Japan’s nuclear power plants to be forced to assess risks from volcanoes
Japan, one of the most densely populated nations in the world, lies in a zone of extreme crustal instability named the Ring of Fire, where 90% of the world’s earthquakes and a large…
Japan’s post-Fukushima energy policy advisory board resumes discussions after purging members
In September 2012, after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, Japan elected to support an energy policy which was designed to phase out nuclear power, after government polls in August had found nearly half…
Obama’s pick for Secretary of Energy advocates nuclear and fracking
With the nomination of Ernest Moniz to be the next U.S. secretary of Energy, President Barack Obama has selected a man who is not only a booster of nuclear power but a big…
Local governments addicted to nuclear subsidies
Only 18 months after the Fukushima nuclear disaster, local municipalities in Japan are realizing how much their finances depend on the nuclear power-induced money. “They’re like drug addicts cut off from supplies,” said…
Scandal involving over 7,500 unqualified replacement parts shuts down two South Korean nuclear plants
The Number 5 and 6 nuclear reactors at the Yeonggwang Nuclear Power Plant in South Korea were shut down this week, after it was found that over 7,500 parts in 5 nuclear reactors…
Japanese government denies responsibility for reactor restarts
Yesterday, Shunichi Tanaka, head official of Japan’s new Nuclear Regulation Authority stated that the NRA is only responsible for nuclear safety criteria, and not judgements related to restarting idled nuclear reactors. This echoed…
Japan’s government will decide restart of idled nuclear reactors
Japan’s new energy policy allows for a conditional restarting of existing nuclear plants, completion of nuclear construction projects underway, and continued recycling of nuclear fuel. Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura told reporters that…
Japan already justifying exceptions to new energy policy
The recent energy policy named the “Revolutionary Energy and Environment Strategy” by its authors which was adopted in Japan this week was founded upon three principles, no reactor should operate over the 40…
Nuclear industry takes big hit as former nuclear powers reveal plans to sharply reduce nuclear dependence
This week, Japan and France revealed plans to sharply curb reliance on nuclear energy following the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster last year. Scientists in Japan have also heavily criticized the nation’s nuclear fuel…
Japan’s new energy policy upsets local and international ties
Japan’s new energy policy calls for the abolishment of nuclear power by the 2030s, but it seems that this latest update does nothing to pacify the unrest in the island nation, and has…
Quebec to shut down nuclear power in province
Quebec’s new government will not proceed with a multibillion-dollar refurbishment of the province’s lone nuclear reactor 100 kilometers northeast of Montreal, and instead will shut it down after 30 years of operations. The…
Japan’s new energy policy does not rely on nuclear power
Under the current legal system, Japan’s energy policy is required to be reviewed every three years, but the first review after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster infers radical changes in the near future…
In-Focus Japan: Defense minister promotes nuclear energy as defensive deterrent – Softbank CEO says eliminating nuclear power cheapest option
Japan’s defense minister says nuclear power is a deterrent and favors 25% production option Defense Minister Satoshi Morimoto told the Kyodo News that he viewed the nation’s nuclear power plants as a defensive…
Study shows risk of cancer appears to last for entire lifetime after exposure to radiation
After the Fukushima nuclear disaster, the health effects of ionized radiation have become a hot topic around the globe. A new study showing that survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki nuclear bombings have…
Plans for building the first nuclear power plant in Egypt once postponed by Chernobyl now potentially stymied after Fukushima
After years of stop-start efforts, Egypt’s nuclear-energy ambitions are once again in serious doubt. The plan to build the nuclear power station in Dabaa on the Mediterranean coast in northern Egypt was initiated…
Nigeria’s plans for development of nuclear program still underdeveloped and unrealistic
Even though the federal government of Nigeria has explored the possibility of developing a nuclear energy program since the 1970s, in recent years the country has increased efforts towards commissioning its first nuclear…
Uprates the easiest method of increasing nuclear capacity in recent history
The electrical output of the nuclear power plant fleet can be increased either by constructing new plants or by requesting license modifications to enable operations at a higher power level, which is called…
The need to protect nuclear whistleblowers
Vis-a-vis the recent news that the San Onofre Nuclear Power Station (SONGS for short) is going to start up again with new steam generators, much attention has focused on these two reactors that…
Outgoing Chairman expects NRC may be unable to renew licenses for nuclear plants for “a few years”
In his final news conference as chairman speaking at a Platts Energy Podium event, Gregory Jaczko, outgoing chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) said Thursday that the agency may not be…
In-Focus Japan: Cesium found in freshwater and saltwater fish – Standards revealed for Japan’s new nuclear regulator
Standards revealed for new Japanese nuclear regulatory body Japan’s central government has been working to create a new nuclear safety commission to replace the embattled Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, which has been…
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