Kakrapar Atomic Power Station (KAPS) is a twin unit station with 220 MWe Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors. Refueling of these reactors is done when the reactor is on-power. The spent fuel bundles discharged from the reactor are transferred to Spent Fuel Storage Bay (SFSB) through the Spent Fuel Transfer Duct (SFTD). The radiation field in the SFTD area goes high during transfer of spent fuel bundles through SFTD.
On May 30, 2011, Unit-2 of KAPS was operating at 98% FP. For carrying out painting job, SFTD shielding blocks were removed. Radiological work permit was issued for the painting job after taking clearance from engineer-in-charge of refueling operations. This permit was issued to carry out painting work between 09.15 hrs and 13.00 hrs in the SFTD area. Control room staff was instructed not to transfer any spent fuel during this period. However, at around 12.00 hrs, refueling operator in the control room inadvertently discharged a pair of spent fuel bundles to SFSB through SFTD after refueling. Four workers who were carrying out the job got exposed to radiation and received 90.72 mSv, 66.81 mSv & 58.70 mSv, and 23.23 mSv radiation dose. The radiation doses to the workers were higher than the prescribed annual regulatory limit stipulated by Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB).
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 […]