuclear power

Hindustan Times  

From the grounds of Onagawa Nuclear Power Station, a plant in northern Japan, waves can be heard lapping at the nearby shore. There is no alternative…In terms of the big picture, nuclear power is needed.” Restarting reactors such as those at Onagawa is the first step of another drastic reversal in the energy policy of the world’s third-largest economy and …

Demonised inventions: From railroads to AI
1 year, 10 months ago

Demonised inventions: From railroads to AI

The Hindu  

Published : May 20, 2023 17:51 IST - 6 MINS READ Technological advancements are polarising. “We find scepticism about technology even in the earliest written records that we have about technology theory,” technology philosopher and historian Christian Vater told DW. “I consider ‘concern’ to be very legitimate and extraordinarily necessary, especially if we want to actively, jointly shape a future …

We abandoned nuclear power. Now, Earth is paying the price
1 year, 10 months ago

We abandoned nuclear power. Now, Earth is paying the price

Salon  

It's just after sunrise, and I'm leaning against the railings of Memorial Drive, which snakes along the Charles River Esplanade in Boston. Later that same day, MIT's professor of nuclear science, Jacopo Buongiorno tells me, "If we'd stayed on that track" — meaning the track of nuclear energy — "the US now might have 1,000 nuclear plants instead of 100, …

As summer heat looms, Japan urged to curb impact, emissions
1 year, 11 months ago

As summer heat looms, Japan urged to curb impact, emissions

Associated Press  

TOKYO — Temperatures are rising in Japan and summer is coming fast. With thermometers already shooting upward and fossil fuel use that feeds climate change still creeping up around the world, Japan is set for another sweltering summer and is at growing risk of flooding and landslides. “The risks from climate change are right before us,” said Yasuaki Hijioka, deputy …

China condemns Japanese plan to release Fukushima water
2 years ago

China condemns Japanese plan to release Fukushima water

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy China on Friday condemned a …

Hopes and costs are high for UK's nuclear energy future
2 years, 4 months ago

Hopes and costs are high for UK's nuclear energy future

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. These massive overruns have “certainly given people a cause …

Japan considering development of new nuclear reactors
2 years, 7 months ago

Japan considering development of new nuclear reactors

Associated Press  

TOKYO — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Wednesday instructed his government to consider developing safer, smaller nuclear reactors, signaling a renewed emphasis on nuclear energy years after many of the country’s plants were shut down. Anti-nuclear sentiment and safety concerns rose sharply in Japan after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear plant disaster, but the government has been pushing for a …

Japan signals return to nuclear power to stabilise energy supply
2 years, 7 months ago

Japan signals return to nuclear power to stabilise energy supply

Al Jazeera  

Japan’s government previously insisted it would not consider building new nuclear power plants or replacing aged reactors. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has instructed his government to consider developing safer, smaller nuclear reactors, signalling a renewed emphasis on nuclear energy years after many of the country’s plants were shut down. The government had previously insisted it was not considering building …

Asia goes nuclear as climate, Ukraine banish memory of Fukushima
2 years, 8 months ago

Asia goes nuclear as climate, Ukraine banish memory of Fukushima

Al Jazeera  

Taipei, Taiwan and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – More than a decade after the Fukushima disaster shattered confidence in nuclear power, Asia is undergoing a nuclear renaissance. “When you factor these in, some nuclear power plants have the same carbon footprint as natural gas, a fossil fuel.” Sovacool said that his research also suggested that focusing government policies on greater energy …

Japan to use nuclear reactors to meet electricity demand as heatwave rages on
2 years, 9 months ago

Japan to use nuclear reactors to meet electricity demand as heatwave rages on

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Japan’s nuclear reactors will be …

Nuclear industry hopes to expand output with new reactors
2 years, 9 months ago

Nuclear industry hopes to expand output with new reactors

Associated Press  

The U.S. nuclear industry is generating less electricity as reactors retire, but now plant operators are hoping to nearly double their output over the next three decades, according to the industry’s trade association. Korsnick, who spoke with The Associated Press exclusively before the conference, said it isn’t wishful thinking; there’s a demand for that much nuclear power as companies strive …

Why nuclear power won’t solve the fuel crisis
2 years, 11 months ago

Why nuclear power won’t solve the fuel crisis

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The global …

The government’s energy strategy leaves key questions unanswered
2 years, 11 months ago

The government’s energy strategy leaves key questions unanswered

The Independent  

There is one thing that can fairly be said about the government’s energy strategy: that it will not reduce a single gas or electricity bill for many years to come. There are other ambitious plans, too: vast offshore wind farms; green hydrogen for fuel; and renewed investment in North Sea oil and gas as a stopgap to help deal with …

Shutdown this misguided energy policy
3 years ago

Shutdown this misguided energy policy

The Hindu  

Nuclear technology is hazardous. Given the post-Fukushima global and national trends in the nuclear industry, such a policy seems misguided; nuclear power is neither an economical source of electricity nor a viable route to meeting India’s climate goals. This mirrors a global trend: in 1996, 17.5% of the world’s electricity came from nuclear power plants; by 2020, this figure had …

Another nuclear power station isn’t the answer to the energy crisis
3 years, 1 month ago

Another nuclear power station isn’t the answer to the energy crisis

The Independent  

One of the oddest responses to the gas crisis has been from a group of Conservative MPs and right-wing columnists campaigning to revive fracking. Unfazed by what has to be the worst deal ever made for Britain’s energy consumers, this government now wants to build another EDF nuclear reactor at Sizewell in Suffolk. For the wheeze to work, it’s not …

Column: Nuclear energy backers say it’s vital for the fight against global warming. Don’t be so sure
3 years, 2 months ago

Column: Nuclear energy backers say it’s vital for the fight against global warming. Don’t be so sure

LA Times  

No one would have believed this possible only a few years ago, but nuclear energy has been creeping up in public estimation, despite its long record of unfulfilled promise and cataclysmic missteps. World & Nation Column: America’s first ‘21st century nuclear plant’ already has been shut down for repairs When the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Watts Bar 2 nuclear power plant …

Are We At The Dawn Of A Nuclear Energy Renaissance?
3 years, 4 months ago

Are We At The Dawn Of A Nuclear Energy Renaissance?

Huff Post  

The worst nuclear accident since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster is a recent and painful memory in Japan. And reactors offer what the Energy Department described as “by far the highest capacity factor of any energy source,” meaning “nuclear power plants are producing maximum power more than 93% of the time during the year.” That makes nuclear 1.5 to 2 times …

Is nuclear power the way forward to combat the climate crisis?
3 years, 4 months ago

Is nuclear power the way forward to combat the climate crisis?

Al Jazeera  

Nuclear power can go horribly wrong and is notorious for cost overruns, but it is gaining high-profile champions. China – the world’s biggest carbon emitter – is planning to build at least 150 nuclear reactors over the next 15 years, Bloomberg News reported. She recently shared her views with Al Jazeera Digital’s Managing Business Editor Patricia Sabga about nations building …

Australia’s nuclear-powered submarine deal is fueling anger in the country. Here’s why
3 years, 6 months ago

Australia’s nuclear-powered submarine deal is fueling anger in the country. Here’s why

CNN  

CNN — The US and UK will be sharing technology and expertise with Australia to help it build nuclear-powered submarines as part of a newly-announced defense pact between the three countries. In 1977, the Movement Against Uranium Mining in Australia collected 250,000 signatures for a moratorium on extracting the metal, even though nuclear power wasn’t being used in the country. …

The draw of space and nuclear technologies
3 years, 7 months ago

The draw of space and nuclear technologies

The Hindu  

Even as billionaire Jeff Bezos was preparing to blast off into space last month, another billionaire, Bill Gates, took an equally momentous decision to launch his own nuclear reactor with an eye on the possibility of exporting fast breeder reactors to power hungry nations. Mr. Gates stressed the importance of nuclear power as the clean energy required to meet the …

EXPLAINER: How dangerous is the Fukushima nuke plant today?
4 years ago

EXPLAINER: How dangerous is the Fukushima nuke plant today?

Associated Press  

OKUMA, Japan — A decade ago, a massive tsunami crashed into the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The plant’s three other reactors were offline and survived, though a fourth building, along with two of the three melted reactors, had hydrogen explosions, spewing massive radiation and causing long-term contamination in the area. If the plant’s pools lose their cooling water in …

How the 2011 tsunami destroyed Japan’s trust in nuclear power
4 years ago

How the 2011 tsunami destroyed Japan’s trust in nuclear power

Al Jazeera  

Ten years since the Fukushima disaster, the clean up of the plant provides stark reminder of the risk of nuclear power. The plant’s owner, Tokyo Electric Power Company has treated the contaminated water through what it calls the Advanced Liquid Processing System, noting on its website that this “eventually removes most of the radioactive materials except Tritium.” Tritium, explains Ken …

The Fukushima disaster in maps and charts
4 years ago

The Fukushima disaster in maps and charts

Al Jazeera  

Ten years after Japan’s deadly earthquake and tsunami, we take a look at how the disaster unfolded. The nuclear disaster Along the path of the tsunami sat 11 operational reactors at four nuclear power plants, owned by the Tokyo Electric Power Company in Fukushima prefecture. Today, there are about 1.25 million tonnes of radioactive seawater stored in 1,000 metal tanks …

Japan’s dilemma: Should it use nuclear to achieve climate goals?
4 years ago

Japan’s dilemma: Should it use nuclear to achieve climate goals?

Al Jazeera  

Japan will have to restart most of the reactors it shut after the 2011 Fukushima disaster to meet its climate obligations and also persuade a safety-conscious public, officials warn. “We had better hurry and rebuild trust in nuclear power,” said Masakazu Toyoda, a member of the 24-strong government panel that’s devising new policies. Meeting the Paris goals alone will need …

Renewable not nuclear power is the future of green energy in the UK
4 years, 3 months ago

Renewable not nuclear power is the future of green energy in the UK

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. But instead of nuclear power, the …

Is nuclear power a problem or a solution?
4 years, 8 months ago

Is nuclear power a problem or a solution?

Al Jazeera  

Amid the global climate crisis, environmentalists are divided over the costs and benefits of nuclear energy. We will need it for years to come but their share in the energy mix will decline as renewables, new tech like hydrogen and CO2 capturing technologies, come into play.” Nuclear energy The IEA chief also called for the world to look to nuclear …

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