What is the future of nuclear safety after Fukushima?
Fukushima alone cannot change future approaches to nuclear safety In Japan, TEPCO’s approach to safety remained lax even as the Fukushima disaster was unfolding, leading to a significant lack of trust in the…
Scientists estimates of cesium released from Fukushima doubled previous numbers
Last summer, the Japanese government estimated that the March 11 Fukushima accident released 15,000 terabecquerels of cesium. Japanese researchers have newly released data that shows a mind-boggling 40,000 trillion becquerels (40,000 terabecquerels, or 40…
San Onofre Steam Generator defects identified and repaired by Mitsubishi prior to installation in 2009
Newly released documents from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission show that cracks associated with welding defects were identified in a Japanese steam generator for a nuclear reactor in California in 2009 before its…
High levels of cesium from Fukushima found near elementary school in Yokohama Japan
High levels of radioactive cesium were found in an area near an elementary school in Yokohama and official levels have been registered over 6.85 uSv/hr. After investigation officials believe that the radiation accumulated…
Alarms at Japanese nuclear power plant and processing facility after magnitude 5 earthquake
At 7:30 am local time March 1st, a magnitude 5 earthquake hit 68 miles from TOKYO, Japan. After the earthquake, alarms sounded from the nuclear fuel processing plants and Tokai 2 nuclear power plant…
SECOND Loss of Offsite Power at the Byron Nuclear Power Plant Since January 23 – No Inclement Weather
For the second time in a month, a power interruption caused operators at Byron Generating Station to declare an “unusual event,” officials said in a news release sent around 10 p.m. Tuesday. Byron…
The difficult task of getting information from TEPCO after Fukushima
Why is it so hard to get information from TEPCO? On February 26th, we reported on the fire at Tokyo Electric Power Companies Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant, smoke was detected in a building full of…
FENOC claims cracks formed at Davis Besse over 30 years ago
FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company (FENOC) confirmed that it has completed its Root Cause Analysis Report regarding the cause of the tight cracks identified in portions of the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station Shield Building during…
FENOC report on Davis-Besse damage to undergo extensive NRC analysis after coalition challenges utilities assessment
Background On Oct. 10, 2011, the NRC was informed by FENOC that its workers identified cracks in the shield building while the plant was shut down to replace the reactor vessel head. FirstEnergy…
Quince 2 Robot completes first investigation of Fukushima Daiichi Reactor
TEPCO has dispatched the Quince 2 robot into the 5th operating floor of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant Reactor 2. Radiation doses over 220 mSv per hour were recorded, as the robot…
Japan Prime Minister and other officials unaware of key emergency response system SPEEDI until after Fukushima Daiichi disaster
NHK reports an independent panel investigating the Fukushima nuclear accident has found that the prime minister was not aware of SPEEDI, the government’s system that can predict the spread of radioactive materials quickly. …
PBS FRONTLINE Documentary to feature new footage “Inside Japan’s Nuclear Meltdown”
Watch Inside Japan’s Nuclear Meltdown on PBS. See more from FRONTLINE. The opening scenes of the documentary set the tone for the rest of the film with previously unseen footage of the…
Japan’s nuclear-reliant utility asked by officials to promote alternative energy and phase out nuclear reactors
The mayors of Osaka, Kobe and Kyoto, home to a total of 5.7 million people, called for Kansai Electric Power Co, the Japanese utility that relies the most on nuclear generation, with all…
Japanese press gets closest aerial footage of Fukushima Daiichi in nearly a year
The Fukushima Daiichi site is still a harsh reminder of the disaster that has been unfolding over the last year, everything on site appears broken, shattered, and scattered. Japanese press shot footage around…
Fire alarms and Smoke reported at Kashiwazaki Kariwa – TEPCO Has Not Confirmed External Leakage
Japanese media outlets are reporting around 11 pm Sunday night, TEPCO’s Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant’s fire alarms activated, and smoke was seen rising from the Unit 5 area. According to TEPCO, external…
Japan to replace all 17 TEPCO boardmembers in exchange for $12 billion bailout – 9 thermometers reported failed at Fukushima Reactor 2
TEPCO announced that 9 out of 41 thermometers at Fukushima Daiichi are now reported failed. Temperature gauges began rising again on February 20th, peaking at over 50 degrees Celsius. At the end…
Jaczko again sole dissenter on NRC commission after Fukushima – Siding with Pilgrim Nuclear critics in supporting public hearings
The Pilgrim plant, a 680-megawatt boiling water reactor, began operation in 1972. Its current operating license expires on June 8, 2012. Entergy is seeking to re-license the plant for an additional 20 years….
Fukushima Reactor 2 temperature levels rising over last 48 hours
The temperature levels at Fukushima Daiichi Reactor 2 are forcing workers at Fukushima Daiichi to undertake special measures to verify the accuracy of readings plant workers are using to maintain a state of…
IAEA – Vietnam and 4 other countries to incorporate nuclear energy after Fukushima
At least five countries will start work on their first nuclear reactors this year a top UN nuclear official said on Friday. Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Singapore are among some 60…
Japan confirms some areas surrounding Fukushima Daiichi likely permanently off-limits to habitation
A few hours after the earthquake and subsequent tsunami, the reactors at Fukushima Daiichi began to leak radiation into the environment reportedly first from the Unit 1 reactor shortly after 17:00 when radioactive…
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