MADRID (AFP) — A Spanish nuclear power plant shut down after an electrical generator fire Sunday, safety officials said, the latest incident at a reactor that has already been hit with record fines for its safety record.
The incident came just weeks after the government vowed to take action against another nuclear station over a radioactive leak last year.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Almost half of adults in Spain are opposed to ending their country’s nuclear energy moratorium, according to a poll by Sigma Dos published in El Mundo. 48.3 per cent of respondents share this opinion, while 39.7 per cent support ending the ban.
In addition, 75.1 per cent of respondents would not consent to a nuclear power station being built in their own community.
MADRID (Reuters) - Spain's government said on Tuesday it would take firm action against a nuclear plant after the watchdog pressed for charges over its handling of a radioactive leak for which 2,600 people had to be screened.
After a months-long investigation, the Nuclear Safety Council (CSN) on Tuesday asked the government to sanction the Asco I plant on four charges of seriously breaching safety regulations arising from a leak in November.
MADRID, Spain: Spain's nuclear watchdog agency proposed a fine of up to €22.5 million (US$33 million) over a leak at a power plant, accusing operators Monday of waiting three weeks to report it and downplaying the amount of contamination released.
The riverside Asco plant experienced a leak in November, but plant operators did not detect it until March and then waited to notify regulators on April 4, according to the Nuclear Safety Council.
MADRID, July 22 (Reuters) - Spain's 1,000 megawatt Vandellos II nuclear plant was reconnected to the national grid on Tuesday morning, having been offline since Sunday, a spokesman said.
The spokesman added that the plant had been feeding the grid since 0526 GMT and was currently supply about 120 MW. All of Spain's eight nuclear power plants are now working at part or full capacity.
WASHINGTON -- Bulgaria has sent its remaining highly enriched uranium to Russia for safeguarding from terrorist or other potential misuse.
Nearly 14 pounds of the spent fuel were received Thursday at a Russian nuclear facility, the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration announced. A first shipment of 37.3 pounds of fresh uranium fuel was sent to Russia in December 2003.
MADRID, Spain: A Spanish nuclear power plant reported an unexpected power surge Sunday, the fourth safety alert there in 12 days, the country's nuclear authority said.
Safety systems prevented any radiation leak at the Cofrentes reactor when power surged by more than 20 percent just before 5 a.m. Sunday (0300 GMT), the Nuclear Security Council said in a statement.
None of the incidents was serious and there was no danger to workers or the environment at any time.
Four Spanish nuclear plants have suffered some form of breakdown over the past 72 hours.
MADRID (AFP) — Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said Saturday he would not extend the life of Spain's ageing nuclear plants as he repeated his government's commitment to phasing out nuclear power.
"We are committed to respecting the normal life-span of the plants unless there are urgent energy needs, and to not building new nuclear plants," he said in an interview with top-selling daily El Pais.
MADRID (Reuters) - Spain's nuclear watchdog on Wednesday said it will formally request sanctions proceedings against a nuclear plant for improper handling of a radioactive leak that will require the screening of more than 2,600 people.
Nuclear Safety Council (CSN) president Carmen Martinez told a parliamentary committee that a report into the leak at the 1,000 megawatt Asco I plant was well advanced.
