Silex laser uranium enrichment technology is a nuclear weapons danger

US uranium laser enrichment technology threatens Nuclear Non-Proliferation TreatyVoice of Russia, 26 Dec 13, The uranium laser enrichment technology that has been given a new impetus in the US is capable of knocking the bottom out of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). The technology consists in uranium isotope separation with laser stimulation (SILEX). Optimists put a great deal of trust in this and pessimists warn about negative consequences……..

Now the US is trying to re-energise it. General Electric and Hitachi have set up a joint venture and are building a plant to separate isotopes with laser stimulation……..

The basic problem about the SILEX technology is that it may prove largely helpful to the forces that are engaged in nuclear proliferation. SILEX theoretically makes it more likely for such forces to get hold of nukes. In any event, the new technology brings up some difficult problems for the non-proliferation regime guarantors to consider and settle, ……

it helps bridge the gap between the countries that can and that cannot manufacture their own nuclear weapons. SILEX is a graphic illustration of the last challenge, so all apprehensions for the technology in question are quite justifiable……http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2013_12_26/US-uranium-laser-enrichment-technology-threatens-Nuclear-Non-Profileration-Treaty-9278/

Uranium company USEC to go bankrupt

Uranium company USEC says expects to file for bankruptcy  Dec 16, 2013 Dec 16 (Reuters) – USEC Inc, a supplier of enriched uranium for commercial nuclear power plants, said it expected to file for bankruptcy protection as part of a deal with its bondholders, sending the company’s shares down as much as 52 percent.

USEC, which has been struggling to fund projects and has posted losses for the past four quarters, said it expected to file a prearranged Chapter 11 petition in the first quarter…….

The company said in November that government funding for its $350 million American Centrifuge Project in Ohio would end in January.

The project, which is 80 percent funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), is designed to produce low-enriched uranium used to make nuclear fuel. It was scheduled to be completed this month.

USEC wound down operations at another uranium enrichment plant earlier this year. The company is in the process of handing over the plant in Paducah, Kentucky to owner DOE.

Although power companies are building five reactors in southeastern United States, nuclear power generation is expected to decline. This will lower demand for uranium…

Moreover, uranium prices are yet to recover after they plummeted following the March 2011 meltdown at Japan‘s Fukushima Daiichi atomic power plant…..http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/12/16/usec-bankruptcy-idUKL3N0JV2CI20131216

Uranium enrichment permissable for Iran – Obama

Obama says Iran could be allowed a modest nuclear enrichment program President Obama says that it isn’t realistic to try to force Iran to dismantle its entire nuclear complex, but that strong monitoring would be needed. LA Times, By Paul RichterDecember 7, 2013, WASHINGTON — President Obama signaled Saturday that he was prepared to allow Iran to enrich uranium on its own soil, saying that a final deal could be structured to prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear bomb.

Obama also put the odds of success for the upcoming international negotiations with Iran at not “more than 50-50.”…….

But Obama is struggling to sell the deal in the face of intense resistance from Congress, Israel, Saudi Arabia and others who fear it will leave Iran with the ability to secretly edge toward a nuclear weapons program. Congress may adopt new sanctions in the coming weeks that Obama fears could upset the fragile diplomacy before negotiations resume.

The comments marked the first time that Obama has acknowledged Iran could be granted international approval to enrich uranium to low levels, provided it satisfied world concerns about its nuclear program and agreed to intrusive monitoring. ……….http://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-obama-us-mideast-20131208,0,2891554.story#axzz2mzg6eYug

US govt and GE’s Kentucky plan for laser uranium enrichment

GE Hitachi, Energy Dept. in talks over Ky. uranium Chron, By DYLAN LOVAN and ROGER ALFORD, Associated Press | November 27, 2013  LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The U.S. Department of Energy said Wednesday that it is entering negotiations with General Electric’s nuclear division on a proposal to replace an aging uranium enrichment plant in Kentucky with a new facility.

GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy wants to build a laser enrichment facility that would make use of the depleted uranium kept at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant. The Energy Department announced that it has selected GE Hitachi to begin exclusive negotiations for the sale of the uranium inventory.

GE Hitachi spokesman Chris White said Global Laser Enrichment that uses a unique laser technology would extract natural uranium from Paducah’s stores of depleted tails. The uranium would be used to fuel commercial nuclear reactors in the U.S., he said.

The negotiations are just beginning and there is no timetable on building a new plant, White said…….http://www.chron.com/business/energy/article/GE-Hitachi-Energy-Dept-in-talks-over-Ky-uranium-5017015.php

Radioactive spill from old uranium mill

Pipeline blamed for spill at former uranium plant in Colorado http://trib.com/business/energy/pipeline-blamed-for-spill-at-former-uranium-plant-in-colorado/article_de1c924f-92ae-5df5-b0d8-e5be8d2282da.html   By the Associated Press, 25 Nov 13,  CANON CITY, Colo.  — A pipeline rupture led to a spill of an estimated 4,000 to 9,000 gallons of contaminated water spilled at a former uranium mill near Canon City, but an on-site collection system contained the spill, officials told residents.

A joint on the underground pipeline broke Nov. 5, unleashing the spill at the defunct Cotter Corp. mill, Jennifer Opila, a radioactive materials monitor for the state health department, told the Thursday meeting. The pipe was repaired and operable by Nov. 6, Opila said.

Cotter safety officer Jim Cain said between 4,000 and 9,000 gallons of water spilled. A sample showed traces of uranium and molybdenum were found, Cain said.

John Hamrick, vice president of Cotter Mill operations, said there have been three leaks “in three different years, all for different reasons.”

Cotter once processed uranium for weapons and fuel at the mill. Federal authorities placed the mill on a national list for Superfund cleanups in the 1980s after radioactive materials traced to the mill were found to have contaminated the soil and groundwater. Part of the neighboring Lincoln Park community also is a Superfund site.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency eventually turned oversight of cleanup work to state officials.

Uranium hasn’t been processed at the mill since 2006. The state requires mill sites that are being decommissioned to be thoroughly cleaned up and restored at the operator’s expense. It’s expected to be a multimillion-dollar effort.

As member of Non Proliferation Treaty, Iran can enrich uranium

Legal right to enrich uranium  for Iran http://www.tehrantimes.com/politics/112302-uranium-enrichment-is-a-right-hans-blix 23 Nov 13, TEHRAN — Hans Blix, the former director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, says his interpretation of Article IV of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty is that uranium enrichment is a “right”.

The remarks by Blix come as Iran and the six major powers (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany, known as the 5+1 group) are negotiating in Geneva.

Iran says its right to enrichment, as a signatory to the NPT, must be recognized by the West.

 Blix said definition of enrichment is a matter of difference between Iran and the six powers.

 The former IAEA chief said Iran says according to the NPT uranium enrichment is its right but certain countries among the 5+1 group have another interpretation and argue that there is not something as the “right to enrichment”.

The Article IV of the NPT says:

1. Nothing in this Treaty shall be interpreted as affecting the inalienable right of all the Parties to the Treaty to develop research, production and use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes without discrimination and in conformity with Articles I and II of this Treaty.

2. All the Parties to the Treaty undertake to facilitate, and have the right to participate in, the fullest possible exchange of equipment, materials and scientific and technological information for the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. Parties to the Treaty in a position to do so shall also co-operate in contributing alone or together with other States or international organizations to the further development of the applications of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, especially in the territories of non-nuclear-weapon States Party to the Treaty, with due consideration for the needs of the developing areas of the world.

Safety concerns of uranium workers

A Fridge Full of Uranium for Honeywell Employees, In These Times,  BY MIKE ELK  7 Nov 13 On Monday, a Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) team arrived at Honeywell’s Metropolis, Ill., uranium conversion plant to do a routine weeklong inspection. Recently, workers at the plant have alleged that the employee refrigerator in the control room of the main processing building has repeatedly tested positive for dangerous levels of uranium.

But because Honeywell will not allow a qualified union worker to accompany NRC representatives on their inspections if the workers are on layoff, the union claims that the company is putting them and the local community at risk.

During the last few years, the plant has faced problems with federal authorities over a series of safety issues. In March 2011, after an investigation by the Environmental Proection Agency (EPA), Honeywell pleaded guilty to one felony offense for knowingly storing hazardous radioactive waste without a permit in violation of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)” and paid an $11.9 million fine to the federal government. Two months later, OSHA officially cited the company for 17 serious violations for the accidental release of toxic hydrogen fluoride (HF) gas directly into the atmosphere outside of the plant in December 2010.

Members of United Steel Workers Local 7-699, which represents workers at the Metropolis plant, claim that having a specifically designated worker present during inspections was the key to at least some of the company’s citations in 2011. The plant, workers say, is large and complex. Though inspectors are highly trained, they may miss small but crucial details during their visits. Union representatives, they say, can point out problems known to workers that regulatory officials may otherwise overlook.

American uranium enrichment company asks for $2 billion govt loan

Uranium project faces more money quandaries Politico, By DARIUS DIXON | 11/6/13
A major project aimed at maintaining the nation’s ability to enrich its own uranium may soon find itself in another cash crunch.
USEC, the company behind the American Centrifuge Project, said Tuesday that it will enter a period of fiscal uncertainty after the end of the year, when it’s scheduled to finish a cost-share agreement with the Energy Department aimed at demonstrating the project’s technology. The company plans to reapply for a $2 billion loan guarantee from the agency as early as December, but that will leave a gap when USEC may not have the money to keep working on the Ohio project while DOE studies the application.
“In light of our liquidity, we do not have the ability to continue to fund ACP at its current levels beyond the end of 2013 without additional government support,” USEC President and CEO John Welch said Tuesday on a call with investors. “Even with their support, our ability to provide funding in 2014 will be limited.”
He said the company “could make a decision to demobilize or terminate the project in the near term.”…….

The company plans to reapply for a $2 billion loan guarantee from the agency as early as December, but that will leave a gap when USEC may not have the money to keep working on the Ohio project while DOE studies the application. “In light of our liquidity, we do not have the ability to continue to fund ACP at its current levels beyond the end of 2013 without additional government support,” USEC President and CEO John Welch said Tuesday on a call with investors. “Even with their support, our ability to provide funding in 2014 will be limited.”

He said the company “could make a decision to demobilize or terminate the project in the near term.”
: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/11/uranium-project-faces-more-money-quandaries-99407.html#ixzz2jzXqnI26

Legal rights: yes Iran CAN enrich uranium

Bottom line: At present Iran has the legal right under treaty to enrich uranium. It may be persuaded to give up that right in negotiations, but there is at present no justification for holding it to this unreasonable demand.

Does Iran Have the Right to Enrich Uranium? The Answer Is Yes Dissident Voice,  by William O. Beeman / November 2nd, 2013 Now that serious talks with Iran over its nuclear program are underway, one seemingly insurmountable issue is whether Iran has the right to enrich uranium. The short answer is: Yes.

Those who are trying to torpedo the ongoing talks, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, want Iran to be forced to agree to the whole monty–a complete cessation of uranium enrichment and a dismantling of all enrichment facilities.

Iran claims that it has the inalienable right to enrich uranium as guaranteed in the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) to which it is a signatory.

The NPT treaty language is quite clear. In Article IV of the treaty it states: “Nothing in this Treaty shall be interpreted as affecting the inalienable right of all the Parties to the Treaty to develop research, production and use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes without discrimination and in conformity with Articles I and II of this Treaty.”

The United States is claiming that under the treaty Iran does not have the right to uranium enrichment because this activity is not specifically cited in the treaty:………

It should be obvious that United States government has no authority to interpret this international treaty on its own with no input or ratification from the other 189 signatories (North Korea withdrew in 2003). Aside from that, however, if Washington takes the position that Iran does not have the right to enrich uranium under the NPT, it is acting unilaterally and is out of sync with its allies and with the very organizations it cites on this policy, such as the International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA). It is worth noting that Israel has no say in this matter, because it is not a signatory to the NPT………

………In light of this information it seems clear that the United States has singled out Iran for prejudicial treatment among NPT signatories. If the United States is viewing uranium enrichment on a case by case basis, then Iran is the only nation that is being treated in this manner.

…….It is clear that the only way that the United States can claim that Iran does not have the right to enrich uranium is by ignoring the provisions of the NPT as they have been understood by the international community, by singling out Iran for prejudicial treatment, and by ignoring its own intelligence regarding Iran’s nuclear program.

Bottom line: At present Iran has the legal right under treaty to enrich uranium. It may be persuaded to give up that right in negotiations, but there is at present no justification for holding it to this unreasonable demand. http://dissidentvoice.org/2013/11/does-iran-have-the-right-to-enrich-uranium-the-answer-is-yes/

Highly Enriched Uranium converted to LEU in Hungary

UNITED STATES, INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS REMOVE LAST REMAINING WEAPONS-USABLE HIGHLY ENRICHED URANIUM FROM HUNGARY, SET NUCLEAR SECURITY MILESTONE EIN News Desk 4 Nov 13,WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Energy today announced under a multi-year international effort coordinated between Hungary, the United States, the Russian Federation, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the successful removal of all remaining highly enriched uranium (HEU) from Hungary. This makes Hungary the twelfth country to completely eliminate HEU from its borders since President Obama’s 2009 announcement of an international effort to secure all vulnerable nuclear material around the world……..

 The final 49.2 kilograms of remaining HEU in Hungary were removed over a series of three secure air shipments during the past six weeks and transported to Russia. Previously, the four participants returned 190 kilograms of HEU from Hungary to Russia via three shipments – in 2008, 2009, and 2012. The material will be transported to Russia where it will be downblended into low enriched uranium (LEU) for use in nuclear power reactors.

The other eleven countries and locations that have completely removed HEU under this effort are Austria, Chile, Czech Republic, Libya, Mexico, Romania, Serbia, Taiwan, Turkey, Ukraine, and Vietnam. To date, the Department has removed or dispositioned more than 5,000 kilograms of HEU and plutonium from more than 40 countries around the world and has removed all HEU from 25 countries. A fact sheet on the Department’s efforts to prevent nuclear terrorism is available here…….. http://www.einnews.com/pr_news/174969858/united-states-international-partners-remove-last-remaining-weapons-usable-highly-enriched-uranium-from-hungary-set-nuclear-security-milestone