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Huge task of carting 770-ton nuclear reactor from Southern California to Utah

2 weeks needed to switch 770-ton nuclear reactor from train to truck, Las Vegas Review Journal May 29, 2020

The train carrying a decommissioned nuclear reactor vessel from Southern California is passing through Las Vegas on Thursday afternoon.

The vessel from the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station is headed for a burial ground in Utah. It will be transferred starting either Friday or Saturday at Apex Industrial Park, according to Nevada Department of Transportation spokesman Tony Illia.

Cranes will be used to lift the heaviest load to ever travel a Nevada road onto a 45-axle, 180-tire trailer. It will take a couple of weeks to complete the transfer.

4 tractors to push and pull,   The 300-foot-long shipment will consist of two tractors to pull and another two tractors to push the over 1.5-million pound load.

It will travel at 5 to 10 mph on the highway for the 400-mile trip to Clive, Utah, where it will be buried at EnergySolutions, the contractor that is dismantling the plant.

NDOT has to issue an overdimensional permit, which won’t occur until 24 hours before hitting the highway, Illia said.

Nevada State Patrol troopers will escort the shipment to the Utah border……… https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/local-las-vegas/downtown/2-weeks-needed-to-switch-770-ton-nuclear-reactor-from-train-to-truck-2037931/

May 30, 2020 Posted by | safety, USA | Leave a comment

Safety lapses at France’s nuclear reactors, newv delays at EDF’s Flamanville 3 nuclear reactor 

Regulator unaware of fresh delays at EDF’s Flamanville 3 nuclear reactor  https://www.reuters.com/article/france-nuclearpower/regulator-unaware-of-fresh-delays-at-edfs-flamanville-3-nuclear-reactor-idUSL8N2DA3O9  PARIS, May 28 (Reuters) – French nuclear regulator ASN said on Thursday it was not aware of fresh delays in the construction of EDF’s Flamanville 3 EPR nuclear reactor, despite the coronavirus outbreak disrupting works.

State-controlled utility EDF, which operates France’s 57 nuclear reactors, had previously said that the pandemic had slowed construction work at the reactor in the north of France, but it did not say if it would lead to further delays.

The project is running more than a decade behind schedule and it is now expected to start around 2023 after the regulator demanded EDF repair defective welds.

ASN’s head Bernard Doroszczuk, told a French Senate hearing on Thursday that some hundreds of welds, and eight other difficult-to-reach enclosure crossing welds, are still expected to be redone before the reactor is commissioned.

Repairs have started on the most accessible welds but not on the enclosure crossing welds which require a fine-tuning process, the first stages of which are underway in the United States, with an American supplier, he said.

Overall, the process of repairing, refurbishing or checking the reactor seems to be going smoothly compared to the schedule that was announced, but obviously I can’t predict what will happen next,” Doroszczuk said.

He said safety levels at French nuclear facilities remained “acceptable” but operational rigor at EDF’s nuclear power plants declined in 2019, citing several safety lapses.

Doroszczuk said that due to capacity issues at EDF, ASN would likely modify a plan to extend the lifespan of EDF’s 900 megawatt reactors. The watchdog is expected to make a generic ruling on the extension of the lifespan of 32 reactors by the end of the year. (Reporting by Benjamin Mallet Writing by Forrest Crellin Editing by Bate Felix, Kirsten Donovan)   https://www.reuters.com/article/france-nuclearpower/regulator-unaware-of-fresh-delays-at-edfs-flamanville-3-nuclear-reactor-idUSL8N2DA3O9

May 30, 2020 Posted by | France, safety | Leave a comment

European Union’s recovery plan promotes renewable energy, omits nuclear

European recovery plan omits nuclear, WNN  27 May 2020  .……. the Commission’s announcement of a two-fold recovery plan from the coronavirus pandemic – Next Generation EU – to boost the EU budget with new financing raised on the financial markets for 2021-2024, and a reinforced long-term budget of the European Union for 2021-2027……..

The Commission said the policy fundamentals of the recovery include the European Green Deal, meaning “a massive renovation wave” of buildings and infrastructure and a more circular economy, bringing local jobs; rolling out renewable energy projects, especially wind, solar and kick-starting a clean hydrogen economy in Europe; cleaner transport and logistics, including the installation of one million charging points for electric vehicles and a boost for rail travel and clean mobility in cities and regions; and strengthening the Just Transition Fund to support re-skilling, helping businesses create new economic opportunities.

May 30, 2020 Posted by | EUROPE, politics | Leave a comment

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