June, 2010

Entergy has determined that a tritium leak at its Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant was primarily caused by an earlier design deficiency and inadequate inspection of an underground area of the plant that could not be accessed.

The latest progress report from UK nuclear safety regulators has made the best-case completion of the Generic Design Assessment process seem unlikely.

Canadian operators of Candu reactors are to check for alpha radiation hazards and improve controls after an incident at Bruce A nuclear plant.

The Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) is to change its name to the International Framework for Nuclear Energy Cooperation (IFNEC) and establish a new mission statement as it aims to broaden its scope to wider international participation.

The reactor vessel head at the Davis-Besse nuclear power plant in Ohio will be replaced in 2011 and not 2014 as previously planned, FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company (Fenoc) has announced.

The first concrete has been poured for the foundation plate of the fourth unit at the Rostov nuclear power plant in Russia.

The Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission (NAEC) said that "all things being equal" the country will have a 1000 MWe nuclear power plant in operation by 2019, according to a report in the Leadership newspaper. Earlier, during the inauguration of a new cabinet, the country's president, Goodluck...

Energy ministers from the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) forum have agreed that the deployment of clean energy sources - including nuclear energy - should be promoted in the region.

Areva celebrated today the emplacement of the reactor pressure vessel for the third power unit at Olkiluoto nuclear power plant. It should generate 1600 MWe from early 2013 for plant owner Teollisuuden Voima Oyj.

Russian state nuclear company Rosatom and Electricité de France (EdF) have signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate.

Southern Company subsidiary Georgia Power has formally agreed to accept a conditional federal loan guarantee for the construction of two new nuclear units at its Vogtle site.

Nuclear power could become the world's single biggest source of electricity, said a roadmap revealed today by intergovernmental agencies. Industry says the projections are not ambitious enough.

A consortium of 13 South Korean companies has pledged to contribute 100 billion won (about $83 million) to complete design work on the 330 MWt Smart reactor. Other novel small reactor designs have also hit the news this week.

New reactors will be permitted in Sweden from next year as its moratorium on nuclear power transforms into a new set of restrictions.

The prospect of building a press big enough to make the largest nuclear components at Sheffield in the UK has fallen dramatically with the withdrawal of a key government loan.

Welding repairs to the world's main medical isotope production reactor are now complete. Public hearings on its restart are imminent as it is prepared for service.

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved four power uprates over the last year - and is reviewing another 16 which, if approved, would add over 1000 MWe to the country's nuclear generating capacity.

The presidents of Turkey and South Korea have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation in nuclear energy at a meeting in Seoul.

The German Ministry of Finance has envisaged an additional €2.3 billion ($2.8 billion) per year 'windfall tax' on its nuclear operators as part of the 2011 Federal Budget and its financial plan up to 2014.

Pöyry has acquired 97.8% of Hungary's largest privately owned power sector consulting engineering company as the consultancy moves to enhance its nuclear sector capabilities.

A draft plan for Japanese power supplies to 2030 sees nuclear power expand with at least 14 new reactors on top of today's fleet of 55. Prepared by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the Basic Energy Plan to 2030 sets out milestones for the energy mix. In 2020 the total proportion of non...

A fuel assembly in the reactor core of the Daya Bay 2 has suffered a "very small leakage," causing an increased level of radiation in coolant water since 23 May. The zirconium alloy fuel rods in a reactor core can occasionally suffer mechanical damage which can allow coolant water in the sealed...

Constellation Energy Nuclear Group and GE have signed a long-term services agreement that will see GE provide instrumentation and technical services for the two units at Nine Mile Point nuclear power station to the end of their current licences.

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has authorised the operation of the first cascade at Urenco USA's Louisiana Energy Services (LES) gas centrifuge enrichment plant in New Mexico. Urenco USA says the process to bring the plant from construction status to fully operational will begin over...

US nuclear safety regulators are taking a closer look at recent incidents at the Surry and Brunswick nuclear power plants.