Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. Nuclear Energy News .




CIVIL NUCLEAR
Signs of cracks found at second Belgian nuclear plant
by Staff Writers
Brussels (AFP) Sept 13, 2012


There are signs of cracks in a reactor vessel at a second nuclear plant in Belgium, with the problems similar to those identified at another site, power generator Electrabel said Thursday.

"First results from the investigation (at Tihange 2) show signs similar to those found at Doel 3," said the company, a unit of French giant GDF Suez.

Signs of "thousands of potential cracks" were found during inspections earlier this year of the base of the reactor vessel at Doel 3, near the northern city of Antwerp and which has been closed since June.

Tihange 2, near the southern city of Liege and using the same reactor vessel as Doel 3, was halted in August for investigation after the problems at Doel came to light.

"The investigation at Tihange 2 will continue and it will take several more weeks before we get definite answers. Tihange will remain halted in the meantime," a company spokeswoman said.

The reactor vessels, housing the nuclear core, were built in the 1970s by the Dutch firm Rotterdamsche Droogdok Maatschappij (RDM), which has since ceased business.

RDM equipped some 20 nuclear plants, half of them in Europe.

Earlier this year, the Belgian nuclear regulator said the problems in the Doel 3 reactor likely dated back to its construction and while there was little risk for the present, he felt "a malaise given the large number" of defects.

He added that he was sceptical that Doel 3 could be restarted.

The Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan last year has increased the sensitivity over the safety of nuclear energy, with Germany deciding to phase out its plants.

The EU counts 147 reactors in 14 countries with more than a third of the total in France which depends almost entirely on nuclear generators for electricity.

.


Related Links
Nuclear Power News - Nuclear Science, Nuclear Technology
Powering The World in the 21st Century at Energy-Daily.com






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








CIVIL NUCLEAR
India court rejects plea to block nuclear plant
New Delhi (AFP) Sept 13, 2012
India's Supreme Court denied a request on Thursday to suspend the loading of uranium fuel rods at a contested nuclear plant in southern India, as local residents again gathered to protest. Television pictures from near the under-construction Kundankulam Nuclear Power Plant in southern Tamil Nadu state showed hundreds of people forming a human chain while standing in the sea to protest the lo ... read more


CIVIL NUCLEAR
France reconsiders plans to boost biofuel use

World Energy and Hydro Dynamics team up to promote SPR cavitation reactor technology

West Coast distributor expands biodiesel offering

California Clean Fuel Standard Poised to Drive Growth in Biofuels Industry

CIVIL NUCLEAR
DuPont Photovoltaic and Distributed Sun Collaborate on High Reliability Solar Modules

China 'deeply regrets' EU solar panel probe

EU hits Chinese solar companies with massive dumping probe

Constellation announces the completion of 16MW solar installation

CIVIL NUCLEAR
Report backs greater role for wind energy

Wind could meet many times world's total power demand by 2030

High-altitude winds have large potential as a source of clean energy

More accurate wind energy forecasts

CIVIL NUCLEAR
Cuba outage points to infrastructure flaws

Panda Power Funds Breaks Ground on 758 MW Temple, Texas Power Plant

France aims at tiered energy pricing to encourage savings

Renewable Energy Sources Could be the Key to Reaching Through to Iran

CIVIL NUCLEAR
Lebanon fights to join East Med gas boom

Predicting Wave Power Could Double Marine-Based Energy

Arab Spring, gas finds spark Med oil boom

Bulgaria hardens gas pipeline stance over nuclear claim

CIVIL NUCLEAR
Planets Can Form in the Galactic Center

Birth of a planet

A Hot Potential Habitable Exoplanet around Gliese 163

NASA's Kepler Discovers Multiple Planets Orbiting a Pair of Stars

CIVIL NUCLEAR
US Army's JLENS will protect sailors, critical waterways

Egypt subs deal boosts German arms sales

Nuclear-powered cruisers' upgrade: when economy is pointless

Taiwan to build six minehunters

CIVIL NUCLEAR
Next Mars Mission Enters Final Phase Before Launch

NASA Mars Rover Curiosity's Arm Wields Camera Well

NASA Observations Point to 'Dry Ice' Snowfall on Mars

Mars rover Curiosity working 'flawlessly': NASA




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement