On January 17, 1997 at 100% power, there was a scram on turbine trip for spurious actuation of a relay Buchholz of main transformer. All safety systems called upon performed as expected, operators checked that control rods were fully inserted into the core. Hhowever, by reviewing post trip computer records, plus performing control rod drop times, it was noticed that: a) all control rods entered the dashpot (34 steps above core bottom, compared to total length of 228 steps) within the time established by Technical Specifications (TS), however: b) 3 out of 48 control rods suffered delays from step 6 or 12 to bottom. Justification: Table II: Severity classification criteria for degradation of defence-in-depth with an initiator, initiator: scram on turbine trip. Frequency: high/expected. Safety function:reactor Protection System. Availability: within operational limits and conditions. Rating: INES level 1.
The Netherlands has agreed to allow Urenco to be used for the British military nuclear program. This clears the way for uranium enriched by Urenco to be used in nuclear weapons. With his decision, Foreign Minister Berendsen (CDA Christen Democrats) is departing from the principle that civilian and military nuclear applications must remain strictly separate. […]
Behnam Raeesian is an internationally recognized visual artist and poster designer from Iran, known for bold political and cultural works. Through exhibitions, workshops, jury roles, and collaborations with cultural institutions worldwide, he has built a strong voice in contemporary political graphic design. His projects confront complex issues such as nuclear risk and technological impact, transforming […]
Everywhere you look, the nuclear industry’s hype machine is in overdrive. Goldman Sachs, Microsoft, and the UK government all tout small modular reactors as the silver bullet for climate change and energy security. Tech billionaires are hiring nuclear veterans. Wall Street is whispering about “round-the-clock power” for artificial intelligence data centers. For those old enough […]
Kernenergie en veiligheid: A wargame sought to test if a major radiological release that would prompt the evacuation of millions of civilians in South Korea could distract key US allies from assisting and rebuffing an all-out military invasion of Taiwan. The short answer was yes. The game originally presumed that China, wanting to keep the […]
Big batteries and EVs to the rescue again as faults with new nuclear plant cause chaos on Nordic grids The Finnish nuclear power plant Olkiluoto was finally connected to the grid last year, at an estimated cost of €11 billion compared to the original budget of €3 billion. That cost blowout forced its developer, the […]
