Nuclear power in Europe

MADRID, Nov 13 (Reuters) - Spain’s nuclear watchdog on Thursday denied that a nuclear power plant already facing sanctions over a radioactive leak was also suffering from a particularly aggressive form of corrosion.

Earlier in the day, daily newspaper El Pais said lead particles detected in the interior of the Asco I nuclear power station during checks mandated by the Nuclear Safety Council (CSN) were derived from stress corrosion cracking (SCC). (more…)

MADRID, Nov 13 (Reuters) - Spain’s 1,000-megawatt Vandellos II nuclear power station was reconnected to the national grid on Thursday afternoon, the plant’s operators said in a statement.

The plant near to the northeastern port of Tarragona had been disconnected since early on Wednesday after a control rod had fallen into the reactor core on Saturday. (more…)

MADRID, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Output at Spain’s 1,000-megawatt Vandellos II nuclear plant was cut to 49 percent from full power at 1425 GMT after a power surge caused overheating, a spokesman for the plant said on Saturday.

Operators reduced output after the surge sent temperatures 20 percent above the maximum allowed for the installation. (more…)

MADRID, Nov 2 (Reuters) - European Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs will propose a new EU-wide energy regulator with equal powers to national regulators and will push for greater independence for those state watchdogs, he said on Sunday.

“I am going to propose a new regulation both for national regulators, to increase their real independence and their capacity to intervene, and a new Agency of European Regulators, which has to have powers comparable with national regulators,” Piebalgs told the Sunday edition of Spanish newspaper ABC. (more…)

MADRID, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Spain’s 1,000 megawatt Vandellos II nuclear plant was reconnected to the grid early on Tuesday morning after an absence of nearly two months, technicians said.

“We’ve been back on line since 4:26 (0226 GMT) and are stepping up power. We need to do tests before reaching full power,” said a technician from the plant, which is near to the northeastern port of Tarragona. (more…)

MADRID, Sept 29 (Reuters) - Spain’s nuclear power stations must invest in safety if their operating permits are to be renewed in the next three years, Industry Minister Miguel Sebastian said on Monday.

Permits for seven of Spain’s eight ageing nuclear plants expire between 2009-11, or within the mandate of the recently re-elected Socialist government. (more…)

VALENCIA, Sept 3 (Reuters) - Spain’s nuclear watchdog told plants on Wednesday that renewing their operating permits would depend on how they implemented tighter safety procedures spurred by a rash of unscheduled stoppages.

Among others, the Nuclear Safety Council reviewed safety plans at the 1,000 megawatt Asco I plant, which faces a hefty fine after the regulator asked for government sanctions over the management’s handling of a radioactive leak last November. (more…)

MADRID, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Spain’s 500-megawatt Garona nuclear power station was reconnected to the grid early on Tuesday after an unscheduled halt on Monday, a spokesman said.

“We were reconnected at 2:15 a.m. (0015 GMT), have stepped up power gradually and are now at 99 percent of capacity, or 467 MW,” the spokesman said from the plant, which is near the northern city of Burgos. (more…)

MADRID, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Spain’s nuclear watchdog on Monday called for a meeting of plant operators following the second unscheduled disconnection of a reactor in as many days.
The Nuclear Safety Council (CSN) confirmed earlier reports by industry sources that the 500-megawatt Garona plant was off line, due to an error in work on high-voltage installations which automatically halted the plant. (more…)

MADRID (AFP) — A Spanish nuclear power plant shut down after an electrical generator fire Sunday, safety officials said, the latest incident at a reactor that has already been hit with record fines for its safety record.

The incident came just weeks after the government vowed to take action against another nuclear station over a radioactive leak last year. (more…)