"Radioactive material leak at Europe’s largest nuclear reactor, investigation underway"

This reactor is only 2 years old, so at the very start of the "bathtub curve" of risk

#nuclear #NuclearPower #Olkiluoto #Finland

https://interestingengineering.com/energy/europe-radioactive-material-leak-olkiluoto3-reactor

When the most evil corporations join forces, it’s not for a good thing:

“Google, Meta, and Amazon join forces to boost #nuclear energy by 2050”

#NuclearPower

https://www.cnbc.com/video/2025/03/12/google-meta-and-amazon-join-forces-to-boost-nuclear-energy-by-2050.html

"A total of nine major contracts have been signed for the construction of units 1 and 2 of the Bailong nuclear power plant in China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the Shanghai Nuclear Engineering Research and Design Institute announced.

The contracts - signed during an ceremony held on 9 March - included the general contracting contract for the units, the main project construction supervision service contract, the marine engineering special general contracting framework agreement, the nuclear island civil engineering and installation contract, and the conventional island and its BOP [balance of plant] construction and installation contract.

The contracts were awarded by Guangxi Nuclear Power Company Ltd - a subsidiary of State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC) - to the Shanghai Nuclear Engineering Research and Design Institute (SNERDI) - also a subsidiary of SPIC.

The construction of Phase I (units 1 and 2) of the Bailong plant was among approvals for 11 new reactors granted by China's State Council in August last year. SPIC plans to build two CAP1000 pressurised water reactors - the Chinese version of the Westinghouse AP1000 - as the first phase of the plant. An investment of about CNY40 billion (USD5.6 billion) is planned for the two units, which are expected to take 56 months to construct.

Excavation of about 66,000 cubic metres of earth to form the foundation pit - which will eventually be 12.2 metres deep and cover an area of about 3000 square metres - began in late December and is expected to be completed by the end of this month.

Once Bailong units 1 and 2 are put into operation, the annual power generation of the plant will be about 20 billion kilowatt-hours, Guangxi Nuclear Power said. It noted that this can reduce the consumption of standard coal by about 6 million tonnes and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 16 million tonnes annually.

Four CAP1400 reactors are also planned to be built at the site - located about 24 kilometres from the border with Vietnam and about 30 kilometres southwest of China General Nuclear's Fangchenggang nuclear power plant - in later phases."

#Nuclear #News #China

https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/articles/contracts-signed-for-first-two-bailong-units

#Iran confirmed Wednesday it will hold talks this week with #China and #Russia on its #nuclear programme, after Beijing announced it would host the meeting.

https://www.barrons.com/news/iran-confirms-nuclear-talks-friday-with-china-russia-c7ab30c9

NGO Don't Nuke the Climate publish radioactive plume maps for Caesium 137 radioactive isotope based on a Fukushima sized #nuclear disaster, for the 7 nuclear sites the Coalition have identified for nuclear power plants around Australia. #DontNukeTheClimate #Ausvotes2025

https://nuclearplume.au/

via the Awesome Grassroots Network (CANA)
#energy #renewableenergy #nuclear
#climatechange #environment
Today is the 14th anniversary of the Fukushima disaster, and this morning the good folks at Don't Nuke the Climate released a huge research project that shows what a Fukushima-style nuclear disaster would look like if it happened at one of Dutton's 7 proposed reactor sites

https://nuclearplume.au/

KEY FINDINGS:
- Almost 200,000 Australians live in 245 towns & suburbs within 30km evacuation zones of the 7 sites

- 33 hospitals & medical centres are located within 30km evacuation zones of the 7 sites

- 99 schools & 62 daycares are located within 30km evacuation zones of the 7 sites
#science #facts #auspol
Radioactive pollution can spread over 200km from the reactor site, putting even more communities at risk

https://www.wacoca.com/news/2457047/ 2011年3月11日のコメントを振り返る【東日本大震災から14年】 #3.11 #311 #311から14年 #fukushima #Japan #JapanBreakingNews #JapanNews #JapanToday #Nuclear #ニコニコ #ニコニコニュース #ニコニコ動画 #ニコニコ実況 #ニコニコ生放送 #ニコ動 #ニコ生 #ニュース #ライブ #ライブ配信 #中継 #地震 #報道 #大震災 #政治 #東京電力 #東北 #東日本大震災 #東日本大震災から14年 #津波 #生中継 #福島 #福島第一原発 #記者会見

"The European Investment Bank and Orano have signed a loan agreement for EUR400 million (USD434 million) to partly fund the project to extend the Georges Besse II uranium enrichment plant in Tricastin in southern France. The project will increase the plant's capacity by more than 30%.

The Georges Besse II centrifuge enrichment plant - which superseded the Georges Besse I gaseous diffusion enrichment plant that ended production in June 2012 - was officially opened in December 2010 and reached its full production capacity of 7.5 million Separative Work Unit (SWU) in 2016.

In October 2023, the board of directors of Orano approved an investment of about EUR1.7 billion to raise the production capacity of the plant. The decision followed requests from some US and European customers who are seeking alternatives to Russian sources of supply.

The project consists of building a further four modules identical to the fourteen existing modules that use "the same recognised and proven technology, offering the best guarantees in terms of safety, competitiveness and energy savings, while having a reduced environmental footprint", the company said. The additional cascades will increase the plant's capacity by 2.5 million SWU.

This project was the subject of a notification under Article 41 of the Euratom Treaty on 7 September 2023. The European Commission issued a positive opinion on 9 October 2024, underlining the project's compliance with the Euratom treaty and its contribution to the security of supply in Europe.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) - the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States - has now agreed to lend Orano EUR400 million towards the Georges Besse II expansion project.

EIB Vice-President Ambroise Fayolle said: "This significant EIB financing contributes to European energy independence. Decarbonised energies are essential to enable the European Union to meet the ambitious climate neutrality objectives it has set itself."

"We are very proud of this cooperation, which represents further recognition of the strategic value of our investment plan for the climate and for the production of sustainable and decarbonised energy," said Orano CEO Nicolas Maes. "The financing granted by the EIB for the capacity extension at our Georges Besse II enrichment plant is perfectly in line with this objective, as the project will make it possible to take the number of households supplied with low-carbon energy up to a total 120 million. Not least, in the current geopolitical context, this support for our activities from the EIB will help to strengthen security of supply in the European Union."

Orano held a ceremony in October last year to mark the laying of the foundation stone of the Georges Besse II plant extension. The new modules are expected to begin operating in 2028, with complete commissioning of the extension in 2030."

#Nuclear #News #France #EU

https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/articles/eu-funding-for-french-enrichment-plant-expansion