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“Events at Palisades,” 1966-2021, compiled by David Lochbaum
David Lochbaum, retired Nuclear Safety Project director at Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), has compiled the following list of events at the Palisades atomic reactor in Covert, Michigan, near South Haven on the Lake Michigan shoreline. The first listed event is dated January 28, 1966. The last listed event is dated July 31, 2021. Note…
Read MoreLast Zaporizhzhia reactor closes with power restored
Offsite power has been restored to the embattled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant site for now, but as a necessary precaution, the last of the six reactors has now been shut down, according to news reports. While safety concerns tend to focus on the reactors themselves and the necessity for cooling, the offloaded fuel in the…
Read MoreLoss 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 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 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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