Nuclear Power Today articles from November 2004

Nuclear Power Today archives from November 2004

NRC Inspects Humbolt Plant for Missing Fuel Rods.(Nuclear Regulator Commission)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has commenced a special inspection at Pacific Gas & Electric's (PG&E) decommissioned Humboldt Bay nuclear plant near Eureka, CA, in response to the disappearance of three spent fuel rod segments from the...

GE Nuclear Honors Progress Energy's BWR Plants.(General Electric Company)(boiling water reactors)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... GE Energy recently announced that GE Nuclear honored last week Progress Energy's nuclear power plants in Brunswick, NC as two of the world's top sustained generation boiling water reactors (BWR), adding the two reactors to GE's 2003 BWR Honor...

PPL Susquehanna Names New VP of Nuclear Operations.(PPL Corporation)(Vice President)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... PPL Corporation recently announced that 31-year PPL veteran Robert Saccone has been named vice president of nuclear operations for the company's Susquehanna nuclear power plant, a two-unit, boiling water reactor located in Luzerne County, PA...

NRC Grants Renewals to Dresden, Quad Cities Reactors.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2004... The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) recently announced it has granted 20-year operating license renewals for Dresden Nuclear Power Station, Units 2 and 3, and the Quad Cities Nuclear Power Station, Units 1 and 2. Both facilities are...

Hope Creek Nuclear Unit Declares 'Unusual Event'.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2004... PSEG Nuclear recently announced that an "unusual event" was declared late last week at its Hope Creek generating station, a 1,049-megawatt nuclear power plant located in Lower Alloways Creek, NJ. According to PSEG, the event occurred due to...

Federal Court Rejects CCAM Millstone License Renewal Appeals.(Connecticut Coalition Against Millstone)(Brief Article)
November 2, 2004... The Associated Press (AP) recently reported that the Second Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals has rejected two appeals brought by the Connecticut Coalition Against Millstone (CCAM), which sought to block the 20-year license renewals of Dominion...

U.S. Nuclear Plants Meet NRC Deadline for Security Enhancements.(Nuclear Regulatory Commission)(Brief Article)
November 3, 2004... The Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) recently announced that all of the 103 commercial nuclear power plants operating at 64 sites in 31 states have met the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) October 29 deadline for implementing more stringent...

Switzerland to Distribute Medication to Nearby Plant Residents.(Brief Article)
November 3, 2004... Agence France-Presse (AFP) recently reported that the Swiss government has announced plans to distribute new potassium iodide tablets to more than 1 million people residing within a 20-kilometer (approximately 12.5-mile) radius of Switzerland's...

Reliance Energy Considers Nuclear Plant Construction.(Brief Article)
November 3, 2004... The Press Trust of India (PTI) recently reported that Reliance Energy plans to seek approval for the construction of new nuclear power plants to help ease the country's growing energy needs. According to PTI, Reliance Energy New Power...

Local PA High School to Offer New Nuclear Power Curriculum.(Brief Article)
November 3, 2004... The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette recently reported that the local Langley High School will be the nation's first high school to employ the Department of Energy's (DOE) new nuclear power curriculum, dubbed "The Harnessed Atom: A new curriculum in...

NRC Approves Generating Capacity Increase for Indian Point.(Nuclear Regulatory Commission)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) recently announced it has approved a request by Entergy Nuclear Operation to increase the generating capacity of Unit 2 at the Indian Point Energy Center in New York by 3.26 percent from approximately 995...

NJ Nuclear Plant Operator Questions Plans for LNG Terminal.(New Jersey)(liquefied natural gas)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... The Philadelphia Inquirer reported last week that Public Service Enterprise Group, Inc. (PSEG), which operates the Salem and Hope Creek nuclear power plants in Salem County, NJ, has filed comments with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission...

South African Government Provides Funding for Nuclear Project.(Pebble Bed Modular Reactor Proprietary Ltd)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... South African newspaper Business Day recently reported that officials with Centurion, South Africa-based Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (Pty) Ltd. have revealed that the state-supported company plans to use the 500 million rand (about $82.3...

Cornell to Provide Mediators for NRC's ADR Program.(alternative dispute resolution)(Nuclear Regulatory Commission)(Brief Article)
November 5, 2004... The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) recently announced it has contracted with Cornell University's Institute on Conflict Resolution to act as the neutral administrator in the agency's alternative dispute resolution (ADR) program for...

Korean Company Completes Construction of New Nuclear Plant.(Brief Article)
November 5, 2004... Korean newspaper the Chosun Ilbo recently reported that the state-run Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Company has completed construction of the country's latest nuclear plant. According to the paper, the 1-million-kilowatt (kW) facility,...

BNFL Nuclear Site Spreads Radioactive Material to Nearby Beach.(British Nuclear Fuels, Ltd)(Brief Article)
November 5, 2004... Scottish television news program Scotland Today recently reported that radioactive material has been leaking from pipelines at British Nuclear Fuels, Ltd.'s (BNFL) Hunterston plant in North Ayrshire, Scotland and blowing from cooling ponds...

Weekly Update.(Calendar)
November 5, 2004... AMERICAN NUCLEAR SOCIETY (ANS) WINTER MEETING AND NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY EXPO, November 14-18, 2004, Omni Shoreham Hotel, Washington, DC IAEA'S INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON DISPOSAL OF LOW ACTIVITY RADIOACTIVE WASTE, December 13-17, 2004,...

DOE Violates EPA Rules in Nuclear Waste Shipment to NM.(Department of Energy)(Energy Protection Agency)(New Mexico)(Brief Article)
November 8, 2004... The Albuquerque Journal recently reported it has obtained internal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) documents indicating that the Department of Energy (DOE) violated EPA rules in shipping more than 600 containers of radioactive waste from...

NRC Schedules Meetings on Vermont Yankee Issues.(Nuclear Regulatory Commission)(Brief Article)
November 8, 2004... The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) recently announced it will meet with Entergy Nuclear officials to discuss the preliminary findings of two recent inspections at the Vermont Yankee nuclear facility in Vernon, VT. The NRC has...

Detroit Edison Nuclear Plant Experiences Unexpected Power Loss.(Fermi II nuclear power plant, Monroe County)(Brief Article)
November 8, 2004... Local Ohio newspaper the Toledo Blade recently reported that Detroit Edison Company's Fermi II nuclear power plant in Monroe County, OH experienced a loss of power last week due to a malfunctioning electronic circuit card on one of the water...

Rosatom Assures Russian Nuclear Plant Shutdown Poses No Threat.(Brief Article)
November 9, 2004... Russian News & Information Agency (RIA Novosti) recently reported that Russian Federal Atomic Agency (Rosatom) spokesperson Nikolai Shingarev has announced that the Balakovo nuclear power plant unit 2, which experienced an unexpected shutdown...

DOE Announces Nuclear Plant Licensing Demo Project Awards.(Brief Article)
November 9, 2004... The Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced awards to two nuclear utility-led consortia under the Nuclear Power 2010 program, beginning the first phase of Nuclear Plant Licensing Demonstration projects with industry teams led by Richmond,...

NRC Postpones Two Meetings With Entergy on Vermont Yankee.(Nuclear Regulatory Commission)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2004... The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) recently announced it is working with local and state officials to reschedule two public exit meetings originally set for November 9 in Vernon, VT to discuss preliminary findings from two inspections...

NRC Restores Documents to Website Following Security Reviews.(Nuclear Regulatory Commission)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2004... The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) recently announced the restoration of various documents related to a possible application for a high-level waste repository that were temporarily removed from its website last month for an additional...

BNFL Announces Plans to Boost Security Measures.(British Nuclear Fuels Plc)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2004... Bloomberg News reported last week that British Nuclear Fuels Plc (BNFL) plans to spend more than $90 million this year to increase security at its Chapelcross, Capenhurst, Sellafield and Springfields nuclear power plants in the U.K. ...

Russia Launches Investigation Into Rumors of Meltdown.(Brief Article)
November 11, 2004... The Moscow News reported earlier this week that Russian officials have launched a criminal investigation into the source of false rumors that the Balakovsky nuclear power plant in Russia's Saratov region had malfunctioned and released...

Swiss Organizations Criticize New Nuclear Plant Proposals.(Muhleberg nuclear power plant)(Brief Article)
November 11, 2004... Swissinfo recently reported that various organizations in Switzerland have criticized proposals to extend the operating license of the Muhleberg nuclear power plant near Bern and to construct a new reactor in the country, recommending instead...

CAT Official Urges U.K. to Carefully Evaluate Nuclear Option.(Centre or Alternative Technologies)(Brief Article)
November 11, 2004... The Green Consumer Guide recently reported that Centre for Alternative Technologies (CAT) development director Paul Allen recommended earlier this week that the U.K. address several key concerns about nuclear power prior to pursuing development...

NRC Seeks Public Comment on ROP Implementation.(Nuclear Regulatory Commission)(reactor oversight process)(Brief Article)
November 12, 2004... The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) recently announced it is seeking public comment on the ongoing implementation of its reactor oversight process (ROP). The NRC created the ROP in 1999 to assess and revamp its inspection and...

DOE Awards BEA 10-year Contract to Develop Nuclear Laboratory.(Department of Energy)(Battelle Energy Alliance LLC)(Idaho National Laboratory)(Brief Article)
November 12, 2004... The Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced it has awarded the Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC (BEA) a 10-year, $4.8-billion contract to establish the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) as the nation's premier laboratory for nuclear energy...

EU, Japan Fail to Reach Agreement on Location of ITER.(European Union)(International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor)(Brief Article)
November 12, 2004... Reuters recently reported that talks held earlier this week between China, the EU, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the U.S. concerning the siting of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) failed to result in a definitive...

Weekly Update.(Brief Article)
November 12, 2004... AMERICAN NUCLEAR SOCIETY (ANS) WINTER MEETING AND NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY EXPO, November 14-18, 2004, Omni Shoreham Hotel, Washington, DC IAEA'S INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON DISPOSAL OF LOW ACTIVITY RADIOACTIVE WASTE, December 13-17, 2004,...

Groups Sue DOT Over New Nuclear Waste Transport Rules.(Department of Transportation)(Brief Article)
November 15, 2004... The Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS), the Sierra Club, Public Citizen, the Redwood Alliance and the Committee to Bridge the Gap (CBG) recently filed suit in a Northern California federal district court against the Department of...

NV Officials Approve Funds to Fight Yucca Repository.(Brief Article)
November 15, 2004... The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported last week that the Nevada state legislature's Interim Finance Committee approved $1.1 million in funding for the state's Agency for Nuclear Projects and $650,000 for the attorney general's office to support...

Slovakian Nuclear Facility Fined for Safety Violations.(Mochovce nuclear power plant)(Brief Article)
November 15, 2004... Interfax recently reported that Slovakia's Office for Nuclear Supervision has levied a 1.2 million Koruny (approximately $39,000) fine against the Mochovce nuclear power plant for safety violations. According to Interfax, Office for Nuclear...

Test Failure at Davis-Besse Results in Reduced Rating.(Brief Article)
November 16, 2004... The Cleveland Plain Dealer recently reported that operators of Ohio's Davis-Besse nuclear reactor have agreed to lower the facility's performance rating to reflect the inability of emergency sirens to activate during a monthly test held earlier...

France Looks to Further Privatize Areva Nuclear Company.(Brief Article)
November 16, 2004... Agence Frence-Press (AFP) recently reported that French economy minister Nicolas Sarkozy has announced government plans to further privatize nuclear energy company Areva during the first half of next year. According to AFP, shares in Areva...

Bruce Power to Reactivate B-8 Nuclear Reactor.(Brief Article)
November 17, 2004... Reuters recently reported that Bruce Power will soon return its 840-megawatt B 8 nuclear plant to service following an incident on November 10 during which the facility's turbine cooling water pumps automatically shut down. According to...

Road Construction Completed at New Nuclear Plant in China.(Brief Article)
November 17, 2004... The China Internet Information Center recently reported that road construction for the new 60-billion yuan (approximately $7.2-billion) Hongyanhe nuclear power plant in Donggang Town, Liaoning Province has been completed. According to the...

European Countries Discuss Reactor Development With Iran.(Brief Article)
November 17, 2004... British newspaper The Times recently reported that officials from several European countries met with delegates from Iran early last week in Paris to discuss a proposal to assist Iran in the development of a new light-water research reactor in...

NRC Lacks Funds to Test Nuclear Waste Casks.(Nuclear Regulatory Commission)(Brief Article)
November 18, 2004... The Associated Press (AP) reported this week that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) will not conduct "real-world" testing on casks that will be used to transport nuclear waste to the Yucca Mountain repository in Nevada, opting instead to...

Greenpeace Takes Legal Action Over Proposed Bulgarian Reactor.(Brief Article)
November 18, 2004... Bulgaria's Sofia News Agency recently reported that the country's High Administrative Court is expected to review the legal claim initiated by Greenpeace regional coordinator for central and eastern Europe Jan Haverkamp over the government's...

USEC Official Calls for Government Support of Nuclear Power.(USEC Inc.)(Brief Article)
November 18, 2004... Bethesda, MD-based energy company USEC, Inc., a leading supplier of enriched uranium fuel for commercial nuclear power plants, recently announced that its president and CEO William Timbers called on Congress and the Bush administration during...

EPA Approves Storage of Hanford Waste at WIPP.(Environmental Protection Agency)(Brief Article)
November 19, 2004... The Tri-City Herald reported this week that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has sent a letter to the Department of Energy (DOE) informing the agency that more than 600 drums of plutonium-laced waste illegally shipped from the state's...

Beaver Valley Power Station Unit 1 Returns to Service.(Brief Article)
November 19, 2004... FirstEnergy Corporation subsidiary FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company (FENOC) recently announced that Unit 1 of the Beaver Valley Power Station in Shippingport, PA returned to service earlier this week following a 28-day scheduled refueling....

American Commerce Awarded Machining for Nuclear Plant Job.(International Machine and Welding Inc)(Brief Article)
November 19, 2004... International Machine and Welding, Inc. (IMW) subsidiary American Commerce Solutions, Inc. recently announced it has been awarded a second "$100,000-plus" machining for its work on a nuclear power generation plant. According to IMW...

Weekly Update.
November 19, 2004... IAEA'S INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON DISPOSAL OF LOW ACTIVITY RADIOACTIVE WASTE, December 13-17, 2004, Palacio de Congresos y Exposiciones de Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain NUCLEAR FUEL SUPPLY FORUM, January 26, 2005, Willard Inter-Continental...

Exelon Finishes Three Mile Island Security Upgrades.(Brief Article)
November 22, 2004... The Associated Press (AP) recently reported that Exelon Nuclear has completed the security upgrades at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Middletown, PA required by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). According to AP, the...

Finland Says New Nuclear Plant Not Under Consideration.(Brief Article)
November 22, 2004... Reuters recently reported that Finnish trade and energy minister Mauri Pekkarinen has revealed that the country does not plan to discuss the construction of a sixth nuclear power plant until after the current government has completed its term...

EU to Invest in Shutdown of Armenian Nuclear Facility.(European Union)(Brief Article)
November 22, 2004... Russian Information Agency (RIA) Novosti recently reported that the European Union (EU) has pledged an investment of 100 million euros (about $130.1 million) in Armenia's search for alternative power following the planned closing of the...

Dominion Argues in CT Court to Retain Tax Credit.(Brief Article)
November 23, 2004... Local Connecticut newspaper The Day reported last week that lawyers with energy company Dominion squared off against lawyers representing the town of New Britain, CT, over whether the company's Millstone Power Station in Waterford, CT is still...

Japan Looks to U.S. to Expand Nuclear Technology Exports.(Brief Article)
November 23, 2004... Agence France-Presse recently reported that Japanese newspaper Nihon Keizai Shimbun has revealed that the Japanese government plans to expand its nuclear technology and equipment exports by bidding on new U.S. nuclear plant construction,...

Germany to Cease Nuclear Power Agreement With Brazil.(Brief Article)
November 23, 2004... Reuters recently reported that German foreign minister Joschka Fischer revealed to reporters last week in Brazil that Germany plans to cease its nuclear power accord with Brazil, instead calling on the country to invest more in renewable...

Environmentalists Protest Point Lepreau Refurbishment.(Brief Article)
November 24, 2004... The Canadian Press (CP) recently reported that Greenpeace Canada, the Climate Action Network, the Sierra Club, the David Suzuki Foundation and the Pembina Institute have written a letter to Prime Minister Paul Martin requesting that he reject...

Wisconsin PSC Rejects Nuclear Plant Sale to Out-of-state Company.(Public Service Commission)(Brief Article)
November 24, 2004... Local Wisconsin newspaper the Business Journal of Milwaukee recently reported that the state Public Service Commission (PSC) has rejected Wisconsin Power & Light Company and Wisconsin Public Service Corporation's proposed sale of the...

Japanese Official Takes Offense to EU Offer on ITER.(European Union)(International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor)(Brief Article)
November 24, 2004... The Associated Press (AP) recently reported that Japanese Education, Science and Technology Ministry director for fusion energy Satoru Ohtake informed the news service earlier this week that the European Union's offer to Japan of partial...

Weekly Update.(Calendar)
November 24, 2004... IAEA'S INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON DISPOSAL OF LOW ACTIVITY RADIOACTIVE WASTE, December 13-17, 2004, Palacio de Congresos y Exposiciones de Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain NUCLEAR FUEL SUPPLY FORUM, January 26, 2005, Willard Inter-Continental...

Public Citizen Criticizes Budget Bill's Nuclear Funding.(Brief Article)
November 29, 2004... Public Citizen recently announced that the FY 05 Omnibus Appropriations conference report (H.R. 4818), which passed out of conference committee earlier this month, includes as part of the Energy and Water Development section $50 million for the...

DOE Postpones Yucca Mountain License Application Submittal.(Department of Energy)(Brief Article)
November 29, 2004... The Associated Press (AP) recently reported that the Department of Energy (DOE) has announced it will not submit its Yucca Mountain nuclear waste facility license application by the December 31 deadline, although officials have not yet provided...

NRC Accepts NEC, Vermont State Contentions for Entergy Upgrade.(The New England Coalition)(Nuclear Regulatory Commission)(Brief Article)
November 30, 2004... The New England Coalition (NEC) recently reported that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) Atomic and Safety Licensing Board issued an order last week granting a hearing to NEC and the state of Vermont on Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee's...

Local CA Nuclear Reactor Resumes Operations Following Shutdown.(Brief Article)
November 30, 2004... The San Diego Union-Tribune recently reported that the Unit 2 reactor at California's San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station was reactivated early last week after being shut down four days earlier due to a short in electrical generator ground...

USEC Completes Acquisition of NAC International.(Brief Article)
November 30, 2004... USEC, Inc. recently announced the closing of its previously announced acquisition of NAC International from Pinnacle West Capital Corporation. According to USEC, the acquisition strengthens its position in the nuclear fuel cycle and allows...

India Rules Out Coal Reserve Regions for New Nuclear Reactors.
November 30, 2004... The Times of India recently reported that Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) chairman Anil Kakondkar has revealed that the states of West Bengal, Orissa and Jharkhand will not be considered for future nuclear reactor construction. According...