CND Press Roundup Wednesday 12th October 2022

War in Ukraine / NATO

• Oliver Eagleton writes for Novara Media on the need for the UK government to promote peace in Ukraine.

• Sky News reports on worries of an accident at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant amid a stalemate on agreeing terms for a safety zone around the plant.

• That’s as the deputy head at Zaporizhzhia was kidnapped by Russia, according to the Ukrainian government on Tuesday. The seizure of Valeriy Martynyuk on Monday follows the temporary detention of his former boss, Ihor Murashov, earlier this month – who has not returned to work since his release. Russia has yet to comment but Vladimir Putin previously said it was time that running of the plant was handed over to Russian staff.

• Reuters has an explainer on the risks posed to Ukraine’s nuclear plants.

• This podcast from The Guardian looks at Vladimir Putin’s nuclear threats and assesses the chances they’ll be used in Ukraine.

• Tech billionaire Elon Musk has denied claims made by the head of the Eurasia Group risk consultancy firm that he spoke with Vladimir Putin – including about the use of nuclear weapons. Ian Bremmer later said Musk had told him directly about his conversation with Putin ahead of floating a peace plan which would have seen Ukraine cede territory.

• NATO will continue with its annual nuclear drills – as cancelling them would send the wrong impression to Russia, the bloc’s head Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday.

Tactical Nuclear Weapons

• Reuters has an explainer on tactical nuclear weapons but fails to stress how larger and destructive these weapons would be if used.

Wages Not Weapons

• Kate Hudson has a blog post on the TSSA’s website arguing for the UK government to prioritise wages over nuclear weapons.

Global Abolition

• WILPF has a piece on its website calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons – arguing the war in Ukraine has led to the normalisation of nuclear weapons use in the media.

Radiation

• Newsweek talks to biologist Mary Olson, founder of the Gender and Radiation Impact Project, on the impacts of radiation in the event of a nuclear attack. According to her research of atomic bomb survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, she found that the group most impacted by ionizing radiation were young girls up to five – who could be 10 times more vulnerable than the wider population and twice as likely to develop cancers than their male counterparts.

UK Nuclear Energy

• The Conservative deputy head of Norfolk County Council has insisted that not one, not two, but three nuclear reactors should be built in the area. Graham Plant said that building three small modular reactors (SMR), or mini-nukes, would solve Norfolk’s energy crisis. Plant’s intervention comes as Green members of the council tried to add an amendment to a Conservative motion praising the UK government for its efforts to help people with energy costs.

• Cambrian News, Daily Post, and Nation Cymru rehash (sometimes verbatim) this government press release on a memorandum of understanding signed between the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) and Welsh state nuclear company Cwmni Egino. The agreement allows for cooperation to take place over the siting of a SMR in Trawsfynydd.

• Chemical billionaire Jim Radcliffe has taken aim at the UK government energy policies – citing Britain’s dwindling feet of nuclear plants as evidence of poor planning: “And for the one that we are building [at Hinkley Point in Somerset], we have chosen a complicated and unproven technology.”

Nuclear Energy

• Climate activist Greta Thunberg has weighed into Germany’s debate extending the life of its nuclear plants – saying that it would be a “mistake” to shut off nuclear plants at this time if it meant keeping coal-burning plants operational.

• US nuclear firm Westinghouse is being bought by a private equity consortium for $7.9 billion – just four years after the firm emerged from bankruptcy. Brookfield Renewable Partners, who the FT call “one of the world’s largest clean energy investors”, and Cameco, a uranium fuel supplier, are buying the company in a bet that climate and energy security concerns will revive the nuclear sector’s fortunes.

• EDF is mulling a sell-off of some of its non-nuclear assets as it looks to free up debt for the building of new nuclear reactors. One option is to sell its Italian gas provider Edison – but the French state-owned firm will have to contend with Italy’s new right-wing coalition – some of whom opposed the initial purchase by a foreign business.

• France’s finance minister said it’s imperative that the country restartsits nuclear reactors as soon as possible. More than half are currently offline due to maintenance issues.