Monthly Archives: September 2011

Four incidents from today’s NRC Event Reports

Posted on September 30, 2011 by

A fire alarm in containment, a toxic chemical leak, elevated tritium levels and failure of two Emergency Diesel Generators top Friday’s NRC Event Reports: 1. During startup yesterday morning, operators at the Robinson nuclear power plant in South Carolina declared … Continue reading →

Posted in Event Reports, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Radiation leak, Reactor problems | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Compensation, cleanup may leave TEPCO a “Zombie Company”

Posted on September 30, 2011 by

Bloomberg Business Week reported today: Tokyo Electric Power Co., which faces damages of at least 4.5 trillion yen ($59 billion) for the Fukushima nuclear disaster, may be consigned to a future as a “zombie company” requiring constant government funding. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Earthquake, Fukushima, Japan, Plant shutdowns, Radiation leak, Reactor problems | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

This just in: 5.6 earthquake shakes Fukushima

Posted on September 29, 2011 by

In the last half-hour, CBS News reported: A strong earthquake has rocked northeastern Japan, which is still recovering from the devastating tsunami six months ago. The quake Thursday had a preliminary magnitude of 5.6. There were no immediate reports of … Continue reading →

Posted in Earthquake, Fukushima, Japan | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Alabama reactor shuts down unexpectedly

Posted on September 29, 2011 by

Yesterday morning, the Unit 3 reactor at Browns Ferry in Alabama suffered an automatic reactor trip following a turbine trip. Cause of the shutdown is under investigation.  

Posted in Event Reports, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Plant shutdowns, Reactor problems | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Strike deadline looms at New York nuclear plant

Posted on September 28, 2011 by

The Syracuse Post-Standard reported this morning: A contract covering 238 of the 657 employees at James A. FitzPatrick Nuclear Power plant in Scriba expires Friday night, creating the potential for a strike if no agreement is reached. Plant owner Entergy … Continue reading →

Posted in Labor, Nuclear Regulatory Commission | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Vermont reactor powering back up after pump failure

Posted on September 27, 2011 by

The Brattleboro Reformer reported today: As of Monday evening, Vermont Yankee technicians were troubleshooting a recirculation pump system in an attempt to return the nuclear power plant to maximum output. On Sunday at 11 p.m., an electrical problem in a … Continue reading →

Posted in Event Reports, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Reactor problems | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Automatic reactor trip at South Carolina reactor

Posted on September 27, 2011 by

Yesterday morning, the Unit 1 reactor at the Robinson nuclear plant in South Carolina shut down unexpectedly. The cause of the trip was a low water level to one of the reactor’s steam generators. The unit is in Hot Standby, … Continue reading →

Posted in Event Reports, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Plant shutdowns, Reactor problems | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Michigan reactor shut down as a result of maintenance error

Posted on September 26, 2011 by

Sunday afternoon, a worker performing maintenance at the Palisades nuclear plant in Michigan dropped a bus bar and caused an arc in an electrical panel. “The loss of both preferred AC busses caused a reactor trip, a safety injection signal, … Continue reading →

Posted in Event Reports, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Plant shutdowns, Reactor problems | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Radioactive rice found near Fukushima

Posted on September 26, 2011 by

The New York Times reported over the weekend: Preliminary tests on rice from paddies in the city of Nihonmatsu, about 35 miles from the Fukushima plant, showed the crops contained 500 becquerels per kilogram of radioactive cesium, prefectural officials said. … Continue reading →

Posted in Earthquake, Japan, Plant shutdowns, Radiation leak, Reactor problems | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

South Carolina Senator says we shouldn’t rule out military action against Pakistan

Posted on September 25, 2011 by

I generally stick pretty closely to nuclear power issues, but I almost drove my car off the road this afternoon when I heard NPR report that Senator Lindsey Graham said this morning on Fox News Sunday that we shouldn’t rule … Continue reading →

Posted in Nuclear weapons | Tagged , , | Leave a comment