»nuclear«

In October 1957 the first major accident in a nuclear power plant occurred at the Windscale site (today: Sellafield). Marcus Franken and Manfred Kriener remember in Die Zeit (4.10.2007) the catastrophe that released much radioactivity into the environment. They describe the course of events, what the operators did, how they tried to cool the reactor and finally tamed the machine. More than 70 investigations have been filed. Researchers estimate the death toll due to the 20.000 curie radiation released with some 100 additional cancer cases.

"According to projections by the International Energy Agency and a handful of energy industry experts, 2005 was the first year nuclear power’s electricity output dropped behind that of small-scale plants - producing low or no carbon dioxide emissions," writes Michael Brooks in New Scientist (22.4.2006). This could be a knock for the nuclear industry already struggling to get back on its feet. Even though nuclear power faces big problems such as safety and waste issues, governments are keen to start building a new generation of nuclear generators. However, their success is being threatened by a fast growth worldwide in small-scale renewable technologies such as solar power and wind farm projects.

Andy Rowell looks behind the scenes and explains in the Guardian (3.5.2006) why and how the British government turns towards nuclear energy. He unravels the PR campaigns by the nuclear industry to influence scientists and politicians and to make people think nuclear power is essential to tackle global warming.

In Paris the seven partners to construct the future fusion power testing site ITER signed the agreement on Tuesday. It's a five to ten billion euros project and thus one of the major energy and industrial investments on a global scale. For Deutschlandfunk radio (21.11.2006) correpondent Frank Grotelüschen visited the location of ITER at Cadarache in southern France. He strolls the area with scientists involved into the project and explains by the way how fusion energy works and what roadmap we have to anticipate. By 2008 construction works will start at Cadarache; by 2016 the first plasma shall be ignited; experiments will last for more than 15 or 20 years; by 2050 a first fusion power station is awaited -- in case all works fine. Essentially, ITER shall give the proof of principle that mankind can harness Sun's energy generating process on Earth.