Nuclear Power Today articles from June 2005

Nuclear Power Today archives from June 2005

Entergy, Vermont Legislators Reach Deal on Nuclear Waste Storage.
June 1, 2005... The Associated Press (AP) recently announced that Entergy Nuclear has reached an agreement with government officials in Vermont under which the state legislature will permit the company to store spent nuclear fuel in above-ground dry cask...

GE Energy to Supply Monitoring, Control Systems for Forsmark.
June 1, 2005... GE Energy recently announced that its nuclear business has been awarded a multimillion dollar contract to upgrade the monitoring and control systems for the Forsmark nuclear power station located on Sweden's east coast. According to GE...

Maine Yankee Official Says Waste to Be Exported in 10 Years.
June 2, 2005... Local Maine newspaper the Lincoln County News recently reported that Maine Yankee chief nuclear officer Mike Meisner commented during the company's Community Advisory Panel meeting late last month that he expects the radioactive waste currently...

Russia Looks to Build Floating Nuclear Plant by 2010.
June 2, 2005... Moscow News recently reported that a spokesperson for Russia's Atomic Energy Agency (RosAtom) informed Russian news agency Itar-Tass late last month that the country plans to build by the end of the decade a new floating nuclear power plant in...

Greenpeace Activists Climb Atop Dutch Reactor in Protest.
June 2, 2005... Agence France-Presse (AFP) recently reported that a group of Greenpeace activists climbed to the top of a reactor at the nuclear power plant in Borssele, Netherlands last month and painted a crack on the dome to protest the use of nuclear...

PG&E Submits Final Report on Missing Fuel Rods to NRC.
June 3, 2005... Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) recently announced the submission to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) of a final report on the investigation into the location of used nuclear fuel rod segments at its Humboldt Bay Power Plant...

France Considers Nuclear Technology Collaboration With Libya.
June 3, 2005... Agence France-Presse (AFP) recently reported that the French ambassador to Libya presented an official note to Libyan foreign minister Abdelrahman Shalgham earlier this week expressing a willingness to aid Libya in its development of a civilian...

NIRS Says Sirens Without Backup Power May Fail in Meltdown.
June 3, 2005... The Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS) recently announced that, in response to a petition filed by NIRS and 16 other organizations and local governments, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has revealed that 28 reactor...

Weekly Update.
June 3, 2005... NUCLEAR SOCIETY 26TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE: June 12-15, 2005, Marriott Eaton Center, Toronto, Ontario NUCLEAR CONGRESS 2005: FUEL FOR THOUGHT, July 6-7, 2005, University of Wales College, Newport, U.K. ANS 2005 UTILITY WORKING CONFERENCE:...

NRC Publishes Licensing, Inspection, Annual Fees for FY 05.
June 6, 2005... The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) recently announced it is amending its regulations to reflect the licensing, inspection and annual fees it will charge applicants and licensees for FY 05. According to NRC, the agency is required by...

Sweden Discontinues Operation of Final Barseback Reactor.
June 6, 2005... PA News recently reported that the Swedish government has closed the last remaining reactor at the controversial Barseback nuclear power plant. According to PA News, the shutdown, following decades of protest by anti-nuclear activists in...

Venezuelan President Considers Nuclear Power Development.
June 6, 2005... Reuters recently reported that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has expressed an interest in developing nuclear power technology as an alternative energy source. According to Reuters, Chavez said the government may potentially partner with...

NRC Revises Regulations on Access to Classified Information.
June 7, 2005... The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) recently announced it is changing agency regulations to expand the categories of persons who may seek access to classified information associated with NRC-regulated activities, as well as the categories...

DOE, IDL Launch New Energy Center With Nuclear Focus.
June 7, 2005... Department of Energy (DOE) secretary Samuel Bodman and Idaho governor Dirk Kempthorne announced last week the initiation of a new program at the Idaho National Laboratory (IDL) known as the Center for Advanced Energy Studies (CAES), a facility...

NRC Rejects Atomic Waste Deregulation Rulemaking.
June 8, 2005... The Committee to Bridge the Gap, the Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS) and Public Citizen recently joined in announcing that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has unanimously rejected a rulemaking proposal by its staff that...

SCE&G Summer Nuclear Station Returns to Service After Outage.
June 8, 2005... SCANA Corporation's principal subsidiary South Carolina Electric & Gas Company (SCE&G) recently announced that the 1,000-megawatt (MW) V.C. Summer Nuclear Station located near Columbia, SC returned to service earlier this week following a...

Australian Minister Says Uranium Plans Unrelated to Nuclear.
June 8, 2005... The Australian recently reported that industry minister Ian Macfarlane revealed during a meeting with representatives of the mining industry last week a new government strategy to expand the country's uranium mining sector for international...

NRC Adds Syria to List of Embargoed Destinations.
June 9, 2005... The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) recently announced the revision of its import/export regulations to reflect current U.S. law and foreign policy on Syria. According to NRC, the changes remove Syria from the list of restricted...

CNNC Says China to Construct 30 Nuclear Plants by 2020.
June 9, 2005... Xinhua recently reported that China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) general manager Kang Rixin has revealed that the country plans to construct 30 new nuclear generators with a combined output capacity of 40,000 megawatts by the year 2020....

NRCan Minister Appoints New AECL Board Member.
June 10, 2005... Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) minister R. John Efford recently announced the appointment of Robert Harding, who has been with Brascan Corporation for more than 20 years in a number of senior executive positions, as a new member of the board...

British Nuclear to Reduce Sellafield Workforce.
June 10, 2005... The Guardian recently reported that the British Nuclear Group has revealed plans to eliminate 500 jobs at the Sellafield nuclear power plant during the coming two years. According to the newspaper, British Nuclear said the reductions are...

NEI Says Nuclear Key to Reducing U.S. CO2 Emissions.
June 10, 2005... The Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) recently announced that Polestar Applied Technology, Inc. has released a new report which concludes that the 15 nuclear power reactors currently operating in nine northeastern U.S. states must continue...

Weekly Update.
June 10, 2005... NUCLEAR SOCIETY 26TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE: June 12-15, 2005, Marriott Eaton Center, Toronto, Ontario NUCLEAR CONGRESS 2005: FUEL FOR THOUGHT, July 6-7, 2005, University of Wales College, Newport, U.K. ANS 2005 UTILITY WORKING CONFERENCE:...

GE Nuclear Assesses Potential Merger of U.S. Offices.
June 13, 2005... The Associated Press (AP) recently reported that GE Nuclear spokesperson Tom Rumsey has revealed the company is currently evaluating the potential merger of its U.S. operations, relocating offices from San Jose, CA; Huntersville, NC; and...

CDU Says Party Would Extend German Nuclear Plant Life.
June 13, 2005... Bloomberg recently reported that German Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party head Angela Merkel commented last week that if the party were to win the country's general election in September, it would permit German utilities to continue...

Hope Creek Operators Declare Unusual Event.
June 13, 2005... PSEG Nuclear recently announced that the 1,100-megawatt Hope Creek, NJ nuclear plant was shut down last week as the result of an unidentified leak that exceeded 10 gallons per minute. According to PSEG Nuclear, the leak is currently under...

U.K. Releases List of Potential Nuclear Waste Sites.
June 14, 2005... BBC News reported earlier this week that the U.K. government has released a list of 12 proposed sites for the storage of nuclear waste. According to BBC News, the list was originally compiled in the 1980s by Nirex, the company responsible...

Poll Finds Ontario Residents in Favor of Phasing Out Nuclear.
June 14, 2005... Greenpeace recently released the results of a Strategic Communications poll of Ontario, Canada residents which indicate that residents would prefer phasing out nuclear power in favor of renewable energy sources. According to the...

NRC Restores 70,000 Documents to On-line Library.
June 15, 2005... The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) recently announced it is restoring public access to more than 70,000 additional documents through its on-line public library, ADAMS, after reviewing them for "security sensitivity." According to NRC,...

Susquehanna Nuclear Plant Unit 2 Restarts After Shutdown.
June 15, 2005... PPL Corporation recently announced that its Susquehanna nuclear power plant Unit 2 began generating electricity this past weekend after automatically shutting down on June 6. According to PPL Corporation, the shutdown was caused by a voltage...

Shaw Joins Westinghouse and Mitsubishi AP1000 Consortium.
June 15, 2005... The Shaw Group, Inc. recently announced that its Shaw Stone and Webster unit has joined the Westinghouse Electric Company and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries "AP1000 Consortium" as an architect engineer. According to Shaw, the consortium is...

Scot Official Warns of Dangers Associated With Nuclear Phaseout.
June 16, 2005... The Scotsman recently reported that former Scottish Enterprise Power Generation and Renewable Energy division head Blair Armstrong has commented that the government's planned phaseout of nuclear power plants increases the likelihood of future...

FOE, NIRS Launch Online Anti-Nuclear Campaign.
June 16, 2005... Friends of the Earth (FOE) and the Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS) recently joined to launch a new Internet-based campaign "opposing nuclear power and the broader energy bill before the Congress." The groups noted that the U.S....

First Phase of AZ Uranium Project to Commence by Month's End.
June 17, 2005... Las Vegas, NV-based Golden Patriot Corporation, a company engaged in the acquisition and exploration of "high priority" gold properties in northern Nevada, recently announced it has been notified by mineral exploration contractor Ashworth...

CNNC Details Plans for Building New Reactors.
June 17, 2005... China Daily recently reported that the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) plans to independently build two 650-megawatt and two one-gigawatt reactors at its Qinshan plant. According to China Daily, CNNC noted that, while the...

COMARE Reports on Childhood Cancer Near U.K. Nuclear Sites.
June 17, 2005... The U.K. Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment (COMARE) recently announced the release of a report on its study of the incidence of childhood cancer in the vicinity of all the major licensed nuclear sites in Britain. ...

Weekly Update.
June 17, 2005... NUCLEAR CONGRESS 2005: FUEL FOR THOUGHT, July 6-7, 2005, University of Wales College, Newport, U.K. ANS 2005 UTILITY WORKING CONFERENCE: THE REACTOR IS CRITICAL -- EXCELLENCE TODAY, SUSTAINING GROWTH TOMORROW, August 7-10, 2005, Amelia...

Leaked G8 Draft Report Reveals Support for Nuclear Power.
June 20, 2005... Reuters recently reported that the leaked draft of a communique authored in advance of the upcoming G8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland reveals the inclusion of text supporting the use of "zero-carbon" nuclear power. According to Reuters,...

Groups Urge Congress to Choose Renewables Over Nuclear.
June 20, 2005... National nonprofit public interest organization Public Citizen recently reported that approximately 300 environmental interest groups, including the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, Sierra Club, Greenpeace and the Nuclear Information and...

Senators Oppose Interim Nuclear Waste Storage Proposal.
June 21, 2005... The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported last week that U.S. Senators Harry Reid (D-NV) and Pete Domenici (R-NM) have voiced opposition to a Department of Energy (DOE) spending bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this month...

DOE Cites SEC for Nuclear Safety Rules Violation.
June 21, 2005... The Department of Energy (DOE) recently notified Safety and Ecology Corporation (SEC), the contractor responsible for radiological safety at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Project in Portsmouth, OH, that it will fine the company $55,000 for...

Leak Forces Hope Creek to Shut Down for Second Time This Month.
June 21, 2005... The Associated Press (AP) recently reported that a leak found late last week in a steam isolation valve line at PSEG Nuclear's Hope Creek facility in New Jersey has forced the nuclear power plant to shut down for the second time this month. ...

Columbia Generating Station Shuts Down Following Restart.
June 22, 2005... Local Washington newspaper the Tri-City Herald recently reported the shutdown of Energy Northwest's Columbia Generating Station due to issues with an internal reactor pressure and steam flow regulating valve control system. According to...

Indian Official Predicts Nuclear Output for 2007-08.
June 22, 2005... The Press Trust of India recently reported that a top Indian nuclear energy official has predicted that the country's nuclear reactors will generate 4,500 megawatts (MW) of electricity by 2007 to 2008. According to the Press Trust,...

NRC Issues Final Reports for Proposed NM Enrichment Plant.
June 23, 2005... The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) recently published its final environment impact statement and safety evaluation report for the proposed gas centrifuge uranium enrichment plant to be built in Lea County, NM. NRC said Louisiana...

AREVA Wins Contract to Provide Fuel for Swedish Reactors.
June 23, 2005... AREVA recently announced that Framatome ANP, the company's joint venture with Siemens, has been awarded a contract valued at more than 100 million euros (approximately $121 million) to provide fuel for six nuclear reactors operated by...

OPPD President Elected to WANO Governing Council.
June 23, 2005... The Omaha Public Power District (OPPD) recently announced that its president and chief executive officer W. Gary Gates has been elected to the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO) Governing Council and the Atlanta Regional Governing...

Bush Calls for Expanded Use of Nuclear Energy.
June 24, 2005... The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported earlier this week that after touring the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant in Lusby, MD, President Bush called on Congress to send him energy legislation that will help expand the use of nuclear power...

Survey Reveals Public Support for Nuclear Energy Expansion.
June 24, 2005... The Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) recently announced that the results of a poll conducted last month by Bisconti Research, Inc. and NOP World reveal that a majority of Americans believe nuclear energy will play an important role in meeting the...

Weekly Update.
June 24, 2005... NUCLEAR CONGRESS 2005: FUEL FOR THOUGHT, July 6-7, 2005, University of Wales College, Newport, U.K. ANS 2005 UTILITY WORKING CONFERENCE: THE REACTOR IS CRITICAL -- EXCELLENCE TODAY, SUSTAINING GROWTH TOMORROW, August 7-10, 2005, Amelia...

Public Citizen Decries Energy Bill Support for Nuclear.
June 27, 2005... In a new cost analysis of the Senate energy bill, nonprofit consumer advocacy organization Public Citizen finds that the nuclear power industry stands to gain more than $10.1 billion in subsidies and tax breaks, as well as "unlimited...

NRC Issues Safety Evaluation for North Anna ESP App.
June 27, 2005... Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff recently issued a final safety evaluation report (SER) for a requested early site permit (ESP) at the North Anna site in Louisa County, VA. If approved, NRC said the North Anna permit, the...

Entergy Nuclear Northeast Appoints New Governmental Affairs VP.
June 27, 2005... Entergy Corporation recently announced the promotion of Kenneth Theobalds to vice president of governmental affairs for Entergy Nuclear Northeast. According to Entergy, Theobalds, who acted as former New York governor Mario Cuomo's...

Constellation Completes Construction of R.E. Ginna EOF.
June 28, 2005... Constellation Energy recently announced the completion of a $2.8-million emergency operations facility (EOF) and adjoining joint information center (JIC) at its R.E. Ginna nuclear power plant. The company noted that the 19,000-square-foot...

Confidential Japanese Nuclear Info Leaked as Result of Virus.
June 28, 2005... Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun recently reported that confidential information about seven nuclear power plants was available on the Internet late last week as the result of a virus on the personal computer operated by a Mitsubishi Electric...

USEC Extends Supply Contract With Exelon.
June 28, 2005... USEC, Inc. recently announced a $400-million extension of the company's contract with Exelon Generation Company to provide separative work units (SWUs) to Exelon's nuclear power reactors. According to USEC, the extension will allow the...

Westinghouse Supplies Ovation System to Exelon Unit.
June 29, 2005... Westinghouse Electric Company recently announced the installation of an Ovation digital turbine control system at Exelon Generation's Byron Unit 1 in Byron, IL., during a recently completed outage. According to Westinghouse, the Ovation...

Former President Carter Voices Support for Nuclear Power.
June 29, 2005... American Electric Power (AEP) recently announced that former President Jimmy Carter toured the company's Cook nuclear power plant in Bridgman, MI late last week, "[affirming] his optimism for the future of nuclear energy while highlighting the...

EU, Japan Agree to Site ITER in Cadarache, France.
June 30, 2005... The European Union (EU) announced earlier this week that the six parties participating in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project have decided to site the facility in Cadarache, Provence, France, a plan initially...

Russian Official Says Country to Help Iran Develop Nuclear.
June 30, 2005... Reuters recently reported that Russian Atomic Energy Agency head Alexander Rumyantsev said his country plans to ignore U.S. concerns and help Iran build as many as six new nuclear power facilities. According to Reuters, Rumyantsev said...

Australian MPs Say Nuclear Power to Be Debated in Inquiry.
June 30, 2005... Australian newspaper The Age recently reported that a parliamentary committee is set to debate the viability of nuclear power use in the country later this summer. According to the newspaper, while the committee's upcoming inquiry is...