Nuclear Power
Missiles hit close to South Ukraine nuclear plant
Russian missiles came dangerously close — within 328 yards — of striking the South Ukraine nuclear power plant on Monday, according to Ukrainian authorities. Ukraine nuclear energy authority, Energoatom, released images of the strike, which took out a nearby hydroelectric power station. While Energoatom insists its nuclear power plants are designed to withstand the crash of…
Read More“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 MoreHeadaches at Palisades: Broken Seals and Failed Heals
“Headaches at Palisades: Broken Seals and Failed Heals,” is a July 16, 2010 report by Nuclear Safety Director Dave Lochbaum at Union of Concerned Scientists, re: chronic control rod drive mechanism seal failures at the Palisades atomic reactor in Covert, MI, beginning just one year into operations, in 1972. In a May 20, 2022 press…
Read MoreHoltec’s PSDAR and DCE for Palisades; NRC public comment meeting Sept. 22, in-person and virtual/teleconference
Holtec International’s Post-Shutdown Decommissioning Activities Report and Decommissioning Cost Estimate for the Palisades atomic reactor in Covert, Michigan, on the Lake Michigan shoreline, was published on December 23, 2020. The document is 98 pages long. The PSDAR begins on page 1 of 98, while the DCE begins on page 48 of 98, on the PDF…
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…
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