Palo Verde Unit 2 was operating at 98 percent power. At 0435, operators noticed a decrease in pressurizer pressure and level. Although additional charging flow was started, pressurizer level and pressure continued to decrease. The operators manually scrammed the reactor at 0447. Safety injection and containment isolation signals automatically initiated. After determining that a steam generator tube rupture existed, operators began to cool down and depressurize the reactor coolant system. The leak rate was estimated to be approximately 15 l/s (240 gal/min.). The release patchway through the steam jet air ejector was filtered and monitored. At 0728, the affected steam generator was isolated. Sometime after 0800, leakage was minimized when reactor coolant system pressure was reduced to match secondary system pressure. Field surveys outside the plant indicated dose rate readings no higher than background.
Last year, the Dutch Province of Limburg started an alliance in which, besides the local government, research institutes, small nuclear reactor (SMR) developers, utilities, industrial customers and funders cooperated. With this "Limburg SMR alliance" Limburg tried to lead the way towards an SMR in Limburg. The preferred site for a first SMR would be Chemelot, […]
From the IPFM: During a visit to the Civaux nuclear power plant on 18 March 2024, France's Minister of the Armed Forces unveiled a plan to use the plant to produce tritium for the French nuclear weapons program. Civaux is a civilian power plant that belongs to and is operated by Electricité de France. According […]
An analysis by the Norwegian NGO Bellona of transborder trade operations with the customs code 840130 (irradiated fuel assemblies or fuel elements) show a more than twofold increase of import to EU countries of fresh nuclear fuel in cash terms – from 280 million Euros in 2022 to 686 million Euros in 2023. In physical […]
The French government has said it is "seriously" studying the option of building a plant to convert and enrich reprocessed uranium to cut its reliance on Russia following the invasion of Ukraine. The only plant in the world that currently converts reprocessed uranium for use in nuclear power plants is in Russia. "The option of […]
Jan vd Putte quickly changed from dressing as the pied piper at the protest during the IAEA nuclear power conference to warn for the Russian nuclear power conglomerate Rosatom and its role in Ukraine.