German nuclear plants to be shut

[malaise]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13592208
<snip>
Germany's coalition government has announced a reversal of policy that will see all the country's nuclear power plants phased out by 2022.

The decision makes Germany the biggest industrial power to announce plans to give up nuclear energy.

Environment Minister Norbert Rottgen made the announcement following late-night talks.

Chancellor Angela Merkel set up a panel to review nuclear power following the crisis at Fukushima in Japan.

There have been mass anti-nuclear protests across Germany in the wake of March's Fukushima crisis, triggered by an earthquake and tsunami.
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Bravo Germany! True Merkel is a hypocrite but she made the correct decision.

[MadHound]

1. And let's not forget that Germany is the largest producer of green, renewable energy

They are showing the way for the rest of us, that we don't need fossil fuels or nuclear to generate all the power we need.

[malaise]

2. This is great news

Apparently Germans put the planet ahead of profit and people ahead of corporations.

[marmar]

3. As much as this is CYA for the desperate Merkel, the end result is what's important.

Sehr Guht.

[malaise]

4. Agreed

:hi:

[divvy]

5. They plan to shut the remaining plants by 2022 also

Germany has now shut down seven (?) of its oldest reactors and is planning to shut down the remaining plants by 2022.

While I do grasp the extremely high risks associated with nuclear power, I think the speed of this decision is being driven by Merkel's CDU recent election losses.

Germany's nuclear plants now produce about 26% of the country's electrical energy. I am unaware of any specific plans to replace this energy (aside from buying electricity from France's nuclear plants). The contribution of alternative energy (excepting biofuels) is very low. Will Germany be falling back on fossil fuels? Investing heavily in alternatives?

As posted below, the French are using the Fukushima disaster to review the impact of "black swan" events that might compromise the safety of their nuclear plants. Detailed recommendations are expected in September. I look forward to seeing the contingency plans.

Read Here http://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/deutschland/deutsche-atomkraftwerke-sollen-bis-2022-vom-netz/4231754.html

Note: you will need to translate the text, but you will find a bonus wallet-sized picture of sara palin on the right side bar.

[divvy]

6. Their policy (Japanese) is insane

The idea that the decision whether or not to inject sea water should hinge on the Prime Ministers' mood is insane... The plant managers at US nuclear plants have operating licenses issued by the NRC. You don't act on whims, especially when they are telling you to back off and let 3 reactor cores melt down. You might not be able to save them, but you try... You do whatever you can. The problem in crises is that some of your many bosses don't have any nuclear accident training.

The article on U5 is correct... If there is no operator and operations support at a nuclear plant (of this vintage), it will melt down... Even if it starts out in cold shutdown. The only question is how long it will take, not the end result.

The problem with the typhoon is that it will spread stuff in those fuel pools and their wreckage... In the wind and and runoff... And heavy rain will add to the water problems in the building basements.

http://www.japantoday.com/category/commentary/view/seawater-injection-saga-highlights-tepcos-cover-up-culture

Typhoon has weakened http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/typhoon-weakens-to-tropical-storm

edit: add (Japanese) to the subject header

[Yo_Mama]

7. The plant head kept injecting seawater anyway

He disobeyed the order to stop.

But yes, it is insane. You need the technical people, not the politicians, to be in charge when an emergency happens. The time for the politicians to act is when setting policy.

[divvy]

8. There were strong disagreements in the emergency response

There was apparently some strong disagreements in the emergency response. The government wants the plant manager fired for refusing an order to stop injecting sea water into the reactors. TEPCO is resisting saying that he is indispensable in their current efforts at the plant. There is a key moment in every heroes life when he or she has to decide whether they are willing to risk everything to do what is right. I strongly suspect that this man is a hero. In the US, every operator is licensed and would refuse an order that would place the nuclear reactor at increased risk. It is expected... I have no doubt most would... For days after the accident, the seawater injection was all they could do... Was it enough? No... but it was all they could do. They felt it was their duty to try. It is up to the rest of the nuclear community to figure out how to help them. It isn't these site heroes that should be figuring out how to stabilize the situation... it is the utility engineers, GE/Hitatchi (or whoever is the OEM of the plant, the government regulator, the global nuclear community). You want to punish somebody? Punish everyone involved with the technical evaluation of the tsunami risk... Not the heroes giving their lives to save their country.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-05-27/tepco-faces-massive-problem-containing-radioactive-water-at-fukushima.html