L-3 MAPPS announced today that it has delivered a research simulator to the Center for Advanced Engineering and Research (CAER) in the New London Business and Technology Center in Bedford, Va. The Advanced Configurable Main Control Room Simulator (ACMCRS) will be used for human-machine interface (HMI) and human factors (HF) studies, investigation of digital instrumentation and control systems for nuclear power plants, and cybersecurity issues. This unique facility was made possible in part by generous support from the Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission (TICRC), which provided more than $10 million in grants to support construction of the facility and the purchase of specialized equipment for the control room.  

Japan is now using only 8 percent of its nuclear generation capacity, as Tokyo Electric Power Co. shut down another reactor for scheduled maintenance Tuesday. Other news from the last week related to the accident at TEPCO’s tsunami-drenched Fukushima Daiichi plant includes:

Cash Injection Could Result in TEPCO Nationalization ...

A much-anticipated report on the future of nuclear waste disposal in the United States was made public Thursday. It offered a broad outline of how the country might approach the disposal of 67,500 tons of spent fuel in light of the government’s failure to construct a repository for it in Nevada’s Yucca Mountain.

The report from the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future recommended a “consent-based approach” to siting waste storage facilities, noting that trying to site them in states and regions that oppose their construction hasn’t worked in the past. The commission also recommended that the nuclear waste management program be placed under the authority of a dedicated organization independent of the Department of Energy.

AREVA was awarded a contract by the Canadian group SNC-Lavalin Nuclear to provide filtered containment venting systems for Units 1 and 2 at CNE Cernavoda nuclear power plant in Romania.

The contract is part of a wider cooperation agreement between AREVA and SNC-Lavalin for CANDU-specific reactor designs. The project is planned for completion over the next 27 months.

GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) continues to expand its presence in Finland. Today the company announced it has signed a new project development memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Finnish software and systems engineering firm Space Systems Finland Ltd. (SSF), which specializes in the validation and verification of safety critical software for various industrial sectors, including the aerospace and utility industries.

Under the agreement, the companies will explore potential opportunities to collaborate on future nuclear power plant projects globally as well as in Finland as the utility Teollisuuden Voima Oyj (TVO) is looking to build a fourth reactor at its Olkiluoto nuclear power station.