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• IAEA sets target on delay and denial

  The International Atomic Energy Agency has set a target of reducing delays and denials of shipment of radioactive material to "an insignificant level" by 2013. Posted Mar 12 2010, 12:04 PM by World Nuclear News Filed under: IAEA, Radioactive Waste, delay, international atomic Energy Agency, shipment, radioactive, 2013

• 'Venus Flytrap' cleans up caesium

  A new material that can capture radioactive caesium ions by snapping shut like a Venus Flytrap could lead to new breakthroughs in radioactive waste treatment. Posted Feb 01 2010, 11:46 AM by World Nuclear News Filed under: Radioactive Waste, clean up, material, caesium, treatment, cesium

• Bunnies dump radioactive waste at Hanford

  [Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 7 October] A helicopter equipped with radiation detecting equipment has been used to scan almost 4000 hectares of the USA's Hanford nuclear reservation in search of radioactive rabbit droppings. The helicopter was able to map each of the slightly radioactive stools with GPS coordinates. Liquid wastes containing radioactive caesium and strontium salts were stored in underground tanks at Hanford, which rabbits routinely burrowed into. They developed an appetite for the radioactive salts, which resulted in slightly radioactive droppings. Dee Millikin, spokeswoman for CH2M Hill Plateau Remediation Co which is responsible for much of the environmental cleanup of central Hanford, said that the use of the helicopter - at a cost of some $300,000 - means that the droppings can be located and removed in a matter of days rather than the months that would have been needed for people to search for it on the ground. The droppings will be put into landfill at the Hanford site. Hanford was a plutonium production complex with nine nuclear reactors and associated processing facilities that which played a pivotal role in US defence for more than 40 years starting. The site is now undergoing environmental cleanup managed by the DoE. Posted Oct 09 2009, 08:25 AM by World Nuclear News Filed under: Radioactive Waste, radiation detectors, CH2M Hill, droppings, rabbits, gps, strontium

• Huge Hanford clean-up contract

  Washington Group, Energy Solutions and Areva will undertake a $7.1 billion contract to manage radioactive waste from the USA's nuclear weapons program. Some 177 underground tanks of radioactive and chemical waste are to be managed. Posted Jun 02 2008, 10:38 AM by World Nuclear News Filed under: Washington Group, Areva, Radioactive Waste, Hanford

• Energy Solutions' Italian job

  A deal to recycle radioactive waste from Italy at US facilities has led to deep controversy. Interstate administrators are seeking to block the project, while the company involved wants the courts to overrule them. Posted May 13 2008, 12:41 PM by World Nuclear News Filed under: Radioactive Waste, Italy, Energy Solutions

• Diamond universities funded for waste research

  A consortium of British universities known as Diamond has received funding for a four-year program to investigate ways to manage and dispose of the UK's radioactive waste. The group hopes to find innovative solutions. Posted Apr 30 2008, 10:49 AM by World Nuclear News Filed under: Radioactive Waste

• Ascó contamination spotted at recycling

  Radioactive contamination was discovered on 21 April in a truck that left the Ascó nuclear power plant carrying waste metal for recycling. The radioactivity was detected by an alarm portico in place for that possibility at the recycling plant. Some particles were tested and found to contain cobalt-60 with a dose contact of between 0.5 and 20 microseiverts per hour. The Consejo De Seguridad Nuclear (Nuclear Safety Council, CSN) said the particles had come from a container that had been in the vicinity of the ventilation stack through which the particles escaped the nuclear fuel building of Ascó 1. The release was reported to the CSN on 5 April following a November 2007 refuelling outage during which the fuel channel and then the ventilation system became contaminated before the contamination then bypassed filters. Some 'light pollution' has been found by CSN at the river near the plant. Over 900 workers and visitors have been checked for contamination and certified as clear, while surveillance of 1550 in total is scheduled. CSN has said the impact of the radioactive release was very low and below legal limits. The original release has been categorised at Level 2 on the International Nuclear Events Scale; the contamination metal for recycle at Level 1. Posted Apr 23 2008, 08:33 AM by World Nuclear News Filed under: Radioactive Waste, ASCO

• 'Weak safety culture' at Ascó

  Speaking at a press conference after a meeting with local mayors, the president of Spain's nuclear safety regulator said the events surrounding a leak of radioactive metal particles at the Ascó plant had 'demonstrated weaknesses in safety culture.' Preliminary findings had shown operational errors and deficiencies in information supplied to the Consejo De Seguridad Nuclear (Nuclear Safety Council, CSN), said Carmen Martinez Ten. He continued that CSN has required a thorough analysis of the Ascó organisation and an action plan to 'improve dramatically' the current behaviour at the plant.' In addition, CSN experts are reviewing systems and instrumentation related to the leak, which occurred after a November refuelling outage but was not discovered until early April. Martinez Ten said that checks on plant staff and visitors were complete and none had shown no signs of contamination. Because the contamination would have been with long-lived isotopes, the absence of any results now has ruled out contamination at any point during the course of events, he affirmed. Finally Martinez Ten refuted an environmental group's claim to have revealed the leak, 'because it issued a note a few minutes before the CSN.' Posted Apr 22 2008, 11:05 AM by World Nuclear News Filed under: Radioactive Waste, ASCO

• US courts to re-examine dumping decision

  Appeals to the US Supreme Court to review a March 2005 Federal Circuit decision that uranium enrichment was a 'service' and not a 'good' have been successful. The Supreme Court could render a decision in late 2008 or 2009. The Solicitor General of the USA, along with the general counsels of US Departments of Commerce, Defense, Energy and State, requested Supreme Court review of the Federal Circuit decision. "The support and participation by the US government highlights the national interests at stake in this case," said USEC. The decision in question meant that anti-dumping tariffs could not be maintained against Eurodif and also led to a re-evaluation of anti-dumping measures made against Russian uranium enrichers. Trade rules with Russia have since been re-written with new arrangements for 2011 and beyond. "The risk of dumping of foreign-produced low enriched uranium imports continues to pose a significant threat to the US enrichment industry, as well as the economic well being of its workers and the communities in which they live," said USEC, which is currently constructing a new uranium enrichment plant based on centrifuge technology. USEC said it was "hopeful that the Supreme Court will reverse the Federal Circuit's decision." Posted Apr 21 2008, 12:33 PM by World Nuclear News Filed under: Radioactive Waste

• Lithuania approves waste site

  Stabatiske is to host a near surface disposal facility for short-lived low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste. The site is very close to Lithuania's only nuclear power plant, Ignalina. Posted Nov 29 2007, 09:38 AM by World Nuclear News Filed under: Lithuania, Radioactive Waste