Some other stories from the nuclear industry you may have missed:
Reuters: EDF finalises deal to run two China nuclear plants
‘EDF, the world's biggest single producer of nuclear energy, signed a formal agreement on Sunday to invest in and operate two new-generation reactors in the southern province of Guangdong.’
The Daily Telegraph: Centrica dangles £4bn cash to clinch stake in British Energy
‘Centrica is planning to offer a cash sweetener for the Government's stake in British Energy in an effort to secure its backing for a £22.5bn merger with the nuclear power generator. The owner of British Gas is galvanising up to £4bn to cover the cost of part or all of the stake in the hope that cash will persuade the Government to allow it a place in the deal.’
The Malta Independent: Solar energy comes free and it’s safe
‘Other Mediterranean countries such as Portugal and Spain have invested heavily in solar technology. On 13 June, the Jerusalem Post reported the launching of an American-Israeli experimental solar technology plant in Israel’s Negev desert. Described as the “highest performance, lowest cost thermal solar system in the world”, this technology makes use of computer-guided flat mirrors known as heliostats to track the sun and focus its rays on a boiler at the top of a 200-foot tower. The water inside the boiler turns to steam, powering a turbine and subsequently producing electricity. The project is at a final testing stage and is planned to complete full-sized facilities in California’s Mojave Desert by 2011. It is estimated that this technology could cut costs associated with solar energy by 30 to 50 per cent.’
Gulf Daily News: Nuclear power threats to be reviewed at key talks
‘THREATS posed by nuclear power in the Middle East will be top of the agenda at a major security conference in Bahrain later this year.’
redOrbit: Lightning Shuts Down South Korea's Oldest Nuclear Reactor
‘Lightning shut down a major South Korean nuclear power plant Saturday but there was no radiation leak from the facility, a regional unit of the reactor's operator said.’
The London Times: Monday manifesto: Energy expert plans for nuclear renaissance
‘In a few weeks, Samir Brikho hopes, his company will be starting work on one of the highest-profile energy projects in Britain. A consortium involving Amec is the preferred bidder to run Sellafield, one of the world’s biggest nuclear reprocessing and decommissioning facilities. It is the jewel in the crown of the state-owned nuclear operations, all of which are being sold in a long privatisation.’
iStockAnalyst: Unit 1 Down; TVA Nuclear Plants Power at 50%
‘The Tennessee Valley Authority shut down Browns Ferry Unit 1 on Friday after reducing it and the other two units to half power Thursday. TVA also shut down Watts Bar Nuclear Plant on Thursday after dropping it to half power Wednesday. Of six nuclear plants in the TVA system, only two -- both at Sequoyah -- are operating at full power. Systemwide, TVA's nuclear power generation is at half-mast. TVA took Browns Ferry Unit 1 offline Friday at 5:30 a.m. because of a steam leak in the thermal well, one of the devices that tracks the temperature of steam in the main steam tunnel.’