CND Press Roundup Wednesday 14th September 2022

War in Ukraine / NATO

• Russia’s Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Olaf Shultz had a phone conversation on Tuesday, where they discussed the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine. It follows a conversation between Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron amid efforts by the UN’s nuclear watchdog – the IAEA – to organise a safety zone around the plant.

• Meanwhile, a former Deputy Secretary General of NATO has warnedthat Vladimir Putin could still use nuclear weapons if the Russian leader continues to suffer defeat in Ukraine. Rose Gottemoeller’s comments come after a counter-offensive by Ukrainian forces over the weekend routed Russian troops from territory amounting to half the size of Wales.

Trident

• An article on the SNP’s opposition to nuclear power where it notes the connection between the civilian industry and its military use.

UK Nuclear Energy

• Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust writes on how it helped secure environmental protections at Hinkley Point C and what this could mean for building at Sizewell C.

Nuclear Energy

• Germany has said it can’t block a shipment of Russian uranium destined for the country – amid calls from environmentalists to block the shipment. The cargo is currently docked in the French port of Dunkirk.

• French nuclear power output fell by over a third in August – which nuclear firm EDF said was mainly due to the discovery of stress fractures in some of its reactors.

• In Sweden, nuclear provider Vattenfall said the restart of its Ringhals 4 nuclear reactor will be delayed by two months. “The unforeseen required repairs are taking more time than expected, before starting up the unit after the yearly maintenance,” Vattenfall said.

• Slovakia’s Slovenske Elektrarne has completed loading fuel to the long-delayed Mochovce 3 nuclear power plant – making it one of the few new nuclear units to come online amid Europe’s energy crisis.

Pakistan

• A letter in the FT in response to the devastating floods in Pakistan calls into question why the country continues to possess nuclear weapons: “It has an arsenal of 100-120 weapons, according to estimates by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, which costs over $1bn a year to maintain, money better spent on the nation’s flood defences, especially given the damage caused by the 2005 floods. Please use the sharing tools found via the share button at the top or side of articles. One can berate the slow pace of foreign aid to the millions of suffering Pakistani citizens but one can equally and justifiably criticise successive Islamabad governments and their hopelessly misguided and continuing obsession with nuclear weapons which has provided absolutely no protection to their people, and at unaffordable cost.”

Iran Nuclear Deal

• The US told a meeting of the IAEA’s Board of Governors on Tuesday that Iran is not a “willing partner” in the in-direct talks between the two to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

• The above comments come as Western diplomats are reportedly lobbying the IAEA and UN member states to pressure Iran to comply with an IAEA investigation into the origins of traces of uranium found at undisclosed Iranian nuclear sites.

North Korea

• A news item on North Korea’s move to a first-use nuclear weapons policy is now on CND’s website.