Енергетика

ANALYSIS: Roof collapse at Chernobyl: What does it mean for Russia’s aged Chernobyl-type reactors?

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Part of: Chernobyl accident , Nuclear Russia

MOSCOW/ SLAVUTCH, Ukraine – A “combination of negative factors” rather than excessive snowfall was the cause of the February 12 partial wall and roof collapse at Chernobyl’s infamous Reactor Unit 4, recent findings of two commissions that investigated the incident revealed. Notably, the risk of concrete slabs collapsing over the reactor halls of the defunct nuclear plant’s three other units had been discussed just one day earlier, on February 11, in Ukraine’s Slavutich. And Russia has three stations running Chernobyl-type reactors, RBMK-1000s – all three of similar or older ages and still in operation. How badly should Russia be concerned about its old stations’ safety?

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Chernobyl NPP: Is the station gradually crumbling to pieces?

Andrei Ozharovsky, Maria Kaminskaya, 03/03-2013

News that a portion of wall panels and roof collapsed at Unit 4 of Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) came on February 12. Just one day before, the possible risk of some of the upper structures caving in on the reactor buildings housing the station’s Units 1, 2, and 3 – which were not themselves damaged during the catastrophic explosion of April 26, 1986, but were shut down in subsequent years – was discussed at a public hearing in the Ukrainian town of Slavutich, 50 kilometers from Chernobyl.

On February 26, a report stating the findings of two commissions convened to look into the causes of the February 12 incident was released on Chernobyl NPP’s website(in Russian), saying, in particular (quoted in Bellona’s translation):

“Snow load on the roof of the turbine hall at axes 50-68 from Range A to Range B did not at the moment of the collapse exceed the values established in the project and operating documentation of [Chernobyl] NPP.”

Instead, the report said, a truss failure – precipitated by a “combination of negative factors,” detailed in the findings – may have caused the collapse of a fragment of roof and walls at Unit 4.

The partial roof and wall collapse at Reactor Unit 4

On February 12, Chernobyl NPP’s press service reported an “abnormal situation” at the plant (quoted here verbatim):

“12.02.13. Partial failure of the wall slabs and light roof of the Unit 4 Turbine Hall occurred at 14.03 above non-maintained premises on the level 28.00 meters in the axes 50-52 from range A to range B. The area of damage is about 600m2. This construction is not critical structure of the ‘Shelter’ object.” Читати далі ANALYSIS: Roof collapse at Chernobyl: What does it mean for Russia’s aged Chernobyl-type reactors? →

Біобезпека

Japan spooked by wheat that wouldn’t die

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An unapproved GM wheat crop may throw the US industry into disarray.

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Wheat farmers’ livelihoods may be threatened by the discovery of a field of unapproved genetically modified wheat in Oregon. Photo: Bloomberg

Japan, the largest market for US wheat exports, suspended imports from the United States and cancelled a major purchase of white wheat this week after the discovery of unapproved genetically modified wheat in an 32-hectare field in Oregon.

How the altered crop made its way to the Oregon field remains a mystery. The strain was developed by Monsanto to make wheat resistant to its own industry-leading weed killer, Roundup.

Monsanto tested the altered seed in more than a dozen states, including Oregon, between 1994 and 2005, but it was never approved for commercial use.

Yet the US Department of Agriculture reported that recent tests identified the strain after an Oregon farmer trying to clear a field sprayed Monsanto’s herbicide, Roundup, and found that the wheat could not be killed.

The report rattled US wheat markets. In addition to Japan’s action, the European Union, which imports more than a million tonnes of US wheat a year, said it was following developments ”to ensure EU zero-tolerance policy is implemented”. It asked Monsanto to help detection efforts in Europe.

The issue focuses attention on St Louis-based Monsanto, a $US56 billion company with more than $US13.5 billion in sales of seeds, services, weed killer and biotechnology to the agriculture industry.

In the face of mounting protests, including public demonstrations in multiple cities last weekend, the company has stood behind its other genetically modified products. Читати далі Japan spooked by wheat that wouldn’t die →

Енергетика,Право

Угода про розподіл вуглеводнів

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52125Текст газової угоди, що була укладена 24 січня 2013 року між компанією “Шелл” та ТОВ “Надра Юзівська” під час Всесвітнього економічного саміту у Давосі, є конфіденційною інформацією. Один з представників компанії “Шелл” на питання про режим секретності заявив, що це пов’язано з тим, що досі не підписана операторська угода. Тобто угода, за якою “Шелл” буде вкладати гроші та вести розроблення отриманого родовища.

Але в нашій країні багато секретів швидко опиняються на файлообмінниках. Так трапилось і з угодою про розподіл продукції.

На запит до прес-служби компанії “Шелл”, Міненерговугілля та НАК “Надра України” з метою з’ясувати, чи є ці документи достовірними, єдиною відповіддю була реакція “Шелл”:

“У відповідь на Ваш запит повідомляємо, що угода про розподіл продукції (УРП), укладена між Державою Україна, компанією “Шелл Експлорейшн енд Продакшн Юкрейн Інвестментс (IV) Б.В.” та ТОВ “Надра Юзівська”, є конфіденційною та не підлягає оприлюдненню. Ми не коментуємо проекти УРП, що можуть з’являтися у відкритому доступі”.

Як повідомив один із юристів, дуже схоже, що у відкритому доступі опинився один із робочих варіантів документу. За його словами, в нього могли вноситися деякі зміни, втім загальна канва і основні пункти документу можна вважати цілком достовірними.

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