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Safety hazards at more than 24 USA nuclear reactors

Report: Monticello nuclear plant among those with potential safety hazard, – TwinCities.com 02/17/2011 A major manufacturer in the nuclear industry is reporting a potential “substantial safety hazard” with control rods at more than two dozen nuclear reactors around the country, including the Xcel Energy plant near Monticello….. Continue reading →

February 18, 2011 Posted by | safety, USA | Leave a comment

Electricite de France admits to safety flaws in 34 nuclear reactors

EDF says flaw in 34 reactors could affect safety  Feb 11, 2011  PARIS, (Reuters) – France’s EDF   has detected a technical flaw in 34 of its 58 nuclear reactors that could have an impact on safety, the utility said in a note on its website.
EDF’s 900 megawatt reactors, built in the 1970s, do not meet current standards of precision required for measuring water flows in their water injection systems. Water injection is used as a key safety measure to cool down a reactor’s core in case of an accident…..EDF says flaw in 34 reactors could affect safety | Agricultural Commodities | Reuters

February 12, 2011 Posted by | France, safety | Leave a comment

Radioactive shipments across Great Lakes exceed international safety limits

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission  has agreed that this shipment clearly exceeds the international safety limits for total amount of radioactivity allowed on a single ship.”

Blue Mountains mayor continues to rail against radioactive shipments Collingwood Enterprise Bulletin – Ontario, CA, 11 Feb 2011, THE BLUE MOUNTAINS — Mayor Ellen Anderson of The Blue Mountains is not happy that sixteen radioactive waste steam generators from the Bruce Powers nuclear station could be shipped out of Owen Sound and across the Great Lakes.Anderson said she was disappointed with the decision of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) to approve the shipment of on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River. Continue reading →

February 12, 2011 Posted by | Canada, safety | Leave a comment

Safety breaches covered up at Australia’s nuclear reactor

Nuclear safety breaches concern Opposition – ABC Sydney – Australian Broadcasting Corporation February 9, 2011  “……..The Comcare report, which was obtained by the ABC, found the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) under-reported accidents and breached basic safety standards at the reactor.The ABC has also learnt of another incident that left a newly appointed supervisor contaminated…………. Continue reading →

February 10, 2011 Posted by | AUSTRALIA, safety | Leave a comment

Man carries loaded handgun into Oyster Creek nuclear plant

Lititz man arrested for carrying handgun into nuclear plant – LancasterOnline.com News, 9 Feb 2011, A Lititz man visiting New Jersey’s Oyster Creek nuclear plant on business last week was arrested for carrying a loaded handgun through the plant’s front gate.New Jersey state law prohibits entry to the nation’s oldest nuclear plant with a weapon……Lititz man arrested for carrying handgun into nuclear plant – LancasterOnline.com News

February 10, 2011 Posted by | safety, USA | Leave a comment

Unacceptable risks of plutonium nuclear fuel

Energy NW asked not to use plutonium reactor fuel | Seattle Times Newspaper, 4 Feb 2011, RICHLAND, Wash. —Friends of the Earth is calling upon Energy Northwest not to consider using nuclear reactor fuel derived from weapons-grade plutonium at its Columbia Generating Station at Hanford.The environmental organization says it has obtained Department of Energy documents that say the public power consortium is evaluating the potential use of plutonium mixed oxide fuel at the reactor. It says the use of such fuel poses unacceptable risks and costs.The government says the fuel could produce energy while disposing of plutonium from abandoned nuclear weapons. The Energy Department is building a plant in South Carolina to make the fuel.Energy Northwest spokeswoman Rochelle Olson says it has no plans to use the fuel until studies prove it would be safe, economical and technically feasible. Local News | Energy NW asked not to use plutonium reactor fuel | Seattle Times Newspaper

February 5, 2011 Posted by | reprocessing, safety, USA | Leave a comment

Lightning strike damages Dounreay nuclear site

Lightning bolt hit Dounreay nuclear site systems, BBC News, 3 February 2011 A lightning strike caused temporary damage to the Dounreay nuclear site in Caithness, it has emerged.No-one was hurt, but a number of electronic systems for carrying out measurements and monitoring were affected and had to be repaired. Lightning hit scaffolding in the fuel cycle area, a high security zone with facilities once used to handle and store nuclear material and waste. The incident came during an electrical storm on 15 January………BBC News – Lightning bolt hit Dounreay nuclear site systems

February 4, 2011 Posted by | safety, UK | Leave a comment

Sweden’s massive emergency drill about its aging nuclear reactors

It would later include a nuclear waste accident that would force authorities to plan for evacuations and increased communication with the public…….Sweden’s parliament passed a landmark bill last June allowing the country’s nuclear reactors to be replaced at the end of their life spans instead of simply ending nuclear power when they expire.

Sweden kicks off massive nuclear accident drill, 03 February 2011 AFP / The Swedish Wire Swedish authorities on Wednesday kicked off the country’s largest-ever crisis management exercise on what to do in the event of an accident at one of its nuclear plants. Continue reading →

February 4, 2011 Posted by | safety, Sweden | Leave a comment

Legal case on unsafe transport of radioactive device

Although such radioactive exposures are rare, they are not unheard of.

Charges laid for unsafe transportation of radioactive device  Vancouver Sun, By Kelly Cryderman, Calgary Herald February 2, 2011 A case involving rarely used nuclear safety charges — and a radioactive device that travelled unlocked from northern Alberta to Ottawa — will be heard in a Calgary courtroom next month. Continue reading →

February 4, 2011 Posted by | Canada, safety | Leave a comment

Chernobyl safety effort stalled – too expensive

Chernobyl safety structure short of funds , MOSCOW, Feb. 2 (UPI) –– A shelter to cover and secure the wreckage of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is only half funded and construction may have to stop, Russian officials say.The new shelter is being built over the existing “sarcophagus” that covers almost 200 tons of melted nuclear fuel rods left inside the damaged reactor as a result of the 1986 disaster, the BBC reported Wednesday.

Following the explosion on April 26, 1986, thousands of workers risked their lives and health to build the sarcophagus, always intended to be temporary, around the reactor.

The new permanent cover is expected to cost $2.2 billion, but despite promises made at successive Group of 8 conferences, funding is still falling short, officials said. Chernobyl safety structure short of funds – UPI.com

February 3, 2011 Posted by | safety, Ukraine | Leave a comment

Wikileaks reveal incidents with radioactive and nuclear materials

WikiLeaks: uranium bricks and radioactive trains among nuclear terror scares, Telegraph UK. American officials around the world are locked in a constant race to stop terrorists and rogue states from obtaining nuclear, biological and chemical materials which could be used to construct a “dirty bomb”. By Heidi Blake   02 Feb 2011

These are some of the incidents and extraordinary potential plots involving some of the world’s most dangerous and volatile materials which are disclosed in the WikiLeaks cables: Continue reading →

February 2, 2011 Posted by | 2 WORLD, safety | Leave a comment

Wikileaks: report on nuclear trafficking

NUCLEAR SMUGGLING INCIDENT/PORTAL DETECTION AT BUJUMBURA – Telegraph, 2 Feb 2011, Passed to the Telegraph by WikiLeaks 9:00PM GMT 01 Feb 2011(SBU) “……..Post wishes to alert the Department and Washington agencies per reftel that it has received a report indicating a potential incident of illicit trafficking in nuclear and/or radiological materials. The report was generated by the Defense Attach (DATT) after a meeting with host government intelligence officials, who brought the suspect material into the room. Information concerning this report was initially relayed to PMAT by telephone at 1035Z, and further information was transmitted by email at 1151Z.2.(S/NF) Details of the incident follow:…..”NUCLEAR SMUGGLING INCIDENT/PORTAL DETECTION AT BUJUMBURA – Telegraph

February 2, 2011 Posted by | safety, USA | Leave a comment

More oversight planned for Entergy’s Vermont nuclear power plant

“I am deeply concerned with Vermont Yankee’s lack of transparency about serious problems that continue to be discovered around the plant,”

Vermont To Create Oversight Committee For Entergy Nuclear Plant – WSJ.com,By Naureen S. Malik, Dow Jones  NEW YORK  2 Feb 2011, -Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin has ordered the state utility regulator to appoint a new oversight committee for Entergy Corp.’s (ETR) nuclear plant amid worries over radioactive-material leaks. Continue reading →

February 2, 2011 Posted by | safety, USA | 1 Comment

Troubled Hartsville nuclear power plant to get more federal scrutiny

SC nuclear plant under increased fed oversight – Bloomberg, HARTSVILLE, S.C. (AP), 2 Feb 2011, — Federal nuclear regulators say they will increase oversight of a power plant near Hartsville.The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said in a news release Tuesday additional oversight of the H.B. Robinson nuclear power plant comes after two electrical fires and a plant shutdown in March. The company also reported a problem with an emergency diesel generator and had an excessive number of unplanned reactor shutdowns last year…….As part of the oversight, the plant will be subject to additional inspections by the commission. Those inspections have not been scheduled. SC nuclear plant under increased fed oversight – Bloomberg

February 2, 2011 Posted by | safety, USA | Leave a comment

Iran’s Bushehr nuclear plant dangerous?

[IAEA] officials, who asked for anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the issue, have said the agency is unhappy with safety and operating standards at the reactor.

Report warns of Iran nuke disaster, Google hosted news,  The Associated Press:, 1/2/2011, VIENNA — The control systems of Iran’s Bushehr nuclear plant have been penetrated by a computer worm unleashed last year, according to a foreign intelligence report that warns of a possible Chernobyl-like disaster once the site becomes fully operational. Russia’s envoy to NATO, Dmitry Rogozin, also has raised the specter of the 1986 reactor explosion in Ukraine, but suggested last week that the danger had passed. Continue reading →

February 2, 2011 Posted by | Iran, safety | Leave a comment

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