Japan:
¶ Four of the six members of the new Nuclear Regulation Authority were given ¥3 million to ¥27 million by the nuclear industry in the past four years as grants or donations. [The Japan Times]
¶ The new standards of the Nuclear Regulation Authority say that if a fault has moved in the past 400,000 years, it is considered active. The old standard was 120,000 to 130,000 years. [The Japan Time]
… The fault at the Ohi plant slid about 125,000 years ago. Ohi is the only nuclear plant running in Japan. Experts are disagreeing as to whether the fault is active. [Victoria Times Colonist]
World:
¶ Solar farms are being established in Scotland on a test basis. It is believed they could generate as much as £14,000 per acre per year for farmers. [Scotland on Sunday]
¶ Mexico is in a hurry to increase windpower capacity. The country has increased its wind power capacity by 119% this year. In 2006, it had 6 megawatts of capacity. Last year it had 519. Now it has over 1100. [Pueblo Chieftain]
US:
¶ The contractors building two nuclear reactors at Vogtle, in Georgia, have filed a lawsuit seeking more than $900 million from the plant owners. [Marietta Daily Journal]
¶ Hurricane Sandy showed how vulnerable US nuclear plants are to damage. [Huffington Post]
geoharvey 