Fukushima Dai-ni Nuclear Power Station Units 1, 2 and 4, which is in rated power operation, have automatically shut down around 14:46(JST) on March 11, 2011, because of the Tohoku regional Pacific Ocean Offshore Earthquake. Following the earthquake, the big tsunami attacked the power station and the seawater pump rooms were flooded. The licensee lost the function operability of sea water pumps for last heat removal. The turbine driven pump started operation and the exhausted steam increased the pressure of the suppression pool. The turbine driven pump became inoperable.
As a result of the efforts by the people on site, some seawater pumps were recovered and restarted. The suppression pools were cooled and the pressure was decreased. And the sea water pumps became to discharge the heat to the ultimate heat sink through the residual heat removal system.
Finally, the temperature of the reactors was decreased below 100 degree C and the reactors became cold shut down condition.
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.
