Advanced Reactor Gets Closer to Reality

Terrapower, a startup funded in part by Nathan Myhrvold and Bill Gates, is moving closer to building a new type of nuclear reactor called a traveling wave reactor that runs on an abundant form of uranium. The company sees it as a possible alternative to fusion reactors, which are also valued for their potential to produce power from a nearly inexhaustible source of fuel...
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Georgia Power's nuclear project could open on time

Georgia Power may finish its first nuclear reactor for Plant Vogtle two months ahead of schedule despite delays, possibly opening in April 2016, the company told state utility regulators Friday...
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Nuclear stress tests begin for Japan

Japan's two-step nuclear stress tests are beginning as government and authorities seek to bring back nuclear power supply. The move by Japanese safety authorities is inspired by the European Union's response to the Fukushima accident as well as the urgent need to reassure the public...
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NRC report calls new wave of reactors safer

Two nuclear reactor designs slated for use in the United States could be safer than existing plants if a prolonged power outage occurred, a federal safety taskforce said Wednesday in a report examining lessons learned from the Japanese earthquake and nuclear crisis...
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US task force calls for sweeping new rules at nuclear power plants

U.S. nuclear power regulators should consider a slew of new requirements designed to ensure that the country’s 104 nuclear reactors can withstand a major disaster, a federal task force says in a new report...
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NC State says small reactor leak poses no threat

North Carolina State University says a small leak in a nuclear reactor it uses for research poses no public health threat...
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Modular reactor a move into nuclear future

The Tennessee Valley Authority is moving forward with plans to build the nation's first modular nuclear power plant at the former Clinch River Breeder Reactor site in Oak Ridge...
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Nuclear technology is Russian priority

Nuclear energy has been formally recognised as a critical technology in a decree that makes nuclear development a priority for Russia. President Dmitry Medvedev signed off a list of 27 technologies as critical to Russia, including nuclear energy, the nuclear fuel cycle, safety of radioactive waste and used nuclear fuel...
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Fukushima cover takes shape

With a lightweight construction compared to the thick reinforced concrete of a reactor building, it will form a seal around the damaged building and reduce any ongoing emission of radioactivity and protect the building from the weather.
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Pakistan Seen as Having Fastest Expanding Nuke Stockpile

A soon-to-be-published analysis has determined that Pakistan is expanding its nuclear arsenal at a much faster rate than any other nation and could have 200 nuclear bombs in 10 years if the present pace of production is maintained, the Indian Express reported on Thursday...
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Design Flaw Fueled Nuclear Disaster

Some senior engineers at Tokyo Electric Power Co. knew for years that five of its nuclear reactors in Fukushima prefecture had a potentially dangerous design flaw, but the company didn't fully upgrade them, dooming them to failure when the earthquake hit, a Wall Street Journal examination of the disaster shows...
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Senate confirms NRC official after hold

The Senate confirmed William Ostendorff to a second term on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Thursday evening, shortly after Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) lifted his procedural his hold on the nominee...
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