During routine refuelling at full power, a reactor coolant leak of 1.4 Mg/hr developed in the fuelling vault. Operators determined that the east fuelling bridge had dropped 40 cm. The reactor was shutdown and cooled. Coolant pressure was maintained by transfer from other units and recovery from sump. Total leakage was 22 Mg ( approx. 10% of inventory). No safety system operation was required with the exception of containment box-up on high activity after one hour. There was no abnormal release of radioactivity to the environment. BASIS FOR RATING: Defence-in-depth degradation. 0/1 real, expected - 1.4 Mg coolant leak, -full safety system availability, - short time scale, no difficulty. +1 -design anomaly (F/M Interlocks) not discovered by Surveillance Programme,-could have been worse if channel plugs had been removed. DIFFICULTIES IN RATING:
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.
Anke Herold, Executive Director Oeko-Institut, Freiburg (Germany), in Brussels about the claim to triple nuclear by 2050: IPCC scenarios vs forecast development of nuclear.
