Unit 4 of NPP Bohunice was shut down for refuelling and yearly overhaul, the fuel and all internals were out of RPV. RPV filled by pure condensate. On June 15 film dosimeters (FD) of 3 workers of a contractor making preparation of manipulator for inspection of weldings in increased values of effective doses received by those workers which were 29.48, 9.13, and 5.18 mSv. Cumulated doses shown by operational electronic dosimeters (ED) however, were 0.259, 0.225, and 0.28 mSv. Investigations of discrepancies between two kind of dosimeters revealed that the workers put off ED during non-standardized work they had to perform out of scheduled workplan. The use of ED during the work was prescribed by the Work Order issued by the Rad. Protection Dept. of the NPP operator for this particular work. The cumulated effective dose for the year 2000 in case of worker, who received maximum was 32.11 mSv. In spite of the fact the NPP yearly limit, 20 mSv per year averaged over 5 years, was exceeded, the permitted effective dose in a single year, 50 mSv, however, was not exceeded. The effective dose received by the worker was classified as an "unplanned exposure" caused by violation of both, work and radiation protection procedures. The workers in question were temporarily forbidden to enter the controlled zone of the NPP and a written notification and information on the event was sent to the company management.
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 […]