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Loss of control?
Even before Russia invaded Ukraine, Beyond Nuclear was one of the first to point out the risks of nuclear reactors embroiled in a war zone. After the February 24 invasion, and as the dangers to Ukraine’s nuclear power plants became ever more evident, media attention focused on what would happen if a reactor was shelled…
Read MoreBlackout at Zaporizhzhia
Fears are growing about a nuclear catastrophe at the 6-reactor Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant with all offsite power now apparently lost. Even if the last of the six reactors is shut down, power is still needed to cool the fuel. The nearby town of Enerhodar is in a state of complete blackout. This is also…
Read MoreNuclear alarm bells at Zaporizhzhia
Beyond Nuclear is in Common Dreams today with an article about the high risks at Zaporizhzhia. Here is an excerpt: What are the odds of [a missile strike leading to a meltdown] happening at Zaporizhzhia? Assessments vary. Some experts allege that the reactor containment buildings are robust enough to withstand shelling or even bunker-busting missile…
Read MoreYouth protest walk against SMRs
A group of youth members of the Welsh Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND Cymru) are leading a walk from Trawsfynydd to Wylfa to protest plans for small modular reactors at the two now closed reactor sites in Wales. The approximately 55-mile walk began on September 4 and will conclude on September 10 with rallies along…
Read More“No shelling”? How about “No nukes”!
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors who visited Ukraine’s 6-reactor Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant last week, along with their chief, Rafael Grossi (pictured during the post-inspection press conference), and the UN have called for a security zone around the plant, embroiled in the war in Ukraine, with the invading Russians occupying the site since early…
Read MoreDiablo Canyon gets extension option
Acting on California Governor Gavin Newsom legislative proposal to extend the life of the Diablo Canyon nuclear facility (Units 1 and 2), state lawmakers voted on September 1, 2022, the last day of the legislative session, to provide Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) the option to extend the nuclear power station’s operations by another five…
Read MoreAlarm in Ukraine, march in Wales
This week on Nuclear Hotseat: Arnie Gundersen of Fairewinds Energy Education explains the latest rounds of nuclear Russian roulette – what dangers got ramped up at Zaporizhzhia in Ukraine over the past week. Last week, for Episode #583, he predicted much of what could go wrong at the six-reactor site… and then it did. Here,…
Read MoreNuclear not any cheaper, faster or safer
From an article published on Nasdaq: “Nuclear energy takes many years to develop. The median construction time of the nuclear reactors in operation in 2020 was seven years, and the industry has a terrible track record of cost overruns. An MIT team estimated that over five decades of nuclear plant development across 107 plants in the U.S., the…
Read MoreHigh-Level Radioactive Waste Dump Legal Hearing, Mon., Aug. 29–5th Circuit Court
Thank you to Karen Hadden of the SEED Coalition in Austin, TX for the following alert: LISTEN TO the TX versus NRC legal case Monday morning! The State of Texas, Fasken Land and Minerals Company and the Permian Basin Land and Royalty Owners are suing the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in federal appeals court, opposing the…
Read MoreBiden Urged to Act Swiftly on Ukraine Nuclear Plant
Letter from dozens of experts and former officials calls on the U.S. president to demand immediate IAEA inspection of the Zaporizhzhia plant As reported by the Wall Street Journal on August 25, 2022. (The article is behind a paywall. Only the first few paragraphs are readable, without a subscription.)
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