Workshops on nuclear safety in Abu Dhabi, a fairy story

A workshop on nuclear safety is being held by of the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) at Abu Dhabi, despite safety concerns. On the agenda are operation and design of nuclear reactor buildings. Four reactors will be build in Al Gharbia. [1]

Regulation authority, the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety provide the speakers of the workshops. Licensing review of the  US$20 billion plan will be completed next year. It foresees to have the first reactor  operating by 2017.

Facts on safety concerns at the Arab Emirates
Security concerns: While talking about safety during the workshops, some equipment with dangerous iridium 192 were reported as lost last week by a company in Musaffah, an emerging satellite town of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, also known as the "Industrial City of Abu Dhabi”.

No repositories for nuclear waste: Nuclear waste of power plants cannot be stored safely for thousand of years. France, USA and Germany lack any safe repository. In U.S.A. Recently officials were alarmed with radiation  of containers exceeded permitted radiation in a repository at a hall at ground level in Germany. USA does not bother about, littering nuclear waste in the environment.

Tectonic unrest at the Gulf Region: Speaking at a seminar held October 24,  2011 at the American University of Kuwait (AUK), Dr. Salmi Al-Faraj, the chairman of the Kuwait Centre for Strategic Studies (KCSS) stressed the dangers of the Bushehr reactor located at the junction of three tectonic plates, elongation of the tectonic plate which caused the devastating earthquake of West Turkey damaging the city of Izmiz near the frontier to Iran on Oktober 23. 2011. Dr. Al-Faraj refered to similarities to thee disaster of Fukushima early this year He pointed to the fact that the Bushehr reactor is built close to the ecosystem of Kuwait in 280 km. Wind and water current may reach Kuwait in case of release of any radioactive material. [2]

Phase out of nuclear energy: Austria was the first country to begin a phase-out (in 1978) and has been followed by Sweden (1980), Italy (1987), Belgium (1999), and Germany (2000). Austria, and Spain have gone as far as to enact laws not to build new nuclear power stations. Several other European countries have debated phase-outs.

As of June 2011, Germany and Switzerland are phasing-out nuclear power. As of June 2011, countries such as Australia, Austria, Denmark, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal, Israel, Malaysia, New Zealand, and Norway remain opposed to nuclear power. [3]

Belgium confirmed plans to shut down it 7 nuclear power plants.. Belgium plans to replace 5,860 megawatts of power with wind power. [4]

Nuclear proliferation: Nuclear power contributes to the proliferation of nuclear weapons. Having a reactor brings with it access to materials and facilities which can be used in special low burn military reactors and reprocessed into Plutonium which is the required ingredient for building a high yield nuclear weapon. Israel, India, North Korea, All started "peaceful" nuclear power programs with research reactors that were later used to make weapons-grade plutonium, and there is great concern that Iran's program has a similar goal. The 9 nuclear weapons countries are passing a new milestone this year by collectively spending approximately one hundred billion dollars on their nuclear programs. [5]

Xenon gases, new problem at Fukushima Dalichi plant. Decommision will take more than 30 years [6]
Tepco, owner of the nuclear power plant of Fukushima reports the production of Xenon 133 and Xenon 135 in block 2. Both gases are product of an ongoing nuclear reaction and have a very short half life which indicates ongoing uncontrolled reaction. Tepco introduced boric acid in the reactor to  stop the reaction. Experts say that it will take more than 30 years to decommissionof ruins of the plant.

Four workers radioactive contaminated at Tokai 2 [7]
Four workers suffered contamination with radioactive steam at reactor Tokai2 as 22,4 tons of water leaked out from the pressure container into an outer container. No radioactive substances leaked into the environment.according to the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, Japan on 27 October  2011.

[1] Nuclear safety workshops begin. The National 31 Oct 2011.
http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/nuclear-safety-workshops-begin

[2] 'An unimaginable nuclear scenario' possible in Kuwait. Kuwait Times 19 Oct 2011.
http://kuwaittimes.net/read_news.php?newsid=NzA4MjU1NTk3MA==

[3] Nuclear power phase-out. Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_power_phase-out

[4] Belgium plans to phase out nuclear power. BBC October 31, 2011.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-15521865

[5] World spending on nuclear weapons surpasses $1 Trillion per decade. Global Zero. June 2011.
http://www.globalzero.org/en/page/cost-of-nukes

[6] Fukushima n-plant: boric acid injected after xenon detection. The Hindu 02 Nov 2011.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article2591040.ece

[7] Water leaks out of Tokai nuclear reactor. Japan Today 27 Oct 2011.
http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/water-leaks-out-of-tokai-nuclear-reactor