Radiation technician falsified tests at nuclear plant
The U.S. Attorney’s Office says Michael McCarrick of Oswego admitted he falsified “qualitative fit test” records relating to 32 workers at the nuclear plant in Scriba (SKREYE’-buh), 35 miles northwest of Syracuse. Fit tests are designed to establish a proper respirator seal, but he didn’t perform the tests.
Respirators are protective devices given to employees for use during emergencies, such as a chemical release resulting in fumes that could otherwise endanger worker health…. http://online.wsj.com/article/APd05c4a90d9124978abca596509040e68.html
TVA’s Browns Ferry nuclear reactors has safety issues
TVA’s Browns Ferry reactor needs ‘highest level of attention,’ NRC says, September 07, 2011, ByBudd McLaughlin, The Huntsville Times, HUNTSVILLE, Alabama –– The Unit 1 reactor at Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant is among two reactors in the country that require the “highest level of attention” from regulators, according to a U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission assessment.
The agency said Tuesday it’s giving Browns Ferry supplemental inspection because of a problem that was discovered with a valve on a cooling system last fall. The increased oversight will include reviews of a number of issues at the Tennessee Valley Authority-operated plant, including its safety culture.
Omaha (Neb.) Public Power’s Fort Calhoun reactor is the other among 104 U.S. reactors, that needs additional inspections to ensure that safety concerns are met, the NRC said in a statement…..
Still no way to monitor radiation in Mayapuri scrap market
No radiation detectors still in Mayapuri scrap market – Hindustan Times, 6 Sept 11, Even 16 months after it was hit by radiation, leaving one person dead and eight seriously injured, the Mayapuri market in west Delhi, the biggest scrap market in India, still does not have a regulatory body. In April 2010, radioactive Cobalt 60 from a Delhi University (DU) laboratory thatwas auctioned off found its way to the market.
Although six professors were charge sheeted by the Delhi Police on Friday, the scrap dealers are still on the edge, as there is no mechanism to detect hazardous materials.
“The market is not equipped with detectors, even though it is common practice in steel recycling factories in other countries. The presence of toxic heavy metals and harmful chemicals threatens people living in the area,” said Deepak Jain, who suffered radiation injuries in the crisis last April.
Sharad Sinha, a scrap dealer, said, “We have been facing an acute shortage of workers after the incident. Ever since the incident, no one wants to come and work here.” No radiation detectors still in Mayapuri scrap market – Hindustan Times
Poor radiation safety at Indian university
Atomic energy regulator shuts down radiotherapy machines at Safdarjung – Indian Express, 3 Sept 11, In line for its first MCI inspection after being brought under the Indraprastha University (IP), the radiotherapy department of Safdarjung hospital and Vardhaman Medical College, faces risk of derecognition. The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), the apex body monitoring radiation safety standards in hospitals, has already directed the department to shut down two cobalt and one brachytherapy machines due to a dearth of radiation safety norms and inadequate posts of radiation safety officers. ..Atomic energy regulator shuts down radiotherapy machines at Safdarjung – Indian Express
Huge concrete containers of nuclear waste shifted during earthquake
“This indicates that reactors that have these dry casks in these earthquake-prone areas, they’re going to have to do more to protect them from ground motion,”
Quake shifted nuclear storage containers at Virginia plant – The Washington Post, By Brian Vastag, September 1 Last week’s central Virginia earthquake jolted huge concrete containers holding spent nuclear fuel at the North Anna power plant in Louisa County, Continue reading
Radioactive uranium drums found on beach in Namibia
There are a number of reasons why the latest incident is of great concern:
• it puts into question the level of security at Namibian uranium mining operations, with the worry being that radioactive uranium oxide could get into the “wrong hands”….
Drums of radioactive uranium found on beach, Care 2 by Andreas S., August 30, Last week, Namibian authorities discovered four unguarded barrels of radioactive uranium oxide on a beach near the coastal town of Swakopmund.
Risk of active geological faults near 14 Japanese nuclear power plants
14 locations near nuclear plants could become active faults, agency warns, Mainichi Daily News, 1 Sept 11 Some 14 locations near nuclear facilities in Japan have been found to have the possibility of turning into active faults in the future, the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) has announced.
NISA said on Aug. 30 that it has confirmed a total of 14 faults and other locations whose possibility of turning into active faults in the future cannot be ruled out near the Fukushima No. 1 and No. 2 nuclear power plants and Japan Atomic Power Co.’s Tokai No. 2 Power Station in Ibaraki Prefecture.
NISA had instructed plant operators to re-evaluate those locations after aftershocks following the March 11 Great East Japan Earthquake triggered the Yunotake fault in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, to slip even though it had been believed to be inactive.
As a result of the re-evaluation, it emerged that five locations near the Fukushima nuclear plant, including the Yunotake fault, have a possibility of moving in the future due to crustal twists and increased seismic activity in the wake of the March 11 quake. A total of nine locations near the Tokai No. 2 Power Station and the Japan Atomic Energy Agency’s Tokai nuclear fuel reprocessing plant were also revaluated….http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20110831p2a00m0na024000c.html
New Jersey nuclear plants powered down due to floods
Flooding causes 2 NJ nuke reactors to power down, The Sacramento Bee, 1 Sept 2011, The Associated Press LOWER ALLOWAYS CREEK, N.J. — Two of the three nuclear reactors in a southern New Jersey county have powered partway down because debris from Hurricane Irene is blocking cooling water intakes.
PSEG Nuclear spokesman Joe Delmar said Wednesday that the Salem I and Salem II units in Salem County are getting unusual amounts of grass and trash at the screen where water is taken in from the Delaware River. …. Delmar says it’s unclear when the plants will return to full power…….. http://www.sacbee.com/2011/08/31/3875617/flooding-causes-2-nj-nuke-reactors.html#ixzz1WjCDaQI8
Aging, deteriorating nuclear reactors in Japan to seek extensions
Extensions for aging reactors loom, Japan Times, By YURIY HUMBER and MASATSUGU HORIE. Bloomberg 30 Aug 11, More than a third of Japan’s nuclear reactors will have to apply for license extensions within five years or face decommissioning at a time when the industry’s safety record is in tatters.
The country’s 54 reactors were originally licensed for 30 years and operators can apply for 10-year extensions up to a maximum of six times. Twenty-one reactors will soon require license extensions, according to data from power companies and the World Nuclear Association. Of those, seven will enter their fifth decade if extensions are granted — which should be avoided, according to a metallurgy professor.
“Nuclear reactors shouldn’t be in operation for more than 40 years,” said Hiromitsu Ino at the University of Tokyo. “You can renew electrical wiring and other parts but you can’t do anything with their pressure vessels. They just get old and deteriorate, increasing the risk of accidents….http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110830n1.html
Theft of nuclear materials in Namibia
Namibia arrests four in suspected nuclear theft, Aug 29, 2011 11. WINDHOEK (Reuters) – Namibian authorities have arrested four people they suspect of stealing drums of radioactive material from a mine in the country that is a major exporter of uranium, officials said on Monday.
The four were arrested on Friday in the coastal town of Swakopmund, the drums have been recovered and the material is thought to have come from Areva’s Trekkopje mine, they said.Axel Tibinyane, regulator of the Atomic Energy Board of Namibia, said the contents of the drums are radioactive….
Areva’s Trekkopje is one of the few mines in Namibia that has processing facilities for yellow cake — a form of uranium ore that can be enriched for nuclear fuel or, if enriched to a much higher level, for use in weapons.The four suspects were expected to appear in court later on Monday.http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE77S0F520110829?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews
Precautions and shutdowns of nuclear reactors due to Hurricane Irene
Hurricane Irene shuts down US nuclear reactors, Maryland plant damaged by hurricane winds as other US nuclear sites take precautionary measures, Suzanne Goldenberg, US environment correspondent, guardian.co.uk, 28 August 2011. A nuclear reactor in Maryland has been shut down because of wind damage, while others were either taken offline or operating at reduced capacity as precautionary measures before the arrival of hurricane Irene on Sunday…….
In addition to the two shutdowns, some plants powered down as a safety measure – which also contributed to widespread power cuts. Progress Energy powered down its reactors in Brunswick, North Carolina, and Dominion Resources cut production at one reactor at its Millstone plant in New London, Connecticut, by 70%. Another Dominion plant in Virginia, which had gone down because of last week’s earthquake, remained offline for Irene….http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/aug/28/hurricane-iren-shuts-nuclear-reactor
Hurricane Irene poses problem of electricity supply to nuclear reactors
Industry watchdogs concerned about power supplies – to reactors, not just homes, iWatch, 28 Aug 11, By Corbin Hiar As Hurricane Irene bore down on the East Coast, the nuclear industry assured the public that the storm wouldn’t damage the dozens of reactors in its path. The industry’s watchdogs also expressed less concern about the hurricane’s potential impact on nuclear reactors than about the vulnerability of the exposed connections between them and the rest of the world. Continue reading USA nuclear plants and preparations for hurricanes
FACTBOX-U.S. nuclear plants in path of Hurricane Irene Aug 26, 2011 NEW YORK, Aug 26 (Reuters) – Nuclear power plants along the U.S. East Coast are bracing for the
impact of Hurricane Irene which is barreling toward North Carolina.
Plant employees are securing equipment and readying extra staff for the weekend.
Irene was located about 330 miles (530 km) south-southwest of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, as
a Category 2 storm with maximum sustained winds of 105 miles-per-hour (165 km/h) at 11 a.m. EDT.
[ID:nL4E7JQ33U]
Dominion Resources Inc (D.N: Quote), after shutting down its North Anna nuclear power station because
of an earthquake on Tuesday, is taking precautions at its other plants ahead of the storm.
"We're going through the steps that we go through in anticipation of a major storm, making sure
everything is secure, that no loose material or construction material is hanging around and
checking staff," said Dan Genest, a spokesman in Richmond, Virginia.
The two-unit, 1,950-megawatt North Anna nuclear plant will remain shut through the storm. The
two-unit, 1,598-MW Surry plant was designed to withstand winds of 360 miles per hour.
Dominion is required by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to shut down one of the units in
advance of a storm with hurricane force winds (Category 1 at 74 miles per hour) with 24 hours
advanced notice, Genest said.
If a storm is expected to continue, Dominion would be required to shut down the second unit
with 12 hours advanced notice.
STATE OWNER PLANT UNIT TYPE MWE
------
Connecticut Dominion Millstone Unit 2 Combustion Engineering 884
Connecticut Dominion Millstone Unit 3 WH Four-Loop 1,227
Maryland Constellation Calvert Cliffs Unit 1 Combustion Engineering 873
Maryland Constellation Calvert Cliffs Unit 2 Combustion Engineering 862
Massachusetts Entergy Pilgrim GE-Type 3 685
New Hampshire Entergy Seabrook WH Four-Loop 1,295
New Jersey PSEG Nuclear Salem Unit 1 WH Four-Loop 1,174
New Jersey PSEG Nuclear Salem Unit 2 WH Four-Loop 1,130
New Jersey Exelon Oyster Creek GE Type 2 619
New York Entergy Indian Point 2 WH Four-Loop 1,020
New York Entergy Indian Point 3 WH Four-Loop 1,025
N. Carolina Progress Brunswick Unit 1 GE Type 4 938
N. Carolina Progress Brunswick Unit 1 GE Type 4 937
N. Carolina Progress Shearon Harris Unit 1 WH Two-Loop 900
Pennsylvania Exelon Limerick 1 GE Type 4 1,134
Pennsylvania Exelon Limerick 2 GE Type 4 1,134
Virginia Dominion Surry Unit 1 WH Three-Loop 799
Virginia Dominion Surry Unit 2 WH Three-Loop 799
Virginia Dominion North Anna Unit 1 WH Three-Loop 980.5
Virginia Dominion North Anna Unit 2 WH Three-Loop 972.9
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Connecticut Dominion Millstone Unit 2 Combustion Engineering 884 Connecticut Dominion Millstone Unit 3 WH Four-Loop 1,227 Maryland Constellation Calvert Cliffs Unit 1 Combustion Engineering 873 Maryland Constellation Calvert Cliffs Unit 2 Combustion Engineering 862 Massachusetts Entergy Pilgrim GE-Type 3 685 New Hampshire Entergy Seabrook WH Four-Loop 1,295 New Jersey PSEG Nuclear Salem Unit 1 WH Four-Loop 1,174 New Jersey PSEG Nuclear Salem Unit 2 WH Four-Loop 1,130 New Jersey Exelon Oyster Creek GE Type 2 619 New York Entergy Indian Point 2 WH Four-Loop 1,020 New York Entergy Indian Point 3 WH Four-Loop 1,025 N. Carolina Progress Brunswick Unit 1 GE Type 4 938 N. Carolina Progress Brunswick Unit 1 GE Type 4 937 N. Carolina Progress Shearon Harris Unit 1 WH Two-Loop 900 Pennsylvania Exelon Limerick 1 GE Type 4 1,134 Pennsylvania Exelon Limerick 2 GE Type 4 1,134 Virginia Dominion Surry Unit 1 WH Three-Loop 799 Virginia Dominion Surry Unit 2 WH Three-Loop 799 Virginia Dominion North Anna Unit 1 WH Three-Loop 980.5 Virginia Dominion North Anna Unit 2 WH Three-Loop 972.9 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Key: GE - General Electric WH - Westinghouse Source: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (Reporting by Jeanine Prezioso and compiled by David Sheppard, Joshua Schneyer and Matthew Robinson in New York; Editing by Alden Bentley)
Firefighters grapple with fire within nuclear laboratory compund
Firefighters gain ground at Idaho nuclear lab, By Laura Zuckerman, SALMON, Idaho | Fri Aug 26, 2011 (Reuters) – Normal operations resumed on Friday but with fewer workers at a U.S. Energy Department nuclear lab in Idaho as firefighters gained ground against a brush fire that scorched 36,000 acres within the sprawling compound, officials there said.
The two-day-old blaze at the Idaho National Laboratory, an 890-square-mile complex with three active reactors in the high desert of eastern Idaho, presents “no known radiological hazard to the public at this time,” the lab said in a statement.
As the lightning-sparked fire had grown in size and intensity on Thursday evening, about 90 nonessential personnel were ordered out of a facility used for processing spent nuclear fuel and radioactive wastes.
Workers at another lab installation where spent radioactive fuel rods are cooled in storage ponds were told to take shelter inside due to heavy smoke, a lab official said……
The installation last year grappled with the largest fire in its history, a conflagration that charred 109,000 acres but did not cause major damage.
Fires have charred tens of thousands of acres across Idaho and the Northern Rockies in recent days, including parts of Montana, Yellowstone National Park and northwestern Wyoming…. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/27/us-wildfire-idaho-idUSTRE77P65E20110827
USA declares that Gaddafi’s nuclear materials are secure
U.S.: Gadhafi Chemical, Nuclear Materials Secure, ABC News 25 Aug 11, — American officials said today that Moammar Gadhafi’s stock of chemical and nuclear materials are secure, amid fears they could fall into the wrong hands as the longtime leader’s regime falls.
“Our judgment is that they remain secure,” U.S. State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland told reporters. “We have no reason to believe that there is anything else of that nature anywhere else.”……
The State Department has already spent $3 million on contracts to help destroy weapons and mines inside parts of Libya that have been taken over by rebel forces. Gadhafi had promised in 2003 to dismantle its nuclear program as part of an agreement that eventually led the U.S. to take Libya off the list of states that sponsor terrorism in 2006.
After the agreement, the U.S. sent millions in aid to the Gadhafi regime “focused on bolstering Libya’s commitments to renouncing weapons of mass destruction,” according to State Department records….http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/us-gadhafi-nuclear-chemical-weapons-secure/story?id=14381560
1 This Month
of the week– Nuclear Reactor Information Task Force
14 May – online event From Bombs to Data Centres: the Face of Nuclear Colonialism
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