All SONE articles

Posted by NucNet on 18 March 2014 in NucNet

Returns for French utility EDF and other investors in the UK’s first new nuclear plant in two decades, supported by the government, could be much higher than for other projects, according to a report published today by a think-tank. Investors could earn returns of up to 21 percent ...

Posted by NucNet on 18 March 2014 in NucNet

EDF Energy has responded to a report by a UK think-tank by saying assumptions about financing and potential equity returns for investors in the Hinkley Point C nuclear project are “not correct” and were not provided or validated by EDF Energy. The Carbon Connect report, released earlier today, ...

Posted by NucNet on 12 March 2014 in NucNet

The Fukushima-Daiichi accident led to many nuclear regulatory bodies taking steps to strengthen nuclear safety and provide additional resources for regulators, a report has concluded. The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) report reviewed 16 countries, 13 of which operate commercial nuclear power reactors and three of which are ...

Posted by NucNet on 10 March 2014 in NucNet

Residents of the town of Tamura who were evacuated following the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear accident are to be allowed to move back into their homes, Japanese authorities have said. Three years after the 11 March 2011 disaster, the Japanese government has told residents that it will lift the evacuation ...

Posted by NucNet on 7 March 2014 in NucNet

Nuclear fuel enrichment company Urenco, jointly owned by the German, British and Dutch governments, has reported a four percent drop in full-year core earnings because customer demand has slowed. The UK-based company, which its owners are looking to partly sell, saw 2013 earnings, before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation, fall.

Posted by NucNet on 7 March 2014 in NucNet

UK members of parliament on the Energy and Climate Change Committee have announced a new inquiry into “small nuclear power” and are calling for written submissions of evidence. The committee said small reactors – which it defined as below 300 megawatts – potentially have many useful applications, including ...

Posted by NucNet on 7 March 2014 in NucNet

The welding of pipes for the emergency core cooling system (ECCS) has been completed and the pressuriser installed at Unit 3 of Russia’s Rostov nuclear power station, Rosenergoatom, the nuclear power station operations subsidiary of state nuclear company Rosatom, has said. After the completion of work on the ...

Posted by NucNet on 7 March 2014 in NucNet

Finnish utility Fennovoima has asked the government for a revised decision-in-principle for the construction of the new Hanhikivi nuclear power station at Pyhäjoki in northwest Finland, the company said in a statement. Fennovoima submitted a request on 4 March 2014 to the Ministry of Employment and Economy to ...

Posted by NucNet on 7 March 2014 in NucNet

Workers at Sellafield in the UK have removed 100 tonnes of contaminated, redundant equipment from the oldest fuel storage pond at the site. The 60-year-old pond, known as the pile fuel storage pond, is being emptied as part of a plan to clean up and decommission the oldest ...

Posted by NucNet on 6 March 2014 in NucNet

Russian nuclear fuel company TVEL has said it will honour all its nuclear fuel supply commitments to foreign nuclear power stations, despite a ban on transporting fuel cycle products across Ukraine by rail. State nuclear corporation Rosatom said in a statement today that the rail ban was imposed ...

Posted by NucNet on 6 March 2014 in NucNet

The radiation and nuclear safety authorities of Denmark, Iceland, Finland, Norway and Sweden have agreed a joint set of generic guidelines for protective measures in the event of a nuclear or radiological emergency, the authorities have said in a statement. The new Nordic guidelines are based on existing ...

Posted by NucNet on 5 March 2014 in NucNet

Measures provided for the support of renewable energy sources should apply to nuclear energy in order to create “a level-playing field” for all low-carbon technologies, European nuclear energy industry association Foratom has said in a position paper. Brussels-based Foratom said it supports the European Commission (EC) proposed target ...

Posted by NucNet on 4 March 2014 in NucNet

Ministers in Japan have approved a portion of a draft basic energy plan that calls for nuclear energy to be a key baseload power source as long as its safety can be assured. The Japan Atomic Industrial Forum (Jaif) said “adjustments” to the draft plan need to be ...

Posted by NucNet on 3 March 2014 in NucNet

The “relatively small” quantities of remaining overseas origin nuclear fuel in the UK should be managed by means of interim storage pending disposal, with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) “taking ownership” of the fuel where necessary, a government consultation document says. The document, ‘Consultation on the management of ...

Posted by NucNet on 28 February 2014 in NucNet

Authorisation to proceed with manufacturing of the world’s largest pulsed electromagnet is expected in May 2014 following development of “a firm basis” for the design, the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (Iter) organisation has said. The solenoid-type electromagnet will be used to initiate and maintain the plasma current within ...

Posted by NucNet on 28 February 2014 in NucNet

US president Barack Obama has approved an agreement for peaceful nuclear cooperation with Vietnam. The so-called ‘123 Agreement’ now passes to Congress for a 90-day review, a state department statement said. Under the agreement, US companies will be allowed to export nuclear-related fuel, expertise, reactors and equipment.