Climate change is an often heard argument for the once called nuclear "renaissance". However, if one looks closer, there was something fishy about the industry using climate change protection as its most prominent feature... » Read more
More then thirty years of debate, and the controversy remains as polarised as ever. This website (to be fair - whose maintainer is anti-nuclear) collects news about nuclear power in Europe, sorted by nuclear power plant, type of power plant, country etc.
By presenting different (media) angles on current nuclear issues, we hope to be able to cut out some spin, either pro or against, and to allow the reader to make up his or her own mind about today's pro's and con's of nuclear power.
In the menu on the right you can select your country, the nuclear power plant in your neighbourhood, or your favourite company and read latest (most English) news about it.
Latest nuclear news
Nuclear plants closure bill to reach $100bn
Wednesday, November 12, 2014The bill for closing down and cleaning up the world’s ageing nuclear reactors will exceed $100bn over the next 25 years alone, the leading energy watchdog has said, warning that governments risk underestimating the cost.
With almost 200 reactors due to be shut down by 2040, the International Energy Agency says in its annual report there are “considerable uncertainties” about decommissioning costs, reflecting governments’ limited experience in safely dismantling nuclear plants. In the last 40 years, only 10 reactors have been closed down.
Areva-Siemens raises claim to $4.4 billion over Finnish reactor delays
Tuesday, October 28, 2014(Reuters) - The French-German consortium Areva-Siemens, the supplier of Finland's much-delayed Olkiluoto-3 nuclear reactor, has increased its claim against Finnish utility Teollisuuden Voima (TVO), TVO said late on Friday.
TVO and Areva have traded accusations about who is to blame for delays and extra costs, and the International Chamber of Commerce's (ICC) arbitration court is processing a dispute on cost overruns between the two sides.
Areva-Siemens in September said the start date of the reactor, which is planned to be Finland's fifth and biggest nuclear unit, will be pushed back to late 2018 - almost a decade later than originally planned.
Chinese Company to Build Romania Nuclear Reactors
Monday, October 20, 2014Nuclearelectrica, the company that runs Romania’s sole nuclear power plant, located in Cernavoda, has chosen China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN) as its investor for the development of two new nuclear reactors.
The project is worth of some 6.5 billion euro, according to company sources.
The Chinese company was the only bidder in the tender procedure organised by Nuclearelectrica.
France ousts pro-nuclear head of power group EDF
Thursday, October 16, 2014President Francois Hollande ousted the pro-nuclear boss of France's main power utility EDF on Wednesday, replacing him with the head of defence electronics firm Thales a day after a new pro-renewables policy became law.
Outgoing Chairman and Chief Executive Henri Proglio had been seeking to renew a mandate that expires next month.
But his pro-nuclear views and status as a 2009 appointee of conservative former president Nicolas Sarkozy sat uncomfortably with the policy of Hollande's Socialist administration, which pushed through a new law on Wednesday that caps nuclear production at the current level.
Alarm after serious breakdowns at ageing Hunterston nuclear plant
Monday, October 13, 2014One of the reactors at the ageing Hunterston nuclear power station in North Ayrshire has been plagued by two serious new breakdowns.
Two large gas circulators vital for cooling the reactor and preventing meltdown were damaged when the lubricating oil was mistakenly switched off. And on Thursday the reactor had to be shut down because its turbine generator was shaking more than it should.
These latest mishaps come after the discovery of two new cracks in the reactor's graphite bricks, as well as a rash of nuclear incidents across Scotland during the week.
Urenco's owners set year-end deadline for indicative bids- sources
Saturday, October 11, 2014(Reuters) - Britain, Germany and the Netherlands have asked prospective buyers for their jointly-owned nuclear fuel enrichment firm Urenco to submit indicative bids by year-end, sources familiar with the process said.
The governments, which each own a third of Urenco, have agreed to test the market's appetite for the world's second-largest nuclear fuel vendor before deciding whether to kick-start a privatisation process that could fetch up to 10 billion euros ($13 billion), said the sources.
Farage and Putin help Hinkley Point clear EU hurdle and put UK's nuclear programme back on track
Thursday, October 2, 2014Fears over energy security raised by Ukraine and a potential in/out referendum on Europe may have helped the EU do a U-turn on new reactors
Anti-nuclear campaigners looking for someone to blame if Hinkley Point in Somerset finally gets the green light for two new reactors might point the finger at Nigel Farage. Vladimir Putin could also be a scapegoat for the European competition commissioner's decision to back the UK government's support for the first new atomic power stations in a generation. But others would say it is less about the politics of European togetherness or energy security and more about the EC commissioner himself, Joaquín Almunia.
Ignalina NPP decommissioning price grows to EUR 2.6 bln
Tuesday, September 30, 2014As the Lithuanian Ministry of Energy reviewed the final Ignalina nuclear power plant (NPP) decommissioning plan, it turned out that the closing price will stand at EUR 2.6 billion at least, while the closing deadline has been extended for 9 years, informs LETA/ELTA.
The initial decommissioning plane, passed back in 2005, spoke about closing the plant by 2029 for EUR 1.24 billion.
Hungary cuts off natural gas shipments to Ukraine
Monday, September 29, 2014BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungary unexpectedly cut off natural gas shipments to Ukraine on Thursday, days after getting assurances from Russian supplier Gazprom that it would get enough deliveries to fill up its own gas storage facilities.
Hungary had been sending an estimated 3 million cubic meters of natural gas a day to Ukraine, which has not received any from Russia since June. But FGSZ, Hungary's gas transmission firm, said it suspended the flow to Ukraine indefinitely to ensure pipeline capacity for incoming deliveries as it builds its own reserves.
Finland under more pressure over Russian N-plant plan
Monday, September 29, 2014Finland’s government has come under renewed pressure over its decision to approve a Russian-built nuclear reactor after legal experts questioned the independence of the economy minister responsible for the plan.
There were claims that technical plans for the plant were based on a flawed and outdated design by Rosatom, the Russian state-owned company that holds a 34 per cent stake in the project.
Olli Rehn, the Finish MEP and former EU economics commissioner, wrote on his blog on Sunday night that the plan for the Fennovoima nuclear plant was “economically uncertain and politically crippled”.