Monday 13 August 2007

Crocodile jumps from building in nuclear city

In Sarov, birthplace of the first Soviet nuclear weapons and now a major Russian nuclear development centre, a crocodile jumped from the 12th floor of a building. It survived and was later collected from an aquarium by its owner!

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Bruce bouncing back

Canadian Bruce Power is buying new components from Babcock and Wilcox to refurbish some of its Bruce A nuclear reactors.

Bruce is bringing a number of its reactors back online to meet the growing energy demand in Canada.

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Bad news for Areva as Finnish reactor suffers more delays

In Finland nuclear giants Areva and Siemens are having problems building a new nuclear reactor according to schedule. The Olkiluto plant is looking like it will now be two years late. The delays are doing no favours to an industry trying to demonstrate that the long constructions delays that blighted nuclear build in the 70s and 80s are a thing of the past.

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Wednesday 8 August 2007

Plant to turn weapons plutonium into nuclear fuel for electricity being built

Construction has started on a plant in the US that will use plutonium from nuclear weapons to make fuel for US nuclear power plants. The amount of fuel to be made would produce enough electricity to supply a million homes for 50 years. The plutionium comes from an agreement between the US and Russia. A similar amount of Russian plutonium will be made into fuel for electricity generation too.

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US and India agree nuclear deal

India, long left out on its own in the nuclear energy world because of its failure to sign the international Non-Proliferation Treaty, has reached agreement with the US on co-operation over civil nuclear energy. India will be allowed to keep a strategic supply of fuel for its reactors and will be able to reprocess US nuclear fuel, monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The deal states that if for any reason the supply of used fuel from the US stops the US will help India find alternative sources of fuel from other countries.

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Tuesday 24 July 2007

Latest International Nuclear News

US and French Companies link up to operate new nuclear plants in US and Canada

The French giant EdF has linked up with the US's Constellation Energy to form "Unistar Nuclear Energy". UNE plan to develop, own and operate a fleet of reactors, based round Areva's EPR design, the first of which is currently under construction in Finland. Constellation has already teamed up with Areva to form the Unistar parent company. Similar reactors are also planned for China and France. Those participating in the build of EPRs are hoping to keep down costs by using a standard design.

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New ships for nuclear transport company

PNTL, the company that carries used nuclear fuel from Japan to Europe for reprocessing – and the waste back – has ordered two new ships. The ships come with double hulls and are manned by two crews .

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UK and DR Congo sign agreement to stop illegal uranium smuggling


A UK mining firm has joined forces with the government of Congo to implement measures meant to stop the illegal smuggling of uranium. It has previously been reported http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/industry/080307-Uranium_smuggling_allegation_in_Congo.shtml that senior figures were involved in smuggling, so this move should be welcomed.

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Friday 20 July 2007

Group set up to study nuclear safety

A high level group has been set up by the European Commission to look at radioactive waste management and nuclear safety. The group will be made up of representatives of European countries with nuclear facilities and those which don't use nuclear power. This way, the Commission say, there wil be confidence in the conclusions of the group. The EC Energy Commissioner, Andris Piebalgs, said the group will reinforce the safety of nuclear installations.

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