Glimpse deep into Earth's crust finds heat source that may stabilize continents

PENN STATE

Research News

 

IMAGE: ROCKS COLLECTED FROM KILBOURNE HOLE CRATER IN NEW MEXICO REVEALED THE THINNING LITHOSPHERE IN THE RIO GRANDE CONTINENTAL RIFT PROVIDES HEAT NECESSARY TO STABILIZE CONTINENTS OVER BILLIONS OF YEARS. view more 

CREDIT: PENN STATE

Rocks from the Rio Grande continental rift have provided a rare snapshot of active geology deep inside Earth's crust, revealing new evidence for how continents remain stable over billions of years, according to a team of scientists.

"We tend to study rocks that are millions to billions of years old, but in this case we can show what's happening in the deep crust, nearly 19 miles below the surface of the Earth, in what geologically speaking is the modern day," said Jacob Cipar, a graduate student in geosciences at Penn State. "And we have linked what's preserved in these rocks with tectonic processes happening today that may represent an important step in the development of stable continents."

The team, led by Penn State scientists, found evidence that heat from the mantle is melting the lower crust at the rift, where tectonic forces are pulling apart and thinning the lithosphere, or the crust and upper mantle that make up the rigid outer layer of Earth.

Heating the continental crust is considered important to its development. But the process is often associated with crustal thickening, when continental plates collide and form mountains like the Himalayas, the scientists said.

"Our research suggests that these rocks that have been thought of as related to mountain building may have actually been cooked by a thinning lithosphere like what's happening in the modern-day Rio Grande rift," Cipar said. "And more broadly, thinning lithosphere may be more important than previously recognized for stabilizing continents and preventing them from sinking back into the mantle."

The researchers recently reported their findings in the journal Nature Geoscience.

Earth's continents feature a unique silicon-rich, buoyant crust that allows land to rise above sea level and host terrestrial life, the scientists said. The crust also contains heat-producing elements like uranium that could destabilize it over geological time.

Heating the crust creates molten rock that carries those elements toward the surface, resulting in a cooler and stronger lower crust that can protect continents from being absorbed into the mantle, the scientists said. But questions remain about the sources of that heat.

"We are suggesting that thinning of the lithosphere is really the removal of a barrier that keeps that heat away from the crust," said Andrew Smye, assistant professor of geosciences at Penn State and Cipar's adviser. "Removing or thinning that barrier at the Rio Grande rift appears to be what is generating the heat needed to initiate this process of stabilizing continental crust. And this has been overlooked in our understanding of how continents become so stable."

The scientists tapped into rocks brought to the surface 20,000 years ago by volcanoes in New Mexico. The rocks are considered geologically young and are significant because they retain the context of the lower crust, the scientists said.

"In contrast, what we see in the rock record around the world is that oftentimes what it takes to get them up to the surface has disrupted their original relationship with the lower crust," said Joshua Garber, a postdoctoral researcher at Penn State. "This makes it really challenging to use older rocks to try to understand tectonics, and it makes the Rio Grande probably the best place to do this research."

The scientists used analytical techniques to link the age of minerals in the rocks to the pressure and temperature they faced as they made their way through the crust.

Similarities between the pressure and temperature path from the Rio Grande lower crust and rocks from other locations suggest that a thinning lithosphere is important for stabilizing Earth's continents, the scientists said.

"The snapshots of data we do have from other locations really nicely aligns with what we found in the Rio Grande rift," Garber said. "So that tells us this is not just happening now in the western United States. This shows the guts of continents have probably undergone this globally at least for the last billion years."

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Andrew Kylander-Clark, a senior development engineering at the University of California, Santa Barbara, also contributed to this work.

The National Science Foundation and the Slingerland Early Career Fellowship at Penn State supported the research.

What No COVID Risk? No Climate Change? 

How To Overcome Toxic Denial

DR. Prudy Gourguechon Senior Contributor
Leadership Strategy
Insights into the psychology underlying critical choices in business


LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 26: A protestor holding a placard attends a "We Do Not Consent" ... [+] GETTY IMAGES

It’s common these days for people to talk about denial. But less often do we hear what can be done about it. Without a sound understanding of what denial is and how it operates, efforts to alter attitudes and behaviors founded on denial are bound to fail. Yet inroads are possible if they are based on an in-depth understanding of the phenomenon.

Denial is pernicious and can have dire impacts. Climate change denial leads to lack of action that would preserve a healthy planet. Mask denial leads to increased spread of and mortality from the COVID virus. Denial of sexual abuse leads to horrific instances where an abuser is allowed to persist in their malfeasance for years because those responsible for the institutions in which they operated—schools, churches, companies, scouts, etc) refused to face the terrible reality that existed under their own roofs.

What can be done?

Here are seven steps for leaders, message crafters and policy makers to consider if they want to undermine denial that is threatening public health, the fate of the earth or simply individual well being.

1. Understand what denial is and how it operates. Freud and the psychoanalysts that followed him identified denial as one of a slew of defense mechanisms—mental maneuvers people use to protect themselves from painful, bad or unwanted feelings. Denial is so powerful because it works. In the short run, warding off bad feelings by denying something scary or hard to comprehend makes the denier feel better. There is an immediate release of tension. No matter how bad the long term consequences of denial may be, the short term immediate positive benefit must be acknowledged.

2. Analyze and identify with as much specificity as possible the bad feelings that are being warded off by the defensive action. Helplessness in the face of climate change? Inconvenience and fear regarding wearing masks? Guilt about personal responsibility? A good defense mechanism may serve to help a person (or group) avoid a number of painful emotions.

3. Understand that logic and information will never defeat denial. Public health officials and climate scientists have learned this painful lesson. Messaging needs to be emotional, personal, vivid, direct. Remember that denial operates because it protects against painful emotion so it can only be attacked by dealing with painful emotion in an emotionally vivid way.

Consider this ad from the Lincoln Project, the coalition of veteran Republican strategists that have organized to defeat Trump in the current election.

The information presented isn’t new to the viewer. But the sonorous voice in the background reciting the names of the dead, combined with the visual images stop time for a moment. Thought the intention is to convey a message, “Defeat trump,” the ad would be equally effective if it concluded “Just Wear a mask.”

4. Analyze the factors that are reinforcing denial in this specific situation. Since denial is so effective and efficient in diminishing anxiety and other rotten emotions, it doesn’t take much to keep it going. Groupthink—the tendency of people to jump on the bandwagon when a belief is popular among the people they relate to—can powerfully reinforce denial. Nullifying the effect of groupthink is difficult and leadership plays a major role.

5. Don’t underestimate the role of leadership. If leaders are seen as braving the uncomfortable feelings and ideas that denial could be warding off, then those that look up to them will be more likely to find the strength to do so as well. Conversely, if leaders engage in denial either explicitly or implicitly, those they lead will double down on the position of avoidance.

6. Empathize with the person who is struggling to grapple with an uncomfortable reality. Instead of just touting the importance and safety of vaccinations, say “I realize it’s incredibly hard to get your kids vaccinated when most of the Mom’s in your community say it’s bad for them.”

7. Reinforce and applaud the courage it takes for someone to tolerate anxiety, uncertainty, guilt and bucking the opinions of their friends and families rather than resorting to the quick fix of denial.

Without defense mechanisms, we would be paralyzed. If every source of anxiety or uncertainty were faced all the time in its full glory, we would not be able to get in a car, make an investment or even cross the street. Defense mechanisms like denial are irrational but protective. Avoiding fright, guilt, dread and discomfort feels good, in the moment. To outsmart denial it’s crucial to respect its power, appreciate its adaptive value, appeal to emotion not intellect and offer the alternative of braving short term anxiety and emotional distress for a long term gain.

Follow me on LinkedIn. Check out my website.

Prudy Gourguechon





Prudy Gourguechon is a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who advises leaders in business and finance on the underlying psychology of critical decisions. She is currently working on a book, "Starting Older: Understanding and Making the Most of a New Life Stage." As a consultant, she works with senior leaders and investors to help them manage complex business relationships and navigate critical business decisions and transitions. Her unique perspective helps uncover the irrational, emotional and idiosyncratic forces that lie beneath both every day and transformative business decisions. This perspective prevents stalled strategies and repetitive, costly mistakes and helps rising leaders move up. Her consulting work is informed by 35 years of experience as a psychiatrist, psychoanalyst and organizational leader (She is a past President of the American Psychoanalytic Association). Dr. Gourguechon has developed a model of leadership assessment and development that spells out the fundamentals of character and cognition that a leader with responsibility for fates and fortune must have. See her LA Times op-ed and interview on The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell for a preview. She invites people in finance to download her free e-book looking at the psychology of investing through a psychoanalytic lens available on her website. Visit her website, http://www.invantageadvising.com/ and follow on Twitter (@pgourguechon) for updates.

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Fifth Of All Countries Worldwide Facing Ecosystem Collapse From Mass Biodiversity Loss, Report Finds

By Sally Ho Published on Oct 19, 2020 


A fifth of all countries in the world are now threatened with ecosystem collapse as biodiversity continues to be eroded, a new report has revealed. With more than half the global GDP dependent on high-functioning biodiversity, from water security to regulating air quality, analysts are warning of the enormous losses that the world will face if we do not take action.

The new report, published by insurance firm Swiss Re, compiles an index based scientific data that maps the state of the ten primary ecosystem services at a resolution of one square kilometre across the world’s land. Among the services factored into the index are clean water and air, pollination, food provision, timber, arable soil, coastal protection, erosion control and how intact the habitat is – all of which are vital to ensure the health and stability of communities. It also underpins the global economy, with over half (55%) of global GDP – equal to US$41.7 trillion – dependent on biodiversity and ecosystem services.

According to the index, a staggering fifth of countries globally (20%) are now at risk of their ecosystems collapsing due to biodiversity and wildlife loss, and its related beneficial services. While major economies across the world, including in Southeast Asia, U.S. and Europe are all exposed to biodiversity and ecosystem decline, 39 countries were flagged up for having more than one third of their land already eroded. Ranking lowest on the index include Malta, Israel, Cyprus, Bahrain and Kazakhstan. 

Borneo orangutans exploring what is left of their habitat in Indonesia (Source: Ulet Ifansasti / Getty Images)

Read: Scientists warn that SDGs inadequate to protect biodiversity

There is a clear need to assess the state of ecosystems so that the global community can minimise further negative impact on economies across the world.Christian Mumenthaler, Swiss Re Group CEO

Among the G20 economies, South Africa and Australia top the rankings for having a fragile ecosystem, especially in terms of water scarcity, lack of coastal protection and pollination. Within this group, Brazil and Indonesia have the highest intact ecosystems, but analysts highlight that their economic dependence on natural resources still puts them at risk of threats in the longer-term.

Looking at the list of countries with fragile ecosystems and a high economic dependency on natural services, resource-rich developing countries with large agricultural sectors are emphasised as vulnerable to ecosystem collapse – Kenya, Vietnam, Pakistan, Indonesia and Nigeria were flagged.

The index was developed by Swiss Re to help governments and businesses compare and benchmark the state of local ecosystems upon which economies rely on, as well as helping the insurance industry to identify the strongest risk factors.

“There is a clear need to assess the state of ecosystems so that the global community can minimise further negative impact on economies across the world,” explains Christian Mumenthaler, Swiss Re Group CEO. “This important piece of work provides a data-driven foundation for understanding the economic risks of deteriorating biodiversity and ecosystems. In turn, we can inform governmental decision-making to help improve ecosystem restoration and preservation.”

Coral bleaching in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef (Source: Kyodo News / Getty Images)

Read: United Nations calls for urgent action to save biodiversity on World Environment Day 2020

Insights from the report could also help inform policies to target nature conservation and provide evidence-based data to back up the economic savings that preventing biodiversity loss will bring. For instance, restoring the ecosystem along the coast of Louisiana in the U.S. could translate to a cost saving of US$5.3 billion per year. Globally, if the world took greater steps to ensure the functioning of coral reefs, it would help lower flood damages that are expected to increase by an astonishing 91% in the coming years.

“The study highlights the dangers of these economies potentially reaching critical tipping points when essential natural resources are disrupted…[and] the value of ongoing economic diversification combined with conservation and preservation efforts in such countries,” say the analysts.

As the world continues to reel from the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, the focus on biodiversity is especially relevant. Scientists have continually pointed out that humanity’s destruction of wildlife and nature are one of the leading drivers of deadly emerging diseases, and say that the planet must not tip the balance of nature any further if we are to prevent deadlier zoonotic pandemics in the future.

Lead image courtesy of Cris Bouroncle / AFP / Getty Images.

 

World Toilet Day 2020: Sustainable sanitation and climate change

19 October, 2020

World Toilet Day, 19th November, celebrates toilets and raises awareness of the 4.2 billion people living without access to safely managed sanitation. It is about taking action to tackle the global sanitation crisis and achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030.

This year the World Toilet Day 2020 focuses on sustainable sanitation and climate change. Climate change is getting worse. Flood, drought and rising sea levels are threatening sanitation systems – from toilets to septic tanks to treatment plants. Everyone must have sustainable sanitation, alongside clean water and handwashing facilities, to help protect and maintain our health security and stop the spread of deadly infectious diseases such as COVID-19, cholera and typhoid. Sustainable sanitation systems also reuse waste to safely boost agriculture, and reduce and capture emissions for greener energy.

So, what does a sustainable sanitation system look like? Sustainable sanitation begins with a toilet that effectively captures human waste in a safe, accessible and dignified setting. The waste then gets stored in a tank, which can be emptied later by a collection service, or transported away by pipework. The next stage is treatment and safe disposal. Safe reuse of human waste helps save water, reduces and captures greenhouse gas emissions for energy production, and can provide agriculture with a reliable source of water and nutrients.

Learn more about this year’s theme and how to engage in the World Toilet Day 2020 campaign here.

Climate activist Greta Thunberg joins campaign to release Hong Kong fugitives detained in China

by RHODA KWAN, 19 OCTOBER 2020

Prominent Swedish climate activist Great Thunberg on Saturday joined an online social media campaign calling for the release of 12 Hong Kong activists detained in mainland China.

The campaign, aimed at spreading awareness about the group, calls on participants to post a photo of themselves holding up a sign displaying “#Save12HongKongYouths” and to nominate three other Twitter users to “spread the word.”

Greta Thunberg. Photo: Greta Thunberg via Twitter.

Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong nominated Thunberg to take part in the campaign. In her post, the 17-year-old nominated three other international climate activists to join in: Luisa Neubauer, Hilda Flavia Nakabuye and Jamie Margolin.


Kickstarted by Wong last Monday, the #save12 campaign and online petition demands for the “immediate return” of the 12 to Hong Kong.

London-based NGO Hong Kong Watch launched separately a #savethe12hkyouths campaign last Wednesday, calling on UK parliamentarians’ support for the cause. Other demands included granting the detainees legal representation of their family’s choosing, contact with family members and access to medical care.

Nathan Law. Photo: Benedict Rogers via Twitter.

The #save12hkyouths hashtag has been trending on Twitter, amassing more than 234,000 tweets as of Monday morning.

Others figures who have taken part in the campaign included parliamentarian Lord Alton, exiled activist Nathan Law, and British human rights activist Maajid Nawaz.

Thunberg became internationally renowned after she organised school strikes against climate change in her native country of Sweden in 2018.
‘Pathetic’

The EU Bureau Chief of state-owned China Daily, Chen Weihua, criticised Wong’s nomination of Thunberg. Replying to the teen’s tweet, Chen accused Wong of “manipulating” her and railed against “pathetic” attempts to involve her in political issues of which she has “zero-knowledge.”

The 12 activists were arrested on board a speedboat in mainland waters in late August, allegedly while attempting to flee to Taiwan. Most of them were connected to charges relating to the anti-extradition bill protests last year. One of the fugitives, Andy Li, has been charged under the Beijing-enacted national security law.

Andy Li. Photo: Screenshot via Youtube.

The group has been detained for almost two months. They are being held in Yantian District Detention Center in Shenzhen, local media reported.

Earlier this month, nine more individuals in Hong Kong were arrested for allegedly aiding the 12 to flee.

 

Should Poland buy energy generated at a Russian nuclear plant in Belarus?

At the beginning of November the first nuclear block in Belarus’s Astravets NPP will be launched. It will take time before it will actually begin commercial operation, but it is a good moment to ask the question that has been pondered over for years: should Poland buy power from that NPP? – 

Mariusz Marszałkowski, editor at BiznesAlert.pl, writes.

A discussion on energy from Belarus

The electricity deficit in north-eastern Poland has been a long standing problem. The discussions on how to solve it have continued for over a decade. The issue persists because the area is located far away from mining sites, e.g. of coal, and sufficient gas transmission infrastructure, which would make it possible to build conventional power plants. When discussions on tackling this issue started to emerge a decade ago, it seemed reasonable to consider working together with Poland’s neighbors, especially Ukraine and Belarus, to handle the problem.

Back in 2008, Member of Parliament Jarosław Matwiejuk officially asked the government whether it was planning any cooperation on the issue of addressing the energy needs of Poland’s north-eastern voivodships and if yes, which neighboring countries were being considered. The then secretary of state at the ministry of the economy, Joanna Strzelec-Łobodzińska replied that “the Polish government puts a high priority on cooperating with Belarus and Ukraine on power-related issues. During the proceedings of the inter-governmental committees on economic cooperation under the patronage of the Ministry of the Economy and during bilateral meetings, the parties discuss new investments in energy generation, modernization and expansion of the existing cross-border connections and the possibility of exchanging electricity. (…) The cooperation with Ukraine and Belarus is becoming especially important due to the possible increase in demand for power in Poland. (…) At the same time we are also seeing a lot of interest in cooperation with regard to the power sector between companies from Poland, Ukraine and Belarus. PGE SA is now in extensive negotiations with businesses and administrations of Poland’s eastern neighbors about modernization and construction of new cross-border links, but also on developing new capacities in those states with the participation of Polish capital.”

The interest in purchasing energy from the East started to emerge after 2011 when a few important events took place. The first one was PGE’s decision not to construct a nuclear power plant in Visaginas with the Baltic States. The company also rejected Russia’s offer to buy power from the Baltic NPP planned in Kaliningrad. The second was the contract to build a nuclear power plant in Belarus’s Astravets signed in 2012.

Since the idea to buy power from Kaliningrad was rightly criticized as a move that went against the overarching goal to become independent of energy imports from Russia, for many the purchase of energy from Belarus seemed reasonable. Especially that at that time there was a thaw in relations between Belarus and the EU. However, it quickly ended after the opposition had been brutally pacified after the presidential election in December 2010. The motivation behind transactions with Belarus was driven by the desire to create deeper business ties with Poland, the fact that the planned NPP would generate more electricity than Belarus could consume, the lack of any real possibility of building an NPP in Poland, as well as the piling up of issues caused not only by the energy deficit in eastern voivodships, but also the EU’s increasingly ambitious climate policy, which impacted the future of Poland’s energy sector as a whole, which is mostly based on lignite.

After the protests had been crushed, the EU sanctions against Belarus’s “elites” were reinstated and it quickly turned out that any hopes for an “economic westernization” of Belarus were false. Alexander Lukashenko did not intend to politically reorient from Moscow to the West, but he still counted on acquiring foreign currency by selling energy to the West. The picture was complete, when it was decided that the Belarusian NPP in Astravets would be based on Russian technology and paid for with Russian preferential credit under the control of Russia’s Rosatom.

Why shouldn’t we buy power from Astravets?

Today Poland’s ruling elites are not talking about buying power from Astravets, even though Belarusians are still hoping this will happen. Either way, it is worth explaining why this should not take place.

First, by buying power from Astravets we bolster Lukashenko’s regime in Minsk. The goal of the NPP (contrary to the propaganda claims on limiting energy dependence on Russia) was to create another, next to the petrochemical and fertilizer industries, state-run entity that would strengthen Belarus’s centrally managed economy. By exporting energy to Poland, Ukraine and the Baltic States, Lukashenko’s regime wanted to create another opportunity to acquire “hard” currency, without the necessity to introduce the free market in his own country. Moreover, for cooperation to flourish it needs to involve partners that are sensible and strategically stable. How sure could Warsaw be that if its relations with Minsk worsened (which happens regularly every few years), Belarus would not cut off the power? Even without such a tool, the Belarusian ruling class does not act logically. However, if it did have such leverage, Polish consumers would quickly experience “cold and darkness” in relations with Belarus, which is often the main goal of an economic blackmail.
Second, since Rosatom was chosen as the main contractor and provider of technology, and the Russian state is the creditor, the NPP in Astravets, apart from its location, will have little to do with Belarus. According to the credit agreement, whether or not the NPP will generate profits from exports, Russian companies will profit anyway from, among others, providing nuclear fuel, servicing or trainings, while the Russian state will earn on the interest from the USD 10 bn loan. Recently, it has been revealed that even though the facility has not been opened yet, it is already generating losses. Therefore, one cannot exclude that if Belarus defaults on the debt, the NPP will be taken over by some Russian energy company. The NPP in Astravets may be an attractive asset for Russia, but if its EU neighbors are not eager to buy power, Russia will not need to pretend it is a Belarusian investment. On the other hand, Belarus will be forced to set a minimum fixed price on the energy generated in the NPP, which would be paid by Belarusian clients. Poland is one of Europe’s leaders in implementing gas diversification. It would be hard to imagine a situation where under the pressure of short-term and uncertain interests, Warsaw would replace its dependency on Russian gas with reliance on Russian power.

Third, to make it possible to import energy from Astravets without intermediaries (i.e. without paying Lithuania for energy transfers via the LitPol Link), it would be necessary to invest in a power connection with Belarus. In 2018 Poland’s PSE dismantled a 220 KV Białystok-Roś link between the two countries. Therefore, at this point it is physically impossible to import energy from Belarus. It would cost millions to restore this possibility, and that investment would have to be paid for by Poland.

Fourth, the decision on not to import energy from Astravets is a gesture of solidarity with the Baltic States, especially Lithuania. Vilnius, which is located less than 50 km from Astravets, is the biggest opponent of the NPP. Lithuania meticulously recorded every issue that happened during the construction of the nuclear facility. And there were plenty of accidents and incidents to report, including the fall of the reactor core from a few meters above the ground, which happened during installation work. Belarus never commented on these reports, which suggests that the rush and the necessity to cut corners to save money were a direct threat for its safe functioning. Additionally, since the very beginning Vilinus has been outspoken about the real reason behind building an NPP in this location, which is to have another leverage to exert pressure on Poland and the Baltic States. This includes the attempts at undermining the plans to desynchronize Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia from the post-Soviet BRELL power system Thus, the NPP may also impact the Baltics’ attempts at finally breaking off with the issue that, despite so many years, has been gluing it to Russia. In Poland we are talking a lot about European solidarity, also in the context of energy security. Lithuania expects Poland to act in solidarity as well. By agreeing to economically doubtful profits, we would undermine the authority of a country that aspires to become a leader in Central Europe. This would enable Russia to pursue the “divide and conquer” policy.

Fifth, importing power from Astravets could impact Poland’s energy transition plans, including the construction of its own nuclear facilities. The Belarusian alternative could distract Poles from pursuing their own project, especially at a time when an economic crisis is possible. However, even without that, the plans to build an NPP in Poland are constantly postponed and time is running out. According to the latest version of the Polish Nuclear Power Programme, the first reactor is to be opened in 2033. This means we have 12 years to complete the investment. Still, the Polish energy sector has seen many plans and strategies, but despite the hype none of those have ever materialized. BiznesAlert.pl learned that this may change in October, when Poland will reportedly sign a contract with the U.S. on building an NPP.

How to get rid of the energy deficit in north-eastern Poland?

There are three ways to handle this issue. The first one is to build a combined cycle unit at the Ostrołęka power plant. Such an investment would provide enough power to cover the demand in northern Masovia, as well as Warmia, Masuria and Podlasie. The second solution is something that was not seriously considered a decade ago – dispersed power generation based on renewable energy sources. The dynamic growth of the PV sector shows that in practice, every household in Poland could add to the national power system electricity generated on its own roof or in its own garden. Additionally, there is PGNiG’s plan for biomethane plants , which may be a driver behind the emergence of micro-power plants that use gas from organic waste. Moreover, the power generated by offshore wind farms, that will be constructed on the Baltic Sea, will be of huge benefit as well. The third, temporary solution is to import power, e.g. via the LitPol Link. The power itself may come from the Swedish-Lithuanian link that runs on the bottom of the Baltic Sea.

All of the options have their pros and cons. None is free from drawbacks and imperfections. Despite that, all of them are a lot better than becoming dependant on power from a country that, in the face of a crisis, acts erratically and presents towards Poland an attitude that is unfriendly, to put it mildly. We should remember about this when during the pompous opening of the NPP in November, Lukashenko will be talking about unwise Poles who did not want power “from Belarus”.

Related Posts:

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2. Polish energy strategy project announced. 6-9 GW of nuclear energy
3. Chernobyl’s demons still haunt Poland’s nuclear project

Will Lukashenko give Putin “Belarusian nuclear energy” back? (ANALYSIS)

On the anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution, the 7th of November, an official opening ceremony of the nuclear power plant in Belarus’s Ostrovets was to take place. The facility may become one of the elements of the transaction that Alexander Lukashenko had to agree on after receiving political and economic support from Russia.

A construction with a long history

The nuclear power plant (NPP) in Ostrovets has a long history despite the fact it has not even been launched yet. The opening ceremony was to take place symbolically at the beginning of November, but the plant will start generating power in the first quarter of 2021 at the earliest. The investment started in 2005. That is when in the face of yet another crisis in the Minsk-Moscow relations (or rather Lukashenko-Putin relations), it was decided, without any research, environmental permits or consultations, that an NPP would be constructed in the republic.

The main reason behind this move was Belarus’s crushing dependence on Russian gas. The country uses over 20 bcm of gas a year to generate over 90 percent of its power. To fully display the scale of reliance on Russia, it is worth to compare it to Poland, which has about 20 million citizens more than Belarus, but uses “only” 17 bcm of gas annually. The reasoning behind building the NPP was that it would contribute to lowering the demand for natural gas by over 4 bcm a year.
While Belarus had its own reasons for making this decision, the media were reporting about the real goals behind setting up an NPP in Ostrovets. The town is located 20 km away from the border with Lithuania and 240 km away from the border with Poland. The business reason behind the NPP was to sell power to the Baltics and Poland. This issue generated intense discussions not only in Poland. They have turned especially tense after it had been revealed who would deliver the technology.

At first Minsk announced that the main constructor (and technology provider) would be selected in an open, international competition to which all major players would be invited.

Russia is the lender and the constructor…

On the 25 of November 2011 it formally became clear who would build the NPP. Belarus signed a government loan contract for USD 10 billion that would be spent on the plant. Russia was the lender and the company that would deliver the technology and build the facility was Rosatom’s daughter company – Atomstroyexport. The borrowed USD 10 bn constitutes 90 percent of the NPPs cost. The remaining 10 percent was supposed to have been paid for by Belarus in advance.

According to the contract, Belarus was allowed to use the credit between 2011 and 2020. The repayment was due to start six months after the launch of the NPP, but not later than by the 1st of April 2021. The transfers were to be wired in 30 equal instalments, paid every six months. In the middle of July this year, the PMs of both states signed an annex to the credit agreement, where they agreed to extend the credit until 2022. The deadline for paying the first instalment was also changed to the 1st of April 2023 and it was decided the interest rate would be at 3.3. percent.

Up until that moment, the cost of the credit was calculated on the basis of a mixed formula. The interest rate for half of the credit was at a fixed 5.23 percent, whereas the other half was to be based on six-month LIBOR in dollars with reference to the London Interbank Market, plus an additional 1.83% of margin per year.

The interest on the loan was to be paid off twice a year – on the first of April and on the first of October. If the interest is not paid on time (even a one-day delay), a 2 percent yearly margin will be added to the credit cost until the credit is paid in full. If the deadline for paying off interest is missed by 180 days the to-date arrears will be consolidated and be subject to immediate repayment (debt, interest, margin). Until the entire credit is paid off, all the money will be spent on covering the existing debt.

… Russia will be the investor as well?

Vladimir Putin’s statement during his latest meeting with Lukashenko in Sochi is noteworthy – he stressed that Russian investments in Belarus were very important. “The value of only one of them – the construction of a nuclear power plant – is USD 10 bn,” he stressed. It should be remembered that the only full and formal investor and the investment’s operator is the Belarus Nuclear Power Plant state unitary enterprise. Russia is the creditor and its Atomstroyexport is the main contractor. Does Putin’s words mean that the owner of the facility may change soon?

Recently it has been revealed that the state enterprise and investor in the Ostrovets NPP has a gigantic debt. According to the Ekonomika account on the Telegram messenger, on 1 June 2020 the company’s debt was at BYN 1.3 bn (USD 500 m).

The Belarusian Ministry of Energy denied the news and stated it was “surprised” about the fact that the company, which has not yet started any commercial activities, was in debt. It is worth taking into consideration the fact that all the news about accidents during the construction of the NPP were also leaked by anonymous accounts on the Telegram. At first they were officially denied as well, but in time external inspectors, intelligence services, and even Belarusians themselves, confirmed them.

Minsk’s unfulfilled expectations with regard to exporting electricity, which makes it impossible to acquire foreign currency from sales, the necessity pay off the debt to Russians, pay off the credit from China to build power infrastructure (loan from 2012 from China’s NCPE worth USD 350 m) all mean that maintaining this investment could kill the country’s budget. On the other hand, putting the NPP under Russian management may be one of the elements of the political deal between Minsk and Moscow. Russia may, for instance, write off part of Minsk’s NPP debt.

Why does Putin need a company that is going bust?

One cannot exclude the fact that Russia could be interested in taking over the Belarusian NPP as an owner. Such a turn of events could be desirable for two reasons. First, the investment will be paid off by Belarus. The credit will have to be paid off sooner or later. The majority of the money was spent in Russia, which means Russian companies and contractors were the main beneficiaries of the investment.

Russians may also be interested in selling the power to clients in Belarus on terms similar to how, e.g. gas is sold. Gazprom Transgaz Belarus, because it was taken over by the Russian monopoly, has state-guaranteed fixed rates related to delivering gas to clients. It is possible that Russians will force Belarusians to agree on a minimal rate for sales of electricity, which would ensure profitability to the owner.

The Belarusian operator is no longer needed to “hide” the real reason behind constructing an NPP in Belarus. So far, the supporters of this investment in the Baltic States and Poland, explained that buying energy from Ostrovets was not a bad idea because it would help the Belarusian state to become less dependant on Russia, and claimed that the project had ‘nothing to do’ with Russia. However, because the political elites in Poland, Lithuania, and to a lesser degree in Latvia and Estonia strongly object to the idea of buying power from the NPP, “Minsk as a front” is no longer useful, because these states will probably not buy “Belarusian” power from a Russian power plant anyway.

In recent years Belarusians have rushed to switch their economy from running on gas to electricity to “balance” the costs of the NPP construction. If the investment is taken over by Russia, it would turn out that those actions were lethal to the essence of energy independence of the Belarusian state. Additionally, Russia could also try to use any surplus energy to produce alternative fuels, e.g. hydrogen. This would indirectly help to reduce the negative effects of the “embargo” on power from Ostrovets, if clients for “yellow” hydrogen from the NPP could be found.

“Electric Nord Stream”, a moniker that could be used to meanly describe the political project that the NPP in Ostrovets is, did not attain the overarching goal, which was to flood CEE with cheap, seemingly “not Russian”, and yet very Russian, energy. Despite that, the investment is still very likely to impact the state of Belarus on many levels. Considering Lukashenko’s current situation, such an opportunity may be worth taking by Russia.

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Nuclear energy is feared in Belarus, but there won’t be another Chernobyl

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Can we expect bigger surprise than nuclear energy from US?

Chernobyl’s demons still haunt Poland’s nuclear projects

26 April is here, so the time to open the old wounds caused by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster has come. Despite the fact that it’s been 34 years since the tragedy, it is not often possible to assess nuclear power and its role in the energy sector rationally. The problem sits with excessive concern over radioactive radiation – writes Patrycja Rapacka, editor at BiznesAlert.pl.

Emotions over logic

The 1986 disaster is seen by the international community as the worst nuclear accident in the history of the industry. After 34 years we know that a few factors caused this tragedy: human error and a faulty design. After over 30 years of discussions on nuclear energy one of the most popular arguments against the industry is the problem of high risk of nuclear radiation in case of a breakdown.

It’s true that a breakdown may happen at any power plant, but in the years after the incident sufficient safety systems have been designed that protect us against the threat of radiation. New power plants are designed and constructed in line with safety regulations and do not pose a threat to locals even in the event of a serious malfunction. Nuclear power as a source of energy is not perfect. The industry faces costly investments and delays. On the other hand, coal-powered energy generation and renewable energy sources have their own faults, but do not stir up as many emotions as the atom.

Ironically, nuclear power plants have been located near Poland’s borders for years – in Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine, Hungary and soon Belarus. For whatever reason the participants of discussions on nuclear power rarely talk about the 1979 Three Mile Island nuclear power plant accident, during which a partial meltdown of the second reactor occurred. It turned out that the containment vessel withstood the breakdown. One also needs to mention the Fukushima accident caused not by a faulty technology used, but by a tsunami. The water flooded the power plant, which had been designed to withstand an earthquake and a wave, but not of this magnitude. In result Japan temporarily turned off all nuclear power plants, which covered a third of the country’s electricity demand.

In view of these events, many countries started to reconsider investments in nuclear energy. Germany decided to completely phase out nuclear energy and chose high emission coal and gas as its reserve capacity sources. However, this does not mean nuclear energy does not pose a threat to the society. Yet, it is difficult to assess the real level of risk it poses.

Playing on emotions

The society has fallen victim to disinformation on radioactivity. Fake news about the consequences of the fire in Ukraine have spread causing panic in some places. Despite the statements made by, e.g. the National Atomic Energy Agency, the majority of the people still don’t believe there is no threat. The reports by France’s Institute for Radiological Protection (IRSN) have not even reached us. Stanisław Żaryn, the spokesman for the Minister-Special Services Coordinator, reported on this disinformation campaign. “The message was based on the actual fires in Ukraine and fed on the historical associations with the power plant in Chernobyl, used official and unofficial, including private, information channels, used authorities on the subject and their “hidden sources,” e.g. friends/scientists/employees of institutions responsible for Poland’s security,” he informed.

The report drafted by Poland’s intelligence community has clearly showed that the goal of disinformation campaign was to spread panic and create informational chaos in Poland. It also spread gossip about the relations between Poland and Ukraine, built ground to continue to manipulate the Polish society, undermine trust in Poland’s state institutions and weaken the credibility of information and, most importantly, “generate negative emotions around nuclear energy.”

Poland’s energy sector and policies aiming at making its energy security independent of Russia are being attacked by Kremlin propagandists. News articles on websites on the energy sector are used by Russian-language media for manipulation, which happened to BiznesAlert.pl as well. The goal of the manipulations is to cause specific reactions, among others, to discourage people from nuclear energy.
Social acceptance should be a priority

In order to change how nuclear energy is perceived one should focus on social issues instead of technological aspects. The race on the international nuclear energy market is on, new generation power plants are under construction, but so what?

The second piece of the puzzle – social approval for the atom – is missing. The architects of energy security should focus on fostering a dialogue with the society. The approval ratings for nuclear power plants have dropped in many democracies, which is why the role of nuclear power in the international energy economy has been significantly limited. Whereas nuclear energy may provide a stable energy supply to Poland and let us meet the EU climate policy goals. Even if Warsaw was able to fund a nuclear investment, the plant would not be built without a widespread public support. Nuclear science professor Michael W. Golay wrote about this already in 2001 in his article „On social acceptance of nuclear power”. Public support minimizes the risk that a construction of a nuclear facility would be a partisan project where one party decides to invest in it, but when it loses power the plans change. Such a scenario is possible in Poland.

Time to move on

Public support could be generated through educating the people on why Poland needs nuclear energy, how nuclear facilities work and what are the potential threats. Fear makes things look twice as bad as they are until one learns about the facts. However, a fact-based discussion on this topic is still not taking place in Poland. In fact, the issue of nuclear power most often crops up in the context of the Chernobyl disaster – recently in relation to the fires in the forest surrounding the closed plant and the alleged radioactive cloud that was supposed to have come to Poland. Instead, a different cloud – a fog of misinformation and fear mongering about nuclear contamination – reached our borders.

This is why it is extremely important to educate the society on where to look for verified information. Of course, we could just build the nuclear power plant without asking the people for their approval. However, such an approach doesn’t always pay off. All the more that the Chernobyl demons, instead of staying in the concrete sarcophagus in Ukraine will continue to haunt Poland and its nuclear program.

Related Posts:

1. The green wave did not reach Poland
2. Dudek: High time for (green) realism in the EU energy transition 
3. Sobolewski: Is it too late for nuclear energy in Poland? (POLEMICS)
4. It is time for the Coal Round Table

Nuclear energy is feared in Belarus, but there won’t be another Chernobyl

For many years numerous experts have been concerned about Belarus’s plans to build a nuclear power plant. Safety issues as well as the political impact of the investment on countries in the CEE region are at the top of the list. However, in retrospect it looks like this is yet another project that will not meet its expected and ambitious goals – writes Mariusz Marszałkowski, editor at BiznesAlert.pl

The plant – Russian or Belarusian?

The Belarusian nuclear power plant (NPP) is located 18 kilometers (ca. 11 miles) away from Ostrovets (aka Astravyets), 4 km (2.5 miles) away from the border with Lithuania and 55 km (34 km) away from Vilnius, its capital city. It will have two units equipped with two III generation WWER-1200 reactors in accordance with the AES-2006 model. The total capacity of the NPP will be 2400 MW. The idea to construct the plant appeared after the 2007 energy dispute with Russia. Investors expected that producing power at an NPP will significantly reduce Belarus’s energy dependency on Russian gas, which is the main fuel for power generation in Belarus.

However, it was already in 2009 when it turned out that the diversification plan had failed. In fact it resulted only in changing the country’s energy mix proportions by adding Russian uranium to the list. This happened because Minsk chose Russia’s Atomstroyexport as the plant’s main construction company. The works started in June 2012 and the casting of the concrete for the first unit kicked off in November 2013. In 2014 the construction of the second unit commenced. The cost was USD 11 billion out of which USD 10 billion was bankrolled by a credit line from Russia awarded for 10 years. Belarus is obliged to start repaying the debt as of 2021 in installments of USD 1 billion every year. At the end of 2020 the government in Minsk tried renegotiating the loan deal because the project was delayed. On 11 of February Russia’s finance ministry said that renegotiations were out of the question. Minsk wanted to postpone the repayment deadline and decrease the interest rate.

Incidents hidden away from the public

Lithuania is the biggest opponent of the project. In Vilnius’s opinion the power plant is not being constructed in accordance with global safety and transparency standards. Even the location of the project, which is very close to the border with Lithuania is problematic. Vilnius is also accusing Belarus of not being transparent and open about the incidents that have occurred during the construction.

At least a dozen incidents took place on the construction site which claimed the lives of at least 5 workers. The 5-year delay is also a testament to the level of incompetence of the people involved in the project. According to an executive order issued by president Lukashenko in January 2008, the first unit was supposed to have been launched in 2016, the other one in 2018. The deadlines for the investments have been postponed a number of times. The current deadline for the first reactor is the first quarter of 2020, for the second one it’s the end of 2020.

One of the worst accidents occurred when a 330-ton reactor vessel was dropped from a height of 4 to 5 meters while hanging on a crane. This happened a day before it was supposed to have been installed during an official ceremony with state representatives. The event was cancelled. The Belarusian authorities denied this ever happened for a very long time, only after an outcry from the Western media did they officially admit the mishap did take place. Still they stressed that it did not impact the safety of the investment. Due to international pressure it was decided to replace the vessel with a new one. Earlier in April 2016 the building where the control room was, collapsed. In February 2018 the technical exercise of the reactor’s emergency shutdown caused a short circuit, which started fire in the switchboard and the control room. Neither this accident nor the other ones were reported by the authorities. However, when activists and the media revealed the mishaps, the authorities brushed them off claiming they were irrelevant to the general safety of the plant. In May 2019 another fire took place, this time in a tunnel under the first reactor. A container with solvent caught fire and when employees failed to extinguish it, the in-house firemen appeared within minutes and handled the situation. Belarus confirmed this indeed happened, but the acknowledgment was made on 12 February 2020.

According to experts from Lithuania’s intelligence agency the high number of accidents is caused by the fact that the contractors are under pressure from Belarus’s top politicians who want to speed up the project. The other reason is that the investment is underfinanced and costs are cut wherever possible. However, this opinion doesn’t necessarily hold water. Two other nuclear power plants in Europe that are currently under construction – Finland’s Olkiluoto and France’s Flamanville have significantly bigger delays than Ostrovets. However, the difference between them and Belarus’s case is transparency and the scale of issues surrounding the investments. A lot of the mishaps in Ostrovets could have been avoided if it wasn’t for the carelessness of the construction workers and the disregard towards basic safety rules, e.g. last year’s fire was started by an employee smoking a cigarette near a container filled with solvent.

International concerns

In a 2012 report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) warned that Belarus’s regulatory body that is formally responsible for the investment lacks technical competencies and sufficient political independence to supervise the construction of a nuclear power plant. After another audit by the IAEA in 2016, the Belarusian government did not publish the agency’s post-audit report. Probably because the document was critical of how the investment was managed.

In July 2014 the Ministerial Conference of the Aarhus Convention decided that the Belarusians failed to comply with the requirements of the Convention because they did not provide an environmental impact assessment, nor did they investigate the plant’s impact on ground waters in Lithuania and on the Neris river, which flows through Vilnius and is an important source of potable water for Lithuanians. Moreover, there is a risk that the NPP may negatively impact water level in the Neris which, because of dry summers, is not that high in the first place. The river’s ecosystem may also be altered if hot water previously used for cooling the reactors is dumped into the stream. Access to sufficient water amounts necessary to cool the installation is yet another serious issue the entire project is facing.

The international community is also concerned about the NPP stress tests required by the European Commission. The requirement to conduct such tests was implemented after the Fukushima disaster. Belarus, together with six other non-EU countries agreed to conduct the stress tests at the Ostrovets NPP. However, the tests are deemed unreliable as they are to be conducted by Atomstroyexport which is responsible for the construction of the plant. The company is a subsidiary of Russia’s Rosatom. In February 2019 in a vote 30 to 6, the Espoo Convention decided that Belarus failed to explain to the international community “the justification of the selection of the Ostrovets site over the alternative sites” (Espoo’s Draft decision IS/1d). The decision was issued after Lithuania’s complaint filed in 2011.

Ostrovets as a political project

Ostrovets was a project with specific political goals from its inception. At first it was Minsk’s attempt at tackling Russia’s dominance over Belarus’s gas market. Then, after Minsk received a low-interest USD 10 billion loan from Russia the goal was turned on its head. Now the aim was to use the NPP to make Central and Eastern European countries dependent on Russian electricity. The NPP in Belarus together with the Baltic Nuclear Power Plant in the Kaliningrad Oblast were to create a tandem that would flood Poland and the Baltic states with power, thus blocking their attempts at setting free from Russia’s economic influence.

After Poland and Lithuania had decided not to purchase energy from the Kaliningrad NPP its construction was halted and Rosatom focused entirely on the project in Belarus, which was already underway. Poland and Lithuania announced they would not buy power from Ostrovets either. In 2018 Poland started to dismantle the 220 KV power link between Bialystok, Poland and Ros, Belarus that would otherwise enable Warsaw to import energy from Belarus. At the same time, Lithuania’s transmission system operator Litgrid signed a deal with Kaunas University of Technology in late 2019 to develop a technical system that would block power transmission from Belarus to Lithuania. Latvia’s position on the issue remains unclear, as it has not made any official decision on whether to buy or boycott the Ostrovets power. Riga’s vacillation shows that Russia’s Ostrovets scheme is still up in the air. However, things may change because Lithuania is lobbying its partners to draft a joint position on energy from the Belarusian plant.

However, the Ostrovets NPP does have some impact on one piece in this entire puzzle. It may hinder the process of synchronizing the Baltic States’ grid with the continental system. Currently under the BRELL agreement the Baltic grid is connected to the Soviet IPS/UPS system. However, before joining the EU in 2004 the Baltics agreed to synchronize with the European system by 2025. Once that happens it will be possible to dismantle the physical power links between Belarus and Lithuania and Latvia.

Moreover, the EU climate policy and especially the goal to reach carbon neutrality may turn out to be of more significance than solidarity with Lithuanians, especially if local power plants will not be modernized quickly enough. Estonia may be facing this problem most of all, because it fuels its power plants with bituminous sands, which emit a lot of CO2.

Russia’s profit, Belarus’s loss

Lithuania compares the Ostrovets NPP to the Chernobyl plant infamous for its 1986 accident, which contaminated with nuclear fallout a huge chunk of Europe. Ostrovets is facing similar concerns about following rules and safety procedures. The accidents and lack of transparency are creating justified unease about the safety of countries in the region. However, panic and anti-nuclear hysteria are not the answer. Rosatom cannot afford any damages to its image, so it will most probably make sure that another Chernobyl-like disaster won’t happen in Belarus. Such an accident could impact the company’s deals across the world. It is worth remembering that Russia’s nuclear know-how together with its arms and energy resources exports are important for the country’s finances and for its ambitions as a global superpower. In the end the project will be a burden for Belarus, which will be left with power it cannot sell and a loan it must repay.

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USA

Covid-19 vaccine company under federal investigation after allegedly misrepresenting its role in government program

19 ოქტომბერი, 2020 • News In English

California biotech company Vaxart, which is working on a Covid-19 vaccine, is under federal investigation and is being sued by a number of investors for allegedly exaggerating its involvement in the US government's Operation Warp Speed program for developing Covid-19 vaccines and treatments.

Vaxart stated in an October 14 Securities and Exchange Commission filing that it's being investigated by the SEC and federal prosecutors, and that it was served with a grand jury subpoena in July from the US District Court for the Northern District of California.

In June, Vaxart issued a press release that said "Vaxart's Covid-19 Vaccine Selected for the US Government's Operation Warp Speed." The news helped propel Vaxart's stock price to nearly $17, up from approximately $3, and hedge fund Armistice Capital, which partly controlled Vaxart, sold shares for a profit of more than $200 million, according to its SEC filings.

A few weeks before the announcement, Vaxart granted amendments to the warrants agreements, which allowed Armistice to sell almost all of their stock, which they did once the stock price skyrocketed.

In July, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) told the New York Times that it had not entered into a funding agreement or negotiations with Vaxart. Armistice and HHS did not respond to requests for comment.

Vaxart has not been chosen by Operation Warp Speed to receive research funding, but instead had limited involvement, HHS told the New York Times in July. Vaxart's vaccine, an oral tablet, was only involved in preliminary studies on primates sponsored by Warp Speed.

In a statement to CNN Business Saturday, the company said, "The Vaxart non-human primate challenge study was organized and funded by Operation Warp Speed, as stated in the June 26, 2020 company press release. The statements made in that press release are accurate and any allegation to the contrary is baseless."

In its October SEC filing, Vaxart wrote that it has provided documents called for by the subpoena to demonstrate its role in Operation Warp Speed. "The company has voluntarily provided documents requested by the SEC and is cooperating with this informal inquiry," it stated.

Vaxart and its board have been sued several times by shareholders who accuse the company of allegedly inflating Vaxart's stock price by misrepresenting its role in Operation Warp Speed. Vaxart addressed those lawsuits in its filing, saying that it's seeking to have two of the suits dismissed, while another class-action suit is still proceeding.

On October 14, Vaxart announced encouraging results from its study on hamsters that received oral dosages of its Covid-19 vaccine.

The stock was down 3.5%, to approximately $6, as of Friday evening.

CNN

UK

Outsourced Serco and Sitel test and trace system fails to reach contacts

Outsourced test and trace system fails to reach nearly quarter of a million close contacts of positive case

News18th October By Natasha Meek @journomeekReporter


THE outsourced test and trace system has failed to reach nearly a quarter of a million close contacts of people who have tested positive for coronavirus, according to a new analysis.

Private firms Serco and Sitel failed to contact 245,481 contacts in England either online or from call centres over four months - missing nearly 40% of contacts, the figures show.

Labour said the figures show test and trace is "on the verge of collapse" and highlight the need for a short national lockdown to allow the Government to fix the system.

The Government defended the system, saying test and trace is "breaking chains of transmission" and had told 900,000 people to isolate.

Boris Johnson pledged in May that the system, which has cost £12 billion, would be "world-beating" and a successful tracing programme has long been hailed as a way to ease lockdown measures.

Labour's analysis of official figures released this week showed more than 26,000 people in the week up to October 7 were not contacted in north-west England, where the Liverpool region and Lancashire have been plunged into the severest restrictions.

The Prime Minister has threatened to impose the Tier 3 measures on neighbouring Greater Manchester, even if local leaders do not consent because they are demanding greater financial support.

Shadow Cabinet Office minister Rachel Reeves (Labour, Leeds West) said: "We are at a decisive moment in our efforts to tackle coronavirus, and these figures are a new low for a test and trace system on the verge of collapse.

"The Government is wasting hundreds of millions on a system that doesn't seem to function or even use basic common sense.

"The Prime Minister must act now to reverse this trend. That is why Labour is calling for a short, sharp circuit break to fix testing, protect the NHS and save lives."

The figures showed that the private firms did reach 372,458 contacts in the period of the data, May 28 to October 7.

"Complex" cases - which include outbreaks linked to hospitals, care homes, prisons or schools - are handled by local health protection teams, which statistics show have far higher rates of success.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: "We're continuing to drive forward local contact tracing as part of our commitment to being locally led, with more than 100 Local Tracing Partnerships now operating, and more to come."

He added that, when including local teams, 84% of contacts had been traced "where communication details were provided".

Circuit breakers

This week Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer called for Mr Johnson to implement a two to three-week national circuit-breaker lockdown so test and trace can be improved.

The Prime Minister on Friday continued to resist the move, which has been suggested by the Government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), but said he "can't rule anything out".

Sage has also said in recently published documents that the system was only having a "marginal impact" on Covid-19 transmission.

The Prime Minister on testing plans

During the Downing Street conference earlier this week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: "We are backing our brilliant scientists leading the global effort to find a safe and effective vaccine. We have also secured early access to over 350 million vaccine doses through a portfolio of promising new vaccines to ensure we are in the best place, and we are taking every possible step to ensure we can move as quickly as possible to deploy a vaccine if and when one is found to work.

"And we’ve created a huge diagnostics industry from scratch, scaling up the ability to test from 2,000 in February to more than 300,000 today.

"I also want to update on our future approach to testing.

"We are now testing more people than any other country in Europe but we always want to go further.

"One of the most dangerous aspects of this disease is that people without any symptoms can infect many others without realising it. If we can catch more asymptomatic people before they unknowingly pass on the disease to the vulnerable, we can help to stop the virus’ vicious spread.

"So far it has been difficult to do this. But that is changing.

"Scientists and companies in Britain and around the world have been developing new tests which are faster, simpler and cheaper. They have been working hard to discover and evaluate new testing technologies. Though there is work to do, It’s becoming clear over the past few weeks that some of these new tests are highly effective and can help us save lives and jobs over winter.


"We have already bought millions of these tests, some of which are very simple – meaning you simply need to wipe the swab inside your mouth – and can give a result as quickly as in 15 minutes. Some of these fast tests work with saliva and we are already using these in hospitals.

"Over the next few weeks we will start distributing and trialling these tests across the country. This will enable us to do quick turnaround tests on NHS and care home staff much more frequently. By testing more frequently and quickly than ever before, we can hope we can help prevent the virus entering and spreading through care homes.

"And we will be able to test students in universities with outbreaks, as well as children in schools, helping us to keep education open safely through the winter.

"And we will make tests available to local directors of public health to help control localised outbreaks - handing more control from London to all parts of our country so that those on the ground can use the tools we give them as they think best. And I have instructed my team to ensure that Liverpool City Region, Lancashire, and any other areas which enter into the Very High alert level are immediately prioritised for those tests."