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• Cleanup complete at Rancho Seco

  Decommissioning of the former Rancho Seco nuclear power plant in California has been completed and most of the site released for unrestricted public use, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has announced. Posted Oct 08 2009, 10:22 AM by World Nuclear News Filed under: NRC, decomissioning, California, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, rancho seco, site, cleanup

• Funding for decommissioning under review

  The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has written to the operators of 18 nuclear power plants, comprising a total of 26 reactors, requesting details of how they plan to address apparent decommissioning funding assurance shortfalls. Posted Jun 22 2009, 10:52 AM by World Nuclear News Filed under: NRC, decomissioning, funding

• Search is over for NDA head

  After a year-long search for a new chief executive officer, the UK's Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) has appointed former BP executive Tony Fountain. Posted Jun 17 2009, 10:16 AM by World Nuclear News Filed under: UK, decomissioning, Tony Fountain

• Studsvik to decommission Dessel

  Studsvik of Sweden has been awarded a contract to coordinate and supervise the project to decommission Belgonucleaire's mixed-oxide fuel fabrication plant in Dessel, Belgium. Posted Mar 05 2009, 10:04 AM by World Nuclear News Filed under: Sweden, decomissioning, Studsvik, Dessel

• First decommissioning authorization in Italy

  The final decommissioning of the Bosco Marengo uranium enrichment plant has been authorised in Italy. It will be the first nuclear facility in the country to begin decommissioning. Posted Dec 12 2008, 08:33 AM by World Nuclear News Filed under: decomissioning, Italy

• All old Russian subs to be scrapped by 2012

  [RIA Novosti, 14 November] Russia will dismantle all decommissioned nuclear-powered submarines by the beginning of 2012, according to Vladimir Nikitin, general director of the Zvezdochka shipyard in Severodvinsk, northern Russia. He said, "All decommissioned Russian nuclear submarines will be disposed of in 2010, or no later than the start of 2012." Nikitin noted that more than 200 of the 250 nuclear submarines constructed in the Soviet Union and later in Russia have so far been scrapped, many with financial support from abroad, such as from Norway, Japan and the UK. He said that the programme to dismantle nuclear submarines from the Northern Fleet is almost complete, while the programme to scrap those in the Pacific Fleet has been slower. Zvezdochka is Russia's biggest shipyard for repairing and dismantling nuclear-powered submarines, with the capacity to dismantle up to four vessels per year, according to Nikitin. Posted Nov 14 2008, 08:25 AM by World Nuclear News Filed under: Russia, decomissioning

• Spending boost for Italian clean-up

  Work to dismantle Italy's nuclear power plants will be accelerated under a new business plan from the firm responsible for the job. Spending schedules will go up by €90 million, while new plants are planned. Posted Sep 24 2008, 12:32 PM by World Nuclear News Filed under: decomissioning, Italy

• New nuclear to get 'maximum support'

  Nuclear power is a 'no-brainer' energy source that is indispensible, good for jobs, the economy as well as the environment, according to the UK government. The words came as plans for decommissioning and waste were meant to be announced. Posted Sep 18 2008, 12:35 PM by World Nuclear News Filed under: UK, decomissioning

• Dismantling of unfinished Ignalina unit completed

  [Nuclear.Ru, 15 September] Work on dismantling building structures at the uncompleted third reactor at Lithuania's Ignalina nuclear power plant has been completed. The work has been conducted over the past four years by the Visagino Statybinikai company. Construction of the third unit was started in 1985, but suspended by the government in 1988, by which time the unit was 50% complete and some equipment had already been delivered to the site. Plant manager Victor Shevaldin said, "We have fully dismantled all structures, evened the site and prepared it for further use." He added that experience gained in dismantling the third reactor would be used in the decommissioning of the shutdown Ignalina 1 unit and the currently operating unit two. Lithuania is planning to construct a new nuclear power plant jointly with Latvia, Estonia and Poland. Two potential sites, adjacent to the existing Ignalina plant, have been proposed. Posted Sep 17 2008, 11:56 AM by World Nuclear News Filed under: decomissioning, Ignalina

• Dounreay to make a break

  Workers at the former research site at Dounreay, Scotland, are preparing to break open and remotely dismantle equipment within a used nuclear fuel reprocessing plant. Robots will tackle pipework within the 50-year-old facility. Posted Jun 16 2008, 12:14 PM by World Nuclear News Filed under: decomissioning, Scotland, Dounreay

• Consultation on decommissioning begins

  French nuclear regulators have initated a public consultation on nuclear plant decommissioning plans. The Autorité de sûreté nucléaire (Nuclear Safety Authority, ASN) said it had made the decision in the light developments such as the passing of a law on transparency in nuclear materials management in June 2006, new International Atomic Energy Agency standards and the work of Wenra (a non-governmental organisation comprised of senior nuclear safety regulators from across Europe). A draft document has been sent to stakeholders such as nuclear plant operators, environmental associations and local authorities introducing ASN's policies on decommissioning and demolishing nuclear plants in France, and inviting comment. The general public will also be able to make comments through ASN's website. The consultation ends on 31 May. Posted Apr 07 2008, 04:45 PM by World Nuclear News Filed under: decomissioning

• North Korea misses declaration deadline

  [Korea Times, Financial Times, 1 January] North Korea failed to meet a 31 December deadline to declare details of its nuclear programs. Under a multinational agreement reached in February 2007, North Korea agreed that by the end of 2007 it would disable its Yongbyon reactor and present a list of all its nuclear programs in return for economic aid and political concessions. The Yongbyon reactor was shut down in July 2007 and work to disable the facility is underway. The delay with disabling Yongbyon appears to be mainly due to technical issues. To extract and remove some 8000 fuel rods at the reactor could simply not be done safely by the end of 2007. South Korea, Japan and the USA, while expressing disappointment that North Korea had failed to submit a declaration of its nuclear programs as promised, have urged the country to do so as soon as possible. Tom Casey, a spokesman for the US State Department, said: "The important thing is not whether we have the declaration by today or not. The important thing is that we get a declaration that meets the requirements of the agreement, which means it needs to be full and complete." He added, "We've seen these kinds of delays and other things occur in the process as we move along, and in some cases, you almost have to expect those kinds of things to happen, given the difficulty and the nature of what we are trying to do." Posted Jan 02 2008, 10:35 AM by World Nuclear News Filed under: decomissioning

• Exelon contracts at both ends of reactor life

  Exelon Nuclear has signed a contract which should see decommissioning of its shut-down Zion power station completed a decade early. It has also signed a major order for heavy forgings and components for two new reactors it is considering building in Texas. Posted Dec 13 2007, 10:43 AM by World Nuclear News Filed under: Zion, decomissioning, Exelon