Fukui Gov Issei Nishikawa will soon give his consent for the restart of two nuclear reactors at Kansai Electric Power Co’s Takahama plant

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JAPAN TODAY

Fukui governor to give consent for nuclear plant restart

National Dec. 21, 2015 - 07:00AM JST ( 7 )

 

FUKUI —

Fukui Gov Issei Nishikawa will soon give his consent for the restart of two nuclear reactors in the prefecture on the Sea of Japan coast, sources close to the matter said Sunday, as the central government seeks to bring more reactors back online after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear crisis.

The governor will visit the site of the Nos. 3 and 4 reactors at Kansai Electric Power Co’s Takahama plant on Monday to check safety measures before expressing his consent, they said. The governor’s consent is necessary to restart the reactors.

Earlier in the day, industry minister Motoo Hayashi, in charge of the country’s energy policy, met with Nishikawa at the Fukui prefectural office and sought the Fukui governor’s consent for the restart of the two nuclear reactors.

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Nuclear Event - State of Delaware, [Salem Nuclear Power Plant]

Earth Watch Report  -  Nuclear Event

The Salem 2 nuclear reactor, seen at right at PSEG Nuclear's Artificial Island generating complex in Lower Alloways Creek Township, returned to service this morning.Staff Photo by Britney Lillya

  By South Jersey Times

Salem Unit 2 nuclear reactor shut down after control rod issue

on January 31, 2014 at 2:21 PM
LOWER ALLOWAYS CREEK TWP.
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Nuclear Event

USA

State of Delaware, [Salem Nuclear Power Plant]

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Nuclear Event in USA on Saturday, 01 February, 2014 at 05:43 (05:43 AM) UTC.

Description

Salem Unit 2 was manually taken offline by control room operators at 10:01 a.m. Friday, according to Joe Delmar, spokesman for PSEG Nuclear, after an issue with one of the control rods. There was no threat to the health and safety of the public, and no issues with the manual shutdown, he added. A return to service is not available at this time. The plant had been online 430 consecutive days, Delmar said, and it produces 1175 megawatts of electricity �" enough power for a million homes. On Friday morning, Delmar said control room operators were conducting monthly testing on the control rods used to control reactor power. During the monthly testing, one of the control rods dropped out of its expected position, he said. At this time, the expected cause of the control rod mispositioning is believed to be a blown fuse with a more detailed investigation under way. In a pressurized water reactor like Salem, the control rods are inserted into the top of the fuel assemblies. There are 193 nuclear fuel assemblies inside the Salem reactor core and 53 control rods. In response to the control rod mispositioning, Delmar said control room operators took appropriate actions including adding boron to the reactor water to reduce power level and maintain shutdown margin as required by NRC technical specifications. Operators then made the subsequent conservative decision to safely shut the unit down, he said. Salem Unit 1 and the neighboring Hope Creek plant were not impacted and remain at full power. Salem 2 is one of three reactors operated by PSEG Nuclear at its generating site on Artificial Island here.

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Nuclear Event : United Kingdom - Scotland, [Torness Nuclear Power Station]

Earth Watch Report

Torness Nuclear Power Station

As viewed from a minor road near Innerwick.

Image Source  :  Geograph.org.uk

  © Copyright James T M Towill

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Nuclear Event

United Kingdom

Scotland, [Torness Nuclear Power Station]

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Nuclear Event in United Kingdom on Friday, 22 November, 2013 at 04:36 (04:36 AM) UTC.

Description

Seawater cooling system of Torness in East Lothian has become clogged with seaweed for the second time this year. A nuclear reactor near Edinburgh shut down on Thursday because its seawater cooling system became clogged with seaweed. This is the second time this year that reactors at Torness in East Lothian have been forced to close because of excessive seaweed. In 2011 it was closed by a swarm of jellyfish. Reactors need large amounts of water in order to keep them cool, and to prevent them from overheating. Seawater for cooling at Torness is filtered, but when the filters get clogged, reactors have to be shut down as a safety precaution. The station's operator, EDF Energy, has said that one of the two 640-megawatt reactors at Torness was shut down in the early hours of this morning. It is expected to remain closed for the next seven days. "We took reactor 2 offline at 02:20 this morning due to increased seaweed ingress as a result of the weather conditions in the area," said the nuclear station's director, Paul Winkle. "We are aware that at certain times of year with particular weather conditions in this part of the Forth estuary, seaweed volumes can increase and enter the station's cooling water intake system." Torness staff were trained to respond to this situation by taking reactors offline if necessary, he said. "In addition, the many-layered safety systems monitor conditions like this and the plant's inbuilt mechanisms will take the unit offline automatically."

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Seaweed shuts down Scottish nuclear reactor

Seawater cooling system of Torness in East Lothian has become clogged with seaweed for the second time this year

• Rob Edwards
• 
  
• theguardian.com, Thursday 21 November 2013 12.11 EST

Torness nuclear power plant, seen from Skateraw Bay near Dunbar in East Lothian, Scotland. Photograph: Gary Doak/Alamy

A nuclear reactor near Edinburgh shut down on Thursday because its seawater cooling system became clogged with seaweed.
This is the second time this year that reactors at Torness in East Lothian have been forced to close because of excessive seaweed. In 2011 it was closed by a swarm of jellyfish.
Reactors need large amounts of water in order to keep them cool, and to prevent them from overheating. Seawater for cooling at Torness is filtered, but when the filters get clogged, reactors have to be shut down as a safety precaution.
The station's operator, EDF Energy, has said that one of the two 640-megawatt reactors at Torness was shut down in the early hours of this morning. It is expected to remain closed for the next seven days.
"We took reactor 2 offline at 02:20 this morning due to increased seaweed ingress as a result of the weather conditions in the area," said the nuclear station's director, Paul Winkle.
"We are aware that at certain times of year with particular weather conditions in this part of the Forth estuary, seaweed volumes can increase and enter the station's cooling water intake system."
Torness staff were trained to respond to this situation by taking reactors offline if necessary, he said. "In addition, the many-layered safety systems monitor conditions like this and the plant's inbuilt mechanisms will take the unit offline automatically."

Read More Here
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• Nuclear Event - Europe - United Kingdom

Britain to build Europe's first nuclear plant since Fukushima

Image Source:  Wkimedia Commons     PD-USGOV.
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Sun Oct 20, 2013 4:36pm BST

By Karolin Schaps and Geert De Clercq


LONDON/PARIS (Reuters) - Britain is set to sign a deal with France's EDF for the first nuclear plant to start construction in Europe since Japan's Fukushima disaster raised safety concerns worldwide, at a cost estimated at around $23 billion.
Under the deal, to be announced on Monday, the French state-controlled utility will lead a consortium, including a Chinese group, to construct two European Pressurised Water Reactors (EPRs) designed by France's Areva.
Industry estimates, based on other nuclear projects, put the cost at around 14 billion pounds or more than 16 billion euros.
EDF's long-time partner China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN), possibly in combination with China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), is expected to have a 30 to 40 percent stake in the consortium, with Areva taking another 10 percent, according to newspapers including France's Les Echos and Britain's Sunday Telegraph.
The two reactors, each with a capacity of 1.6 gigawatts, would together make up nearly five percent of British generating capacity and increase energy security in the country, which needs to replace 20 percent of its ageing and polluting power plants over the coming decade.
EDF and the British prime minister's office declined to comment on the media reports, but EDF said in a statement on Sunday its CEO Henri Proglio would give details about the UK nuclear project in a web conference Monday morning.
The project is a boost for the global nuclear industry, which has seen projects cancelled since the 2011 Fukushima disaster.
Germany decided to phase out nuclear power, Italy scrapped a planned nuclear programme and France has pledged to cut atomic power to 50 percent of its electricity mix from 75 percent today.
Britain's government and main opposition parties support nuclear power and anti-nuclear sentiment among the population is muted by comparison with other parts of Europe.
George Borovas, nuclear specialist at law firm Pillsbury, said Britain is a unique environment for nuclear, given political support, a relatively strong economy and an existing nuclear fleet.
"If nuclear can't work in the UK, where else?" he said.

Read More Here

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Nuclear Event - South Korea, Province of Gyeongsangbuk-do, [Hanul Nuclear Power Plant]

 

Earth Watch Report  -  Nuclear  Event

Image Source
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05.07.2013

Nuclear Event

South Korea

Province of Gyeongsangbuk-do, [Hanul Nuclear Power Plant]

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Nuclear Event in South Korea on Friday, 05 July, 2013 at 14:32 (02:32 PM) UTC.

Description

A South Korean nuclear reactor shut down Friday after a technical malfunction, operators said, at a time when the government is already warning of serious power shortages because multiple reactors are offline. The state-run Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power (KHNP) said an investigation was underway to confirm the precise cause but added there was no immediate safety threat. The incident occurred at the Hanwool Nuclear Power Plant in Uljin County on South Korea's eastern coast. At proper capacity, South Korea's nuclear reactors supply more than 35 percent of the country's electricity needs. But nine of 23 reactors are currently offline for multiple reasons, including a scandal involving parts provided with fake safety certificates. State prosecutors have launched an extensive probe into the fraud which forced the shutdown of two reactors in May and delayed the scheduled start of operations at two more. Last year, officials said eight suppliers were found to have faked warranties covering thousands of items used in a number of reactors. South Korea's nuclear sector has been dogged by a series of malfunctions, forced shutdowns and corruption scandals that have undermined public confidence already shaken by the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan. Despite increasing public concern, the government has vowed to push ahead with its nuclear power program and plans to build an additional 16 reactors by 2030.

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S. Korean nuclear reactor shuts down

by Staff Writers

Seoul (AFP) July 05, 2013

A South Korean nuclear reactor shut down Friday after a technical malfunction, operators said, at a time when the government is already warning of serious power shortages because multiple reactors are offline.
The state-run Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power (KHNP) said an investigation was underway to confirm the precise cause but added there was no immediate safety threat.
The incident occurred at the Hanwool Nuclear Power Plant in Uljin County on South Korea's eastern coast.
At proper capacity, South Korea's nuclear reactors supply more than 35 percent of the country's electricity needs.
But nine of 23 reactors are currently offline for multiple reasons, including a scandal involving parts provided with fake safety certificates.
State prosecutors have launched an extensive probe into the fraud which forced the shutdown of two reactors in May and delayed the scheduled start of operations at two more.
Last year, officials said eight suppliers were found to have faked warranties covering thousands of items used in a number of reactors.
South Korea's nuclear sector has been dogged by a series of malfunctions, forced shutdowns and corruption scandals that have undermined public confidence already shaken by the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan.
Despite increasing public concern, the government has vowed to push ahead with its nuclear power programme and plans to build an additional 16 reactors by 2030.
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• Nuclear Event - Asia - South Korea

Nuclear Event - Sweden, Varberg Municipality, [Ringhals Nuclear Power Plant] : A small fire broke out at the Ringhals nuclear power plant in western Sweden on Wednesday morning

Earth Watch Report  -  Nuclear  Event

Fire hits Swedish nuke plant near Gothenburg

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12.06.2013

Nuclear Event

Sweden

Varberg Municipality, [Ringhals Nuclear Power Plant]

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Nuclear Event in Sweden on Wednesday, 12 June, 2013 at 10:27 (10:27 AM) UTC.

Description

A small fire broke out at the Ringhals nuclear power plant in western Sweden on Wednesday morning, less than a day after the reactor had been restarted. The blaze started shortly after 9am at Ringhals' Reactor 1 and was extinguished less than an hour later. "The smoke came from oil inside the insulation on one or several of the pipes in the turbine hall," emergency services spokesman Roger Banck said. However, the reactor continues to operate at half capacity and it remains unclear how long it will continue to do so. "Now we have to disassemble certain parts in order to access where the fire took place and see what the damage is and we don't know how long that will take," Ringshals spokesman Gosta Larsen said. Ringhals' Reactor 1 was restarted on Tuesday after having been shut down the day before due to a broken meter. The reactor had been closed for inspection for the previous five weeks and it was undergoing a test run when the meter malfunction was discovered. Reactor 4, which also remains shuttered for a safety review, is supposed to be restarted on Sunday.

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