nuclear safety News

Japan Aims to Beef up Nuke Safety Check Competency After Bad Review

Japanese nuclear regulators said Monday they will revise laws, nearly double inspection staff and send some inspectors to the U.S. for training to address deficiencies cited by the International Atomic Energy Agency. The Nuclear Regulation Authority announced the plans in …

New Technologies Promise Less Risky Nuclear Fuel

The explosions that damaged a crippled Japanese nuclear plant during a disaster that forced mass evacuations in 2011 show what can happen when nuclear fuel overheats. In response to the Fukushima Dai-ichi accident, the U.S. government dramatically increased funding to …

Scientists Warn: Prepare Now for Next Nuclear Plant Accident

Three major atomic accidents in 35 years are forcing the world’s nuclear industry to stop imagining it can prevent more catastrophes and to focus instead on how to contain them. Of the 176 new reactors planned across the globe, half …

Congressional Study Finds Inconsistency in Nuclear Safety Enforcement

The number of safety violations at U.S. nuclear power plants varies dramatically from region to region, pointing to inconsistent enforcement in an industry now operating mostly beyond its original 40-year licenses, according to a congressional study awaiting release. Nuclear Regulatory …

Feds Vow More Oversight at South Carolina Nuclear Plant

Federal officials announced they are going to be doing more oversight at a South Carolina nuclear power plant that has tallied a number of incidents in recent years. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is going to keep a closer eye on …

Scientists Criticize Nuclear Plants Over Safety

More than one-third of U.S. nuclear power plants suffered safety-related incidents over the past three years, and nuclear regulators and plant operators need to improve inspections to prevent such events, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) said in a report …

Tennesee Valley Authority Pressed for Details on Nuclear Plant Flood Safety

Nuclear power plant regulators want more specific information from Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) on how the utility plans to protect reactors in case of severe flooding. According to the Chattanooga Times Free Press, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission heard TVA’s flood …

U.S. Regulators to Issue Post-Fukushima Safety Rules

As the first anniversary of Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster approaches, U.S. nuclear regulators have moved to issue the first new rules to deal with safety issues raised by the world’s worst nuclear accident in 25 years, according to agency filings. …

Japan Governor Wants Nuclear Safety Pledge in Writing

Japanese governor Tokihiro Nakamura believes nuclear power is vital for the resource-poor land, but even he says the central government must put safety pledges in writing before he’ll agree to restart off-line reactors — a sign of the tough battle …

Nuclear Accidents Pose Little Risk to U.S. Health, Say Regulators

The risk to public health from a severe nuclear power plant accident in the United States is “very small” because reactor operators should have time to prevent core damage and reduce the release of radioactive materials, U.S. nuclear regulators said …