MADRID, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Spain's nuclear watchdog on Monday called for a meeting of plant operators following the second unscheduled disconnection of a reactor in as many days.
The Nuclear Safety Council (CSN) confirmed earlier reports by industry sources that the 500-megawatt Garona plant was off line, due to an error in work on high-voltage installations which automatically halted the plant.
Europe
Spain nuclear plants halted, watchdog calls meeting
Tuesday, August 26, 2008Slovak generator launches nuclear plant tender
Tuesday, August 26, 2008BRATISLAVA, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Slovak power firm Slovenske Elektrarne (SE) has launched a tender to find a builder to finish two new blocks at the Mochovce nuclear power plant, it said in the Official Journal of the European Union on Monday.
The power generator, managed by Italian utility and 66 percent shareholder Enel, said bidders should submit letters of interest by Sept 18. It said it expected final bids would be due on Dec 8.
Atomic overtures
Tuesday, August 26, 2008Cold rain beats down outside the Biblis power station (pictured above), but behind the airlock that isolates the slightly radioactive containment area, the temperature rises to uncomfortable levels. Past several other layers of steel, the nuclear reactor hums gently.
“See these beams,” says Frank Staude, an engineer for the RWE power group, sweat streaming down his cheeks. “They will protect us against the kind of earthquake that would leave no skyscraper in Frankfurt standing.”
CIA used Swiss to thwart foreign nuclear programs: report
Monday, August 25, 2008WASHINGTON (AFP) — The US Central Intelligence Agency recruited a family of Swiss engineers to help it thwart the Libyan and Iranian nuclear programs as well as an underground supply network of Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan, The New York Times reported on its website late Sunday.
The newspaper said the operation involved Friedrich Tinner and his two sons, who have been accused in Switzerland of dealing with rogue nations seeking nuclear equipment and expertise.
Kozloduy NPP used in a smear campaign targeting Bulgaria
Monday, August 25, 2008Sofia. Bulgaria has once again been tarnished before the face of Brussels, as reports over substituted nuclear fuel in NPP Kozloduy reached José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission. This is what representatives of the Committee for protection of nuclear physicist Georgi Kotev announced yesterday.
According to Georgi Kotev, fresh supplies of nuke fuel have been substituted for already used combustion material, thus securing a million dollar shady deal.
Spanish nuclear plant closed after fire in electrical generator
Sunday, August 24, 2008MADRID (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.
29 foreign protesters detained in Turkey
Saturday, August 23, 2008ANKARA, Turkey: Turkish police on Saturday detained 29 foreigners and three Turks during a peaceful protest against plans to build a nuclear power plant near a Black Sea port city.
The police broke up the protest in front of the governor's office and "forcibly took" the protesters to a police station, said Niklas Hartmann of European Youth for Action, an environmentalist group.
Bulgarian Nuclear Plant Reactor Switched Off for Planned Overhaul
Saturday, August 23, 2008The Press Centre of the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant has announced that on 23 August 2008 at 0122 [2222 gmt] the sixth reactor of the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant was switched off for a planned annual overhaul.
The stoppage is in accordance with annual plan on the activity of the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant's reactors, which has been coordinated with the Central Control Administration -Sofia. Planned repair activities and a preventive maintenance of the equipment will be conducted and the reactor will be recharged with fresh fuel for the next operational season.
Priorities for Ukraine's nuclear industry
Saturday, August 23, 2008PRIORITIES FOR UKRAINE'S NUCLEAR INDUSTRY were the focus of a June 12 strategy meeting led by Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant. According to a statement released by Ukraine's nuclear operator, Energoatom, Tymoshenko said that immediate priorities include the construction of two new units at the Khmelnitsky nuclear power station and life extension for Rovno-1 and -2 and South Ukraine-1, which are now scheduled to end production between 2011 and 2013. She also identified the treatment of spent fuel and the development of a complete fuel cycle capability as priorities.
Spaniards Oppose Revamping Nuclear Power
Friday, August 22, 2008(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.
