NRC raises safety concerns over Areva’s EPR reactor design
French nuclear energy company Areva SA (ARVCY, CEI.FR) has yet to prove that its next-generation reactor meets U.S. design-safety requirements, federal regulators said Friday. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission told Areva in a letter this week that it must provide more information about the safety systems of its EPR reactor, for which the company is seeking a U.S. license. Several U.S. power companies are planning to use the reactor design, including a partnership of Constellation Energy Group Inc. (CEG: 34.45 ,+0.29 ,+0.85%) and Electricite de France SA (EDF.FR), which is one of the leading new reactor projects in the U.S. "There are ...
New Brunswick throws a wrench into AECL sale plans
Areva Group of France, maker of the nuclear power plant Olkiluoto 3 in Finland, has been hired to build New Brunswick's new nuclear reactor, reversing a decision to accept AECL's proposal. Jacques Demarthon/AFP/Getty Images Decision to purchase a French reactor undermines Crown corporation’s already shaky reputation New Brunswick has cast a pall over Ottawa’s effort to sell off Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd., announcing that it has dropped AECL’s proposal to build a new reactor and is turning instead to the Crown corporation’s arch-rival, France’s Areva Group. The New Brunswick decision, made public on Thursday, is the ...
Chalk River reactor gets approval to restart
A dormant nuclear reactor that once supplied a third of the world's medical isotopes will restart this month after regulators agreed on Wednesday it had fixed safety problems. Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd shut down its aging Chalk River nuclear facility in Eastern Ontario in May 2009 after discovering a leak of heavy water that took months longer to fix than initially planned. In a presentation earlier this week to the Nuclear Safety Commission -- the national regulator -- AECL said its National Research Universal (NRU) reactor was once again fit for service after tests showed no leaks. The commission issued a statement ...
Aging grid puts Ontario at risk of more blackouts
Hydro One's tired system is just another factor that can lead to more outages, just as the temperature rises and demand skyrockets Toronto's A.W. Manby transformer station, where a fire broke out on Mon., July 4. Kibae Park for The Globe and Mail Ontarians can expect more days like Monday when a Hydro One breaker burst into flames, leaving 240,000 sweltering residents in the province’s largest city without power during a heat wave. Much of the Crown-owned utility’s equipment is nearing the end of its design life. As the provincial government reins in spending for ...
Counterfeit N-Former
Summit to combat counterfeit electronics
There is to be a summit meeting on how the industry can address component counterfeiting in the US later in the year. Combating counterfeiting and supply chain security in the electrical...
Developing world opposition mounts to anti-counterfeiting agreement
Just as the G8-G20 meetings conclude in Muskoka and Toronto, another round of negotiations on the controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement resumes in Switzerland. In the...
U.S. to crackdown on piracy and counterfeit goods
The government-wide effort includes adding 50 FBI agents to focus on intellectual property infringement. The Obama administration unveiled a government-wide strategy Tuesday to crack...
Chinese producers dominate the counterfeit market
Chinese producers, with the aid of organized criminal networks, control the $8.2 billion European market for designer-clothes knockoffs, fake electronics and uninspected airplane...
Read More Posts From This CategoryNew Build News
Hongyanhe plant shifts to phase II
A ceremony was held on 28 July to mark the breaking of ground for the two 1000 MWe CPR-1000 pressurized water reactors which will form Phase II of the Hongyanhe nuclear power plant...
B&W to construct test facility for modular reactor
Babcock & Wilcox (B&W) is to construct a test facility for the mPower reactor design in Bedford County, Virginia. The facility – not far from B&W’s headquarters...
Korean consortium to start Jordan’s first research reactor
A South Korean consortium led by the state-run Korean Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) will begin building Jordan’s first nuclear research reactor next month, the government...
Russia’s floating plants update
Russian nuclear fuel fabricator TVEL announced that its Mashinostroitelny Zavod (MSZ) subsidiary will produce the first batch of nuclear fuel in 2011 for Russia’s first floating...
Read More Posts From This CategoryRefurbishment News
Ottawa to pay extra refit costs
Politics: In letter to prime minister, Premier Shawn Graham says he’s pleased province won’t be on hook for unforeseen costs The Harper government has admitted that New Brunswick should not be responsible for the spiralling costs associated with the refurbishment delays at the Point Lepreau nuclear generating station, Premier Shawn Graham...
Point Lepreau refurbishment update
The Point Lepreau Generating Station Refurbishment Project is approximately 75% complete. The Station is the first of the world’s fleet of CANDU 6 reactors to undergo a refurbishment of this nature. The first work sequence of the reactor reassembly activities is the installation of the new calandria tubes in the reactor vessel. This work sequence...
Oskarshamn 2 uprate postponed
Swedish utility OKG announced that it has postponed the final phase of the modernisation of unit 2 of the Oskarshamn nuclear power plant. The company said that the modernisation work, which will increase the unit’s net generating capacity by almost 38% from 610 MWe to 840 MWe, has proved to be more extensive and complex than expected. OKG...
NB Energy Minister wants action on a nuclear deal
Alward urges focus on Point Lepreau refurb, not expansion Energy Minister Jack Keir says the possibility of a second nuclear reactor at Point Lepreau has significant potential for the province, but action needs to be taken quickly to reap the benefits. “There’s a window of opportunity here – like there always is in business deals...
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