OUTLAW WMD

B-2 Spirit Now Operational With New B61-12 Nuclear Bombs
Joseph Trevithick
Mon, November 27, 2023 

The B61-12 nuclear bomb is now officially in the U.S. stockpile and approved for employment from the B-2A Spirit stealth bomber.


The B61-12 nuclear bomb is now formally in the U.S. stockpile and cleared for operational use on the B-2A Spirit stealth bomber. It's the first U.S. combat aircraft cleared to employ the advanced B61 variant operationally.

U.S. Air Force F-35A Joint Strike Fighters, F-15E Strike Eagles, and F-16C/D Vipers, as well as the service's future B-21A Raider stealth bombers, are also in the process of being certified to employ the B61-12. Some NATO F-35s and F-16s, as well as Germany's swing-wing Tornado combat jets, are also set to be cleared to employ these weapons as part of the alliance's nuclear sharing arrangements.

An unarmed B61-12 test article is seen here on a trailer during a US Air Force test of the weapon on the B-2A in 2023. USAF

The updates about the B61-12, among other items of interest, are contained in a new unclassified Stockpile Stewardship and Management Plan (SSMP) report for the 2024 Fiscal Year that the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) released earlier today. NNSA, part of the Department of Energy, oversees America's nuclear stockpile in coordination with the U.S. military.

A table showing all nuclear weapons currently in U.S. service and their approved delivery platforms, including the B61-12 nuclear bomb, which is now authorized for use on the B-2. NNSA

The B61 series are some of the longest-serving nuclear weapons in the U.S. stockpile. The B61-12 has been slated to eventually supplant existing B61-3, -4, and -7 variants, but more on that later.

The first production B61-12 was completed in late 2021 and the weapons began being delivered to the U.S. military in 2022. The B61-12 program, which is technically a life-extension effort, is currently slated to wrap up in Fiscal Year 2025.

The B61-12 is not an entirely new weapon, and leverages components from multiple existing B61 types while also combining them with various new and improved features. The most significant new capability found on the B61-12, each of which famously costs more than its literal weight in gold, is its precision guidance package. However, this functionality will not be usable when the weapon is employed from F-16s belonging to the Air Force and select NATO member countries, as well as German Tornados. You can read more about all this here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhs4VQ9dN3s

The B61-12, which also has small rockets at the rear of the body that spin the bomb to help stabilize it, is a so-called dial-a-yield bomb that can be set to detonate with various degrees of explosive force. Its reported maximum yield setting is 50 kilotons. This is similar, if not identical to what is understood to be the highest yield setting on the B61-4 (45-50 kilotons, depending on the source).

Flight testing of the B61-12 on the B-2, as well as other aircraft, has been ongoing for years now. Back in 2018, when the bomb was still in development, NNSA announced it had completed an initial round of end-to-end qualification flight tests on the B-2.

In June of that year, a B-2 conducted another test demonstrating the ability of the bomber to employ the weapon using the Radar Aided Targeting System (RATS).

"RATS improves weapon guidance accuracy in a Global Positioning System-degraded environment," the Air Force said at the time.

"The integration of RATS allows the B-2 to fully employ the B-61 mod 12 nuclear bomb," Northrop Grumman, the B-2's manufacturer, which remains responsible for the continued modernization and sustainment of the bombers, said in a subsequent press release in August 2022. "RATS is the key element of the nuclear modernization, as GPS may not be available during a bomber task force mission."

A B-2A bomber at Northrop Grumman's facility within the US Air Force's Plant 42 in Palmdale, California. USAF

The timeline for when the B61-12 will be approved for use with the F-35, F-15, F-16, or any NATO aircraft is unclear. NNSA and the U.S. Air Force have previously announced initial certification of the B61-12 on the F-15E and the F-35A. The Royal Netherlands Air Force publicly announced just earlier this month that it had reached a similar milestone with its F-35As.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1JGe1jj9u0

NNSA's new SSMP report says the B-2's nuclear armament options also still include the B61-7, B61-11, and B83-1 nuclear bombs. The Spirit is actually currently the only aircraft approved to employ any of these bombs. The B61-7 is a higher-yield variant of the B61 family, which can reportedly be set to detonate with a force of up to 400 kilotons. The B61-11 is a highly specialized deep-penetrating version with a maximum yield similar, if not the same as the B61-7. You can read more about the entire B61 family in detail in this past War Zone feature.

The B83-1 is a completely different design with a megaton-class maximum yield.

The B61-11 and B83-1 are primarily intended to be utilized against deeply buried and otherwise hardened high-value targets, such as strategic command and control bunkers and missile silos. President Barack Obama's administration had moved to retire the B83-1 completely, a decision that was then reversed under President Donald Trump.

An inert B83 nuclear bomb. DOD

President Joe Biden's "2022 Nuclear Posture Review directed the retirement of the B83-1" again, but "specific details of the B83-1 retirement and dismantlement plan remain classified," according to NNSA's latest SSMP report.

There had previously been discussion about the possibility of the B61-12 replacing the B61-11 and the B83-1 through its ability to focus the full brunt of its lower-yield payload more precisely thanks to its guidance kit and spin stabilization. However, that idea now looks to have given way to a new version of the B61 with all the new and improved features of the B61-12, but a maximum yield equivalent to that of the B61-7. The Pentagon announced its intention to develop this B61 variant, tentatively dubbed the B61-13, last month.

"The B61-13 will provide the President with additional options against certain harder and
large-area military targets, even while the Department works to retire legacy systems
such as the B83-1 and the B61-7," an official fact sheet explained. No mention was made of any plans to retire the B61-11.

https://twitter.com/Casillic/status/1470605862406348805

The B61-13 plan, which still requires approval from Congress, would also see the expected stockpile of B61-12s shrink to some degree. The balance would, instead, be made up of some number of higher-yield -13 versions. The total numbers of B61-12s and B61-13s the U.S. military wants to acquire under this new course of action are classified. You can read more about what is known about the B61-13 and the reasoning behind its proposed development and acquisition here.

All of this will also have impacts on what nuclear bombs are available in the future for the Air Force's forthcoming B-21A bombers. The Raiders will likely be able to employ the same slate of nuclear bombs, as long as they're still in the stockpile, as the B-2A. The B61-13 is also expected to be for U.S. military use only, unlike the B61-12. The elimination of the B83-1 and B61-7 would leave only B61-11, 12, and 13s as the only nuclear gravity bombs in the U.S. stockpile at all.

It's also worth noting that the B-52H is no longer authorized to carry any nuclear gravity bombs of any type, with the understanding that it is too vulnerable to actually get to the kind of heavily defended targets against which they would be employed. Instead, the only known current and future nuclear weapon options for those bombers, which are set to keep flying at least into the 2040s with the help of new engines and other major upgrades, will be nuclear-tipped cruise missiles. The existing AGM-86B Air Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM) will eventually be replaced by the more capable AGM-181A Long Range Stand-Off (LRSO) cruise missile. LRSO is expected to enter service sometime in the 2030s and will also be integrated onto the B-21A.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qu03xx2o_vs

Altogether, what the exact mix of nuclear weapons available for employment from U.S. Air Force aircraft, as well as those belonging to select NATO partners, will be in the 2030s remains to be seen.

What we do know is that the B61-12 is now officially in the U.S. stockpile and that B-2 stealth bombers can drop them in anger.

Let's hope this capability is never tested in combat.

Contact the author: joe@thedrive.com

US defence tour of RAF site hints at new nuclear weapons deal

Tony Diver
Tue, November 28, 2023 


The US Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks visits RAF Lakenheath

The US deputy defence secretary has been given a guided tour of an RAF base thought to be the destination of the first American nuclear weapons on UK soil for 15 years.

Kathleen Hicks visited RAF Lakenheath on Tuesday for a tour of “infrastructure improvements”, on a site where the US government is planning a £39.5 million dormitory for troops.

US budget documents said the site was for “surety”, jargon used by the Pentagon to describe operations related to nuclear weapons, and would be constructed next year.

Both the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the US Department of Defense have refused to comment on whether the Suffolk base will become home to the first American nuclear weapons in the UK since 2008, when 110 warheads were removed.

But Ms Hicks’s visit is the latest indication that the site has major strategic importance to the US Air Force, which is in charge of storing and maintaining the weapons.

Eric Pahon, a Pentagon spokesman, said Ms Hicks visited the base as part of a three-day trip to the UK to meet with British counterparts.

“While at RAF Lakenheath, deputy secretary toured infrastructure improvements designed to improve base resilience and support for the base’s F-35 squadron and see demonstrations of US capabilities,” he said.

A US budget request earlier this year revealed the Pentagon planned to construct a new 144-bed “surety dormitory” in what is thought to be a high-security bomb-proof bunker for nuclear warheads.

It said the purpose of the building was to “house the increase in enlisted personnel as the result of the potential surety mission”.

A previous document, published in 2022, referred to a Nato project to build new “secure sites and facilities” to store “special weapons” in countries including the UK.

Following reports of the plans, RAF Lakenheath was hit with a planning objection by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), which argued that the MoD and West Suffolk Council failed to conduct an environmental impact assessment for the stationing of nuclear weapons on their former site.

RAF Lakenheath was chosen as one of three sites for US nuclear weapons at the height of the Cold War.

The warheads were removed at the end of George Bush’s administration as the likelihood of nuclear warfare reduced, but may return amid new tensions with Russia.

The Pentagon declined to offer additional detail on Ms Hicks’ visit. The MoD was contacted for comment.

Nuclear Stability and Escalation Risks in Europe

https://issuu.com/foreignpolicyresearchinstitute/docs/fpri_p0035_technical_report_dtra_8_31_23-lp

SASKATCHEWAN
Westinghouse Secures First Customer for eVinci Nuclear Microreactor

Sonal Patel
Updated Mon, November 27, 2023 

Westinghouse’s first customer for its eVinci microreactor—a flagship 5-MWe/13-MWth “nuclear battery”—is poised to be the Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC), Canada’s second-largest research and technology organization.

SRC—a Saskatchewan government Treasury Board Crown Corporation that serves as a commercial laboratory to provide research and development (R&D) for Saskatchewan industries—on Nov. 27 said it plans to pilot an eVinci microreactor by 2029. However, that timeframe will be subject to licensing and regulatory requirements. The location of the eVinci microreactor will be "determined as the project progresses," the provincial government said on Monday.

SRC, which will serve as the microreactor's licensed operator, will pursue the demonstration boosted with CA$80 million in government funding announced by Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe on Monday. The CA$80 million will cover "SRC's costs for licensing and SRC's project costs," SRC told POWER. "We will be working with Westinghouse to learn how this technology can be applied in Saskatchewan, and part of that will be to understand project costs for future deployments," it said.

[caption id="attachment_208776" align="alignnone" width="500"]

The eVinci microreactor has very few moving parts, working "essentially as a battery, providing the versatility for power systems ranging from several kilowatts to 5 MW of electricity, delivered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for eight-plus years without refueling," Westinghouse says. "It can also produce high temperature heat suitable for industrial applications including alternative fuel production such as hydrogen, and has the flexibility to balance renewable output." The technology is 100% factory built and assembled before it is shipped in a container to any location. Courtesy: WestinghouseMore

Westinghouse's eVinci microreactor ranges from several kilowatts to 5 MW of electricity, "delivered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for eight-plus years without refueling," Westinghouse says. "It can also produce high-temperature heat suitable for industrial applications including alternative fuel production such as hydrogen, and has the flexibility to balance renewable output." The technology is 100% factory-built and assembled before it is shipped in a container to any location. Courtesy: Westinghouse[/caption]
An Industrial Application That Could Lay 'Groundwork' for More Projects

If built by the anticipated timeframe, the eVinci demonstration would become Saskatchewan's first advanced nuclear reactor. SaskPower, a utility owned by the provincial government, has selected GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy’s (GEH’s) 300-MW BWRX-300 for its first two potential nuclear units. While SaskPower intends to decide to build the new nuclear units in 2029, it suggests construction of the first small modular reactor (SMR) could begin as early as 2030, with a targeted in-service date of 2034. In August, Canada’s federal government committed CA$74 million to support SaskPower’s potential deployment through two federal mechanisms.

Last year, the Canadian federal government awarded Westinghouse a CA$27.2 million grant from its Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) to support further development of the eVinci microreactor. The “investment” is aimed at helping to fight climate change and “build on Canada’s global leadership in SMRs,” said François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry.

SRC's effort to pilot an eVinci microreactor follows a May 2022–signed memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Westinghouse and SRC to jointly develop a project to locate an eVinci microreactor in Saskatchewan. “Our vision is to see the first eVinci microreactor in an industrial application and lay the groundwork for many more projects in the future,” SRC President and CEO Mike Crabtree said on Monday. “What we learn through this project will prepare SRC to assist communities and industries in future projects.”

SRC, notably, served as the licensed owner and operator of the SLOWPOKE-2, a 20-kW nuclear research reactor housed at the SRC Environmental Analytical Laboratories in Saskatoon. The 1981-commissioned research reactor ran for 38 years until decommissioned in 2019. While SLOWPOKE-2 provided an intense neutron source for teaching, training, and research, SRC has suggested an eVinci microreactor could be developed as a distributed energy alternative to diesel-powered generators.

Providing a reliable source of industrial-grade heat—of up to 600C—or operating in combined heat and power mode, the “very small modular reactor” could support various applications in the province, including remote mining operations, remote communities, and industry. It says the microreactor could also serve as a crucial energy source to power distributed hydrogen generation, desalination, and other integrated energy applications.
A Major Milestone for Westinghouse’s Novel Nuclear Battery

Bagging a first customer for the eVinci marks a big win for Westinghouse. While Westinghouse has long-fielded a research and development (R&D) effort, including developing and testing components for its heat pipe and novel moderator, it has more recently picked up the pace of its varied eVinci business activities to ready it for the market by 2027.

The nuclear technology giant introduced eVinci in 2017 as one of several key advanced nuclear designs in its portfolio, touting the microreactor’s innovative design, which has several safety features and is based on design simplicity. At the time, Westinghouse set an ambitious six-year technology development goal, anticipating that the next-generation nuclear reactor would be integral for decentralized generation markets.

At the heart of the eVinci is a fully passive heat pipe–cooled design that will use tristructural isotropic (TRISO) fuel. Its alkali metal heat pipe technology relies on alkali metal phase change to capture temperature uniformity within the reactor core. The reactor’s core, built around a solid steel monolith, has channels for both heat pipes and fuel pellets, with each fuel pin placed adjacent to several heat pipes. The array of closed heat pipes essentially removes heat from the nuclear core and transfers that heat to air, which then turns a turbine in an open-air Brayton thermodynamic power conversion cycle.

[caption id="attachment_130079" align="alignnone" width="500"]


eVinci’s reactor core is a solid-steel monolith that features channels for fuel pellets, the moderator (metal hydride), and heat pipes, which are arranged in a hexagonal pattern. The monolith will serve as the second fission product barrier (the fuel pellet is the first barrier) as well as the thermal medium between the fuel channels and heat pipes. The heat pipes will extract heat from the core using a technology based on thermal conductivity and fluid phase transition. Courtesy: Westinghouse[/caption]

Along with providing redundancy of the primary heat removal path, the heat pipes eliminate the need for a reactor coolant pump, bulk coolant, and associated equipment, as well as enable a modular core design, Westinghouse President of eVinci Microreactor Jon Ball told POWER in October.

An eVinci microreactor and surrounding infrastructure is about “half the size of a hockey rink,” Westinghouse says. In addition, unlike a high-temperature gas reactor (HTGR), heat pipe reactors are not pressurized and have no moving parts, though they are passive (naturally driven) and can self-adjust to the amount of heat transferred—which allows inherent load following.
Readying eVinci for Market

However, while heat pipe technology is not new—the passive heat transport devices have been applied for nearly 60 years in aerospace and other industries and are mature and robust with an extensive experimental test database—they have not been utilized in commercial nuclear technology. eVinci, notably, will also utilize high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) in TRISO form, further contributing to the reactor's safety and efficiency.

Following Westinghouse’s recent success in manufacturing a 12-foot heat pipe at its Waltz Mill, Pennsylvania, facility (as part of a $9 million federal cost-share project under the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program), the company has garnered a series of crucial partnerships with potential customers.

[caption id="attachment_211956" align="alignnone" width="300"]

Westinghouse successfully manufactured a 12-foot heat pipe at their facility in Waltz Mill, Pennsylvania. The heat pipe is one of the largest of its kind ever built and will be used to support the Nuclear Test Reactor (NTR). Courtesy: Westinghouse

Westinghouse in 2023 successfully manufactured a 12-foot heat pipe at their Waltz Mill, Pennsylvania facility. The heat pipe is one of the largest of its kind ever built and will be used to support the Nuclear Test Reactor (NTR). Courtesy: Westinghouse[/caption]

In June, Westinghouse moved to establish eVinci Technologies as a separate business unit, with Ball—a long-time nuclear expert who was pivotal in leading the creation, development, and customer adoption of GE Hitachi’s BWRX-300—at its helm. In October, Westinghouse then launched a new design and manufacturing facility near downtown Pittsburgh that will house eVinci’s engineering and licensing operations, testing, prototype trials, business development, and sales. Construction on the facility is slated to wrap up early in 2024.

Also in October, the Department of Energy (DOE) revealed eVinci would be part of its first batch of microreactors to further their designs through a front-end engineering and experiment design (FEEED) process at Idaho National Laboratory’s (INL’s) DOME test bed. Testing at DOME could start “as early as 2026,” the DOE said.

[caption id="attachment_211955" align="alignnone" width="500"]

The new eVinci accelerator hub under construction in the borough of Etna in Pennsylvania will be home to engineering and licensing operations, testing, prototype trials, business development and sales. It also includes manufacturing space. Courtesy: Westinghouse

The new eVinci "accelerator hub" under construction in the borough of Etna in Pennsylvania will be home to engineering and licensing operations, testing, prototype trials, business development, and sales. It also includes manufacturing space. Courtesy: Westinghouse[/caption]
Crucial Next Steps: Scaling Up, Licensing

Ball told POWER eVinci’s nuclear test reactor (NTR) at DOME will be “roughly a one-fifth scale version of the commercial eVinci that we’re planning to license and deploy.” The reason Westinghouse is testing the NTR at DOME is that the company is in the process of scaling up some of the laboratory testing that has already been performed on the system, Ball said. “Ultimately, what we need to be able to do is demonstrate the scaling and our understanding of the core performance, which will be a key aspect in terms of the licensing of the eVinci commercial system,” he added.

Once Westinghouse has completed the NTR, it plans to scale up its ability to manufacture longer heat pipes required for its commercial system. “We’ve made tremendous progress to date and have every confidence that we’re going to be successful as we continue to scale the system to our commercial size,” Ball said.

The next crucial step will be to license the eVinci. In the U.S., Westinghouse has already submitted 31 technical white papers detailing the eVinci reactor's safety aspects and three topical reports to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), considering a license submission under 10 CFR Part 52.

In 2021, the company said it planned a comprehensive testing and analysis program that would be sufficient for the Design Certification (DC) of the “eVinci facility,” which would support the deployment of standard eVinci reactors for a range of sites in the U.S. However, in addition to a DC, it said it intended to explore various licenses, including a manufacturing license (10 CFR 52 Subpart F), a certificate of compliance, and a license for transport (10 CFR 71).

In Canada, Westinghouse has initiated the Vendor Design Review (VDR) process, submitting its first package to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) in June. On Monday, SRC told POWER it would lead the licensing process for the Saskatchewan's first deployment. "CNSC regulations must be met," it noted. "The CNSC makes licensing decisions for reactors and reactor operators in Canada."

Westinghouse is also working with both regulators—the NRC and the CNSC—to coordinate the evaluation of future joint reviews on “a couple of key topics,” Ball said. “Those documents have not been submitted yet, but that is the near-term intent, to submit the first package that will have a joint review,” he said.

—Sonal Patel is a POWER senior associate editor (@sonalcpatel, @POWERmagazine).

NM

Final testing underway at $486M air system for nuclear waste site near Carlsbad

Adrian Hedden, Carlsbad Current-Argus
Tue, November 28, 2023 

Construction of an almost half-billion-dollar rebuild of the ventilation system at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant was nearing completion, and testing was being conducted ahead of an expected 2025 start date following years of delays for the project.

It began in 2018, intended to increase airflow in the WIPP underground for workers to breathe, allowing waste emplacement, mining and maintenance to occur simultaneously.

At WIPP, transuranic (TRU) nuclear is disposed of via burial in an underground salt deposit.

More: A nuclear reactor in Carlsbad? City officials call for project at federal waste repository

It is brought via truck to the WIPP site about 30 miles east of Carlsbad from U.S. Department of Energy laboratories and facilities around the country.

Airflow was restricted at the WIPP facility after a ruptured drum from Los Alamos National Laboratory in 2014 contaminated parts of the underground.

The Safety Significant Confinement Ventilation System (SSCVS), combined with a new air intake shaft at the site, was intended to up the remaining air flow from 170,000 cubic feet per minute (cfm) to 540,000 cfm.

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant is pictured on Thursday, Oct. 5, 2023, in Carlsbad, NM.

More: Oil & gas industry joins fight against nuclear waste site proposed in southeast New Mexico

It was initially planned for completion in 2022 but was marred in delays tied to the COVID-19 pandemic, a dispute with the first contractor hired for the work and a budget climbing from the initial $288 million price tag to the latest estimate at $486 million, according to a 2022 report from the Government Accountability Office.

The DOE announced on Nov. 21 that workers began the commissioning phase of the project, first testing electrical cables for the mechanical aspects of the system like motors, fans and air filtration units.

As work building various components of the SSCVS is completed, they are gradually shifted to commissioning to ensure proper function, read a DOE news release, and interaction with other parts of the system.

More: Feds tout progress in cleaning up nuclear waste at Los Alamos using Carlsbad-area site

Construction continues on Thursday, Oct. 5, 2023, at Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in Carlsbad, NM.

The SSCVS will add a layer of protection from any future radiological events in the underground, read the release, by pushing air brought in to the site through a series of fans and filters before it is exhausted into the environment.

That includes two buildings: the Salt Reduction and New Filter buildings.

The Salt Reduction Building will pre-filter salt out of the air as it is drawn from the WIPP underground.

More: Air shaft at nuke repository near Carlsbad hits final depth amid recent safety incidents

Then, the New Filter Building will sees fans push the air through high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters, to remove any other contaminates before the air is released above ground.

Michael Gerle, environmental regulatory compliance director with the DOE’s Carlsbad Field Office said the project when complete will support WIPP’s continued mission of cleaning up the DOE’s nuclear waste.

Officials estimated that based on WIPP’s legal capacity and production rates of the waste, the facility could remain operational until 2080, and recently said they planned to increase shipments to the site up to 17 per week.

More: Nuclear waste disposal permit issued for New Mexico site, WIPP to get bigger in November

“The SSCVS will enhance the quantity, and quality, of air flow for our workforce in the WIPP underground mine,” Gerle said. “Additionally, the new infrastructure will ensure our operations remain safe for the environment and the public.”

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant is pictured on Thursday, Oct. 5, 2023, in Carlsbad, NM.

Switching to the commissioning phase of the project was an important process to ensure the SSCVS would function properly during WIPP operations, said Ralph Musick, capital asset project manager at Salado Isolation Mining Contractors (SIMCO) – the DOE’s primary contractor at WIPP.

“This achievement is the culmination of many people’s efforts to support the engineering, procurement and construction of WIPP’s SSCVS project,” he said. “Initiating commissioning is a careful, step-by-step process to eventually integrate the SSCVS into daily WIPP operations.”

More: New Mexico could try again to challenge nuclear waste storage project in court

Safety issues at both the SSCVS and shaft were reported in the latest Defense Nuclear Facility Safety Board report for October for WIPP, published Nov. 3.

At the shaft, a rigging cable broke after it scrapped against a spool guide, causing a loader vehicle to swing uncontrollably in the shaft, striking a scaffolding platform.

No workers injuries were reported but hoisting and rigging work was suspended amid an indefinite “safety pause,” the report read, until a new hoisting and rigging plan is approved.

Concerns with the SSCVS’s underground continuous air monitors (CAMs) were also expressed, read the report, leading to a “full-scale” emergency exercise which was conducted Oct. 16.

Other CAMs in place at WIPP previously malfunctioned on Sept. 29, read the board’s report for that month, and set off alarms which led to an evacuation of the underground and an order to shelter in place for the rest of the facility.

Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, achedden@currentargus.com or @AdrianHedden on X, formerly known as Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: Final testing underway at new air system for nuclear waste repository

FRACKING FOR GOOD

EU’s largest geothermal district heating system construction starts in Denmark

View of the construction site (image from www.icenews.is)

Drilling has recently commenced in Aarhus, Denmark, on the first wells of what is going to be the European Union’s largest geothermal district heating system.

Furthermore, Project Aarhus is going to consist of 17 wells, constructed on seven sites, which are going to have a 110 MW capacity, and provide 20% of the city’s district heating by 2030.

It was made known in late November that drilling for the first well has started on the Port of Aarhus site, which is expected to go into service in 2027.

The 31-meter tall, 6,000-horsepower drilling rig is scheduled to be on the Port of Aarhus in the coming months to complete the first 2.5 kilometer well.

After that, the rig is going to be relocated to the Skejby site, where an additional plant is expected to be delivered in 2025.

The project aims to help Aarhus achieve its goal of net zero CO2 emissions by 2030, cutting some 165,000 tons of them annually.

It is worth noting that the plants are going to be connected to existing exchange stations, which also means that the sites are going to be located in residential areas and produce noise during construction.

An electric rig is being used in this project and noise walls will be established to ensure reduced nuisance.

Nov, 20, 2023 

Sources: www.thinkgeoenergy.com, www.icenews.is, innargi.com, innargi.com

UK

Calls for major productivity improvements are ‘ludicrous’ warns union chief

Prospect general secretary says suggestion departments can cover funding shortfalls with new efficiencies is not credible

Mike Clancy Photo: Prospect

By Jim Dunton

29 Nov 2023

The leader of one of the civil service’s main unions has attacked the suggestion that public services can be protected through the discovery of new efficiencies in the wake of chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s Autumn Statement.

Prospect general secretary Mike Clancy gave his warning after Office for Budget Responsibility chair Richard Hughes told MPs that “significant” productivity boosts would be required from departments for the government to hit its projected five-year spending targets.

The chancellor has set out an aspiration to increase public-sector productivity by 0.5% a year. But Hughes told members of the Treasury Select Committee yesterday that some departments would need to find whole “percentage points' worth of improvement” in productivity because that was the implied extent of the funding shortfall being faced.

Clancy said it was not credible for ministers to expect departments to find new efficiencies after more than a decade of funding pressure and the result would be the cessation of some vital services.

“Almost 14 years on from the start of austerity it is ludicrous to think that there are significant productivity improvements to be found in those departments that do not have their spending protected,” he said.

“Of course there are always better ways of working but you can’t just pluck a number out of a hat and expect it to happen.

“Unprotected departments are already at breaking point and facing a recruitment and retention crisis. If these ‘savings’ go ahead then the government will have to stop providing some vital services that people rely on, and there is a real risk that civil servants will leave for the private sector in droves.”

Unprotected departments are those that do not benefit from ministerial commitments to maintain or increase funding levels.

The OBR projects that the effects of inflation will mean real-terms cuts of “more than 2%” to the budgets of unprotected departments. The Institute for Fiscal Studies last week put the figure at 3.4%.

VIRGINIA
Richmond city workers rally outside city hall, call for agreement in union contract: 'The time is now'

Dozens of Richmond city workers and supporters rallied outside City Hall Tuesday, calling on the city to reach an agreement with them in their union contract negotiations.





By: Cameron Thompson
Nov 28, 2023

RICHMOND, Va. -- Dozens of Richmond city workers and supporters rallied outside City Hall Tuesday, calling on the city to reach an agreement with them in their union contract negotiations.

"The time is now. Not next year. Now. N-O-W," said library technician of 38 years Linda Brown. "Our expectation to bargain in good faith and fairly has been ignored, disrespected, and totally lacking an urgency to move forward."

After Richmond City Council approved legislation to allow city workers to unionize in different sectors, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Virginia 512 was selected this summer to represent around 1,100 administrative and technical workers in departments like social services, parks and recreation, and libraries.

Union representatives said they have been meeting with city negotiators since September (including a meeting Monday), but said the city has delayed the process and created roadblocks.

"We thought we needed to have the rally today to shout about it," said Senior Library Technician Cathy Bruce, who is a part of the negotiating team.

Speakers said a contract is needed to address issues like poor working conditions, overworked staff, health benefits, and wages that have not kept up with inflation.

"It is not wrong to ask for respect, fair wages, safety on the job. And all across the United States employees are demanding equal pay for equal work," said Brown. "You're looking at under $20 an hour after 38 years. Remember this face. But they starting people now with $18 an hour. What does that say to me? They don't really care about me."

"For me, especially, I'd say one of the biggest things is, especially the Broad Rock Branch, a lot of people use our public computers. They're applying for jobs, they're applying for SNAP benefits and our computers are constantly freezing up and they lose work," said Bruce. "And all we can do is apologize and try and get on another computer and hope that one doesn't freeze, too."

The union said they have brought forward proposals to address the issues, but claim the city has not given them an effective response.

"I would say the major points are around health and safety, labor management, and wages and benefits," said LaNoral Thomas, President of SEIU Virginia 512.

"Of 20-some proposals, there have only been a few tentative agreements that look promising so far. Just in general. And we're still hoping that we'll hear more from the city," added Bruce.

In response to Tuesday's rally, a city spokesperson sent the following statement:

“SEIU Virginia 512 claims are false. The City understands the rules of negotiation and has come to the bargaining table in good faith, affirming our commitment, just yesterday, we engaged in mediation with SEIU from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Monday, November 27, 2023. We will continue in the spirit of fair and equitable negotiations with the desire of reaching an agreement that works for our employees and our residents," said the statement.

The union said the next scheduled meeting is Friday, which is also the deadline in the legislation for an agreement to be reached in order for it to be factored into next year's budget process. Union representatives said they are hopeful to have an agreement reached by then, but said the two sides could agree to an extension.

If an agreement is reached, it would still require approval from the city council.

Tesla to get number plates back in blow to Swedish union workers

The latest twist in the month-long strike saga

November 28, 2023 - 



Tesla sued the Swedish Transport Agency and the country’s postal service yesterday in an attempt to squash the biggest strike the American carmaker has ever faced anywhere in the world.

Just hours after the lawsuits were filed, a court in Norrköping, where one of Tesla’s service centers is based, ruled in favour of Elon Musk’s car company — the latest twist in the month-long union action.

But first, a bit of context.

Postal workers across Sweden are currently refusing to handle Tesla-related mail and deliveries in a show of solidarity with mechanics who are seeking more security in their employment contracts with the EV-maker. This blockade has prevented number plates from the Swedish Transport Agency being delivered to new Teslas, as current regulations say they can only be delivered via the Swedish postal service

The suits Tesla filed were to pressure the agency to allow it to collect number plates for new vehicles directly rather than have to receive them via post. In a separate action, the firm sued the postal service to allow it to collect all the plates currently in their possession.

Now, in line with the court order, the Swedish Transport Agency has seven days to allow the automaker to collect the number plates directly or face a fine of of 1 million Swedish crowns ($95,000).

“We are pleased that with this decision, Tesla can continue to deliver new cars to our customers,” the automaker said in a statement to the Financial Times.

Elon Musk, Tesla’s chief executive, previously wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that the number plate blockade was “insane”.

The suits signal an escalation in the battle between Tesla and Swedish workers that has ensued for over a month now — and shows no sign of stopping anytime soon.
How did we get here?

About 130 mechanics at seven Tesla-owned repair shops in Sweden downed tools last month after the automaker refused their request for a collective bargaining agreement. The Nordic country doesn’t have laws that set working conditions such as a minimum wage, so instead workers rely on these bargaining contracts — which Tesla have consistently refused to grant.

Frustrated, industrial workers’ union IF Metall went on strike on October 27, in an action that has quickly escalated. Dockworkers, car dealers, and the postal service have since refused to work with the US brand in a show of solidarity with the mechanics. Workers at a Swedish supplier of critical components for the Tesla Model Y also joined the walkout. The strike action now threatens to spill over into other EU states.

Musk has long been opposed to unionisation, and has so far managed to avoid issuing collective bargaining agreements in all the countries where Tesla operates. However, in Sweden such agreements are the standard way almost all businesses operate, so the workers discontent is understandable.

Seko, a Swedish trade union, said that it viewed the lawsuits “as a sign that Tesla has not been able to circumvent our sympathy action.”

Sympathy actions, where workers from other employers down tools in solidarity, are legal in Sweden, but not in many of the other countries where Tesla operates, including Germany, where it has a gigafactory.

For Seko, and the workers, “there is an easy way for Tesla to solve this, and that is to sign a collective agreement with IF Metall,” it said.

US
Emory Ph.D. Student Workers Unionize, Join Organizing Wave



By Ryan Quinn


Emory University Ph.D. student workers have voted to unionize, the National Labor Relations Board announced Tuesday.

The vote was 909 to 73, the agency said. Emory’s provost, Ravi V. Bellamkonda, sent Ph.D. students a memo Tuesday saying the university “respects the outcome of the vote, and we are committed to bargaining in good faith with the Union as your representative consistent with our mission, vision and values.”

He said about 60 percent of eligible Ph.D. students voted.

The new union is called SEIU Workers United Southern Region Local 29, and it says it will represent all Ph.D. student workers there. “Over 7 years of effort have finally paid off, and we have joined together to say yes to a union!” the union said on its website.

This fall, Duke University became the first private university south of Washington, D.C., to have a certified graduate worker union, according to William A. Herbert, executive director of the National Center for the Study of Collective Bargaining in Higher Education and the Professions at Hunter College, part of the City University of New York.

The new union at Emory, a private university in Atlanta, will now join Duke’s as part of the national wave of grad worker organizing.

UK

Union representing Warrington's striking bin workers taken to court by council

Bins haven't been emptied regularly by Unite workers since the start of October, in an on-going row over pay

Bauer Media

Author: Olivia Davies

Last updated 28th Nov 2023

A union representing striking bin workers across Warrington is being taken to court today by the Borough Council, as it hopes to avoid disruption this Christmas.

Bins haven't been emptied regularly by Unite workers since the start of October, in an on-going row over pay. This is the fourth walk-out which will end on the 4th of December. However Warrington Borough Council says there could be further action from the 5th of December until Christmas Eve.

People in Warrington are becoming increasingly frustrated: "I've got three bags in my kitchen waiting and I'm thinking I'm going to have to go to the tip. It's wrong and it's winding me up.

"The town is a mess as it is, they're cleaning up the town centre, what about where we live?"

Another person said: "It's a bit of a nightmare really isn't it? They've got to clear it up at some points. It does need sorting out, it's a sight."

In their latest statement, Unite said: "The 70 plus workers say the national pay offer of a flat rate increase of £1,925 is not good enough. The offer is below the rate of inflation and amounts to a real terms pay cut. But a complete lack of urgency shown by the council towards resolving this dispute is needlessly delaying a resolution."

General secretary, Sharon Graham said: “Throughout this dispute Warrington council has dithered and delayed needlessly dragging this strike out. Unless council leaders sharpen up, this strike will continue into the festive season.

“Unite’s support for our members remains steadfast.

"The national bargaining agreement for local government sets out minimum standards but local authorities can agree better terms and conditions for workers if they wish to do so."

Unite regional officer, Samantha Marshall said: “Warrington council is failing the workers and failing its residents. These delays are completely unnecessary and the reason why strike action could extend into the Christmas period.

“In the last 10 years local authority workers have lost a quarter of their real terms incomes because of austerity, pay freezes and the rising cost of living. It is no wonder refuse workers are joining Unite. Our membership has doubled at the Warrington depot.

“The council needs to find a sense of urgency and work with Unite to resolve this dispute.”

Warrington Council said: "We continue to pursue the legal options available to us and have been in constant liaison with our Solicitors.

"We have again asked Unite for the strikes to be cancelled immediately, but at this point the decision has been taken by their members to continue. We are also aware that Unite have stated their intention to conduct another period of strike action from 5 December until 24 December. Therefore, it is more important than ever that we continue to pursue legal action to stop any further strikes.

"We have commenced legal proceedings in the High Court and our case will be heard on Tuesday 28 November at the Royal Courts of Justice in London.

"We have always said that further strike action is an unnecessary and disproportionate measure given the resolution of the 2023/24 pay award negotiations. We strongly maintain this position and are supported by the national Local Government Employers.

"We remain fully committed to discussing and listening to the concerns of all of our Trade Unions locally, through our proper channels. This has been, and always will be, the case.

"We regret the continued disruption and frustration that our residents and communities are facing."

KOREA
Labor unions slam government efforts to attract more foreign workers

Unions call for improved local labor conditions before bringing in more migrant workers

By Jung Min-kyung
Published : Nov. 28, 2023 -

Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon talks to foreign workers at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries headquarters in Ulsan on Nov. 24. (Yonhap)

Two major umbrella unions in South Korea on Tuesday criticized the government’s latest efforts to bring more foreign workers into the country, saying that it should prioritize the “employment of Korean citizens.”

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions and the Federation of Korean Trade Unions, which have an estimated 110,000 members combined, released separate statements protesting the government’s plan to increase the quota or E-9 visas for unskilled foreign workers.

“The government has given into employers’ wishes and demands to replace local jobs that face a chronic labor shortage with migrant workers,” the FKTU said.

“It is a decision that destroys and disrupts the local labor market instead of (looking for) ways to help Korean job seekers get new jobs,” it added.


The FKTU also criticized the current lack of protections for foreign workers here, saying that the latest plan overlooks the existing problems by merely focusing on bolstering the workforce without providing the necessary protections.

“The jobs that suffer from a labor shortage will be replaced with migrant workers, but there will be blind spots stemming from existing labor laws,” the FKTU explained.

The KCTU echoed its fellow umbrella union’s remarks, saying that the government’s employment policy update neglects the local labor community.

“We are expressing our concerns over the government’s latest move which turns a blind eye towards improving the wages and existing labor conditions for local workers in the industries struggling with a labor shortage,” it said in a statement.

“It is worrying that the government believes that simply hiring foreign workers will resolve the issue.”

Meanwhile, an expert recently forecast that Korea’s economy would see wider-reaching effects if it accepts an increased number of foreign workers without fully understanding the changes such an influx could bring.

“(Korea’s economy) will suffer bigger side effects when it accepts more unskilled migrant workers instead of utilizing the existing local workforce here,” said Kim Sun-bin, an economics professor at Yonsei University, during a lecture held at the Bank of Korea on Friday.

Kim's claims stem from data he compiled based on a prediction that an annual increase of 5 percent in the number of foreign workers aged between 25 to 44 will take place in the Korean workforce over the next 200 years.

He explained that Korea should fully consider the costs of accepting more migrant workers, including risks tied to the possibility of increased racial tensions.

“It’s a complicated issue because it involves a change in demographics. There are several costs that need to be considered.”

The Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Office for Government Policy Coordination on Monday announced its plans to launch a test trial to hire unskilled foreign workers in restaurants, forestry and the mining industry across Korea for the first time, starting next year.

The government also plans to increase its quota for E-9 visas for unskilled foreign workers next year by 37.5 percent to 165,000. The number represents the largest increase since Korea adopted the Employment Permit system in 2004 to address a chronic labor shortage.

Korea is currently grappling with the world's lowest birth rate and a rapidly aging population.

‘We can’t trust them’: workers decry alleged union busting at Amazon air hub

Employees at facility in Kentucky allege Amazon is retaliating against them as they push for union representation

 Michael Sainato November 29, 2023

Grounds crew members load cargo into an Amazon Prime Air aircraft at the company's air hub in Hebron, Kentucky. Photograph: Jeffrey Dean/Bloomberg via Getty Images file

Workers at Amazon’s largest air hub in the world allege Amazon is retaliating against them as they try to organize their first union.

The workers at the 882-acre KCVG air hub in Hebron, Kentucky, have been organizing “March on the Boss” actions at the Amazon facility in which staff confront managers en masse to “demand an end to union busting”, which they claim includes write-ups and other disciplinary actions against workers.

Related: Amazon’s first delivery workers to unionize were later fired – now they’re striking at warehouses

Workers at the facility are calling for a starting pay of $30 an hour, free on-site childcare, double pay for flex (overtime), professional translation and union representation.

More than 4,000 workers are employed at the Amazon KCVG air hub. Workers involved in organizing the union drive claim they were targeted after collecting union authorization cards to file with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

Marcio Rodriguez, an Amazon worker for more than three years, joined the union organizing drive at KCVG in response to an experience at a nearby Amazon site where he said he was terminated when his visa expired. Despite having an extension, Rodriguez said, he was notified that he had lost his job. He only found out when he tried to clock in for work and his pass didn’t work.

Rodriguez said Amazon managers deter workers from unionizing with claims that unions are businesses only interested in union dues and portraying signing union authorization cards as ceding rather than exercising rights.

“We’ve told workers a union is not a business; we’re here to fight for each other to get better benefits, better pay and better working conditions, and that’s really hit home for a lot of workers – we’ve had over 1,000 workers sign union authorization cards,” said Rodriguez.

Unionizing efforts by workers at Amazon have been stymied since the first Amazon warehouse in the US won a union election in Staten Island, New York, in April 2022. Amazon filed objections to the election, which an NLRB regional director dismissed, a decision currently being appealed. Objections over Amazon union elections in Albany, New York, and the rerun union election in Bessemer, Alabama, are still awaiting decisions by the NLRB.

Amazon spent more than $14.2m on union avoidance consultants in 2022.

According to the NLRB, 222 open or settled unfair labor practice charges as of September 2023 have been filed against Amazon in 25 states.

“They want to treat us like retail workers out there. I’ve had multiple managers tell me this is no different than a fulfillment center, which is a complete lie. There is so much liability we have out there, and it is so easy to get hurt,” added Rodriguez.

Related: UN decries Amazon, Walmart, DoorDash for ‘shameful’ wages and union-busting

“We have co-workers who are homeless and sleeping in the parking lot because inflation has gotten so high. They could pay us the $75m Jeff Bezos spent on a support yacht. Each plane we push out there has over $100,000 in freight in it. So there’s no reason the money isn’t there, they just want to be greedy and keep it.”

The union recently alleged that 12 workers involved in organizing for the Amazon Labor Union in the parking lot outside of work hours have received final written warning notices for doing so, placing them at risk of job termination.

A spokesperson for Amazon said the warnings were for policy violations and denied they were related to any cause or group the workers support, claiming Amazon has policies to prevent blocking access to site.

Several unfair labor practice charges have been filed by workers with the NLRB at the air hub against Amazon this year related to the union organizing drive.

“I’ve talked to so many people who have two or three other jobs, just because they can’t afford to make ends meet working at KCVG,” said Jordan Quinn, who has worked at Amazon for more than a year and one of the workers who recently received a final warning from Amazon. “It should be that one job is enough. Jeff Bezos doesn’t have two different jobs. Jeff Bezos doesn’t have to clock in for 54- to 60-hour weeks, Bezos can be on his yacht in the Mediterranean enjoying the sunshine. I wish I could ever afford to go to the Mediterranean – you know, I can barely afford my rent.”

Quinn argued peak season pay bumps at Amazon have declined compared to recent years and that annual wages have been undercut by increases in insurance costs.

Related: US unions winning big gains amid ‘Great Reset’ in worker power

“Amazon says that safety is a top priority – in reality, profit always really comes first, pushing out more volume always comes first,” added Quinn. “Despite all of Amazon’s corporate speak and their policies, they don’t actually care about workers. What they put first is their profits and how much volume they’re pushing out. And I think it honestly shows that we can’t trust them to make things better. That’s why we have to get organized and fight. We’re the only ones who have each other’s backs in there.”

A spokesperson for Amazon said in an email: “Our employees have the choice of whether or not to join a union. They always have. We favor opportunities for each person to be respected and valued as an individual, and to have their unique voice heard by working directly with our team. The fact is, Amazon already offers what many unions are requesting: industry-leading pay, health benefits on day one, and opportunities for career growth. We look forward to working directly with our team to continue making Amazon a great place to work.”