September, 2008

Without further legal, political and financial resources the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) would no longer be fit for purpose, Mohamed ElBaradei told the agency's general conference today.

Areva has submitted an application for a US government loan guarantee for its proposed Eagle Rock uranium enrichment facility. Would-be reactor builders Duke Energy and PPL also managed to get their applications in by the 29 September deadline.

Russian uranium mining company AtomRedMetZoloto (ARMZ) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on strategic cooperation on uranium projects with a consortium of South Korean companies. The MoU covers cooperation in the development of "uranium industry", including joint exploration, production...

Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh has agreed to cooperate with the European Union on matters of energy and climate change. The announcement came yesterday in Paris, where some had hoped for a nuclear cooperation deal between Singh and French President Nicolas Sarkozy. The EU and India, "reaffirmed...

Authorisation for the installation of a work site has been granted for Angra 3 by Sebastião Pires, director of licensing at Brazil's Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama). The 24 September authorisation allowed Eletronuclear to go ahead with its 'plan for the recuperation...

The joint venture set up by France's Alstom and Atomenergomash of Russia has signed its first contract: an agreement to design the turbine generator package for a new nuclear power plant at Seversk.

A contract for the design and main equiment of two reactors at the Leningrad Phase II nuclear power plant have been awarded. Meanwhile, a Russian heavy engineering company has been licensed to manufacture nuclear power plant equipment.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory sent its first consignment of radioactive waste to the Wipp facility yesterday for permanent disposal.

Compounds in red wine may protect cells from radiation-related damage, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have found. The antioxidant resveratrol, found in red wine and in numerous plants, may help protect against radiation exposure. They gave acetyl-altered resveratrol to...

Fluor has won a $1 billion contract with Usec to provide engineering, procurement, construction and construction management services for the American Centrifuge plant.

Private corporations should take the lead on tackling emissions rather than wait for government to pass legislation, according to a top utility executive. Two nuclear utilities have been honoured by the Carbon Disclosure Project.

GE-Hitachi is celebrating the third application to build one of its nuclear power plants in a month. Entergy has applied to build an ESBWR power unit at River Bend.

A new report details the levels of US taxpayer support given to various energy forms since 1950. Fossil fuels have received far more than nuclear power, which was the only source to actually pay back to government.

The World Nuclear University's fifth Summer Intitute will take place at the University of Oxford's Christ Church college. This venue will be a new long-term home to the annual training event.

[Nuclear.Ru, 24 September; Today's Zaman, 25 September] Six envelopes were submitted by the 24 September tender deadline to build Turkey's first nuclear power plant but only one - from a consortium led by Russian reactor constructor AtomStroyExport - actually contained a bid. Some 13 companies...

Plans by South African utility Eskom to invest heavily in new nuclear generating capacity look uncertain. Political turmoil and doubts about the ability to secure international funding have fuelled concerns that the country's energy woes are far from resolution.

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.

[Canadian Press, 24 September] Linda Keen has resigned from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, having been removed from the position of president in January this year. The Canadian government removed Keen as president citing a serious erosion of faith in her leadership but said she would remain...

British Energy is to be sold to Electricité de France (EdF) for £12.5 billion ($23.1 billion). New nuclear reactors will be built at Sizewell and Hinkley Point while the governments proceeds from the sale should "more than" cover all BE's clean-up costs.

Up to 350,000 jobs and $542 billion in GDP could be created over 20 years if the USA embarks on a programme of substantial investment in nuclear energy, according to the American Council on Global Nuclear Competitiveness.

Verification work in North Korea, Iran, Syria and Libya has dominated the board meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). However, the board is also considering proposals from an expert group on the its future.

[Reuters, 22 September] Work to build two new nuclear power reactors at Khmelnitsky in Ukraine will start in 2010, a government minister said while visiting the site. The units are expected to be V-320 model 1000 MWe VVER pressurized water reactors, the first of which would enter operation by the end...

BREAKING NEWS Electricité de France (EdF) has submitted a bid for Constellation Energy, rivalling a surprise takeover move made by MidAmerican Energy last week. EDF International already owned 9.5% of Constellation in line with earlier agreements between the companies. Now it said it "believes the...

Bruce Power has submitted its environmental impact statement (EIS) for up to four new reactors at the existing Bruce nuclear power plant site in Ontario, Canada. The report indicates there should be no significant impact.

A team of researchers at Australia's Queensland University of Technology (QUT) claim to have created ceramic nanofibres that could be used to filter and store radioactive ions from waste water.