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Belgium rejects German call for nuclear plants closure via The Guardian

Belgium’s nuclear safety agency says 40-year-old Tihange 2 and Doel 3 reactors meet ‘strictest possible safety requirements’ Belgium on Wednesday rejected a request by neighbouring Germany to shutter two ageing nuclear plants near their shared border, arguing the facilities met with the strictest safety standards. German environment minister, Barbara Hendricks, earlier on Wednesday requested that […]

By yukimiyamotodepaul – April 27, 2016

Germany asks Belgium to take two nuclear reactors offline via Reuters

Germany has asked Belgium to take two nuclear reactors temporarily offline while questions about their safety are cleared up, an unusual diplomatic move that underscores German concerns about the plants. Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks said on Wednesday that she asked Belgium this week to shut down its Tihange 2 and Doel 3 reactors, after Germany’s […]

By yukimiyamotodepaul – April 20, 2016

Belgium fears nuclear plants are vulnerable via The New York Times

BRUSSELS — As a dragnet aimed at Islamic State operatives spiraled across Brussels and into at least five European countries on Friday, the authorities were also focusing on a narrower but increasingly alarming threat: the vulnerability of Belgium’s nuclear installations. The investigation into this week’s deadly attacks in Brussels has prompted worries that the Islamic […]

By norma field – March 25, 2016

Belgium evacuates nuclear plant staff after attacks via CBS

Hours after bombs tore through Belgium’s international airport and a subway station in central Brussels, the government asked the operator of one of the country’s nuclear energy plants to evacuate most staff. ENGIE, the French electric company that runs the Tihange nuclear plant about 50 miles southeast of Brussels, confirmed that all non-essential staff had […]

By yukimiyamotodepaul – March 22, 2016

Belgium’s ageing nuclear plants worry neighbours via BBC News

Belgium’s neighbours have expressed alarm at its plans to extend the life of 40-year-old nuclear reactors, seen by critics as dangerous. Just across the border, the German city of Aachen and the Dutch city of Maastricht have announced they are considering taking legal action. They want to force Belgium to shut the reactors down. Belgium […]

By norma field – February 2, 2016

Belgium angers Germany with nuclear reactor restart via The Guardian

Belgium has restarted an ageing nuclear reactor after a nearly two-year shutdown, angering neighbouring Germany which fears the danger of a Fukushima-style meltdown. Power company Electrabel said it put the Tihange 2 reactor back online “in complete safety”. There had been opposition from officials in adjacent North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s most populous state. Belgium has been […]

By norma field – December 16, 2015

Belgium Shuts Down Doel-3 And Tihange-2 After Unexpected RPV Test Results via NukNet

26 Mar (NucNet): The Doel-3 and Tihange-2 nuclear reactor units in Belgium were shut down today after tests related to the reactor pressure vessels (RPVs) showed “unexpected results”, Electrabel, a subsidiary of French energy company GDF Suez and operator of the stations, said. Tests carried out at Belgium’s nuclear research reactor BR-2 in Mol consisted […]

By yukimiyamotodepaul – March 26, 2014

WWI Shell Found At Belgium’s Tihange Nuclear Power Plant, Forcing Partial Evacuation via Huffington Post

BRUSSELS — A Belgian utility says an unexploded World War I shell was found on the grounds of a nuclear power plant but was safely removed by military experts. Electrabel spokeswoman Anne-Sophie Huge said the shell was found during drainage work Wednesday in front of an administrative building outside a reactor’s fenced security perimeter. She […]

By yukimiyamotodepaul – February 28, 2013

Belgium: Possible flaw in nuclear plant via AP

BRUSSELS (AP) – A possible hairline crack in the steel tank containing the reactor at a Belgian nuclear plant poses no danger to the public, the country’s nuclear regulatory agency said Friday. The possible flaw was discovered while the plant was shut for annual maintenance, Karina De Beule, a spokeswoman for AFCN, the Federal Agency […]

By yukimiyamotodepaul – August 10, 2012

Belgium agrees on conditional nuclear exit plans via Reuters

(Reuters) – Belgium’s political parties have reached a conditional agreement to shut down the country’s two remaining nuclear power stations, owned by GDF Suez unit Electrabel, a government spokeswoman said Monday. The plan for a shutdown of the three oldest reactors by 2015 and a complete exit by 2025 is conditional on finding enough energy […]

By snasser – October 31, 2011

Belgium Abandon Nuclear Energy From 2015 via Newish info.

Negotiators working on the formation of a new Belgian federal government reached an agreement for the country to abandon nuclear energy from 2015, said Friday night the evening Le Soir in its online edition. The representatives of the six parties held a meeting Friday night dedicated to energy and sustainable development, under the direction of […]

By yukimiyamotodepaul – October 29, 2011

European Union to pass strategy paper on nuclear energy via DW

Ahead of a meeting of the EU’s Energy Commissioners, a report obtained by German media has revealed plans for the future of nuclear power in Europe. The plans run contrary to German policy. Citing a strategy paper from EU on Tuesday, “Spiegel Online” reported that European Union (EU) plans to defend its technological dominance in […]

By yukimiyamotodepaul – May 17, 2016

Nuclear Materials Remain Vulnerable to Theft, Despite U.S.-Led Effort via The New York Times

WASHINGTON — As President Obama gathers world leaders in Washington this week for his last Nuclear Security Summit, tons of materials that terrorists could use to make small nuclear devices or dirty bombs remain deeply vulnerable to theft. Still, Mr. Obama’s six-year effort to rid the world of loose nuclear material has succeeded in pulling […]

By yukimiyamotodepaul – March 30, 2016

Guard at Belgian nuclear plant shot dead; his security badge was stolen via Washington Times

Just two days after terrorists attacked the Brussels airport and subway system, a security guard for a Belgian nuclear facility was murdered and his security access badge was stolen, Belgian media reported Saturday. The security guard’s badge was de-activated as soon as it was discovered it was stolen, according to French newspaper Derniere Heure. He […]

By yukimiyamotodepaul – March 27, 2016

Shut old nuclear reactors, says unprecedented alliance of EU cities via The Guardian

Communities and campaigners in Germany, the Netherlands and Luxembourg lobby for closure of two ageing 40-year old Belgian nuclear reactors close to borders An unprecedented alliance of 30 major cities and districts from three countries has joined forces to try to shut down two ageing Belgian nuclear reactors close to their borders. Cologne and Dusseldorf […]

By yukimiyamotodepaul – March 18, 2016

Belgian nuclear plant’s reactor shuts down days after reboot via RT

Belgium’s Doel nuclear reactor went offline on Saturday, after it was restarted just three days ago, the plant’s spokesperson said. Meanwhile, Germany has stepped up criticism on operational safety of its neighbor’s aging nuclear facilities. Doel 1 nuclear reactor, located in northern Belgium, was taken offline automatically, RTL broadcaster quoted the communications manager Els De […]

By yukimiyamotodepaul – January 3, 2016

Explosion Hits Belgian Nuclear Power Station via Sputnik

The source said there was no threat of radioactive contamination following the explosion. An explosion hit the Doel nuclear power station in northern Belgium on Sunday, a spokesperson of Electrabel energy corporation that operates Doel said, adding the personnel were not injured. The exact damage from the incident is still unknown, Els De Clercq claims. Doel Nuclear Power Station […]

By yukimiyamotodepaul – November 1, 2015

Belgian nuclear reactors get 10 extra years of life via eu observer

Two Belgian nuclear reactors which were supposed to retire this year at age 40, will remain operational until they are half a century old. Federal energy minister Marie Christine Marghem said the longer lifespan, until 2025, was necessary to ensure security of electricity supply in Belgium. The Belgian government announced that negotiations with energy company […]

By yukimiyamotodepaul – July 30, 2015

Greenpeace Exposes “Failure“ of Fukushima Decontamination Program via PanOrient News

Tokyo- (PanOrient News) Radioactive contamination in Fukushima prefecture is so widespread and at such a high level that it will be dangerous for people to return to their homes, a Greenpeace Japan investigation revealed today. The investigation followed the Abe Government’s announcement on 12th June 2015 to lift evacuation orders by March 2017 and end […]

By yukimiyamotodepaul – July 25, 2015

US Nuclear Weapons Base In Italy Eyed By Alleged Terrorists via FAS

Two suspected terrorists arrested by the Italian police allegedly were planning an attack against the nuclear weapons base at Ghedi. The base stores 20 US B61 nuclear bombs earmarked for delivery by Italian PA-200 Tornado fighter-bombers in war. Nuclear security and strike exercises were conducted at the base in 2014. During peacetime the bombs are […]

By yukimiyamotodepaul – July 23, 2015

Germany is replacing its nuclear reactors with massive offshore wind farms via Quartz

Offshore wind power isn’t the easiest thing to build. The turbines themselves are large and complex, and need to keep working for decades in some of the harshest conditions on the planet. As well as the windmill, there’s a support structure needed for every turbine to keep it upright and spinning; then there are the connecters […]

By yukimiyamotodepaul – May 9, 2015

Cracks appear in the nuclear industry via DW

Cracks discovered in the walls of Belgian nuclear reactors are causing unease among experts. The reason: a previously unknown phenomenon – material fatigue. There are fears that many more reactors could be affected. Several thousand cracks have been discovered by corrosion experts in the pressure vessels of two reactors at the Belgian nuclear power stations […]

By yukimiyamotodepaul – February 24, 2015

Taipower launches overseas reprocessing tender via World Nuclear News

Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) has launched a tender for a contract worth up to TWD 11.26 billion ($356 million) for the shipment and reprocessing of used nuclear fuel abroad. The summary tender notice, published on 17 February on the Public Construction Commission’s website, says: “This procurement plans to reprocess 1200 bundles (480 for the Chinshan […]

By yukimiyamotodepaul – February 20, 2015

Fire shuts down Belgian nuclear reactor via The Australian

A BELGIAN nuclear reactor has shut down after a fire broke out at the plant in the east of the country, the Belga news agency reported. […] The Tihange 3 power station, situated 70 kilometres south-west of the German town of Aachen, shut down automatically after one of its transformers reportedly caught fire. The fire, […]

By yukimiyamotodepaul – November 30, 2014

Shale: an overlooked option for US nuclear waste disposal via Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

Toss a dart at a map of the United States and, more often than not, it will land where shale can be found underground. A drab, relatively featureless sedimentary rock that historically attracted little interest, shale (as used here, the term includes clay and a range of clay-rich rocks) is entering Americans’ consciousness as a new […]

By yukimiyamotodepaul – November 29, 2014

Nuclear power: reliably unreliable via Greenpeace

With wind power filling the energy gap left by shutdown nuclear reactors in the UK, and police investigating allegations of sabotage at a reactor in Belgium, the myth of “reliable” nuclear energy is being exposed like never before. The nuclear industry tells us that nuclear power is a reliable energy source, that it offers “energy […]

By yukimiyamotodepaul – August 27, 2014

Two Belgian nuclear reactors may be closed permanently: state media via Reuters

(Reuters) – Two Belgian nuclear reactors owned by GDF-Suez unit Electrabel may remain offline until spring and may need to be halted permanently, Belgian state broadcaster VRT reported on Tuesday. The Belgian nuclear regulator ordered production to be stopped at the 1,008 megawatt Tihange 2 reactor and the 1,006 megawatt Doel 3 reactor in 2012 […]

By yukimiyamotodepaul – August 20, 2014

Insight – The cost of caring for Europe’s elderly nuclear plants via Reuters

(Reuters) – Europe’s ageing nuclear fleet will undergo more prolonged outages over the next few years, reducing the reliability of power supply and costing plant operators many millions of dollars. Nuclear power provides about a third of the European Union’s electricity generation, but the 28-nation bloc’s 131 reactors are well past their prime, with an […]

By yukimiyamotodepaul – August 17, 2014

Electrabel confirms Doel 4 nuclear power plant sabotage vian Power Engineering

Belgium has been left without half of its nuclear capacity, as GDF Suez subsidiary Electrabel confirmed that its Doel 4 nuclear reactor has been shut down due to sabotage. Reuters reports that a GDF Suez (Euronext: GSZ) spokesman confirmed Belgian press reports about suspicion of sabotage. “There was an intentional manipulation,” he said, adding that somebody […]

By yukimiyamotodepaul – August 15, 2014

What If China Has a Fukushima? via Caixin Online

(Beijing) — China has never suffered a Three Mile Island-like nuclear power plant accident, much less a Chernobyl meltdown or a Fukushima disaster. But now that the government under Premier Li Keqiang has put the country on a fast-track for nuclear power development, with dozens of new reactors scheduled to launch by 2020, the insurance […]

By norma field – April 25, 2014

Covert mission: Plutonium source might be Canada via Ottawa Citizen

 Questions being asked about mystery cargo The nuclear fuel carrier Pacific Egret slipped into the harbour at Charleston, South Carolina, on March 19 and unloaded a top-secret cargo at the port’s Naval Weapons Station. Fitted with naval guns, cannons and extensive hidden means of repelling a terrorist assault, the three-year-old British vessel was purpose-built to […]

By yukimiyamotodepaul – March 30, 2014

Old nuclear reactors can’t save the climate via Greenpeace

Today 240 activists are taking action across Europe to highlight the risk of ageing nuclear reactors. There’s an ongoing action inside Tihange in Belgium. In Switzerland activists have unfolded banners inside the Beznau II, the oldest nuclear power plant in Europe. They also flew over with a paraglider and simultaneously in Sweden a banner was […]

By yukimiyamotodepaul – March 6, 2014

Mayumi Oda on Energy of Change, Feminization and New Birth of Japan via Kyoto Journal

KJ: You came to Japan several times last year following 3.11. What do you see happening at the moment in Japan? Mayumi Oda: It’s a great opportunity to stop nuclear reactors — and probably we will. It’s an amazing coincidence that the last reactor that is still operating, in Hokkaido, is called Tomari. So we’ll […]

By yukimiyamotodepaul – January 17, 2014

Nuclear Materials Report Shows Better Safekeeping via The New York Times

A report issued Wednesday on the security of deadly nuclear materials found steady improvement, with seven countries in the last two years giving up most of their uranium and plutonium that could be readily turned into weapons. Their actions lowered the number of nations with appreciable fuel for atomic bombs to 25 from 32. […] […]

By norma field – January 11, 2014

UNSCEAR members protest against minimising health effects of Fukushima radiation via nuclear-news

Shocked UNSCEAR members in Belgium protest “It even goes back behind the lessons of Chernobyl and other studies.”  Original post: Marc Molitor Les délégués belges indignés: “On minimise les conséquences de Fukushima” by Marc Molitor http://www.rtbf.be/info/societe/detail_les-delegues-belges-indignes-on-minimise-les-consequences-de-fukushima?id=8042566 English translation by Alex Rosen, M.D., Vice-chairman, German IPPNW Shocked UNSCEAR members in Belgium protest “It even goes back behind the lessons […]

By yukimiyamotodepaul – August 27, 2013

MOX Fuel Shipment Arrives In Japan For Takahama Nuclear Plant via NucNet

27 Jun (NucNet): The first shipment of mixed oxide (MOX) fuel to Japan since before the March 2011 accident at Fukushima-Daiichi has arrived at a port in Takahama, Fukui Prefecture, for delivery to the Takahama nuclear power plant. Areva said that following their departure from Cherbourg in France, on 17 April 2013, two vessels called […]

By yukimiyamotodepaul – June 27, 2013

Obama accused of nuclear U-turn as guided weapons plan emerges via the Guradian

Barack Obama has been accused of reneging on his disarmament pledges after it emerged the administration was planning to spend billions on upgrading nuclear bombs stored in Europe to make the weapons more reliable and accurate. Under the plan, nearly 200 B61 gravity bombs stockpiled in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy and Turkey would be […]

By yukimiyamotodepaul – April 21, 2013

The “Bright Future” of Japan’s Nuclear Industry via Japan Focus

While the media are rushing to announce the “full stop” of Japan’s nuclear power production 2039, little attention has been paid to two much less publicized moves. The first is the restarting of Japan’s nuclear export industry, especially its targeting of former colonial areas in South East Asia. The second is even more discreet. It […]

By norma field – September 27, 2012

Thousands of cracks found in Belgian nuclear power plant via euobserver.com

… The cracks, which possibly date back to the reactor’s construction some 40 years ago, were discovered using ultra-sound during inspections in June and July. Belgium’s nuclear regulator, the federal agency for nuclear control (FANC), said the reactor is in shutdown mode for inspections and its fuel has been discharged. The reactor poses no threat […]

By yukimiyamotodepaul – August 17, 2012

Nuclear Industry Says Back on Track After Fukushima `Speed Bump’ via Broomberg

Within months of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, the worst in 25 years, Germany, Belgium and Italy vowed to quit atomic energy. Twelve months on, the nuclear industry says it’s almost back to business as usual. “Fukushima put a speed bump on the road to the nuclear renaissance,” Ganpat Mani, president of Converdyn, a company that […]

By Tomomi Yamaguchi – March 26, 2012

50 Years After Test 596 – Nuclear Testing in East Turkestan via Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization

PRESS REMINDER FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Living in the Shadow of an Atom Cloud: The Search for Victims’ Redress after China’s Nuclear Tests Wednesday, 29 February 2012, 9.30 – 12.30 Room P7C050, Paul-Henri Spaak Building, European Parliament 60 Rue Wiertz, Brussels, Belgium Brussels, 24 February 2012 – The nuclear accident at Fukushima, Japan, has once again […]

By yukimiyamotodepaul – February 28, 2012

New Study Ranks Countries on Security of Materials That Fuel Nuclear Arms via The New York Times

Now, for the first time publicly, experts have surveyed the precautions each country has in place and ranked the nations from best to worst. The study is full of surprises and potential embarrassments: for instance, Australia takes first place in nuclear security and Japan comes in at No. 23, behind nations like Kazakhstan and South […]

By snasser – January 11, 2012

Study Ranks Countries on Nuclear Security via The New York Times

The 32 nations with materials that can fuel atom bombs are typically mum on security, which looks to the public like a closed world of barbed wire and armed guards. Behind the scenes, atomic insiders have long told horror stories of risky practices and security flaws that might let the crucial ingredients for nuclear weapons […]

By yukimiyamotodepaul – January 11, 2012

Southeast Asian Nations Look at Nuclear Power via The New York Times

By SONYA KOLESNIKOV-JESSOP Published: November 27, 2011 SINGAPORE — The nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi plant that began in March has led many governments around the world to pause, review safety measures and revise their plans for power development. A few countries, like Germany and Belgium, have even decided to decommission their nuclear plants […]

By yukimiyamotodepaul – November 27, 2011

Nuclear a pawn in Belgian politics via Nuclear World News

16 November 2011 In pursuit of a functioning government Belgium has reversed a 2009 agreement and proposed a crippling tax on nuclear power, leading utilities to threaten court action.   GDF Suez reacted strongly to the moves today with the assertion that the last negotiated nuclear agreement with government was binding on both sides. The […]

By yukimiyamotodepaul – November 17, 2011

Energetic meet points outpost-Fukushima second thoughts via The Hindu

Even as India debates the pros and cons of the Kudankulam nuclear power project, several developed countries have already resolved to scrap their nuclear plants, experts at an energy conclave said on Monday. Addressing the 14th regional conclave of the Madras Management Association (MMA) and the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) on “Energy as a factor […]

By snasser – November 2, 2011

New deal on phasing out nuclear power via Flanders News

Mon 31/10/2011 – 10:24 Update: Mon 31/10/2011 – 12:32 The six parties involved in talks that should lead to the formation of a new Belgian Government have struck a deal on phasing out nuclear energy. Under the agreement Belgium will close all its nuclear power plants when there are sufficient alternatives. Under legislation dating from […]

By yukimiyamotodepaul – October 31, 2011

Kazakhstan reels from impact of nuclear tests, 20 years on via AFP

By Aleks Tapinsh (AFP) – 1 day ago SEMEY, Kazakhstan — The 79-year-old Yevdokia Matushkina struggles to remember. Her memories often fail her. Except one. Sitting in her tiny room at a home for the elderly in the eastern Kazakh city of Semey, Matushkina remembers the days when the loud blasts of nuclear tests several […]

By yukimiyamotodepaul – August 29, 2011

New EU rules for nuclear waste open the door to dumping in Russia via Greenpeace

European countries obliged to develop plans to address waste problem Press release – July 19, 2011 European countries today agreed to develop plans to address the ever-growing problem of nuclear waste. However, the EU also agreed to continue the dangerous practice of transporting radioactive material across great distances to storage plants outside EU borders. In […]

By yukimiyamotodepaul – July 19, 2011