From 28 to 29 May 2004 a scheduled plant shutdown for repairing a primary leakage (gland of a control valve ) inside the containment was carried out. In the course of the restart on 28 May (criticality at 22 h 48), at about 50°C, the reactor was made critically for warming-up. During that process, which is closely monitored by the operator to switch over timely the neutron flux monitor ranges (eight decades) to prevent a Scram, he did not fully recognize the positive temperature coefficient of the fuel near to the end of the cycle (power increased to approx. 4% of rated power and a water temperature of 142 °C). This caused a significantly higher warm up rate than it is specified in the Technical Specification, which has to be controlled in periods of 30 min. Although the operator recognized the excessively high heat-up rate within that period and cooled down the reactor coolant system, the average rate of 56°C/h was violated. The following evaluation of consequences (stress calculation), required by the Technical Specification as a condition for further proceeding with the warm-up was not done timely. The calculation showed later that no negative impact of the event occurred.
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 […]
