Nuclear Power Today articles from September 2004

Nuclear Power Today archives from September 2004

DOE Signs Cooperation Agreement With French CEA.(French Atomic Energy Commission)(Contracts)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... The Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced the signing of a cooperation agreement between its Office of Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology and the French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), that provides DOE access to the French PHENIX...

Kansai to Replace Mihama Reactor Pipes.(Kansai Electric Power Company Inc.,)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Japan's Kansai Electric Power Company recently announced plans to replace weakened pipes at the Mihama Nuclear Power Plant's Number 2 reactor. The company had previously kept the pipes in service because it believed they were covered by an...

Khatami Says Iran Willing to Prove Integrity of Nuclear Program.(Iranian president Mohammad Khatami)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... The Seattle Times recently reported that Iranian president Mohammad Khatami remarked during a news conference earlier this week that the country will "guarantee" that its nuclear program development is solely for the purposes of power-related...

Internationals Seek Continued Nuclear Suspension in North Korea.(Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... South Korean news agency Yonhap recently reported that a government official said last week that an international association led by the U.S. is urging the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO) to extend the suspension of a...

U.K. Revealed to Be Storing Foreign Nuclear Waste.(Brief Article)
September 2, 2004... The Guardian recently reported that information obtained by the newspaper from U.K. Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) officials and documentation reveals that the federal government soon plans to announce a new policy related to the...

Australian Parties Debate Territory Nuclear Waste Dump.(Brief Article)
September 2, 2004... The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) recently reported that the federal government is examining the possibility of storing the nation's nuclear waste at a site in Solomon in the Northern Territory. According to ABC, Labor party...

NRC Says DOE Failed to Make Yucca Documents Available.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) recently announced that its Atomic Safety and Licensing Board ruled earlier this week that the Department of Energy (DOE) certification that it made available all DOE documentary material on its proposed...

New England Coalition Files Vermont Yankee Petition With NRC.(Nuclear Regulatory Commission)(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... The New England Coalition recently announced that its staff technical advisor Raymond Shadis has filed a formal hearing request before a Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Atomic Safety and Licensing Board to dispute the proposed 20-percent...

Southern Nuclear Appoints New President, CEO.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... Southern Company recently announced that its Southern Nuclear subsidiary has named James Beasley, executive vice president and chief nuclear officer of Southern Nuclear, as its new president and chief executive officer (CEO). The company...

Weekly Update.(Calendar)
September 3, 2004... ECORAD 2004: THE SCIENTIFIC BASIS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGAINST RADIOACTIVITY, September 6-10, 2004, The Congress Center, Aiz-en-Provence, France INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON NUCLEAR KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT: STRATEGIES, INFORMATION...

Peach Bottom Address NRC Safety Violations.(Nuclear Regulatory Commission)(Exelon's Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station)(Brief Article)
September 7, 2004... Local Pennsylvania newspaper the York Daily Record recently reported that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has asked officials from Exelon's Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station Unit 2 to submit a formal strategy on how to address two "low...

Xcel to File License Renewal Applications for MN Plants.(Minnesota)(Brief Article)
September 7, 2004... Xcel Energy recently announced that its board of directors has authorized the company to "take the steps necessary to pursue renewal of operating licenses for the Monticello and Prairie Island nuclear plants in Minnesota." According to...

Japan's TEPCO Brings Fukushima Reactor Back On Line.(Tokyo Electric Power Company)(Brief Article)
September 7, 2004... Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) announced last week it has resumed operation of the number 2 reactor at its Fukushima Daini plant following a nearly five-month shutdown for scheduled safety inspections. Company officials said the...

NRC Seeks Information on Steam Generator Inspections.(Nuclear Regulatory Commission)(Brief Article)
September 8, 2004... The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) recently issued a "generic letter" to the nuclear industry asking all operators of pressurized-water reactors (PWR) for information on how they conduct inspections of the tubes in the reactors' steam...

EU Takes Legal Action Against Britain for Nuclear Inspections.(European Union)(Brief Article)
September 8, 2004... Agence France-Presse (AFP) recently reported that a European Union (EU) source informed the news agency late last week that the EU executive plans to bring charges against Britain in the Court of Justice of the European Communities for refusing...

DOE, ANS to Host ANES 2004 in Miami Beach, FL.(Department of Energy)(American Nuclear Society)(Brief Article)
September 8, 2004... The Department of Energy (DOE) and the American Nuclear Society (ANS) will host the Americas Nuclear Energy Symposium (ANES) 2004, with coordination by the Hemispheric Center for Environmental Technology at Florida International University,...

Stone & Webster Awarded Two Nuclear Plant Contracts.(Brief Article)
September 8, 2004... The Shaw Group, Inc. recently announced that its subsidiary Stone & Webster Construction, Inc. has been awarded a $20-million contract by Connecticut Yankee Atomic Power Company to provide decommissioning construction labor and management...

CMS to File for License Renewal on Palisades Nuclear Plant.(Brief Article)
September 9, 2004... CMS Energy announced last week it will apply for a 20-year federal license renewal for its 33-year-old Palisades nuclear plant in Michigan. The plant, which employs 600 people and is capable of generating up to 789 megawatts of energy,...

Nuclear Contractor Alleges Impropriety at TN Plant.(Tennessee Nuclear)(Brief Article)
September 9, 2004... Local Tennessee newspaper the Knoxville News-Sentinel recently reported that a former contractor for The Shaw Group and its subsidiary Stone & Webster Construction, Inc. has filed a lawsuit alleging he was terminated for citing both improper...

Westinghouse Awaits U.S. Approval of Nuclear Contracts in China.(United States)(Brief Article)
September 9, 2004... Reuters recently reported that British Nuclear Fuels subsidiary Westinghouse Electric Company said last week it anticipates the U.S. State Department will finish assessing the company's application to build nuclear facilities in China by the...

AEP to Sell Stake in STP Nuclear Plant to Co-owners.(American Electric Power)(South Texas Project)(Brief Article)
September 10, 2004... American Electric Power's (AEP) Texas Central Company (TCC) recently announced it will sell its 25.2-percent stake in the 2,500-megawatt South Texas Project (STP) nuclear plant. The buyers are STP's co-owners Texas Genco Holdings Inc. (TGH)...

China Announces Plans to Construct New Nuclear Facilities.(Brief Article)
September 10, 2004... Xinhua recently reported that China's State Development and Reform Commission vice minister Zhang Guobao announced during the World Energy Congress earlier this week that China plans to allow public bidding on several nuclear power projects...

DOE Explores Development of New Transportable Reactor.(Department of Energy)(Brief Article)
September 10, 2004... Online news source Space Daily recently reported that the Department of Energy (DOE) is working on the development of a new nuclear power option, dubbed the small, sealed, transportable, autonomous reactor (SSTAR), that would enable the U.S. to...

Weekly Update.
September 10, 2004... 16TH TOPICAL MEETING ON TECHNOLOGY OF FUSION ENERGY, September 14-16, 2004, TBA, Madison, WI 4TH INTERNATIONAL TOPICAL MEETING ON NUCLEAR PLANT INSTRUMENTATION, CONTROL AND HUMAN-MACHINE INTERFACE TECHNOLOGIES (NPIC & HMIT 2004), September...

NRC Issues New Report on Nuclear Safety Issues.(Nuclear Regulatory Commission)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) recently announced it has released its "Third National Report for the Convention on Nuclear Safety," which outlines the U.S. government's plan for achieving the objectives of the Convention on Nuclear...

Nuclear Plant Pipe System Violates Japanese Standards.(non-acceptance.)
September 13, 2004... Yomiuri Shimbun recently reported that Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency determined during an inspection last week that the B pipe system at the Mihama Nuclear Power Plant's No. 3 reactor fails to meet government thickness...

Phase Two Construction Begins at Chinese Nuclear Facility.(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Chinese newspaper the People's Daily recently reported that phase two construction has commenced at the Ling'ao nuclear power plant in Shenzhen, China. According to the paper, plant builder Guangdong Nuclear Power Engineering Company, Ltd....

NRC Requests Comments on MI Reactor Decommissioning Plan.(Nuclear Regulatory Commission)(Brief Article)
September 14, 2004... The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) recently announced a call for public comment on a plan to decommission the Ford Nuclear Reactor on the North Campus of the University of Michigan. The reactor, which went on line in 1957, was shut...

Nevada Files Suit Over Yucca Waste Shipment Plan.(Department of Energy)(Brief Article)
September 14, 2004... Nevada attorney general Brian Sandoval announced last week the state's filing in the D.C. Court of Appeals of a new lawsuit against the Department of Energy (DOE) challenging its transportation plan for nuclear waste shipments to the proposed...

New Film Addresses Possible Attack on Indian Point Nuclear Plant.(Brief Article)
September 14, 2004... Agence France-Presse (AFP) recently reported that environmental group Riverkeeper's chief attorney Robert Kennedy, Jr. is featured in the new Rory Kennedy-produced film "Indian Point: Imagine the Unimaginable," which investigates the...

EPA Announces Intention Not to Appeal Yucca Standard Ruling.(Environmental Protection Agency)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2004... The Las Vegas Sun recently reported that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) revealed in a statement issued last week its intention not to appeal the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit's July 9 ruling relating to...

New NRC Website Highlights Preparedness, Incident Response.(Nuclear Regulatory Commission)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2004... A new website from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) contains information and resources related to emergency preparedness and incident response. "Emergency preparedness and incident response are tightly connected and work together to...

EU Outlines Nuclear Safety and Management Legislation.(European Union)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2004... Reuters recently reported that European Union (EU) energy commissioner Loyola de Palacio announced last week amendments to the EU nuclear safety and waste management legislation originally proposed in January 2003. According to Reuters,...

Groups Say New NRC Public Participation Rules Illegal.(Nuclear Regulatory Commission)(Brief Article)
September 16, 2004... Consumer advocacy organization Public Citizen and the Nuclear Information and Resources Service (NIRS) argued before the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston, MA earlier this week that new rules issued by the Nuclear Regulatory...

NRC Issues Final Report, Approval for Westinghouse Design.(Nuclear Regulatory Commission)(Brief Article)
September 16, 2004... The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) recently announced the release of a final safety evaluation report and final design approval for Westinghouse's AP1000 advanced reactor design. According to NRC the AP1000 is designed to generate...

Ontario Government Begins Negotiations to Restart Reactors.(Brief Article)
September 16, 2004... Local Canadian newspaper the Toronto Star recently reported that the Ontario government has decided to begin negotiations with Bruce Power Company to repair and restart two inactive reactors at its Bruce nuclear power facility near Kincardine,...

NRC Modifies Availability of Plant Security Information.(Nuclear Regulatory Commission)(Brief Article)
September 17, 2004... The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) recently announced it has determined that certain security information formerly included in the "reactor oversight process" will no longer be publicly available, and will no longer be updated on the...

VT Public Service Board Amends Order for Vermont Yankee.(Vermont)(Brief Article)
September 17, 2004... Local Vermont newspaper the Brattleboro Reformer recently reported that the Vermont Public Service Board has amended its March 15 order requiring Energy Nuclear's Vermont Yankee plant to install 22 new cooling tower fans at the facility before...

Dominion Nuclear to File Motion Related to Storage Plan Appeal.(Brief Article)
September 17, 2004... Local Connecticut newspaper The Day recently reported that Millstone Power Station owner Dominion Nuclear Connecticut, Inc. has revealed its intention to file a motion in an effort to dismiss the Connecticut Coalition Against Millstone's appeal...

Korea Establishes Consensus Group on Nuclear Waste.(Brief Article)
September 17, 2004... The Korea Times recently reported that the government's Uri Party, in collaboration with various non-governmental organizations, has decided to establish a "consensus organization" to discuss recent issues and problems concerning the proposed...

Weekly Update.
September 17, 2004... 4TH INTERNATIONAL TOPICAL MEETING ON NUCLEAR PLANT INSTRUMENTATION, CONTROL AND HUMAN-MACHINE INTERFACE TECHNOLOGIES (NPIC & HMIT 2004), September 19-22, 2004, Hyatt on Capitol Square, Columbus, OH 2004 INTERNATIONAL MEETING ON LWR FUEL...

NRC Official Testifies Before Congress on Security.(Nuclear Regulatory Commission)(Brief Article)
September 20, 2004... In recent testimony before the House Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations, Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) executive director for operations Luis Reyes detailed the agency's ongoing measures to...

Maine Yankee Reactor Containment Building Destroyed.(Brief Article)
September 20, 2004... The Associated Press (AP) recently reported that the commercial reactor containment building at the retired Maine Yankee nuclear power plant was destroyed using explosives last week as part of the facility's decommissioning process. "Other...

Dominion Elects to Man Own Fire Brigade at Millstone.(Dominion Nuclear Connecticut, Inc.)(Brief Article)
September 20, 2004... Local Connecticut newspaper The Day recently reported that Dominion Nuclear Connecticut, Inc. has revealed plans to man its own "fire brigade," a group charged with deterring and treating fires, at its Millstone Power Station once the company's...

NRC Seeks Information on Reactor Containment Sumps.(Nuclear Regulatory Commission)(Brief Article)
September 21, 2004... The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) recently requested that all operators of pressurized-water reactors (PWR) provide information related to containment sumps, "a component of a safety-related water recirculation system in nuclear power...

Nuclear Management Ordered to Pay Workers for Denied Wages.(Brief Article)
September 21, 2004... The Associated Press (AP) recently reported that a Minnesota administrative law judge has ruled that Nuclear Management Company was in breach of federal labor laws when it denied Prairie Island nuclear power plant workers regular wage increases...

Japanese Energy Official Calls for Increase in Nuclear Power.(Agency for Natural Resources and Energy)(Brief Article)
September 21, 2004... In a recent interview with Reuters, Japan's Nobuyori Kodaira, director general of the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy (ANRE), warned that Japan must build more nuclear power generators and operate them at higher production rates in...

NRC Concludes Terrorist Attack on Nuclear Site Has Low Risk.(Nuclear Regulatory Commission)(Brief Article)
September 21, 2004... The Associated Press (AP) recently reported that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has completed several studies on the possible impacts of a terrorist attack on a U.S. nuclear power plant. According to AP, NRC concludes that it is...

NRC Whistleblower Files Compliant with IG's Office.(Nuclear Regulatory Commission)(inspector general)(Brief Article)
September 22, 2004... Nuclear energy consultant Paul Blanch filed a complaint last week with the NRC inspector general's office asking the IG to conduct a formal inquiry into several facets of the agency's oversight of the ongoing Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant...

U.K. Government Chooses Renewables Over Nuclear Power.(United Kingdom)(Brief Article)
September 22, 2004... Reuters recently reported that U.K. secretary of state for the environment, food and rural affairs Margaret Beckett announced earlier this week that the government plans to achieve its short-term carbon dioxide emissions reduction target...

New Study Examines Economic Competitiveness of Nuclear.(Brief Article)
September 22, 2004... The Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced the release of a new study conducted by the University of Chicago, the results of which indicate that "the future cost associated with nuclear power production is comparable with gas and...

NAS Board Convenes Meeting on Yucca Radiation Standard Ruling.(National Academy of Sciences)(Brief Article)
September 23, 2004... The Associated Press (AP) recently reported that members of the National Academy of Sciences' (NAS) Board of Radioactive Waste Management met earlier this week to discuss the court ruling delivered earlier this year which found that the...

Entergy Nuclear Prepares for Strike, Trains Replacement Guards.(Brief Article)
September 23, 2004... Local New York newspaper the Journal News recently reported that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has approved a strike plan allowing Entergy Nuclear Northeast to train and replace the 169 Teamsters Local 456-represented security guards...

Korean Workers Exposed to Nuclear Power Plant Leak.(Brief Article)
September 23, 2004... The Korea Times recently reported that the Korean Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) revealed this week that the Wolsong Nuclear Power Plant experienced a heavy water leakage on September 14, the third incident of its kind in the past...

WA Department of Ecology Fines DOE for Waste Violations.(Department of Energy)(Washington)(Brief Article)
September 24, 2004... The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) recently announced it has issued a $270,000 fine to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for violating the state's dangerous-waste regulations at the Hanford nuclear facility near Richland, WA. ...

U.K. Government to Help Pay Off British Energy Debt.(Brief Article)
September 24, 2004... Friends of the Earth (FOE) U.K. recently announced that the European Commission (EC) has approved a deal allowing the U.K. government to pay off 4 billion pounds in debt owed by nuclear power company British Energy, plc over the next 100 years....

Weekly Update.(Calendar)
September 24, 2004... 4TH AMERICAN NUCLEAR ENERGY SYMPOSIUM 2004, October 3-6, 2004, Deauville Beach Resort, Miami Beach, FL 7TH BIENNIAL TLG SERVICES, INC. DECOMMISIONSING & DECONTAMINATION CONFERENCE, October 4-6, 2004, Grand Hotel Marriott, Point Clear, AL...

NRC Ordered to Conduct Public Rulemaking.(Nuclear Regulatory Commission)(Brief Article)
September 27, 2004... Consumer advocacy organization Public Citizen recently announced that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has issued an "in abeyance" order to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in response to a lawsuit filed by...

Duratek Awarded Yankee Rowe Decommissioning Contract.(Brief Article)
September 27, 2004... Columbia, MD-based radiocative materials management company Duratek, Inc. recently announced it has been awarded the third in a series of three phased contracts to support decommissioning of the Yankee Rowe nuclear power plant in Western...

NEC Files for Hearing With VT ANR on ENVY Application.(New England Coalition)(Agency of Natural Resources)(Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee, LLC)(Brief Article)
September 27, 2004... The New England Coalition (NEC) filed a request last week for a hearing with the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) on Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee, LLC's (ENVY) proposal to divert service water to provide extra cooling to the residual...

International Agreement on Busher Plant in Limbo.(Brief Article)
September 27, 2004... Russian information agency (RIA) Novosti recently reported that Federal Nuclear Power Agency head Alexander Rumyantsev announced last week that the proposed agreement to store nuclear waste from the Bushehr power plant in Iran at Russian...

ASLB Denies Request to Challenge CT Nuclear Plant License.(Atomic Safety and Licensing Board, Connecticut, Millstone Power Station)(Brief Article)
September 28, 2004... Local Connecticut newspaper The Day recently reported that the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board (ASLB), a panel of three judges that reviews cases for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, has rejected a request from a group opposing the...

NY Representative Requests NRC Cabling Inspection at Indian Point.(Nuclear Regulatory Commission)(Brief Article)
September 28, 2004... Local New York newspaper the Journal News recently reported that U.S. Representative Sue Kelly (R-NY) issued a letter last week asking the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to conduct a full visual inspection of Entergy Nuclear Northeast's...

NRC Denies Nevada Nuclear Waste Grant Request.(Nuclear Regulatory Commission)(Brief Article)
September 28, 2004... The Las Vegas Review-Journal recently reported that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) late last week denied the state of Nevada's request for a $13.8-million nuclear waste grant, a move that could serve to hamper the state's efforts in...

NRC Issues Risk Analysis of Davis-Besse Safety Issues.(Davis-Besse)(Nuclear Regulatory Commission)(Brief Article)
September 29, 2004... The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) recently announced the availability of results from its preliminary risk analysis of safety issues at the Davis-Besse nuclear power plant in Ohio. According to NRC, the commission staff's calculations...

BNFL Plans to Ship Radioactive Waste to Kyrgystan.(British Nuclear Fuels)(Brief Article)
September 29, 2004... British newspaper the Independent recently reported that British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL) has announced plans to ship 1,800 tons of radioactive waste from its Springfields nuclear plant in Preston to the central Asian country Kyrgyzstan for...

SEC Closure Wins Bid to Close DOE Nuclear Test Plant.(Department Of Energy, SEC Closure Alliance, LLC)(Brief Article)
September 29, 2004... SEC Closure Alliance, LLC, a partnership of six small businesses, has won a federal contract to complete deactivation and closure of a Department of Energy (DOE) nuclear test reactor in Hanford, WA. The site, known as the Fast Flux Test...

AmerGen Asks NRC to Avoid 'White Finding' on NJ Case.(Nuclear Regulatory Commission)(New Jersey)(Brief Article)
September 30, 2004... New Jersey's Asbury Park Press reported earlier this week that AmerGen Energy Company recently urged the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) not to issue a "white finding" in regard to maintenance work performed on a diesel-powered generator at...

Indian Point 2 Shut Down for Third Time This Month.(Brief Article)
September 30, 2004... The Associated Press (AP) recently reported that Entergy Nuclear Northeast's Indian Point 2 nuclear power plant has returned to service after being shut down last week due to problems with a valve that regulates the flow of water to a steam...

NSW Urges Federal Government to Reveal Nuclear Waste Plan.(New South Wales)(Brief Article)
September 30, 2004... The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) recently reported that the government of New South Wales (NSW) is urging the federal government to definitively reveal its nuclear waste storage plans in light of a rumored government list of 22...