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Guardian: ’Fog of war’ plan to protect German N-plants
The German environment ministry is considering installing special equipment around the country’s 18 nuclear power stations which would engage cloaking devices throw up a wall of artificial fog in seconds if threatened by a hijacked plane. The fog shield is supposed to disrupt a plane’s navigation equipment and hide the power station from view.
Unless they are discussing the Mod 1 Eyeball or the sextant, I don’t see that fog would disrupt a navigation device. Maybe they intend to deploy chaff within the cloud but that won’t do much to confuse someone flying to known GPS coordinates.
Last week an environment ministry spokesman confirmed reports in the German daily SÃŒddeutsche Zeitung that Germany’s nuclear power stations were inadequately protected from airborne suicide attacks. The government commissioned a nuclear power plant security survey shortly after the September 11 terrorist attacks in America. It found that eight of the country’s oldest power stations would melt down if even a small jet crashed into them, causing a major nuclear disaster in the heart of Europe.
And these guys are consulting on reactors in third world countries.
The concrete shells surrounding the cores of the seven newer pressurised water plants can resist the impact of a small plane, but none of the plants could resist a direct impact by a targeted commercial passenger plane. Authorities have beefed up security and air traffic control supervision, and the results of the government’s survey have been given to managers of the nuclear power plants.
With applicable data released to through the media to any interested jihadi.
However, the study found that encasing the nuclear core with more reinforced concrete was impractical. Ursula Hammann, the Green party environmental policy spokesperson, called the fog machine idea another "hapless initiative," and said: "Only a total exit from nuclear energy will bring real safety for the population".
And then Germany can import reliable power like the Italians do.
That's a pretty predictable Green Party line, I'd say. Obviously well thought-out. Get rid of nuclear power because it's... well, nuclear. Get rid of coal-fired generation because of the sulfur emissions. Get rid of the oil-fired generation because of the emissions and because we don't do things that are All About Oil™. Eventually, Germans will be back to be back to wearing (faux) wolf skins and horned helmets, living in the forests and shivering through the winters in an effort to stave off global warming. More recent and pragmatic immigrants will be scratching their turbans and wondering what the hell's up with those people, the while setting up their own caliphate and chopping each other's limbs off.
After taking power the government delayed campaign promises to phase out nuclear power quickly and now plans to close the last station in 20 years’ time.
They’ll provide weekly progress updates, I’m sure.
A review of the fog machine idea is expected by the end of March.
Maybe the Patriot Pack III would be a better answer.
Posted by: Super Hose 2004-01-12
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=24203