August, 2011

Just to cross a T from last week’s earthquake: Dominion, the plant's operator, notified the NRC Friday that its analysis of ground shaking showed the quake could have exceeded its design parameters. An independent analysis by the government also had determined that was likely. Oh? But since nuclear...

Industry/Regulatory/Political Issues Tokyo Electric Power Co. has set guidelines to pay travel, lodging and other expenses for people displaced after the Fukushima Daiichi accident. The company is offering reimbursement for medical fees for injuries and illnesses caused by the government-ordered evacuation...

Answer: The evidence indicates that all of the spent fuel pools at Fukushima Daiichi are intact and there are no cracks that contributed to a loss of cooling water for used nuclear fuel assemblies. This is substantiated by observations around the storage pool areas, and the ability to re-establish cooling...

Industry/Regulatory/Political Issues The ruling Democratic Party of Japan has chosen Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda to be its new party leader. The election paves the way for Noda to replace Naoto Kan as the country’s sixth prime minister in five years. The BBC reports that Noda wants Japan’s nuclear...

So how was your weekend? I had some flickering lights but they stayed on, and I woke up Sunday without all the clocks blinking 12. But that’s just a matter of geography. Irene was a very potent storm. The Associated Press reports that 3 million people are without electricity and that 35 people lost their...

The east coast hasn’t had an easy time of it lately, has it? While the earthquake earlier this week caused no casualties and little property damage, the same likely cannot be said of the approaching hurricane Irene – if it maintains its present course and intensity. After all, things that haven’t happened...

Industry/Regulatory/Political Issues Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan has resigned as head of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan, amid growing complaints about his performance. He came to office in June 2010. During his term, he had made unpopular moves, including an early pledge for a tax increase...

When Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, displacing thousands of people and causing widespread devastation, Entergy’s Waterford 3 nuclear energy facility safely withstood the storm and quickly aided in the local relief efforts. Hours of training, a focus on continuous safety enhancement and lessons...

Three days ago, the East Coast felt the tremors and heard the rumble of an unusual 5.8 earthquake, centered near Mineral, Va. Although most of us were caught off guard, the nuclear industry prepares for earthquakes and other natural disasters—from the design of the facilities to implementation of emergency...

Industry/Regulatory/Political Issues The Japan Nuclear Safety Commission has cut its estimate of radioactive substances released by Fukushima Daiichi between March 12 and April 5 by 10 percent. The new estimate is based on recently released data on radiation levels at monitoring posts and the amount...

From NEI’s Response Center (this goes to members and Capitol Hill, but I asked to be able to share it with you): All 12 plants that declared unusual events in the wake of yesterday’s East Coast earthquake have exited emergency status. Dominion’s North Anna station declared an alert, as both reactors...

Those of us on the east coast have yet another major event to remember – a 5.8 earthquake that shook virtually the entire east coast. No one who doesn’t come from the west is used to such an event, so the level of surprise and mystified reaction was considerable. We won’t know for awhile if there was...

Industry/Regulatory/Political Issues Some areas within the 12.5-mile exclusion zone around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear energy facility are to remain off-limits to evacuated residents for “a long time,” Japan’s government said. Officials had planned to allow residents eventually to return to their homes...

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The suspense and tension are over : After hearing about 70 speakers support or oppose nuclear power and the completion of the half-finished Bellefonte Nuclear Plant, the TVA board voted unanimously on Thursday to restart construction. So it wasn’t even a near thing. But that meeting sounds like it was...

Industry/Regulatory/Political Issues The five-member U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued a memorandum directing the agency staff to engage with staff experts and external stakeholders to provide the commission with options for agency actions based on the NRC’s near-term task force report on...

NEI has posted a new backgrounder to its website: 7 Steps Industry Has Taken to Reconfirm Safety,  Preparedness at America’s Nuclear Energy Plants Nuclear energy should be judged on the facts—not perception. America’s nuclear energy industry has a combined 3,600 years of safe nuclear power plant operating...

There’s talk of turning one of the furloughed plants in Japan back on: The turning point could be the northernmost region of Hokkaido, which is on the verge of formally restarting the first nuclear plant to come back online since the March 11 disasters. Hokkaido Gov. Harumi Takahashi announced at a press...

Plant Status Tokyo Electric Power Co. plans to begin desalinating water in the used fuel storage pools at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear energy facility by the end of this week. TEPCO said it will start with the pool at the fourth unit because it contains the most used fuel. The new desalination equipment...

In the aftermath of the Fukushima accident in Japan, there has been renewed interest in nuclear energy safety. Some of the debate and observations online have led to a healthy, robust discussion—regardless of your position on nuclear energy. Other sources have exaggerated or distorted facts or have been...

I’m not sure if it belittles the importance of the event to call it, well, suspenseful : Later this month [this Friday, to be exact], the board of the Tennessee Valley Authority could take up a proposal to complete the Bellefonte nuclear power plant in northeast Alabama. TVA administrators are conducting...

Plant Status Levels of radioactive cesium near the seawater intake area of Fukushima Daiichi reactors 2 and 3 have fallen below the safety limit, Tokyo Electric Power Co. reported over the weekend. Industry/Regulatory/Political Issues The Japanese cabinet has endorsed a plan to establish a new nuclear...

For the sixth time in the carnival’s 15-month history, we have the privilege of hosting. Each time we’ve written, the number of contributions from pro-nuke bloggers has increased. Today we have posts from 13 folks discussing all sorts of topics. Inspiration Into Action Suzy Hobbs at the ANS Nuclear Cafe...

Emergency diesel generators are used in the event that a nuclear plant loses power at the site. Each U.S. nuclear plant houses its back-up emergency diesel generators in robust, steel-reinforced concrete structures that are designed to withstand the impact of floods, hurricanes, tornadoes and earthquakes...

For those who have been following nuclear energy issues for the last 10-15 years, this kind of news can cause a bit of a tingle: The utility recently cleared a couple of hurdles in the approval process for Plant Vogtle units 3 and 4. Last week, the NRC determined its new Westinghouse AP1000 design meets...