SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korean President Moon Jae-in has vowed to lead his country to a “nuclear-free era”, but in an ironic twist nuclear capacity is on track to hit a record during his five-year term. The rise reflects the lag time for change, but also a surprise defeat on shuttering two partially built reactors …
Japan’s nuclear watchdog finalized a decision Wednesday to require operators of boiling water reactors — the same type as those at the crisis-hit Fukushima No. 1 nuclear complex — to install new emergency cooling systems. After soliciting public comments, the Nuclear Regulation Authority approved at a regular meeting the revision of safety regulations to make …
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s Kyushu Electric Power Co is likely to delay the restart of a nuclear plant by several months as it makes checks related to the data-fabrication scandal that has engulfed Kobe Steel Ltd, the Nikkei business daily reported on Wednesday. That comes as Japanese nuclear operators have been checking the safety of Kobe …
Fukui Gov. Issei Nishikawa’s decision on Monday to give the go-ahead to restarting two reactors at the Oi nuclear plant highlights the local economy’s dependence on nuclear power, even 6½ years after the March 2011 Fukushima disaster. At a news conference, Nishikawa offered what he sees as the merits of a restart, saying the plant …
FUKUSHIMA – Tepco on Sunday began installing equipment to be used for removing fuel from the storage pool for reactor 3 at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant. The equipment, weighing 72 tons, was lifted by two large cranes. The storage pool, located in the reactor building on a floor 36 meters above ground level, holds …
PARIS (Reuters) – The French government has postponed a long-held target to reduce the share of nuclear energy in the country’s power production after grid operator RTE warned it risked supply shortages after 2020 and could miss a goal to curb carbon emissions. Environment Minister Nicolas Hulot said on Tuesday it was not realistic to …
PARIS, Nov 3 (Reuters) – France’s ASN nuclear regulator has said two reactors, Chooz 2 and St Laurent 2, are safe after examining files submitted by EDF in a review of components of all the utility’s nuclear plants. An EDF spokeswoman said ASN had not yet given the green light for resuming operations at the …
Japan Atomic Power Co. is preparing to apply for a 20-year extension to operate the aged Tokai No. 2 nuclear plant beyond its 40-year life span, sources said. Such an extension would be the first among Japan’s aged boiling-water reactors, which include those at the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. Tokai No. 2 …
The South Korean government has decided to gradually reduce the number of nuclear reactors to 14 by 2038. It will cancel plans to build a further six new nuclear reactors, will not allow lifespan extension for 14 aged reactors, and will close Wolsong-1 earlier than scheduled. Paik Un-gyu, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, announced …
The fate of two incomplete nuclear reactors ― Shin-Kori 5 and 6 ― will be decided this week. The decision, which will be announced Friday, is likely to profoundly affect the future of Korea’s nuclear energy. The review committee, which consists of 471 ordinary citizens, held the final discussion about whether to continue the construction of …