General Electric (GE) provides to ENUSA, Spanish fuelmaker, with uranium oxide enriched in U-235. The material travels from USA to Spain in special cans mechanically sealed within a sea container. Upon taking out the material, ENUSA sends the empty cans back to GE in the USA. On 1997-02-05, the ENUSA fuel making plant located in Juzbado, province of Salamanca, dispatched a shipment of 150 supposedly empty cans to USA. Upon receiving the shipment, GE noticed on 1997-03-06 that there were 2 cans containing in all 102.42 kg of uranium oxide enriched on average of 3.5% U-235. Estimated activity of the material is around 8E+9 Bq, however outer surface of cans and sea container were found clean. GE informed ENUSA and American authorities. According to point IV-5-1-2 of the INES Manual, superseded for point C3.3 of the October96 addendum, "Permanent Loss or Discovery in an Inappropriate Location of Radioactive Sources" the event was rated level 1. Should the point IV-5.2.6 "Transport of Unirradiated Nuclear Fuel Material" be used the rating would also be that of a level 1.
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.
Anke Herold, Executive Director Oeko-Institut, Freiburg (Germany), in Brussels about the claim to triple nuclear by 2050: IPCC scenarios vs forecast development of nuclear.
