‘Soviet Union nuclear plant meltdown’
Nature premiere
Animals thrive around the Chernobyl reactor 25 years after the nuclear accident
Michele Kearney's Nuclear Wire - Major Energy and Environmental News and Commentary affecting the Nuclear Industry. Nuclear Activities
Saturday, October 22, 2011
A Life in Energy and (Therefore) Politics
Ladies & Gentlemen:
Please be sure to read the long interview that appears on page A15 of today's (weekend issue), October 22, Wall Street Journal or which is online at the address shown below.
Two short excerpts from the long article are shown below.
It's very seldom that the CEO of a large utility will state publicly the unvarnished truth about electricity and politics so don't miss this one! He describes the outlook, economics, and politics for the principal sources of electric generation -- and puts electricity from wind in its proper perspective.
Glenn Schleede
(In the interest of full disclosure, John Rowe was my boss for much of the time that I worked for the New England Electric System (NEES). He moved to Exelon (actually its predecessor) from NEES in the mid or late-1990s.)
A Life in Energy and (Therefore) Politics
The CEO of America's third-largest utility on competing in an electricity market built on political fads and lobbyists.
By JOSEPH RAGO
New York
'Prostitution, horse racing, gambling and electricity are irresistible to politicians," says John Rowe, the CEO of the Chicago-based utility Exelon.
He'll give you an example of what he means: In 2009, Exelon began work on an urban solar-power project on a blighted field in Chicago's West Pullman neighborhood, in part at the request of then-White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. "Whatever it is, it's not a scandal," says Mr. Rowe, who explains that his company was promised (and applied for) an Energy Department loan guarantee that it ultimately did not receive....
In a visit to The Wall Street Journal's offices recently, Mr. Rowe was eager to strip the altar of green jobs—and the many other political pieties that distort the energy industry, even a few that he says belong to the Journal editorial page.
"The utility business is a funny business and almost no one in any political authority in either party really believes in orderly markets in electricity," Mr. Rowe says. The Emanuel appeal was merely the latest installment in the "series of political negotiations that never ends" and is the lot of any modern energy company.
'Prostitution, horse racing, gambling and electricity are irresistible to politicians," says John Rowe, the CEO of the Chicago-based utility Exelon.
He'll give you an example of what he means: In 2009, Exelon began work on an urban solar-power project on a blighted field in Chicago's West Pullman neighborhood, in part at the request of then-White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. "Whatever it is, it's not a scandal," says Mr. Rowe, who explains that his company was promised (and applied for) an Energy Department loan guarantee that it ultimately did not receive....
In a visit to The Wall Street Journal's offices recently, Mr. Rowe was eager to strip the altar of green jobs—and the many other political pieties that distort the energy industry, even a few that he says belong to the Journal editorial page.
"The utility business is a funny business and almost no one in any political authority in either party really believes in orderly markets in electricity," Mr. Rowe says. The Emanuel appeal was merely the latest installment in the "series of political negotiations that never ends" and is the lot of any modern energy company.
Post Fukushima: All the King's Horses and All the King's Men...
Post Fukushima: All the King's Horses and All the King's Men...
Fairewinds' Chief Engineer Arnie Gundersen testifies to the NRC Petition Review Board detailing why the 23 BWR Mark 1 nuclear power plants should be shut down following the accidents at Fukushima. True wisdom means knowing when to modify something and knowing when to stop. Sometimes, all the King’s horses and all the King’s men should not try to put Humpty Dumpty together again.
Fairewinds' Chief Engineer Arnie Gundersen testifies to the NRC Petition Review Board detailing why the 23 BWR Mark 1 nuclear power plants should be shut down following the accidents at Fukushima. True wisdom means knowing when to modify something and knowing when to stop. Sometimes, all the King’s horses and all the King’s men should not try to put Humpty Dumpty together again.
Archived webcast of Beyond Nuclear's emergency enforcement petition to NRC on Mark 1s now available
Archived webcast of Beyond Nuclear's emergency enforcement petition to NRC on Mark 1s now available
The archived webcast of Beyond Nuclear's October 7th, 2011 NRC Petition Review Board meeting on its 10CFR2.206 emergency enforcement petition is now available. Beyond Nuclear was joined by numerous allies from various grassroots anti-nuclear groups who live in the shadows of General Electric Mark 1 boiling water reactors -- identical twins to the design at Fukushima Daiichi Units 1 to 4.
SMRs--small modular reactors as an alternative to natural gas
SMRs--small modular reactors as an alternative to natural gas
NRC Creates Long-Term Fukushima Steering Committee
NRC Creates Long-Term Fukushima Steering Committee
NRC to Finish 'Station Blackout' Rulemaking in 2014
NRC to Finish 'Station Blackout' Rulemaking in 2014It is one of seven recommendations the agency's staff is beginning to implement immediately from the task force examining lessons from the Fukushima Daiichi crisis. |
| Occupational Health & Safety Nuclear Regulatory Commission staffers are beginning work immediately to implement seven recommendations of the NRC Near-Term Task Force studying the lessons of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant crisis in Japan, NRC announced Oct. 20. ... |
NRC panel approves Westinghouse AP1000 reactor design
NRC panel approves Westinghouse AP1000 reactor design
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's technical staff recommended to the full commission that it give final design certification to Westinghouse Electric Co.'s AP1000 nuclear reactor, according to a statement from the agency on Friday. ...
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's technical staff recommended to the full commission that it give final design certification to Westinghouse Electric Co.'s AP1000 nuclear reactor, according to a statement from the agency on Friday. ...
Iran says to make own nuclear fuel plate within 5 months
Iran says to make own nuclear fuel plate within 5 months
Tehran (AFP) Oct 17, 2011 - Iran plans to produce the first of its own enriched nuclear fuel within five months, Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said on Monday, the official IRNA news agency reported. "We hope to produce the first domestic-made nuclear fuel plate within the next four to five months," Salehi, former head of Iran's atomic energy organisation, was quoted as saying.
Carbon Cycle 2.0 Energy and Environmental Analysis Team Finds Effective Directions for Energy Research
Carbon Cycle 2.0 Energy and Environmental Analysis Team Finds Effective Directions for Energy Research
Berkeley CA (SPX) Oct 21, 2011
It's a grand challenge: develop clean, sustainable technologies that deliver a low-carbon energy future, and through innovation, create jobs, new markets, and exports, and increase America's energy security. Researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have made it their mission to develop low-carbon and energy-efficient technologies such as advanced materials an
It's a grand challenge: develop clean, sustainable technologies that deliver a low-carbon energy future, and through innovation, create jobs, new markets, and exports, and increase America's energy security. Researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have made it their mission to develop low-carbon and energy-efficient technologies such as advanced materials anIAEA Should Release Iran Nuclear Info, U.S. Says
IAEA Should Release Iran Nuclear Info, U.S. Says
The Obama administration wants the International Atomic Energy Agency to make public data said to demonstrate Iran's efforts to develop a nuclear-weapon capability, the New York Times reported on Saturday (see GSN, Oct. 14).Experts Divided on Impact to U.S. of Russia, China Nuke Modernization
Experts Divided on Impact to U.S. of Russia, China Nuke Modernization
In Spotlight at 2012 Summit: Vulnerable Civil Nuke Materials
In Spotlight at 2012 Summit: Vulnerable Civil Nuke Materials
A senior South Korean official said on Monday that a nuclear summit to be held in Seoul next year will feature discussion about how to secure civil-sector radioactive materials from potential terrorist theft, Yonhap News Agency reported (see GSN, Sept. 14).Looming Iran Assessment Worries Russia
Looming Iran Assessment Worries Russia
Russia is worried that its recent proposal aimed at resolving the longstanding impasse over Iran's nuclear program could be derailed by an upcoming International Atomic Energy Agency report, Reuters reported (see GSN, Oct. 19).Nations Urged Not to Wait on U.S. to Ratify Nuclear Test Ban
Nations Urged Not to Wait on U.S. to Ratify Nuclear Test Ban
A group of holdout states to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty should not wait for the United States to take the next step toward bringing the prohibition on nuclear blasts into force, a top nonproliferation official told Reuters on Thursday (see GSN, Oct. 11).Why Not Nuclear?
Why Not Nuclear?
Politic365 - - Oct 21, 2011
We can all recite the appalling numbers by now: unemployment is at 9%. African American unemployment is nearly 17%. 14 million Americans out of work. No jobs legislation approved to date and nothing on the horizon thanks to the political gridlock in ...
Experts: Leaks Could Turn NY's Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant into Chernobyl
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Quake, tsunami, N-leakages cause $211 bn loss to Japan
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Dominion and NRC Set Path to Re-Start North Anna
By Dan Yurman, October 22, 2011
A safety evaluation review and decision are expected in November The NRC's review of the effects of the August 23 earthquake on Dominion's North Anna power station is coming to a logical and reasonable close. The agency says the staff is writing a safety evaluation review that could result in a re-start decision letter by mid-November.At a meeting of the full commission on October 21, NRC staff... » Continue...
A safety evaluation review and decision are expected in November The NRC's review of the effects of the August 23 earthquake on Dominion's North Anna power station is coming to a logical and reasonable close. The agency says the staff is writing a safety evaluation review that could result in a re-start decision letter by mid-November.At a meeting of the full commission on October 21, NRC staff... » Continue...
"Civilian nuclear energy programs as a "fig leaf" for proliferation: Does it matter?"
"Civilian nuclear energy programs as a "fig leaf" for proliferation: Does it matter?"
In this post, I take a critical look at the idea that weapons proliferation follows as a natural consequence of civilian fuel cycles. Likewise, I ask the question of how relevant or meaningful it is when countries intent upon weapons proliferation attempt to use civilian programs as a "fig leaf" to cover up illicit activities.
Americans Pay Dearly to Maintain Israel’s Nuclear Secrets
Americans Pay Dearly to Maintain Israel’s Nuclear Secrets
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has just stopped its $170 million nuclear waste dump cleanup at a former Nuclear Materials and Equipment Corporation (NUMEC) site in Pennsylvania. In the early 1960s, NUMEC established a plutonium facility in Parks Township — disposing of waste in a large field adjacent to the plant. NUMEC’s waste [...]
Nuclear Disaster in the US: How Bechtel Is Botching the World's Costliest Environmental Cleanup
Nuclear Disaster in the US: How Bechtel Is Botching the World's Costliest Environmental Cleanup
Department of Energy scientists are alleging catastrophic mismanagement of massive cleanup efforts at Hanford, the former nuclear weapons outpost.
U.S.-EU Joint Declaration on U.N. Nonproliferation Resolutions
U.S.-EU Joint Declaration on U.N. Nonproliferation Resolutions
Nations Urged Not to Wait on US to Ratify Nuclear Test Ban
Nations Urged Not to Wait on US to Ratify Nuclear Test Ban
Global Security Newswire
A group of holdout states to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty should not wait for the United States to take the next step toward bringing the prohibition on nuclear blasts into force, a top nonproliferation official told Reuters on Thursday (see GSN, ...
Global Security Newswire
A group of holdout states to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty should not wait for the United States to take the next step toward bringing the prohibition on nuclear blasts into force, a top nonproliferation official told Reuters on Thursday (see GSN, ...
Signs of big power divisions over Iran nuclear report
Signs of big power divisions over Iran nuclear report
NRC wants fast upgrades at Indian Point, other nuclear plants after Japan study
NRC wants fast upgrades at Indian Point, other nuclear plants after Japan study
NRC Prioritizes Potential Changes for Power Plants Following Japan Disaster
NRC Prioritizes Potential Changes for Power Plants Following Japan Disaster
Oyster Creek Generating Station will have to make changes according to the NRC's established timeframes for various recommendations
Locals Frustrated by Power Plant Licensing Exclusion
Locals Frustrated by Power Plant Licensing Exclusion
A panel has rejected a request to include Fukushima-related issues in the Seabrook Station relicensing process.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Assuring the Availability of Funds for Decommissioning Nuclear Reactors
Assuring the Availability of Funds for Decommissioning Nuclear Reactors
Power Engineering Magazine -
SUMMARY: The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or Commission) is issuing a revision to Regulatory Guide 1.159, "Assuring the Availability of Funds for Decommissioning Nuclear Reactors." This guide provides guidance to applicants and licensees of ...
North Anna Power Station Withstood Earthquake Because of Major Safety Margins ...
North Anna Power Station Withstood Earthquake Because of Major Safety Margins ...
press release
Oct. 21, 2011, 9:00 a.m. EDT
North Anna Power Station Withstood Earthquake Because of Major Safety Margins Built Into Station
- More than 100,000 person-hours expended to establish no safety-related damage - Company has spent $21 million on examinations, analysis to assure safety and repairs - Dominion agrees to perform additional seismic analysis and update licensing basis
After a Quake, 2 Yardsticks for Nuclear Inspectors
After a Quake, 2 Yardsticks for Nuclear Inspectors
New York Times (blog) -
Brendan Hoffman for The New York TimesThe North Anna nuclear plant in Virginia after the East Coast quake of Aug. 23. Once the dust had settled after the Aug. 23 earthquake centered in Mineral, Va., the tweet-length description of ...
Virginia: Nuclear Reactors Expected to Reopen Soon New York Times - Matthew L. Wald - 50 minutes ago The North Anna nuclear reactors in Mineral, the only ones shut down by the Aug. 23 earthquake on the East Coast, will probably be allowed to reopen within weeks, a senior official of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Friday. ...
Virginia: Nuclear Reactors Expected to Reopen SoonNew York Times - - 50 minutes ago The North Anna nuclear reactors in Mineral, the only ones shut down by the Aug. 23 earthquake on the East Coast, will probably be allowed to reopen within weeks, a senior official of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Friday. ... |
Japan: Radiation Cleanup Will Cost at Least $13 Billion
Japan: Radiation Cleanup Will Cost at Least $13 Billion, Premier Says
New York Times - 16 hours ago
By REUTERS Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, left, said the government would spend at least $13 billion to clean up vast areas contaminated by radiation from the world's worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl. In an interview with the public broadcaster ...
Tepco ‘Deal With Devil’ Signals End to Japan’s Postwar Era
Tepco ‘Deal With Devil’ Signals End to Japan’s Postwar Era
Why does Congress want to raise gas prices especially in the middle of a recession?
Why does Congress want to raise gas prices especially in the middle of a recession?
Japanese Find Another Radioactive 'Hot Spot' Near Tokyo
Japanese Find Another Radioactive 'Hot Spot' Near Tokyo
Wall Street Journal - -
Japanese residents with Geiger counters found another highly radioactive "hot spot" in a city 18 miles northeast of Tokyo, though officials say they suspect the source of the contamination was something other than the nuclear accident in ...
Concern grows over wider radiation contamination
Concern grows over wider radiation contamination
Oman Daily Observer - 1 hour ago
By Takehiko Kambayashi - Scientists, environmentalists and citizens' groups have called for Japanese authorities to evacuate more areas in the wake of March's nuclear accident after finding wider radiation contamination than officially reported. ...
Seven months on, Japan yet to finalize nuclear evacuation plan
Seven months on, Japan yet to finalize nuclear evacuation plan
Reuters
Japan faced widespread criticism over its slow response in evacuating residents near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, which suffered fuel rod meltdowns after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami and is still leaking radiation. ...
Reuters
Japan faced widespread criticism over its slow response in evacuating residents near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, which suffered fuel rod meltdowns after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami and is still leaking radiation. ...
CEZ's Dukovany Chief Sees 'Very Real Possibility' of New Reactor
CEZ's Dukovany Chief Sees 'Very Real Possibility' of New Reactor
BusinessWeek
By Ladka Bauerova Oct. 21 (Bloomberg) -- CEZ AS, the Czech Republic's largest power producer, will probably add at least one more reactor to its Dukovany nuclear power plant, director Tomas Zak said. “There is a very real possibility that CEZ will ...
BusinessWeek
By Ladka Bauerova Oct. 21 (Bloomberg) -- CEZ AS, the Czech Republic's largest power producer, will probably add at least one more reactor to its Dukovany nuclear power plant, director Tomas Zak said. “There is a very real possibility that CEZ will ...
R10bn govt project worth zilch
R10bn govt project worth zilch
ITWeb (blog)
The Pebble-Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) nuclear project, after costing government R10 billion, has a net asset value of zero and can probably be sold for scrap at R16 million. This was revealed by the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) at its 2010/11 ...
ITWeb (blog)
The Pebble-Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) nuclear project, after costing government R10 billion, has a net asset value of zero and can probably be sold for scrap at R16 million. This was revealed by the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) at its 2010/11 ...
Nye County official sees no alternative to Yucca Mountain
Nye County official sees no alternative to Yucca Mountain
US NRC to use safety steps learned from Fukushima
US NRC to use safety steps learned from Fukushima
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will soon implement seven of the 12 post-Fukushima Daiichi safety recommendations developed by a task force. The proposals cover plant personnel training, seismic and flooding studies, and "station blackout" standards. "Both industry and the NRC should focus on those matters that have the greatest safety significance and benefit," Nuclear Energy Institute spokesman Steve Kerekes said. Reuters (10/20), The Hill/E2 Wire blog
Note from the Editor
To All
I have been away on a medical emergency leave of absence and am hoping
to resume coverage over the next week or two. I will occasionally post the
more pressing news and commentary as my health permits, but am looking
forward to a recovery back to full time soon.
To all - take care of yourselves and protect your health.
I have been away on a medical emergency leave of absence and am hoping
to resume coverage over the next week or two. I will occasionally post the
more pressing news and commentary as my health permits, but am looking
forward to a recovery back to full time soon.
To all - take care of yourselves and protect your health.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
GSN logo GE-Hitachi Fined for "Significant" Security Breaches in Nuclear Fuel Effort
GE-Hitachi Fined for "Significant" Security Breaches in Nuclear Fuel Effort
Kudankulam nuclear power plant can be converted into a thermal power station: Protestors
Kudankulam nuclear power plant can be converted into a thermal power station: Protestors
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Inspiring Vision of Hope for thorium Powered Future
| Inspiring Vision of Hope for Thorium Powered Future Energy Collective As he eloquently describes in the video below, he has excavated and dusted off ideas and documentation from the archives at Oak Ridge National Laboratory about using thorium in molten salt reactors. According to back of the envelope calculations by ... |
Monday, October 17, 2011
State Staff Recommends FPL, customers pay for nuclear planning, licensing
| State staff recommends FPL customers pay for nuclear planning, licensing Palm Beach Post FPL is in the midst of the licensing process before the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. If FPL's request is approved, beginning in January the typical 1000 kilowatt-hour customer would pay an additional 23 cents a month for improvements and increased ... |
NRC Issues Proposed Rule About Event Reportin Guidelines
| NRC ISSUES PROPOSED RULE ABOUT EVENT REPORTING GUIDELINES Power Engineering Magazine The NUREG-1022 contains guidelines that the NRC staff considers acceptable for use in meeting the event reporting requirements for operating nuclear power reactors. Revision 3 to NUREG-1022 incorporates revisions to the guidelines for the purpose of ... |
Updates from ANS Nuclear Cafe Blog Samples from NRC Webcasts (First of a Series)
Updates from ANS Nuclear Cafe Blog | Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. |
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Iran's nuclear program suffering new setbacks, diplomats and experts say
Iran's nuclear program suffering new setbacks, diplomats and experts say
Iran's nuclear program, which stumbled badly after a reported cyber attack last year, appears beset by poorly performing equipment, shortages of parts and other woes as global sanctions exert a mounting toll, Western diplomats and nuclear experts say.
The new setbacks are surfacing at a time when Iran faces growing international pressure, including allegations that Iranian officials backed a clumsy attempt to kill a Saudi diplomat in Washington.
Read more at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
esolving Disputes the NRC Way
 | Resolving Disputes the NRC Wayby Moderator |
Did you know that you may have consented to arbitrate a dispute -- if one comes up -- when you agreed to the terms for a credit card?
One of the main reasons companies have turned to Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), is that it provides an alternative to more costly and time-consuming court hearings and litigation. And, because it is a less complex process, it is generally viewed as beneficial to both parties. Other advantages of using ADR include that practical solutions can be tailored to the parties’ interests and needs, that agreements are durable, that some level of confidentiality is assured, and finally, that relationships can be preserved.
The NRC’s Office of Enforcement (OE) has an ADR Program. The ADR Program is made up of two different sub-programs: “Early ADR” and “Post-Investigation ADR.”
Early ADR is an informal and voluntary process between an individual and his or her employer (or former employer) in which a trained mediator works with the parties to help them settle their dispute. Early resolution of discrimination allegations tends to preserve relationships and generally promotes a safety conscious work environment by facilitating timely and amicable resolution of discrimination concerns without resorting to prolonged litigation and unnecessary expenses.
Post-Investigation ADR may produce more timely and effective outcomes for the NRC and an entity, such as an NRC licensee, certificate holder, or contractor of an NRC licensee or certificate holder).
Participation in either early or post-investigation ADR is voluntary. The parties involved may withdraw from the mediation process at any time. If mediation is unsuccessful in the case of early ADR, OE may initiate an investigation into the allegation of discrimination; while, in the case of post-investigation ADR, OE may proceed with an enforcement action.
Because ADR is regularly used in the NRC’s enforcement program, the NRC is holding a public meeting on November 8, to solicit stakeholder input to ensure that the program provides timely and economical resolution of issues while achieving more effective outcomes and improved relations.
We welcome your attendance at this meeting or in providing comments to some of the issues that will be discussed at this meeting. Information on how to do either is in this Federal Register notice . We look forward to meeting you or, if you are unable to attend, hearing from you.
Maria SchwartzOffice of Enforcement
Indian Point Nuclear Plant Study Nuclear Plant Not Needed to Keep New York State Powered
Indian Point Nuclear Plant Study
Nuclear Plant Not Needed to Keep New York State Powered
mall Nukes Get Boost
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Sunday, October 16, 2011
74th Carnival of Nuclear Energy Bloggers
74th Carnival of Nuclear Energy Bloggers
This post is the collective voice of the best pro-nuclear blogs in North America. If you want to hear the voice of the nuclear renaissance, the Carnival of Nuclear Energy Blogs is where to find it.
Past editions have been hosted at Yes Vermont Yankee, NuclearGreen, Deregulate the Atom, Atomic Power Review, Canadian Energy Issues, Idaho Samizdat, and CoolHandNuke, as well as several other popular nuclear energy blogs.
The publication of the Carnival each week is part of a commitment by the leading pro-nuclear bloggers in North America that we will speak with a collective voice on the issue of the value of nuclear energy. While we each have our own point of view, we agree that the promise of peaceful uses of the atom remains viable in our own time and for the future.
If you have a pro-nuclear energy blog, and would like to host an edition of the carnival, please contact Brian Wang at Next Big Future to get on the rotation.
This is a great collaborative effort that deserves your support. Please post a Tweet, a Facebook entry, or a link on your Web site or blog to support the carnival.
74th Carnival of Nuclear Energy Bloggers
Design-Basis Hurricane and Hurricane Missiles for Nuclear Power Plants
Design-Basis Hurricane and Hurricane Missiles for Nuclear Power Plants
Guidelines for Preparing and Reviewing Licensing Applications for the Production of Radioisotopes
Guidelines for Preparing and Reviewing Licensing Applications for the Production of Radioisotopes
atomic power review: Fukushima Daiichi No. 1 enclosed
Atomic Power Review:
Fukushima Daiichi No. 1 enclosed
APR details the process behind one of the most visible steps taken in the recovery from the Fukushima Daiichi accident; the enclosing of the reactor buildings.
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