LLAW’s All Things Nuclear #727, Monday, (08/19/2024)
LLAW’s All Things Nuclear #727, Monday, (08/19/2024)
“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity”
This photo taken on September 11, 2022 shows a general view of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Enerhodar, Zaporizhzhia Oblast. STRINGER / AFP
LLAW’s NUCLEAR ISSUES & COMMENTS, Monday, (08/19/2024)
So, are we already seeing a growing, more serious, nuclear war in the making? I have long contended that the constant attacks on the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine over the past couple of years is proof that nuclear power plants are easily used as nuclear weapons. And now we have the Russian nuclear power plant in Kursk also involved in attacks by Ukraine combatants. This is an alarming and extremely dangerous situation, and it could very easily get worse quickly. And it should be a dramatic lesson to us all.
This is what International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi had to say about the vulnerability of nuclear power plants suffering direct military attacks: "Nuclear power plants are designed to be resilient against technical or human failures and external events including extreme ones, but they are not built to withstand a direct military attack, and neither are they supposed to, just as with any other energy facility in the world. This latest attack highlights the vulnerability of such facilities in conflict zones and the need to continue monitoring the fragile situation." (Read the article just below for more.)
To me, that means nuclear power plants can, if they’re not already, being used as weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), and if such a menace can exist in the Russian/Ukraine war, it can happen anywhere in the world where nuclear power plants exist, and, yes, the United States leads the world in the number of operating nuclear power plants. Canada also has a large collection of nuclear power plants along the Eastern seaboard just north of the USA. These two nations are simply sitting ducks for nuclear warfare to radiate the entire central and eastern population in both countries.
In the early stages of her recent book, “Nuclear War: A Scenario”, Annie Jacobsen, in her alarming well-researched book describes how a nuclear power plant can easily be used as a WMD out of the blue, in just one shocking instant and, in a short time more, destroy a huge part of California. She creates a scenario of North Korea dropping a nuclear bomb on the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant, owned by the infamous Pacific Gas & Electric utility (PG&E), the last commercially operating nuclear power plant in California. The scenario shows how chaos and death arrive virtually instantly in Southern California, also affecting downwind States to the west. Just one nuclear bomb can kill millions of people and other life in a matter of minutes and a few hours.
And yet we are anxious to quickly build more of these nuclear power plants, that are, in reality, vulnerable sitting ducks — waiting to be transformed into nuclear bombs that, as Mr. Grossi describes above, cannot withstand a military attack, much less a nuclear one, What on Earth are we thinking? ~llaw
IAEA urges 'maximum restraint from all sides' at Zaporizhzhia
19 August 2024
International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi warns that the nuclear safety situation is deteriorating after a drone strike on a road near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant's perimeter.
(Image: ZNPP/Telegram)
The IAEA team stationed at the Zaporizhzhia plant (ZNPP) was informed on Saturday that an explosive carried by a drone detonated just outside the plant's protected area, close to the cooling water sprinkler ponds and about 100 metres from the Dniprovska power line, which is the only remaining 750 kilovolt line providing external power supply to ZNPP.
"The team immediately visited the area (see picture above) and reported that the damage seemed to have been caused by a drone equipped with an explosive payload. There were no casualties and no impact on any NPP equipment. However, there was impact to the road between the two main gates of ZNPP," the IAEA update said.
There has also been "intense" military activity close to the plant over the past week, the IAEA team reports. Recent days have seen a fire in one of the cooling towers and damage to a power and water substation in nearby Energodar, where many of the nuclear power plant workers and their families live.
Grossi said: "Yet again we see an escalation of the nuclear safety and security dangers ... I remain extremely concerned and reiterate my call for maximum restraint from all sides and for strict observance of the five concrete principles established for the protection of the plant."
He added: "Nuclear power plants are designed to be resilient against technical or human failures and external events including extreme ones, but they are not built to withstand a direct military attack, and neither are they supposed to, just as with any other energy facility in the world. This latest attack highlights the vulnerability of such facilities in conflict zones and the need to continue monitoring the fragile situation."
The six-unit ZNPP, Europe's largest, has been under Russian military control since early March 2022. It is close to the frontline between Russian and Ukrainian forces.
Kursk nuclear power plant
Grossi reported that he had held talks at the weekend about the safety and security situation at Zaporizhzhia and also "recent events in the territory of the Russian Federation, including the proximity of military action to an important and operating nuclear power plant".
The Director General of Russian nuclear corporation Rosatom, Alexei Likhachev, said that during talks with Grossi he had invited the IAEA's head to visit the Kursk nuclear power plant. The IAEA statement said "Director General Grossi has expressed his readiness to assess the situation, including by making a visit to the plant".
Ukraine and Russia each accuse the other side of putting nuclear safety at risk and breaching the IAEA's central safety principles for nuclear facilities. Grossi explained at the United Nations in April that the IAEA would not attribute blame without "indisputable proof" and said the agency aims to "keep the information as accurate as we can and we do not trade into speculating".
Researched and written by World Nuclear News
ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ACCESS TO “LLAW’S ALL THINGS NUCLEAR” RELATED MEDIA:
There are 7 categories, with the latest addition, (#7) being a Friday weekly roundup of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) global nuclear news stories. Also included is a bonus non-nuclear category for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity around the world that play an important role in humanity’s lives. The feature categories provide articles and information about ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links with headlines concerning the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:
All Things Nuclear
Nuclear Power
Nuclear Power Emergencies
Nuclear War
Nuclear War Threats
Yellowstone Caldera (Note: There are no Yellowstone Caldera bonus stories available in this evening’s Post.)
IAEA Weekly News (Friday’s only)
Whenever there is an underlined link to a Category media news story, if you press or click on the link provided, you no longer have to cut and paste to your web browser, since this Post’s link will take you directly to the article in your browser.
A current Digest of major nuclear media headlines with automated links is listed below by nuclear Category (in the above listed order). If a Category heading does not appear in the daily news Digest, it means there was no news reported from this Category today. Generally, the three best articles in each Category from around the nuclear world(s) are Posted. Occasionally, if a Post is important enough, it may be listed in multiple Categories.
TODAY’S NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS, Monday, (08/19/2024)
Nuclear Power
NEWS
IAEA urges 'maximum restraint from all sides' at Zaporizhzhia - World Nuclear News
World Nuclear News
International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi warns that the nuclear safety situation is deteriorating after a drone ...
Nuclear power will be procured at pace and scale country can afford, says Ramokgopa
Energy Central
Electricity and Energy Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has reiterated that government will procure nuclear power at a pace and scale the country ...
Safety at Ukraine Nuclear Plant Deteriorates After Nearby Blast: IAEA - Kyiv Post
Kyiv Post
Russian occupying management of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant claimed a Ukraine drone dropped an explosive charge on a road used by staff, ...
All Things Nuclear
NEWS
UN watchdog IAEA 'extremely concerned' about safety at Russia-controlled nuclear power ...
The Hill
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Five Things You Need to Know to Start Your Day: Americas - Bloomberg
Bloomberg
Good morning. Stocks are poised for a muted open as focus turns to the Federal Reserve, with clues as to its monetary policy expected at the end ...
Nuclear War
NEWS
North Korea Warns US of 'Prelude' to Nuclear War - Newsweek
Newsweek
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Putin Ally Set To Attack Ukraine From Behind As Kursk Revenge? Big Move By Russian ... - YouTube
YouTube
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North Korea calls allies' latest joint military drills a 'prelude to a nuclear war'
Stars and Stripes
... -scale military exercise that kicked off Monday, likening it to a “beheading operation” against Pyongyang and a “prelude to a nuclear war.”
Nuclear Power Emergencies
NEWS
Algeria Provides Emergency Fuel Aid to Lebanon | OilPrice.com
Oil Price
Algeria began supplying fuel oil to Lebanon to restart its power plants and restore electricity after a complete blackout caused by a severe fuel ...
PSPA Emergency Declaration Declared At Hervey Bay - Mirage News
Mirage News
PSPA Emergency Declaration Declared At Hervey Bay. Police have ... Iran Lacks Domestic Uranium for Nuclear Power: New Signs. 20 Aug 2024 1 ...
Nuclear War Threats
NEWS
North Korea Warns US of 'Prelude' to Nuclear War - Newsweek
Newsweek
... threats posed by North Korea. Sign up for Newsletter Newsletter. The Bulletin. Your Morning Starts Here. Begin your day with a curated outlook of top ...
US and South Korea begin joint military drills as North Korea accuses them of invasion rehearsal
NY1
... nuclear attack scenarios. The U.S. military has not confirmed the ... threats of nuclear conflicts against Washington and Seoul. Earlier this ...
South Korea, US kick off annual drills over North's military, cyber threats
Yahoo News Canada
Pyongyang has long denounced the allies for stoking tensions with military drills, calling them rehearsals for a nuclear war. ... threats of nuclear ...