safety « nuclear-news

Safety and costs – the top concerns about keeping aging nuclear reactors

two questions — safety and economics — lie at the heart of the research agenda now under way on plant aging…..the environment inside nuclear plants is like nothing else, subjecting reactor components to intense heat, stress, vibration and neutron bombardment that could potentially cause hidden weaknesses in reactors, pipes, joints, wiring and other components…if one were to have a seismic event — an earthquake — would the structures withstand the forces?”.

Experts Weigh Extending the Lives of Nuclear Power Plants to 80 Years- NC WARN , September 22nd, 2010 By PETER BEHR of ClimateWire Next year, when two nuclear reactors near Syracuse, N.Y., are shut down for normal refueling operations, technicians will enter their cavernous containment structures looking for signs of aging in the thick steel walls surrounding shrouds of concrete. Continue reading →

October 7, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear spin, nuclear technology, reactors | Leave a comment

Nevada’s 1,360 radioactive square miles need robot guards

The Nevada National Security Site is the location of a thousand nuclear weapons tests that have left the site contaminated with tens of millions of cubic feet of low-level radioactive waste. The site spans 1,360 square miles

Robo Tanks to Guard Nuclear Facility. What Could Possibly Go Wrong? | Discover Magazine,7 Oct 10, Who needs people to guard a nuclear weapons facility when you can build an autonomous robot to do it? Continue reading →

October 7, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear wastes, nuclear weapons, radiation, radioactive | Leave a comment

India affected by Stuxnet cyber worm

Stuxnet hits India the most, Anirudh Bhattacharyya, Hindustan Times New York, October 04, 2010 It’s being described as the new cyber WMD and may have crippled an Iranian nuclear plant, but one cybersecurity company has estimated that the worm, Stuxnet, may have its largest footprint in India…. Continue reading →

October 7, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | India, safety | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs | Leave a comment

Keeping terrorists from working in nuclear plants

Report: Changes needed to keep terrorists out of nuclear plants, KGAN CBS 2 – National News, October 04, 2010 ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) –– The Nuclear Regulatory Commission says it’s already on it.Federal auditors today recommended that the NRC be given better access to criminal databases and foreign travel histories of job applicants to keep terrorists from getting jobs inside the nation’s nuclear power plants…..Sen. Charles Schumer requested the review after a suspected al-Qaida member was found to have worked in a New Jersey nuclear power plant for six years. Schumer says the plants are not filled with terrorists, “but all you need is one.” ……KGAN CBS 2 – National News

October 5, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear weapons, reactors | Leave a comment

Stuxnet worm ushers in cyber war threat to nuclear plants

For advanced industrial nations, cyber-warfare is simultaneously a huge opportunity and a huge threat.

An undeclared war in cyberspace, FT.com m By Gideon Rachman : October 4 2010 In recent months, senior western officials have become discernibly more relaxed about the Iranian nuclear programme. It is not that they suddenly welcome the prospect of an Iranian bomb. It is just that, as one official put it recently: “We’re having quite a lot of success, disrupting what they are doing.”…..The Iranian government complains that it has been hit by “electronic warfare” in the form of the Stuxnet virus that has infected more than 30,000 computers in their country. Continue reading →

October 5, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, safety | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear technology, reactors | Leave a comment

Sri Lanka worried about safety of Indian nuclear plant

Sri Lankan government to discuss safety precautions of nuclear plant in Tamil Nadu with the Indian authorities Oct 03, Colombo: The Sri Lankan government has expressed concern over the safety precautions adopted by a nuclear power plant being set up in Tamil Nadu in Southern India.The government has initiated a dialogue with Indian authorities on the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant that is currently under construction in the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu in South India.
Power and Energy Minister Champika Ranawaka has been quoted in the local media as saying that Sri Lanka would discuss the safety precautions adopted by the Kudankulam nuclear power plant. Sri Lanka : Sri Lankan government to discuss safety precautions of nuclear plant in Tamil Nadu with the Indian authorities

October 4, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | ASIA, safety | AUSTRALIA, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear wastes, uranium | Leave a comment

Theft of uranium discovered in India

Man caught with uranium in Purulia – The Times of India, 4 Oct 10, PURULIA: A criminal with alleged links to gangs across the country and even Afghanistan was nabbed in Purulia with nearly 1 kg of uranium on Sunday. The market value of the radioactive element is said to be about $7 million……Man caught with uranium in Purulia – The Times of India

October 4, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | India, safety | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, uranium | Leave a comment

Earthquake danger to Armenian nuclear reactor

Concerned over the plant’s high-risk location and ageing facilities, the European Union in 2004 offered to provide 100 million euros (135 million dollars) in compensatory aid if Yerevan agreed to shut down the reactor.

Environmentalists decry risks of new Armenia nuclear reactor, Google hosted news, By Mariam Harutunian (AFP) –4 Oct 10, YEREVAN — A short drive from the Armenian capital, the enormous cooling towers of the Metzamor nuclear power station sit in a seismic zone that has suffered one of the worst earthquakes in modern history. Continue reading →

October 3, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | EUROPE, safety | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, reactor | Leave a comment

China’s nuclear plants now threatened by computer worm

Stuxnet ‘cyber superweapon’ moves to China, Google hosted news, 1 Oct 10 (AFP) – BEIJING — A computer virus dubbed the world’s “first cyber superweapon” by experts and which may have been designed to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities has found a new target — China.The Stuxnet computer worm has wreaked havoc in China, infecting millions of computers around the country, state media reported this week.Stuxnet is feared by experts around the globe as it can break into computers that control machinery at the heart of industry, allowing an attacker to assume control of critical systems like pumps, motors, alarms and valves.It could, technically, make factory boilers explode, destroy gas pipelines or even cause a nuclear plant to malfunction………AFP: Stuxnet ‘cyber superweapon’ moves to China

October 1, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | China, safety | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear technology, reactors | Leave a comment

Questions on Stuxnet’s ability to get into world’s top nuclear facilities

Among the questions that experts would like to answer concern the origin of the virus, its exact purpose and how it was able to spread between the protected and isolated infrastructures of some of the world’s top nuclear facilities.

All Eyes On Stuxnet At Annual Virus Researcher Summit, threat post September 29, 2010, The world will know more about the mysterious Stuxnet virus by week’s end, after top virus researchers reveal the findings of their post mortem on Stuxnet at the annual Virus Bulletin Conference. Continue reading →

October 1, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, safety | antinuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear technology, reactors | Leave a comment

University’s nuclear radiation mishap

KSU divulges reactor mishap CJOnline.com, By Tim Carpenter

September 29, 2010 – The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is investigating a Kansas State University nuclear reactor operator’s exposure to radiation during an experiment, a university official said Wednesday…..TRIGA Mark II reactor had been shut down since Sept. 22 to accommodate the NRC’s evaluation of the mishap. The NRC and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment were notified of the incident. KSU divulges reactor mishap | CJOnline.com

September 30, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, radiation, radioactive, reactor | Leave a comment

Nuclear power plants are vulnerable to the Stuxnet worm!

after finding a way into a plant’s system, the worm can simply steal data or potentially wreak havoc, causing its systems such as cooling pumps to malfunction.

Analysts: Stuxnet Raises Concerns About Vulnerability of Nuclear, Industrial Facilties , News.com, William Ide , 28 Sept 10, A powerful computer virus called the Stuxnet worm has apparently targeted Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant and infected computer systems from Asia to Europe and the United States. The capability of this malicious software is raising questions about the vulnerability of nuclear, electrical and other types of industrial facilities. Continue reading →

September 29, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, safety | antinuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear technology, reactors | Leave a comment

AREVA’s chief heads to Niger as uranium mines security deteriorates

The warning said the security situation in the Arlit region — where Areva runs uranium mines and where the five French nationals, a Togolese and a Madagascan were kidnapped by Al-Qaeda linked militants — was deteriorating.

Hostage crisis: French nuclear boss heads to Niger, Google hosted news, (AFP) – 28 Sept 10, PARIS — The chairwoman of French state-owned nuclear giant Areva is to visit the firm’s operation in Niger, the company said Monday, after Al-Qaeda militants kidnapped several of her employees there.”Anne Lauvergeon plans to visit Niger soon,” a spokesman said, declining to confirm a report that she would travel on Thursday. The purpose of her visit is to visit Areva employees in the region, the spokesman said. Continue reading →

September 28, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Niger, safety, Uranium | antinuclear, AREVA, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear wastes, uranium | Leave a comment

Claim that aliens attacked nuclear missile sites

he decided to come forward because he feels it’s time for people to know the truth. “I believe in the extraterrestrial hypothesis, and I think, in this instance, these objects were not constructed on planet Earth.”

Former Air Force officers say UFO’s attacked nuclear missile sites: They will break decades long silence on Monday September 27, 2010 , Gather News, 27 Sept 10, Continue reading →

September 27, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear secrecy | Leave a comment

Smart software designed to sabotage nuclear power plant

“This was assembled by a highly qualified team of experts, involving some with specific control system expertise,”

Software smart bomb fired at Iranian nuclear plant: experts, Google hosted news, By Glenn Chapman (AFP) –24 Sept 10, SAN FRANCISCO — Computer security experts are studying a scary new cyber weapon: a software smart bomb that may have been crafted to find and sabotage a nuclear facility in Iran. Malicious software, or malware, dubbed “Stuxnet” is able to recognize a specific facility’s control network and then destroy it, according to German computer security researcher Ralph Langne Continue reading →

September 25, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, safety | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear technology | Leave a comment