News

From MSNBC:

The Swiss Cabinet on Wednesday called for the decommissioning of the country's five nuclear power reactors and new energy sources to replace them.

The recommendation by the seven-member Federal Council will be debated in parliament, which is expected to make a final decision next month. If approved, the reactors would go offline between 2019 and 2034 after they reach their average lifespan of 50 years, unless their use could be safely extended for a few more years.

Switzerland has four nuclear power plants with a total of five reactors.

The country will keep the reactors running as long as they are safe, but gradually hopes to turn to entirely non-nuclear sources of power, Energy Minister Doris Leuthard and other Swiss energy officials said.

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SUSQUEHANNA STEAM ELECTRIC STATION, UNITS 1 AND 2 - REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION RE: 2011 DECOMMISSIONING FUNDING STATUS REPORT (TAC NOS. ME5542 AND ME5543)

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Susquehanna Steam Electric Station, Units 1 and 2 – Request for Additional Information Re: 2011 Decommissioning Funding Status Report (TAC Nos. ME5542 and ME5543)

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THREE MILE ISLAND STATION, UNIT 1 - NRC TEMPORARY INSTRUCTION 2515t 183 INSPECTION REPORT 05000289/201 1 009

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Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station, Units 2 and 3 - Request for Additional Information Regarding Relief Request I4R-52 Concerning Alternatives to Reactor Vessel Weld Examinations
 
Adams Accession No. ML111390152

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Eric:
 
My group, the Foundation for Resilient Societies, has a proposal for safety enhancements to spent fuel pools at nuclear plants. Backup cooling power would be provided by solar panels and other unattended, high reliability electric generation. This could prevent spent fuel pool fires and radiation releases.
 
Our proposal has been submitted to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in the form of a Petition for Rulemaking. PRM-50-96 is the only Petition for Rulemaking currently on the NRC docket for 2011. On May 6, the NRC published the petition in the Federal Register for comment:
 
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/rulemaking-ruleforum/petitions-by-year/2011/
 
A blog moderated by the NRC is covering the status of the petition. Already, there are some very interesting public comments on the blog:
 
http://public-blog.nrc-gateway.gov/2011/04/22/the-nrc-were-ready-to-respond/
 
A full copy of the petition can be downloaded from:
 
                www.resilientsocieties.org
 
If people in your group would comment on the petition, either on the NRC blog or as a formal comment for NRC rulemaking, this would further the discussion about safety enhancements for spent fuel pools. The deadline for formal comments is July 20, 2011. Comments on the NRC blog before this date would be very helpful as well.
 
A notice on your website about the petition would be ideal, if you can do this and believe it would fit with your group’s goals.
 
Many thanks for considering this. If you have questions, please email thomasp@resilientsocieties.org or call at the number below.
 
Thomas Popik
Foundation for Resilient Societies
603-321-1090
 

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In a quick review of the last week's Fukushima global coverage, there was a modest burst in  global coverage at the beginning of the week, but it quickly dropped off as only international wire services were doing any coverage, and even coverage in Japan dropped of on Sunday. There is clearly many stories still being investigated from the quake primer to on Friday where TEPCo acknowledged that it is on the brink of economic failure. 

Sunday, May 22nd, 2011

Saturday, May 21st, 2011

Friday, May 20th, 2011

Thursday, May 19th, 2011

Wednesday, May 18th, 2011

Tuesday, May 17th, 2011

Monday May 16th, 2011

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From Yahoo News:

Japan's Tokyo Electric Power on Friday posted a record $15 billion loss and its under-fire president resigned to take responsibility for the worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl 25 years ago.

The beleaguered utility posted an annual net loss of 1.247 trillion yen ($15 billion), the biggest ever for a non-financial Japanese firm. The company did not give an earnings forecast for the current financial year.

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Recent TEPCO updates have confirmed experts' fears that fuel rods inside reactor one had been fully exposed to the air and had melted, and that reactors two and three were likely in a similar condition.

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Third Committee Meeting: May 23-24, 2011 Atlanta, Georgia

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The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) will meet with the public to discuss the NRC's assessrhent of safety performance at Three Mile fsland Power Station Unit 1 for 2010, as described in the annual assessment letter dated March 4,2011. The NRC will respond to questions on specific performance issues at the plant and our role in ensuring safe plant operationg.

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