based in Liverpool decided to organise leafletting the thousands of people
who attend this event, from 10.30am to 2.30pm. For full details contact
Martyn on [email protected].
At a Conference in Manchester a group agreed that this action at Crewe
should be the occasion for leafletting and stalls at stations “served” by
nuclear trains up and down Britain.
The agreement says that PG&E will renounce plans to seek renewed
operating licenses for Diablo Canyon’s two reactors, the operating licenses
for which expire in 2024 and 2025 respectively. In the intervening years,
the parties will seek Public Utility Commission approval of the plan which
will replace power from the plant with renewable energy, efficiency and
energy storage resources.
Highlands Against Nuclear Transport decided to take action at a station in
the Highlands through which trains carrying nuclear waste from Dounreay
to Sellafield.
Leafletting is being planned lunchtime outside Chester and possibly
Warrington stations. Info, Martyn, [email protected]). There will also
be leafletting organised by People against Wylfa B at Colwyn Bay and Rhyl
stations, and perhaps others on the nuclear train line from Wylfa nuclear
power station in Anglesey to Chester. PAWB info: [email protected]
Stop Hinkley will run a stall and leafleting outside Bridgwater railway
station from 9.30am-3.00pm to highlight the transport of radioactive. waste
from Hinkley along the roads to the railway station in the centre of
Bridgwater. Details: Jo Smoldon 01278 459099 [email protected]
In London there’ll be two actions. A stall and leafletting from 11am-1pm
outside (probably) Shepherd’s Bush Central Line Station (near the
overground station used by nuclear trains) organised by the Nuclear Trains
Action Group. Contact David – contacts in masthead above. The second
will be leafletting outside Bromley South Station, organised by Bromley &
Beckenham CND. Details from Ann on [email protected]; 020-8469
1295.
If you or your group are interested in leafletting your local nuclear train
station contact me and I can send you a model leaflet for adapting for your
local use.
David.
CALIFORNIA: NO MORE NUCLEAR?
On June 21st, an agreement was announced between Pacific Gas and
Electric (PG&E), Friends of the Earth and other environmental and labour
organisations to replace the Diablo Canyon nuclear reactors in California
with greenhouse-gas-free renewable energy and energy storage resources.
The Diablo Canyon reactors are the only ones still operating in California.
Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Station
Greenpeace says that setting an end date for the reactors will provide an
orderly transition. In the agreement, PG&E commits to renewable energy
providing 55% of its total retail power sales by 2031, voluntarily exceeding
the California standard of 50% renewables by 2030.
“This is an historic agreement,” Erich Pica, president of Friends of the
Earth, was quoted as saying. “It sets a date for the certain end of nuclear
power in California… It lays out an effective roadmap for a nuclear phaseout in the world’s sixth largest economy, while assuring a green energy
replacement plan to make California a global leader in fighting climate
change.”
From a report in EcoWatch, http://ecowatch.com/2016/06/21/diablocanyon-nuclear-plant-shut-down/
AREVA SCANDAL SNOWBALLS!
Areva announced at the end of April that it had found "anomalies" at its Le Creusot
manufacturing facility during an audit it launched following the discovery of errors
in the production of the steel cover for the reactor vessel for the new European
Pressurised Reactor (EPR), a third-generation reactor design which is planned to be
built at Hinkley C.
On June 16th, the French Nuclear Regulator, The Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN),
announced that Fessenheim Reactor 2, operated by EDF, had been halted since
Monday "to carry out additional investigations" on its steam generation system
Lowe The ASN said EDF had completed a review of 79 other irregularities, which
it described as diverse "incoherencies, modifications and omissions in the
manufacturing files concerning construction parameters and test results".
ASN said Areva reported discovering anomalies concerning other parts destined for
the EPR reactor in the northwestern French town of Flamanville, but it did not have
details.
Meanwhile Greenpeace called for full transparency and halting of affected reactors
until independent testing of the parts is completed. "These potential falsifications
and anomalies call into question the quality of identified parts and are a major
safety risk, as the parts involved are large components which are essential to
operating the reactors," Greenpeace France said in a statement.
Greenpeace France itself issued a long report in June which said reactors in more
than a dozen countries were potentially affected. It listed the countries as, apart
from France, the UK, Sweden, Switzerland, Belgium, Spain, Slovenia, USA,
Brazil, China, South Korea and South Africa.
The UK plant it mentions is Sizewell B. It reports that the Office for Nuclear
Regulation (ONR), Britain’s regulator, had confirmed on 13th May that Sizewell B
reactor is equipped with potentially affected parts from the Creusot site, the reactor
vessel and the replacement vessel closure head. However, on 3rd June ONR
announced that Sizewell B could return to service as they had found that the
pressure vessel remained in good condition without the hydrogen flaking found in
the pressure vessels – also forged at Le Creusot - of two Belgian reactors and that
its pressure vessel domes were not affected by the carbon segregation issue [the socalled “anomalies”] affecting the Flamanville 3 dome.
As mentioned previously, the scandal has also hit Hinkley C even before it starts
building. When the problems with the forgings at Le Creusot were admitted, the
pressure vessel intended for Hinkley C had already been forged at Le Creusot. This
vessel was the one chosen for testing to destruction in the attempt to test the
seriousness of the forging “anomalies”. This requires that a new pressure vessel to
be forged for the plant.
The monthly mailing of Kick Nuclear and the Nuclear
Trains Action Group of London Region CND.
Editor: David Polden
June 2016
REGULAR FRIDAY SOLIDARITY VIGIL
Every Friday (since August 2012) 10am-noon, leafletting outside Japanese
Embassy, 101-104 Piccadilly (Green Park tube); then go on to new Tokyo Electric
Power Company offices near Chancery Lane tube to leaflet there too. In solidarity
with the anti-nuclear movement in Japan. Organised: Kick Nuclear and Japanese
Against Nuclear UK (JAN UK)
NEXT JOINT KN/NTAG PLANNING MEETING
Monday July 11th [Note; not first Monday in month], 7pm, At CND
Office. Address in masthead.
FUTURE ACTIONS
Tuesday July 12th, 8.15am-9am: leafletting delegates to Westminster Energy,
Environment & Transport Forum on nuclear power among other things. At
Glaziers Hall, 9 Montague Close SE1 9DD. (Near London Bridge Station.) Info,
David, 020 7607 2302.
Saturday July 23rd: national action against nuclear trains – see below
article.
NUCLEAR TRAIN DAY OF ACTION, July 23rd
Direct Rail Services, who run the nuclear trains which carry highlyradioactive “spent” nuclear fuel rods from UK nuclear power stations to
Sellafield, are holding their annual “Open Day” on Saturday July 23rd this
year at their Crewe Depôt. Like last year Martyn,