[Yomuiri Shimbun, 6 January] Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) is preparing plans regarding test operation of its shutdown Kashiwazaki Kariwa 7 reactor for submission to the Japanese Nuclear and Industrial Safety agency (Nisa). The reactor, a 1315 MWe boiling water model, has been out of action along with the other six units on site since the July 2007 Niigata offshore earthquake. All the reactors shut down safely on the tremors, but suffered widespread minor damage. Repairs and seismic reinforcement work were completed in March 2008, the newspaper said, and Tepco hopes trial operation will demonstrate it is safe to prepare for a full restart later this year.

Kirk Sorensen and Charles Barton are some of the world’s most vocal advocates of the Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactor (LFTR) concept. Together, they operate Energy from Thorium, one of the richest veins of energy knowledge available on the web. During our conversation, they provide a lot of food for thought with their detailed descriptions and historical [...] Read More...

Three old nuclear power reactors were shutdown worldwide during 2008, while no new units were started up. However, construction started on ten new power reactors, whilst power uprates of several existing plants helped bolster operating capacity.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced that it had received nominations for two candidates to be its next director general. The deadline for submitting nominations had been 31 December. The government of Japan has nominated Yukiya Amano, while South Africa's government has nominated Abdul Samad Minty. Both Amano and Minty currently serve as governors to the IAEA board. The IAEA said that the two candidates were nominated in line with a process approved by the board in October 2008. In September, the IAEA announced that Mohamed ElBaradei, who has served as the director general since 1997, will not be available to serve a fourth term and that his term of office will expire on 30 November 2009. In order to be appointed, a candidate must secure a two-thirds vote in the 35-member IAEA board of governors. If a two-thirds majority is not achieved, the nomination process begins again. The IAEA board intends to make an appointment by June. The appointment will then be submitted for approval at the IAEA General Conference in September.

The row over delays at the Olkiluoto 3 new-build project has grown more serious after constructing consortium Areva-Siemens took their customer Teollisuuden Voima Oyj to arbitration. Meanwhile, the reactor's pressure vessel has arrived on site.

[Today's Zaman, 4 January] Turkish lawmakers have tabled legislation that specifies nuclear energy will only be used only for peaceful purposes. The bill foresees the establishment of a Turkish Nuclear Regulatory Board to independently oversee nuclear safety in the country. It also describes a Turkish Atomic Energy Commission, composed of representatives of government departments, in addition to the existing Turkish Atomic Energy Agency. The move follows the passing of legislation on the operation of nuclear power stations and the sale of their electricity in May 2007 and a tender for the construction of a nuclear power plant in September 2008. There was only one bidder: a consortium led by Russia's AtomStroyExport.

Google's acquisition of Feedburner is the reason For those of you who read posts on this blog with a feedreader such as FeedDemon or other RSS client, the code for the RSS feed has changed.  This is due to the purchase of Feedburner, which used to provide the RSS feed, by Google. You can click on any of the icons below to update your RSS feed. The first one with the universal orange icon for...

Legislatures are taking a strong role Missouri, Oklahoma, and Kentucky are three states which will are grappling with the issue of nuclear energy in 2009. In Missouri, the fate of AmerenUE's proposal for a new nuclear power plant will likely be decided by the state legislature this term. At issue is whether the utility can recover the cost of construction while it is building a new plant. In Oklahoma...

Challenges include a state ban and the lack of a mill on the east coast The prospects for uranium mining in Chatham, VA, may be  heating up. The impetus for the change comes from two key developments.  First, on Nov 6 the Virginia Coal and Energy Commission unanimously approved a study of the issue.  It could be the first step to lifting the state's long standing ban on uranium mining...

Though I often describe Russia as a nation of skilled chess players to my colleagues as I attempt to remind them that Russia's "Great Power" aspirations did not start or end with the rise and fall of the Soviet Union, even good chess players can make short sighted moves. This morning, Russia, after another round of failed negotiations with Ukraine, has once again begun to cut off deliveries...

Well, of course we want Scotland to see the error of their ways and keep their nuclear plants up and running. There seems to be a little pushback on closing them : [Iain] McMillan [director of CBI Scotland , the Scots version of the Chamber of Commerce] said that the proposed local income tax, to replace council tax in Scotland, could turn businesses away from the country, and the [ Scottish National...

US President George Bush has ratified the Additional Protocol (AP) of the Nuclear non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). A letter from the President, which certified that changes in US procedures will be in place within 180 days, was submitted to officials, Congressmen and Senators on 30 December. The AP allows International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors greater rights to information and freedom of movement in order to ensure materials meant for civilian power use are not used in clandestine weapons programs. In the case of the USA as a recognised nuclear weapons state, this means the IAEA will better be able to ensure that US weapons technology is not shared with other nations. The USA signed the Additional Protocol in 1998 and its ratification will mean all recognised weapons states have the AP in force.

Many thanks to all NNN readers who made 2008 such an electric year: records were set for visitors, page views, and visits. We look forward to an even more exciting 2009. Below, the top 12 most-read blog posts of the year. 1. Barack Obama on Nuclear Energy 2. John McCain on Nuclear Energy and Yucca Mountain 3. Amory Lovins and His Nuclear Illusion - Final Thoughts 4. Nuclear, Wind, Coal, Gas and Oil...

An application has been made to build and operate the Eagle Rock uranium enrichment facility that Areva plans for Idaho, USA.

I hope some of you have missed having regular updates to Atomic Insights during the past week, but I also hope that you have been able to take some time away from normal routines to think, visit with friends and family and consider future actions in the coming year. For people of many cultural traditions, the time between the winter solstice and the New Year is a time to relax. I have been engaging...