On October 9, 1997, Limerick 2 experienced a fire in the exhaust stack of the D21 emergency diesel generator (EDG) during an operability test. The unit was operating at 100% power at the time of this event. During the test run, the #4 cylinder lower piston seized, resulting in damage to the piston, connecting rod and cylinder liner. The fire occurred due to the release of unburnt fuel into the EDG exhaust manifold and exhaust stack. The fire burned out when the EDG was secured. A second, smaller, fire occurred on the body of the EDG in the vicinity of the exhaust manifold. This fire was extinguished within two minutes using a portable fire extinguisher. After the failure of the EDG, the licensee performed test runs of the three remaining unit 2 EDGs to ensure operability. Assuming a complete loss of offsite power and the failure of one EDG, the other EDGs have sufficient capacity to operate all necessary equipment in the event of a design basis accident on one unit and an emergency shutdown of the other unit. Justification: Using Part III-2.4.1 of the INES User's Manual , this event is rated at level zero/below scale. The failure of the EDG was discovered as a result of a routine surveillance program. Despite the failure of this EDG, the safety function (cooling the radioactive material) remained above the minimum required b y plant operational limits and conditions. Since there was no initiator, the use of Table I in Part III and the resulting rating of level zero are appropriate.
A vast subsea nuclear graveyard planned to hold Britain’s burgeoning piles of radioactive waste is set to become the biggest, longest-lasting and most expensive infrastructure project ever undertaken in the UK. The project [UK's nuclear waste dump] is now predicted to take more than 150yrs to complete with lifetime costs of £66bn in today’s money...The […]
Last year, the Dutch Province of Limburg started an alliance in which, besides the local government, research institutes, small nuclear reactor (SMR) developers, utilities, industrial customers and funders cooperated. With this "Limburg SMR alliance" Limburg tried to lead the way towards an SMR in Limburg. The preferred site for a first SMR would be Chemelot, […]
From the IPFM: During a visit to the Civaux nuclear power plant on 18 March 2024, France's Minister of the Armed Forces unveiled a plan to use the plant to produce tritium for the French nuclear weapons program. Civaux is a civilian power plant that belongs to and is operated by Electricité de France. According […]
An analysis by the Norwegian NGO Bellona of transborder trade operations with the customs code 840130 (irradiated fuel assemblies or fuel elements) show a more than twofold increase of import to EU countries of fresh nuclear fuel in cash terms – from 280 million Euros in 2022 to 686 million Euros in 2023. In physical […]
The French government has said it is "seriously" studying the option of building a plant to convert and enrich reprocessed uranium to cut its reliance on Russia following the invasion of Ukraine. The only plant in the world that currently converts reprocessed uranium for use in nuclear power plants is in Russia. "The option of […]