5-11 June 2012
NEW NUCLEAR:
Reactor vessel installed at Taishan
6 June 2012
Construction of the first EPR unit at the Taishan nuclear power plant in China's Guangdong province has passed another major milestone with the reactor pressure vessel being lowered into place.
Rosatom signs international deals
4 June 2012
Nigeria signed a cooperation accord with Russia towards the construction of its first nuclear power plant on 4 June at the AtomExpo event in Moscow. Bangladesh and South Africa also agreed to extend their nuclear cooperation with Russia.
WASTE & RECYCLING:
Court rejects NRC used fuel ruling
11 June 2012
The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) did not conduct a sufficiently detailed analysis of issues related to its decision to extend the time that used nuclear fuel can be temporarily stored onsite at power plants, an appeals court has ruled.
Funding increased for Yucca Mountain review
8 June 2012
An additional $10 million in funding has been approved for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to complete its review of the licence application for the Yucca Mountain repository. Last year, the NRC shelved the review after funding was slashed.
NDA confirms oxide fuel strategy
7 June 2012
Completing existing reprocessing contracts at the Thermal Oxide Reprocessing Plant (Thorp) at Sellafield remains a "viable and cost-effective strategy," the UK's Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) has concluded.
CORPORATE:
Ribbon cut on zirconium sponge plant
11 June 2012
Westinghouse and its joint venture partner the State Baoti Zirconium Industry have started commissioning a new zirconium sponge production facility in Nantong, China.
Vattenfall versus Germany
8 June 2012
Vattenfall has filed a case against Germany with an international arbitration service one year after the country tore up a carefully negotiated nuclear policy.
Georges Besse finally depleted
8 June 2012
7 June saw the end of operations at Areva's Georges Besse diffusion enrichment plant following 33 years of service.
Chinese firm seeks public listing
7 June 2012
China National Nuclear Power Company - a major player in China's nuclear industry - is planning an initial public offering (IPO) of its shares on the Shanghai Stock Exchange. The listing would provide funds for five new nuclear power plant projects.
Ambitious Rosatom looks to 'ambitious' UK
6 June 2012
Russia's state atomic energy corporation Rosatom is interested in entering the UK nuclear market and is beginning preliminary work to do so, officials said at AtomExpo.
