Europe

Hungarian nuclear plant supplier Ganz Energetika acquired by Russia's Atomenergoprom

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

In line with prior agreements, Russian nuclear energy company OAO Atomenergoprom has acquired a controlling interest in Hungary's Ganz Energetika, a manufacturer of fuel-loading equipment and cooling pumps for nuclear power plants, Bloomberg reported.

Once the deal is concluded, Atomenergoprom will hold a 51% stake in Ganz; the value of the transaction was not disclosed. The deal is expected to boost Ganz sales to Russia to nearly EUR 20 million in a year from now, approximately twice the current level.

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Sellafield has public 'blank cheque'

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

The consortium with a £20bn contract to clean up Britain's Sellafield nuclear plant has been handed a blank cheque by the Government to pay for future accidents there.

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German Nuclear Exit Should Be Reversed, Ministry Taskforce Says

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Aug. 5 (Bloomberg) -- The German government should abandon its planned phase-out of nuclear energy to help rein in surging electricity prices and protect the environment, according to proposals drawn up by an energy taskforce under Economy Minister Michael Glos.

The plan, in the form of a three-page draft of ''key points'' toward a nuclear-energy law, urges the government to extend the running of nuclear reactors to at least 40 years from a maximum 32 years at present, Berlin-based ministry spokeswoman Charlotte Lauer said today by phone. It is a recommendation only and hasn't been endorsed by Glos, Lauer said.

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Plutonium leak contained at ageing IAEA laboratory

Monday, August 4, 2008

VIENNA, Aug 4 (Reuters) - A small amount of plutonium leaked in an ageing International Atomic Energy Agency laboratory outside Vienna but radioactive contamination was contained to a storage area and no one was injured, the U.N. watchdog said. Last year the IAEA director warned that its main analytical lab built in 1970 was outmoded and no longer met U.N. safety standards, and he called for 27.2 million euros ($42.4 milion) in extra funding from member states to modernise it.

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Italians to build transport vessel for spent nuclear fuel

Friday, August 1, 2008

The Russian state company on nuclear energy Rosatom this week signed an agreement with the Italian Ministry of Economic Development over the construction of a vessel for transports of spent nuclear fuel from bases on the Kola Peninsula.

According to Rosatom, the vessel will be financed as a whole by the Italian side. The ship, which is to be built by the company Fincantieri is expected to cost 71,5 million EUR.

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”Murmansk” wreckage is radioactive

Friday, August 1, 2008


The wreckage of the old Russian cruiser “Murmansk” has been stranded outside to coast of Finnmark in northern Norway for 15 years. Recent investigation has revealed that there is radioactive substances inside the ship.

Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten printed the story about radioactive “Murmansk” last Friday, and it has led to a massive national media attention in Norway on the environmental hazard it seems to represent.

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German Anti-Nuclear Activists Slam Plan to Boost Research

Thursday, July 31, 2008

The German government is willing to spend millions of euros on atomic research in the years ahead despite a binding agreement to phase out nuclear energy completely. But with the rest of Europe banking on nuclear, German scientists don’t want to miss out on future developments.

German Research Minister Annette Schavan said this week she will increase funding for nuclear research. Her announcement may have come as a surprise to those who believe that more money to be spent on research in this field is bound to contradict an agreement to phase out nuclear energy in Germany completely.

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Greenpeace files complaints on Areva nuclear leaks

Thursday, July 31, 2008

PARIS (Reuters) - Greenpeace France filed two complaints against nuclear power company Areva over an uranium leak this month that triggered public outrage, as well as older leaks that were later found on the same site.

On July 7, Areva accidentally poured around 18 cubic meters of liquid containing uranium, which was not enriched, onto the ground and into the river at the Tricastin nuclear site, prompting local authorities to launch an official enquiry.

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Crane accident triggers German atomic reactor shutdown

Thursday, July 31, 2008

A remote-controlled crane struck an electric power cable outside a nuclear power plant in the southern city of Biblis, leading to the shutdown of one of two reactors, the press reported Wednesday.

The operator of the Biblis nuclear power plant said the turbine linked to reactor B was automatically turned off after the crane clipped a high-voltage cable during construction work at a water treatment plant.

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Nuclear renaissance may revive Czech uranium mines

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

DOLNI ROZINKA, Czech Republic, July 30 (Reuters) - Renewed interest in nuclear power and high uranium prices may extend the life of Czech uranium mines or even reopen closed deposits, said the head of the country's sole, state-owned miner Diamo. The centre-right cabinet of Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek gave the ailing industry a boost last year, allowing Diamo to explore uranium reserves at its only remaining mine in Dolni Rozinka, 180 km (113 miles) east of Prague.

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