China verlängert Produktionsstopp für Seltene Erden

Wegen seiner Preispolitik für Seltene Erden steht Monopolist China in der Kritik. Der größte Hersteller der begehrten Rohstoffe hat seinen Produktionsstopp nun um einen Monat verlängert - beklagt aber zugleich die mangelnde Wirkung der Maßnahme. 

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Peking -
 Baotou Steel, größter Produzent von Seltenen Erden in China, hat seinen vor zwei Monaten verkündeten Produktionsstopp um einen weiteren Monat verlängert. In einer Mitteilung an die Shanghaier Börse verkündet der Konzern am Dienstag, die Bergwerke in der Inneren Mongolei blieben weiterhin geschlossen.
Durch den Produktionsstopp der vergangenen zwei Monate habe der Markt für Seltene Erden zwar "eine leichte Erholung" erfahren. "Aber es gab keine grundlegende Umkehrung", beklagte der Konzern. Baotou Steel hatte am 23. Oktober angekündigt, praktisch all seine Werke, auch diejenigen in der östlichen Provinz Jiangxi, vorübergehend dichtzumachen. 

China ist der weltgrößte Förderer Seltener Erden, es deckt 95 Prozent des weltweiten Bedarfs. Als Seltene Erden werden 17 chemische Elemente bezeichnet, die für die Industrie wertvolle Eigenschaften besitzen. Sie werden benötigt, um zum Beispiel Computer, Mobiltelefone, Batterien oder Flachbildschirme zu bauen. Auch in Windanlagen, Raketen und Elektroautos kommen sie zum Einsatz.
Chinas Quasimonopol auf Seltene Erden sorgt seit über einem Jahr für Konflikte mit seinen wichtigsten Handelspartnern. Um den Preisverfall zu stoppen, hatte Peking im August angekündigt, ein Fünftel der Produktionskapazitäten zu schließen. Dies mache China allerdings nur, um das eigene Monopol weiter auszubauen, bemängeln Kritiker.
Die amtliche Nachrichtenagentur Xinhua hob am Dienstag hingegen hervor, der Preis für Praseodymium-Neodymium-Oxide sei auf 300.000 Yuan (36.500 Euro) gefallen. Dies entspreche gerade einmal einem Viertel seines Höchstpreises im Vorjahr. Baotou Steel hatte im dritten Quartal 2012 nach eigenen Angaben einen Gewinnrückgang um fast 90 Prozent verzeichnet. Niedrige Exportquote ist illegal
Die auf die Metalle angewiesene Industrie im Ausland haben der Regierung in Peking vorgeworfen, illegal die Exporte niedrig zu halten, um der heimischen Industrie Vorteile zu verschaffen. Ende März hatten die EU, die USA und Japan wegen der restriktiven Exportpolitik für Seltene Erden vor der Welthandelsorganisation verklagt: Mit Exportquoten, Zöllen und Mindestpreisen benachteilige China die globalen Abnehmer und verstoße damit gegen seinen Beitrittsvertrag zur WTO.
China wies die Vorwürfe stets zurück und erklärte, die Kontrollen dienten dazu, die Umwelt und Vorräte zu schonen. "Viele Länder haben Vorkommen an Seltenen Erden, man kann nicht allein von China erwarten, alle Vorräte bereitzustellen", sagte der neu ernannte Vorsitzende des Industrieverbandes, Gan Yong.
nik/afp
.spiegel.de
25/12/12
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Japan: Abe to review Fukushima crisis before deciding on restarting reactors

TOKYO —

Japan’s incoming pro-nuclear Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Sunday his government will again investigate the Fukushima nuclear crisis, after which the country’s reactors could be restarted, reports said.
His comments will add to speculation that plans to ditch nuclear power in disaster-scarred Japan will be shelved by his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) when it takes power after scoring a landslide election win last week.
“We are yet to completely clarify what went wrong (in Fukushima),” he told a political show on Fuji TV on Sunday.

“As a government, we want to once again analyze why Fukushima Daiichi failed,” he said. He gave no further details and did not set out a timeframe for a probe.
“After that, I wish to think of next steps, including the restart of reactors,” he said on the program, according to broadcaster NHK.
“Could it have been avoided? Was it a man-made disaster? As a government, we must study that,” said Abe, according to Jiji Press.
He has previously derided the zero-nuclear goal of the ousted Democratic Party of Japan as unrealistic.
All but two of Japan’s 50 reactors remain switched off after the worst nuclear accident in a generation and anti-nuclear sentiment has run high, but that failed to translate into support at the polls for anti-atomic parties.
Several probes have already been conducted into the accident in March last year, which saw the Fukushima plant suffer meltdowns and explosions after being hit by an earthquake-triggered tsunami.
A damning parliamentary report in July concluded that the Fukushima accident was a man-made disaster caused by Japan’s culture of “reflexive obedience” and not just the tsunami that hit the plant.
Shares in Fukushima operator TEPCO have soared since Abe’s election win.

© 2012 AFP

.japantoday.com

24/12/12

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ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ:

• H ιστορία στο Τόκιο:Συνομιλίες υπουργών και εμπειρογνωμόνων στη Φουκουσίμα για την πυρηνική ασφάλεια (Nuclear Safety)

• Japan beschließt Atomausstieg bis 2040

• Ιαπωνία: στροφή 180 μοιρών για την πυρηνική ενέργεια

• ΦΟΥΚΟΥΣΙΜΑ: Ορατή η απειλή για 2.500 περιστατικά καρκινογένεσης από τη ραδιενέργεια

• Απροετοίμαστες αρχές και εταιρεία για το ατύχημα στη Φουκουσίμα

• Ιαπωνία: Και δεύτερος αντιδραστήρας, τέθηκε σε λειτουργία

• Αντιδραστήρες ξανά σε λειτουργία παρά τις προειδοποιήσεις

• Η ΠΡΩΤΗ ΕΠΑΝΕΚΚΙΝΗΣΗ ΜΕΤΑ ΤΗ ΦΟΥΚΟΥΣΙΜΑ. Ιαπωνία: Δύο πυρηνικοί αντιδραστήρες τίθενται ξανά σε λειτουργία

H ιστορία στο Τόκιο:Συνομιλίες υπουργών και εμπειρογνωμόνων στη Φουκουσίμα για την πυρηνική ασφάλεια (Nuclear Safety)

Η Διεθνής Υπηρεσία Ατομικής Ενέργειας από κοινού με την κυβέρνηση της Ιαπωνίας διοργανώνουν στη Νομαρχία της Φουκουσίμα διάσκεψη για την πυρηνική ασφάλεια.

Η διάσκεψη πραγματοποιείται στην πόλη Κοριγιάμα κοντά στον ατομικό σταθμό ηλεκτρικής ενέργειας της Φουκουσίμα, που είχε πληγεί λόγω του σεισμού και του τσουνάμι τον Μάρτιο του 2011.

Ο επικεφαλής του ιαπωνικού ΥΠΕΞ Κοϊτσίρο Γκέμπα δήλωσε κατά την έναρξη των εργασιών του φόρουμ ότι η ιαπωνική πλευρά ανέλυσε το ατύχημα στον πυρηνικό σταθμό και την εξέλιξη της εξάλειψης των συνεπειών του και επιθυμεί να μοιραστεί την εμπειρία της.

Ο Κοϊτσίρο Γκέμπα επέμεινε στην ανάγκη να εξαχθούν συμπεράσματα από την καταστροφή της Φουκουσίμα μετά το σεισμό και το τσουνάμι και να υπογραμμιστεί η σημασία μιας διεθνούς συνεργασίας για το τιτάνιο έργο που απαιτείται. 
 http://greek.ruvr.ru/2012_12_15/98122915/
15/12/12
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• [1] International nuclear safety conference hosted in Fukushima

This weekend, Japan hosts a nuclear safety conference which will be attended by government ministers from more than 50 countries and organizations. The conference is to be held in Fukushima Prefecture, just 60 kilometers away from the scene of one of the worst nuclear accidents of recent times.
The meeting will be in Koriyama City, west of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant which more than a year ago was badly affected by the tsunami that swept across the northeast coast of Japan and caused the nuclear reactors to go into meltdown. It is for this particular reason that Japan is co-hosting the meeting with the International Atomic Energy Agency. They aim to share the knowledge and lessons gained from this near-catastrophic disaster and how they are slowly rebuilding from this.
One crucial aspect that will be discussed during the conference is how the Japanese government is going about decommissioning the Fukushima reactors and the clean-up of the contaminated area surrounding the plant, with the constant threat of radiation. Japan is set to release a document containing these crucial information during the meeting.
IAEA director-general Yukiya Amano also told the media that they are aiming to launch a joint project with the Fukushima local government for decontamination and radiation-related health care, another important aspect of recovery from this incident. 
 http://www.freshcurrents.org/blog/2012/12/13/nuclear-free-now-press-release/
15/12/12 
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• [2] IAEA and Japan Host Fukushima Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Safety

From 15 to 17 December 2012, Japan is organizing the Fukushima Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Safety, in co-sponsorship with the International Atomic Energy Agency, to be held in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. The Fukushima Ministerial Conference will contribute to strengthening nuclear safety worldwide by providing yet another opportunity to share with the international community, at the ministerial and expert levels, further knowledge and lessons learned from the accident at TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (the Fukushima Daiichi accident) and to further enhance transparency.
Participants will also discuss the progress of international efforts aimed at strengthening nuclear safety, including through the implementation of the IAEA Nuclear Safety Action Plan, as well as measures to protect people and the environment from ionizing radiation.
Conference Programme
The Ministerial Conference's co-Presidents, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, Koichiro Gemba, and the Deputy-Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation of Malaysia, Fadillah bin Haji Yusof, will chair the opening plenary session at ministerial level.
IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano will address the plenary during its opening morning session, which convenes from 09.30-12.30 local time (00.30-03.30 UTC) on 15 December 2012. The text of his address will made accessible online thereafter on the Conference Website.
The Plenary Session will be broadcast live online and the webcast is accessible here.
An outcome document will be issued at the close of the plenary session on 15 December 2012.
Following the opening plenary session, the Conference will continue with working sessions on three key topics: lessons learned from the Fukushima Daiichi accident; strengthening nuclear safety, including emergency preparedness and response, in the light of the Fukushima Daiichi accident; and protection of people and the environment from ionizing radiation.
These sessions will benefit from renowned international experts' contributions as keynote speakers and as panelists.
The Chairpersons of the three working sessions will present summaries of the discussions that took place in the working sessions during the closing plenary session on Monday, 17 December 2012.
Strengthening Nuclear Safety Worldwide
After the Fukushima nuclear accident in March 2011, work began worldwide on implementing the IAEA Action Plan on Nuclear Safety, which was endorsed at the IAEA General Conference in September 2011.
The Fukushima Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Safety contributes to strengthening nuclear safety by exchanging lessons learned from the Fukushima nuclear accident, enhancing transparency and offering an opportunity to discuss international progress in strengthening nuclear safety, in particular the implementation of the IAEA Action Plan on Nuclear Safety.
Revitalizing Fukushima
During the Conference, the Governor of Fukushima Prefecture, Yuhei Sato, and the Director General will sign a memorandum of cooperation between the IAEA and Fukushima Prefecture.
Joint projects undertaken by the IAEA and Fukushima Prefecture in decontamination and human health will also be announced.
Post-Accident Status
The ministers and high-level delegations attending the Conference will be briefed on the current state of TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station and Japan's activities to revitalize the area around the Nuclear Power Station.
Site tours of the Fukushima Prefecture are planned that include a workshop on the safety of products from the disaster-affected area.

(Note to Media: We encourage you to republish these stories and kindly request attribution to the IAEA)
.iaea.org 
--------------
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ:

• Japan beschließt Atomausstieg bis 2040

• Ιαπωνία: στροφή 180 μοιρών για την πυρηνική ενέργεια

• ΦΟΥΚΟΥΣΙΜΑ: Ορατή η απειλή για 2.500 περιστατικά καρκινογένεσης από τη ραδιενέργεια

• Απροετοίμαστες αρχές και εταιρεία για το ατύχημα στη Φουκουσίμα

• Ιαπωνία: Και δεύτερος αντιδραστήρας, τέθηκε σε λειτουργία

• Αντιδραστήρες ξανά σε λειτουργία παρά τις προειδοποιήσεις

• Η ΠΡΩΤΗ ΕΠΑΝΕΚΚΙΝΗΣΗ ΜΕΤΑ ΤΗ ΦΟΥΚΟΥΣΙΜΑ. Ιαπωνία: Δύο πυρηνικοί αντιδραστήρες τίθενται ξανά σε λειτουργία

Σεισμός 7,3 βαθμών της κλίμακας ρίχτερ στην Ιαπωνία/Tsunami warning issued after Japan earthquake

Εφιαλτικές στιγμές ξύπνησαν στην Ιαπωνία από τον ισχυρό σεισμό που σημειώθηκε στο Τόκιο.
Σύμφωνα με τα ξένα ΜΜΕ, το μέγεθος του σεισμού έφτασε τα 7,3 ρίχτερ και για αυτό έχει εκδοθεί προειδοποίηση για τσουνάμι.
Το εστιακό βάθος ήταν 40 χιλιόμετρα, σύμφωνα με τις πρώτες πληροφορίες, ενώ ακόμα δεν έχει γίνει γνωστό αν σημειώθηκαν ζημιές σε κτίρια.

 .star.gr
7/12/12
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• Tsunami warning issued after Japan earthquake
• Meteorological Agency says earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.3 struck off the coast of Miyagi.

Authorities in Japan have issued a warning of a possible tsunami after a strong earthquake jolted the northeastern part of the country.

The Japan Meteorological Agency says the earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.3 struck in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Miyagi prefecture at 0818GMT on Friday. The epicentre was 10 km beneath the seabed.

The warning said the tsunami could be as high as 2 meters.

Buildings in Tokyo swayed for at least several minutes.

Sayaka Matsumoto, communications officer, at the Japan Red Cross told Al Jazeera that she felt "quite [a] large shake” at her organisation’s headquarters in Tokyo.

Matsumoto said the quake felt about “half the size” of the devastating March 11, 2011, earthquake and subsequent tsunami that left more than 15,000 people dead. 

.aljazeera.com

7/12/12

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• Erdstöße in Katastrophenregion: Tsunami-Warnung nach schwerem Beben in Japan

Wieder erschüttert ein starkes Erdbeben den Nordosten Japans. Die Behörden haben eine Tsunami-Warnung ausgegeben. Die Erdstöße, die auch noch in Tokio zu spüren waren, rufen Erinnerungen an das Unglück von Fukushima wach.
Das Beben der Stärke 7,3 im Nordosten Japans war auch in der Hunderte Kilometer entfernten Hauptstadt Tokio zu spüren. Gebäude schwankten, berichteten Zeugen am Freitag. Das Zentrum des Bebens lag in der Nähe des Erdstoßes, der im März vergangenen Jahres einen verheerenden Tsunami ausgelöst hatte. Allerdings erwarten die Behörden diesmal keinen großen Tsunami, sondern eine Welle von etwa einem Meter Höhe in der Provinz Miyagi. Auch die Bewohner umliegender Regionen wurden zu Wachsamkeit aufgefordert. Das zuständige US-Tsunami-Warnzentrum löste keinen pazifikweiten Alarm aus.

Über mögliche Opfer oder Schäden liegen keine Informationen vor. Ob es zu neuen Schäden am havarierten Atomkraftwerk Fukushima kam, ist ebenfalls noch unklar. Nach Angaben des Betreibers Tepco besteht keine Gefahr. Auch in Fukushima wird ein Tsunami von 50 Zentimetern erwartet, meldet der TV-Sender NHK.

Nach Angaben von N24 war die Welle eigentlich um 9.40 Uhr MESZ an der Küste erwartet worden. Bisher traf sie allerdings noch nicht ein.

...
Erdstöße in Katastrophenregion: Tsunami-Warnung nach schwerem Beben in Japan - weiter lesen auf FOCUS Online: http://www.focus.de/panorama/welt/japan-tsunami-warnung-nach-schwerem-beben-in-japan_aid_876769.html

.focus.de

7/12/12
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• M7.3 quake hits northeastern Japan; tsunami alert issued for Miyagi

TOKYO —

A tsunami alert was issued for the northeastern Japan Friday after a powerful 7.3-magnitude undersea earthquake struck at 5:18 p.m., setting buildings in Tokyo swaying violently for several minutes.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said the epicenter was 240 kilometers east of Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture and 10 kilometers beneath the seabed.

Media reports said a one-meter-high wave could sweep ashore in an area badly hit by the March 2011 tsunami that devastated a large swathe of the northeast coast, killing thousands.

Residents of at least one town, Minamisanriku in Miyagi Prefecture, were advised to evacuate to higher ground, reports said, suggesting other towns were also affected.

A presenter on state broadcaster NHK repeatedly told viewers to get to safety.

“Remember last year’s quake and tsunami,” he said. “Call on your neighbours and flee to higher ground now!”

NHK, quoting the Japan Meteorological Agency, said the tsunami was expected to hit the coasts of Iwate, Fukushima, Aomori and Ibaraki by 6 p.m.

There was no threat of a Pacific-wide tsunami, U.S. monitors based in Hawaii said. Officials in both Indonesia and the Philippines south of Japan said there was no threat of a localised tsunami.

Nuclear plant operator Tokyo Electric Power told AFP there were no reports of any problems at the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant.

“No abnormalities have been recorded on instruments at Fukushima Daiichi nulcear plant’s six reactors,” a TEPCO spokesman said.

“All workers were ordered to take shelter inside buildings at the Fukushima plant. No abnormalities were confirmed with the radiation monitoring posts at the Fukushima plant. No abnormalities were seen with the water processing facilities.”

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda was heading to his office where he would be monitoring the situation, Jiji Press said.

Japan Railways East temporarily suspended Shinkansen bullet train services to check any damage, Jiji said, while Haneda Airport near central Tokyo was reported to be operating normally. Narita airport briefly closed its runways.

.japantoday.com

7/12/12