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Finnish nuclear watchdog calls for pipe damage probe
Helsinki (AFP) May 13, 2009 Finnish nuclear safety agency STUK said Wednesday it had called for a probe into how pipes for the country's new nuclear reactor were damaged before French contractor Areva could resume work on the project. A consortium led by French firm Areva and Germany's Siemens are building the world's first pressurised water nuclear reactor for Finnish energy group Teollisuuden Voima (TVO) in Olkiluoto, southwestern coast of Finland. Pipes that will run between the nuclear reactor and its steam generator have been welded in France for Areva, but the work was halted after tests discovered some microscopic fractures. STUK wants Areva and TVO to report back on how the damage was caused before welding work continues. "We have to know what has caused these fractures and how they can be fixed. We will not give permission to continue welding work before that," STUK's assistant director Martti Vilpas told AFP. He added the agency wanted to be sure the fractures would not compromise the safety of the nuclear power plant. "If they broke it could cause a radiation leak," Vilpas said. Meanwhile Areva's managing director in Finland said the fractures were not serious and could be easily fixed. "These fractures are on the surface of the pipes and they have no impact on physical properties or safety," Osmo Kaipainen explained. But Greenpeace demanded that the Finnish government stop all construction at the Olkiluoto building site over fears time pressures would mean not enough attention being paid to safety issues. "In 2006 some of these pipes had to be cast again. It seems the problem is not in the welding work but in the material," Greenpeace's energy campaigner Lauri Myllyvirta noted. He added Greenpeace wanted an independent safety check to be carried out on the building work. Over the years the building of Finland's fifth nuclear reactor has run into major delays and is not now expected to start producing electricity until 2012. Originally it was scheduled to be ready in 2009. Share This Article With Planet Earth
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Russia, Japan agree nuclear energy pactTokyo (AFP) May 12, 2009 A nuclear energy agreement signed by Japan and Russia Tuesday will pave the way for contracts worth billions of dollars, the head of Russia's state nuclear agency said Tuesday. The accord, which was inked during Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's visit to Tokyo, will allow for the transfer of Japanese technology to Russia and the sale of more nuclear fuel to energy-poor Japan. It wi ... read more |
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