Nuclear Power
report | Reuters
The number of nuclear reactor units operating globally is at a 30 year low, while new plants struggle for investment, an industry report said on Thursday.
Proponents of nuclear say as a low-carbon power source it could be vital in helping countries meet climate targets, but several plants around the world are coming to the end of their life expectancies and many new ones have faced delays.
Some 408 nuclear reactors were in operation in 31 countries as of July 2020, a decline of 9 units from mid-2019 and 30 fewer than the 2002 peak of 438, the annual World Nuclear Industry Status Report (WNISR) showed.
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The slow pace of new projects coming on stream also increased the overall age of the global fleet to around 31 years old.
Of the 52 new plants being built globally at least 33 are behind schedule, while not a single new project came online in the first half of 2020, the report said.
NPR
FBI agents arrested Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder on Tuesday morning at his rural farm. Householder was taken into custody in connection with a $60 million bribery scheme allegedly involving state officials and associates.
Four others were also arrested: former Ohio Republican Party Chairman Matt Borges, Householder adviser Jeffrey Longstreth and lobbyists Neil Clark and Juan Cespedes.
The charges are linked to a controversial law passed last year that bailed out two nuclear power plants in the state while gutting subsidies for renewable energy and energy efficiency.
Radiation level increase in northern Europe may ‘indicate damage’ to nuclear power plant in Russia | The Independent
Critics alarmed by US nuclear agency’s bid to relax rules on radioactive waste | Environment | The Guardian
The federal agency providing oversight of the commercial nuclear sector is attempting to push through a rule change critics say could allow dangerous amounts of radioactive material to be disposed of in places like municipal landfills, with potentially serious consequences to human health and the environment. Coca-Cola and Pepsi falling short on pledges over plastic – report Read more
“This would be the most massive deregulation of radioactive waste in American history,” said Dan Hirsch, president of the Committee to Bridge the Gap, a nuclear industry watchdog non-profit, about a proposal that would permit “very low-level” radioactive waste to be disposed of by “land burial”.