News archive
Nuclear-industry articles and summaries, with original dates and attribution.
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Monticello Nuclear Plant Uprate Delayed
Source: NewsCiting regulatory delays and equipment awaiting modification from a manufacturer, Xcel Energy is delaying a 12 percent power uprate at its Monticello nuclear plant near Minneapolis. Xcel filed its application for the uprate with the…
Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant Weekly Review
Source: NewsTokyo Electric Power Co. continues to learn more about just what happened at its Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant after Japan’s 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami this March. Recent radiation measurements suggest hydrogen from a neighboring unit…
Rolls-Royce Acquires Nuclear Plant Maintenance Firm R Brooks Associates
Source: NewsOn Thursday the nuclear energy division of Rolls-Royce announced its acquisition of R Brooks Associates, an American firm that performs roughly 200 inspections at reactors and other power facilities yearly. The $14 million deal “is…
Vogtle Reports Reactor Trip During Maintenance Wednesday
Source: NewsSafety systems at Georgia’s Plant Vogtle unit 1 tripped during maintenance Wednesday. The safe, automatic shutdown of the reactor happened at 9:06 a.m. A Southern Nuclear spokeswoman told the Augusta Chronicle the trip followed maintenance…
Nuclear Growth in China Expected to Slow
Source: NewsThe former head of China’s National Energy Administration said the rapid pace of new reactor construction in China will likely slow in coming years, although he emphasized the country’s growth would not be served by…
Areva: NRC Issues First-Ever Approval for Digital I&C Software Program Manual
Source: NewsA manual for software programs that run on Areva’s Teleperm XS instrumentation and controls system recently received approval from federal regulators, marking another step in Areva’s efforts to market its digital I&C systems in the…
NRC Inspection Ordered After Indication Quake May Have Exceeded North Anna Design Limits
Source: NewsCentered just 12 miles from the North Anna nuclear plant, last week’s earthquake in Virginia may have exceeded the facility’s design limits, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission indicated Monday. In a release, the agency said it…
French Prime Minister Calls for International Emergency Task Force, More Oversight of Nuclear Plants
Source: NewsOn Monday French Prime Minister Francois Fillon implored the international community to create a “rapid intervention system” backed with equipment and expertise to react to severe nuclear accidents anywhere in the world. While speaking at…
2 Reactors Shut Down Safely and 6 Reduce Power, but Majority of Affected Nuclear Plants Operate at Full Power During Storm
Source: NewsA transformer struck by flying debris triggered an automatic shutdown at a Calvert Cliffs reactor Saturday, and New Jersey’s Oyster Creek nuclear plant was taken offline the day before as a precaution. But most of…
Urenco Doubles Enrichment Capacity at New Mexico Plant
Source: NewsA Urenco subsidiary received approval last week to run additional centrifuge cascades that effectively double the capacity of its uranium enrichment plant in New Mexico. Following an inspection earlier this year, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission…
Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant Weekly Review
Source: NewsTokyo Electric Power Co. is optimistic about a new cooling technique for a damaged reactor at Fukushima Daiichi, while outside the plant recent testing indicates many evacuated areas may be uninhabitable for years. Developments this…
East Coast Nuclear Plants Prepare for Hurricane Irene (UPDATED With Entergy Statement)
Source: NewsJust days after the largest earthquake in the Mid-Atlantic in 67 years, nuclear plant operators along the East Coast are preparing for a hurricane anticipated to cause severe winds and power outages in several states.…
NRC: Unusual Event Declarations Cancelled, No Damage Found At Nuclear Plants After Va. Earthquake
Source: NewsThe Nuclear Regulatory Commission and reactor operators have given power plants within range of Tuesday’s earthquake a clean bill of health. All 12 facilities that declared an unusual event, the lowest of the NRC’s emergency…
Regulators Express Concerns About Flagship French EPR Build
Source: NewsThe new Flamanville 3 reactor – the first in France using Areva’s EPR design – drew heightened public scrutiny this week after a satirical newspaper made public a letter from French regulators about the quality…
North Anna Nuclear Power Station Restores Offsite Power
Source: NewsDominion Virginia Power's North Anna Power Station has restored off-site power, eliminating the need to rely on its back-up generators. The station remains in an Alert, the second lowest of the four emergency classifications of…
North Anna On Alert, 12 Nuclear Plants Declare Unusual Events Following Va. Earthquake
Source: NewsCut off from outside power, the North Anna nuclear plant remained on alert Tuesday night following an earthquake in Virginia, while some of the 12 nuclear plants that declared unusual events began withdrawing those notifications.The…
CEO: Kazakhstan To Export 100 Times More Uranium to China
Source: NewsKazakhstan’s Kazatomprom plans to increased uranium fuel pellet shipments to China from 2 metric tons this year to 200 metric tons in 2013 or 2014, the state-owned company’s CEO told Bloomberg Monday. Kazatomprom head Vladimir…
NRC is Monitoring North Anna and other Nuclear Plants on East Coast Following the Earthquake
Source: NewsThe U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is monitoring an Alert at the North Anna nuclear power plant in Virginia, following today’s earthquake in central Virginia. The NRC is also monitoring Unusual Events, the lowest emergency classification, declared…
Proposed Nuclear Plant Site In Utah Moves Closer to License Application
Source: NewsFollowing positive geologic findings, Blue Castle Holdings announced that its Green River, Utah, site is making progress toward an application to build the first nuclear plant in the state. In the last six months, preparations…
Lightning Strike Blamed For Partial External Power Loss at Indian Point
Source: NewsA lightning strike in a switchyard cut off one of the external power sources at New York’s Indian Point nuclear plant for about an hour Friday, activating emergency systems at unit 3. Shortly after 6…