Radwaste
A panel set up to investigate whether Cumbria should volunteer to host an underground nuclear waste dump will agree on preliminary conclusions on Friday. The West Cumbria Managing Radioactive Waste Safely Partnership was formed after Allerdale, Copeland and Cumbria County Council all expressed an interest in being involved in the process to find a site for a so-called deep geological repository. The group will meet at the Market Hall, Wigton, on Friday, where it will agree its preliminary conclusions on issues including the safety and security of a repository, how it will affect the environment and planning implications. At a meeting last month, the group agreed on its stance on geology, design, engineering and inventory of a possible facility. A third meeting is to be held to decide on further issues, before it compiles a draft report. The panel will then ask the public for its opinion on the issue before a final report is given to the three councils.
Cumberland News 27th July 2011 more >>
News & Star 27th July 2011 more >>
New Nukes
Success in the UKs nuclear build programme will unlock opportunities in international markets for UK contractors, EDF Energys nuclear procurement chief has told Construction News. Alan Cumming said lessons from the French plant Flamanville, which has been put back by four years and has overrun its estimated budget by billions of pounds, would be applied to the UK supply chain for nuclear build at Hinkley Point and Sizewell, benefiting contractors.
Construction News 28th July 2011 more >>
Areva
Areva has warned that it remains extremely difficult to assess the long-term impact on the industry of the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster but said orders were only 1bn ($1.4bn) lower than before the event. The companys disclosure on the size of its order book at the end of June provides the first concrete evidence of the financial implications of the Japanese disaster for one of the most important nuclear suppliers. In his first statement since taking charge of the company from Anne Lauvergeon last month, Luc Oursel, Arevas chief executive, said almost 200m of orders had been cancelled since the earthquake and tsunami in March.
FT 27th July 2011 more >>
Companies
Technology developed for motor racing will be used to monitor nuclear pump operation in a feasibility study aimed at improving efficiency. A consortium between Cosworth Group and Glasgow-based Clyde Union Pumps has been awarded funding to perform a feasibility study focused on improving the operational monitoring of nuclear pumping equipment.
Process Engineering 27th July 2011 more >>
Missile Shield
If U.S. plans to deploy a missile shield to protect Europe against a possible attack by Iran are realized, it will spark a new nuclear arms race, North Korea’s U.N. ambassador said Wednesday. The U.S. plan, which is being developed in consultation with NATO, calls for the gradual deployment of interceptor missiles, based on land and sea, by 2020.
Reuters 28th July 2011 more >>
Test Veterans
Veterans involved in Britain’s nuclear weapons tests in the 1950s are taking their case for compensation to the Supreme Court. More than 1,000 ex-servicemen say exposure to radiation during tests conducted between 1952 and 1958 left them with ill health.
BBC 28th July 2011 more >>
Plaid Cymrus Arfon MP Hywel Williams has called on the UK Government to compensate veterans suffering the long-term effects of atomic nuclear testing which took place in the 1950s.
News on News 27th July 2011 more >>
North Korea
US diplomats will sit in New York with Kim Kye-gwan, North Koreas top nuclear negotiator, for the first talks in two years, a move that could herald the start of further engagement with Pyongyang. However, Washington remains highly doubtful about the prospects for any meaningful progress with Kim Jong-ils regime, which has broken all previous agreements, using talks as a way simply to extract rewards.
FT 27th July 2011 more >>
Switzerland
The Leibstadt nuclear power plant is to have its circulation system upgraded by Areva to help it use nuclear fuel more effectively. A turbine retrofit has already been carried out and some post-Fukushima improvements are to come.
World Nuclear News 27th July 2011 more >>
Iran
The nominee to be the next chief of the US military on Tuesday warned Iran not to pursue nuclear weapons or sponsor attacks in Iraq, saying it would be making a “serious miscalculation.”
Middle East Online 27th July 2011 more >>
