IAEA

More radiations at Fukushima than estimated

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As the Guardian states : ” The amount of radiation released by the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant (…) could have been more than double that originally estimated by its operator, Japan’s nuclear safety agency has said. “

” The revelation has raised fears that the situation at the plant, where fuel in three reactors suffered meltdown, was more serious than government officials have acknowledged. “ When you think a situation can’t possibly get worse, it does.

Even if I still support the technology to prevent more catastrophic climate change, I believe the IAEA should really step up rules and regulations to ensure such a catastrophe never occurs again.

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Another anniversary : 25 years after Chernobyl

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It seems that April is a bad month for the environment. Last week I was writing about the BP oil spill and now I am writing about what took place in Ukraine. The worst nuclear accident ever indeed took place on April 26th, 1986.

This was the occasion for Ban Ki Moon – the secretary general of the United Nations – to visit Chernobyl. He also published an interesting opinion article in today’s edition of the New York Times.

In this article, Mr Moon outlines a five point strategy to improve nuclear safety and reliability. Only this way will we be able to keep using this low carbon energy source.

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Why Fukushima isn’t a new Chernobyl

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To Time magazine : “Japanese officials announced on Tuesday morning that they were planning to raise the event level at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant from 5 to the maximum level of 7 “

That’s right, now Fukushima is just alongside Chernobyl in the IAEA INES scale. Yet, the catastrophe that is shaking Japan unleashed just a tenth of the radiation Chernobyl unleashed.

At Chernobyl, the whole reactor was destroyed, thus releasing massive radiations, over a large part of Europe. This wasn’t the case at all in Fukushima.

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Jordan, Chile and many others are going nuclear

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nuclear-reactorLast week Jordan announced plans to build a nuclear reactor by 2013. Other are due to follow.  This is done to answer the country’s energy needs which are due to double by 2030. This is a big issue as Jordan imports 95% of its energy.

It is the opportunity to focus on an interesting article on how nuclear interests as much as 60 new countries. To date 30 nations are already using this energy source to bring gigawatts of low carbon electricity to their grids.

A low carbon alternative to oil and coal, whose productions are likely to peak sooner than expected, nuclear deserves to me a more positive look.

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IAEA forecasts 60 % more nuclear plants by 2030

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Last month, a speech on the future of nuclear energy at the International Atomic Energy Agency stated that the amount of nuclear plants worldwide is due to rise by 60 percent by 2030.

This would bring the amount of nuclear reactors to around 700, a figures that has to be compared to the current 435 according to the World Nuclear Association.

The majority of this increase in demand will occur in Asia (notably China and India) as well as in the Middle East, Africa and South America.

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