The Market And Energy Page, Part 3, T+298 -- November 15, 2017

Updates

November 20, 2017: Russia confirms "extremely high" radiation readings; no source given for the radioactivity (Russia probably "getting its story correct."

Original Post

Nuclear is dead. Not getting much coverage in this country, but I bet it's a big story in Europe. From The New York Times, a radioactive cloud wafts over Europe, with Russia as chief suspect.

Scientists across Europe have been puzzling about a phenomenon that seemed laden with mystery and menace in somewhat uneven proportions — a concentration of radioactive pollution caused by a nuclide called ruthenium 106.

Official monitors in France and Germany concluded that, based on weather patterns, the contamination detected since late September had emanated from southern Russia or from Kazakhstan.

The most plausible zone of release lies between the Volga and the Urals.

One has to read to the very end of the story to find out that -- whatever it was -- it's over, and levels were never high enough to cause any risk to those in western Europe.

In a telephone interview, Mr. Gariel said French experts thought the two most likely explanations were that the ruthenium 106 originated in a facility treating used fuels, or that it came from a plant producing ruthenium exclusively.

In any event, the French agency said in a statement, ruthenium levels had been decreasing since Oct. 6 and the nuclide was “currently no longer detected in Europe.”

This story has no legs. And reading the entire story explains why this is getting very little coverage in the US.