As Japan Re-embraces Nuclear Power, Safety Warnings Persist
Japan's re-embrace of nuclear power, on display last week with the recertification of two ageing reactors, is prompting some critics to warn that Tokyo is neglecting the lessons of Fukushima. In the first such step since the 2011 disaster, Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) on June 20 approved Kansai Electric Power Co's application to extend the life of two reactors beyond 40 years. As it became clear the NRA was going to allow the extensions…
Exelon: Pennsylvania Reactor Back in Service
Exelon Corp said on Thursday that Unit 3 at its Peach Bottom nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania was returned to service following a refueling and maintenance outage. The 1,122-megawatt unit was shut for planned refueling on Sept. 21 The unit had ramped up to 15 percent power by early Thursday, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said in a report. (Reporting by Kevin Jose in Bengaluru)
Tennessee Nuclear Reactor Almost Complete, Asks for License
The owner of a Tennessee nuclear power plant asked the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) on Friday to issue an operating license for what could be the country's first reactor to enter service since 1996. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) said the reactor for unit 2 at its Watts Bar nuclear plant in Spring City, Tennessee, is substantially complete. The notification to the NRC is a major construction and licensing milestone…
Honeywell Unit Probed in Toxic Gas Leak in Illinois
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said it has begun a special inspection at Honeywell Metropolis Works in Illinois to assess a uranium hexafluoride leak that occurred during maintenance activity on Saturday evening. No one at the facility was injured, and the company reported that no uranium hexafluoride was released past the site boundary, the commission said in a statement on Monday. Uranium hexafluoride is a toxic gas and is usually stored in large canisters.
Indian Point Nuclear Plant Fire Not a High Risk
The transformer fire at the Indian Point nuclear power plant north of New York City is not a high-level risk and does not pose a threat to the people nearby, according to the U.S. regulator for nuclear power. "There is no threat to area residents," said Eliot Brenner, director of public affairs for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. "They declared an unusual event. An "unusual event" classification indicates a potential security threat or a possible "degradation of the level of safety" at a plant, according to the NRC website.
US Govt's Nuclear Watchdog Victim of Cyber Attacks
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission was "successfully hacked" three times in recent years in attacks involving tainted emails, according to an internal investigation on cyber attacks at the agency, Nextgov.com reported on Tuesday. At least two of the attacks originated overseas, according to the report obtained by Nextgov, a rare public report with details of a cyber attack on the energy sector. The publication said it obtained a copy of a report by the NRC's Office of the Inspector General…
Southern Hopes to Build More US Nuclear Reactors
Southern Co, one of the biggest U.S. power companies, said it hopes to announce plans by the end of the year to build more nuclear power reactors, a spokesman said late Wednesday. That makes Southern the first company to pursue new reactors since the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced plans earlier this year to reduce carbon emissions from existing power plants to 30 percent below 2005 levels by 2030. Nuclear reactors produce almost no carbon emissions.
NY Regulators Seek Summer Shutdown at Indian Point
New York state environmental regulators have proposed shutting the giant Indian Point nuclear power plant to protect fish in the Hudson River during summer months, when demand for electricity for air-conditioning is greatest. The 2,061-megawatt plant, located about 40 miles north of Manhattan, provides about a quarter of the power used in the New York City area. The New York Department of Environmental Conservation proposed closing the plant from May 10 to August 10, according to a document dated in May posted on the DEC website.
PPL Pennsylvania Susquehanna Nuclear Reactor at 82 pct
PPL Corp's 1,260-megawatt Unit 1 at the Susquehanna nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania ramped up to 82 percent power by early Monday from 15 percent power early Thursday, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said in a report. Meanwhile, Susquehanna 2 was operating at 96 percent power.
