Japan:
¶ Prime Minister Noda will meet with leaders of the protesters who demonstrate outside his residence every Friday. The meeting will probably take place next week. [The Japan Times]
¶ Unit 5 at Chubu Electric’s Hamaoka nuclear plant had sea water leak into the pressure vessel after the earthquake and tsunami of 2011. Now, radioactive water is leaking in the reactor building, indicating serious corrosion. A Chubu Electric spokesman says the company is considering whether the reactor should be decommissioned. [Reuters]
¶ Nuclear advocates in Japan are arguing that the presence of nuclear plants is good for the country because it shows the Japanese have the capacity to make nuclear bombs. [The Japan Times]
World:
¶ Germany installed 4,300 MW of solar capacity in the first half of 2012, bringing its total to 28,000 MW. This is an increase of slightly more than 18% over a six month period. [REVE]
¶ Nuclear power is too expensive for much of the world. The initial investment is too high to justify, low natural gas prices and recession are depressing potential markets, it takes years to get a reactor online, and wind and solar are less expensive. [Financial Times]
¶ Renault is running a sales promotion in Spain, in which purchasers of gas-powered station wagons, mini-vans, and sedans get a free electric microcar. [Green Car Reports]
US:
¶ Projected costs to repair the containment building at Crystal River, which were $900 million to $1.2 billion, are still rising, and the owners say they will probably not decide what to do with the plant until next year. [Reuters]
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