On January 14, 2019, a shielded container (Type-A package) having Cs-137 source of 80 GBq (meant for well logging purpose) was transported in a vehicle from the drilling site (Malleshwaram, Andhra Pradesh) to logging base of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC), Rajahmundry in Andhra Pradesh. On reaching the logging base, the vehicle was parked in secured premises. There was local holiday on January 14 & 15, 2019. On January 16, 2019, the container was found to be missing from the vehicle. On January 17, 2019, ONGC, Rajahmundry reported the event to Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) and lodged a complaint with local police. The container was recovered by the local police in the evening of January 23, 2019 from a scrap dealer located in Kalidindi town of Andhra Pradesh. The container and the radioactive source in it was observed to be in intact condition.
The investigations carried out by the local police revealed that the container had fallen from the vehicle during transportation to logging base. The container was picked up from the road by some persons and sold to the scrap dealer.
The event is rated at Level-1 on INES.
Location: Rajahmundry, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd. Event date: Wed, 16-01-2019
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 […]
Jan vd Putte quickly changed from dressing as the pied piper at the protest during the IAEA nuclear power conference to warn for the Russian nuclear power conglomerate Rosatom and its role in Ukraine.