The Albanian Prime Minister, Sali Berisha, has proposed constructing a nuclear power plant in Albania. The Berlusconi government in Italy is the first strategic partner to receive his request for cooperation. Experts and analysts interpret the proposal as a joke; environmentalists again suggest alternative sources.
Europe
The Atomic Berisha
Friday, June 12, 2009
Posted in | »
Sizewell nuclear disaster averted by dirty laundry, says official report
Thursday, June 11, 2009A nuclear leak, which could have caused a major disaster, was only averted by a chance decision to wash some dirty clothes, according to a newly obtained official report.
On the morning of Sunday 7 January 2007, one of the contractors working on decommissioning the Sizewell A nuclear power station on the Suffolk coast was in the laundry room when he noticed cooling water leaking on to the floor from the pond that holds the reactor's highly radioactive spent nuclear fuel.
RWE will fight for Dutch nuclear stake
Thursday, June 4, 2009LONDON (Reuters) - German RWE, Europe's fifth-largest utility, will fight to take over Essent's stake in the Netherland's only nuclear power plant, disputing a claim by peer Delta that it should sell it on.
RWE does not have to comply with a demand by Dutch state-owned utility Delta to sell on the 50 percent stake of the Borssele nuclear power plant it is buying as part of its 8.2 billion euro ($11.6 billion) takeover of Essent, RWE finance director Rolf Pohlig said in an interview.
Vattenfall says German reactor to reopen soon
Monday, June 1, 2009STOCKHOLM/LONDON (Reuters) - Sweden's Vattenfall is ready to reopen one of its two north German nuclear plants shortly and the second will reopen later this year at the earliest as the operator completes safety-related measures, Chief Executive Lars Josefsson said on Monday.
"Kruemmel is almost ready to go live but of course requires approval while the time schedule for Brunsbuettel is not as firm," he said at the Reuters Energy Summit by video link from Stockholm.
In Finland, Nuclear Renaissance Runs Into Trouble
Friday, May 29, 2009OLKILUOTO, Finland — As the Obama administration tries to steer America toward cleaner sources of energy, it would do well to consider the cautionary tale of this new-generation nuclear reactor site.
The massive power plant under construction on muddy terrain on this Finnish island was supposed to be the showpiece of a nuclear renaissance. The most powerful reactor ever built, its modular design was supposed to make it faster and cheaper to build. And it was supposed to be safer, too.
Nuclear lobby buoyant as Europe warms up to atomic energy
Thursday, May 21, 2009The revival of atomic energy in Europe and a new nuclear-friendly mood in both the EU Commission and the EU Parliament has given the industry's powerful lobby in Brussels a
shot in the arm.
Areva and TVO Downplay Renewed Reactor Concerns
Friday, May 8, 2009Power company TVO denies that Finland's Nuclear and Radiation Safety Authority (STUK) has threatened to stop construction of a nuclear reactor at its plant in Olkiluoto. Nonetheless both TVO and French contractor Areva say they take the criticism seriously.
TVO and Areva admit that plans for an automation safety system have been delayed, but say that STUK has not suggested it would order a stop to construction for this or any other reason.
"Facebook on the Streets"
Monday, April 27, 2009Today we will witness an entirely new phenomenon in Albania's public life. For the first time we will follow a protest organized by people cooperating through the Facebook. A few days ago some people in Shkoder founded a group against the project for construction of a nuclear plant in Albania. The group has now about 5,000 members. Without any previous organization and without electing any leader the people have agreed, through the Internet, to meet at 1000 hours and take part in a peaceful march against the idea of building a nuclear plant in Albania. If this agreement materializes (this still remains to be seen), then we will witness a new development that deserves a sociological and political analysis.
Croatia Denies Nuclear Plant Contract
Tuesday, April 21, 2009Croatia's Ministry of Economy has denied reports which the country would join with Albania to construct a nuclear power plant, media sources reported. According to media sources, a contract on the deal would be signed by the end of April 2009. Mazal said that at the end of March 2009, Deputy Croatian Prime Minister Damir Polancec was on an official visit to Albania when possible cooperation on constructing a nuclear plant in the country was discussed.
Zagreb to build nuclear plant
Thursday, April 16, 2009PODGORICA -- Croatia officials have confirmed that an agreement has been signed with Albania for the construction of a joint nuclear facility near the Montenegrin border.
Croatian Economy Ministry spokesman Tomislav Mazal told Podgorica television station Vijesti that the two governments had formed a working group of five experts each tasked with the technical implementation of this major project.
