Waste solution a UK priority

The UK is looking for ways to speed up its radioactive waste disposal program, hoping to have an underground facility in operation by 2029...
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German parliament approves plan to end use of nuclear energy by 2022

German lawmakers have overwhelmingly approved the government’s plan for the country to shut down all its nuclear power plants by the end of 2022. Parliament’s lower house voted 513-79, with eight abstentions, for the shutdown plan in Europe’s biggest economy. Most of the opposition voted in favor...
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Scientists monitor air as fire burns near NM lab

As crews fight to keep a New Mexico wildfire from reaching the nation's premier nuclear-weapons laboratory and the surrounding community, scientists are busy sampling the air for chemicals and radiological materials...
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Bloomberg Blasts Cuomo's Plans to Close Indian Point

“Well, if you close Indian Point down today we’d have enormous blackouts,” the mayor quipped when questioned by a reporter about the development during a press conference at Gracie Mansion Wednesday...
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France Lifts Nuclear-Safety Spending

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said his government would beef up spending on nuclear-safety research and development, seeking to reassure voters amid a nascent political debate over France's reliance on atomic energy...
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Fort Calhoun defends against flood

The Fort Calhoun nuclear power plant switched to diesel generators for a time yesterday amid the severe Missouri flooding that looks set to continue for another month...
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U.N. Panel Reports Possible Iran Sanctions Breaches

A U.N. Security Council panel on Thursday said it had learned since late March of three new purported breaches of international penalties targeting Iran's disputed atomic activities...
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Senators demand congressional probe on nuke safety

Three U.S. senators, alarmed by findings of an Associated Press investigation about aging problems at the nation's nuclear power plants, asked Thursday for a congressional investigation of safety standards and federal oversight at the facilities...
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AGING NUKES, PART 4 OF 4: NRC and industry rewrite nuke history

When commercial nuclear power was getting its start in the 1960s and 1970s, industry and regulators stated unequivocally that reactors were designed only to operate for 40 years. Now they tell another story — insisting that the units were built with no inherent life span, and can run for up to a century, an Associated Press investigation shows...
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Nuclear to play part in TVA future

The safety and reliability of nuclear power is being examined closely in an Associated Press series that began earlier this week and concludes next week. It asserts that the NRC regularly lowers its standards to prolong the life of nuclear reactors. Ashok Bhatnagar, TVA senior vice president of nuclear generation development and construction says that is not the case. He says there is very close oversight at all U.S. nuclear power plants whether they are under construction or operating.
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Lead scientist at NRC blasts boss over nuke dump

A government scientist in charge of reviewing the safety of the Yucca Mountain radioactive waste dump in Nevada is accusing his bosses of letting "political pressures" and "manipulation" taint the process...
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More nations join European 'stress tests'

The European Commission's initiative to check the safety of nuclear power plants in extreme circumstances has grown to include 196 reactors with the participation of seven neighbouring countries...
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Minister calls for restart of Japan's reactors

A shortage of electricity would be the greatest obstacle to economic recovery in Japan following the huge earthquake and tsunami in March, according to the country's industry minister. He said that this makes local permission for restarting Japan's nuclear power plants essential...
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U.S. Urged to Press Case Against Iranian Nukes

The United States must focus on convincing Iran not to establish a nuclear deterrent, as the Middle Eastern nation is now for the most part equipped to do so, according to a RAND assessment made public on Tuesday...
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Russian President Backs Updated Plutonium Disposal Pact

An update to a U.S.-Russian pact on eliminating stockpiled weapon-usable plutonium has received Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's approval, the official Rossiiskaya Gazeta newspaper reported on Tuesday...
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Expert Report Warns of Continued Nuclear Terrorism Danger

Russian and U.S. experts in a collaborative report on Monday warned of the continued worldwide danger that terrorists might acquire and use a nuclear weapon, according to Harvard University's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs...
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UPDATE:Areva, Utilities Discuss Pact On US Nuclear Fuel-Recycling Center

The U.S. arm of nuclear reactor-maker Areva SA (ARVCY, AREVA.FR) is in talks with utility companies about the prospect of a recycling center for spent nuclear fuel in the U.S., a top company official said Monday...
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Radiation’s Unknowns Weigh on Japan

As officials in Japan agonize over what constitutes a safe radiation dose for people who live near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactors, the state of the science has been a daunting problem. Studies on the effects of exposure are based mostly on large doses delivered quickly by atomic bombs, while radiation from the Fukushima disaster would more likely result in small doses delivered over many years...
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3 nuclear reactors melted down after quake, Japan confirms

Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant experienced full meltdowns at three reactors in the wake of an earthquake and tsunami in March, the country's Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters said Monday...
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Chu to Promote Atomic Collaboration During Russia Tour

U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu is expected on a six-day trip to Russia this week to promote bilateral cooperation on nuclear nonproliferation and civilian atomic power initiatives, the Energy Department said on Friday...
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New Data Hints at Iranian Nuke Efforts: Amano

International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Yukiya Amano on Monday said his organization had obtained data on operations that suggest Iran's atomic activities included weapons-related elements, Reuters reported...
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World needs willing takers for nuclear waste-report

Governments could take pointers from Sweden and Finland when trying to find places to
store the world's growing pile of radioactive waste from nuclear power plants, a group of arms control experts said on Friday...
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TEPCO eyes design flaw in hydrogen explosion

A design flaw in the exhaust system within the reactors at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant may have caused a hydrogen explosion at the No. 1 reactor March 12 that blew the top off the structure...
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New tests find AP1000 shield 'strong,' Westinghouse says

To support its case for the safety of its nuclear power plant design, Westinghouse Electric Co. said on Friday that Purdue University researchers tested the shield building for the AP1000 and found it more than meets federal regulator's strength requirements.
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