Nuclear power in Europe

MADRID (Reuters) - Spain’s government said on Tuesday it would take firm action against a nuclear plant after the watchdog pressed for charges over its handling of a radioactive leak for which 2,600 people had to be screened.

After a months-long investigation, the Nuclear Safety Council (CSN) on Tuesday asked the government to sanction the Asco I plant on four charges of seriously breaching safety regulations arising from a leak in November. (more…)

MADRID, Spain: Spain’s nuclear watchdog agency proposed a fine of up to €22.5 million (US$33 million) over a leak at a power plant, accusing operators Monday of waiting three weeks to report it and downplaying the amount of contamination released.

The riverside Asco plant experienced a leak in November, but plant operators did not detect it until March and then waited to notify regulators on April 4, according to the Nuclear Safety Council. (more…)

MADRID, May 26 (Reuters) - Spain’s 1,000-megawatt Almaraz I nuclear power station is likely to be back on line on Wednesday or Thursday after refuelling, management told Reuters on Monday.

A spokeswoman at the plant added that if reconnection began on Tuesday night or Wednesday, the plant would be back at full power by Thursday. (more…)

BARCELONA (Reuters) - Safety controls could be stepped up at Spain’s nuclear power stations following a leak at a plant that will require the screening of hundreds of people, a leading nuclear security official said on Wednesday.

Spain’s Nuclear Safety Council (CSN) criticized operators at the Asco I plant on Monday for failing to tell it about contamination from a leak which happened last November until April this year. (more…)

MADRID (Reuters) - Radioactivity from a leak detected at Spain’s Asco I nuclear power plant during refueling last November was below legal limits, Spain’s nuclear watchdog said on Tuesday.

The Nuclear Safety Commission sent inspectors to the plant after being told on Friday that a routine inspection had detected radioactive particles on the outside of buildings at Asco I, in the northeast Catalonia region. (more…)

MADRID, Feb 7 (Reuters) - Spain needs to build at least 13,000 megawatts worth of nuclear plants to achieve a feasible power generation mix by 2030, according to a study released by the country’s nuclear lobby on Thursday.

Spain’s eight existing nuclear power reactors each produce about 1,000 MW of electricity, but new reactors being built in other countries are much bigger. (more…)

The Spanish government plans to open tenders for purchase of land at three sites for nuclear power plants that never operated, a spokesman at the Ministry of Industry, Trade & Tourism said May 9. The plants fell victim to the country’s 1984 nuclear construction moratorium. (more…)