Is the moon radioactive? Lunar map shows low amounts of uranium.
‘A new map of uranium on the moon has revealed the lunar surface to be a poor source of the radioactive stuff, but it could help solve mysteries as to how the moon formed. This new moon uranium map dampens hopes of a nuclear power industry on the lunar surface, researchers said. Proponents of lunar bases and future lunar colonies have long pointed to many of the moons minerals, along with water, as being useful to support such efforts. "Forget things like uranium mines or nuclear reactors," said cosmochemist Robert Reedy, a member of the Kaguya science team and a senior scientist at the Tucson-based Planetary Science Institute. "The concentrations are very far from being of commercial levels." The new map was created using data from Japan's Kaguya spacecraft, which launched in 2007. The spacecraft found uranium on the moon, along with other radioactive elements, with its advanced gamma-ray spectrometer. Kaguya crashed into the moon's surface at the end of its mission last year.’
Vietnam plans eight nuclear power plants by 2030
‘HANOI - Energy-short Vietnam announced an expansion of its nuclear power programme on Tuesday, with eight plants planned for operation over the next 20 years. Atomic power will become one of the nation's key energy sources, according to the decision posted on the government website. Initial plans called for four reactors but the notice said Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung had approved eight nuclear facilities, each with at least four reactors, by 2030. The eight plants will generate a total of 15,000-16,000 megawatts of electricity, the document said. The government previously announced that a Russian firm had won the contract for Vietnam's first nuclear power station, which is to begin operation in 2020. Experts estimated the cost of Vietnam's initial 4,000-megawatt facility at 11 billion to 18 billion dollars.’
Nebraska. Nuclear plant declares low-level emergency state
‘BROWNVILLE, Neb. - A nuclear power plant near Brownville in southeast Nebraska notified public and federal regulators early Tuesday that it was in a low-level emergency state because of flooding from the rising Missouri River nearby. The Cooper Nuclear Station declared a "Notification of Unusual Event" at 2:06 a.m. CDT. The plant said in a statement that there was no threat to plant employees or the public. The plant owner, Nebraska Public Power District, said the plant was operating safely. NPPD said the declaration was the lowest of four emergency classifications set up by the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission for nuclear power plants. NPPD said the declaration was a routine part of the plant's emergency-preparedness procedures for flooding. Whenever the river reaches 42.5 feet, the declaration must be made, NPPD said. The plant sits three miles southeast of Brownville, near the river. NPPD said it could continue generating power at Cooper until the river hits 45.5 feet. Then it would be taken offline as a safety precaution.’
Vermont Yankee leak due to blocked drain: Entergy
‘A blocked drain line at the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant led to a decades-long tritium leak into groundwater that was detected and repaired in February, Entergy said Tuesday. Tritium is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen produced in nuclear reactors. Entergy said Tuesday that a root-cause analysis of the leak determined it was "primarily caused by an earlier design deficiency and inadequate inspection of an underground area of the plant that could not be accessed." A drain line in the pipe tunnel was blocked by construction debris left behind in 1972, preventing tritiated water from running through the line into a collection tank, Entergy said. The leakage from a corroded pipe in the plant's advanced off-gas system was given "a pathway to the ground" when another pipe was installed in the same pipe tunnel in 1978, the company said.’
French nuclear industry must unite to export: President's adviser
‘The French nuclear industry must present a united front if it is to be successful internationally, the special adviser to President Nicolas Sarkozy told delegates at a Paris conference Tuesday. "This market is international. If the French nuclear team doesn't want to find itself in the same situation as its football team...we have to unite," Henri Guaino told delegates at a conference organized by the French Electricity Producers Association, or UFE. France's nuclear sector was shaken by the loss in December last year of a $20 billion contract to build and operate four nuclear power units for the United Arab Emirates. The contract went to a consortium led by Korea Electric Power Corp. Critics blamed the embarrassing loss on disorganization within the French consortium bidding for the UAE job. The bid was initially led by reactor manufacturer Areva, with utility GDF Suez and oil major Total. But EDF, which owns and operates France's 58-strong fleet of nuclear reactors, was brought in as leader at the last minute at the request of the customer.’
IAEA says ready to cooperate with Egypt on its peaceful nuclear program
‘CAIRO, Jun. 22, 2010 (Xinhua News Agency) -- The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Tuesday it was ready to cooperate with Egypt to build nuclear power stations for the country. IAEA supports Egypt in its bid to establish a peaceful nuclear program and is ready to cooperate with Egypt in this regard, said IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano during a visit to Cairo. The UN nuclear watchdog chief indicated the agency had proposed to send a mission to Egypt to help with the country's projects. He talked with Egyptian Foreign Minister Abul Gheit about the steps for Egypt's nuclear power plants on Tuesday. In October 2007, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak announced a plan to build several nuclear power stations to meet the country's increasing demand of electricity.’
NRC fines FPL $70,000 for spent fuel issue at Turkey Point nuclear plant
‘The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff is citing Florida Power & Light Co. for three violations and has proposed a $70,000 civil penalty against the company for an issue with the Unit 3 spent fuel pool racks at the Turkey Point nuclear power plant near Homestead, Fla., about 20 miles south of Miami. In December 2009, the NRC became aware that the neutron-absorbing material called Boraflex in the Unit 3 spent fuel pool had degraded below the levels spelled out in the plant's design basis documents. Although FPL had taken compensatory measures including the addition of soluble boron, the regulatory requirements that ensure the spent fuel pool remains safe were not met. The company's actions ensured the pool's condition did not pose an immediate safety concern, but the NRC found that FPL did not promptly identify and correct the condition. The NRC issued the civil penalty because the agency felt the company did not report the condition in a timely fashion.’
Accidents Will Happen - What if Deepwater Horizon was a nuclear plant?
‘Extracting fossil fuels from ever-more-difficult environments is a dangerous business, a truth underlined spectacularly by the explosion at the Massey mine in April that killed 29 miners or the Deepwater Horizon spill that has left the Louisiana coast a blackened brackish mess. Not in decades has the nuclear option looked more attractive. Earlier this year, the government extended funding to build two new reactors at the Watts Bar plant in Georgia, likely the first reactors to go online since 1996, and a lot more may be in the works. Oil and coal disasters like Massey and Deepwater Horizon may be some of the best arguments for nuclear power. They may also be some of the best arguments against it. Disasters like Deepwater Horizon highlight troubling truths about natural resources. But they also point to some equally troubling truths about accidents and worst-case scenarios. If you think that the story of the spill is not mainly a story about fossil fuels but about how many levels of "failsafe" mechanisms fail, it is likely to make you more skeptical of the nuclear option.’