Nuclear Power page at nuclear.com

* [npp-US-California;antinuc] Elias: San Onofre and Hanford help fuel anti-nuke initiative, Thomas D. Elias, Ventura County Star
* For nuclear opponents, the Hanford leak demonstrates the unreliability of current waste disposal and storage methods.
* So far, the anti-nuclear initiative has little financing, causing Davis to suggest that at some point he may scrub the current petition campaign and resubmit a similar initiative to stretch out the current July 8 deadline for gathering the 504,760 voter signatures needed to place this measure on the ballot.
* A similar effort in 1975 lost by a large margin, even though it came less than two years after exposure of vast cost overruns at Diablo Canyon, caused in part by a mirror image problem some key reactor components were essentially installed backward, causing delays until 1985 for the first power from the plant. Even though the 1975 proposition lost, state legislators the next year slapped a moratorium on new nuclear plants, one that still stands.
* Says the California Nuclear Initiative website, The emergency actions taken by the state (during last years San Onofre shutdown) have led the California Independent System Operator to predict the state will enjoy a comfortable, blackout-free summer in 2013 (without San Onofres two units) and that the potential for blackouts will lessen in the future. ... [California] state Public Utilities Commission chart indicat[es] California would have excess power until 2020 even without its two nuclear plants.

* [npp-US-FFD] PROPOSED RULES Additional Synthetic Drug Testing Page 22209 [FR DOC# 2013-08752], Nuclear Regulatory Commission

* [npp-US-Fort Calhoun] Troubled Nebraska nuclear plant remains offline, KCCI 8 Des Moines
* Federal regulators have decided their next meeting with the utility that owns the troubled Fort Calhoun nuclear power plant in Nebraska will be closed to the public next week because sensitive security information will be discussed. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Monday the April 22 meeting will focus on flood protection for the plant 20 miles north of Omaha.
* WOWT carried same story, using headline: NRC's Next Meeting on Fort Calhoun Behind Closed Doors

* [npp-US-Kewaunee;decommissioning] NRC Public Meeting April 24 to Discuss Decommissioning of Kewaunee Nuclear Power Plant In Wisconsin, NRC

* [npp-US-Kewaunee] Dominion to shut Wisconsin Kewaunee reactor on May 7, Reuters
Dominion has said it will shut Kewaunee, even though its license does not expire until 2033, due to economic reasons related in part to low natural gas prices that have driven power prices to decade lows. ... The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) said Monday it will hold a public meeting April 24 near the Kewaunee plant to discuss Dominion's plan to shut the reactor.

* [npp-US-Pilgrim-Seabrook] 2 nuke plants tighten security after Boston blasts, Matthew Daly, AP
* Pilgrim and Seabrook heightened checks of vehicles, materials and individuals entering the plants... Federal officials have not ordered changes in security at other U.S. nuclear reactors in the wake of the Boston explosions.

* [npp-US-Pilgrim;BWR-ops] Pilgrim Nuclear Plant forced to shut down, Wicked Local Plymouth
* The plant had already started shutdown process to enter refueling, but the reactor was manually scrammed due to reactor pressure lowering beyond established control bands.
* Upon restarting from the last refueling outage, the Union of Concerned Scientists' David Lochbaum said, operators lost control of the reactor power level and the reactor automatically shut itself down for safety. Now, he continued, upon entering this refueling outage, operators lost control of the reactor pressure level and had to manually shut it down for safety. Maybe if they started up and shut down the reactor more often, theyd remember how to do it properly," Lochbaum said. "Or, they could write down the proper steps and follow them."

* [npp-US-reactor safety-PRA] NOTICES Guidance on the Treatment of Uncertainties Associated With PRA in Risk-Informed Decisionmaking Pages 22349-22350 [FR DOC# 2013-08693], Nuclear Regulatory Commission

* [npp-US-TMI] NOTICES Exemptions from Certain Security Requirements: GPU Nuclear Inc., Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Station, Unit 2, Exemption From Certain Security Requirements Pages 22347-22349 [FR DOC# 2013-08704], Nuclear Regulatory Commission

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Vermont Yankee back up after 26-day shutdown for maintenance and refueling, Andrew Stein, Vermont Business Magazine

OTHER NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-Bulgaria-Kozloduy] Emergency shutdown at Bulgarian nuclear plant, AP Google

* [npp-Canada-Darlington] Environmental groups go to court over Ontario's Darlington nuclear station, CTV News

* [npp-Iran-Bushehr] Preparatory work for Bushehr's energy startup in final stage, Trend News Agency

* [npp-Iran-Bushehr] No radiation leak at Iran's Bushehr nuclear plant: official, Xinhua News

* [npp-Japan] News Update, JAIF
* Prime Minister Mentions Restarting Reactors at Budget Committee
* Fewer Students Attend JAIF Nuclear Industry Seminar, Signaling
* Hitachi Develops New Absorbent for Treating Water at Fukushima
* Japan's National Institute of Radiological Science Investigates

* [npp-newbuild-India] New Nuclear Power Station In India Prompts Post-Fukushima Concerns, James A. Foley, Nature World News

March 8, 2013

San Onofre steam generators - nonproprietary version of Mitsubishi root cause analysis report (and supplement) released

On February 6, 2013, Sen. Boxer and Rep. Markey quoted from a leaked "root cause analysis report" by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and urged that it be publicly released. Today, NRC released a nonpropietary version of the report and a technical supplement. As described by Sen. Boxer and Rep, Markey, the report is quite specific in indicating that the replacement steam generator designers were told not to pursue changes which would put the replacement project outside the licensing bounds of 10 CFR 50.59. In all fairness, that was agreed to by Mitsubishi in the contract. It was not a license to design a lemon. Links to the PDFs are at news.nuclear.com.

- - - - -

March 1, 2013

FUKUSHIMA NEWS

* [Fukushima-area recovery] Survey: Half of disaster-hit communities need 6 to 10 more years to rebuild, Asahi Shimbun (thanx Nevada state ANP)

* [Fukushima-compensation-fishermen] Fisheries co-op accepts nuclear plant compensation, NHK World (thanx Nevada state ANP)

* [Fukushima-history-removing cesium from water;n-biz-Kurion Inc] Nuclear crisis a defining moment, David Ferrell, Orange County Register (thanx Nevada state ANP)
here's nuclear.com's comment about this article, posted via Facebook: Inspiring story about small biz in USA rising to help solve a big challenge early on at Fukushima. A heartfelt 'well done' to Kurion Inc from nuclear.com, and best wishes for coming projects, too -- see Orange County Register's March 1, 2013 story at http://www.ocregister.com/articles/-211526-ocprint--.html

* [Fukushima-plant cleanup] Nuclear watchdog: No easy task to scrap Fukushima reactors safely, Asahi Shimbun (thanx Nevada state ANP)

* [Fukushima-plant cleanup] CROOKED CLEANUP: Workers break silence to allege boss ordered corner-cutting, Asahi Shimbun (thanx Nevada state ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation-fish] Record cesium level found in Fukushima fish, Asahi Shimbun (thanx Nevada state ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation-fish] Record high radiation found in fish in Japan's Fukushima, Xinhua News (thanx Nevada state ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation-fish] Radioactive fish caught near nuclear plant, UPI (thanx Nevada state ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation-health] U.N. panel: Thyroid radiation doses in Fukushima infants within safe limits, Yuri Oiwa, Asahi Shimbun (thanx Nevada state ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation-health] WHO: Small cancer risk after Fukushima accident, Asahi Shimbun (thanx Nevada state ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation-health] One-Third of Fukushima Emergency Workers May Have Increased Cancer Risk, Laura Walter, EHS Today (thanx Nevada state ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation-health] Fukushima Mother: 'Are they going to kill these children?' - Lawyer: Nation's worst child abuse in history (VIDEO), ENENews (thanx Nevada state ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation-health] New WHO study claims even highly exposed Fukushima Daiichi workers will be fine a few might end up with thyroid disorders U.N. made similar statements after Chernobyl, ENENews (thanx Nevada state ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation-health] Reuters Headline: Fukushima Mothers Worried About Cancer Risk (VIDEO), ENENews (thanx Nevada state ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation-health] Top UK Newspaper Headline: Fukushima cancer risk 'played down to aid nuclear industry', ENENews (thanx Nevada state ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation-health] TV: Fukushima kids with nose bleeds, diarrhea, mouth blisters, other problems Symptoms go away after leaving area Used to be in good health, now picking up every little bug going around (VIDEO), ENENews (thanx Nevada state ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation-health] Japan questions WHO's report over health risks in Fukushima, Xinhua News (thanx Nevada state ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation-health] Fukushima World Health Organization report greeted with broad skepticism, Charles Digges, Bellona (thanx Nevada state ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation-health] World Health Organisation downplays health impacts of Fukushima nuclear disaster, E&E Daily, Greenpeace International (thanx Nevada state ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation-health] Cancer risk 70% higher for females in Fukushima area, says WHO, The Guardian (thanx Nevada state ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation-health] W.H.O. Sees Low Health Risks From Fukushima Accident, Hiroko Tabuchi, New York Times (thanx Nevada state ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation-health] Global report on Fukushima nuclear accident details health risks, WHO (thanx Nevada state ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation-health] WHO sees higher cancer risks in Fukushima Pref., Daily Yomiuri (thanx Nevada state ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation-ocean] Tepco to discharge underground water via bypass to the sea this April, Iori Mochizuki, Fukushima Diary (thanx Nevada state ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation-workers] TEPCO fails to submit dose data on 21,000 Fukushima plant workers, Asahi Shimbun (thanx Nevada state ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation] Lead Architect of Microsoft Windows 95: Something very much amiss in Fukushima - Like an almost totalitarian state - People now saying 'For the sake of my child's health, I'm not going to think about radiation', ENENews (thanx Nevada state ANP)

* [Fukushima-tritium] Tepco started propaganda to downplay the risk of Tritium for discharging contaminated water to the sea, Iori Mochizuki, Fukushima Diary (thanx Nevada state ANP)

* [Fukushima-worker-death] Fukushima Daiichi worker dies - Had been preparing cover for Unit No. 3, ENENews (thanx Nevada state ANP)

* [Fukushima-worker-death] Another decontamination worker died in Fukushima, Iori Mochizuki, Fukushima Diary (thanx Nevada state ANP)

US NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-US-NRC;Congress;spentfuel;filtered vents;n-biz;counterproliferation] NEI's Fertel discusses prospects for waste storage legislation, new NRC rules, E&ETV (thanx Nevada state ANP)
* Fertel: ... half the Congress hasn't been in their job for more than six years, so educating on nuclear waste is a good thing
* Fertel: ... we're waiting to see what the court rules. Right now, Yucca Mountain is the law of the land, so we would hope that we could do something constructive, like finish licensing on Yucca, and see where that goes
* Fertel: When we've looked at the cost-benefit evaluations that the NRC does, generally, they are orders of magnitude off. They're much lower than what it really costs us to do.
* Fertel: ... filtered vents. Our position, based upon a lot of technical evaluations that have been done over the last ten months, is that that's a case by case determination. It may be necessary in some places, it may not in others, because we can get what we want by basically filtering within containment. So we're not against filtering. It's how you achieve it.
* Monica Trauzzi: What should the U.S. be doing, the U.S. nuclear industry be doing about the growing demand for nuclear internationally?
Marv Fertel: That's where right now it's very important for the US to be a player. Most, I mean, we're building 71 or 72 units right now. There's, you know, another 160. The Department of Commerce estimates that there's about three-quarters of $1 trillion worth of business over the next ten years. So every billion dollars is between 5,000 and 10,000 jobs here in America. So getting our vendors, our suppliers, to be able to work there is very important. Beyond that, having American technology there, it's not only the safest technology, but we bring with it our safety culture, which is critical, and we bring with it basically feet, eyes on the ground, feet on the floor, looking at things from a nonproliferation standpoint. So getting the government to work with the industry and governments overseas on what we call 123 agreements, which are agreements for cooperation, getting our export regime to be more effective is very important, and we're seeing the government try and do that with us.

* [npp-US-BWRs-filtered vents] Lobbying Flurry Precedes U.S. Vote on Fukushima Rules, Brian Wingfield, Bloomberg (thanx Nevada state ANP)
* The staff of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission recommended in November that the radiation-scrubbing filters be required on 31 aging reactors... Exelon Corp. estimates each filter would cost $20 million
* The industry prefers a plant-by-plant approach to the question of whether filters are necessary. The optimal filtration method should be determined on a plant-specific basis,'' Richard Myers, vice president for policy development at the Nuclear Energy Institute, said at a conference in Washington on Feb. 21. The NEI is a Washington- based industry group of reactor owners. Margaret Harding, a nuclear-industry consultant based in Wilmington, North Carolina, said it would be better for the NRC to define the acceptable limit of emissions from the vents and allow the industry to determine the best way to achieve that goal. Every single reactor out there is a little bit different,'' she said today in a phone interview.
* In Germany, such filters are installed already at venting systems in all of the country's nine operating nuclear reactors, Nicolas Wendler, a spokesman for the German Atomic Forum, said today by phone. Equipping venting systems with filters makes absolute sense'' to prevent radioactive contamination from spreading in case of an accident, he said.
* nuclear.com's Steve Schulin replied to a comment on the newspaper web page: The purpose of the vents is to allow pressure inside containment to be relieved. I haven't seen much discussion about the disadvantage of filters when it comes to having a clear vent path. Filters get clogged. If one of these BWR vent filters gets clogged and pressure can't be reduced quick enough, well, we'll regret the day we required the vents to be filtered. So when you say that to do nothing is insane, I ask you if you're sure that these filters won't have a much higher price than the tens of millions to install them. I like the idea of using existing water sprays to clean the air inside containment starting well before the venting is found to be needed. This issue ought to be thoroughly considered by competent folks. I'm not at all pleased to see that politicians and political activists are saying such things as filtering the vents is a 'no-brainer', and that newspaper stories like this one see the NRC vote on this matter as an indicator of whether NRC is a 'captive' or an independent agency.

* [npp-US-NRC] Joe Barton, NRC's Allison Macfarlane lock horns, Darius Dixon, Politico (thanx Nevada state ANP)
* Rep. Barton asked Chairman Macfarlane whether she would commit to having the agency conduct a "full regulatory review between the Japanese system and the U.S. system."

* [npp-US-reactor safety] A divided NRC under fire from lawmakers over post-Fukushima rule changes, Power Engineering (thanx Nevada state ANP)

* [npp-US-regulation] NOTICES Standard Review Plans; Revisions: Proposed Revision to Design of Structures, Components, Equipment and Systems Pages 13911-13912 [FR DOC# 2013-04514], Nuclear Regulatory Commission (thanx Nevada state ANP)

* [npp-US-newbuild-Vogtle] Nuclear reactor delays could cost billions, WRDW-TV (thanx Nevada state ANP)
* "... it has to be perfect", said Paul Bowers, CEO of Georgia Power.
* The work is continuing on two new nuclear reactors at Plant Vogtle, but it will take an increase of about $381 million... Georgia Power pushed the [Vogtle completion] dates back to late 2017 and 2018. "As we go through the process and really realizing the new process that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission put forth, it is taking a little longer time," Bowers explained. That new process includes a bit more red tape. "When you look at the new provisions for cyber security and those types of things and the delay in time in getting other approvals at the plant, we needed more time to complete it," Bowers said.
* "This is still the best alternative for the citizens of Georgia. It's better than any other generation's source by the tunes of $4 billion," he explained. That means it's still about $4 billion cheaper to finish the reactors rather than stopping and building natural gas plants.
* "We estimated the price of this plant would increase bills about 10 percent because of lower interest rates and now that we can get some incentives from the government from production tax credits, bills are gonna go up between 6 and 8 percent," Bowers explained. [] Containment Venting is Cool(ing)-But Needs Filters, Dave Lochbaum, All Things Nuclear (thanx Nevada state ANP)

* [npp-US-newbuild-Vogtle;npp-econ] Vogtle nuclear units to begin commercial operation in Q4 2017, Q4 2018: filing, Platts, Feb 28 (via Nuclear Energy Institute email)
NEI titled their description of this story as "Georgia Power adjusts schedule for new Ga. reactors". Here's how NEI characterized the story: "The two new reactors being developed at Plant Vogtle in Georgia are now expected to come online in the fourth quarter of 2017 and the fourth quarter of 2018, according to Georgia Power, a subsidiary of Southern Co. The units were anticipated to start up in April 2016 and April 2017. The adjustment in the timeline is 'associated with the time required to obtain Nuclear Regulatory Commission approval of the plant design, the translation of the certified design into approved construction drawings, and the rate of production of certain structures comprising the nuclear island,' the company said."

* [npp-US-newbuild-SMRs] U.S. offering $450 million to support fledgling nuclear technology, Erich Schwartzel, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Feb 28 (via Nuclear Energy Institute email)
NEI titled their description of this story as "SMR advocate defends government-private partnerships for projects". Here's how NEI characterized the story: "Proponents of small modular reactors defended the federal government's move to provide cost-sharing support for the projects. This comes after a budget watchdog group said that such technology is unproven and a waste of taxpayer money. 'Without government support, it would be a much slower proposition, and my concern is time,' said author Reese Palley."

* [npp-US-newbuild-Modular Fission Reactors] US teen designs compact nuclear reactor, Phys.Org (thanx Nevada state ANP)
* Eighteen-year-old Taylor Wilson has designed a compact nuclear reactor that could one day burn waste from old atomic weapons to power anything from homes and factories to space colonies.
* The American teen, who gained fame four years ago after designing a fusion reactor he planned to build in the garage of his family's home, shared his latest endeavor at a TED Conference in southern California on Thursday. "It's about bringing something old, fission, into the 21st Century," Wilson said. "I think this has huge potential to change the world." He has designed a small reactor capable of generating 50-100 megawatts of electricity, enough to power as many as 100,000 homes. The reactor can be made assembly-line style and powered by molten radioactive material from nuclear weapons, Wilson said. The relatively small, modular reactor can be shipped sealed with enough fuel to last for 30 years. "You can plop them down anywhere in the world and they work, buried under the ground for security reasons," he said, while detailing his design at TED.
* He sees his competition as nations, particularly China, and the roadblocks ahead as political instead of technical. Wilson planned to have a prototype ready in two years and a product to market in five years.
* "Imagine having a compact reactor in a rocket designed [for] those planning to habitat other planets. Not only would you have power for propulsion, but power once you get there."

* [npp-US-spent fuel] Taking a Fresh Look at Nuclear Waste, Matthew L. Wald, The New York Times/Green blog, Feb 28 (via Nuclear Energy Institute email)
NEI titled their description of this story as "New book offers different insight about U.S. used fuel disposal". Here's how NEI characterized the story: "Human factors have made the issue of used nuclear fuel disposal in the U.S. hard to deal with, according to authors William and Rosemarie Alley. Those include 'unrealistic demands for earth-science predictions far into the future, eroding confidence in government and institutions, confusion about which 'experts' to trust, and the ever-present NIMS [not-in-my-state] and Nimby [not in my backyard],' they write."

* [npp-US-Crystal River] Nuke plant fuel removal complete, Pat Faherty, Citrus County Chronicle (thanx Nevada state ANP)
* Duke will have up to two years to develop and submit its decommissioning plan.
* NRC estimates the cost of decommissioning a nuclear plant could range from $300 million to $400 million, for NRC mandated activities only. Dismantling the plant and related facilities could push the cost higher. Duke currently has about $621 million in its decommissioning fund.

* [npp-US-Crystal River] Florida Public Counsel moves to contain charges from broken Crystal River nuclear plant, Dave Heller, First Coast News (thanx Nevada state ANP)
* Florida Public Counsel J.R. Kelly represents ratepayers before the Public Service Commission.
* Kelly has filed a petition with the PSC challenging Progress Energy's settlement with its insurer because he thinks the amount is too low. The Nuclear Electric Insurance Limited has agreed to pay out around $845 million for the broken power plant. But Kelly thinks that's at least $500 million short and he doesn't want ratepayers to get stuck paying additional charges. "We believe the settlement amount is just only a token of what the insurance company should pay up because whatever the insurance company pays up, it's for the benefit of the ratepayers. Under the policy, the way we read it, is that the proceeds for the plant should be at least another $500 million in the ratepayers' benefit."
* Kelly is also trying to block Progress-Duke Energy from charging customers for about $110 million of improvements at Crystal River that never went into service before the plant was shut down.

* [npp-US-Diablo Canyon] Diablo Canyon rechecking its control room dose calcs for various accident conditions, nuclear.com info nugget

* [npp-US-Diablo Canyon-EDG] Diablo Canyon-2 - inadvertent autostart signal to one of emergency diesel generators, nuclear.com info nugget

* [npp-US-Fort Calhoun-FFD] Fort Calhoun - Fitness-for-duty - drug testing lab failed to identify positive samples, nuclear.com info nugget

* [npp-US-Fort Calhoun] Rep. Lee Terry takes NRC to task over delays in Fort Calhoun restart, Joseph Morton, Omaha World-Herald (thanx Nevada state ANP)

* [npp-US-Hatch] Hatch-2 - Closed Cooling Water Isolation Valve fails Local Leak Rate Test, nuclear.com info nugget

* [npp-US-LaSalle] LaSalle - secondary containment door interlock malfunction - both sides of airlock opened at same time, nuclear.com info nugget

* [npp-US-Monticello] Minnesota Commerce Department opposes Xcel rate hike plan, Technology News (thanx Nevada state ANP)
The Minnesota Department of Commerce took a meat cleaver to Xcel Energy's proposed $285 million rate increase for this year, recommending state power regulators chop off two-thirds of it, to $94 million... The department said there were many areas where it recommended cuts, but [one] of the larger ones [is] cost overruns at Xcel's Monticello nuclear power plant... A lot of the extra costs at Monticello came as a result of changes ordered by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Xcel Regional Vice President Laura McCarten said.

* [npp-US-Nine Mile Point] Nine Mile Point-2 high pressure core spray pump failure, nuclear.com info nugget

* [npp-US-San Onofre] San Onofre nuclear restart plan faces more NRC questions, Eileen O'Grady, Reuters, Feb 28 (via Nuclear Energy Institute email)
NEI titled their description of this story as "NRC, SCE discuss restart plan for San Onofre". Here's how NEI characterized the story: "Southern California Edison and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission met this week to address the utility's plan for the restart of the Unit 2 reactor of the San Onofre nuclear plant in California. SCE seeks to operate the facility at 70% capacity for five months, then shut it down to inspect steam generator tubes. The parties, however, are at odds about whether the proposal follows technical standards in the license for the unit."

* [npp-US-San Onofre] San Onofre's repair bills mount, Michael R. Blood, SFGate (thanx Nevada state ANP)

* [npp-US-regulation;Congress] U.S. nuclear regulators on hot seat over post-Fukushima rules, Ben Goad, The Hill/RegWatch blog, Feb 28 (via Nuclear Energy Institute email)
NEI titled their description of this story as "NRC gets input from lawmakers over new nuclear safety rules". Here's how NEI characterized the story: "Several Democratic House lawmakers criticized the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's timeframe to implement post-Fukushima Daiichi safety rules for U.S. nuclear plants. House Republican Ed Whitfield, R-Ky., said the time and expense of regulations must be considered. 'We need to ensure that any additional regulatory costs are justified by real safety benefits,' he said."

* [npp-US-spent fuel-Idaho] Watchdog: Idaho could be dump for nuclear waste; Snake River Alliance warns about spent fuel coming into the state, Terry Smith, Idaho Mountain Express (thanx Nevada state ANP)
There are already rumblings in the state that hosting a commercial spent-fuel storage site, ostensibly at the Idaho National Laboratory in eastern Idaho, could become a "gigantic industrial opportunity." The Idaho Statesman reported on Nov. 26 that government and business leaders in eastern Idaho are now urging that the state could become an interim storage site for at least some of the spent fuel. Also, a report issued in February from Gov. Butch Otter's Leadership in Nuclear Energy Commission leaves the door open for changes to a "1995 Settlement Agreement" that banned commercial spent fuel from being sent to Idaho. The report stopped short of recommending that Idaho offer itself up as a spent-fuel storage site, perhaps at the behest of Otter who has said loud and clear that Idaho will not become another Yucca Mountain.

* [npp-US-spent fuel;site-Savannah River] Study outlines impact of waste storage at SRS, Mike Gellatly, Aiken Standard (thanx Nevada state ANP)

* [npp-US-spent fuel;site-Savannah River] Aiken group fears SRS could become nation's nuclear dump, WRDW-TV (thanx Nevada state ANP)

OTHER NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-newbuild-China;reactor safety] Nuclear safety lies in greater transparency, Qiang Wang, Nature (via CSIS poniblogger)
China has restarted its aggressive nuclear-power programme after a 19-month suspension in the wake of the Fukushima accident in Japan. Almost half of the atomic reactors under construction worldwide are in China, and the country wants to triple its nuclear-power capacity in just 4 years from 12.5 gigawatts in 2011 to 40 gigawatts in 2015 a feat unlikely to be achieved anywhere else in the world.

* [npp-newbuild-Pakistan] KINPOE convocation : 'Nuclear power necessary for meeting energy demand', Pakistan Daily Times (thanx Nevada state ANP)

* [npp-newbuild-Russia] Russian construction milestones, World Nuclear News (thanx Nevada state ANP)

* [npp-newbuild-Taiwan] Election commission to respect any decision on referendum, Focus Taiwan (thanx Nevada state ANP)

* [npp-newbuild-Taiwan] Premier Jiang to quit if nuclear plant halted, Shih Hsiu-chuan, Taipei Times (thanx Nevada state ANP)

* [npp-newbuild-Taiwan] Government officials' poll remarks spark hullabaloo, Loa Iok-sin, Taipei Times (thanx Nevada state ANP)

* [npp-newbuild-UAE] UAE's ENEC applies for license to build 3rd, 4th nuclear reactors, Al-Arabiya (thanx Nevada state ANP)

* [npp-France] Fatal platform fall at French plant, World Nuclear Assn, WNN Daily
Two contract workers were killed and a third seriously injured in an accident during maintenance work in a reactor building at EDF's Cattenom nuclear power plant in north-eastern France.

* [npp-France] Two killed at French nuclear power station, France Local (thanx Nevada state ANP)

* [npp-France] Fatal platform fall at French plant, World Nuclear News (thanx Nevada state ANP)

* [npp-Germany] Reactor shutdowns impact EnBW's earnings, World Nuclear News (thanx Nevada state ANP)

* [npp-Germany] Reactor shutdowns impact EnBW's earnings, World Nuclear Assn, WNN Daily
The forced closure of two of its four nuclear power reactors in 2011 contributed to a 4.3% drop in profits in 2012, German utility EnBW reported.

* [npp-Japan] Japan to Begin Restarting Idled Nuclear Plants, Leader Says, Martin Fackler and Hiroko Tabuchi, The New York Times, Feb 28 (via Nuclear Energy Institute email)
NEI titled their description of this story as "Japan PM pledges to authorize reactor restarts this year". Here's how NEI characterized the story: "Japanese nuclear plants that pass stricter safety rules will be given the go-ahead to restart later in the year, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said. Japan learned that tougher rules were necessary after the Fukushima Daiichi incident, and such standards will be implemented 'without compromise,' Abe said. The country will continue to find other means to lessen its nuclear energy reliance, he added."

* [npp-Japan] Editorial: Mr. Abe's plan for Japan, Japan Times (thanx Nevada state ANP)

* [npp-Japan] Japan to Begin Restarting Idled Nuclear Plants, Leader Says, MARTIN FACKLER and HIROKO TABUCHI, New York Times (thanx Nevada state ANP)

* [npp-Taiwan-antinuc] Activists announce anti-nuclear parade, Lee I-chia, Taipei Times (thanx Nevada state ANP)

* [npp-reactor safety] Meteors and Nuclear Reactors: A Near Miss in the Urals, Gar Smith, Berkeley Daily Planet (thanx Nevada state ANP)

* [npp-antinuc] Letter: Too many problems with nuclear energy, Joel Prudhomme, Grand Junction Free Press (thanx Nevada state ANP)
Here's the points raised in this letter, with nuclear.com's comments on each
* "... the humongous number of other problems with this power source. You can start with all of the medical problems (many fatal) of those who work/worked in that industry. Treatments, personal damage compensations, long-term nursing care costs bloating our private health insurance premiums and Medicare program are almost incalculable."
nuclear.COMment: I'm not sure what data he's thinking of. As best I recall, the biggest studies of nuclear workers refer to what's called the "healthy worker effect" adjustment, which means that workers are healthier than your average person.
* "Then there is the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's approximate $1 billion budget that is directly or indirectly paid by taxpayers because this industry is so dangerous."
nuclear.COMment: Gee whiz, NRC is one of the few federal organizations which gets its budget mostly from user fees. Yes it is a billion-dollar agency, but something like 90% comes from the fees that licensees or applicants pay.
*"Then you can add in the billions of radioactive waste and contaminated-site reclamation costs that taxpayers also picked up and with much more to come."
nuclear.COMment: Every commerical nuclear plant that's been decommissioned so far has used it's own decommissioning fund to pay the cost. The federal government did take responsibility for spent fuel (after banning reprocessing), but a tiny nuclear waste fee has been added to nuclear electricity customer's bills for every kWh they use. Billions have accrued in this fund. Whether it will be spent wisely or frittered away by federal government is not the fault of the nuclear power industry.
*"Then one can add on the huge amounts of government construction grants, research and development funds, loans and liability protections that are required because private investors won't invest in this dirty, expensive industry otherwise."
nuclear.COMment: Well, without agreeing with the disparaging assessment of nuclear as dirty (I favor nuclear power because it is the safest way to generate lots of power), he's right that govt spending has helped the industry since its infancy, and continues to do so. I recall reading President Eisenhower's explanation as to why a vigorous commercial nuclear industry (and not just nuclear power) was vitally important to our national security. I think his argument was sound then and remains true today. I'm a small-government kind of guy. I've thought long and hard about whether federal loan guarantees and what not are constitutional and also whether they're appropriate. My conclusion is yes. The national security benefits that Eisenhower described seem reasonably sufficient on the constitutional question. The regulatory uncertainty caused by government is a major factor that works against private investment, so the idea of loan guarantees is appropriate. If anything, I think our federal loan guarantees for new nuclear plants are priced too high. In my state, the utilty decided against building Calvert Cliffs-3 because the price the federal government wanted to charge for loan guarantee was too high. Thousands of jobs were not created, and a clean and reliable power plant will not be producing power.
*"The security costs protecting the nuclear plants and their waste from sabotage, spills and theft that are a burden to law enforcement agencies everywhere are another unknown, but large cost, to the public, also."
nuclear.COMment: The jurisdictions that host nuclear plants are invariably better off financially than their neighbors, because the plants are usually the main source of property tax revenue. I think the writer is exaggerating the security expense. As for security for spent fuel transport and security at some future spent fuel repository site, well, that small charge added for every kWh ought to take that into account. The US Dept of Energy is required to adjust the fee up or down based on its cost projections. It told court just a few weeks ago that it sees no reason to adjust the fee.
* "This industry's cost per kilowatt is[n't] even closely competitive with any of the no-carbon emission renewable energy sources today without all of the subsidies aforementioned. We haven't wasted decades for not advancing nuclear power; we have wasted decades propping it up."
nuclear.COMment: Well, I guess the 'no-carbon' sources he's referring to include wind and solar. They're very expensive compared to nuclear. Natural gas prices are way down, though. Many of the folks who are alarmed at carbon dioxide emissions have become nuclear power proponents. I often tell folks that I favor nuclear because of its environmental advantages, even without giving a whit of credence to the shoddy science of CO2 alarmism.

* [npp-news] Weekly Intelligence Brief 21 - 27 February 2013, K. Steiner-Dicks, Nuclear Energy Insider (thanx Nevada state ANP)
* Fennovoima: Toshiba negotiates on mid-sized option
* B&W, TVA sign Clinch River permit
* Yangjiang RPV installed
* Last flask of fuel leaves Chapelcross
* Iberdrola Ingenieria completes Laguna Verde upgrade

* [npp-news] Weekly Policy Brief 21 - 27 February 2013, K. Steiner-Dicks, Nuclear Energy Insider (thanx Nevada state ANP)
* IAEA trains member states on public emergencies
* NDA publishes Dounreay preferred options
* Bulgaria energy gap causes crisis
* German nuclear replacement could cost 1 trillion

- - - - -

January 26, 2013

California electricity - officials planning for possible second summer without San Onofre

Southern California got through last summer without blackouts in the absence of San Onofre's 2,200 megawatts of power, but some of the measures taken to replace the plant were temporary. Energy officials have been working on a backup plan for this summer, should the plant remain out of service.

Source: Abby Sewell (LA Times reporter), Nuclear commission pushes back decision on San Onofre", L.A. Now blog, January 25, 2013

- - - - -

@nuclearcom #SanOnofreSaturday tweet

#nuclear Interesting photo of surfers north of San Onofre, w/ plant in background. Kind of a dark mood, though. LATimes http://adf.ly/I1D5k

- - - - -

San Onofre-2 - NRC expects restart decision in late April or early May

NRC spokesman Victor Dricks said the timeline was extended because additional on-site inspections were required. The schedule remains tentative, he said. NRC had previously said it might make a decision as soon as March.

Southern California Edison said in a statement: "As we have said from the beginning, there is no timeline on safety. SCE is confident in its submitted response and restart plan and is currently working on our response to technical questions from the NRC."

In an update on its website, NRC reports that it plans to notify the Atomic Safety Licensing Board and other interested parties in late April of its intent to issue a decision on whether to restart Unit 2, with the actual decision to be made five to 30 days later.

Sources: Abby Sewell (LA Times reporter), Nuclear commission pushes back decision on San Onofre", L.A. Now blog, January 25, 2013; and NRC, "Special NRC Oversight at San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station: Steam Generator Tube Degradation", webpage update, January 25, 2013

- - - - -

San Onofre - warranty will pay cost of the steam generators, but not labor or power costs

San Onofre Nuc Plant-Flaws found in process of Mitsubishi tube building for plant. Replacement warranty pays $137 mill but Cost $771 million

Source: Barbara C. Billig, tweet, January 26, 2013 @barbarabillig

- - - - -

AP headline describes SONGS as the 'sickly San Onofre nuke plant'

The lead sentence of the article calls it the 'troubled San Onofre nuclear power plant'.

Sources: Associated Press Online, "Decision on sickly San Onofre nuke plant delayed", January 25, 2013 Friday 10:44 PM GMT; and The Associated Press State & Local Wire, "Decision on sickly San Onofre nuke plant delayed", January 25, 2013 Friday 10:43 PM GMT

January 21, 2013

Nuclear newbuild could boost UK economy by £5 billion/yr

The Institute for Public Policy Research suggests that a boost to GDP of £5 billion a year could follow if all the new nuclear power stations earmarked by the Government's National Policy Statements go ahead.

Source: Vincent de Rivaz (Chief Executive of EDF Energy), "Hinkley Point is 'shovel ready' as Energy Bill reaches crucial stage", The Daily Telegraph (London), January 21, 2013, p. 8

September 12, 2012

FUKUSHIMA NEWS

* [Fukushima-cleanup] EnergySolutions Enters Second Phase of Fukushima Clean-Up Contract, Equities.com (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-n-waste] Scientists sound alarm on plan to bury nuclear waste, The Japan Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-n-waste] Scientists Question Safety of Burying Nuclear Waste , Laboratory Equipment (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation-children] Fukushima Pediatrician Warns: "Clear sign something abnormal is occurring" in young children http://enenews.com/fukushima-pediatrician-warns-clear-sign-something-abnormal-is-occurring-with-children (thanx @ENENews and @fukushima_actu)

* [Fukushima-radiation-children] Jiji: Many kids "prone to sickness & weak" after 311-Reuters: Many kids w/ "immune problems & listless" after Chernobyl http://enenews.com/jiji-many-children-appear-prone-to-sickness-and-weak-after-311-reuters-many-children-with-immune-system-problems-and-listlessness-after-chernobyl (thanx @ENENews and @fukushima_actu)

* [Fukushima] TEPCO : Press Release | Status of TEPCO's Nuclear Power Stations after the Tohoku-Chihou-Taiheiyou-Oki Earthquak... http://bit.ly/PhYyRZ (thanx @Enformable)

* [Fukushima-radiation measurements] IAEA Launches Database Of Fukushima Radiation Information, RTTNews (via IAEA Daily Press Review)
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has launched a database of radiation measurements collected in Japan following last year's accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant of Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO).

US NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-US-Democrats] The Democratic Party's Science and Technology Policy Platform , Ronald Bailey, Reason (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Diablo Canyon;seismic] PG&E's pending assault on the sea and gray whales, Roger Cleary, Cal Coast News (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-econ] Nuclear energy currently depends on massive public subsidies..., Jane Susskind, Independent Voter Network (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-newbuild-fusion-fission hybrid;n-waste] Nuclear Waste-Burning Technology Could Change the Face of Nuclear Energy, University of Texas at Austin News (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-ops] Initial Test Program of Condensate and Feedwater Systems for Light-Water Reactors, Thomas H. Boyce, Power Engineering Magazine (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Peach Bottom;rad pro] 50 Peach Bottom workers exposed to contamination, Candy Woodall, Yorkdispatch.com (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-San Onofre] San Onofre nuclear plant to be offline for months, Ryan Tracy, MarketWatch (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-spent fuel-waste confidence] NRC Will Study Environmental Impact of Temporary On-Site Storage of Nuclear Waste , Jayne Keedle, Patch.com (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Entergy] Entergy Nuclear's Four Platforms - fundamental principles for Palisades Safety Culture Action Plan, nuclear.com info nugget

* [npp-US-Palisades] Palisades - four Wildly Important Goals (Sept 2012), nuclear.com info nugget

* [npp-US-Palisades-safety culture] Palisades Nuclear Safety Culture Assessment Briefing (Sept 12, 2012), nuclear.com info nugget

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Legal fight over Vermont Yankee draws attention of entire US nuke industry, SNL Financial (free content), Sept 10 (via Nuclear Energy Institute email)
NEI titled their description of this story as "NEI expresses concern about Entergy-Vermont legal battle". Here's how NEI characterized the story: "U.S. nuclear plant operators could suffer financially if a negative court precedent results from the ongoing legal battle between Vermont and Entergy over the continued operation of the company's Vermont Yankee nuclear plant, the Nuclear Energy Institute said in a court filing. 'The potential for disruption, delay, and higher costs in the operation of nuclear facilities with valid federal licenses (such as Vermont Yankee) is clear, and would present an obvious disincentive to the continued availability and development of nuclear energy in the United States,' NEI said."

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Vermont Yankee nuke plant sues over new state tax, Dave Gram, The Associated Press, Sept 11 (via Nuclear Energy Institute email)
NEI titled their description of this story as "Vt. faces new suit from Entergy for nuclear plant taxes". Here's how NEI characterized the story: "Vermont is facing a new lawsuit from Entergy's Vermont Yankee nuclear plant over taxes that were imposed on the facility. The taxes raise the plant's state levy from $5 million annually to $12.8 million, Entergy said."

* [npp-US-security] Nuclear plant security - NRC overview on Hostile Action-Based (HAB) Scenarios for Biennial Exercises, nuclear.com info nugget

* [npp-US-reactor safety;spent fuel] Nuclear plant safety - NRC benchmarking US vs foreign plants on hydrogen control and dry cask use, nuclear.com info nugget

* [npp-US-Watch list;Honeywell] Overview of the five US facilities NRC considers most worrisome (aka #ExtendedShutdownMode), nuclear.com info nugget

* [npp-security-aircraft] Chilling scenario - hijacked airplane headed towards nuclear plant; interceptors can't engage, nuclear.com info nugget

* [npp-US-Indian Point] New York City Nuclear Plant Vigorously Contested | EnergyBiz http://j.mp/OfwVs2 (thanx @Atomicrod and @Enformable)

OTHER NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-Canada] PQ confirms it?ll close Gentilly, Monique Beaudin, Montreal Gazette (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-India-Kudankulam] Kudankulam live: ?If govt can?t handle garbage, how will it handle nuclear waste??, FP Staff , Firstpost (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-India-Kudankulam] The meltdown of reason, The Hindu (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Japan] Japan to Launch New Nuclear Regulatory Commission Sept 19, Bernama (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Japan] Japan's prime minister hints he will announce gradual abandonment of nuclear power, Fox News (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Japan] Noda's appointment of nuclear watchdog chief inevitable, The Daily Yomiuri (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-newbuild-UK;n-biz-China] Britain Looks to China to Fuel Nuclear Renaissance (London), Anthony Faiola, NorthJersey.com (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-reactor safety-peer review] IAEA head advocates active use of peer review services for safety, Jiji Press (via IAEA Daily Press Review)
International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Yukiya Amano expressed hope Monday that countries with nuclear power plants will actively use the IAEA's peer review services.

* [npp-newbuild-Bulgaria;n-biz-Russia] Russia claims 1.0 bn euros over Bulgaria nuclear deal, AFP (via IAEA Daily Press Review)
Russia has raised to one billion euros ($1.3 billion) its compensation claim against Bulgaria over Sofia's decision to drop a deal for a Russian firm to build a new nuclear power plant.

* [npp-newbuild-Bulgaria;n-biz-AtomStroyExport] , WNN (via IAEA Daily Press Review)
Russian reactor builder AtomStroyExport (ASE) has increased its claim against Bulgaria's National Electricity Company (NEK) to 1.0 billion ($1.3 billion) following the Bulgarian government's decision to scrap the Belene plant project.

* [npp-newbuild-Czech;n-biz-Westinghouse] Westinghouse expands Czech cooperation, World Nuclear Assn, WNN Daily
Westinghouse has announced a strategic cooperation with Hutní Montáe, one of the Czech Republic's biggest construction and installation companies. The Czech company could perform a significant portion of the work if Westinghouse is awarded a contract for two AP1000 units at Temelin.

* [npp-newbuild-Poland] Poland Gets Ready for First Nuclear Power Plant, Richard Johnson, IDN-In-depth News (via IAEA Daily Press Review)
Despite widespread scepticism about nuclear energy in the aftermath of Fukushima disaster, Poland, which is heavily dependent on coal and imported gas, has decided to go in for its first nuclear power plant.

* [npp-newbuild-UAE-e_plan] UAE plans for safety, WNN (via IAEA Daily Press Review)
Two United Arab Emirates (UAE) bodies have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to facilitate the development of off-site emergency plans for the country's first nuclear power plant.

* [npp-Australia] That day in December: the story of nuclear prohibition in Australia . http://wp.me/p1vlNK-m7 (thanx @Ben_Heard_DSA, who comments: 'Ever wondered how the country with the most uranium on earth managed to outlaw nuclear power? Wonder no more.')

* [npp-Canada] Quebec to shut down its only nuclear reactor - CBC.ca http://bit.ly/TQAAli (thanx @NuclearUpdate)

* [npp-India-Kudankulam] A protestor was killed when the police opened fire to control a mob after fresh clashes broke http://goo.gl/fb/ALtvo (thanx @SoNuke)

* [npp-India-Kudankulam] Indian anti-nuke protest leader refuses to surrender to police after fisherman killed & protesters man handled http://bit.ly/OFPOpw (thanx @NuclearPolicy)

* [npp-India-Kudankulam] Kudankulam: A Brief Summary of the Issues Involved http://fb.me/1ZaxZ2QqI (thanx @DiaNuke_org)

* [npp-India-Kudankulam] Live Updates from Idinthakarai, Koodankulam http://fb.me/1fQFocFS9 (thanx @DiaNuke_org)

* [npp-Japan] Japan to Appoint Leaders of New Nuclear Regulator Next Week, The Wall Street Journal (subscription required), Sept 11 (via Nuclear Energy Institute email)
NEI titled their description of this story as "Japan PM to appoint candidates for new nuclear agency". Here's how NEI characterized the story: "Five government-picked candidates for Japan's new nuclear regulatory agency will be appointed by Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda without parliamentary approval, a spokesman for the Cabinet's national policy unit said. Shunichi Tanaka, former deputy chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, will head the panel. Tanaka is from Fukushima prefecture and has assisted in decontamination activities around the Fukushima Daiichi facility."

* [npp-Japan-TEPCO] Tepco brings in outside experts to monitor nuclear reforms, Neha Dimri, Reuters, Sept 11 (via Nuclear Energy Institute email)
NEI titled their description of this story as "TEPCO forms advisory panels to help oversee nuclear reforms". Here's how NEI characterized the story: "Two advisory committees have been created by Tokyo Electric Power to oversee nuclear safety reforms, the company announced. Former U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Dale Klein is on one of the panels, TEPCO said."

* [npp-newbuild-Australia] Uranium explorer pushes nuclear power - The Australian http://bit.ly/TR5LNt (thanx @NuclearUpdate)

* [npp-newbuild-China] Reading the Tea Leaves on China's Nuclear Viewpoint - Natural Resources Defense http://goo.gl/fb/xdccE #nuclear (thanx @nuclearnewsbot)

* [npp-newbuild-Jordan;Israel] #Jordan's King Abdullah accuses #Israel of opposing #nuclear plans http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/09/12/237572.html #news (thanx @CustosDivini)

* [npp-newbuild-Turkey] Ankara to Decide on Partner for Second Nuclear Plant in 2012, Turkey's http://goo.gl/fb/hh2hD (thanx @SoNuke)

* [npp-newbuild-UK;n-biz-China] Britain looks to China to fuel nuclear renaissance - Washington Post http://goo.gl/fb/iaVWA #nuclear (thanx @nuclearnewsbot)

* [npp-newbuild-UK] UK Nuclear: Ed Davey discusses the myths surrounding the Energy Bill & EMR - V. supportive of new #nuclear http://www.epolitix.com/latestnews/article-detail/newsarticle/ed-davey-keeping-the-lights-on-and-the-air-clean/ (thanx @JohnMcNuclear)

* [npp-antinuclear] http://web.mit.edu/nse/news/2012/2013-ans-student-conference.html.next time an anti says " think of the children" try this " LET THE CHILDREN THINK". Ans students support #nuclear. (thanx @nukeroadie)

* [npp-antinuclear] Why would a town council struggling with budget issues consider contributing another $5,000 to antinuclear efforts? http://www.yourgv.com/index.php/news/government/6220-contribution-to-fight-uranium-mining-on-sobo-council-agenda (thanx @Atomicrod)

* [npp-calendar] #FORATOM DG, Mr. Poncelet, will talk tomorrow at @WorldNuclear symposium on Euopean #nuclear developments: http://www.wna-symposium.org (thanx @FORATOM_nuclear)

September 11, 2012

FUKUSHIMA NEWS

* [Fukushima-radiation] IAEA Launches Database Of Fukushima Radiation Information, RTT News
The Fukushima Monitoring Database - available to all IAEA member-states and the public - provides radiation measurements collected both near and far from the power plant since the March, 2011 nuclear accident.

US NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-US] Political Odd Couple Agree on Clean Energy, Areva (thanx @NuclearTownHall)
Nuclear energy is in both the Republican and Democrat platforms

* [npp-US-Fort Calhoun] Fort Calhoun Restart Protracts, WOWT (thanx @NuclearTownHall)

* [npp-US-Hanford] NRC Issues Draft Guidance For Examining U.S. Nuclear Plant Response To Updated Seismic Hazards, NRC (thanx @NuclearTownHall)

* [npp-US-Indian Point] NRC Gets Letters, Emails On Re-Licensing Of Indian Point, lohud.com (thanx @NuclearTownHall)

* [npp-US-NRC-Waste Confidence] Plants Seeking Re-Licensing Anticipating Delay as Result of NRC Waste Confidence Action, Montgomery News (thanx @NuclearTownHall)

* [npp-Australia;thorium mining] Australian Citizens' Jury Puts Nuclear Energy On The Table, Sean Nicholls, Sydney Morning Herald (thanx @NuclearTownHall)

* [npp-Japan-Kashiwazaki] TEPCO Puts Re-Start of Kashiwazaki Plant at the Top of Its List, Reuters (thanx @NuclearTownHall)

OTHER NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-India-Kudankulam] 1 dead, many hurt in TN N-plant clashes | Protesters reach Kudankulam ahead of loading of uranium in first reactor, Gladwin Emmanuel, Bangalore Mirror

September 10, 2012

FUKUSHIMA NEWS

* [Fukushima-investigations] Fukushima panel told some details will take five years to learn, Platts (via Nuclear Energy Institute email)
NEI titled their description of this story as "Fukushima Daiichi researchers need more time to learn key details". Here's how NEI characterized the story: "To determine important elements related to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear incident in Japan, researchers may need at least five years, when workers are able to safely penetrate key portions of the facility, according to U.S. and Japanese nuclear industry officials. A National Academies panel is conducting a review of the incident, and it is expected to give its report to Congress and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in April 2014, said Norman Neureiter, chairman of the committee."

US NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-US-MOX;antinuc] MOX on the Witness Stand in Chattanooga, William Tucker, NuclearTownHall)

* ... anti-nuclear groups are trying to block [plutonium] reprocessing, fearing it might work. That would leave them without their favorite tune about nuclear, What Are You Going to Do with the Waste? You might think anyone concerned with weapons proliferation would be dancing in the streets at the idea of ridding the world of 34 tons of plutonium. But no, anti-nuclear groups are taking the long view. They want to block reprocessing, knowing that if a lot of weapons-grade plutonium is left sitting around, people will get discouraged about nuclear technology and want to give it up altogether. That will be the real agenda in Chattanooga tomorrow. ... Greenpeace has already opened an office in Chattanooga and has had nuclear zombies roaming the streets in preparation for Tuesdays hearing. ... [W]hat really concerns the people who will be demonstrating in Chattanooga on Tuesday is that plutonium reprocessing might work. Because if it can be done for weapons-grade material, then it can certainly be done for spent fuel rods as well. And if spent fuel can be reprocessed, then there will be no arguing, What are we going to do with the waste?
* One issue that may come up at the hearings will be the attempt to envelop the whole project in scandal. The [New York] Times took a crack at this in the 2011 story: "A cheaper alternative, encasing [the plutonium] in glass, was canceled in 2002 by President George W. Bushs administration. The energy secretary at the time, Spencer Abraham, is now the non-executive chairman of the American arm of Areva, a French company that is the worlds largest mox producer and is primarily responsible for building the South Carolina plant." The implication, of course, was that vitrification would have been far preferable but Secretary Abraham managed to prevent it, to Arevas advantage and then landed a job as a reward. I had just finished co-writing a book with Secretary Abraham (Lights Out!: Ten Myths About (and Real Solutions to) America's Energy Crisis) and so I called him up and asked him what had happened. Here is what he told me: When the Clinton Administration first struck the deal with the Russians in 1999, the hope was to reprocess all our plutonium into MOX. But our nuclear scientists came back and reported that nine tons of our plutonium was contaminated and could not be recycled. So instead the Clinton Administration agreed to reprocess the good 25 tons and vitrify the remaining nine. The Russians, however, were wary of vitrification. Their scientists believed the process could be reversed and somebody could eventually recover the plutonium. They had developed reprocessing and decided to recycle all 34 tons. The deal was closed in 1999. Since Areva, the French nuclear giant, was the only Western corporation that could do the technology, they got the contract to build the Savannah plant. All this happened long before I was appointed President Bush's new Energy Secretary in 2001. By the time I got in, however, the scientists had come back and said they had developed a way of reprocessing nine tons of contaminated plutonium after all. So it became a question of whether to reprocess 25 tons and vitrify the other 9 or reprocess it all. We figured it would be too expensive to do both, since we'd have to build two different facilities. The Russians were still very set on reprocessing so we decided in order not to jeopardize the agreement, lets go ahead and reprocess it all. Thats why we dropped the vitrifying part." Abraham did take a job with Areva a year after leaving his Secretarys job in 2005, but it was done in complete accordance with federal law. And thats the sum and substance of the scandal hatched out of the brains of the Union of Concerned Scientists.

* [npp-US-Indian Point-license renewal] NRC gets letters, emails on re-licensing of Indian Point | Panel to decide future of nuclear power plant, Michael Risinit, The Journal News, Westchester NY, Sept 10 (via Nuclear Energy Institute email)
NEI titled their description of this story as "Supporters make case for relicensing of N.Y. nuclear plant". Here's how NEI characterized the story: "The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Atomic Safety and Licensing Board has received numerous e-mail messages and letters from supporters and critics of Entergy's Indian Point nuclear plant in New York ahead of October hearings about the facility's relicensing. 'I believe that the Indian Point Energy Center is a positive asset for the Hudson Valley region and for the State of New York due to the significant contributions made to the regional economy that support local land values and for the essential role Indian Point plays to ensure the reliability of our electrical grid,' reactor operator Andrew Goerres wrote last month."

* [npp-US-Palisades;public outreach] Entergy uses open house to show workers "are returning Palisades to excellence", MichiganRadio.org (via Nuclear Energy Institute email)
NEI titled their description of this story as "Entergy hosts open house on Palisades safety efforts". Here's how NEI characterized the story: "Entergy hosted an open house at a conference center outside its Palisades nuclear plant in Michigan to show people its efforts to enhance safety at the facility. Last year, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission identified several deficiencies in safety performance at the plant. 'This is an opportunity to meet people that are returning Palisades to excellence,' said Tony Vitale, vice president of operations at Palisades."

* [npp-US-newbuild-Vogtle] What Plant Vogtle means for Georgia, Christine Todd Whitman and Calvin Smyre, The Augusta Chronicle, Sept 8 (via Nuclear Energy Institute email and NuclearTownHall)
NEI titled their description of this story as "Ga. will see the economic benefits of Plant Vogtle expansion". Here's how NEI characterized the story: "The expansion project at Southern Co.'s Plant Vogtle in Georgia will benefit citizens and the country as a whole, write Christine Todd Whitman, former administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and Calvin Smyre, former president of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators Foundation. 'Construction will create 5,000 well-paying long-term jobs between now and the time the reactors go online (the first will begin generating power in 2016 and the second in 2017). More than 2,300 people are already at work, and Georgia Power projects that this number will double by 2017. And once they are in operation, the plants will create an additional 800 career-long jobs,' they write."

* [npp-US-Browns Ferry;MOX] TVA To Hold Hearing On Plutonium-Based MOX Fuel This Week, Decatur Daily (via NuclearTownHall)

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] U.S. Chamber of Commerce And Others Join Entergy In Lawsuit Against Vermont, Brattleboro Reformer (via NuclearTownHall)

* [npp-US-decommissioning funds;Calif] California's PSC May Loosen Rules On Investment Of Nuclear Decommissioning Trust Funds, San Diego Union-Tribune (via NuclearTownHall)

OTHER NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-Japan-local govts oppose zero option;Rokkasho reprocessing] Local gov'ts hosting nuclear facilities angered, bewildered by zero atomic energy pledge, The Mainichi (via Nuclear Energy Institute email)
NEI titled their description of this story as "Japan prefecture attacks nuclear phase-out plan". Here's how NEI characterized the story: "The Democratic Party of Japan's announcement that it supports the phase-out of nuclear energy in Japan by 2030 drew criticism from officials of Aomori prefecture, where the Rokkasho fuel-reprocessing facility is located. A nuclear exit would jeopardize the facility's nuclear fuel cycle project and leave massive quantities of radioactive waste at the site. 'If the fuel isn't reprocessed, then we will send it back to where it came from,' said Aomori Gov. Shingo Mimura."

* [npp-newbuild-UAE-US loan] US Ex-Im Bank backs $2 bln loan for UAE nuclear plant (update 2), Reuters, Sept 7 (via Nuclear Energy Institute email)
NEI titled their description of this story as "Ex-Im Bank provides $2B loan to Barakah One for nuclear project". Here's how NEI characterized the story: "The U.S. Export-Import Bank is providing a $2 billion loan to the United Arab Emirates' Barakah One to acquire equipment and construction services for a reactor development project. The loan is expected to support thousands of American jobs, according to the Ex-Im Bank. 'This work will create and sustain U.S. jobs in California, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas and other states home to Westinghouse sub-suppliers. Within Westinghouse alone, the Barakah project will allow us to maintain about 600 U.S. jobs,' said Ric Perez, Westinghouse Electric's president and chief operating officer."

* [npp-Japan] JAPAN DEADLOCK: NODA ENDORSES NUCLEAR PHASE-OUT BUT DODGES DETAILS, Reuters (via NuclearTownHall)

* [npp-UK] EDF Re-considering Decommissioning Schedule for UK Nuclear Fleet, London Daily Telegraph (via NuclearTownHall)

* [npp-newbuild-Turkey] Energy Minister: Turkey To Decide On Partner For 2nd Nuclear Plant In 2012, Reuters (via NuclearTownHall)

* [npp-newbuild-climate] Climate Change Expert Calls For Nuclear Energy 'Binge' To Avert Global Warming, The Guardian (via NuclearTownHall)

* [npp-environment] Out Of Closet: Time For Environmentalists To Stop Worrying And Love Nuclear Energy, Foreign Policy (via NuclearTownHall)

September 9, 2012

FUKUSHIMA NEWS

* [Fukushima] Reactor No. 3 has 20 times more oxygen in containment vessel than Reactors 1 and 2 http://enenews.com/reactor-3-20-times-oxygen-containment-vessel-reactors-1-2 #Fukushima (thanx @ENENews)

* [Fukushima] RT @EXSKF #Fukushima Health Management Survey Protocol, in Researchers' Own Words: Not much, unfortunately, due ... http://bit.ly/P6FYMB (thanx @fukushima_actu)

* [Fukushima] Monster Bluefin Tuna, Estimated To Weigh More Than 275 Kg, Suspected Of Carrying Fukushima Radiation:... http://bit.ly/P6NNC2 #fukushima (thanx @fukushima_actu)

* [Fukushima] Pendant ce temps là... À Fukushima #humour #lol #fukushima http://instagr.am/p/PWq4DyOvkZ/ (thanx @LGRMike)

* [Fukushima] Quantifying Radiation Exposure http://bit.ly/i8FkZN <-Compare radiation exposure between #Fukushima and #Chernobyl #Survcast (thanx @KinshinC)

* [Fukushima] YouTube:# Gundersen; #Fukushima #Nuke,Press Conf. Japan5Sep.2012: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHesOm8Wd... #sougofollow (thanx @nittv)

* [Fukushima] Plume Emitted From #Fukushima Nuclear Plant Sep 4, 2012 (Video): http://www.infiniteunknown.net/2012/09/09/plume-emitted-from-fukushima-nuclear-plant-sep-4-2012-video/#.UExzvDxwT9A.twitter (thanx @Anony_Mia)

* [Fukushima] www.#Greenpeace detected cesium from #Sushi sold beside #Shinagawa station in #Tokyo:... http://dlvr.it/27FPBR #fukushima #nieuws #news (thanx @0pdamNews)

* [Fukushima] Flashback 28 Jun 2011 Daiichi #NPP Unit 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_XPIpYIhAM&feature=relmfu #Japanese Government Claim They Were 'Unaware Of #Fukushima Explosion Risk' (thanx @NoWarNow2011)

* [Fukushima] This is not good. What next? http://enenews.com/video-plume-rising-fukushima-reactors new Plume erupts outside #Fukushima reactors #nuc #news #security (thanx @NoWarNow2011)

* [Fukushima] Fukushima Radioactive Contamination Symptoms Research https://sites.google.com/site/fukushimareport/ Nonuke #Fukushima (thanx @animal_warrior)

* [Fukushima] #MsMilkyTheClown #Fukushima: Mt. Fuji to Erupt, #TEPCO: Turn Reactors Back ON! update 9/8/12 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDbHwLgByR0&feature=plcp #nuc #news (thanx @NoWarNow2011)

* [Fukushima] Did you know U can Vote #TEPCO worst co. of the year http://www.publiceye.ch/en/vote/tepco/ #nuc #Fukushima #news (thanx @NoWarNow2011)

* [Fukushima] Global help urged to avert reactor 4 pool fire http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120908f1.html #fukushima (thanx @MrWonkish)

US NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-US-Browns Ferry;MOX] Next door, nuclear research, Mike Hollis, The Huntsville Times editorial board (thanx @NuclearUpdate and @nuclearnewsbot)
* The Tennessee Valley Authority says it's willing to consider using a blend of uranium and weapons-grade plutonium [MOX] as reactor fuel at its Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant... The public will get a chance to comment on the idea in a meeting that will begin at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at the Aerospace Center at Calhoun Community College in Decatur...
* About 35,000 people live within 10 miles of the plant. That's no place for TVA and DOE to be running an experiment with radioactive material in an aging nuclear plant under increased supervision because of major safety problems... [C]ritics say ... MOX ... makes reactors harder to control, may increase the risk of some types of accidents and raises the threat to public health if an accident results in a major radioactive release.
* [Use of MOX fuel] might indeed produce savings because taxpayers will pick up a lot of the cost of making it at a plant under construction at the DOE's Savannah River Site in South Carolina. So far, TVA hasn't said just how much this might save its customers, and it's too early for even an educated guess. TVA and DOE have not negotiated a price for the fuel.
* ... NRC has found Browns Ferry's safety seriously lacking. The NRC said in August it was increasing its oversight of the Unit 2 and Unit 3 reactors because plant operators and staff wouldn't have been able "to satisfactorily perform newly implemented procedures for safe plant shutdown." This was a "low to moderate" violation. That followed two other more significant problems. In July, NRC reported a 10-minute fire broke out in January in the control room for the Unit 3 reactor. This fire, said the NRC, was caused by the failure of a 34-year-old electrical component that should have been replaced a quarter of a century ago. Browns Ferry personnel initially denied there had been a fire when an on-site NRC inspector visited the control room shortly after the fire. In October 2010, TVA discovered it had operated the Unit 1 reactor for a year and a half with a critical safety valve that was not built according to design. The valve failed when the reactor was shut down for refueling. The NRC scored that failure in the "red" category for safety threats, the most serious category.
* ... use of [MOX] fuel at Browns Ferry would begin as a test. This would be the first time MOX made from weapons-grade plutonium has been used in a boiling water reactor...

* [npp-US-San Onofre] San Diego U-T: Calif PSC wants to know if San Onofre is decomissioned now will SCE have the money to pay for it. http://trunc.it/l5b1x (thanx @djysrv)

* [npp-US;site-Piketon] Nuclear power, Piketon plant key to country's future - Chillicothe Gazette http://bit.ly/RZQpSd (thanx @NuclearUpdate)

OTHER NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-India-Kudankulam] Kudankulam Atomic Power Project : Ring of security around KKNPP as protestors gear up.. http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/article3873017.ece #hindu.#nuclear.#plant.#protest (thanx @iomicrab)

* [npp-India-Kudankulam] 1,000 protesters "make vain attempt to lay siege" to #Kudankulam #nuclear plant in Tamil Nadu. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Kudankulam-anti-nuclear-protests-Tension-as-over-1000-protesters-oppose-loading-of-fuel/articleshow/16322309.cms (thanx @energy_india)

* [npp-India-Kudankulam] #Kudankulam PMANE agitators still protesting as #nuclear plant loads fuel: http://goo.gl/71gqR MT @energy_india #India (thanx @orsoraggiante)

* [npp-India-Kudankulam] Climax at Kudankulam nuclear plant - Telugu http://Mirchi.com (thanx @SoNuke)

* [npp-newbuild-UAE] http://arabiangazette.com/us-bank-grants-uae-nuclear-loan #UAE bank receives $2bn direct loan from #US bank to build one of worlds largest #nuclear power plants (thanx @MoignKhawaja)

* [npp-newbuild-UAE] U.A.E. Nuclear Program Gets $2 Billion Loan from U.S. Exim Bank - Bloomberg http://goo.gl/fb/0f6O2 #nuclear (thanx @nuclearnewsbot)

* [npp-Japan] Why did Japan use #nuclear power to begin with? Was Hiroshima the reason? Energy independence? #Nuclear expert Tom Drolet explains on @cleanenergyview http://bit.ly/MtnBTM (thanx @CleanEnergyNYC and @CleanEnergyShow)

* [npp-Pakistan] Impotent minds + #nuclear power = effective #Ummah > RT @hidhussain 30m Pakistanis aged 4 to 16 deprived of education http://tribune.com.pk/story/433791/the-literacy-factor-30m-pakistanis-aged-4-to-16-deprived-of-education/ (thanx @RajaArsalanKhan)

* [npp-UK] EDF considers nuclear plant reprieve - http://Telegraph.co.uk http://bit.ly/Rr7Sbo (thanx @NuclearUpdate)

* [npp-UK] EDF Energy is considering to keep 2 of its oldest UK #nuclear plants open for another decade http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/9530446/EDF-considers-nuclear-plant-reprieve.html #energy #news (thanx @prometheus_team)

* [npp-Belgium] Nuclear Power in Belgium, Market Outlook to 2025, 2012 http://goo.gl/fb/BPm5R Price: $ 2500 (Single User License) (thanx @SoNuke)

* [npp-Switzerland] Nuclear Power in Switzerland, Market Outlook to 2025 http://goo.gl/fb/kUfvQ Price: $ 2500 (Single User License) (thanx @SoNuke)

* [npp-Czech] Nuclear Power in Czech Republic, Market Outlook to 2025 http://goo.gl/fb/ZUp5a Price: $ 2500 (Single User License) (thanx @SoNuke)

September 3, 2012

India - Kaiga nuclear plant targeted by Saudi-directed terrorists

There's a lot yet to learn about the 12 suspects arrested on terror charges in India, allegedly including plot involving Kaiga nuclear plant. One thing reported as certain in article from The Times of India is that the terrorists' handlers are "holed up in Saudi Arabia". (Ref: Times News Network, "Special team to probe terror links to Saudi", Sept 2, 2012)

July 26, 2012

Fukushima seen as just a speed bump, not a stop sign, for global nuclear build

World nuclear capacity is, however, expected to grow by 44 percent to 99 percent by 2035, according to a biennial report from the United Nations nuclear body and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.

This was little changed from the range of growth of 37 percent to 110 percent in the edition two years ago of the report on uranium resources, production and demand, known as the "Red Book."

"We see it as a speed bump," said Gary Dyck, head of nuclear fuel cycle and materials at the International Atomic Energy Agency, referring to the long-term impact of the Fukushima accident on the global nuclear industry.

Source: Nuclear expansion on track despite Fukushima: OECD report, Eric Onstad, Reuters (Thanx @EnergyParks)

July 23, 2012

Nuclear Power Reactors in the World - 2012 Edition (IAEA, free 86 page pdf)
Includes info-packed charts, including new build by country

July 19, 2012

* [npp-reactor safety-lessons learned] Nuclear regulators & drilling experts to talk process safety, Jennifer A. Dlouhy, FuelFix.com (via Nuclear Energy Institute email)
* A panel discussion on Qualities of Effective Indicator Programs Downstream Petrochemical & Refining will include Jessie Hill Roberson (Vice Chairman, Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board) and John W. Lubinski (Deputy Director, NRC Division of Inspection and Regional Support)
* NEI titled their description of this story as "CSB to hold talks on safety with oil, nuclear and drilling sectors". Here's how NEI characterized the story: "The Chemical Safety Board revealed the lineup of panel participants in an upcoming hearing that would allow oil industry leaders, drilling regulators and nuclear sector representatives to discuss safety performance indicators following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster. The meeting in Houston on July 23 and 24 will include experts such as ExxonMobil Chief Process Safety Engineer Kelly Keim, who helped formulate the American Petroleum Institute's 'recommended practice' for measuring process safety."

* [npp-US-uprates]

How to expand nuclear power without attracting (too much) attention, Brad Plumer, The Washington Post/Ezra Klein's Wonkblog (via Nuclear Energy Institute email)
NEI titled their description of this story as "Uprates expand nuclear energy's role in the U.S.". Here's how NEI characterized the story: "Since 1977, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved more than 6,500 megawatts in uprates, increasing nuclear power's role in the U.S. energy mix during a time when few new facilities were built, Brad Plumer writes. Companies can uprate by improving the instruments used to control a nuclear plant's capacity, or by installing more efficient and higher-output components, which is known as a 'stretch uprate.'"

* [npp-US-newbuild-Vogtle-loan guarantee] Southern Co CEO says U.S. nuclear loan guarantee less enticing, Eileen O'Grady, Reuters (via Nuclear Energy Institute email)
* Lower financing costs to benefit Southern nuclear, coal projects
* Fanning also said lower-than-expected financing costs would help offset any rise in construction costs at the power company's two major construction projects -- Plant Vogtle and a $2.8 billion advanced-coal plant in Mississippi. Southern has financed about $3 billion of its share of the new Vogtle units this year at costs well below the level anticipated when the project was certified by Georgia utility regulators, he said. "We are way exceeding our ability to deliver the capital in a cost-efficient manner than anybody thought, and that's for both Vogtle and Kemper," Fanning said. "Therefore, the operating costs that customers will pay for, I'm convinced, will be less than what they thought it would be when (regulators) approved it," he said.
* NEI titled their description of this story as "Southern may move on nuclear project even without loan guarantee". Here's how NEI characterized the story: "Southern Co. said it could go forward with the expansion of Plant Vogtle even if it doesn't receive an $8.3 billion federal loan guarantee, which has been the subject of longer-than-expected talks due to new Department of Energy requirements. 'I've got to be convinced that whatever terms and conditions we enter into ultimately work to the benefit of our customers. If they don't, we don't need the loan guarantee,' said Thomas Fanning, Southern's president, chairman and CEO."

* [npp-newbuild-SMR-mPower] Babcock & Wilcox testing site in Bedford County is operational, Craig Davison, The News & Advance (Lynchburg, Va.) (via Nuclear Energy Institute email)
* B&W hopes to have its first mPower reactor built by 2022, said Christofer Mowry, president of Babcock & Wilcox mPower, in an interview last week.
*NEI titled their description of this story as "Babcock & Wilcox's mPower reactor reaches full-scale testing levels". Here's how NEI characterized the story: "The Generation mPower small modular reactor design from Babcock & Wilcox achieved full testing operations on July 12 at the Center for Advanced Engineering and Research in Bedford County, Va. The facility's testing at lower power levels started in February, and last week marked the first time it could be tested at full pressure and temperature, comparable to that of an actual nuclear reactor, said Jud Simmons, company spokesman. Babcock & Wilcox expects to present mPower's design application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission by the end of 2013."
* Comment from reader Eric, posting as Young Tagalogon: NuScale has had operational, design-specific test facilities for small modular reactors for many years. The integral system test facility for the predecessor of the NuScale reactor was a design-specific SMR test facility, and it went operational in 2002 (10 years ago). The revised and updated NuScale facility went operational in 2008. So this is not even close to the first design-specific test facility for small modular reactors.

* [npp-US-Calvert Cliffs] Constellation Maryland Calvert Cliffs 1 reactor back, Reuters (via Nuclear Energy Institute email)
NEI titled their description of this story as "Constellation Energy restarts Maryland reactor". Here's how NEI characterized the story: "The Unit 1 reactor at Constellation Energy's Calvert Cliffs nuclear facility in Maryland resumed operation Wednesday, a company spokesman said. A small leak had occurred at the 855-megawatt reactor and was quickly fixed."

* [npp-US-Fort Calhoun] Nebraska nuclear plant not restarting soon, CNBC/The Associated Press (via Nuclear Energy Institute email)
* Sierra Club of Iowa has asked federal regulators to consider revoking the plant's license because of its history of safety violations
* NEI titled their description of this story as "Neb. utility may delay nuclear plant's restart". Here's how NEI characterized the story: "Nebraska's Omaha Public Power District will likely delay the restart of its Fort Calhoun nuclear plant, which has been shut down since April 2011, as more work needs to be done to ensure the plant's safety. 'We have a lot of work left to do,' said utility spokesman Jeff Hanson. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission and OPPD conducted a public meeting Tuesday to address concerns regarding the plant."

* [npp-US-Limerick] Reactor shut down at Limerick nuclear plant after "unusual event", Montgomery News (Fort Washington, Pa.)/Journal Register News Service (via Nuclear Energy Institute email)
NEI titled their description of this story as "Exelon shuts down reactor in southeastern Pa.". Here's how NEI characterized the story: "Exelon shut down one of the two reactors at its Limerick nuclear power facility in southeastern Pennsylvania on Wednesday morning due to an electrical fault in a transformer. The company reported an 'unusual event,' which has since been terminated, as a result of the electrical malfunction. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission was monitoring the situation and said there was no danger to the public."

* [npp-US-Limerick] Reactor shut down at Limerick nuclear plant, Philly.com (Philadelphia)/The Associated Press (via Nuclear Energy Institute email)

July 17, 2012

* [npp-US-reactor safety-maintenance] [oldie-but-goodie: Nuclear plant maintenance horror story - wrong lubricant used on scram breakers, nuclear.com info nugget

July 16, 2012

* [npp-US-San Onofre] NRC Releases Further Details of San Onofre Nuclear Plant Steam Generator Wear, Nuclear Street News Team (thanx @nuclearnewsbot and @NuclearStreet)
Comment by @Atomicrod: Seems San Onofre installed a "lemon" steam generator. Replace with better one & move on. Should be under warranty.

* [npp-Japan-antinuc] Tokyo Anti-Nuclear Rally Attracts Thousands in Growing Protests, Aya Takada, Shunichi Ozasa and Scilla Alecci, Businessweek (thanx @nuclearnewsbot)

* [npp-Japan-antinuc] Tens of thousands join Nobel laureate in demanding end to nuclear power, Yuri Kageyama, Associated Press (thanx @nuclearnewsbot and @NuclearUpdate)
Led by Nobel-winning novelist Kenzaburo Oe, pop star Ryuichi Sakamoto and visual artist Yoshitomo Nara...

* [npp-Japan-antinuc] Massive anti-nuclear rally staged in Tokyo, AFP (thanx @nuclearnewsbot)
An estimated 170,000 Japanese take to the streets following government's decision to restart two reactors

* [npp-newbuild-UAE] UAE's first two reactors get environmental approval. Name of #nuclear station changed from Braka to Barakah, (thanx @daltonnucnet)

* [npp-newbuild-UAE] UAE nuclear power plant project receives environmental permit, Platts (thanx @nuclearnewsbot and @PlattsPower)

* [npp-newbuild-UK] High-voltage power lines to serve a new nuclear power station at Sellafield ..., Julian Whittle, The Cumberland News (thanx @SellafieldLtd)
Power lines for National Grid

* [n-educ-UK] Joint launch event for the National Skills Academy Nuclear Manufacturing and AMRC Training Centre, 14 Sept, Nuclear AMRC (thanx @NuclearAMRC)

* [n-educ-NDT-Pakistan] Pakistan - National Centre for Non-destructive Testing (NCNDT), (thanx @IAEATC)

* [decommissioning-UK] VIDEO: Time Lapse Video of Demolition of Dounreays D1207, Nuclear Decommissioning Report (thanx @DounreayPress)

* [energy-npp] Renewable Revolution or Nuclear Nightmare?, Oliver Tickell, The Ecologist

* In 2010 the world demand for primary energy was equivalent to 12,000 million tonnes of oil (Mtoe), 87% of which was provided by oil, gas and coal. Nuclear power contributed a gross 626 Mtoe, about 5% of the total, while renewables accounted for 935 Mtoe, almost 8%.
* Assume a 2% growth in primary energy demand per year over the next 35 years, and that demand will double to some 24,000 Mtoe. Rely on nuclear power to accommodate all the growth, and knock out 4,000 Mtoe-worth of coal, and it will have to produce 16,000 Mtoe of energy per year - a 25-fold increase on its current level. Today the world has 440 operational nuclear reactors, so 25 times more means 11,000 reactors. To have these in 35 years means building, on average, about one a day... At a construction cost of about US$10 billion per reactor, we would need to dedicate US$110 trillion, or about two years gross world product, while also providing for long-term liabilities.
* There are currently plans for about 200 new nuclear reactors around the world, mainly in China, the Middle East and the USA. But few observers expect all of these to be built, since the economics of nuclear power are unattractive to private investors, owing to high construction cost, long lead time, electricity price uncertainty, political hazard and long-term liabilities. Realistically the world might build 100 or so new reactors over the coming decade or so perhaps one every 3550 days. Over this same period a similar number of existing reactors will reach the end of their lives and close, leading to a net growth rate close to zero.
* ... nuclear power is expensive and becoming more so... Worse, if we were somehow to build our 11,000 nuclear reactors, we would face the certainty of repeated catastrophic accidents and the spread of nuclear weapons, not to mention unimaginable liabilities for decommissioning and long-term nuclear-waste management. We can fairly say that nuclear power is both repulsive and utterly wrong.
* renewable energy is free of catastrophic dangers and long-term liabilities
* As for renewables, wind, solar PV and solar hot water technologies have already reached a point of no return. The question is not whether they will come to dominate world energy supply, but when.
* Comment by reader cwm66: Wall-to-wall breeder reactors are the only answer to the worlds future energy needs. We'll be building Molten salt Breeder Reactors (MSBRs) within the lifetime of the children of today's young parents. It will be the only way to avoid instability (or worse) in a world where the rationing of hydrocarbons becomes inevitable. We'll be producing something like 100 MWe modular units and we'll need over 200,000 to supply all of the energy needs, to every individual on the planet (at developed world standards), for all of time. We'll be living cheek by jowl with these community based reactors, as the sailors in our nuclear vessels do today. we'll be able to do so because these reactors are inherently safe - they shut down without human intervention, according to the laws of physics. It's shear lunacy to believe that a spaghetti-like interconnection of windmills and plastic squares can maintain peace and stability in a world of declining, non-renewable, hydrocarbon-dependent, energy technologies.

June 29, 2012

EIA forecast: nuclear power market share in US will fall to 18% by 2035

The US Energy Information Agency forecasts that generation from U.S. nuclear power plant will increase by 10% from 2010 to 2035, but the share of total generation will decline, from 20% in 2010 to 18% in 2035. Although new nuclear capacity is forecast via new reactors and uprates of older ones, total generation grows faster and the nuclear share falls. Nuclear capacity grows from 101 GW in 2010 to 111 GW in 2035, with 7.3 GW of additional uprates and 8.5 GW of new capacity between 2010 and 2035. During the 25-year study period, some older nuclear capacity is retired, which reduces overall nuclear generation.

One nuclear unit, Oyster Creek, is expected to be retired at the end of 2019, as announced by Exelon Corp. in December 2010. An additional 5.5 GW of nuclear capacity is assumed to be retired by 2035. All other existing nuclear units continue to operate through 2035 in the reference case, which assumes that they will apply for and receive operating license renewals, including in some cases a second 20-year extension after 60 years of operation.

With growing electricity demand and the retirement of 88 GW of existing capacity of all types, 235 GW of new generating capacity, including end-use combined heat and power, are projected to be added between 2011 and 2035. The EIA forecasts that natural gas-fired plants will account for 60% of capacity additions between 2011 and 2035 in the reference case, compared with 29% for renewables, 7% for coal and 4% for nuclear.

June 24, 2012

FUKUSHIMA NEWS

* [Fukushima] Holes on the duct of reactor3. Tepco fixed it with tape., Iori Mochizuki, Fukushima Diary (via Nevada state ANP)

* [Fukushima-health-pregnant women] 15% of pregnant woman in Fukushima suffer from depression, Iori Mochizuki, Fukushima Diary (via Nevada state ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation] 76.96 µSv/h at 200m from Fukushima prefectural office, Iori Mochizuki, Fukushima Diary (via Nevada state ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation] Japan TV: Crawfish from highly contaminated area brought into classroom for children to play with, thanx @ENENews
Safe enough after rinsing with water (VIDEO)

* [Fukushima-radiation-May2011] Nuclear Physicist: Most of the Plutonium Mox fuel nuclear fallout likely to drop on the U.S as US Plutonium levels at 20 year highs, thanx @SoNuke,@kr3atand @planetInfowars

US NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-US-Callaway] Nuke license--Callaway project slow to hatch, Henry J. Waters III, Columbia Daily Tribune (via Nevada state ANP)

* [npp-US-Palisades] Repairs continue at the Palisades nuclear plant, Detroit Free Press, thanx @nuclearnewsbot
The plant shut down June 12 to repair a water tank leak... The tank contained 300,000 gallons of borated water, which is used to cool the reactor when nuclear fuel is replaced or to cool the core in an emergency. No date has been set for the plant to reopen...

* [npp-US-San Onofre] VOTE: #LA Times poll asks "What should be done about #SanOnofre nuclear power plants?" #Fukushima #Nuclear #SanDiego , thanx @ENENews

* [npp-US-San Onofre] San Onofre: 'Nuclear Safety In Action', Michael M. Rosen, North County Times, thanx @nukeroadie
* comment from reader richarddexter, who describes himself as a chemist and teacher: Published studies in Germany proved children raised wtihin 5 miles of this type of nuclear plant have 1.5 times more leukemia than children raised 10 miles from the stacks
* another richarddexter comment: Sadly, here is the link to the new book by the National Academy of Science on the unexpected emissions that are regularly released from San Onofre (and all other U.S. fission plants) out of their stacks yearly. Quite disturbing amounts--a massive 50 Curies of radioactive krypton and argon, several millicuries of I-131 and the leukemia causing strontium 90. These gases are of so low density it is cost-prohibitive to trap them and they are simply vented. On top of that as you may know are the regular releases of tritium water surrounding fission plants, and a vast numbers of isotopes released are too difficult to consider here for longterm health impact. The adverse health effects are scheduled to be printed in a second volume by the Academy later.
* comment from reader Gary SC Green, of SanOnofreSafety.org: ... troubled and dangerous steam generator failures causing a readiation leak which could have been catastrophic had we not been lucky (again). The experts responsible for this near miss admitted to being 400% off with their computer modeling estimates. Worse yet, they can't tell if the tubes are wearing improperly while in operation, leaving it to chance that they will catch it in time if we give them another chance to roll the dice.
* another Gary SC Green comment: The truth is that we don't need nuclear power... All of the experts agree that Southern California will get through the summer peak demand season without blackouts. I attended a CPUC/CEC/ISO workshop in Los Angeles last Friday where the main topic was meeting our energy needs without San Onofre. They all confirmed that we will be on the right side of the margin for capacity and voltage.
* another Gary SC Green comment: I can't understand how people can still understate the risk of nuclear power. I don't think anyone in their right mind would ever wish a fukushima-like nightmare on their worst enemies... It is now a simple question with a simple answer that just about anyone can see for themselves. Is it worth this kind of risk when the only ones who benefit are the relative few, IF no serious accident takes place? Instead, society shoulders the risk for a catastrophic accident for something we don't even need. Are you willing to trade the safety of millions of people living within plume range of nuclear sites, just to squeeze out a little more profit for the few. Is this kind of message what you call "fear-mongering". I call it dealing with reality, not fantasy or denial or greed.

* [npp-US-San Onofre] Design flaws & Miscalculations at San Onofre?, thanx @SoNuke
Removing the "stay cylinder" a "safety device" to pack more tubes in these steam generators & then calling that a design flaw or miscalculation, is like removing the seat belt from your car and wondering why you went thru the window when you hit a tree... And blaming the tree!

* [npp-US-San Onofre] California energy officials plan for life without San Onofre; As officials make short-term plans to cope while the San Onofre plant is off line, they're also starting to think about the possibility of a nuclear-free future, Abby Sewell, Los Angeles Times, thanx @SoNuke, @nuclearnewsbot and @MicheleKearney

* [npp-US-San Onofre] Design flaws cloud San Onofre's future, Pat Brennan, Orange County Register, thanx @NuclearUpdate
Revelations of serious flaws in the design of its steam generators have left the idled San Onofre nuclear plant in a kind of regulatory limbo.

* [npp-US-San Onofre] Long Hot Summer of Debate Over San Onofre, Rita Robinson, Laguna Beach Independent (via Nevada state ANP)

* [npp-US-San Onofre] San Onofre's cloudy future, Los Angeles Times editorial (via Nevada state ANP)

* [npp-US-San Onofre] The non-nuclear summer, Pat Brennan, Orange County Register (via Nevada state ANP)

* [npp-thorium-book] Many antinuclear slants in "Superfuel" Ex. "get rid of existing #nuclear" pg 236 Bad fact checking "Westinghouse is Korean owned"?? pg 226, thanx @Atomicrod
Final words of "Superfuel" acknowledgements. "This book is also for them." "...men who have done the work of the hydrocarbon era." Big clue!

OTHER NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp] Nuclear power, Ben Bova, Naples Daily News, thanx @NuclearUpdate
* ... the cold facts are that nuclear power plants are far safer than power plants using fossil fuels.
* But what if the wastes could be somehow transformed into inert, non-radioactive material? What if we could do what the medieval alchemists wanted to achieve in reverse? Instead of transforming lead into gold, suppose we could transform radioactive uranium, strontium, plutonium, thorium, et al. into lead or some other inert elements? Scientists in Britain believe they can accomplish such a seemingly magical trick, and generate electrical power in the bargain. They envision using a particle accelerator the kind of "atom smasher" physicists use to study the inner structure of fundamental particles to bombard radioactive materials with neutrons and turn them into safe, non-radioactive elements. The accelerator system could be designed to generate electrical power while it's deactivating the radioactive wastes. A system that needs 20 megawatts of power to operate could generate 600 megawatts, they believe. Instead of storing the wastes for centuries or millennia, convert them to harmless elements and generate copious amounts of electrical power while you're at it! There are plenty of technical problems to be dealt with before such a facility becomes a reality, but scientists and engineers can undoubtedly solve them, in time... The next step is to build a demonstration system to prove that the wastes can be safely deactivated. That is underway now, in Britain. Details about the British work are in New Scientist magazine's May 26 issue.

* [npp] A future for nuclear power, Sardul Singh Minhas, Orange County Register (via Nevada state ANP)

* [npp-antinuc] Is multinational petroleum industry trying to derail UK #nuclear w/ false promise of "clean, cheap" gas from fracking?, thanx @Atomicrod

* [npp-APEC] APEC ministers to agree on importance of nuclear energy use: draft, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada state ANP)

* [npp-EU] #FORATOM DG Poncelet and President Ladeborn speak in Platts's 7th Annual European #Nuclear Power Conference tomorrow, thanx @FORATOM_nuclear

* [npp-Japan] Japanese Journalist: Nobody can stop this movement anymore -- A revolution made by citizens, thanx @ENENews

* [npp-Japan] [LA times]Japan to restart nuclear reactors despite widespread fear, Iori Mochizuki, Fukushima Diary (via Nevada state ANP)

* [npp-Japan] There's none so blind as those who deny they cannot see, Stephen Hesse, Japan Times (via Nevada state ANP)

* [npp-Japan-Tsuruga-seismic] NISA to tighten checks on fault research beneath Tsuruga reactors, Japan Times (via Nevada state ANP)

* [npp-Japan-Ohi] Alarm erroneously issued at Oi nuclear plant, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada state ANP)

* [npp-Taiwan] Now is time to go nuclear-free: author, Lee I-chia, Taipei Times, thanx @nuclearnewsbot
*Tokyo-based Taiwanese writer Liu Li-erh: "If nuclear power is not abolished, then our assets especially those fixed assets in Taipei City and New Taipei City would be abolished' if a nuclear disaster occurs."... Liu said that although her house is located about 80km away from the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant, the property has lost almost all of its value due to the high levels of radiation present since the disaster. She said that the Japanese government had set provisional regulations for radiation-contaminated food at 500 Bq/kg for radioactive cesium levels immediately after the disaster, and reduced the limit to 100 Bq/kg in April. However, this is still 1,000 times the limit for rice (0.1 Bq/kg) in force prior to the disaster.
* Many Japanese have learned from the disaster that "the knowledge of nuclear specialists is limited, they are not experts on evaluating the harm and impact that nuclear disasters can cause humans or society," she said, adding: "So it becomes important to make judgements on our own, instead of always believing the government."
* Many experts from Japan and other countries are now very concerned about the more than 1,500 fuel rods housed in the storage pool inside the damaged No. 4 reactor building at Fukushima Dai-ichi, warning that a disaster worse than the three reactor meltdowns could happen if the pool collapses, she added. "If the storage pool breaks and runs dry, the nuclear fuel inside will overheat and explode, causing a massive radiation release over a wide area," she said. Japan's Mainichi Shimbun on April 2 said that "if this were to happen, residents in the Tokyo metropolitan area would be forced to evacuate."
* "Maybe some international experts have not noticed that we have about 8,000 spent fuel rods stored in the cooling pool at the Guosheng Nuclear Power Plant [in Wanli District, New Taipei City] and a total of about 16,000 throughout the country," she said. Taiwan has good reason to abandon all nuclear power operations because many international experts have already warned that the two nuclear power plants in northern Taiwan pose an immediate threat to greater Taipei, she said, adding that in February France's Le Monde newspaper warned about the risk from poor management of spent fuel rods at the Guosheng plant.
* Taiwan has a high reserve electricity capacity, so there would be no power shortage even if the nuclear power plants were immediately closed down, Liu said. Many Japanese companies and government offices have saved up to 50 percent on their electricity consumption since the disaster, "so Taiwan can surely do the same to end our reliance on nuclear power," she added.

* [npp-UK] EDF Agrees Life Extension for U.K. Plants, Mail on Sunday Says, Clementine Fletcher, Bloomberg (via Nevada state ANP)

* [npp-UK] Nuclear subsidy plan must be probed, SNP
MSP Chic Brodie: "Nuclear energy is expensive, dangerous and impossible to deliver without massive public subsidy." (via Nevada state ANP)

June 23, 2012

FUKUSHIMA NEWS

* [Fukushima-radiation-seafood] Japan TV: Fukushima seafood to be sold in stores starting next week... after one round of tests on three kinds of samples, thanx @ENENews
I especially liked the comment which sarcastically says Fukushima seafood could be marketed kind of like cerviche. Imagine the ad: 'Quick and easy. It cooks itself.'

* [Fukushima] Large gap in top floor of No. 4 reactor building -- Taken off in last few days (PHOTOS & VIDEO), thanx @ENENews

* [Fukushima] RAND Sr. Scientist: Fukushima spent fuel might have been damaged (VIDEO), thanx @ENENews
Tom LaTourrette, RAND Senior Physical Scientist: Fukushima is first case Im aware of where there might have been damage to nuclear fuel that wasnt in the reactor core at the time.

* [Fukushima-TEPCO] Dispatch of the Fourth Compensation Application Forms, TEPCO press release, thanx @Enformable

* [Fukushima-TEPCO] Application Form pdf: Type Damages 1 Agricultural Farmers , thanx @Enformable

US NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-US-Perry] NRC Chair Jaczko tours Perry #nuclear plant; Reporter John Funk gets to use word "reckless" only once, Cleveland Plain Dealer, thanx @djysrv

OTHER NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-newbuild-China] China's current nuclear energy situation, Next Big Future, thanx @nuclearnewsbot and @NuclearUpdate

* [npp-newbuild-China] Chinese Data Mask Depth of Slowdown. ? Will lower elec demand affect #nuclear new build, #uranium buys?, Keith Bradsher, NYT, thanx @djysrv

* [npp-newbuild-Czech] Austrian, German anti-nuke groups crowd into Temelin safety hearing for 2 new #nuclear reactors, thanx @djysrv

* [npp] GlobalData's report shows that more than 200 nuclear power stations across the world are expected to be closed by 2030, almost half of the number that are currently in operation, thanx @SoNuke

* [npp-Japan] Regional Japanese referendums on nuclear power are promoting demands for a national referendum, Mitsuru Obe, Wall Street Journal, thanx @NuclearPolicy

* [npp-Japan] Thousands of demonstrators held rallies in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyodo News, thanx @SoNuke

* [npp-Japan] Nuclear fuel cycle essential to national energy strategy, Yomiuri Shimbun editorial, thanx @nuclearnewsbot

* [npp-spent fuel-Japan] Policy of reprocessing all spent #nuclear fuel may be axed; but country has no geologic repository, Japan Times, thanx @djysrv

* [npp-news] The Carnival of Nuclear Energy Bloggers is up - news and views on #nuclear energy developments in USA & round the world, thanx @ans_org

* [Chernobyl-cancer] Chernobyl disaster: 15 thyroid cancer deaths are the only long-term radiation-related deaths so far, nuclear.com info nugget

January 25, 2012

FUKUSHIMA NEWS

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] Trade figures reveal cost of Japan's nuclear shutdown, World Nuclear News
Huge energy imports last year caused Japan to record a rare trade deficit. Manufacturing was hit by the tsunami, but the use of fossil fuels to replace shut-down nuclear plants was a bigger factor.

* [Fukushima-exclusion area] Village in Fukushima no-go zone to call for residents to return permanently by March, Mainichi Daily News

* [Fukushima-exclusion zone] Fukushima's exclusion zone a ghost town, Kyung Lah, CNN

* [Fukushima-Japan-econ] Japan records 2.5 trillion yen trade deficit, Daily Yomiuri

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] After earthquake, Japan can't agree on the future of nuclear power, Chico Harlan, Washington Post

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] Nuclear reactors staying idle, Washington Post

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] Trade figures reveal cost of Japan's nuclear shutdown, World Nuclear News

* [Fukushima-nuclearbiz] More Japanese companies to join Fukushima cleanup, Tokyo Times

* [Fukushima-radiation-construction materials] Radioactive gravel tied to more prefabs, Japan Times

* [Fukushima-radiation-sunflowers] Sunflower oil pressed from nuke disaster no-go zone seeds almost radiation-free, Mainichi Daily News

* [Fukushima-TEPCO] TEPCO to continue halt of new recruitment in spring 2013, Mainichi Daily News

* [Fukushima-TEPCO] Tepco Idles Unit Cutting Japan Nuclear Capacity to 8.1%, Tsuyoshi Inajima, Bloomberg

* [Fukushima-TEPCO] Tepco Rises After Report on State-Fund Injection, Tsuyoshi Inajima, Bloomberg

* [Fukushima-TEPCO] Japan's stricken nuclear operator set for $13 bln bailout - sources (Rpt-Update 2), Kentaro Hamada and Linda Sieg, Reuters

* [Fukushima-TEPCO] Tokyo Elec to accept Y1 trln public fund injection -sources, Reuters

* [Fukushima-TEPCO] Japan taking center stage at Fukushima, UPI

* [Fukushima-workers-radiation] Japan's Nuclear Temp Workers Exposed to Unmeasured Risks, Jack Phillips, Epoch Times

US NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-US-Prairie Island] Prairie Island ISFSI license renewal application did not pass NRC acceptance review, Steve Schulin, nuclear.com

* [npp-US-reactor safety] Feb 9, 2012 - ACRS to be briefed by NRC staff and NEI on implementation of post-Fukushima task force recommendations, Steve Schulin, nuclear.com

* [npp-US-Palisades] Dave Lochbaum's 'bathtub effect model' praised by NEIS' Linda Lewison, Steve Schulin, nuclear.com

* [npp-US-Browns Ferry/MOV] Browns Ferry violation - 2 valves were not recognized as safety-related, Steve Schulin, nuclear.com

* [npp-US-Crystal River] Crystal River (March 2011) - a loud noise was heard from the fuel hoist while withdrawing a fuel assembly from the reactor core, Steve Schulin, nuclear.com

* [npp-US-newbuild-ESBWR] NRC staff to review approval schedule for ESBWR design, Yanmei Xie, Platts (via NEI email; the title here is NEI's - original is "Modeling errors in GEH design jeopardize certification schedule")
Here's NEI's description: Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will review the approval schedule for GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy's Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor design after they found errors in the reactor's steam-dryer modeling. GEH "will continue to work closely with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to successfully resolve this issue. GEH remains confident that we will receive final design certification of the ESBWR in the near future," company spokesman Michael Tetuan said.

* [npp-US-Vogtle] NRC probes low passing rate of new Ga. nuclear plant operators, Rob Pavey, Augusta Chronicle (via NEI email; title here is NEI's - original is "NRC questions failure rate of new Vogtle reactor operators")
Here's NEI's description: The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is investigating the high failure rate of prospective Plant Vogtle reactor operators in 2011. "They are doing a root cause analysis, and we're going through a lengthy investigation and analysis, too," said Katherine Melvin, a spokeswoman at Southern Nuclear, which operates the facility. Only 3 out of 10 new applicants passed the written and operating exams last spring, according to records from the NRC.

* [npp-US] US energy demand to outstrip nuclear growth, World Nuclear News
While US nuclear generating capacity is expected to grow by 11% by 2035, its share of the country's total electricity output will drop slightly, according to a forecast by the US Energy Information Administration. Coal use will fall significantly during this period, with gas seeing the highest growth.

* [npp-US-Davis-Besse] Nuclear plant safety questions amid U.S. House primary, Homeland Security Newswire

* [npp-US-Grand Gulf] NRC to Discuss Safety and Environmental Review Process for Grand Gulf Nuclear Plant License Renewal Application, NRC

* [npp-US-Limerick] Exelon: 'Limerick Generating Station Operates Conservatively', Teresa McMinn, Phoenixville.Patch

* [npp-US-newbuild-Blue Castle Project] Battle over nuclear energy looms in Utah, Summit County Citizens Voice

* [npp-US-newbuild-Iowa] Key lawmaker thinks nuclear bill will be approved, cbs4qc

* [npp-US-newbuild-SMRs] Energy plan could boost small reactor research at SRS, Rob Pavey, Augusta Chronicle

* [npp-US-newbuild-VC Summer] SCE&G issues debt offering of $250M, Columbia Regional Business Report

* [npp-US-newbuild-Vogtle] Georgia Power's rates a key part of Southern's fourth-quarter profit, Kristi E. Swartz, Atlanta Journal Constitution

* [npp-US-Oyster Creek] Oyster Creek Stands By Closure Plan Following Federal Court Ruling, Elaine Piniat, Barnegat.Patch

* [npp-US-Pilgrim] Chesto: Six years later, Pilgrim still awaits license renewal, Jon Chesto, Milford Daily News

* [npp-US-Pilgrim] Activists say Pilgrim is too close to drinking water supplies, Jon Chesto, Patriot Ledger

* [npp-US-Sequoyah] TVA nuclear protection can't withstand worst-case flood, feds say, Anne Paine, The Tennessean

* [npp-US-TMI] Equipment wear questioned at TMI, Sean Adkins, York Daily Record

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Sorrell says state's case rested on reliability concerns, Alan Panebaker, Vermont Journalism Trust

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Letter: Why support a state that enabled VY in the first place, Hattie Nestel, Windham County Commons

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Letter: Why would I choose to spend my birthday getting arrested?, Cate Woolner, Windham County Commons

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Local lawmakers say VY case is far from over, Randolph T. Holhut, Windham County Commons

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] 'Clocks cleaned', Olga Peters, Windham County Commons

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Help Vermonters Combat Federal Overreach, Dan DeWalt, OpEdNews

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Shumlin Still Mulling Over Appeal of Vermont Yankee Ruling, John Dillon, Vermont Public Radio

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Not everyone a fan of Vt. Yankee's legal victory, Jennifer Reading, WCAX

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Shumlin answers questions on Vt Yankee, Susie Steimle, WCAX

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Shumlin Defends His Approach to Yankee, WPTZ The Champlain Valley

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] The Decision and the Next Decisions plus Some Relevant Links, Yes Vermont Yankee

* [npp-US-Watts Bar] TVA takes stand on safety by idling contract workers, Knoxville News Sentinel editorial

* [npp-US-Wolf Creek] Recent Wolf Creek shutdown triggers federal inspection, Rick Plumlee, Wichita Eagle

* [npp-US-Wolf Creek] NRC to Send Augmented Inspection Team to Wolf Creek Nuclear Generating Station, NRC

* [npp-US] Report: Water of millions in peril from nuclear plants, Michael Symons, Asbury Park Press

OTHER NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-Canada-radiation] Radioactive Release Data from Canadian Nuclear Power Plants 2001-10, Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission

* [npp-Romania-nuclearbiz] SNC-Lavalin wins nuclear-services contract worth about $48M, Nicolas Van Praet, National Post (via NEI email; title here is NEI's - original is "SNC-Lavalin secures $48M contract with Romania nuclear power plant")
Here's NEI's description: SNC-Lavalin Group won a contract worth about $48 million to provide services for Romania's Cernavoda nuclear plant. Under the terms, SNC will install reactor containment filtering venting systems at the facility, which generates about 20% of Romania's power.

* [npp-UK-plutonium burner] U.K. regulator rejects plutonium-fueled reactor project, Rob Edwards, The Guardian (via NEI email; title here is NEI's - original is "Plans for Sellafield plutonium reactor rejected; Nuclear Decommissioning Authority sees technology as immature and commercially unproven, internal emails reveal")
Here's NEI's description: The U.K.'s Nuclear Decommissioning Authority rejected GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy's proposal to construct a plutonium-fueled reactor at the Sellafield site in the U.K. The project is unproven commercially and would generate large quantities of radioactive waste, according to e-mail messages from the NDA.

* [npp-Belarus] Belarus might take part in creating international nuclear research center, Belarusian Telegraph Agency

* [npp-France] Failed deal and spying claims haunt France's Areva, Caroline Jacobs, Reuters

* [npp-IAEA] Workshop on Nuclear Infrastructure Development Begins in Vienna, IAEA

* [npp-India-Kudankalam] 'Anti-KNPP protestors received foreign funds', Zee News

* [npp-newbuild-Taiwan] Taiwan's Nuclear Future?, Henry Philippens, The Diplomat

* [npp-UK] Hundreds protest against nuclear power station plans, Elgan Hearn, Holyhead and Anglesey Mail

January 24, 2012

FUKUSHIMA NEWS

* [Fukushima-govt] Minutes of past gov't meetings on Fukushima crisis to be created, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-govt] Japan task force kept no records of nuclear crisis response, Yoko Kubota and Shinichi Saoshiro, Reuters (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-IAEA] IAEA team arrives in Tokyo, UPI (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] Electric power industry extended donations to major political parties, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] Utility industry to establish independent nuclear safety organization, Denki Shimbun (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-TEPCO] TEPCO to invite other firms to invest in 6 non-nuclear plants, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-TEPCO] Cash-strapped TEPCO asks for extra 500 bil. yen in loans from creditor bank, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp-IAEA] IAEA reviews Japan's nuclear tests, Reuters (via IAEA Daily Press Review)
A team of UN nuclear experts on Monday began a review of tests conducted by Japan to prove the safety of its nuclear reactors in the wake of the Fukushima radiation crisis.

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp-IAEA] Japan seeks UN atomic agency presence in Fukushima, Hiroshi Hiyama, AFP (via IAEA Daily Press Review)
Japan is asking the UN's nuclear agency to set up a permanent office in Fukushima to monitor its efforts to contain the world's worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl.

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp-IAEA] IAEA team, NISA hold first talks on stress tests, Kyodo (via IAEA Daily Press Review)
An International Atomic Energy Agency delegation tasked with evaluating the adequacy of the nation's reactor stress tests held its first meeting Monday with the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency.

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] Japan Reviews Disaster Plan Amid New Quake Concerns, Mitsuru Obe, WSJ (via IAEA Daily Press Review)
The International Atomic Energy Agency on Monday began a mission to help identify gaps in Japan's safety-check procedure for nuclear plants, to boost reactor resilience to natural disasters, as Tokyo began drawing up emergency plans with local governments.

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] Another nuclear reactor going offline, NHK (via IAEA Daily Press Review)
Tokyo Electric Power Company plans to shut down a reactor in Niigata Prefecture, central Japan, for a regular inspection on Wednesday

US NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-US-newbuild-Blue Castle] Water deal big win for nuke plant, Gary Harmon, Grand Junction Sentinel (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-newbuild-Iowa] Utility board analysis gives nuclear power plan opponents more ammunition, James Q. Lynch, Quad City Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-newbuild-Iowa] Report: Nuclear project could burden Iowa ratepayers, Associated Press (via NEI email); title here is NEI's - original is "Regulators: Nuclear plan could cost Iowa residents"
Here's NEI's description: Legislation that would allow MidAmerican Energy to transfer to its customers the costs of building a new nuclear facility in Iowa isn't in the public interest, according to a report by the Iowa Utilities Board. "This could create a stronger incentive to walk away from a plant than complete it," the board said. MidAmerican President and CEO William Fehrman challenged the findings of the analysis, saying the bill would only "put certainty in place for how the investment is handled."

* [npp-US-newbuild-econ] Construction Work in Progress: An Effective Financial Tool to Lower the Cost of Electricity, NEI White Paper, Aug 2011 (via NEI email)

* [npp-US-Beaver Valley] Fission Stories #76: Whodunnit?, Dave Lochbaum, All Things Nuclear (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Cooper/Fort Calhoun-floods-station blackouts-Sapporito petition] NOTICES Request for Action Against Omaha Public Power District and Nebraska Public Power District Page 3515 [FR DOC# 2012-1370], Nuclear Regulatory Commission (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Limerick] Report To Detail Limerick Nuke Plant's Impact On Drinking Water, Teresa McMinn, Pottstown.Patch (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Nine Mile Point] Constellation, N.Y. schools join forces for Nuclear Science Week, Debra J. Groom, Syracuse Post-Standard (via NEI email)
Here's NEI's description: Educational institutions in New York are teaming up with Constellation Energy Nuclear Group's Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station to promote the potential benefits of nuclear power. Plant employees have held talks in school districts in Oswego County, N.Y., about the reliability and safety of nuclear power and the available jobs in the industry. Also, Constellation and Onondaga Community College have joined forces as part of the Nuclear Uniform Curriculum Program.

* [npp-US-Seabrook] Letter: NRC has failed to protect public, Nick and Cynthia Costello, Newburyport Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-turbine missiles] NOTICES Regulatory Guides: Protection Against Turbine Missiles Page 3514 [FR DOC# 2012-1335], Nuclear Regulatory Commission (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Vermont Yankee reverberations resound, Terri Hallenbeck, vt.Buzz (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Court to Vermont: "Drop Dead", Harvey Wasserman, OpEdNews (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Vermont Law School to hold forum on Vermont Yankee ruling, The Republic (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Vt Yankee History, Madeleine M. Kunin, Vermont Public Radio (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-NRC biweekly licensing notice] NOTICES Facility Operating Licenses: Biweekly Notice; Applications and Amendments to Facility Operating Licenses Involving No Significant Hazards Considerations Pages 3508-3513 [FR DOC# 2012-1215], Nuclear Regulatory Commission (via Nevada ANP)

OTHER NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-newbuild-UK] Support for farmer refusing to sell land for power station, Barry Alston, Farmers Guardian (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-newbuild-Netherlands] Dutch-based Delta, partners delay construction of nuclear plant, Gilbert Kreijger, Reuters (via NEI email); title here is NEI's - original is Dutch utility puts off plan for nuclear power plant
Here's NEI's description: Weak power prices and a poor investment climate have prompted Dutch utility Delta, Electricite de France and RWE to delay for two to three years the construction of a new 2,500-megawatt nuclear facility in the Netherlands. Delta said the project would have cost between $6.5 billion and $9 billion.

* [npp-Japan-IAEA] IAEA double-checks Japanese tests, World Nuclear News

* [npp-Japan-IAEA] IAEA begins review of Japan's nuclear stress tests, Shinichi Saoshiro, Reuters (via NEI email)
Here's NEI's description: A team of International Atomic Energy Agency experts started evaluating stress tests for Japan's reactors, which were conducted in the aftermath of the Fukushima Daiichi incident. "We are conducting a review that [the Japanese government] requested of their methodology and approach for conducting comprehensive safety assessments or stress tests," said James Lyons, head of the IAEA team.

* [npp-Russia-nuclearbiz] Rosatom Managers Sacked, Fined over Corporate Party, Ria Novosti (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-UK] £600,000 storm damage cost for Dounreay, STV.tv (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-UK] Plans for Sellafield plutonium reactor rejected, Rob Edwards, The Guardian (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-UK] Housing and traffic crisis fears over Hinkley Point nuclear power station proposal, Western Daily Press (via Nevada ANP)

January 23, 2012

FUKUSHIMA NEWS

* [Fukushima-IAEA] IAEA May Open Permanent Office at Japan Nuclear Accident Site, Jacob Adelman, Bloomberg (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] Nuclear researchers receiving questionable donations from industry, gov't, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation-construction materials] Radioactive crushed stone used in around 60 Fukushima buildings, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation-construction materials] Tainted stone tied to 60 buildings so far, Japan Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-TEPCO] Japan to double guarantee on loans to Tepco - Nikkei (Update 1), Ashutosh Pandey, Reuters Africa (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-TEPCO] Japan's Tepco undecided on spinoff or sale of thermal power business, Takeo Kumagai, Platts (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima] Falling radiation permits search for bodies near Fukushima, Mark Willacy, ABC (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima] What was the response to the Fukushima nuclear disaster? We don't know., MajiroxNews (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima] The Fukushima Nuclear Disaster – One Year, Later, PEJ News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima] YIES / Hosono: Contribute to world through decommissioning, Hiromu Namiki, Daily Yomiuri (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushma-Japan-taxes] 60 percent opposed to consumption tax hike: Mainichi poll, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

US NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-US-ASME B&PV Code Cases N-722-1 and N-770-1] RULES American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Codes and New and Revised ASME Code Cases: American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Codes and New and Revised ASME Code Cases; Corrections Pages 3073-3075 [FR DOC# 2012-1212], Nuclear Regulatory Commission (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Crystal River] Progress puts nuke surcharge behind it, Kevin Spear, Orlando Sentinel (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Crystal River] Questions raised about Florida Progress nuke settlement, Jim Saunders, Palm Beach Post (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Crystal River] Many unanswered questions in Crystal River nuclear plant settlement, Ivan Penn, Tampa Bay Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Crystal River] Settlement deal lets Progress Energy avoid Crystal River accountability, Robert Trigaux, Tampa Bay Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Crystal River/newbuild-Levy County] Progress Energy customers still on the hook, Tampa Bay Times editorial (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Davis-Besse] Davis Besse future a topic in Kaptur-Kucinich race, John Seewer, WTOL (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Fort Calhoun] NRC: Waiting on OPPD, Nuke Plant "Has A Lot of Work" Ahead, Joe Jordan, Missouri News Horizon (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-newbuild-Iowa] Regulators: Nuclear plan could cost Iowa residents, Mike Glover, Chicago Tribune (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-newbuild-North Dakota] Nuclear plant idea merits study, Jamestown Sun (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-newbuild-SMRs] DOE promoting modular nuclear reactors, Frank Munger, Knoxville News Sentinel blog (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-newbuild-SMRs] Small is beautiful for federal funds, World Nuclear News (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-newbuild-Turkey Point] Group appeals to Florida Supreme Court in effort to block nuclear plant prepayment fees, BySusan Salisbury, Palm Beach Post (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-newbuild-Turkey Point] Nuclear cost recovery order challenged in Florida, Power Engineering Magazine (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Oyster Creek] Oyster Creek Stands By Closure Plan Despite Federal Court Ruling, Elaine Piniat, Lacey.Patch (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Pilgrim] Report claims local drinking water at risk from nuclear power plants, Wicked Local Plymouth (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-post-Fukushima] NRDC petitions NRC to order licensees to comply with 12 specific recommendations in the NRC Near-Term Task Force (NTTF) Report, 'Recommendations for Enhancing Reactor Safety in the 21st Century', Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Federal Register (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Why the Vermont Yankee case matters, Steve Skutnik, The Neutron Economy (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] The Yankee ruling, Keene Sentinel (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Hanna: Vermont Yankee Ruling, Cheryl Hanna, Vermont Public Radio (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Vt. Lawmakers Continue To Weigh Options After Vermont Yankee Decision, Samantha Fields, Vermont Public Radio (via Nevada ANP)

OTHER NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-newbuild-Egypt] Opinion: Nuclear fallout, Ramadan A. Kader, Egyptian Gazette (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-newbuild-Netherlands] Dutch utility puts off plan for nuclear power plant, Gilbert Kreijger, Reuters Africa (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-newbuild-Netherlands] Mixed news on Netherlands new build, World Nuclear News (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-France] The True Costs of French Nuclear Power, Susie Greaves, Institute of Science in Society (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-India-Jaitapur] Shiv Sena forced to put Jaitapur N-plant protest on hold, Alok Deshpande, Daily News & Analysis (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-India-newbuild-Kudankulam] Centre's expert group to meet State panel, people, The Hindu (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Japan-IAEA] IAEA delegation talk with Japan on nuclear stress tests, Xinhua News (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Japan-IAEA] IAEA team, NISA hold first talks on stress tests, Japan Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Japan-IAEA] IAEA begins review of Japan's nuclear stress tests, Shinichi Saoshiro, Reuters (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Japan-Kashiwazaki-Kariwa unit 6] Tokyo Electric to delay maintenance on 1 reactor, Osamu Tsukimori, Reuters (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Japan-seismic] University of Tokyo Estimates 70% Chance 7.0 Earthquake To Hit Tokyo Within 4 Years, RocketNews24 (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Japan] Gov't withheld estimates showing electricity surplus to boost nuclear power: critics, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-South Korea] South Korea Has 92 Percent of Nuclear Capacity Online, Sangim Han, Bloomberg (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-UK-EU] Lawyers sent complaint to European Commission about subsidies for nuclear power, Engineer Live (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-UK] Oldbury Power Station set to shut last reactor next month, Marion Sauvebois, Gloucestershire Gazette (via Nevada ANP)

January 22, 2012

FUKUSHIMA NEWS

* [Fukushima] Gov't kept Fukushima crisis worst-case scenario under wraps for months, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-n-waste] Deliver us from nuclear waste, Franz Pichler, Japan Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation-debris] No radioactive threat expected from tsunami debris, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-worker dose monitoring] Gov't not adding up nuclear workers' radiation doses when not at work, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-worker dose monitoring] Off-clock radiation exposure ignored, Japan Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] Japan Reactor Lifespan Up To 60 Years: Government, Agence France Presse (via Paulo's Corner)
Nuclear reactors in Japan could still be operating up to 60 years after they were built, the government said Wednesday as it unveiled plans to boost their maximum lifespan by 50 percent. The announcement comes as all but five of the country's 54 reactors are out of action, with the public demanding safety checks following the disaster at the Fukushima plant. "The extension will be exceptionally approved when the safety of a plant is ensured," Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura told repo...

US NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-US-Millstone] Three Rivers, Millstone offering scholarships, New London Day (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-newbuild-Blue Castle Project] One Step Closer to a Nuclear Reactor in Utah, Sarah Kramer, Salt Lake City Weekly (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Pilgrim] After six years, operators of the Pilgrim nuclear plant in Plymouth still waiting for license renewal, Jon Chesto, Daily News Transcript (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Editorial: Voice of the Free Press: After court loss, let the Public Service Board have its say, BurlingtonFreePress (via Nevada ANP)

OTHER NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-newbuild-Egypt] Military discusses raid on nuclear plant construction site, Hesham Omar Abdel Halim, Egypt Independent (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-newbuild-India-Koodankulam] German helped get funds for nuke stir, Deccan Chronicle (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-UK] New safety fears for Ayrshire nuclear power station, Herald Scotland (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-UK] Why is the sea glowing green at Hunterston?, Rob Edwards, Herald Scotland (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Vietnam] Vietnam to spend $96 mln on training nuclear experts, Tuoitrenews (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-antinuc-Union of Concerned Scientists] Reactor Reax- Roundup of Nuclear-Related Stories, Salem-News (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-newbuild-Egypt] Egypt Probes Reports Of Stolen Radioactive Material, Agence France Presse (via Paulo's Corner)
Experts are investigating reports that a safe containing radioactive material was stolen from a site where Egypt plans to build its first nuclear power plant, government newspapers said on Friday. The UN atomic energy agency issued a statement Thursday saying "the items that have gone missing are low-level radioactive sources." "The sources were stolen not from an operating NPP (nuclear power plant), but from a laboratory at a construction site for an NPP that is not yet operational," the I...

* [npp-Japan-US] Japan To Consult With U.S. In Reviewing Nuclear Fuel Cycle Policy, Kyodo (via Paulo's Corner)
Nuclear disaster minister Goshi Hosono said Tuesday that Japan will consult with the United States in reviewing its nuclear fuel cycle policy, in terms of nuclear security and nonproliferation. "The issues of nuclear security and nonproliferation are drawing attention internationally, and needless to say, the United States plays a pivotal role," Hosono told reporters in Washington after his meetings with senior U.S. officials, including Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Thomas Nides, U.S. dep...

* [npp-UK] Support For Nuclear Power 'Back Up', MSN-UK (via Paulo's Corner)
Public support for nuclear power appears to have bounced back in the UK after falling sharply in the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster, a survey suggests. The Ipsos MORI poll of almost 1,000 adults across Britain revealed half of those questioned (50%) supported the building of new nuclear plants in the UK to replace the current generation of reactors which are being shut down. The figure was up significantly on last June, when support for new nuclear plants fell to a low of 36% following...

January 21, 2012

FUKUSHIMA NEWS

* [Fukushima-world-nuclearbiz] Stocks related to the nuclear power industry lost a third of their value in the week after Fukushima, and continued downward after that, David Gillie, ETF Digest/The Street (via @Atomicrod)

* [Fukushima-world-npp] Japan Times editorial gushes about Global Conference for a Nuclear Power Free World, editorial is titled "Protesting nuclear power" (thanx @NuclearUpdate and @nuclearnewsbot)

* [Fukushima] Informative collection of 57 photos, most from Jan 2012, with descriptions and locations, coded to accompanying site map, TEPCO, Current Status of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station by photographs, Jan 20, 2012 (@Enformable)

* [Fukushima-unit 2] Details of the endoscopy at Fukushima Daiichi Reactor 2, TEPCO(via @Enformable)

* [Fukushima-unit 2] New video of Fukushima nuclear reactor interior, BBC News/video courtesy of TEPCO (via @nukeroadie)

* [Fukushima-occupational radiation] Fukushima worker doses monitored when engaged in work around the facility, but not during nearby decontamination work or while off-duty, excerpt from Kyodo article titled "Cabinet kept alarming nuke report secret") - thanx @FukushimaEng

* [Fukushima-Japan-econ] TEPCO charge hike to cut GDP growth by 0.1-0.2 point: gov't, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] Protesting nuclear power, Japan Times editorial (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] Changing self and systems for a leaner and greener Japan, Stephen Hesse, Japan Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Japan-tourism] No. of visitors to Japan falls sharply due to disaster, nuclear crisis, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Japan-tourism] While the radiation issue is more serious and long-term for Japan, getting its currency exchange rate under control (the yen is at an all time high of about 75 to the dollar) is going to be the first step toward any tourism recovery, Gary A. Warner, travel editor, Orange County Register - thanx @FukushimaEng

* [Fukushima-Japan-tourism] The Japanese have come up with all kinds of schemes to try to lure tourists back, including a plan to pay for 1,000 American bloggers to come to the country and write glowing reports, Gary A. Warner, travel editor, Orange County Register - thanx @FukushimaEng

* [Fukushima-Japan-tourism] Major League Baseball is helping out by scheduling a two-game regular season-opening series in late March at the Tokyo Dome (Seattle Mariners vs Oakland Athletics). The message: If the Japanese capital is safe for millionaire athletes, it's safe for the rest of us, Gary A. Warner, travel editor, Orange County Register - thanx @FukushimaEng

* [Fukushima-radiation-food] Japanese Struggle to Protect Their Food Supply, Martin Fackler, New York Times (via @FukushimaEng, @fairewinds, and Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation] Radiation of 40 microsieverts per hour detected at Namie quarry, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation] Fukushima quarry agents to voluntarily check radiation level, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-regional cleanup] Municipal govt of Kashiwa, in Chiba Prefecture to the west and south of Tokyo, recently shut down one of its main incinerators, because it can't store any more than the 200 metric tons of radioactive ash it already has that is too contaminated to bury in a landfill, Russ Baker, Business Insider, excerpt from article titled "Fukushima Update: Why We Should (Still) Be Worried" (via @ChristinaMac1 and @Enformable)

* [Fukushima-regional decon] Hosono explains decontamination steps for Fukushima, NHK (via @Enformable)

* [Fukushima-contaminated soil storage] Fukushima - local municipalities oppose national government's desire to build intermediate storage facility for radioactive soil in the Futaba district, NHK (via @Enformable)

* [Fukushima-TEPCO] Tepco to be nationalised for 10 years, Reuters/Peak Oil

* [Fukushima-TEPCO] Tepco expected to move into black in 2013 business year, Kyodo/Reuters

* [Fukushima-TEPCO] Govt body for funding nuclear disaster compensation is expected to inject 1 trillion yen ($12.97 billion) into TEPCO, Kyodo/Reuters (via @SoNuke)

* [Fukushima-TEPCO] State takeover of Tepco could last a decade, Japan Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-TEPCO] State takeover of Tepco could last at least 10 years, Japan Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima] Cabinet kept alarming nuke report secret, Kyodo (via @FukushimaEng and Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima] Fukushima Daiichi plant status update press release (10am, Jan 21) highlights include transferring water from turbine building basements into tanks, such as unit 3 condensate storage tank, TEPCO (via @Enformable)

* [Fukushima] Fukushima Daiichi plant status update press release (3pm, Jan 21) highlights 2-liter leak inside unit 2 turbine building, TEPCO (via @Enformable)

* [Fukushima] Japan govt inspected Fukushima No. 1 reactor in 2010 and extended its license to operate by 10 yrs just weeks before the March 11 disaster struck, excerpt from Japan Times editorial titled "Risky nuclear loophole" (thanx @nuclearnewsbot)

* [Fukushima-film] Japanese filmmaker's portrait of a mayor without a town who is desperately trying to keep together a community scattered across different emergency shelters - Funahashi Atsushi's "Nuclear Nation", at Berlin Film Festival, Ed Meza, Chicago Tribune (thanx @Enformable)

* [Fukushima-film] Japanese filmmaker takes viewers into the contaminated zone around the nuclear reactors, evoking images of an invisible apocalypse - Fujiwara Toshi's "No Man's Zone", at Berlin Film Festival, Ed Meza, Chicago Tribune (thanx @Enformable)

* [Fukushima-film] Japanese filmmaker discusses the political, economic and social situation of his country in a state of dependence - Iwai Shunji's "Friends After 3.11", at Berlin Film Festival, Ed Meza, Chicago Tribune (thanx @Enformable)

* [Fukushima-film] Japanese filmmaker dismayed that his countrymen are complacent about the dangers of radiation - Sion Sono's Land of Hope began shooting last week, Gavin J. Blair, The Hollywood Reporter (via @Enformable)

US NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-US-Crystal River] Progress Energy refund, then rate hike, MyFox Tampa Bay (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-newbuild-Blue Castle] Nuclear power: Allocating Green River water is folly, Salt Lake Tribune (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-newbuild-SMRs] DOE Moves Forward on Small Reactors, Mark Flanagan, NEI Nuclear Notes (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-newbuild-SMRs] Federal funds to help charge Westinghouse reactor project, Erich Schwartzel, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Oyster Creek] U.S. District Court case [re Vermont Yankee] will not impact on Oyster Creek plant's closure plan, Bob Vosseller, Asbury Park Press (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Oyster Creek] Owner: Oyster Creek nuclear plant to close on time in 2019, Wayne Parry, Cherry Hill Courier Post (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Countywide reaction to Yankee decision, Chris Garofolo, Brattleboro Reformer (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Ruling passed, but continued operation not done deal, Josh Stilts, Brattleboro Reformer (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] The fat lady, Brattleboro Reformer (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Entergy ruling ripples locally, Abby Spegman, Keene Sentinel (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Our kids deserve better, Ben Falk, letter to Barre Montpelier Times Argus (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Entergy asks to move cooling tower suit to federal court, Susan Smallheer, Vermont Today (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Watts Bar] TVA CEO calls for safety focus after Watts Bar incidents, Ed Marcum, Knoxville News Sentinel (via Nevada ANP)

OTHER NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-UK] The cost of nuclear electricity in UK is at least halved by the govt capping of liability for accidents, Orchard Times, citing complaint by the Energy Fair group (via @SoNuke)

* [npp-newbuild-India] Anti-N forum wants representatives to be included in talks, IBNLive (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-newbuild-India] Include PMANE panel in talks, IBNLive (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-newbuild-India] Protest brewing in Kovvada a la Kudankulam, Y. Mallikarjun, The Hindu (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-newbuild-India] India's first PFBR to go critical early 2013, Zee News (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-newbuild-Kudankulam] Expedite opening of K-plant: Vaithilingam, IBNLive (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-newbuild-UK-nuclearbiz] Deal between Forgemasters and nuclear firm called off, Sheffield Star (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-risk] Despite disasters risk in nuclear energy lowest: Kakodkar, Deccan Herald (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Japan-Ohi] Stress tests show that Kansai Electric's Ohi units could withstand an earthquake nearly two times more powerful than the maximum estimated earthquake, and a 37-foot high tsunami, Silvio Marcacci, Earth & Industry website, excerpt from article titled "How Fukushima Has Changed Nuclear Power in Japan" (via @nuclearnewsbot)

* [npp-Japan-NISA] NISA authorization does not mean the reactors can be restarted, however. Further review must be completed by Japan's Nuclear Safety Commission with input from the International Atomic Energy Agency, and government officials and local communities will also have a say, Silvio Marcacci, Earth & Industry website, excerpt from article titled "How Fukushima Has Changed Nuclear Power in Japan" (via @nuclearnewsbot)

* [npp-Japan] The possibility of restarting nuclear reactors has spurred unprecedented public anger, Silvio Marcacci, Earth & Industry website, excerpt from article titled "How Fukushima Has Changed Nuclear Power in Japan", citing Kyung Lah, CNN Jan 19 article, "Anger over plans to restart Japan's nuclear plants" (via @nuclearnewsbot)

* [npp-Japan] Japan's Trade and Industry Minister recently hinted the government may consider nationalizing all nuclear reactors unless utilities assume more responsibility for operational risks and pay higher insurance premiums to pay accident costs, Silvio Marcacci, Earth & Industry website, excerpt from article titled "How Fukushima Has Changed Nuclear Power in Japan", citing Taku Kato, Bloomberg, Jan 6 article titled "Japan May Nationalize Nuclear Power Plants, Edano Tells Yomiuri" (via @nuclearnewsbot)

January 20, 2012

FUKUSHIMA NEWS

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] Official: Japan could have zero operational reactors by this summer, Wall Street Journal (via NEI email; title here is NEI's - original is "Japan Girds for Summer Power Cuts")
NEI's highlight: Japan could have no reactors running when demand for electricity rises this summer, said Yukio Edano, the country's trade minister. Edano didn't commit to a schedule for the restart of the reactors. "If we make a decision [that we'll restart the reactors] first or if we try to come to a conclusion by a certain time, it means we aren't really checking safety and we really can't obtain understanding from the people," he said.

* [Fukushima] TEPCO examines Fukushima Daiichi reactor through endoscope, Kaori Kaneko, Reuters (via NEI email; title here is NEI's - original is "Japan turns to endoscope to inspect leaking reactor")
NEI's highlight: Tokyo Electric Power used an endoscope to examine the interior of one of the damaged reactors of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. "It will help us keep the reactor stable and solve problems," a spokeswoman for the company said.

* [Fukushima] Olympus endoscope scrutinizes leaking nuclear reactor, Kaori Kaneko, Reuters (via IAEA Daily Press Review)

* [Fukushima] First images from Japanese reactor show radiation, Associated Press (via IAEA Daily Press Review)

* [Fukushima] Scientists say they can find melted reactor fuel; Muons hold key, team believes, but authorities have yet to seek their help to peer inside crippled reactors, Minoru Matsutani, The Japan Times (via IAEA Daily Press Review)

* [Fukushima-radiation-construction materials] Fears over radioactive gravel from Fukushima; Pressure is growing on Japanese authorities to determine exactly where radioactive gravel from a quarry close to the exclusion zone around the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant has been used in construction projects, Julian Ryall, London Telegraph (via IAEA Daily Press Review)

* [Fukushima-radiation-food] Radioactive cesium content higher in Fukushima fruits, mushrooms, The Asahi Shimbun (via IAEA Daily Press Review)

* [npp-Japan-Hamaoka] Meltdown at Hamaoka plant certain if power supply knocked out for 3 days, Tomomi Abe, The Asahi Shimbun (via IAEA Daily Press Review)

* [Fukushima-Chernobyl] Japan to seek data from Ukraine on effects of Chernobyl accident, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Japan-electricity prices] Nuclear accident causes a 17% hike on electricity rate, Denki Shimbun (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp-Kansai] Kansai Electric facing heavy loss, Japan Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] Gov't nuclear power plant tests mired in doubt, Mainichi Daily News editorial (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation-building materials] Radioactive gravel also used in construction of private house in Fukushima, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation-building materials] TEPCO urged to compensate for tainted building material in Fukushima, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation-firewood] High levels of cesium found in ash in wood stoves of homes in Fukushima, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation] Radiation intake by Fukushima families up, UPI (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-TEPCO] TEPCO left backup power for nuclear data equipment detached for 4 months, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-TEPCO] Stronger oversight of TEPCO mulled with outside directors, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-TEPCO] TEPCO to be nationalized for 10 years - Kyodo (Update 1), Ashutosh Pandey, Reuters UK (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-TEPCO] Tepco may be run by outside directors, Japan Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima] TEPCO captures images inside crippled Fukushima reactor for 1st time, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima] New video of Fukushima nuclear reactor interior, BBC News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima] 3/11 memorial to be held in Tokyo, Japan Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima] Contaminated water in Japan reactor pits, UPI (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima] Water falling like rain inside N-reactor, Daily Yomiuri (via Nevada ANP)

US NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Vermont Yankee wins right to keep generating, World Nuclear News

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] A win for Vermont Yankee; Federal District Court rules against efforts by the State of Vermont to assert regulatory authority over radiological safety issues, Dan Yurman, ANS Nuclear Cafe (via @N_E_I)

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Vermont Yankee plant can continue to operate, judge rules, Associated Press (via NEI email; title here is NEI's - original is "Federal judge rules Vermont's only nuclear plant can remain open, over state's objection")
NEI's highlight: Entergy's Vermont Yankee nuclear plant can continue to operate after its scheduled shutdown date this year, U.S. District Judge J. Garvan Murtha ruled. The facility secured a 20-year license extension from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, but Vermont objected to it, citing safety concerns. "The ruling is good news for our 600 employees, the environment and New England residents and industries that depend on clean, affordable, reliable power provided by Vermont Yankee," Entergy said.

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Judge blocks Vermont from shutting down nuclear plant, Michael Winter, USA TODAY (via IAEA Daily Press Review)

* [npp-US-Indian Point] Power density - to replace Indian Point (250 acre site) with windmills would require 770 square miles, excerpt from Robert Bryce op ed, Wall St Jrl

* [npp-spent fuel] Nuclear power - high level waste is so compact, it's manageable, excerpt from Robert Bryce op ed, Wall St Jrl

* [npp-US-newbuild-AP1000] AP1000 cooling after loss of electrical power - example of passive safety design feature, excerpt from Bloomberg editorial

* [npp-economics] Natural gas price is down from $13/Mbtu in 2008 to $3/Mbtu; undercuts nuclear plant economics, excerpt from Bloomberg editorial

* [npp-US] Policymakers play key role in U.S. clean-energy push, Bloomberg editorial (via Nevada ANP and NEI email; title here is NEI's - original is "Help Next-Generation Nuclear Power Advance During Long Building Lull")
NEI's highlight: U.S. policymakers can do several things to help the country obtain roughly 80% of its electricity from low-carbon sources such as nuclear energy by 2035, according to the Bloomberg editorial board. Lawmakers can award power companies with loan guarantees to help them with the price of new reactors. A price on carbon emissions could also push utilities to shift from emissions-heavy coal to clean nuclear energy, the board argues.

* [npp-US-Crystal River] Progress to Record $288 Million in Costs for Florida Accord, Jim Polson, Bloomberg (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Crystal River] Progress Energy reaches settlement in broken nuclear plant case, Ivan Penn, Tampa Bay Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Diablo Canyon] PG&E chairman announces company will spent millions on improvements, David Sneed, San Luis Obispo Tribune (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Fort Calhoun] Restart of Troubled Nuke Plant Appears Later than Sooner, Joe Jordan, Missouri News Horizon (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Fort Calhoun] Neighbors question Ft. Calhoun's safety, Nancy Gaarder, Omaha World-Herald (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Indian Point] Indian Point 2 reactor goes back online; pump seal that caused shutdown will be tested, Timothy O'Connor, Lower Hudson Journal (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-newbuild-SMR] Energy Department Takes First Step to Spur U.S. Manufacturing of Small Modular Nuclear Reactors, DOE (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-newbuild-SMR] US DOE launches major funding program for small nuclear reactors, Yanmei Xie, Platts (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-newbuild-Utah-Blue Castle] Water rights approved for proposed Utah nuke plant, Josh Loftin, CBS News (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-newbuild-Utah-Blue Castle] State officials grant use of water for nuclear plant in Green River, Amy Joi O'Donoghue, Deseret News (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-newbuild-Utah-Blue Castle] Utah opens door to nuclear plant, Alison Peek, The Examiner (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-newbuild-Utah-Blue Castle] Planned Utah nuclear project receives water rights from state, Platts (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-newbuild-Utah-Blue Castle] Utah gives green light to nuclear power plant, Judy Fahys, Salt Lake Tribune (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-newbuild-William States Lee] Backers, critics of Duke's Lee nuclear plant clash at hearing, Bruce Henderson, Charlotte Observer (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] First Round: Entergy 1, Vermont 0, Matthew L. Wald, New York Times blog (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Judge rules against state, says Entergy can continue to operate Vermont Yankee, Anne Galloway, Vermont Journalism Trust (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Judge's decision in Vermont Yankee case raises questions about the efficacy of an appeal, Alan Panebaker, Vermont Journalism Trust (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Vt. lawmakers mull strategy after nuke defeat, Boston Globe (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Timeline of events at Vermont Yankee nuclear plant, BurlingtonFreePress (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Vermont officials weigh next move in Vermont Yankee case, Terri Hallenbeck, BurlingtonFreePress (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Vermont gets 'clocks cleaned' in 'bad loss', Olga Peters, Windham County Commons (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Entergy asks that utility suit be moved to federal court, Bob Audette, Brattleboro Reformer (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Entergy wins case against state of Vermont, Susan Smallheer, Rutland Herald (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Despite Entergy's Court Win, Yankee Still Needs State Permit, John Dillon, Vermont Public Radio (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Lawmakers, VPIRG react to Vermont Yankee Ruling, Keith McGilvery, WCAX (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] What's next in Vt Yankee saga?, Susie Steimle, WCAX (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Local residents weigh in on Vt Yankee ruling, Gina Bullard, WCAX (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Does Vt have grounds for appeal in Yankee ruling?, Jennifer Reading, WCAX (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Vt Yankee ruling won't impact GMP, Keith McGilvery, WCAX (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Vermont Yankee wins right to keep generating, World Nuclear News (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Vermont Yankee Allowed To Stay Open -- For At Least 20 More Years, Lauren Victory, WPTZ The Champlain Valley (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US] NOTICES Knowledge and Abilities Catalog for Nuclear Power Plant Operators: Knowledge and Abilities Catalog for Nuclear Power Plant Operators: Advanced Boiling Water Reactors Pages 3009-3010 [FR DOC# 2012-1063], Nuclear Regulatory Commission (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US] U.S. cedes the lead on nuclear energy, Reese Palley, Philadelphia Inquirer (via Nevada ANP)

OTHER NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp] Nuclear energy is the environmental choice, Robert Bryce, Wall Street Journal (via NEI email; title here is NEI's - original is "Small Is Beautiful - So Go Nuclear; As environmentally friendly as they sound, biofuels and wind power squander land and other resources")
NEI's highlight: Nuclear power provides a good example of the role density plays in the preservation of the environment, writes Robert Bryce, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute. Nuclear plants have high power density compared with other energy sources such as wind turbines because they generate an ample amount of electricity while needing less space. Power plants should have the smallest possible footprints, Bryce writes.

* [npp-newbuild-Egypt] IAEA in contact with Egypt after theft of radioactive devices, Deutsche Presse-Agentur (via IAEA Daily Press Review and CSIS)

* [npp-India] 'Weak links in security of India's coastal n-plants', Deccan Herald (via CSIS)

* [npp-Spain] Spain mulls lengthening nuclear plant's life span, Dow Jones Newswires (via NEI email; title here is NEI's - original is "Spain May Extend Garona Nuclear Plant's Life Until 2019")
NEI's highlight: Spain is considering allowing the Santa Maria de Garona nuclear plant operate until 2019, six years after a proposed July 6, 2013, shutdown date. Iberdrola and Endesa own the the 460-megawatt facility in Burgos, Spain.

* [npp-France] Areva confirms private investigator was hired, James Boxell, Financial Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-India-Japan] Bolstering Japan-India ties, Japan Times editorial (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-newbuild-Czech-nuclearbiz] MIR + Temelin, Oleg Nekhai, Voice of Russia (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-newbuild-Egypt] It's time to go nuclear, Amina Abdul Salam, Egyptian Gazette (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-newbuild-Egypt] Egypt probes reports of stolen radioactive material, Egypt Independent (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Spain] Spain starts process to reverse Garona nuclear plant closure order, Luca Baratti, Platts (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Sweden] Swedish nuclear safety needs improving: report, The Local Sweden (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-UK] UK 'subsidising nuclear power unlawfully', Richard Black, BBC News (via Nevada ANP)

January 19, 2012

FUKUSHIMA NEWS

* [Fukushima Daiichi-2] First images from within Fukushima containment, World Nuclear News

* [Fukushima] Lack of Backup Systems Evident at Fukushima Nuclear Plants, Asahi Shimbun (via IAEA Daily Press Review)

* [Fukushima-radiation] Japan 'Betrayed Citizens' Over Radiation Danger, Mark Willacy, Australia ABC (via IAEA Daily Press Review)

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] Reactivation of nuclear reactors depends on political decision, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] Nuke safety agency under fire for hasty approval of reactor reactivation, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] Japan's push to restart nuclear plants sparks public anger (Update 1), Shinichi Saoshiro and Risa Maeda, Reuters (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] Japan's Chugoku Elec to shut nuclear reactor Jan. 27, Osamu Tsukimori, Reuters (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] Restarting nuclear reactors should not be delayed, Daily Yomiuri (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] NISA endorses Oi stress tests / Draft report says Nos. 3, 4 reactors 'ready' for major quake, Daily Yomiuri (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation-construction materials] Most households living in high-radiation apartment building want to move, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-TEPCO-compensation] TEPCO pays 330 mln USD as 1st compensation to Fukushima victims, Xinhua News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-TEPCO] Govt denies agreeing Tepco hike in household fees (Update 1), Taiga Uranaka, Reuters Africa (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-TEPCO] Tepco Loans Hinge on Repayment Ability, Bank Lobby Says, Shigeru Sato, Bloomberg (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima] TEPCO uses endoscope to look inside crippled Fukushima reactor, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima] First images from Japanese reactor show radiation, CBS News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima] Fukushima Nuclear Reactor Images Show Radiation, Rusty Metal Inside Reactor, Mari Yamaguchi, Huffington Post (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima] Olympus endoscope scrutinizes leaking nuclear reactor, Kaori Kaneko, Reuters (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima] First images from within Fukushima containment, World Nuclear News (via Nevada ANP)

see previous Fukushima news at nuclear.com's Fukushima page

US NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-US-Oconee] Nuclear regulators applaud safety upgrades at Oconee plant, Anna Mitchell, Independent Mail, Anderson, S.C. (via NEI email)

* [npp-US-NRC] NRC - 33 engineers are now full time on Fukushima followup matters; NRR chief Eric Leeds told Oconee that licensing actions will take longer because so many NRC staffers have been diverted,

* [npp-US-newbuild] NEI exec touts unique safety features of new reactors, Leslie Kass, interviewed by Bruce Gellerman, Living on Earth (via NEI email; title here is NEI's - original is "Nuclear Power Comeback?")

* [npp-US-newbuild-SMR] DOE looks at expanding research of small nuclear reactors, Annette Cary, Tri-City Herald (via CSIS)

* [npp-US-Fort Calhoun] 'Substantial progress' at Fort Calhoun Nuclear Station, Nancy Gaarder, Omaha World-Herald (via NEI email)

* [npp-US-newbuild-Vogtle] Why Georgia needs nuclear power, Prof. Nolan Hertel, Georgia Tech, Savannah Morning News (via NEI email)

* [npp-US-Catawba] NOTICES Facility Operating Licenses: Facility Operating License Amendment from Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC., Catawba Nuclear Station, Units 1 and 2 Pages 2766-2771 [FR DOC# 2012-945], Nuclear Regulatory Commission (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Davis-Besse] Safety of Davis-Besse comes down to a question of faith, Tom Henry, Toledo Blade (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Diablo Canyon] Nuclear-power shake-up; Judge rules that PG&E cannot pass costs of relicensing Diablo Canyon on to ratepayers. Meanwhile, the plant's seismic vulnerability remains uncertain, Darwin BondGraham, Sacramento News & Review (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Indian Point] Seeing a safe future for Indian Point, Dion Sunderland, letter to White Plains Journal News (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Indian Point] Want to feel secure? Visit Indian Point, Richard Eimert, letter to White Plains Journal News (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Indian Point] Tapping the Hudson a ridiculous idea, Carol Markiet, letter to White Plains Journal News (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Indian Point] Strategies Against Indian Point, Remy Chevalier, OpEdNews (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Indian Point] Indian Point's Leaky Coolant Pump Being Repaired, Jessica Glenza, Daily Peekskill (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Limerick] Limerick nuke plant's need for $100M may lead to rate hike, Evan Brandt, Norristown Times Herald (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-newbuild-William States Lee] Worries, support for new nuclear plant, Bruce Henderson, Charlotte Observer (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-nrc] 2 Million Nuclear Regulatory Documents Acquired by Certrec, PR Web (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Federal judge: Vt. nuclear plant can remain open, Dave Gram, Boston Globe (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Federal judge: State can't shut down Vermont Yankee in March, Adam Silverman, BurlingtonFreePress (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Federal judge rules for Entergy on all counts, Windham County Commons (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Statement From Entergy on Vermont Yankee Ruling, PR Newswire (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Judge Says Federal Law Pre-empts State's Effort To Close Yankee, Vermont Public Radio (via Nevada ANP)

see previous nuclear plant news at nuclear.com's main nuclear power page

OTHER NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-newbuild-Bulgaria] Bulgaria: Getting the Deal Through - Environment 2012 - PART 1, Vessela Mirkova and Elena Rangelova, Waste Management World (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-newbuild-China-Haiyang-1] Second AP1000 reactor vessel installed, World Nuclear News

* [npp-newbuild-China] Second AP1000 reactor vessel installed, World Nuclear News (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-newbuild-Czech] Czech gov't Temelín point man: build new nuclear plants on old army sites, Czech Position (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-newbuild-Egypt] Radioactive Material Said Stolen From Egypt Plant, Patrick Werr, Reuters (via IAEA Daily Press Review)

* [npp-newbuild-Egypt] Radioactive material said stolen from Egypt plant, Khaleej Times (via CSIS)

* [npp-newbuild-Egypt] Radioactive material said stolen from Egyptian plant (Update 1), Fredrik Dahl, Reuters Africa (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-newbuild-Egypt] Radioactive material stolen from nuclear power plant in Egypt, Bikya Masr (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-newbuild-Egypt] Protests at nuclear power station construction site escalate, Egypt Independent (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-newbuild-Egypt] Radioactive Material Stolen From Plant Site in Egypt, Ahram Says, Mariam Fam, Bloomberg (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-newbuild-India-Kudankalum] Centre goes after NGOs to put down K-movement, IBNLive (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-newbuild-Kenya] Kenya: Stop Knocking Nuclear Energy, It Might Turn Out to Be the Country's Salvation, Basett Buyukah, AllAfrica (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-newbuild-UK] Anti-nuclear campaigners plan legal challenge to new British power stations, Terry Macalister, The Guardian (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Armenia] 'Armenia must ensure the security of Metsamor nuclear power plant', News.Az (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-China] China to monitor radiation in water around n-plants, IANS (via IAEA Daily Press Review)

* [npp-France-nuclearbiz] 'Atomic Anne' leaves Areva under a cloud, Tony Barber, Financial Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-France] In France, vintners erase a notorious past, Edward Cody, Washington Post (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Germany] Pressure mounts on German government over energy shift, Vera Eckert and Christoph Steitz, Reuters (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-India] Former president of India touts safety of nuclear plants, The Times of India (via NEI email; title here is NEI's - original is "'India's nuclear plants highly safe & secure'")

* [npp-Japan-nuclearbiz] Nuclear drive defies cloud, Suvendrini Kakuchi, Asia Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Sweden] Nuclear plants to get better protection, Stockholm News (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-UK-Torness] Nuclear watchdog's Torness questions, Bryan Copland, East Lothian Courier (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-UK] Support for new U.K. reactors grows, survey finds, Damian Carrington, The Guardian (via NEI email; title here is NEI's - original is "Dip in nuclear power support after Fukushima proves shortlived; A new, exclusive opinion poll shows public support for replacing the UK's ageing nuclear plants has recovered, although some citizens are far less convinced than others")

* [npp-UK] Support for Nuclear Power 'Back Up', Press Association, UK (via IAEA Daily Press Review)

* [npp-UK] Opponents submit complaint over UK 'nuclear subsidies' to EU, Utility Week (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp] Nuclear as the last resort – why and how?, Steve Kidd, Nuclear Engineering (via Nevada ANP)

January 18, 2012

FUKUSHIMA NEWS

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] MHI CEO sees spring restart of some idled Japanese reactors, Chester Dawson, Wall Street Jrl (via NEI email; title here is NEI's - original is "Mitsubishi Heavy Predicts Restart for Japan Reactors")

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] N-reactor lifespan to be 60 yrs, Daily Yomiuri (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp-nuclearbiz] Pushing Nuclear Exports After Fukushima, Suvendrini Kakuchi, Inter Press Service (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp-Kansai] Kansai Electric Rises After Report Stress Tests to Be Approved, Tsuyoshi Inajima, Bloomberg (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] Designated nuclear inspection body has board members from nuclear industry, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] Nuclear reactor operation period could be up to 60 years, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] Reactor life spans may run 60 years, Japan Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] Japan considers 60 year reactor lifespan, World Nuclear News

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] Japan to allow 60-year reactor lifespan despite Fukushima (update 4); Japan in gradual shift away from nuclear power; Only 5 of the nation's 54 reactors remain online; Rare protest delays process to help idled reactors restart (Adds details on meeting of experts), Risa Maeda, Reuters (via IAEA Daily Press Review and NEI email)

* [Fukushima-radiation-construction materials] Anger spreads as radioactive gravel traced to schools, public road, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation-construction materials] Radiation-tainted stones used in paths near housing in Fukushima town, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation-construction materials] Gov't urged to clarify where radioactive gravel has been used, Mainichi Daily News editorial (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation-US] Have 14,000 Americans already died from Fukushima's radioactive fallout?, Harvey Wasserman, Green Power & Wellness Radio (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-humanitarian] Patchwork quilts bringing warmth to disaster areas, Daily Yomiuri (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation-SPEEDI] Panel: evacuation system unreliable / Government group says SPEEDI cannot accurately predict radiation spread, Daily Yomiuri (via Nevada ANP)

US NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-US-nuclearbiz] EDF Drops Opposition to Exelon-Constellation Deal, Inti Landauro and Geraldine Amiel, Wall Street Jrl (top story in NEI email)

* [npp-US-newbuild-Vogtle] NRC Vote for New Southern Reactors 'Imminent,' Fertel Says, Brian Wingfield, Bloomberg (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Browns Ferry] NRC hosts Browns Ferry meeting, News Courier (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Calvert Cliffs] NRC investigates Calvert Cliffs, Meghan Russell, Southern Maryland News (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Cooper] NRC Names New Resident Inspector at Cooper Nuclear Station, NRC (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Fort Calhoun] Fort Calhoun shows off recovery efforts since Missouri River flood waters recede, Algis J. Laukaitis, Lincoln Journal Star (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Fort Calhoun] Utility says Neb. nuke plant on tract for restart, KCAU (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Fort Calhoun] 'Substantial progress' at Fort Calhoun Nuclear Station, Nancy Gaarder, Omaha World-Herald (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Indian Point] Barclay refutes safety claims concerning Indian Point, Aaron Curtis, Palladium Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Oyster Creek] Find new use for nuclear plant; NRC, Exelon must be vigilant on future radioactive leaks, Rep. Jon Runyan, Asbury Park Press (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Palisades] On Lake Michigan's shore, no room for lax nuclear safety, Detroit Free Press editorial (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Turkey Point-St Lucie] FPL: Nuclear facility upgrade to create jobs; Company says project to eventually save $4.8B, Post Newsweek (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Vernon rep talks about nuclear bill, Chris Garofolo, Brattleboro Reformer (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Vogtle] Drug screens bar 80 workers from Vogtle site, Rob Pavey, Augusta Chronicle (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Watts Bar] TVA Has Temporary Work Stoppage At Watts Bar After Safety Concern, The Chattanoogan (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-radiation] Project Update: Analysis Of Cancer Risks in Populations Near Nuclear Facilities: Phase 1, NAS (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-nrc-acrs] ACRS Subcommittee on Regulatory Policies and Practices to review 'Inspection of Water-Control Structures Associated with Nuclear Power Plants' (draft Rev 2 of Reg Guide 1.127, Nuclear Regulatory Commission meeting notice, Federal Register (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-nrc-acrs] ACRS Subcommittee on Planning and Procedures will discuss proposed ACRS activities and related matters, Nuclear Regulatory Commission meeting notice, Federal Register(via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-nrc] NRC Commissioners meetings through Feb 22, Nuclear Regulatory Commission Sunshine Act notice, Federal Register (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-SMR] DOE official looking at expanding research of small nuclear reactors, Annette Cary, Tri-City Herald (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US] Solutions needed today for safer nuclear power, Milton Itell, letter to Asbury Park Press (via Nevada ANP)

OTHER NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-newbuild-China] China may resume approving nuke plants in H1 - media, Reuters (via IAEA Daily Press Review)

* [npp-newbuild-Egypt] Egypt Dismantles Equipment at Looted Nuclear Plant Site, Ria Novosti (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp] Women: A Driving Force In Nuclear Power Programmes, IAEA (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-China-environmental monitoring] China to monitor radiation in drinking water around nuclear plants, Xinhua News (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-EU-postFukushima] Draft EU nuclear safety peer review report due April 25: Ensreg, Siobhan Hall, Platts (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-France] French power tariffs could rise by 30% by 2016 says regulator, Robin Sayles, Platts (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-France] France's Hollande softens nuclear closure stance; Candidate to only shut Fessenheim within 5-year term; Pact with Greens to shut 24 reactors by 2025; Keeps target to cut nuclear share in power to 50 pct, Muriel Boselli and Benjamin Mallet, Reuters (via IAEA Daily Press Review)

* [npp-Germany-econ] Cost of nuke phase-out 'could near EU2 trillion', Deutsche Local (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Germany-econ] Siemens puts cost of nuclear exit at 1.7 trillion euros, Christoph Steitz, Reuters (via IAEA Daily Press Review)

* [npp-Germany] German shift from nuclear a Herculean task -execs, Christoph Steitz and Vera Eckert, Reuters (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-India] Kalam bats for nuclear energy, IBNLive (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-India] 'India's nuclear plants highly safe & secure', Times of India (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Japan] Japan to consult with U.S. in reviewing nuclear fuel cycle policy, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Mongolia] Nuclear Energy Agency Chief Resigned, Newswire.Mongolia (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-UK-public support] Dip in nuclear power support after Fukushima proves shortlived, Damian Carrington, The Guardian (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-UK] Support for nuclear power 'back up', Press Association (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-UK] Fukushima a 'temporary blip' for UK support, World Nuclear News (also highlighted by Nevada ANP)

January 17, 2012

FUKUSHIMA NEWS

* [Fukushima-TV] "Frontline" to Air Report on Fukushima Tonight, (via NEI email)

* [Fukushima-Japan-emergency powers] Gov't to retain powers to order evacuation in crisis-hit areas, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp-IAEA] IAEA Review Mission to Visit Japan, IAEA (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] Japan plans to limit reactor lifetime to 40 years, Nuclear Engineering (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] Power industry takes objection to 40-year limit for nuclear reactor operation, Denki Shimbun (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] Mitsubishi Heavy Predicts Restart for Japan Reactors, Chester Dawson, Wall Street Jrl

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp-NISA] Japan's First Reactor Stress Tests at Fukushima Reach Key Stage; Japan's panel of experts is due to review the nuclear watchdog's first report on reactor stress tests on Wednesday in an important step in efforts to rebuild public trust shattered by the Fukushima crisis and restart idled reactors, Risa Maeda, Reuters (via IAEA Daily Press Review)

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp-IAEA] IAEA officials to review Japan's reactor stress-test findings, Risa Maeda, Reuters (via NEI email; the title here is from NEI - original is "Japan trade min:IAEA officials to visit this month"; also highlighted by IAEA Daily Press Review)

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp-IAEA] Atomic experts to visit Japan to evaluate stress tests, Deutsch Presse-Agentur (via IAEA Daily Press Review)

* [Fukushima-Kurokawa panel] Japanese government names panel to investigate nuclear plant meltdown, Associated Press (also highlighted by NEI email)

* [Fukushima-Kurokawa panel] New Fukushima Probe Promises to Dig Deeper Into Nuclear Crisis, Tsuyoshi Inajima and Kanoko Matsuyama, Bloomberg (also highlighted by Nevada ANP, including a version of the story titled "Fukushima Probe No. 3 Gives Taste of Confrontations to Come")

* [Fukushima-Kurokawa panel] New probe vows to cut deeper in Japan nuke crisis, Tokyo Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation] U.S. forces given SPEEDI data early; Delay in informing public about radiation may have resulted in unnecessary exposure in Fukushima, Kyodo (also highlighted by Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation] Japan delayed release of radiation details, Mark Willacy, ABC-Australia (via IAEA Daily Press Review and Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation] Radiation-dispersal data was provided to U.S. before Japanese public, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation-construction materials] Fukushima evacuees in radioactive housing, Rick Wallace, The Australian

* [Fukushima-radiation-construction materials] Government tries to find structures where radioactive gravel was used, Mainichi Daily News (also highlighted by Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation-construction materials] Japan Radioactive Condo Complex Forces First Floor Residents to Evacuate, Death by 1000 Papercuts blog, citing Japan Times and NHK

* [Fukushima-radiation-construction materials] High radiation found in condos miles from Fukushima plant, Michael Winter, USA TODAY (via IAEA Daily Press Review and Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation-construction materials] Fukushima: Radioactive Houses and Roads in Japan. Radioactive Building Materials Sold to over 200 Construction Companies, Global Research (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation-construction materials] Building contamination spreads / Radioactive materials used to repair road and waterway in Fukushima, Daily Yomiuri (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-TEPCO] Tepco raises electricity prices for corporate clients; Tokyo Electric Power Company has raised electricity prices for the first time in more than 30 years in a bid to offset higher fuel costs, BBC (also highlighted by Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-TEPCO] TEPCO sees no board member as responsible for Fukushima disaster, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-TEPCO] Tepco to hike business charges by avg 17 pct (Update 4), Kentaro Hamada and Yoko Kubota, Reuters (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Japan-tourism] Hong Kong lowers travel warnings for Japan, Kyodo

* [Fukushima-US-Japan] U.S. vows to help Japan recover from nuclear crisis, Kyodo (via NEI email; title here is NEI's - original is "U.S. envoy reiterates pledge to support Japan as it rebuilds")

* [Fukushima-exclusion zone] 11 hot-zone holdouts refuse to leave Fukushima homes; Holdouts within 20-km radius have various reasons to stay, Kyodo (via IAEA Daily Press Review)

* [Fukushima-exclusion zone] Slideshow: Fukushima ghost towns, Reuters (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-intake canal] Crane barge clears Fukushima Daiichi intake canal, Nuclear Engineering (via Nevada ANP)

US NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-US-MOX] DOE Seeking More Reactors to Use Controversial Plutonium Fuel (MOX), Alliance for Nuclear Accountability (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-spent fuel] Unprotected nuclear fuel could mean disaster, Kathleen Ferris, Citizens to End Nuclear Dumping in Tennessee, letter to The Tennessean (also highlighted by Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-ACRS] NRC Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards Appoints New Member, NRC (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Browns Ferry] NRC Schedules Meeting Jan. 26 to Discuss Inspection at Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Plant, NRC (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Browns Ferry] NRC to hold public meeting at Browns Ferry, Decatur Daily (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Calvert Cliffs] EDF Withdraws Opposition to Exelon-Constellation Merger in U.S., Kari Lundgren, Bloomberg (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Davis-Besse] Hairline cracks at Ohio nuclear plant need thorough review, Cleveland Plain Dealer editorial (via NEI email; title here is NEI's - original is "Before giving Davis-Besse another 20-year operating license, crack the case of the cracks: editorial")

* [npp-US-FitzPatrick-fire protection] NOTICES Facility Operating Licenses; Application Withdrawals: Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.; Notice of Withdrawal of Application for Amendment to Facility Operating License Pages 2327-2328 [FR DOC# 2012-664], Nuclear Regulatory Commission (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Indian Point] Nuclear Aftershocks, Miles O'Brien, PBS 'Frontline', highlighted by Bergen Record TV reviewer

* [npp-US-Indian Point] A Fresh Look at Nuclear Power, from Fukushima to the Hudson, Andrew C. Revkin, New York Times blog (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Oconee] NRC wants details on Oconee Nuclear emergency safeguards, Anna Simon, Greenville News (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Oconee] Safety will be focus at Oconee Nuke meeting, Anna Simon, Greenville News (via AP)

* [npp-US-Susquehanna] Fission Stories #75: Letter of the Law, Dave Lochbaum, Union of Concerned Scientists' All Things Nuclear blog

* [npp-US-Sequoyah] TVA's radioactive waste remains stored on-site at nuclear plants, John Pless, WTVC-TV, Chattanooga, Tenn. (via NEI email; title here is NEI's - original is "What Will Become Of TVA's Nuclear Waste?")

OTHER NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-Germany-Siemens] Siemens puts cost of nuclear exit at 1.7 trillion euros, Christoph Steitz, Reuters (via @NuclearUpdate; also highlighted by Nevada ANP)

* [npp-newbuild-Bangladesh] Rooppur N-power plant to operate from 2018: Russian envoy, Bangladesh Daily Star (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-newbuild-China] AP1000 Nuclear Plant Construction Still On Schedule in China, Nuclear Street News

* [npp-newbuild-Czech Republic] CEZ fails to make economic case for expanding Temelin, study says; Building new nuclear reactors at Temelin makes no economic sense, says Prague-based consultancy specializing in energy issues, Czech Position (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-newbuild-Egypt] Engineers relocate nuclear facility equipment after heists, Egypt Independent (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-newbuild-Egypt] Bedouin leaders threaten armed rebellion against Egyptian government, Mohamed Fadel Fahmy, CNN

* [npp-newbuild-India-Jaitapur] NPCIL dismisses US geologist's claims on Jaitapur site, IBNLive (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-newbuild-India-Jaitapur] Proposed Indian Nuclear Power Plant in Zone Subject to Earthquakes, John Daly, OilPrice (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-newbuild-India-Jaitapur] Seismicity study was done before selecting Jaitapur: NPCIL, TwoCircles (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-newbuild-India-Jaitapur] Nuclear power body plays down Jaitapur quake fears, Hindustan Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-newbuild-India-Jaitapur] 'Jail bharo' agitation against Jaitapur n-plant planned, Rahul Wadke, The Hindu Business Line

* [npp-newbuild-India-Kudankulam] Kudankulam delays mount up, World Nuclear News

* [npp-newbuild-Niger] Niger to Pursue Nuclear Plans Despite Fukushima: president, (via IAEA Daily Press Review and Nevada ANP)

* [npp-newbuild-Saudi] Saudi Arabia signs nuclear-cooperation deal with China, Summer Said, Wall Street Journal (via NEI email and IAEA Daily Press Review)

* [npp-newbuild-Saudi] China, Saudi Arabia agree to increase nuclear cooperation, Zachary Keck, The Examiner (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-newbuild-Saudi] Saudi-China nuclear deal, Gulf Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Canada] Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission News Update, CNSC (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Europe] RWE says to focus on European core markets, Vera Eckert and Tom Kaeckenhoff, Reuters

* [npp-France] Nuclear essential to French electro-intensive energy: Besson, Anna Crowley, Platts (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-France] France's Hollande softens nuclear closure stance, Muriel Boselli and Benjamin Mallet, Reuters (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-India] NPCIL 2 LAST, IBNLive (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-India] Our N-safety record is impeccable, says India, IBNLive (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-India] India rejects US think tank report on nuclear safety, Hindustan Times (via Nevada ANP)

January 16, 2012

FUKUSHIMA NEWS

* [Fukushima] Fukushima Meltdown Update: More Problems at Number 4, January 15 update, Nelle Maxey, Pacific Free Press

* [Fukushima-exclusion zone] 11 people live in no-entry zone within 20 km of Fukushima plant, Kyodo (also highlighted by Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Kurokawa panel] Panel Challenges Japans Account of Nuclear Disaster, Hiroko Tabuchi, New York Times (also highlighted by Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Kurokawa panel] Head of Parliament-appointed investigation team says it will cut deeper than government probe, Associated Press

* [Fukushima-Kashiwagi panel] Panel: Nuclear watchdog relies too much on plant makersTatsuyuki Kobori, Asahi Shimbun (via IAEA Daily Press Review)

* [Fukushima-radiation-concrete] Radioactive Concrete Is Latest Scare for Fukushima Survivors, Akiko Fujita, ABC News

* [Fukushima-radiation-concrete] New condo's foundation radioactive; Quarry sourced crushed stones from hot-zone city of Namie, Kyodo (also highlighted by Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation-concrete] Radioactive gravel likely shipped to over 200 companies, Mainichi Daily News (also highlighted by Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation-concrete] Fukushima Radiation: In With the Bricks - Radiation Spike Detected in Fukushima Apartment Complex Built With Tainted Cement, Yoree Koh, Wall Street Journal (also highlighted by Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation-concrete] Japan probes radioactive apartment block, Agence France Presse (also highlighted by Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation-consumer products-US] Radioactive tissue holders pulled from stores, Associated Press (via IAEA Daily Press Review)

* [Fukushima-revitalization] ... how about setting a target of making Fukushima the prefecture with the lowest cancer rates of all Japan's 47 prefectures 20 or 30 years from now?, Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba, speech to Japan National Press Club

* [Fukushima-METI bureaucrats] Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry bureaucrats weigh in on nuclear crisis, TPP, Yoshiaki Ebata, Mainichi Daily News (also highlighted by Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] Japan's first reactor stress tests reach key stage, Risa Maeda, Reuters (also highlighted by Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp-Hamaoka] Opponents of Hamaoka nuclear plant restart gain momentum, Mainichi Daily News

* [Fukushima-megafloat] City to sell floating storage used at Fukushima to TEPCO, Kyodo (also highlighted by Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-TEPCO] Tepco: Board members not responsible for Fukushima, MarketWatch

* [Fukushima-TEPCO] Shareholders to sue Tepco directors, Kyodo (via IAEA Daily Press Review)

* [Fukushima-regional decontamination] Decontamination work hinges on citizen cooperation, Mitsuko Nagasawa, Asahi Shimbun (via IAEA Daily Press Review)

* [Fukushima-antinuclear] Anti-nuclear meeting on energy, radiation after Fukushima, Deutsche Presse-Agentur (via IAEA Daily Press Review)

US NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-US-post-Fukushima] After Fukushima, emergency back-up equipment recommended for US nuclear reactors, Declan Butler, Nature

* [npp-US-post-Fukushima] NRC Staff Amenable to Post-Fukushima Safety Enhancements Proposed by Nuclear Industry, Nuclear Street

* [npp-US-post-Fukushima] NRC is receptive to industry's new safety plan for reactors, Brian Wingfield, Bloomberg (via NEI email; the title here is NEI's - original was "Nuclear Industry Safety Plan 'Acceptable,' NRC Official Says")

* [npp-US-post-Fukushima] After Fukushima, emergency back-up equipment recommended for US nuclear reactors, Declan Butler, Nature blog

* [npp-US-Diablo Canyon] NRC to hold discussions on Diablo Canyon plant's safety systems, David Sneed, San Luis Obispo Tribune (via NEI email; the title here is NEI's - original was "Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant safety meeting is public; Nuclear Regulatory Commission is set to discuss reactor issues with managers; security portion to be private")

* [npp-US-Pilgrim] NRC criticism unwarranted, Tom Newton, letter to Newburyport Daily News

* [npp-US-Wolf Creek] Power loss shuts down Kansas nuclear plant, Associated Press (via IAEA Daily Press Review)

* [npp-US-TVA] TVA works to make nuclear energy generation safer, Pam Sohn, Chattanooga Times Free Press (via NEI email; the title here is NEI's - original was "TVA plans more nuclear openness to counter worries")

OTHER NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-newbuild-China] New nuclear plant in China is on schedule for 2013 start-up, Xinhua/China Daily (via NEI email; title here is NEI's - original was "Third generation nuclear reactors to begin service")

* [npp-newbuild-China] China AP1000 nuclear plant on track after delay-Xinhua, Lucy Hornby, Reuters (via IAEA Daily Press Review and NEI email)

* [npp-newbuild-China] China to opertionalise 3rd generation nuke reactor next year, K J M Varma, Power Engineering

* [npp-newbuild-China] China's Nuclear Plant on Track, China Digital Times

* [npp-newbuild-China] China's investment in power projects to shrink further on slowing economy, Xinhua News

* [npp-newbuild-UAE] Workshop on nuclear law for govt entities, Khaleej Times (via IAEA Daily Press Review and Nevada ANP)

* [npp-newbuild-Vietnam] Vietnam determined to obtain nuclear energy: PM, Thanh Nien News (via IAEA Daily Press Review)

* [npp-newbuild-Vietnam] Vietnam PM says country will pursue nuclear power, VietNamNet Bridge (via NEI email; title here is NEI's - original was "Vietnam is determined to develop nuclear power, PM says; ... otherwise the country will be in serious shortage of power")

* [npp-Brazil] Brazilian nuclear power plants set new records in 2011, Joao Vianna, Jornal.us News Agency

* [npp-Russia-emergency preparedness] Russia ignoring case for beefing up nuclear disaster preparedness plans even at risk of losing moscow to a fallout plume in major accident, Andrei Ozharovsky, Bellona (also highlighted by Nevada ANP)

* [npp-UK-Torness] Nuclear plant is told to strengthen jellyfish defences, Edinburgh Evening News (also highlighted by Nevada ANP)

* [npp] Can the world phase out nuclear power?, Takehiko Kambayashi, Deutsche Presse-Agentur (also highlighted by IAEA Daily Press Review)

January 15, 2012

FUKUSHIMA NEWS

* [Fukushima-Japan-antinuclear] Antinuclear conference urges the need to phase out nuclear power, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Japan-antinuclear] Antinuclear conference calls for full support of victims in Fukushima, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Japan-antinuclear] Antinuke confab urges backing for victims' rights, Japan Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] NISA to endorse stress test results on Oi nuclear plant, Daily Yomiuri (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation-cities] Disaster left cities in limbo: mayors, Kazuaki Nagata, Japan Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation-Japan-tourism] Nuclear fallout brings bleak winter for Japan tourism, Mark Willacy, ABC (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation-construction] Irradiated gravel used for Fukushima condominium, NHK (via @Enformable)

* [Fukushima-radiation-construction] Radioactive Cesium found in newly constructed housing in Namie Japan, Enformable.com (via @Enformable)

* [Fukushima] Plant Status of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, January 15, 2012, TEPCO handout (via @Enformable)

* [Fukushima] Fukushima Daiichi units 2 and 3 update - Jan 15, 2012, TEPCO press release (via @Enformable)

US NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-US-newbuild-Calvert Cliffs] UniStar Gets OK to Build New Nuclear Reactor on Wetlands at Calvert Cliffs, Varun Saxena, Capital News Service

* [npp-US-newbuild] New permits sought to build on aging nuclear reactor fleet, Tina Lam, Detroit Free Press (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Crystal River] Progress customers, brace yourselves; A $2.5B question looms as an insurer hesitates to cover nuclear repair, Ivan Penn, Tampa Bay Times, front page story

* [npp-US-Diablo Canyon] Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant safety meeting is public, David Sneed, San Luis Obispo Tribune (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Palisades] Michigan's Palisades nuclear plant may be named one of nation's 5 worst, Tina Lam, Detroit Free Press (via @ATRNSUOchair and @nuclearnewsbot)

OTHER NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-books] Books about Nuclear Energy - 2012 List, Dan Yurman, Idaho Samizdat (via @djysrv)

* [npp-Taiwan] Incumbent Ma Ying-jeou wins Taiwan election against avowed antinuclear challenger, Xing Zhigang and Tan Zongyang, China Daily (title used here is from @Atomicrod)

* [npp-India-liability] Confederation of Indian Industry seeks clarity on nuclear liability law, Economic Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-newbuild-Vietnam] Vietnam determined to obtain nuclear energy: PM, Thanh Nien Daily (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Saudi-China] Kingdom, China ink nuclear cooperation pact, Ghazanfar Ali Khan, Arab News (via Nevada ANP)

January 14, 2012

Paul Simmons, plant manager of Sequoyah, said uranium is the most concentrated energy source in the world, and a filled reactor can generate enough power to run 650,000 homes for four years before it runs out of fuel. TVA must refresh a only a third of the fuel in each reactor about every 18 months, Simmons said.
Ray Golden, TVA's manager of nuclear communications, said each fuel rod holds 4 percent uranium 235 - the equivalent of 150 gallons of oil or 2,000 pounds of coal. "If this was a coal burning plant, you'd need 100 [rail] cars of coal every day," he said of Sequoyah.
Source: Pam Sohn (Chattanooga Times Free Press), "TVA plans more nuclear openness to counter worries", Chattanooga Times Free Press, January 14, 2012

FUKUSHIMA NEWS

* [Fukushima-Japan-antinuclear] Antinuclear conference under way in Yokohama, Kazuaki Nagata, Japan Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Japan-antinuclear] Yokohama antinuclear conference draws thousands of activists, experts, Kazuaki Nagata, Japan Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Japan-antinuclear] Antinuclear conference begins urging elimination of nuclear power, Utility Products (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation-Canada] Fukushima fallout, Montreal Gazette (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation-Canada] Radioactive iodine in rainwater: Public was in the dark, Alex Roslin, Montreal Gazette (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation] A-bomb survivors' dark experiences must not be repeated for Fukushima crisis victims, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation] Danger ! Keep out - forever, Edan Corkill, Japan Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] All 3 nuclear reactors in Shikoku suspended, Mainichi Daily News (via @SoNuke; also highlighted by Nevada ANP)

US NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-US-post-Fukushima] Industry chafes under NRC nuke safety recommendations, citing limited resources, Jonathan Crawford, SNL Financial (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Indian Point] Indian Point shutdown reignites nuke battle; Indian Point's age fuels doubts, Greg Clary and Jorge Fitz-Gibbon, White Plains Journal News (via @nukeroadie)

* [npp-US-Sequoyah-Browns Ferry-Watts Bar] TVA plans more nuclear openness to counter worries, Pam Sohn, Chattanooga Times Free Press (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Taxing Fuel Rods: The Vermont Legislature Plans Another Law Which Will End Up in Court, NEI Nuclear Notes (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Wolf Creek] Power Woes Shut Down Wolf Creek Nuke Plant, KMBC Kansas City (via Nevada ANP)

OTHER NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-newbuild-China] China to bring new nuke reactors to service, China Daily (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-newbuild-Egypt] Dabaa nuclear power sit-in continues in wake of clashes, Egypt Independent (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-India-Koodankulam] Kalam writes to PM over Koodankulam nuclear row, Deccan Chronicle (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-India-Koodankulam] Kudankulam impasse: Kalam seeks PM's intervention, Hindu Business Line (via Nevada ANP)

January 13, 2012

FUKUSHIMA NEWS

* [Fukushima-radiation-Pacific-Canada] After Fukushima, fish tales, Alex Roslin, Montreal Gazette

* [Fukushima-radiation] Fukushima city says radiation dose level unlikely to harm health, Kyodo (via IAEA Daily Press Review)

* [Fukushima-radiation] 300 tons of tainted water found near No. 3 unit at Fukushima plant, Kyodo (via IAEA Daily Press Review)

* [Fukushima-Louvre] Louvre to send artworks to Japan's Fukushima, AFP (via IAEA Daily Press Review)

* [Fukushima-Japan-food exports] Japan's food exports plummet after nuclear crisis, Tokyo Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] Nuke administrative agency ordered to produce own inspection manual, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] Nuclear plant output falls to 10.3%, Japan Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] TABLE-Japan nuclear plant ops (Ikata No.2 enters turnaround), Osamu Tsukimori and Risa Maeda, Reuters (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] Interview with Makoto Yagi, Chairman of the Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan: "Concerted industry-wide effort to rebuild trust", Denki Shimbun (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation-Australia] Radiation cloud 'not harmful', Kate Clifford, Sunshine Coast Daily (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation] Japan planning breast milk radiation tests, CNN (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation] Homes in Koriyama to Have Free Radiation Check as Job-Creation Measure, RocketNews24 (via Nevada ANP)

US NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-US-post-Fukushima-nrc] NRC Staff to Lay Out Next Steps on Plant Safety, Official Says, Brian Wingfield, Bloomberg (via NEI email)

* [npp-us-antinuclear] Environmental groups issue their "Green Playbook", Mid-Hudson News (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Indian Point] Should Indian Point Be Shut Down?, Christopher Michael McHugh, Ossining.Patch (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Indian Point] Vision for Affordable Energy Even if Indian Point Nuclear Plant Is Shut Down, Jim Dwyer, New York Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Indian Point] Indian Point Subject of Assembly Hearings, Jessica Glenza, Daily Peekskill (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-newbuild-Levy County] Nuclear plant opponents in Fla. voice concerns, Mitch Stacy, Business Week (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-newbuild-loan guarantees] Tell President Obama: End the nuclear loan program now!, NIRS (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Oconee] Duke Energy restricts water flow from 2 lakes, Spartanburg Herald Journal (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-post-Fukushima] Getting Ready to React to Fukushima, Matthew L. Wald, NY Times blog (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-post-Fukushima] Nuclear Industry Safety Plan 'Acceptable,' NRC Official Says, Brian Wingfield, Bloomberg (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-post-Fukushima] US NRC says it could issue post-Fukushima orders by March 11, William Freebairn, Platts (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Nuclear energy has had its day, Peter Van der Does, letter to Brattleboro Reformer (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] No radiation limits exceeded at VY in 2010, Bob Audette, Brattleboro Reformer (via Nevada ANP)

OTHER NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-newbuild-Armenia] New nuclear reactor construction suspended in Armenia, McClatchy (via IAEA Daily Press Review)

* [npp-newbuild-Bangladesh] Interview: Rooppur N-plant work by year-end, Sheikh Shahariar Zaman, BDnews24 (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-newbuild-Bulgaria] Fate of Bulgaria's 2nd Nuclear Plant Revealed in 3 Weeks, Sofia News Agency (via NEI email)

* [npp-newbuild-Egypt] Egyptians, military police clash at nuclear project site, Reuters

* [npp-newbuild-Jordan] Jordan's nuclear reactor to cost $5 billion, Abdul Jalil Mustafa, Arab News (via NEI email)

* [npp-newbuild-Jordan-Vietnam] U.S. Nuclear Trade Talks with Vietnam, Jordan Moving Forward, Global Security Newswire (via IAEA Daily Press Review)

* [npp-Germany] German Court: Nuclear Tax Constitutional, Within EU Law; Stuttgart-based court says nuclear tax is constitutional; Decision relates to tax payments for two EnBW reactors; EnBW says is examining court decision, may appeal; Decision stands in contrast to two previous court decisions, Jan Hromadko, Dow Jones Newswires (via NEI email)

* [npp-Germany] Stuttgart court upholds nuclear fuel tax, World Nuclear News

* [npp-India-Koodankulam] Koodankulam supporter petitions Collector, IBNLive (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Japan-Fukui] 3 nabbed over fake contract for nuclear repair work in Fukui, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Russia] Russia's nuclear capacity not reduced, Barents Observer (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-South Africa] Report on nuclear safety questioned, Business Day (via IAEA Daily Press Review)

* [npp-South Korea] Gyeongju residents fret over malfunctioning nuclear reactor, Lee Seung-joon, The Hankyoreh (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Sweden] Ringhals steam generators shipped to Studsvik, World Nuclear News

* [npp-nuclearbiz-EDF] French electricity group EDF issues 10-year bond, Xinhua News (via Nevada ANP)

January 12, 2012

FUKUSHIMA NEWS

* [Fukushima-radiation] Fukushima Eyes Checking Radiation in Breast Milk for 10,000 Mothers, Kyodo (via IAEA Daily Press Review)

* [Fukushima-radiation] Fukushima to test milk from 10,000 mothers, Japan Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation detection] Co-op checking meals for cesium, Hiroko Nakata, Japan Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Daini] Gov't Tells TEPCO to Prepare Repair Plan for Fukushima Daini Equipment, Kyodo (via IAEA Daily Press Review and Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-outmigration] Fearful Residents Give Up On Fukushima Pref., Yomiuri (via IAEA Daily Press Review)

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp-antinuclear] NGOs, nuclear experts to draw up plans to phase out nuclear power, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-antinuclear] Antinuclear event open to general public, Eriko Arita, Japan Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation-US] Garbage In, Anti-Nuclear Propaganda Out: The 14,000 Death Fukushima Lie, Josh Bloom, Forbes (via NEI email)

* [Fukushima-radiation-US] Fukushima Fallout and Infant Deaths: International Journal of Health Services' Vicente Navarro Responds, Barbara Feder Ostrov's Health Journalism Blog

US NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-US-post-Fukushima] After Fukushima, US Nuclear Industry To Unveil New Safety Plan, Ryan Tracy, Morningstar News (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-post-Fukushima] NRC Staff to Lay Out Next Steps on Plant Safety, Official Says, Brian Wingfield, Bloomberg (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-reactor safety] After Fukushima, US Nuclear Industry To Unveil New Safety Plan; Nuclear Energy Institute to brief regulators on proposal Friday; Plan includes portable pumps, batteries stored in multiple locations; Industry seeking assurances that plan will satisfy NRC, Ryan Tracy, Dow Jones Newswires (via NEI email)

* [npp-US] Emergencies and alerts spiked at U.S. nuke plants in 2011, News & Observer blog (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-FitzPatrick] Respirator fraud technician guilty, World Nuclear News

* [npp-US-FitzPatrick] Nuclear power plant technician sentenced, WRGB (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-California] Is it Time for California to Phase Out Nuclear Power?, Tam Hunt, Energy Central (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Crystal River] Public counsel seeks delay in hearings on broken Crystal River nuclear plant, Ivan Penn, St. Petersburg Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Indian Point] Timeline for Indian Point reactor repair unclear; grid official says power supply unaffected, Greg Clary, Lower Hudson Journal (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Indian Point] Indian Point's future subject of state Assembly hearing, Mid-Hudson News (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Indian Point] Indian Point is essential to NY's economic recovery, jobs and grid reliability, business and labor leaders say, Mid-Hudson News (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Palisades] Company's plan for recovery is stringent, Palisades officials tell regulators at NRC's morning session, Rosemary Parker, Kalamazoo Gazette(via NEI email)

* [npp-US-Limerick-decommissioning fund] NRC: Exelon Must Provide Details On Fund Shortfall, Teresa McMinn, Limerick.patch (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Oconee] Regulators to get update on Oconee Nuclear Station, Anna Mitchell, Anderson Independent Mail (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Oconee] Duke restricts Keowee, Jocassee water withdrawals under new drought plan, Anna Mitchell, Anderson Independent Mail (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-newbuild-Levy County] Hearing on tap for proposed nuke plants, St. Augustine Record (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-newbuild-Levy County] Nuclear plant opponents in Fla. voice concerns, Mitch Stacy, Miami Herald (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-newbuild-William States Lee] Protests a new nuclear power station close to Asheville, Kris Cunningham, letter to Asheville Citizen-Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-SMRs-nuclearbiz-B&W] B&W restructures commercial nuclear business, World Nuclear News

* [npp-US-educ-antinuclear] Environmental Organizations Alert Teachers to Problematic NEED Infobook, Citizen Power press release

* [npp-US-AP1000-nozzle dams-Advanced Engineered Products, Inc.] Nuclear acquisition for Curtiss-Wright, Nuclear Engineering International

* [npp-US-performance improvement-nuclearbiz] Nuclear Performance Expert Tom Houghton Joins Certrec's Office of Performance Improvement; Former Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) Senior Director and NRC Reactor Oversight Process Expert to Guide Certrec Clients in Performance Improvement, Certrec Corporation press release

* [npp-nrc] Registration Opens for NRC Regulatory Information Conference March 13-15 in Rockville, MD, NRC (via Nevada ANP)

OTHER NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-reactor safety] Get tough on nuclear safety, Nature editorial (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Japan] Nuclear Monitoring System Failed at the End of 2011, Asahi (via IAEA Daily Press Review)

* [npp-Vietnam-insurance] Vietnam to Use Japan Model / Tokio Marine to Help Hanoi Make Nuclear Plant Insurance Plan, Yomiuri (via IAEA Daily Press Review)

* [npp-Bulgaria] Belene NPP's fate to be decided over the next days, ITAR-TASS/Focus News (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Bulgaria] Fate of Bulgaria's 2nd Nuclear Plant Revealed in 3 Weeks, Sofia News (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-China] Huaneng moves ahead on Shandong nuclear plant, Du Juan, China Daily (via NEI email)

* [npp-France] French Nuclear Dismantling Might Cost EU22 Bln, Tribune Says, Fabio Benedetti-Valentini, Bloomberg (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-France-radiation] Child Leukaemia Doubles Near French Nuclear Plants, Reuters (via IAEA Daily Press Review)

* [npp-India] Rising Demand for Electricity and the Drive towards Energy Security Fuels the Indian Nuclear Power Market, According to a New Report by Global Industry Analysts, Inc., Global Industry Analysts, Inc. press release

* [npp-India-Gorakhpur] Gorakhpur atomic power plant under judicial lens, Times of India (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-India-Jaitapur] 'Proper geological study not done in Jaitapur', Hindustan Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-India-Kudankulam] Kudankulam protesters to reiterate demand in talks, IBNLive (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-India-newbuild] Land acquisition delays n-projects, IBNLive (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-India-newbuild] Haryana moots compensation for landbeing acquired for n-power project, Chandigarh Newsline (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-India-newbuild] High Court notice to Haryana on nuclear power project, Indian Express (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Japan] Lack of memory caused breakdown in nuclear plant monitoring system, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Jordan-newbuild] Jordan's nuclear reactor to cost $5 billion, Abdul Jalil Mustafa, Arab News (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Taiwan] Vote Holds Fate of Nuclear Power in Taiwan, Andrew Jacobs, New York Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-UK-Sizewell] Sizewell: N-plant turbine is taken offline, Jonathan Barnes, East Anglian Daily Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Ukraine-Chernobyl] Chornobyl Veterans Renew Protests In Ukraine, RadioFreeEurope (via Nevada ANP)

January 11, 2012

FUKUSHIMA NEWS

* [Fukushima-tsunami] Japan tsunami toll tops 19,000, AFP

* [Fukushima-radiation] TEPCO reports 10-liter radioactive water leakage at Fukushima plant, Kyodo (via IAEA Daily Press Review)

* [Fukushima-radiation-car part exports] Radiation-Tainted Japanese Car Parts Confiscated At Russia's Far Eastern Border, RTT News

* [Fukushima-radiation-auto parts exports] Radiation-Tainted Japanese Car Parts Confiscated At Russia's Far Eastern Border, RTT News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation-food exports] Food exports plunged due to nuclear crisis, Jun Sato and Kosuke Fukui, Yomiuri Shimbun (via IAEA Daily Press Review)

* [Fukushima-TEPCO] TEPCO to deposit 120 bil. yen amid lack of nuclear plant insurance, Kyodo

* [Fukushima-TEPCO] Tepco Said to Seek 2 Trillion Yen in Loans to Stay Solvent, Emi Urabe, Tsuyoshi Inajima and Yuriy Humber, Bloomberg

* [Fukushima-TEPCO] Interview with TEPCO president Toshio Nishizawa: "We will solidify our operating base to fulfill our responsibility.", Denki Shimbun (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-oil substitution-TEPCO] Tokyo Elec uses 155,000 bpd more oil in Dec than yr ago, Reuters

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] Osaka nuke plebiscite moves forward, Japan Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] Limitation of nuclear reactor operation to 40 years as general rule, Denki Shimbun (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-outmigration] Chiba Prefecture troubled by shrinking population after nuclear disaster, Mainichi Daily News

* [Fukushima-Japan-tourism] Japan's tourism recovering fast and strong, Tokyo Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-conference town] Japan to host int'l meeting on renewable energy in Fukushima, Kyodo (via IAEA Daily Press Review)

* [Fukushima-world] One minute closer to nuclear annihilation: 'Doomsday clock' moves forward after Fukushima disaster, Iran's nuclear plans and North Korea's leadership change, Gavin Allen, Daily Mail (London)

US NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-US-small modular reactors] Columbia SC Mayor state of the city speech: NuHub is positioning our city & region to be world leader in small modular #nuclear reactors, Tony Santaella, WLTX-TV (Columbia SC). Note: the title here is from tweet by @nuclearcom, highlighting part of the story titled "Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin Delivers Second 'State of the City' Address".

* [npp-US-post-Fukushima] NRC Revising Approach to Japan Lessons-Learned Recommendations, Scott Burnell, NRC blog

* [npp-spent fuel] Time to fix our nuclear waste disposal system, Dr. Jeffrey Patterson, Taunton Daily Gazette (Massachusetts)

* [npp-US-newbuild-Callaway] Riddle to file bill to permit expansion of nuclear plant, Don Norfleet, The Fulton Sun (Missouri) (via NEI email)

* [npp-US-newbuild-Calvert Cliffs] Calvert Cliffs 3 Combined License Application - ASLB will hold hearing on alternatives, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Federal Register (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-newbuild-Levy County] Atomic safety board to take statements, Chris Van Ormer, Citrus County Chronicle (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-newbuild-Vogtle] Southern Releases More Photos of Vogtle Nuclear Plant Construction Progress, Nuclear Street

* [npp-newbuild-nrc-Preliminary Amendment Request Review Process] Interim Staff Guidance on Changes During Construction Under 10 CFR Part 52 - comments due by March 26, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Federal Register (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Crystal River] Progress Energy expects to review repair proposals for nuclear plant by March, Ivan Penn, Tampa Bay Times (also highlighted by NEI email)

* [npp-US-Crystal River] Progress analysing Crystal River repair proposals, World Nuclear News

* [npp-US-Crystal River-uprate] Crystal River-3 proposed 15% power uprate - opportunity to request hearing, intervene, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Federal Register (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Davis-Besse] Environmental Coalition Challenges Davis-Besse License Extension on Shield Building Cracks, WOIA-TV-19 (Cleveland)

* [npp-US-Indian Point] Pump problem shuts Entergy reactor in NYC suburbs, Jim Fitzgerald, AP

* [npp-US-Indian Point] Length of Indian Point reactor shutdown unclear, Greg Clary, Lower Hudson Journal (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-McGuire/Catawba] Power plants test sirens today, Charlotte Observer (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Palisades] Federal officials meeting over Palisades Nuclear Plant, WMMT-TV-3 (Western Michigan)

* [npp-US-River Bend] Entergy faces $140,000 fine after operators accessed internet, Nuclear Engineering International

* [npp-US-San Onofre] San Onofre Nuclear Plant Upgrading Reactor Heads; Scheduled Maintenance Includes Technology Improvements, Ed Joyce, KPBS (San Diego)

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Utilities Sue Entergy Over Cooling Tower Failures, John Dillon, Vermont Public Radio

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] 2 Vt. utilities sue nuke plant over tower failure, Dave Gram, AP (via NEI email)

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee-End Users Alliance] EUA Requests Economic Impact Study of Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant Closing, Freedom Energy Logistics press release

* [npp-US-nuclearbiz-Certrec] Nuclear Performance Improvement Expert Guy Bruner to Lead Certrec's Office of Performance Improvement; Industry Expert with Operations, Accreditation, DOE, INPO, Corrective Action, Root Cause, and Safety Culture expertise to address cross-cutting performance issues, Certrec press release

* [npp-5 mile radius] Paperwork Reduction Act comment opportunity - Land Use Survey Questionnaire -- Vicinity of Nuclear Power Plants, Tennessee Valley Authority, Federal Register (via Nevada ANP)

OTHER NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-Guinevere] First for accelerator-driven nuclear reactor, World Nuclear News (also highlighted by Paulo's Corner)

* [npp-France] France 'imagines the unimaginable'; Regulator demands safety upgrades for nuclear plants to guard against a Fukushima-like disaster, Declan Butler, Nature

* [npp-France] France Reaffirms Nuclear Future, Point of Political Debate, Dave Brown, Uranium Investing News

* [npp-radiation-France] Mixed data on child cancer rates near French nuke sites, Straits Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-radiation-France] Mixed data on child cancer rates near French nuke sites, AFP

* [npp-India] India talking to France, US on nuclear programmes, Press Trust of India

* [npp-India-Koodankulam] K-plant to run soon, says Narayanasamy, Indian Express

* [npp-India-Koodankulam] Kudankulam Nuclear Plant Safest in the World: NPCIL, ANI

* [npp-Switzerland] Nuclear reactor safety requires more checks, Swissinfo (via IAEA Daily Press Review)

* [npp-Switzerland] Swiss nuclear plants need more safety reviews, Reuters (via NEI email)

* [npp-Taiwan] Nuclear power a key issue for Taiwan polls, UPI (also highlighted by Paulo's Corner)

* [npp-CO2] Nuclear power needed to fight climate change says Al-Khalili, BBC

January 10, 2012

FUKUSHIMA NEWS

* [Fukushima-regional cleanup] Japan should take steps toward full-scale restoration of disaster-hit areas, Mainichi Daily News editorial

* [Fukushima-regional cleanup] Fukushima Nuclear Cleanup Could Create Its Own Environmental Disaster, Winifred Bird, The Guardian (via IAEA Daily Press Review)
Decontaminating the Fukushima region to remove radioactive particles will not be possible without removing large amounts of soil, leaves and plants (also highlighted by Paulo's Corner)

* [Fukushima-radwaste] Noda Presses Fukushima to Accept Waste Storage Plan, Japan Today (via IAEA Daily Press Review)
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda on Sunday met with Fukushima Gov Yuhei Sato to discuss measures to rebuild the prefecture, including containing the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant and disposal of soil and rubble tainted by radioactive materials.

* [Fukushima-Japan-unemplyment benefits] Quake disaster survivors see bleak future as unemployment benefits run out, Mainichi Daily News

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] Civic group battles to get support for referendums on nuclear power in Tokyo, Osaka, Mainichi Daily News

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] Japan Dec nuclear plant usage at 15.2 pct vs 67.9 pct yr ago, Risa Maeda, Reuters

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] Japan 2011 nuclear plant usage rate falls to 38 pct (Update 1), Risa Maeda, Reuters

* [Fukushima-worker] Fukushima nuclear plant worker in coma after collapsing at site, Mainichi Daily News

* [Fukushima-plant recovery] Undercover Reporter, Scott Yundt and Marylia Kelley, Tri-Valley CAREs'

* [Fukushima-TEPCO] Banks to Discuss Lending 1 Trillion Yen More to Tepco, Durba Ghosh, Reuters (via IAEA Daily Press Review)
Tepco's main lenders will begin talks this week to decide conditions to lend an additional 1 trillion yen, at the government's request.

* [Fukushima-TEPCO] Tepco Shares Erase Losses to Surge 24% on Speculation It Will Keep Listing, Tsuyoshi Inajima and Yoshiaki Nohara, Bloomberg

* [Fukushima-radiation] Fukushima Still Leaking, Scott Yundt and Marylia Kelley, Tri-Valley CAREs'

US NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-US-Indian Point] IP2 shut down for pump repair, Mid-Hudson News

* [npp-US-River Bend] Operator inattention attracts fine, World Nuclear News

* [npp-US-River Bend] NRC: Nuclear Technicians Surfed Web on the Job Mike M. Ahlers, CNN (via IAEA Daily Press Review)
Nine technicians responsible for monitoring operations at a Louisiana nuclear power plant spent on-duty time surfing the Internet -- visiting websites that included news, sports, fishing and retirement information -- jeopardizing the safety of the plant, federal regulators say

* [npp-reactor safety] Nuclear Plants Withstand Nature's Fury (interactive graphic), Nuclear Energy Institute (also highlighted by Paulo's Corner)
Here's how NEI email describes it: "In 2011 alone, nuclear energy facilities were put to the test by a tornado outbreak across the South and Midwest, historic flooding in the Midwest, and a 5.8-magnitude earthquake and Category 3 hurricane on the East Coast. In this new interactive graphic, NEI walks through each event and provides details on how U.S. electric companies were able to protect their facilities and public safety under harrowing conditions."

* [npp-US-nuclearbiz-Westinghouse] Westinghouse boss announces retirement, World Nuclear News

* [npp-US-nuclearbiz-Westinghouse] Westinghouse CEO Candris to retire March 31, Anya Litvak, Pittsburgh Business Times (via NEI email)

* [npp-US-nuclearbiz-Westinghouse] Westinghouse top executive stepping down, Thomas Olson, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (via NEI email)

* [npp-licensing-biweekly NSHD] Biweekly Notice; Applications and Amendments to Facility Operating Licenses Involving No Significant Hazards Considerations, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Federal Register

* [npp-NRC] NRC Commissioners' meeting schedule through Feb 17, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Federal register

OTHER NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-newbuild-Czech] CEZ likely to scale back nuclear expansion plan, Reuters (via NEI email)

* [npp-EU-post-Fukushima-antinuclear] Europe atomic stress tests a charade, Eric Johnston, Japan Times (also highlighted by IAEA Daily Press Review)
Stress tests being carried out on European nuclear power plants are a political charade designed to reassure the public that the reactors are fundamentally safe, a member of the European Parliament and a prominent Bulgarian atomic expert said Monday at a seminar in Osaka.

* [npp-France] France Debating the Nuclear Question, Ken Silverstein, Energy Biz (via Paulo's Corner)

* [npp-Switzerland] Swiss nuclear plants need more safety reviews, Vera Eckert, Reuters (also highlighted by Paulo's Corner)

* [npp-India-France-Russia] Nuclear Power Corp Looks Overseas for Loans, Saurabh Chaturvedi, Wall Street Jrl (via NEI email)

* [npp-India-Koodankulam-antinuclear] Foreign funding charge a ploy: PMANE, IBNLive

* [npp-India-Koodankulam] Koodankulam: Ad campaign vs wailing protest, G Pramod Kumar, Firstpost

* [npp-Japan-Monju] Monju reactor operator paid 109 mil. yen in fees to related bodies, Mainichi Daily News

* [npp-antinuclear] Speakers: Nuclear energy can end up costing all of us, Chad Smith, Gainesville Sun

January 9, 2012

FUKUSHIMA NEWS

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] 2 power companies likely to face supply shortages in 2012 if demand matches 2011 level, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] Renewal after nuclear disaster impossible without sound foundations, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-radwaste] Gov't request for temporary storage site displeases Fukushima Pref., Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-regional cleanup] Fukushima nuclear cleanup could create its own environmental disaster, Winifred Bird, The Guardian (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-TEPCO] Japan Government May Take Control of Tepco, Tsuyoshi Inajima, Bloomberg (via Nevada ANP)

US NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-US-Fort Calhoun] Nuclear plant's external alerts OK, Nancy Gaarder, Omaha World-Herald (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-newbuild-Vogtle] Vogtle expansion creates housing demand for transient workers, Rob Pavey, Augusta Chronicle (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-us-nrc] Can chairman's new chief of staff help bridge panel's deep divides?, Hannah Northey, Environment & Energy (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-us-nrc] NRC's squabbles hide serious safety lapses, Linda Pentz Gunter, Las Vegas SUN (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Palisades] Palisades nuclear plant back in service after Thursday shutdown, Simon A. Thalmann, Kalamazoo Gazette (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-River Bend] Entergy Gets $140,000 Fine After Nuclear Workers Browse Web, Brian Wingfield, Bloomberg (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-River Bend] NRC Proposes $140,000 Civil Penalty for River Bend Nuclear Plant, NRC (via Nevada ANP)

OTHER NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-Canada-Point Lepreau] Point Lepreau leaks concern nuclear commission, Bobbi-Jean MacKinnon, CBC News (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Canada] Reliability Programs for Nuclear Power Plants (draft Reg Guide for comment), CNSC - Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission

* [npp-Finland] 2011 sees record outage at Olkiluoto 2, Nuclear Engineering (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-France] French reactor upgrades are a priority, says regulator, Nuclear Engineering (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-India-environmental radiation] Tata Centre to set up cancer registries in all nuclear plants, Kalyan Ray, Deccan Herald (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-India-Kudankulam] Anti-KNPP forum plans series of protests, IBNLive (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-India-Kudankulam] India Says Work at Russia-Built Nuclear Plant Remains Stalled, Rakteem Katakey, Bloomberg (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-newbuild-Czech] CEZ Chief Sees Nuclear Tender Reduced to Two Reactors, E15 Says, Krystof Chamonikolas, Bloomberg (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-newbuild-Czech] CEZ likely to scale back nuclear expansion plan, Jan Korselt, Reuters (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-newbuild-India-Gujarat] US safety nod to Westinghouse reactors for Gujarat project, Sanjay Jog, Business Standard (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-newbuild-India-Jaitapur] French n-regulator nod for Jaitapur's EPR nuclear reactors, IBNLive (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-newbuild-India-Jaitapur] Talks with Areva on Jaitapur may restart soon, The Hindu (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-newbuild-India-Kudankulam/Gujarat and Rajasthan] NPCIL transfers engineers from Kudankulam, IBNLive (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-newbuild-UK] New Cumbria nuclear plant would lead to general building boom, Matthew Legg, Whitehaven News (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-reactor safety] Nuclear safety in the U.S. a slow affair, David Worthington, SmartPlanet (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-UK-Hartlepool-post-Fukushima stress test] Power plant's double boost, Peterlee Mail (via Nevada ANP)

January 8, 2012

FUKUSHIMA NEWS

* [Fukushima-exclusion zone] 2 towns at risk of disappearing / Okuma, Futaba face uncertain future due to nearby crippled N-plant, Yasushi Kaneko, Daily Yomiuri (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-exclusion zone] N-zones may keep 25,000 from home, Daily Yomiuri (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] Japan plans to scrap nuclear plants after 40 years, Xinhua News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] Policy of decommissioning aged nuclear plants too abrupt, Daily Yomiuri (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-regional cleanup] Prepare for decontamination, Japan Times editorial (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-TEPCO] Japan govt eyes Tepco common shares-Jiji, Mayumi Negishi, Reuters (via Nevada ANP)

US NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-US-reactor safety] Safer than Daichi?, James Tulenko, Gainesville Sun (via Nevada ANP)

OTHER NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-renaissance still] Too early to bury nuclear reactors, Daria Manina, The Voice of Russia (via @ATRNSUOchair)

* [npp-econ] Nuclear power advantage - much less susceptible to fuel price fluctuation, Sergei Pikin

* [npp-Russia] Russia - post-Fukushima stress tests - comment by Kurchatov Institute director, Nikolai Kukharkin

* [npp-renaissance still] Number of nuclear plants globally will double over next 20 years, forecasts Rosatom head, Sergei Kiriyenko

* [npp-India-Kudankulam] Students hold debate to dissect KKNPP issue, IBNLive (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-India-Kudankulam] Kudankulam: 3 women CMs urged to take steps to rescind all nuke deals, Daily News & Analysis (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-India-newbuild] Kaiga units 5, 6 soon, IBNLive (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-India] Kaiga: Scientist seeks to allay health fears, IBNLive (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-India] Tulsi can nuke harmful effects of radiation, Deccan Chronicle (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-India] Nuke energy is safest, NPCIL tells IIT Bombay students, Indian Express (via Nevada ANP)

January 7, 2012

FUKUSHIMA NEWS

* [Fukushima-muons-reactor fluoroscopy project] Tiny particles may illuminate reactor cores, Yomiuri Shimbun

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] Japan Plans to Shut Down All Nuclear Plants by 2050, Arirang News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] Govt mulls public operations of N-plants, Daily Yomiuri (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] Nuke regulators get teeth via bills, Kazuaki Nagata, Japan Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] 40-year limit to promote public acceptance of nuclear plants has few, if any, real changes, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] Japan: New Limits on Reactors, Hiroko Tabuchi, New York Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] Japan to limit reactors to 40 years ... maybe, Tokyo Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] Fukushima exposes contradictions / Nuclear crisis prompts govt to rethink private companies' operation of N-plants, Hiroshi Ikematsu, Daily Yomiuri (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation] Traditional burning of New Year's decorations canceled due to fear of spreading radiation, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation] Tunnel full of radioactively-contaminated water found at Fukushima nuclear plant, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima] Fukushima lays bare Japanese media's ties to top, David Mcneill, Japan Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima] A crisis generated by leadership, R.L. Hails Sr., letter to Japan Times (via Nevada ANP)

US NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-US-AP1000/nrc/energy] ,
Markey is lying. The AP1000 design certification has been anything but "fast tracked" http://atomicinsights.com/2012/01/markey-is-lying-the-ap1000-design-certification-has-been-anything-but-fast-tracked.html #nuclear #nuclearcomdaily thanx @Atomicrod

* [npp-US-newbuild-Idaho] AEHI Begins Next Phase On Proposed Nuclear Power Plant In Payette County, Idaho, AEHI (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-newbuild-Vogtle] Watchdog says Southern nuclear plant faces delays, Ray Henry, AP

* [npp-US-California/San Onofre/Diablo Canyon/antinuclear] Searching for Nukes' 'Plan B', John Geesman, California Current (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Davis-Besse] The politics over Davis-Besse; Concrete cracks in the containment structure aren't the reason for anti-nuclear fervor by Rep. Dennis Kucinich, Dan Yurman, Idaho Samizdat blog
The politics over Davis-Besse goo.gl/fb/pIavy #nuclear #nuclearcomdaily thanx @djysrv

* [npp-US-Davis-Besse-antinuclear] Residents Oppose Nuclear Plant Re-Opening, Ohio News Network (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Davis-Besse] Few answers on Davis-Besse cracks, Melissa Topey, Sandusky Register (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Indian Point] Indian Point, The NRC and 2012, Richard Brodsky, Huffington Post (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Iowa-antnuclear] Group speaks out against nuclear power in Iowa, Dar Danielson, Radio Iowa (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Seabrook-concrete] Nuclear plant concerns dismissed; Congressman calls actions 'inadequate', Angeljean Chiaramida, NewburyportNews (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Susquehanna] NRC issues violation to former reactor operator, Citizens Voice (via Nevada ANP)

OTHER NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp] Science with a Skew: The Nuclear Power Industry After Chernobyl and Fukushima, Gayle Greene, truthout (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-spent fuel-pools-dry casks-quakes] Chattanooga area nuclear review raises questions, Rome News-Tribune (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Canada-Point Lepreau] Damaged pump diaphragm blamed for N.B. heavy water spill, CTV (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-India-Kaiga] Cancer expert allays fears of villagers near Kaiga, Times of India (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-India-Koodankulam-antinuclear] Will lay permanent siege to plant if it goes critical: PMNAE, IBNLive (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-India-Kudankulam] Pro-Kudankulam campaign adds momentum in Chennai, Times of India (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-India-US deal] S.K. Singh award for nuclear trouble-shooter Venkatesh Varma, The Hindu (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-India] House panel disagrees on Prime Minister's nuclear safety Bill, India Today (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Spain] Garona awaits a new decision, World Nuclear News (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Taiwan] Taiwan: Poll Will Decide Nuclear Plant's Fate, Dennis Engbarth, IPS (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Turkey-Japan] Turkey, Japan firm in nuclear facility talks, Hurriyet Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Turkey, Japan] Japan, Turkey agree to restart talks on nuclear cooperation pact, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Turkey, Japan] Japan, Turkey eye nuclear talks, FTA, Japan Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Ukraine] Khmelnytsky NPP leading among country's NPPs, NRCU - Ukrainian Radio (via Nevada ANP)

January 6, 2012

FUKUSHIMA NEWS

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] Japan May Nationalize Nuclear Power Plants, Edano Tells Yomiuri, Taku Kato, Bloomberg (also highlighted by Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] Japan looking at taking control of nuclear power -media (Update 1), Nobuhiro Kubo, James Topham and Rie Ishiguro, Reuters (via Nevada ANP)
Highlighted in NEI daily email: Japan mulls management of nuclear plants: The Japanese government is studying managing the country's nuclear plants in an effort to improve the nuclear industry's responsibility in the aftermath of the Fukushima Daiichi incident, according to a report. "Japan should avoid a situation where private companies own nuclear power facilities and only enjoy the benefits [of low running costs] when the state takes care of compensation and decontamination arising from nuclear accidents," said Japanese Trade Minister Yukio Edano. Reuters (1/5)

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] Bills set to tighten nuke safety rules; Government wants legal force over utilities, Kazuaki Nagata, Japan Times (also highlighted by Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-npp-Japan] Japan plans 40-yr limit on reactors' life, with exceptions, Reuters (also highlighted by CSIS, with link to Asahi Shimbun, and by Nevada ANP)
Japan plans to limit the life of nuclear reactors to 40 years, allowing extensions only under stringent conditions, and to legally bind plant operators to prepare for severe accidents, the nation's nuclear crisis minister said on Jan. 6.

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp-Ikata unit 2] Another Japanese nuclear reactor to be halted, Deutsche Presse-Agentur

* [Fukushima-radiation] (video) Fukushima: A Crime against Humanity, Dr Christopher Busby, Youtube/The Canadian

* [Fukushima-children and sad-faced stuffed animals] A hug a day keeps the trauma away, Oren Majar, Haaretz

* [Fukushima] Tohoku reconstruction vital to nation as a whole, Yomiuri Shimbun editorial (via Korea Herald)

* [Fukushima-radiation-farmland-robots] Robots to work the land in tsunami destroyed area, Tokyo Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-xenon/rice/u3 spent fuel cooling] Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant Weekly Review, Nuclear Street

* [Fukushima-replacement electricity-Tepco] Tepco to Boost Capacity of Natural-Gas Power Plant Near Tokyo, Tsuyoshi Inajima, Bloomberg

US NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-US-spent fuel-pools-casks] Nuclear review raises questions, Pam Sohn, Chattanooga Times Free Press (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-spent fuel] NRC Wants Public Comment on Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Report, Elaine Piniat, Berkeley-NJ.Patch (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-spent fuel] Don't dawdle on spent fuel, Asbury Park Press editorial (via Nevada ANP)

* [BWR Mark I-petition to suspend licenses-Beyond Nuclear] Receipt of Request for Action, NRC, Federal Register

* [npp-US-antinuc-Iowa] Nuclear Power a Bad Financial Bet for Iowa, New Report Says, Iowa PIRG press release

* [npp-US-Iowa PIRG] Group urges caution on new nuclear plants; It says other energy sources, such as wind power and conservation, are preferable, Perry Beeman, Des Moines Register

* [npp-US-newbuild-VC Summer] Going Nuclear: Industry Expanding Locally, Skilled Workers Needed, Katie Alice Walker, Columbia Free Times (SC)
Highlighted in NEI daily email: Proposed V.C. Summer expansion would mean more jobs for S.C.: The nuclear industry is bringing more jobs to South Carolina with South Carolina Electric & Gas' proposed expansion of the V.C. Summer nuclear plant, according to this article. More than 1,000 people are already working to prepare the site, and should the second and third units receive approval, they will bring 600 to 800 permanent jobs. To meet the demand for skilled workers, colleges such as the University of South Carolina are offering nuclear-engineering programs. Free Times (Columbia, S.C.) (1/6)

* [npp-US-newbuild-Calvert Cliffs] Licensing Board to Hold Hearing, Accept Public Comment on Calvert Cliffs New Reactor Application, BayNet.com (Maryland)

* [npp-US-newbuild-Lee] William States Lee III - public comment period ends March 6, 2012 for Environmental Impacts Statement re combined operating license application, Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Register (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Davis-Besse] Federal regulators say Ohio nuclear reactor safe despite not knowing cause of concrete cracks, John Seewer, AP (also highlighted by CSIS and Nevada ANP)
Federal inspectors are convinced that a nuclear reactor along Lake Erie is safe to operate even though they said Thursday it is not clear why small cracks appeared in a concrete shell that protects the plant.
Earlier version also highlighted in NEI daily email: NRC says Ohio nuclear plant can continue to operate: FirstEnergy's Davis-Besse nuclear plant in Ohio is safe to operate, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said following an evaluation of hairline cracks that were discovered on the reactor's concrete building during a planned shutdown in October. "We have a very vigorous inspection we did and it's still ongoing," said Cynthia Pederson, an NRC regional director. "There is a high-level of assurance the containment building is safe." Star-Tribune (Casper, Wyo.)/The Associated Press (1/5)

* [npp-US-Davis-Besse] Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station Discusses Recent Reactor Head Replacement Outage, Shield Building Assessment at Public Meeting, PR Newswire (also highlighted by Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Davis-Besse] Davis-Besse's restart proper, company, NRC officials say; Issue debated during special meeting, David Patch, Toledo Blade (also highlighted by Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Davis-Besse] NRC tells public that Davis Besse is safe; Source is unknown of cracks in concrete shell around reactor, Kabir Bhatia, WKSU

* [npp-US-Davis-Besse] Kucinich claims FirstEnergy downplayed cracks at Davis-Besse, Angi Gonzalez, WNWO

* [npp-US-Davis-Besse] Davis-Besse faces opposition after re-opening, Erin Kelly, WTOL TV-11 (Toledo)

* [npp-US-Davis-Besse] 300 attend Davis-Besse meeting; Activists question officials who say the plant is safe, James Proffitt, Fremont News-Messenger (also highlighted by Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Davis-Besse-antinuclear] Davis-Besse protesters perform street theater production, James Proffitt, Fremont News-Messenger (also highlighted by Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Fort Calhoun] Nuclear Gatekeeper Returns to Omaha, Fort Calhoun Still a Concern, Joe Jordan, Nebraska Watchdog/Missouri News Horizon

* [npp-US-Fort Calhoun] Regulators to hold meeting on Neb. nuclear plant, AP (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Nine Mile Point/FitzPatrick/Indian Point] It's time to close the facilities in New York, Rick Olanoff, letter to Syracuse Post-Standard

* [npp-US-Oyster Creek] NRC to review regulations for reactors at Oyster Creek, Bob Vosseller, New Jersey Press Media/Cherry Hill Courier-Post (also highlighted by Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Palisades] Palisades cooling down for scheduled maintenance, Rosemary Parker, Kalamazoo Gazette (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Palisades] Palisades nuclear plant to shut down for maintenance on a wearing seal, Brad Devereaux, Kalamazoo Gazette (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Palisades] Palisades nuclear plant shutdown not linked to investigations, Jim Hayden, The Holland Sentinel

* [npp-US-Prairie Island] No injuries, no danger to public reported after chemical leak at Minnesota nuclear power plant, Don Davis, Duluth News Tribune
Highlighted in NEI daily email: Xcel Energy probes chemical leak at Minn. nuclear plant: Xcel Energy is investigating a chlorine bleach pipeline leak at its Prairie Island nuclear plant in Minnesota. No radioactive materials were released during the incident and there is no risk to the public, according to state and plant officials. Duluth News Tribune (Minn.) (1/5)

* [npp-US-Prairie Island] Minnesota's most serious nuclear plant alert not serious, Don Davis, Worthington Daily Globe

* [npp-US-Prairie Island] Prairie Island nuclear plant chemical leak still under investigation, WTAQ, via WHBL radio-AM1330 (Sheboygan)

* [npp-US-St Lucie] NOTICES Environmental Assessments; Availability, etc.: Draft Environmental Assessment and Draft Finding of No Significant Impact Related to the Proposed License Amendment To Increase the Maximum Reactor Power Level: Florida Power & Light Company, St. Lucie Plant, Units 1 and 2 Pages 813-822 [FR DOC# 2012-32], Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Federal Register (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-training-GSE Systems-nuclearbiz] This Nuclear Story Is Ready to Mushroom, Marc Gerstein, Forbes Low-Priced Stock Report/MoneyShow.com

* [leaders] NEI's inspirational quote of the day, from NEI daily news roundup email
"The best leaders ... almost without exception and at every level, are master users of stories and symbols." -- Tom Peters, American management expert and writer

OTHER NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-Bulgaria] Bulgaria says nuclear plant ready for emergencies, Irina Ivanova, Reuters
Highlighted in NEI daily email: Bulgarian nuclear plant is prepared for disasters: The Kozloduy nuclear plant in Bulgaria is prepared to handle natural disasters and technical failure, the country's Nuclear Regulation Agency said. "The [organization] for emergency planning, the resources of the plant to act in emergency conditions, as well as the current operational and technical measures confirm Kozloduy's readiness to manage serious breakdowns," according to a report. Bulgarian Economy and Energy Minister Traicho Traikov also said that the country could consider constructing new reactors at the facility. Reuters (1/5)

* [npp-Bulgaria] Kozloduy seeks uprate approval, World Nuclear News

* [npp-Bulgaria] Bulgaria Doesn't Need More Nuclear Units - Rightists, Sofia News (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-China-nuclearbiz] China National Nuclear unit gets regulatory approval for IPO, Reuters

* [npp-France-security] France to tighten security around nuclear plants, Reuters

* [npp-Hungary] Paks power plant passes stress tests, MTI-Econews/Budapest Business Journal

* [npp-India-Kalpakkam-antinuclear] Green light for protest in Kalpakkam, Indian Express News Svc (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Spain] Garona awaits a new decision, World Nuclear News

January 5, 2012

FUKUSHIMA NEWS

* [Fukushima] Reinsurer: Record natural disaster losses in 2011, Mainichi Daily News

* [Fukushima] Kashiwa stops operation of incinerator again as radioactive ash fills up storage, Mainichi Daily News

* [Fukushima] Fukushima to conduct blanket screening of rice to be harvested in fall, Mainichi Daily News

* [Fukushima] Japan Nuclear Disaster Update # 42: A River Runs Through It, Analiese Miller and Greg Laden, ScienceBlogs

* [Fukushima] Japanese Don't Want a Nuclear Future: The Ticker, William Pesek, Bloomberg

* [Fukushima] Nuke report's worst case: Tokyo exodus, Reiji Yoshida, Japan Times

* [Fukushima] Domestic robots failed to ride to rescue after No. 1 plant blew, Hiroko Nakata, Japan Times

* [Fukushima] Get real and focus on substance -Eamon Watters, Japan Times

* [Fukushima] New paradigm for nuclear energy, Michael Conley, Japan Times

* [Fukushima] Japan's tsunami has dealt lasting blow to family farms, John M. Glionna, Los Angeles Times

* [Fukushima] 2012: rebuilding disaster-hit areas / Mayors, town officials stress working together to recover from March 11, Daily Yomiuri

US NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-US-San Onofre] San Onofre: Nuke Plant Plans $280-million in Upgrades; PUSHING MORE POWER; 2 high-pressure turbines to replace existing ones in use since 1980s, Paul Sisson, North County Times, Escondido CA, top front page story

* [npp-US-Palisades] NRC bumps Palisades down in standing; Entergy disputes finding on incident at nuclear plant, Brad Devereaux, Kalamazoo Gazette, top front page story

* [npp-US-INPO] INPO chooses new leader; Robert Willard to replace retiring CEO Jim Ellis, World Nuclear News (also highlighted by Paulo's Corner)

* [npp-US-nrc] Nuclear Agency Squabbling Throws Smokescreen Over Safety Lapses, Linda Pentz Gunter, CounterPunch (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Davis-Besse] Regulators put spotlight on Ohio nuke plant cracks, WXIX

* [npp-US-Diablo Canyon] Diablo Canyon Cost Recovery Denied, Nick Welsh, Santa Barbara Independent

* [npp-US-Fort Calhoun] NRC Staff to Meet With Omaha Public Power District Officials to Discuss Fort Calhoun Nuclear Plant, NRC (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Haddam Neck ISFSI] NU Could Take Control of Haddam Neck Fuel Rod Facility, Eileen McNamara, EastHampton-CT.Patch

* [npp-US-Indian Point] New York State Wins Review of Nuclear Plant Accident Plans, Environment News Service

* [npp-US-Monticello] Areva wins Monticello fuel contract, Nuclear Engineering

* [npp-US-Monticello] Xcel signs nuclear fuel agreement with French supplier, Leslie Brooks Suzukamo, St. Paul Pioneer Press

* [npp-US-Monticello-nucbiz] Fuel wrap-up for Areva, World Nuclear News

* [npp-US-North Anna] Damaged nuke unit at North Anna back at full power after repairs, Richmond Times Dispatch

* [npp-US-NRC] US nuclear regulatory chief loses top aide, Business Recorder

* [npp-US-Palisades] NRC to Hold Two Regulatory Conferences on January 11 to Discuss Preliminary White and Preliminary Yellow Findings at Palisades Nuclear Plant, NRC (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Prairie Island] NRC Responding to Alert at Prairie Island Nuclear Power Plant, NRC (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Prairie Island] Bleach leak at Prairie Island nuke plant prompts emergency response, Paul Walsh, Minneapolis Star Tribune

* [npp-US-San Onofre] $280M Nuke Plant Project Adds Efficiency, Safety, Officials Say; Workers will install new turbines and safer, easier-to-operate reactor heads at San Onofre this year, Adam Townsend, SanClemente.patch

* [npp-US-newbuild-Calvert Cliffs] Licensing Board to Hold Hearing, Accept Public Comment Jan. 25-27 on Calvert Cliffs New Reactor Application, NRC (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-newbuild-Calvert Cliffs] Maryland board approves wetlands license needed for third nuclear reactor at Calvert Cliffs, Washington Post

* [npp-US-newbuild-Levy County] Public hearings set on proposed nuclear plant, Ivan Penn, St. Petersburg Times

* [npp-newbuild-Iowa] Vote NO on New Nuclear Power in Iowa, Author Paul Deaton, Blog for Iowa

* [npp-reactor safety-hydrogen mitigation-Mark Leyse petition-NRDC] PROPOSED RULES Measurement and Control of Combustible Gas Generation and Dispersal Pages 441-442 [FR DOC# 2011-33817], Nuclear Regulatory Commission

* [npp-AP1000] Revised: NRC Approves Rule to Certify Amended AP1000 Reactor Design, NRC (via Nevada ANP)

OTHER NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-reactor safety] Extreme Geomagnetic Disturbances - MIT engineer warns of nuclear Armageddon, urges preventative measures, Matthew Stein, Huffington Post

* [npp-Bulgaria] Bulgaria's Nuclear Regulatory Agency confirms Kozloduy NPP's readiness for emergency situations, Focus News

* [npp-Bulgaria] Bulgaria Submits Nuclear Plant Stress Test Report, Sofia News

* [npp-Bulgaria] Bulgaria says nuclear plant ready for emergencies, Irina Ivanova, Reuters

* [npp-Bulgaria] Stress tests find Bulgaria's Kozloduy, Belene nuclear plants safe from earthquake threat, Sofia Echo

* [npp-France] EDF CEO rules out nuclear plant closures-paper, Caroline Jacobs, Reuters (via Paulo's Corner)

* [npp-France] The Fukushima Effect: France Starts to Turn Against Its Much Vaunted Nuclear Industry, Bruce Crumley, TIME blog

* [npp-France] Post-Fukushima era begins for France, World Nuclear News

* [npp-France] France Stands By Nuclear Power, Will Spend $13 Billion For Safety Upgrades, Nuclear Street News

* [npp-Lithuania] Hitachi and Lithuania Agree on Major Terms of NPP Agreement, to Be, Hisako Sakurai, Japan Atomic Industrial Forum, Inc. (via Paulo's Corner)

* [npp-Pakistan-NATO] Pakistani Lawmakers Tie NATO Pathway to Atomic Trade Agreement, Global Security Newswire (via Paulo's Corner)

* [npp-UK] EDF Energy restarts UK Hinkley Point B-8 reactor, Reuters

* [npp-UK] Political delay to support nuclear damaging UK economy, Jason Deign, Nuclear Energy Insider

* [npp-UK] Sedgemoor District Council's Hinkley Point concerns, BBC News

* [npp-UK] EDF Energy restarts UK Hartlepool nuclear reactor, Reuters

* [npp-Ukraine-Japan] Japan, Ukraine to make pact on N-accidents, Daily Yomiuri (also highlighted by Paulo's Corner)

January 4, 2012

FUKUSHIMA NEWS

* [npp-reactor safety] Fukushima could not have been prevented by better operation. That's different than TMI or Chernobyl, Andre-Claude Lacoste, French n-safety regulatory chief

* [Fukushima] Gov't opens nuclear decontamination office in Fukushima city, Mainichi Daily News

US NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-US-Monticello] AREVA Signs a $500-Million Integrated Fuel Supply Contract with Xcel Energy, AREVA press release (via Reuters)

* [npp-US-Davis-Besse] Davis-Besse cracks - public meeting, Thursday 6:30 pm - Port Clinton, Kevin Kistner, WNWO

* [npp-US-Davis-Besse] Davis-Besse Shield Building Cracks - NRC presentation slides for Jan 5 public mtg, Cynthia Pederson, Kenneth O'Brien, and David Hills, NRC Region III

* [npp-US-Davis-Besse] Davis-Besse meeting draws crowd, James Proffitt, Fremont News Messenger

* [npp-US-Indian Point] Clearwater: Indian Point Evacuation Plans Inadequate, Jessica Glenza, Dobbs Ferry Daily

* [npp-US-McGuire] Jumping Fences, NEI Nuclear Notes

* [npp-US-newbuild-North Dakota] Planting nuclear power in the Red River Valley, Ryan Johnson, Grand Forks Herald

* [npp-US-NRC-commissioners meetings thru February 9] NOTICES Sunshine Federal Register Notice Page 304 [FR DOC# 2011-33812], Nuclear Regulatory Commission

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Vermont Yankee ruling expected soon, WCAX

OTHER NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-Austria-Czech] Austria and Czech Republic divided over nuclear power, Bethany Bell, BBC News

* [npp-Austria] Inside Austria's mothballed nuclear power station, BBC News

* [npp-France] EDF Reactor Extensions May Cost $65 Billion on Safety Review, Tara Patel, Business Week

* [npp-France] EDF CEO rules out nuclear plant closures-paper, Caroline Jacobs, Reuters

* [npp-France] Greenpeace accuses nuclear group of spying, Local France

* [npp-France] Nuclear watchdog urges safety boost, Local France

* [npp-France] Post-Fukushima era begins for France, World Nuclear News

* [npp-India-Koodankulam] Work on at KKNPP secretly: Udayakumar, IBNLive

* [npp-reactor safety-antinuclear] Greenpeace dismisses stress tests of nuclear plants as 'a farce', Slovak Spectator

January 3, 2012

FUKUSHIMA NEWS

* [Fukushima-radiation-US-Mangano and Sherman study] Little ado about nothing, American Nuclear Society, ANS Nuclear Cafe

* [Fukushima-Japan-econ] New Year Brings Economic Aftershocks, Suvendrini Kakuchi, IPS News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Japan-electricity-oil] Japan's Kyushu Electric restarts 500 MW Ainoura oil-fired unit, Takeo Kumagai, Platts (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-npp-econ] Extra nuclear safety to cost up to 10 bln euros: EDF, Expatica France (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-npp] Nuclear Awakening: Fukushima meltdowns set nuclear energy debate on its ear, Kazuaki Nagata, Japan Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-public] Crisis spawns distrust as Web alliances try to push for truth, Japan Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation-food] Nuclear Awakening: Mothers first to shed food-safety complacency, Mizuho Aoki, Japan Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-regulators] 2 nuclear safety panel members got 7.1 mil. yen donation from industry, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima] TEPCO says water level in tank at Fukushima nuclear dropped due to quake, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

US NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-US-Brunswick] NRC cites Brunswick for inadequate flooding protection, Nuclear Energy International (also via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Callaway] NOTICES Union Electric Company; Notice of Receipt and Availability of Application for Renewal of Callaway Plant, Unit 1 Facility Operating License No. NPF-30 for an Additional 20-Year Period Pages 142-143 [FR DOC# 2011-33684], Nuclear Regulatory Commission (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Fermi] Federal official rejects petition to close Fermi 2, Toledo Blade (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-McGuire] Nuclear plant emergency declared after teen jumps fence, Alison Hill, WBTV (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Millstone] NOTICES Applications; Proposed Mergers: In the Matter of Connecticut Yankee Atomic Power Company; Northeast Utilities; NSTAR (Haddam Neck Plant); Order Approving Application Regarding Proposed Merger Pages 133-134 [FR DOC# 2011-33647], Nuclear Regulatory Commission (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Millstone] NOTICES Applications; Proposed Mergers: In the Matter of Yankee Atomic Electric Company; Northeast Utilities; NSTAR (Yankee Nuclear Power Station); Order Approving Application Regarding Proposed Merger Pages 134-135 [FR DOC# 2011-33648], Nuclear Regulatory Commission (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-North Anna] Virginia's North Anna Nuclear Plant Reports Leak In Steam Line, Huffington Post (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Oyster Creek] NOTICES Exemptions: Exelon Generation Company, LLC, Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station; Exemption Pages 135-137 [FR DOC# 2011-33683], Nuclear Regulatory Commission (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Point Beach] Point Beach nuclear plant completes power boost, Thomas Content, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel blog (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Despite law, Vermont not billing Entergy back for lawsuit, vt.Buzz (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] With Vt. nuclear plant's future in balance, judge's decision awaited, Dave Gram, Daily Journal (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] VY in 2011: Tritium, strontium, steam leaks and lawsuits, Bob Audette, Vermont Observer (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US] Update: North Anna nuke unit powered down for repairs, Richmond Times Dispatch (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-NRC-Jaczko] Halt nuclear panel meltdown, Charleston Post Courier (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-R&D] Nuclear energy official to speak in Richland, Tri-City Herald (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-biweekly licensing notice] NOTICES Facility Operating Licenses: Applications and Amendments to Facility Operating Licenses Involving Proposed No Significant Hazards Considerations and Containing Sensitive Unclassified Non-Safeguards Information Pages 137-142 [FR DOC# 2011-32999], Nuclear Regulatory Commission (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-BWR Mark I] NOTICES Receipt of Request for Action Page 143 [FR DOC# 2011-33649], Nuclear Regulatory Commission (via Nevada ANP)

OTHER NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-environment] The Damage Done, Part 5 - Nuclear Power, the Green That Glows?, Al Bredenberg, Thomasnet Green & Clean Blog (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-fuel cycle-proliferation risk] Project Update: Improving the Assessment of Proliferation Risk of Nuclear Fuel Cycles, NAS (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-global] Nuclear numbers down despite connections, World Nuclear News (also via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-global] Review of 2011: Figures following Fukushima, Nuclear Energy International

* [npp-antinuc] 2012 is the year to finally bury nuke power, Harvey Wasserman, Columbus Free Press (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp] SeekingAlpha: 'A New Source of Energy Is Needed: Nuclear.', Areva North America, Next Energy blog

* [npp-newbuild-AP1000] US certification for Westinghouse AP1000 design, Nuclear Energy International

* [npp-Austria-Czech] Austria and Czech Republic divided over nuclear power, Bethany Bell, BBC News (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Bulgaria] Bulgarian PM: Belene Nuclear Project - Getting Married with No Sex, Sofia News (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Canada] CNSC News Update, CNSC (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Canada] Expert envisions centre for safe, peaceful use of nuclear energy, Cecilia Nasmith, Northumberland Today (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Chernobyl] Best Chernobyl Documentary 2006 The Battle of Chernobyl (HQ) 1hr 32min, YouTube (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-newbuild-China] Reactor dome installed at Changjiang 1, World Nuclear News (also via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Europe] In Europe, debate grows over new nuclear power, Jason Walsh, Washington Times (via CSIS)

* [npp-France-antinuc] French anti-nuclear movement allies with austerity drive, Deutsche Welle (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-France] France nuclear industry told to boost safety, BBC News (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-France] Nuclear watchdog urges French plants to boost safety, AFP Google (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-France] Update 2-French nuclear plants told to prepare for disasters, Muriel Boselli and Benjamin Mallet, Reuters (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-France] French nuclear plants safe, no shutdown needed-ASN, Benjamin Mallet, Reuters (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-India-Madras] MAPS temporarily shuts down one unit for maintenance, Press Trust of India (via Nevada ANP)

* [Iran-npp-Bushehr] Bushehr plant to be in full swing in 2012, Press TV (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Russia-Belarus] Belarus-Russia nuclear agreement ratified, Nuclear Energy International (also via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Slovak] Slovak nuclear power plants pass stress tests, Michael Kahn, Reuters (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Ukraine] Zaporizhia NPP shuts down third reactor for repairs, Kyiv Post (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-UK] Nuclear power urged to beat fuel poverty, Yorkshire Post, UK

* [npp-UK] The Atomic Clock: How the Coalition is gambling with Britain's energy policy, Centre for Policy Studies, UK

January 2, 2012

FUKUSHIMA NEWS

* [Fukushima-global] Nuclear Awakening: Fukushima meltdowns set nuclear energy debate on its ear, Kazuaki Nagata, Japan Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima] Details Emerge About Failures at Fukushima, Dan Yurman, Energy Collective (via Nevada ANP)

US NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp] Nuclear Power Industry in Weakened State; Falling natural gas prices, post-Fukushima concerns impact cost, Gary Feuerberg, Epoch Times

* [npp-US-Oyster Creek] Federal regulators to review Oyster Creek reactors, Bob Vosseller, Asbury Park Press (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] VY in 2011: Tritium, strontium, steam leaks and lawsuits, Bob Audette, Brattleboro Reformer (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] N.H. group says Vermont Yankee's days are numbered, Josh Stilts, Brattleboro Reformer (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Vogtle] Plant Vogtle combined operating license expected, Rob Pavey, Augusta Chronicle (via Nevada ANP)

OTHER NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-2012] Even higher costs and more headaches ahead for nuclear power in 2012, Japan Today (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Chernobyl] Chornobyl liquidators prepare to go to Strasbourg court to defend their rights, Kyiv Post (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-India-Koodankulam] Koodankulam protests face in no time, IBNLive (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-India-Koodankulam] Nuclear powers stir, dam levels it up, IBNLive (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-India-Koodankulam] Nuke plant protesters wish to meet Jaya, Deccan Chronicle (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Spain] Spain ageing nuclear plant may stay open -report, Martin Roberts, Reuters (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Taiwan] Nuclear concerns dominate Taiwan environmental poll, June Tsai, Taiwan Today (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-UAE] Enec submits report on nuke safety, Khaleej Times (via Nevada ANP)

January 1, 2012

FUKUSHIMA NEWS

* [Fukushima] Japanese Officials Request Help from Professors After Nuclear Meltdown, GantDaily (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-antinuclear] Can Web-savvy activist moms change Japan?, AP

* [Fukushima-Jan 1 quake 7.0] Earthquake hits eastern Japan, IBNS, Sify News

* [Fukushima-Jan 1 quake 7.0] Strong quake jolts eastern, northeastern Japan, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-decon] Nuclear decontamination law goes into full force, Kyodo News Svc (Nevada ANP highlighted this too)

* [Fukushima-radiation monitoring] Skis, goggles, hats - and radiation monitors: thousands crowd the slopes during Fukushima's ski season, Danielle Demetriou, Daily Telegraph (UK)

* [Fukushima-radiation-children] New Radiation Limits Demanded for Children, Suvendrini Kakuchi, IPS - Inter Press Service

* [Fukushima-reactor safety] Sound the trumpets for nuclear power, Llewellyn King, St. Paul Pioneer Press

* [Fukushima-day laborers] Fukushima Blows Lid Off Exploited Labour, Suvendrini Kakuchi, IPS - Inter Press Service

* [Fukushima] Some Japan Nuclear Safety Panel Members Received Donations From Nuclear Industry-Report, Morningstar News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima] Nuclear safety panel given donations, Ninemsn (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-plant update] Water injection rates tweaked for units 1 and 2, TEPCO facility status press release

US NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp] Wishes U.S. were developing new nuclear reactor, Richard Herrmann, letter to Bellingham (WA) Herald

* [npp-utilities-biz] Duke-Progress merger, Tom Campbell, The Daily Reflector

* [npp-newbuild-Colorado] #2 story of the year for Pueblo, Colorado: proposal (voted down by County Commission) to build nuclear plant, Jeff Tucker, The Sunday Chieftain

* [npp-US-Pilgrim] The new Pilgrim calendar is here!, Frank Mand, Wicked Local Plymouth

* [npp-US-North Anna] Top Virginia story for 2011 - the near-record quake on Aug 23, Lynchburg News and Advance

OTHER NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-Israel-Dimona-radworkers] Lawsuit Against Atomic Commission Expanded, Arutz Sheva 7

* [npp-India-Kudankulam-antinuclear] The Kudankulam agitation: Nuke anxiety near the sea, The Times of India

* [npp-India-liability] Indo-US mechanism to end nuclear liability stalemate, India Today (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Poland] Poland should hold referendum on plan for first nuclear power station - UN expert, Webnewswire (via Nevada ANP)

December 31, 2011

FUKUSHIMA NEWS

* [Fukushima-four more independent commissions] Expert groups to probe Fukushima n-plant disaster again, IANS, The Times of India

* [Fukushima-evacuees] 54% of N-zone evacuees have yet to return, The Yomiuri Shimbun

* [Fukushima-evacuees] More than half of nuclear radiation zone evacuees in Japan have yet to return home, Nigel Shelbourne, Australian Eye (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-exclusion zone] Gov't decides basic policy of reclassifying Fukushima evacuation zones, Kyodo News (via @Atomicrod)

* [Fukushima-Hatamura rept/antinuclear] Fukushima: Cover up a human rights violation, Deborah Dupre, Human Rights Examiner

* [Fukushima] GSDF commander says he thought Japan done for as he faced Fukushima nuke crisis, Mainichi Daily News

* [Fukushima-decon] Nuclear decontamination law to go into full force Sunday, Kyodo News Svc (via @discardedbacon and Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-compensation] Japan approves Fukushima nuclear disaster compensation, myBIGearth.com

* [Fukushima] For how much longer will Japan's fate remain in the hands of amateurs?, Roger Pulvers, The Japan Times (via @Daily_Donkey)

* [Fukushima-govt] Editorial: Quality of governance in 2012, Japan Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Japan-legacy] What 2011 means for Japan in 2012 and beyond, Japan Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation-food] Rice farmers respond to challenge of slow consumption, prospect of TPP, Japan Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-radiation-monitoring] DIY cesium scanning store may be 'new normal', Jun Hongo, Japan Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-TEPCO] Media awards: Tokyo powers down as idols power up, Philip Brasor, Japan Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-world-npp] Nuclear energy, 2011: 'The year of Fukushima', Teri Sforza, Orange County Register blog (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima] Editorial: The great unraveling, Japan Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima] Brit envoy, three Japanese staff hailed for disaster efforts, Japan Times (via Nevada ANP)

US NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-US-Brunswick] NRC Cites Progress Energy For Inadequate Flood Protection At Brunswick Plant, Ryan Tracy, Dow Jones Newswires (via @kevinmeyerson)

* [npp-US-Brunswick] Brunswick nuclear plant cited by NRC, John Murawski, Charlotte Observer (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Columbia] Energy Northwest enters mediation on condenser lawsuit, Annette Cary, Tri-City Herald (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Progress Energy Florida-Crystal River-newbuild-Levy] Jolting year for electric company, Chris Van Ormer, Citrus County Chronicle (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Seabrook] Several concerns over Seabrook Station license, Connie Williams, Portsmouth Herald News (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp] Nuclear Power's Undeserved Bad Year, Llewellyn King, White House Chronicle (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-uprates] NRC eyes power uprates as alternative to building more nuke plants, Aaron Curtis, The Palladium-Times (via Michele Kearney's Nuclear Wire)

OTHER NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [China-28 days ahead of schedule] Changjiang Nuclear Power Project completes dome installation, Huang Xiaohui, People's Daily (via @ATRNSUOchair)

* [Finland-stress tests] Finnish nuclear plants pass 'stress tests' - with provisos, Deutsch Press-Agentur

* [India] Cyclone Thane proves once again India's nuclear reactors' excellent safety record, Moneylife (via @ATRNSUOchair)

* [India-antinuclear] Will the nuclear power industry regain public trust?, John B Ritch, Forbes India/Moneycontrol.com (via @)

* [npp-India-Koodankulam] Switch fuel at Koodankulam plant, says PMANE, IBNLive (via Nevada ANP)

December 30, 2011

FUKUSHIMA NEWS

* [Fukushima-TEPCO-finance] Sumitomo Mitsui to Consider Loans to Tepco on 'Three Conditions', Shigeru Sato, Business Week (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-tsunami preparedness] TEPCO neglected anti-flood measures at Fukushima plant despite knowing risk, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

US NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp] Nuclear Energy Industry Year-End Update, December 2011, Nuclear Energy Institute

* [npp-newbuild-SMR-SC-jobs] Small modular reactors - 10,000 jobs forecast for SC, detail from front page story in Orangeburg SC Times and Democrat

* [npp-newbuild-possible-Pensacola-Gulf Power] Analyst: Nuclear could beat out coal and gas for new Fla. facility, Darrell Delamaide, EnergyBiz.com (via NEI email) Note: title shown is from NEI. The original title is "Defining the Future of Generation: ONE WINNER MAY BE NUCLEAR"

* [npp-US-Davis-Besse] Meeting on Davis-Besse restart set, Toledo Blade (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Davis-Besse] NRC to reveal details about Ohio nuke plant cracks, AP (via NEI email)

* [npp-US-Millstone] NRC letter to Millstone re 'Audit of the Licensee's Management of Regulatory Commitments', Carleen J. Sanders, NRC/NRR/DORL/LPLI-2, ML113260611

* [npp-US-Millstone] Feds rap Millstone over failures to win approvals, AP (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Millstone] Millstone faulted in NRC audit, Lee Howard, The Day, New London CT (via NEI email)

* [npp-US-TMI-EP] Exelon donates $54K to York County emergency management, Tom Joyce, York Daily Record (via NEI email)

* [npp-AP1000] RULES AP1000 Design Certification Amendment Pages 82079-82103 [FR DOC# 2011-33266], Nuclear Regulatory Commission (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-post-accident air cleaning] NOTICES Design, Inspection, and Testing Criteria for Air Filtration and Adsorption Units Page 82323 [FR DOC# 2011-33545], Nuclear Regulatory Commission (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-siting] PROPOSED RULES General Site Suitability Criteria for Nuclear Power Stations Pages 82201-82202 [FR DOC# 2011-33577], Nuclear Regulatory Commission (via Nevada ANP)

OTHER NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-Czech] CEZ Temelin plant output at record, Dukovany in line, Roman Gazdik, Reuters (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Finland] Finnish Nuclear Authority Says Reactors Pass Stress Test, Arild Moen, Morningstar News (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-India-cyclone] Kalpakkam Nuclear reactors not affected by 'Thane', IBNLive (via Nevada ANP)

December 29, 2011

US NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-antinuclear] There's nothing cheap or clean about nuclear power option; ask the Japanese, Walter Odhiambo, Daily Nation (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-nrc-jaczko] Nuclear Power Play: Ambition, Betrayal and The 'Ugly Underbelly' Of Energy Regulation, Ryan Grim, Huffington Post (via Nevada ANP)

* [post-Fukushima] Fukushima followup - NRDC's July 2011 petitions seen as having merit by NRC's Petition Review Board, Steve Schulin, nuclear.com

* [npp-econ] Editorial: Gov't should promote renewable energy as myth of nuclear power's cheapness shattered, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-biz-AP1000] Westinghouse manufacturing plant to benefit from AP1000 approval, Joey Cresta, SeacoastOnline (via NEI email)

* [npp] Nuclear power is a safe and efficient energy source, Mario Salazar, Washington Times (via NEI email)

* [npp] Critic: Safety concerns could affect prospects of new reactor projects, LA Times (via NEI email)

* [npp-AP1000] Sen. Alexander is pleased by AP1000 design approval , The State Column (via NEI email)

* [npp-fire protection] NOTICES Request for Comment, Methodology for Low Power/Shutdown Fire PRA Page 81998 [FR DOC# 2011-33471], Nuclear Regulatory Commission (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Browns Ferry] Improvements slated for Nuclear Plant Road, Ben Montgomery, Decatur Daily (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Callaway] NRC Announces Availability of License Renewal Application for Callaway Nuclear Power Plant, NRC (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Columbia] NRC to Meet With Energy Northwest Officials to Discuss Performance Improvements at Columbia Nuclear Power Plant, NRC (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Davis-Besse] NRC to Hold Meeting With Firstenergy to Discuss Davis-Besse Shield Building Cracks, NRC (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Davis-Besse] NRC to reveal details about Ohio nuke plant cracks, Bloomington Pantagraph (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Davis-Besse] Davis-Besse cracks, safety to be addressed at special meeting, Annie Zelm, Sandusky Register (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Grand Gulf] NOTICES Environmental Impact Statements; Availability, etc.: Entergy Operations, Inc.; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and Conduct the Scoping Process for Grand Gulf Nuclear Station, Unit 1 Pages 81996-81998 [FR DOC# 2011-33461], Nuclear Regulatory Commission (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Indian Point] Is Indian Point Nuclear Plant Safe For Another 20 Years?, Shifra Mincer, AOL Energy (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Millstone] Millstone faulted in NRC audit, Lee Howard, New London Day (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-newbuild-Bell Bend] NOTICES Combined License Applications for Exemptions: PPL Bell Bend, LLC; Combined License Application for Bell Bend Nuclear Power Plant; Exemption Pages 81992-81994 [FR DOC# 2011-33466], Nuclear Regulatory Commission (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-newbuild-Calvert Cliffs] NOTICES Combined License Applications for Exemptions:UniStar Nuclear Energy; Combined License Application for Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, Unit 3; Exemption Pages 81994-81996 [FR DOC# 2011-33464], Nuclear Regulatory Commission (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-newbuild/npp-political contributions] Experts: Nuclear initiative waning, Chris Carroll, Pam Sohn, Chattanooga Times Free Press (via Nevada ANP)

OTHER NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-reactor safety] 2011 in Review: Nuclear Safety Issues Take Centre Stage, IAEA (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Bulgaria] Billions spent, the question is how to stop spending more: Bulgarian PM on Belene NPP project, Focus News (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-edu-France-China] France is helping train future Chinese nuclear engineers, Wall Street Journal (via NEI email)

* [npp-India-antinuc] Protesters demand details of surveys, IBNLive (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-India-Koodankalum] Government to go ahead with KNPP, IBNLive (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-South Africa] Nuclear CEO to join private sector as radiation workers seek claims, Kim Helfrich, New Age (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-South Korea] South Korea is keen on building new reactors, UPI (via NEI email)

December 28, 2011

US NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp] Nuclear power: The case for a safe, alternative energy source, Mario Salazar, Washington Times

* [npp] Experts: Even Higher Costs and More Headaches Ahead for Nuclear Power in 2012, Alaska Dispatch

* [npp] Why would a utility consider Nuclear Energy?, David Boyd, EnergyBiz

* [npp] Experts: U.S. Nuclear Power Faces Higher Costs, Continued Major Challenges in 2012, Salem-News

* [npp-newbuild-US] Nuke questions may stall power projects, experts warn, Judy Fahys, Salt Lake Tribune

* [npp-nrc] Agency Smackdown, Round 2: A Critique of 'the Nuclear Party', Matthew L. Wald, NY Times blog

* [npp-US-Limerick-license renewal] Panel to examine Exelon's request for NRC license renewal, Evan Brandt, York Daily Record

* [npp-US-Limerick] 'Trial' water process enters eighth year at Limerick Generating Station, Evan Brandt, Montgomery Newspapers

* [npp-US-Oyster Creek] Exelon's Oyster Creek Reactor Operating Normally, Bloomberg

* [npp-Bellafonte already staffing up] Math and science background necessary to compete in today's job market; NACC helps students prepare for successful careers, Daily Sentinel, Scottsboro, Alabama

* [npp-Diablo Canyon] Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant reacts to Japan's Fukushima disaster, David Sneed, San Luis Obispo Tribune (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Diablo Canyon] Calif. nuclear plant continues safety enhancements for earthquakes, David Sneed, San Luis Obispo Tribune (via NEI email). Note - headline used here is NEI's. The Tribune titled it "Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant reacts to Japan's Fukushima disaster | Locals wonder whether plant would be prepared to handle a similar crisis".

* [npp-Indian Point] Letter: Safety at Indian Point, Rudolph W. Giuliani, New York Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Pilgrim] Small steam leak leads to shutdown of Mass. nuclear plant, Carolyn Y. Johnson, Boston Globe (via NEI email). Note - headline used here is NEI's. The Globe titled it "Pilgrim nuclear plant shut down because of safety relief valve leak"

* [npp-Zion] NOTICES Orders Modifying Licenses: In the Matter of ZIONSOLUTIONS, LLC; Zion Nuclear Power Station; Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation; Order Modifying License (Effective Immediately) Pages 81542-81547 [FR DOC# 2011-33254], Nuclear Regulatory Commission (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-biz-Areva-Idaho/Germany/Virginia] Areva adjusts workforce to meet new industry challenges, Cory Nealon, Newport News Daily Press (via NEI email). Note - headline used here is NEI's. The Daily Press titled it "Tough times for French nuclear giant Areva"

OTHER NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-antinuclear-India-Koodankulam-Japan] Anti-K'kulam group urges Japan to disband N-talks with India, Deccan Herald

* [npp-Germany] Spare us the propaganda routine, Jens Nicolay, Japan Times

* [npp-India-Japan] India, Japan move to end deadlock on N-deal, Times of India

* [npp-India-Japan] Indo-Japan N-deal talks to continue, Asian Age

* [npp/edu/China/Franco-Chinese Institute for Nuclear Energy] France Broadens Nuclear Offerings, Max Colchester, Wall St Jrl (subscription req'd to see full article)

* [npp-India/Pakistan] Pakistan, India mull method to tackle Fukushima-like crisis, Maqbool Malik, Pakistan Nation (via Nevada ANP)

* [reprocessing-Japan] JNFL secures clearance to proceed with reprocessing project, Risa Maeda, Reuters (via NEI email). Note - headline used here is NEI's. Reuters titled it "Japan OK helps nuclear reprocessing, not new reactor"

* [npp-Japan-India] Japanese PM hints at revival of nuclear talks with India, Xinhua News (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-UK] Vow to return nuclear rates to community, NW Evening Mail (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Vietnam] Top priority given to nuclear safety, VietNamNet Bridge (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Vietnam] Nation gives top priority to ensuring nuclear safety, Viet Nam News (via Nevada ANP)

December 27, 2011

US NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-aging] As Nuclear Plants Age, No Easy Energy Solutions, Neal Conan, NPR (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Grand Gulf-licenserenew] NOTICES Operating License Renewal Applications: Notice of Acceptance for Docketing of the Application, Notice of Opportunity for Hearing, Regarding Renewal of Facility Operating License No. NPF-29 for an Additional 20-Year Period; Entergy Operations, Inc.; Grand Gulf Nuclear Station, Unit 1 Pages 80980-80982 [FR DOC# 2011-33085], Nuclear Regulatory Commission (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Limerick-licenserenew] Panel to examine Exelon's request for NRC license renewal, Evan Brandt, Pottstown Mercury (via Nevada ANP and NEI email)

* [npp-Nine Mile Point-uprate] NRC approves uprate request for N.Y. nuclear plant, Charles, McChesney, Syracuse Post-Standard (via NEI email)

* [npp-Pilgrim] Entergy Shuts Down Pilgrim Nuclear Reactor to Repair Leak, Naureen S. Malik, Bloomberg (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Pilgrim] Potential leak prompts another shutdown at Plymouth nuclear plant, Neal Simpson, Patriot Ledger (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Vermont Yankee] Letter: VY's days have come to an end, Mark Borax, Brattleboro Reformer (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-acrs] NRC Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards to Meet Jan. 19-20 in Rockville, MD.; 2012 Leadership and Meeting Schedule, NRC (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-AP1000] US approves new nuclear plant design, Agence France Presse (via Paulo's Corner)

* [npp-licensing-biweekly] NOTICES Facility Operating Licenses: Biweekly Notice; Applications and Amendments to Facility Operating Licenses Involving No Significant Hazards Considerations Pages 80972-80980 [FR DOC# 2011-33090], Nuclear Regulatory Commission (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-reactor safety] Protection of nuclear plants from severe winds - Overview of historical development of NRC requirements, Progress Energy/Levy plant RAI

OTHER NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-newbuild-Finland] Areva's Finnish EPR reactor delayed until August 2014, Agence France Presse (via Paulo's Corner)

* [npp-newbuild-Lithuania] Hitachi signs interim deal for Lithuania nuclear plant, Reuters (via Paulo's Corner and NEI email)

* [npp-newbuild-South Korea] South Korea identifies possible reactor locations, Sangim Han, Bloomberg, (via NEI email)

* [npp-Canada-Bruce] Nukes' price is seldom right, Jonathan Jenkins, Brantford Expositor (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Europe] Collateral damage from Fukushima hits Europe, Julio Godoy, Al-Jazeera (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-India-Koodankulam] Cauvery Delta Farmers bat for Nuke Plant, Deccan Chronicle (via @nuclearfriends)

* [npp-India-liability] Trouble for govt on nuclear liability rules, Jayanth Jacob, Hindustan Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-India-Pak] India, Pak to renew nuclear accident pact, Times of India (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-India-reg] India to dump nuclear regulator, Liam Cochrane, Radio Australia (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Japan-Genkai] Japan shuts down another reactor for maintenance, Mari Iwata, MarketWatch (via NEI email; note: title here is from NEI. MarketWatch's title is "Shutdown leaves Japan with six nuclear reactors up")

* [npp-Japan] Kyushu Electric chief Manabe to resign possibly by March, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Japan] New nuke agency to have 500 staff, ¥50 billion budget: Hosono, Kyodo News Service (via Paulo's Corner)

* [npp-South Korea] South Korea Has 18,593 MW of Nuclear Capacity Online, Sungwoo Park, Bloomberg (via Nevada ANP)

December 26, 2011

US NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-AP1000] Federal regulators approve nuclear reactor design for first new plant in a generation, Associated Press

* [Indian Point] Indian Point License Renewal - names, addresses, emails for ASLB proceeding parties (Dec 23, 2011), Hudson River Sloop Clearwater ASLB filing

* [Indian Point] Entergy Chief Nuclear Officer's letter in response to former NRC Commissioner Gilinsky's op ed, 'Indian Point: The Next Fukushima?', John Herron, letter to NY Times

* [Bell Bend] Bell Bend - Jan 10, 2012 public teleconference re changes to site exclusion area boundary, Michael A. Canova, NRC Office of New Reactors

* [npp-US-Seabrook] Letter: Premature to relicense Seabrook N-plant, Susan Manning, NewburyportNews (via Nevada ANP)

OTHER NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-India/Japan] Japanese PM arriving for 3-day summit; Nuke deal to figure in talks, Daily News & Analysis (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Japan] Genkai reactor suspended, leaving 6 reactors in service in Japan, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Japan] Genkai No. 4 reactor shut down; only 6 reactors now operating in Japan, Japan Today (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Japan] Kyushu Elec: may not be able to meet power demand, Kaori Kaneko and Risa Maeda, Reuters (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-South Korea] New nuclear plants face public backlash, Shin Hyon-hee, Korea Herald (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-world] IAEA Director General predicted increase in nuclear plants to remain strong, Denki Shimbun (via Nevada ANP)

December 25, 2011

US NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-Callaway] Ameren seeks to renew license for nuclear plant, AP/KAIT-TV-8, ABC-Jonesboro AR

* [npp-Crystal River] Who rates with PSC? The body deciding who pays for the Crystal River mess is accused of not looking out for customers, Ivan Penn, St. Petersburg Times front page

* [npp-US-Indian Point] Clearwater says 'environmental justice' not considered in Indian Point relicensing, Mid-Hudson News (via Nevada ANP)

OTHER NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-antinuclear/npp-econ] Collateral Damage From Fukushima Hits Europe, Peak Oil (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-India-liability] NUCLEAR LAW: Liability clauses, Pradeep Kumar Dadhich, The Financial Express

* [npp-India-Kaiga] Tata Institute to conduct radiation survey near Kaiga plant, PTI (via ibnlive.in; also highlighted by Nevada ANP)

* [npp-India-Koodankulam] Koodankulam issue: No Christmas for anti-nuke agitators, Ayyappa Prasad, truthdive.com

* [npp-India-Koodankulam] PM to meet Karunanidhi today, Mullaperiyar high on agenda, CNN-IBN

* [npp-India-Koodankulam] Manmohan Singh on 2-day Tamil Nadu visit, ANI/TruthDive.com

* [npp-India-Koodankulam] NPC 'yet to load' uranimum in Kudankulam reactors, Sanjay Jog, Business Standard (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Indonesia] Indonesia: Powering up, Oxford Business Group, The Jakarta Post (also highlighted by Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Japan-Genkai] Table-Japan nuclear plant ops (Genkai No.4 enters turnaround), Osamu Tsukimori and Risa Maeda, Reuters (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-South Korea] S. Korea plans to build more nuclear power plants: minister, Yonhap News Agency (also highlighted by Nevada ANP)

* [npp-South Korea] Gov't power conservation rules reduce electricity use, Dong-A Ilbo

* [npp-South Korea] Going nuclear with caution, The Korea Herald editorial (also highlighted by Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Turkey/Russia] Turkey surprises Russian nuclear firm with new conditions, Ercan Baysal, Today's Zaman

December 24, 2011

US NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-Crystal River] Crystal River containment repair - how will $2.5-billion cost be split between ratepayers, shareholders? - discuss this

* [npp-Diablo Canyon] On the faultline frontline for Diablo Canyon, David Sneed, San Luis Obispo Tribune (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Fort Calhoun/antinuclear] "The Fort Calhoun Nuclear Power Plant: Fukushima in Nebraska?", Kurt Nimmo, Running 'Cause I Can't Fly blog (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Indian Point/licenserenewal] Owner of NY nuke plants loses NRC ruling, Business Week (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Nine Mile Point/uprate] NRC OKs power increase at Nine Mile, Charles McChesney, Syracuse Post Standard (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Pilgrim] Plymouth Nuclear Matters Committee says no to referendum vote, Frank Mand, Old Colony Memorial (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Pilgrim/antinuclear/Entergy] Pilgrim Station: Plymouth Selectmen set precedent placing referendum on ballot, Frank Mand, Old Colony Memorial (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp/DOE] 'Committed to restarting . . . nuclear industry', Frank Munger, Knoxville News Sentinel blog (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-antinuclear/AP1000] You Could Even Say It Glows: NRC Votes to Fast-Track a More Dangerous Nuclear Future, Gregg Levine, FireDogLake (via Nevada ANP)

OTHER NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-biz/India] RIL buys stake in Terra Power, US, Hindustan Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-FBR/Japan] Experts weigh in on the controversial Monju fast-breeder reactor project, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Canada-Darlington] Nuclear power in Durham to be maintained, energy minister says, Tara Hatherly, DurhamRegion (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Germany] Nuke shutdown could force energy asset sale, Deutsche Local (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-Germany/Fukushima/Chernobyl] Ridiculous antinuclear claims, Andreas Kolb, Japan Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-India] Enhancing Nuclear Power in India, Inder Malhotra, NavhindTimes (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-India-Koodankulam] Koodankulam plant is safe: Chidambaram, IBNLive (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-India-Koodankulam] Don't neglect nuclear plans; Problem goes beyond Kudankulam, Inder Malhotra, Kashmir Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-South Korea] Editorial: New nuclear plant site selection should be canceled, The Hankyoreh (via Nevada ANP) Nuclear power news archive

See older nuclear power news