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THTR Circular No. 114, June 2007
PBMR comes 10 years later.
Maybe 15. If anything.
Nuclear-critical scientist Steve Thomas brought some amazing information to light in his latest study in April 2007 that shed new light on the planned Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) project. Particularly interesting are the sobering timeframes within which the extremely arduous attempts by the nuclear industry to move forward.
In the November 2006 issue of the magazine atw (Atomwirtschaft), a four-page article asserted that the "basic design" of the PBMR had already been completed in 2005 and that the reactor could be commissioned in 2010. But the reactor remains stubborn like its predecessor, the thorium high-temperature reactor (THTR) in Hamm-Uentrop.
In March 2007 a spokesman for the PBMR Society admitted that construction of the HTR cannot begin before the end of 2008 or the beginning of 2009. But even this assumption is an optimistic wishful thinking. There are currently no indications that at least the construction plans have been fully completed. The cooperation agreements of all the companies involved have not all been concluded yet. As a result, the final version of the plans cannot be submitted to the South African Atomic Energy Agency before the end of 2007. It can be assumed that this authority will need at least two years to examine the documents. Construction could therefore start in 2010 at the earliest.
A spokesman for the PBMR-Gesellschaft confirmed that loading with the radioactive spherical fuel elements can only take place four years after the start of construction of the reactor plant. This also raises the question of whether the companies Uhde from Dortmund and SGL Carbon from Wiesbaden may be overwhelmed with the production of the fuel elements? - An additional 6 months are then estimated for various tests. Is that enough? Because as the past with the THTR showed, a number of bullets could break or get stuck in the tube system. For example. In the meantime, according to the current operator information, we have arrived in 2014, in which the THTR is to go into operation. That would be 10 years later, when the would-be operators announced in 1998.
This enormous delay naturally has further effects on South Africa's also envisaged nuclear export program. Because, as is well known, the nuclear industry has high hopes for HTR exports to emerging countries. Nuclear expert Steve Thomas smugly asks what the at least ten-year delay in the implementation of a demonstration power plant demonstrates? And refers to the THTR in Hamm-Uentrop, which had to be shut down in 423 after 1989 full load days.
In the South African environmental framework plan (RFESR) of January 2007 it is assumed that the planned PBMR demonstration plant will ultimately have to run various test series for another 10 years so that the first commercial orders for this stubborn reactor can be received in 2017 - and in 2021 ( !) could, could, could ...
What else should we say about that? All of this sounds damn familiar to us residents of the disused THTR. But does this damn story have to repeat itself over and over again?
The incorrigible NRW nuclear fetishists Pinkwart and Thoben could be warned by the renewed South African THTR experience and stop spending millions of euros on a bankruptcy reactor in order not to end up as unteachable idiots in front of the story. Unfortunately, we cannot hope for such insight. The economic interests they represent are too great. With increasing difficulties in South Africa, Pinkwart & Thoben may at some point cheekily claim that Africans are incapable and that we in Germany can do everything better. But who has been working on the stubborn PBMR in South Africa for years? - It's Uhde from Dortmund, the Essener high pressure tube works (EHR), RWE-NUKEM from Essen, SGL Carbon from Wiesbaden. Amateurism made in Germany!
The main tragic thing about this development is the fact that the many billions of euros will be missing to mitigate the coming climate catastrophe a bit through consistent ecological changes.
Horst Blume
Information from: Nuclear Monitor, No. 655, May 3, 2007
Atomic globalization |
What do New Mexico (USA), Yibin (China), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Irkutsk (Russia) and the Westphalian Gronau have in common? At first glance nothing, but at second glance an intense atomic relationship: the uranium enricher Urenco is active in all these places around the globe, with Gronau being one of the central nodes in the radiant spider web.
After Chernobyl it became commonplace that the consequences of atomic energy are felt globally. The radioactive cloud moved around the globe in 1986. But this realization has not always found the necessary expression in the real work of the anti-nuclear movement. Cross-border cooperation (not to mention a global network of anti-nuclear resistance) is not easy to set up and often fails due to language difficulties and distance problems. However, a look at the activities of the nuclear industry reveals the need for international anti-nuclear cooperation.
The globalization efforts of the German and Western European nuclear industry will be outlined using four examples: Urenco, E.ON, Siemens and HTR-Technologie are examples of the nuclear lobby’s striving for worldwide orders.
Example 1 - Urenco
Urenco is a multinational company, one third each of which is owned by the British and Dutch governments and one sixth each by E.ON and RWE. What sometimes looks like a typical medium-sized Westphalian company in Gronau is in reality an aggressive state-private nuclear company that is drastically expanding its share of the world market in uranium enrichment. From 2005 to 2006 alone, the share rose from 19% to 23%, according to the company's own information. With the expansion of the uranium enrichment plants (UAA) in Gronau and Almelo (NL) as well as the construction of UAAs in Pierrelatte / France and New Mexico, Urenco could supply a good 40% of the world market with enriched uranium in a few years.
Through the cooperation with the French state-owned company AREVA and the entry into the US market, Urenco has gained strategically important partners in the G-8 area.
Russia also takes care of the disposal of its own uranium waste, while excellent relationships are maintained with emerging nuclear powers such as China, South Africa, South Korea and Brazil.
To be clear: uranium enrichment only makes sense if you a) believe in the future of nuclear power and / or b) have military ambitions. Urenco centrifuge technology is made responsible for building the Pakistani atomic bomb, which has now also reached Iran. In other words: if you want to phase out nuclear power, the first thing you have to do is shut down the uranium enrichment plants.
But red-green did not even define the Gronau UAA as a nuclear power plant in the "Ausstiegsgesetz" and instead issued it an unlimited blank check for continued operation and massive expansion. A nuclear phase-out looks different.
Example 2 - E.ON
E.ON is the largest German nuclear company that is involved in numerous nuclear power plants (see www.sofa-ms.de). E.ON's nuclear commitment abroad is less well known. The company is z. B. involved in all Swedish nuclear power plants, including the notorious Forsmark nuclear power plant, in which there was a near-super-meltdown in 2006. E.ON Energie is active in 18 European countries alone.
Well-known nuclear fanatics sit on E.ON's board of directors. Walter Hohlefelder was head of the department for "Reactor Safety and Nuclear Waste Management" from 1986-94 under the Kohl government. At that time, he significantly prevented the serious consequences of Chernobyl in Germany from being drawn.
Today he supports new nuclear power plant projects in his area of responsibility. E.ON wants to build new nuclear power plants in Romania (Cernavoda) and Slovakia (Bohunice). Great Britain is also being targeted as a lucrative nuclear market.
Hohlefelder is also Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Urenco (see above) and is therefore also represented in the enrichment business. In addition, Urenco boss Engelbrecht is an old E.ON man and board member Bergmann is also the Russian honorary consul in Düsseldorf. This of course makes negotiating uranium waste deals with the Russian government much easier. E.ON has developed into one of the most aggressive European nuclear lobbyists in recent years.
Example 3 - Siemens
Siemens was known as a key player in the nuclear lobby in the 1980s and 90s. Demonstrations in front of the headquarters of the KWU reactor division or the Siemens boycott attracted a lot of attention. Siemens has always been active around the world.
The participation in the politically very controversial nuclear power plants Atucha 1 (Argentina), Angra 2 (Brazil) and Mochovce (Slovakia) are evidence of this. In the last few years the company's nuclear activities have become quieter. However, this is not because Siemens has now switched to "go green".
You just set yourself up differently. In view of the weak order situation in Europe, Siemens merged the reactor division with the French Framatome. The joint venture, in which Siemens holds 34%, was renamed as AREVA subsidiary in 2006 to AREVA NP. Siemens continues to search for orders worldwide under this logo, but also continues to manufacture fuel elements in Lingen. In addition to direct access to the French market, reactors are being "modernized" in Sweden, while in China they are also bidding for new construction projects, while in Turkey they failed. By the way: in France the nuclear program has always been both civil and military. Here the cooperation with AREVA opened new doors for Siemens.
AREVA NP is currently trying to implement the "new" type of reactor EPR on the European market. Construction began in Finland, but has been delayed due to serious construction defects; in Flamanville in Normandy, it is scheduled to start in 2007. The earlier promise of an "inherently safe" nuclear power plant has long been abandoned.
The preparatory work on the so-called 4th generation reactors, for which AREVA developed the ANTARES reactor, went largely unnoticed by the public.
Siemens is also involved in the "International Generation IV Forum" via AREVA, in which South Africa, Brazil, Canada, South Korea, the USA, France, Japan, Great Britain and the EU also participate. Ultimately, Siemens is offering old wine in new bottles - and is continuing its global nuclear strategy unabated (we leave out THTR sales here).
What to do?
The German nuclear corporations continue to tinker with their nuclear nightmares around the world - there is no trace of a willingness to leave. Resistance is needed against this. When activists from all over the world gather in Heiligendamm to demonstrate against the policies of the G8 states, the issue of nuclear policy should not be overlooked either. Effective action against the globalized nuclear industry can only be achieved through international networking of the initiatives.
It is not easy, but it is possible. A few current examples prove this: In 2006/7, the environmental organization urgewald, together with. In many years of detailed work, BI Environmental Protection Hamm was able to uncover the global HTR plans, and the WISE Uranium Project was able to do a similar thing in the matter of uranium.
Since 2006 there has been close cooperation between the Münsterland, Dutch and Russian anti-nuclear initiatives to stop the uranium waste transport from Gronau / Almelo to Russia. For the first time, a joint action framework was created over many thousands of kilometers between Gronau and Irkutsk, which also touches the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Estonia via the transport route.
Based on the successful Franco-German cooperation against the CASTOR transports from German nuclear power plants to La Hague and the CASTOR transports from there to Gorleben, a cross-border cooperation against the uranium transports from Pierrelatte in the south of France to Gronau is being set up to supply the To prevent UAA Gronau with natural uranium. The large anti-EPR demonstration in Cherbourg in 2005 received European support.
But more needs to be done to stop the nuclear industry. How can nuclear projects in China, India or South Korea be effectively prevented? How can the EU be persuaded to terminate the EURATOM treaty that stipulates the promotion of nuclear energy? How can the UAA Gronau be shut down and the extension of the service life of the German nuclear power plants prevented? How can the monopoly atomic corporations be smashed? These questions should be discussed at the counter-summit to the G8 meeting.
A first target point could e.g. B. be a European anti-nuclear congress. A second destination could be an international uranium transport day from Pierrelatte via Gronau / Almelo to St. Petersburg and Siberia. There are already initial considerations. Because one thing is clear: the nuclear industry will not voluntarily disappear from the face of the earth.
This can only be achieved through massive pressure from below. With a little creativity, there are many ways to intervene so that the nuclear industry gets its radioactive soup too salty.
Matthew Eickhoff
This article originally appeared in the May 2007 Grassroots Revolution magazine.
Nuclear rat line, part 3 |
Part 1 This three-part series became the most-read article on our website after just a few days. Of the Part 2 was reprinted in the May issue of “anti atom aktuell” (aaa). The magazine “Graswurzelrevolution” brought a summary under the title “In the footsteps of the atomic fascists” in its issue 319. And so in a hundred years, if our homepage may no longer exist, the personal association of many scientists with the fascist ones in the archives Regime can be specifically researched, here is the list in black and white:
Fascists in the Jülich nuclear research facility (KfJ) after 1945
August William Quick: Member of the scientific advisory board (before 1945: Head of the Institute for Aerodynamite of the German Research Institute for Aviation and Air Mechanics, Head of Construction in the Junkers air armaments company)
Gunther Otto Schenk: Member of the scientific advisory board (before 1945: since May 1, 5 NSDAP)
Wilhelm Groth: from 1961 - 69 member of the scientific council, since 1971 honorary member (before 1945: employed with "special tasks" at IG Farben, 1937 NSDAP, member of the SA, personnel and press officer of the NS-Sudetenbund)
Konrad Beyerle: developed the ultra-centrifuge system for South Africa at KfJ (before 1945: employed in the development of centrifuge systems for the manufacture of atomic bombs)
Hans Grosse: Member of the scientific council and head of the institute for reactor components there (before 1945: Freikorps member at the Kapp-Putsch, member of the SA, chief engineer of the Junkers-Werke)
Alfred Boettcher: KfJ board member (before 1945: Director of DEGUSSA, charged with developing secret weapons, SS-Hauptsturmführer in Leiden / Holland, sentenced to prison there for war crimes). - (More information in parts 1 + 2 and in the THTR circulars No. 95 and 110; HB)
Franz Bollenrath: involved in setting up the KfJ (before 1945: head of the Institute for Materials Research of the German Aviation Research Institute)
Rolf Dannel: Member of the scientific council (before 1945: until 1933 member of the Young German Order, since May 1, 5 NSDAP, squad leader in SA-Marinestandarte 1937 in Königsberg)
Robert Haul: Member of the Board of Directors, deputy Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board, employed at the National Chemical Research Laboratory of Pretoria / South Africa from 1949-56 (before 1945: since March 1, 3 NSDAP, head of department at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute, since 33 lecturer in Prague)
Especially with regard to the South African nuclear program and the planned Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR), not only the Konrad Beyerle and Robert Haul mentioned above should be mentioned, but also for the "Society for Nuclear Research":
Karl Kaissling: conducted negotiations with South Africa on behalf of the German Atomic Energy Commission (before 1945: NSDAP and SA-Obersturmführer, p. 15)
Source: “Reaching for the Bomb. The German-Argentine nuclear business ". Editor: Research and Documentation Center Chile - Latin America (FDCL), 1981, pages 14 and 15.
The transport of uranium is becoming a perennial issue |
Who would have thought that! The uranium hexafluoride transports from France to Gronau via Hamm are receiving an unimagined amount of attention. After the already amazing media coverage, we landed our latest coup: On the afternoon of June 12st, we carried out a vigil with about 1 people in front of the large railway underpasses on Lohauserholzstrasse.
There were long traffic jams due to several construction site lights and the drivers had plenty of time to look at our new banners and receive a special leaflet for residents. A total of 900 information sheets were distributed and the response was very high. Some residents were expecting our material because of a previous article in the "Wochenblatt" (with 2 photos and information boxes ...). The WA reported twice, the Lippewelle several times and brought interviews. The 90-minute vigil clearly shows that we can achieve considerable success with just a few people.
The next step in making a public announcement is the council meeting on June 19th. We are waiting for the long-awaited answers to our questions that the Green parliamentary group submitted on our initiative. On June 21, a demonstration with route control along the railway tracks will take place from the main train station in Lünen at 18 p.m. Step by step we will make the uranium enrichment plant in Gronau (and thus the 32 nuclear power plants "fed" by it) an increasingly important topic. The nuclear industry no longer has a quiet minute!
Police in Recklinghausen threaten EON opponents again |
For a long time we have been working intensively with our friends from MEGA-Waltrop in matters of uranium transport. We carried out many joint campaigns in Hamm and in the Münsterland region. The repression of the police against the MEGA that has now taken place may one day affect us all. We document our press release:
The Recklinghausen district police massively stepped up their criminalization and intimidation campaign against Waltrop EON critics yesterday, Tuesday. In a phone call, a spokesman for the Recklinghausen police headquarters threatened a Waltrop environmental activist with possible repression at the G8 summit. The police officer was referring to an Internet article by the Waltrop group MEGA (People against Nuclear Plants), which called for a "Global Hiking Day" on the Baltic Sea coast for the G8 summit and, with clearly recognizable satirical intent, for "the way to the summit" Also recommended that you bring climbing equipment, a pickaxe and parachutes with you. Specifically, the police officer addressed possible "problems" with police checks and residence bans. He also inquired intensively about the details of the trip by the Waltrop G8 opponents to Heiligendamm.
"If this call was not a bad joke, our fears have unfortunately been confirmed that the current attempts at criminalization against Waltrop EON opponents are also related to the G8 protests. The call was for intimidation alone. We firmly reject this massive behavior by the police and demand an apology from the police, ”said Marco Pankalla, spokesman for MEGA Waltrop.
Background: A week ago, the Recklinghausen district police had summoned two environmentalists from Waltrop for a spontaneous rally against the planned EON coal-fired power plant in Datteln for identification. The police had denied any connection with the G8 protests to the press. The environmentalist who has now been called has announced a solidarity rally for both of those affected in Waltrop on June 16.
According to the previous public statements by the Recklinghausen police, it is not clear why an investigation was initiated against the two environmentalists from Waltrop for coercion. “The events in the Recklinghausen district are worrying. Even the investigations into the EON demonstration are completely unfounded, but the attempts to intimidate G8 opponents in such a way in advance are, as far as we know, unique in North Rhine-Westphalia. There is an urgent need for clarification, ”says Matthias Eickhoff from the Münsterland Action Alliance against Nuclear Plants. “At the Recklinghausen Police Headquarters, they probably don't like the fact that there has been a committed and persistent demonstration in Waltrop for years against the EON power plant plans, against nuclear transports and also against the G8 summit. Now even those who register for demonstrations are being targeted by the police, ”adds Pankalla.
Numerous environmental and anti-nuclear power initiatives from the Münsterland and Ruhr area as well as the Federal Association of Citizens' Initiatives Environmental Protection (BBU) show solidarity with the affected environmentalists from Waltrop and call for participation in the solidarity rally in Waltrop on June 16. “We call on the Recklinghausen police to stop the investigation and to refrain from attempting to intimidate. The police just want to distract attention from the massive environmental sins of EON, ”says Horst Blume from BI Environmental Protection Hamm.
Info: www.mega-waltrop.de
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