Page 2 - Nuclear Plant

Japanese PM Fumio Kishida visits Fukushima plant to highlight safety

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will make a brief visit to the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant on Sunday to highlight the safety of an impending release of treated radioactive wastewater into the Pacific Ocean, a divisive plan that his government wants to start soon despite protests at home and abroad. His trip comes hours after he returned home Saturday from a summit with U.S. and South Korean leaders at the American presidential retreat of Camp David. Before leaving Washington on Friday, Kishida said it is time to make a decision on the treated water's release date, which has not been set due to the controversy surrounding the plan. Since the government announced the release plan two years ago, it has faced strong opposition from Japanese fishing organizations, which worry about further damage to the reputation of their seafood as they struggle to recover from the accident. Groups in South Korea and China have also raised concerns, turning it into a political and ...

India's first domestically built 700 MW nuke reactor starts ops in Gujarat

India's first indigenously developed 700 MW nuclear power reactor at the Kakrapar Atomic Power Project (KAPP) in Gujarat started commercial operations on Friday, a senior official said. "With great pleasure, this is to inform that our first indigenous 700 MWe Unit, KAPP-3, has become commercial on 30th June 2023 at 1000 Hrs," a senior KAPP official said. Presently, the unit is operating at 90 per cent of its total power, he said. The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) is building two 700 MW pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWRs) at Kakrapar, which is also home to two 220 MW power plants. Various commissioning activities were underway at KAPP 4, which had achieved 96.92 per cent progress by May end, according to officials. The NPCIL plans to build sixteen 700 MW PHWRs across the country and has granted financial and administrative sanction for the same. Construction of 700 MW nuclear power plants is underway at Rawatbhata in Rajasthan (RAPS 7 and 8) and at Gorakh

UN nuke chief to visit Fukushima plant, see preps for release of wastewater

The chief of the UN nuclear agency will visit Japan next week to meet with Japanese leaders and see final preparations for the release of treated radioactive wastewater from the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean, officials said Friday. Japan's government hopes the visit by International Atomic Energy Agency head Rafael Mariano Grossi will add credibility to the discharge plan. It has been strongly opposed by local fishing groups and by neighboring South Korea, China and some Pacific Island nations over safety concerns. Grossi will visit Japan July 4-7, Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said. He is expected to meet with Hayashi, Industry Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and visit the Fukushima plant, which was damaged by a massive earthquake and tsunami in 2011. Japan attaches great importance to the efforts of the IAEA, which serves an important role in promoting nuclear nonproliferation and peaceful uses of nuclear energy. We hope

Zelenskyy tells other countries to act before Russia attacks nuclear plant

Ukraine wants other countries to heed its warning that Russia may be planning to attack an occupied nuclear power plant to cause a radiation disaster, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. Members of his government briefed international representatives on Thursday on the possible threat to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. In his nightly address, Zelenskyy said he expected other nations to give appropriate signals and exert pressure on Moscow. Our principle is simple: The world must know what the occupier is preparing. Everyone who knows must act, Zelenskyy said. The world has enough power to prevent any radiation incidents, let alone a radiation catastrophe. The potential for a life-threatening release of radiation has been a concern since Russian troops invaded Ukraine last year and seized the plant, which is Europe's largest nuclear power station. The head of the UN's atomic energy agency spent months unsuccessfully trying to negotiate for a safety perimeter to protect the .

Japan nuclear plant conducts tests before discharging wastewater into sea

The operator of the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant began tests on Monday of newly constructed facilities for discharging treated radioactive wastewater into the sea, a plan strongly opposed by local fishing communities and neighboring countries. The tests at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant use fresh water instead of the treated water, operator Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings said. Plant workers examined pumps and emergency shutdown equipment at the newly constructed seaside facility, which will dilute the treated water with large amounts of seawater. The diluted water then enters an undersea tunnel and is released into the ocean about 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) from the coast. The undersea tunnel and other key facilities are near completion. TEPCO says the voluntary tests are expected to continue for about two weeks ahead of mandatory pre-operation checks to be conducted by the Nuclear Regulation Authority, possibly in early July. Japan's government announced plans in

Papers left on car roof may keep world's biggest nuclear plant shut

Safety lapses and strict regulatory process have stopped Japan from restarting most of its nuclear reactors shut in the wake of 2011 Fukushima disaster

UN's nuclear watchdog growingly worried over Ukraine plant safety

The head of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog is expressing growing anxiety about the safety of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, after the governor of the Russia-occupied area ordered the evacuation of a town where most plant staff live amid ongoing attacks in the area. The plant is near the front lines of fighting, and Ukrainian authorities on Sunday said that a 72-year-old woman was killed and three others were wounded when Russian forces fired more than 30 shells at Nikopol, a Ukrainian-held town neighbouring the plant. The general situation in the area near the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant is becoming increasingly unpredictable and potentially dangerous," International Atomic Energy Agency head Rafael Grossi said in a warning that came Saturday before the latest report of attacks. I'm extremely concerned about the very real nuclear safety and security risks facing the plant. Grossi's comments were prompted by an announcement Friday by Yevgeny Balitsky, the ...

Zelenskyy, UN's atomic agency chief discuss disaster risk at nuclear plant

The UN's atomic energy chief warned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a meeting Monday that the perilous situation at Europe's largest nuclear plant isn't getting any better as relentless fighting in the area puts the facility at risk of a nuclear disaster. The Zaporizhzhia plant, which continues to power war-torn Ukraine, has lost several of its power transmission cables during Russia's war, and on multiple occasions has had to switch to emergency diesel generators to power its essential cooling systems preventing a meltdown. International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Rafael Grossi plans to visit the Russian-held plant this week. The Vienna-based agency has staff permanently deployed at the plant following Russia's invasion 13 months ago. In the meeting, covered exclusively by The Associated Press, Grossi said the situation at the plant remains tense because of the heavy military presence around it and a blackout that recently struck the facility, something that h

Russia's Rosatom sends 'more advanced' fuel option for Indian nuclear plant

Russia's state-owned nuclear energy company Rosatom earlier this year sent a "more advanced" fuel option for a nuclear power plant in southern India, an Indian government minister told parliament

Iran begins construction of new nuclear power plant in Khuzestan

Iran began on Saturday the construction of a new nuclear power plant in its southwestern province of Khuzestan

Backup diesel generators used at Ukraine nuclear site to fend off crisis

Europe's largest nuclear power plant was relying on emergency diesel generators to run its safety systems on Thursday after external power from the Ukrainian electric grid was again cut off, Ukrainian and UN officials reported. Fighting in Ukraine has repeatedly damaged power lines and electrical substations that the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant requires to operate in-house safety systems, forcing operators to turn to backup generators to cool its six reactors until regular power is restored. All six reactors have been shut down. The generators have enough fuel to maintain the plant in southeastern Ukraine for just 15 days, state nuclear power company Energoatom said. The countdown has begun, Energoatom said, noting it had limited possibilities to maintain the ZNPP in a safe mode, raising fears of a potential nuclear disaster. The UN's International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed the switch to backup diesel generators and said that underlines the extremely precarious nuclear ..

Ukraine alleges Russian dirty bomb deception at Europe's largest nuke plant

Ukraine's nuclear energy operator said on Tuesday that Russian forces were performing secret work at Europe's largest nuclear power plant, activity that could shed light on Russia's claims that the Ukrainian military is preparing a provocation involving a radioactive device. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu made an unsubstantiated allegation that Ukraine was preparing to launch a so-called dirty bomb. Shoigu levelled the charge over the weekend in calls to his British, French, Turkish and US counterparts. Britain, France and the United States rejected it out of hand as transparently false. Ukraine also dismissed Moscow's claim as an attempt to distract attention from the Kremlin's own alleged plans to detonate a dirty bomb, which uses explosives to scatter radioactive waste in an effort to sow terror. Energoatom, the Ukrainian state enterprise that operates the country's four nuclear power plants, said Russian forces have carried out secret construction work over the last wee

Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant to switch to Russian fuel amid outages

Plans are afoot to switch the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) to Russian fuel even as the situation around it remains "increasingly dangerous, precarious and challenging"

Iran confirms uranium enrichment at its Natanz underground facility

The Iranian nuclear chief has confirmed media reports that Iran has begun enriching uranium with the third cascade of new centrifuges at its Natanz underground facility

Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant wihout external power: UN watchdog

The head of the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog said Wednesday that a Ukrainian nuclear plant surrounded by Russian troops has lost all external power needed for vital safety systems for the second time in five days. International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Rafael Grossi said agency monitors at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant reported the interruption and said backup diesel generators are keeping nuclear safety and security equipment operational. This repeated loss of #ZNPP's off-site power is a deeply worrying development and it underlines the urgent need for a nuclear safety & security protection zone around the site, Grossi tweeted.

Last reactor at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant stopped says operator

Ukraine's atomic power operator said Sunday that the last reactor at Europe's largest nuclear power plant has been shut down after the plant was reconnected to the electricity grid. The six-reactor Zaporizhzhia plant was disconnected from the grid last week after all its power lines were disconnected as a result of fighting in the area, and was operating in island mode for several days, generating electricity for crucial cooling systems from its only remaining reactor in operation. Nuclear operator Energoatom said that one of the power lines was restored late Saturday, allowing plant operators to shut down the last reactor. The company said the risk remains high that outside power is cut again, in which case the plant would have to fire up emergency diesel generators to keep the reactors cool and prevent a nuclear meltdown. The company's chief told The Associated Press on Thursday that the plant only has diesel fuel for 10 days. The plant, one of the 10 biggest atomic power station

Germany sticks to nuclear phaseout plan but leaves loophole

Germany is sticking to its long-held plan of shutting down the country's three remaining nuclear power plants this year but keeping the option of reactivating two of them in case of an energy shortage in the coming months, officials said Monday. The announcement follows the publication of a much-anticipated stress test that examined how Germany's power grid will cope with a possible electricity squeeze due to the energy crisis Europe is facing. Like other European countries, Germany is scrambling to ensure the lights stay on and homes stay warm this winter despite the reduction in natural gas flows from Russia amid the war in Ukraine. The government has already announced numerous measures to import gas from other sources and reactivate mothballed coal- and oil-fueled power plants, while urging citizens to conserve as much energy as possible. But there were concerns that Germany's power grid could be heavily strained if consumers switch to electric heaters in the winter and strong .

Ukraine's nuclear plant cut from main power line again: Officials

Europe's largest nuclear plant, Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, once again went off in the early hours of the day amid the shelling that destroyed a key power line

UK's outgoing PM Johnson pledges millions to fund new nuclear plant

Britain's outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday pledged 700 million pounds (USD 810 million) of government funding for a planned new nuclear power plant as part of a drive to improve the UK's energy security. Johnson said the spike in global gas prices driven by Russia's invasion of Ukraine showed why more nuclear generation capacity was needed in the UK. The plant, called Sizewell C, is located on eastern England's Suffolk coast. French energy company EDF, which will partly fund the project, has said it can generate low-carbon electricity for at least 60 years when the project is complete. The plant will reportedly cost about 20 billion pounds (USD 23 billion). Britain's government gave the greenlight for the plant in July, and talks about how to fund it are ongoing. Yes, nuclear always looks relatively expensive to build and to run, Johnson said in his final major policy speech as prime minister. But look at what's happening today, look at the results of Putin's war.

UN monitors head to Ukraine nuclear plant amid concerns over radiation leak

A team of international nuclear inspectors was heading Wednesday to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant caught in the middle of the fighting in southern Ukraine amid international concern of a potential accident or radiation leak. Rafael Grossi, the head of the the International Atomic Energy Agency, said he hoped to establish a permanent mission in Ukraine to monitor Europe's largest nuclear plant. These operations are very complex operations. We are going to a war zone. We are going to occupied territory. And this requires explicit guarantees from not only from the Russians, but also from the Republic of Ukraine, Grossi said in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv before the monitoring the mission's departure. We have been able to secure that. ... So now we are moving. The power plant has been occupied by Russian forces and operated by Ukrainian workers since the early days of the 6-month-old war. The site was recently temporarily cut off from the electrical grid because of fire damag