nuclear-news

Westinghouse nuclear reactor design flaws

NRC puts hold on Westinghouse reactor approval, Charlotte Business Journal – by John Downey May 23, 2011 The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has put a hold on the certification of Westinghouse’s AP1000 nuclear reactor after discovering mistakes in some of Westinghouse’s calculations about its reactor shield building…….The NRC announced its decision Friday. Anti-nuclear groups praised the announcement, saying it represented a major setback for the nuclear industry that raised doubts about construction of any AP1000s.

“This unsafe reactor design had been the cornerstone of efforts to build new nuclear reactors in the United States,” Tom Clements, an anti-nuclear campaigner for S.C. Friends of the Earth, says in a prepared statement. “The fact that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which often operates as an industry lap dog, is voicing concerns is a sign of just how serious these design flaws are.”…

May 24, 2011 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | general