Japanese Welcome French PM to Nuclear Power Plant

[webfarmer]

Well, sorta. Beware the artists. Nice Kraftwerk tune along with others to listen to here. Other goodies down page.

Protests Erupt as French PM Visits Japan Nuclear Plant - Channel News Asia -12 Apr 08

"French Prime Minister Francois Fillon was met with large protests on Saturday when he toured a new nuclear plant in Japan that was jointly built by the two countries.  About 700 protestors gathered at the demonstration, according to local media and organisers, with many carrying banners that read: 'Rokkasho is an environmental and political danger!'"

Stop Rokkasho - Wikipedia

"Stop Rokkasho is a project run by the Japanese NGO Boomerang Net and headed up by musician Ryuichi Sakamoto. In order to bring attention to the nuclear reprocessing plant in Rokkasho in Aomori Prefecture, they get artists to contribute songs and other art to the cause. The music and other media is available at the public website and as pod casts. The media is licensed to be freely distributable."

Stop Rokkasho Website (Hear, See, Watch, Read)

Rokkasho, Aomori - Wikipedia

"Nuclear Industry

Rokkasho was a candidate to host the plasma fusion reactor ITER, but lost out to Cadarache, France.

Nuclear fuel cycle related facilities:

• Japan Nuclear Fuel Limited headquarters
• The Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant (currently under test operation, beginning commercial operation soon)
• A Uranium enrichment plant
• A MOX fuel fabrication facility that will have a 800 ton per year capacity when completed
• A low level nuclear waste storage facility
• A high level nuclear waste temporary storage and monitoring facility

Japan Nuclear Fuel Limited operates a range of nuclear facilities at Rokkasho-mura, including a uranium-enrichment plant and plutonium reprocessing plant. The Japan Atomic Energy Agency also has multiple facilities at the site.

Since the 1970s local opposition to plans to operate Japan's first large commercial plutonium plant at Rokkasho have focused on the threat of a large-scale release of radioactivity. During the 1990s anti-nuclear groups in Japan released studies showing the risks of routine operation of the Rokkasho reprocessing plant. The facility in full operation is designed to separate as much as 8 tons of plutonium each year from spent reactor fuel from Japan's domestic nuclear reactors. As of 2006 Japan owned approximately 45 tons of separated plutonium. For further information see: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

In May, 2006 an international awareness campaign about the dangers of the Rokkasho reprocessing plant, Stop Rokkasho, was launched by musician Ryuichi Sakamoto."

Comments

[markmc03.livejournal.com]

Do you ever get the feeling you are the proverbial 'voice crying in the wildnerness'? Why they think a nuclear reaction is a safe reliable way to heat water to produce power is beyond any logic.

[webfarmer.livejournal.com]

No, I don't worry much about my impact on the course of events in general. I just try to do my little bit to move the ball down the field and to have some fun while doing it. If it ends up being the critical bit that helps us get along down the road a bit longer, I'm happy with that.

Part of the reason I can feel like this is that I've seen it as the result of my earlier career in wind energy. This was back when the largest commercial wind turbines were about 15 feet in diameter and made in Switzerland.

Little things done then that looked completely like exercises in futility have proven to be important parts of the development of the commercially viable wind turbines of today. Little things early in my life have had profound effects on what I ended up doing.

I have no reason to think that some small but critical thing I do now might not have the same effect on someone else who happens on my various efforts. You just never know.

So resistance is not always futile as such but it can be a bit of a crap shoot. If you can enjoy the ride in some way, you win either way it goes.

wind

[markmc03.livejournal.com]

You know, just thinking about the alternate forms, wind, hydro, wave and solar, I'm at a loss as to why we haven't developed geothermal to a much greater degree. I live on the Pacific Rim, you know, the belt of volcanoes that encircle the Pacific Ocean? Why the hell haven't they tapped into that as a source of heat to run the turbines to create the energy - or am I showing my ignorance with such a question?

Re: wind

[webfarmer.livejournal.com]

No, I think you make a good point. I only wish I had a decent answer for you as it's just not an area that I've paid a whole lot of attention.

The most I can say is that there are people working this problem and I expect it to be in the headlines more and more in the coming years. Obviously they have the technology down in places like Iceland.

My guess is that the lack of visible development stems in part because it's not a technology with a lot of development supporting it. One of those chicken and eggs things only in political economic terms.

The converse observation would be why ethanol has such a high profile. It took many years to get into that position. Wind is only getting there right now.

A couple of links for you. I might post the first one in the next day or two thanks to your inspiration.

http://tinyurl.com/6qm5pc
http://tinyurl.com/57glsj

Geothermal heat pumps are a very big deal out here. I don't know about Canada. Some of our local school buildings have been switched over for a huge savings in energy costs. That along with window treatments for energy efficiency.