Japan
The mayor ordered that a nuclear power plant hit by a strong earthquake be shut down Wednesday until its safety could be confirmed after a long list of problems — including radiation leaks, burst pipes and fires — came to light. The malfunctions and a delay in reporting the problems at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant fueled concerns about the safety of Japan’s 55 nuclear reactors, which have suffered a string of accidents and cover-ups.
CNN Europe 18th July 2007 more >>
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Water leaked from the world’s largest nuclear plant after a major earthquake here in central Japan Monday was 50 pct more radioactive than initially estimated, the operator of the plant said Wednesday.
Forbes 18th July 2007 more >>
Nuclear power officials in Japan yesterday admitted that the world’s largest nuclear power plant had suffered at least 50 malfunctions, including burst pipes, water leaks and radioactive waste spillage, when it was hit by Monday’s earthquake.
Guardian 18th July 2007 more >>
The Japanese government yesterday ordered the shutdown of the world’s biggest nuclear power station and told all nuclear plantsto double-check their facilities following a powerful earthquake on Monday.
FT 18th July 2007 more >>
A radioactive leak at a major nuclear plant in Japan damaged by an earthquake on Monday was worse than previously thought, the plant’s operators say.
BBC 18th July 2007 more >>
As Japan admits that radioactive material leaked from a nuclear power plant during Monday’s powerful earthquake, the former BBC Tokyo correspondent Jonathan Head looks at why Japan has stuck with nuclear power despite the risks.
BBC 17th July 2007 more >>
Officials in Japan are investigating reports of a new leak at the world’s biggest nuclear plant following Monday’s earthquake.
Channel 4 News 17th July 2007 more >>
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Japan ordered that emergency earthquake checks be carried out on all its nuclear facilities yesterday as experts gave warning that the country’s largest plant may be prone to further radioactive leaks.
Times 18th July 2007 more >>
North Korea
The UN nuclear watchdog said on Wednesday it had verified that North Korea had closed all five of its major nuclear facilities, a milestone in efforts to get the country to give up its nuclear weapons programmes.
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Germany
Swedish utility Vattenfall has dismissed the head of its German nuclear operations after a fire at its Kruemmel nuclear plant and a failure at its Brunsbuettel nuclear plant sparked concerns over the company’s management of its nuclear assets and the future of nuclear power generation in Germany as a whole.
Energy Business Review 17th July 2007 more >>
Europe
The European Commission has set up a high level group to improve nuclear safety.
Mathaba 17th July 2007 more >>
New nukes
Letter: I do not see the dire disaster forecast. Fossil fuel may be on the way out, but we can always build nuclear power plants. The alternative is to become the poor relations of countries such as France, China, India, et al, which have no hang-ups about nuclear energy. Faced with that prospect, the nuclear objections will melt like summer snow.
Herald 18th July 2007 more >>
Russia
President Vladimir Putin has signed a plan to build 26 major new nuclear plants, doubling Russia’s energy from nuclear power stations. In addition to this, Russia plans to export more than 60 nuclear plants to other countries over the next 20 years.
Product Reviews 17th July 2007 more >>
Australia
John Howard, the Prime Minister of Australia has said in a speech that his country cannot keep ignoring nuclear power as an option for energy. This particularly applies to Australia as the country has the largest uranium reserves in the world and uranium is the key fuel for nuclear power.
Product Reviews 17th July 2007 more >>
France
Suez said it has signed a five-year agreement with France’s Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) to cooperate in research and development in the nuclear energy sector. Suez said that the partnership, which is renewable for three-year periods, covers research on 4th-generation nuclear reactors, improvement of reactor performance and security, and waste management and decommissioning.
Interactive Investor 17th July 2007 more >>
