Russia retires Leningrad 2 RBMK

The Leningrad 2 nuclear power unit in in Sosnovy Bor in Western Russia was shut down permanently today. The RBMK, which has been in operation for 45 years, is to be replaced by Leningrad II-2, a VVER-1200, which on 6 November received regulatory approval to start pilot operation. Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom said Leningrad 2 …

Africa’s only atomic plant bets $1.2bn on a 2nd life

(MENAFN – Gulf Times) Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd, South Africa’s indebted power utility, started a billion-dollar round of investments in Africa’s oldest and only nuclear power plant before getting permission from safety regulators that the reactor’s lifetime can be extended. The decision to begin installing new steam generators at the Koeberg plant near Cape Town …

Byron nuclear plant, facing 2021 closure, getting refueling outage in October

Exelon Corp. is taking its Byron Unit 2 nuclear station offline for a nearly three-week planned outage to refuel. The 33-year-old Unit 2 is being taken offline early in October for 19 days of maintenance, refueling and upgrades. The workforce employed on the project includes 700 employees of owner Exelon as well as 1,200 additional …

Bruce Power, Town of Saugeen Shores welcome Williams Industrial Services Group on opening of Canadian offices

Williams Industrial Services Group, an Atlanta-based company which is supporting Bruce Power’s Major Component Replacement project, officially opened its Canadian offices yesterday. Williams, which has worked at more than 40 nuclear stations throughout Canada and the United States, is providing project controls services to Bruce Power. The company’s Canadian operations are based in Saugeen Shores …

France could shut next two nuclear reactors sooner than expected

France could shut down its next two nuclear reactors in 2025-2026 if market conditions are right, earlier than expected as it presses ahead with plans to close 14 reactors by 2035, a government consultation document showed on Tuesday. Nuclear-dependent France aims to reduce the share of atomic power in its electricity generation to 50% by …

Timeline to mothball Pickering nuclear plant could shift under new plan from OPG

4 of 6 nuclear reactors would operate for an extra year if regulator approves plan. The timetable for decommissioning the half century-old Pickering nuclear generating station stands to shift if a new plan from Ontario Power Generation gets approved by Canada’s nuclear regulator. The plan would see four of Pickering’s six nuclear reactors operate for an …

Tohoku reactor restart: What is the state of Japan’s nuclear policy?

In late November, the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) gave the green light for restarting the No. 2 reactor at Tohoku Electric Power Co.’s Onagawa plant in Miyagi Prefecture, which had been damaged in the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami. The announcement once again put the spotlight on the country’s nuclear power policy, not only …

At 50, Europe’s oldest nuclear plant not ready to retire

Europe’s oldest functioning nuclear reactor, at Switzerland’s Beznau plant, will turn 50 next week — a lifespan deemed dangerously long by environmentalists who are demanding that it be shut down immediately. Commercial operation began at the plant in the northern canton of Aargau, near the German border, on December 9, 1969 — back when The …