A small steam leakage was discovered nearby a former bearing stand of a high pressure turbine at about 7:30 am on 18 October 1992 when Fugen was going on full power operation. It was found out by a field investigation that the steam leakage occurred near an instrument pipe for a pressure detector of an outlet pipe of the high pressure turbine. The reactor was shut down by normal operating procedure and a generator was cut off from the grid system at 2:10 to investigate causes of the leakage and to repair the affected part. After the shutdown, the investigation of the affected pipe was carried out and a small penetrating hole (about 8 x 4mm) was confirmed at a gamma-plug welded at the outlet pipe to stop a hole from which a radioactive source was inserted to examine the welding part of the pipe during the construction period of Fugen (1976). However the integrity of the outlet pipe was kept. The causes for the penetrating hole are suspected to be erosion-corrosion due to factors such as relatively high wetness in the steam, material and of the gamma-plug.
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.
