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…)

SEVILLE, Spain (Reuters) - The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog on Wednesday praised Spain’s regulator but recommended stepping up efforts to find a permanent site for dumping spent nuclear fuel and high-level waste.

Urich Schmocker, head of an International Atomic Energy Agency mission to Spain, said building a central storage facility was just an interim solution. (more…)

MADRID, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Spain’s 1,000 megawatt Vandellos II nuclear power station was working at about 30 percent of capacity on Friday morning after being reconnected to the grid on Thursday afternoon, technicians said.

The Iberdrola-owned plant near the northeastern port of Tarragona had been halted since one of its generators caught fire on Aug. 24. (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 24 (Reuters) - Spain’s 1,000-megawatt Cofrentes nuclear plant was halted on Friday for maintenance work while power was being stepped down at the 1,000-MW Asco II plant prior to refuelling, operators and technicians said.

That leaves just five of Spain’s eight nuclear power plants working normally, as the 1,000 MW Vandellos II plant has been halted almost continually for two months. (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…)

MADRID, Sept 23 (Reuters) - Spain’s 1,000 megawatt Asco I nuclear plant began to step down power output on Tuesday with a view to disconnecting from the grid later in the day to fix an oil leak, a statement from the plant’s operators said.

That will reduce to six out of eight the number of Spain’s normally working nuclear power stations. (more…)