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Distrust of the nuclear utility and government bureaucracy seen as too close to TEPCO cited as reason for some misguided interventions The Prime Minister of Japan, Naotoa Kan , (right) personally interfered with crisis communications and gave technical orders on the use of sea water to cool nuclear reactors...

Except for a political panic attack in Germany, most other nations have the "full steam ahead" sign out for their new reactor projects There's been a lot of overblown rhetoric about the so-called "death" of the global nuclear renaissance. Anti-nuclear groups have trumpeted that...

The future of plans to build new reactors is not a case of black and white choices Germany's quick retreat from nuclear energy and Japan's consideration of the role of renewable energy sources in response to the Fukushima crisis raise the question of what will happen to the global nuclear industry...

For the first time utility says fuel has "melted" and may be "crumbled" at bottom of the reactor pressure vessel for reactor 1 The fuel assemblies in Fukushima reactor unit 1 are only partially covered by water. A TEPCO spokesman, Junichi Matsumoto, told a press conference in Tokyo...

*** The session seeks sponsors *** A meet-up of anyone attending the ANS National meeting in Florida June 26-30 who is interested in the use of social media in the nuclear industry will be held Tuesday June 28th, from 6:30-9:00 PM at the Westin Diplomat hotel in Hollywood, FL. This is the conference...

It's less than you think The Nuclear Energy Institute, the trade association for the utilities that own and operate the nation's 104 nuclear reactors, has some thoughts on how Fukushima might affect the nuclear renaissance on this country. In an updated briefing paper posted on its website April...

Getting the water out is the first priority Over at Atomic Insights blog my friend Rod Adams asks whether the radioactive water at the devastated Fukushima nuclear site in Japan is such a big deal. He writes, “ . . . a million gallons of water is a rather modest amount of water.” The basis for this dialog...

The 15 page document provides recommendations on how to mitigate them The New York Times reports today that a March 26 threat assessment by the Reactor Safety Team of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) warns that the crippled nuclear plant faces fresh threats that could persist indefinitely. The...

Includes press release from TEPCO on discharge of radioactive water to ocean Update to Information Sheet Regarding the Tohoku Earthquake The Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan (FEPC) Washington DC Office As of 11:30AM (EST), April 4, 2011 Radiation Levels The level of concentration of radioactive...

A plain English explanation Based on alarms raised by scientists in Japan and elsewhere about the use of mixed oxide fuel (MOX) in the Fukushima reactor #3, the American Nuclear Society ( ANS ) published a technical brief on the issue on March 25, 2011. It contains factual information on the impact of...

The issue of how reactors handle hydrogen gets aired In the annals of journalism, improbable news stories are categorized by the headline “ Man bites dog .” It signals the reversal of the normal flow of events and challenges to the logic of daily life. Of course, the headline has been the butt of many...

Special edition with a focus on Japan’s nuclear energy crisis Dedicated to nuclear reactors workers everywhere who’s prayers are for their colleagues at Fukushima The Carnival is a weekly round-up of the best blog posts from the leading U.S. nuclear bloggers. If you want to hear the voice of the nuclear...

Where to get the news A 9.0 magnitude earthquake and resulting tsunami have damaged nuclear power stations in Fukushima, Japan. These links are sources of information and news about Japan’s nuclear reactor crisis in Fukushima. Humanitarian Assistance American Nuclear Society– Japan Relief Fund U.S. Agency...

As expected it ignored reality to provide its own version of events Firms that advertise on television love the weather segment in the evening news. Everyone wants to know about it, and the possibility of offensive content is pretty low. A new development is that ‘Reality TV,’ with its dysfunctional...

Some things to ponder as the situation comes under control As I write this on Sunday afternoon March 20, 2011, it appears the crisis involving six nuclear reactors in Fukushima , Japan, is headed toward cold shutdown. That's good news for the tens of thousands of people who evacuated the area following...