On February 24 the operators noticed trend of increase of the temperature of the axial bearing of the motor of the Reactor Coolant Pump #2 as indicated by one of the two temperature sensors. On February 25 morning the trend increased so the decision was brought to start manual shutdown of the plant to prevent the temperature of the bearing to go above 90 degrees C which is a limit set by the pump motor producer. The starting shutdown rate of 10 MW/min was later increased to 20MW/min but at 28% of the reactor power at 2:09 hours the reactor was manually tripped to keep the temperature limit. The trip sequence went in accordance with the design. The pressure transient on the secondary side caused a 7.6-mm pipe of the extraction steam to open and the leak damaged a local fire protection installation. The investigation of the event concluded that the cause of the high temperature indication was a deteriorated temperature sensor and not actual increase of the temperature.
The Pacific News Bulletin (since September 1986) and its predecessor Pacific Bulletin was published for the Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific (NFIP) Movement by the Pacific Concerns Resource Centre (PCRC), first based in Petersham (Australia) and later at Suva on the Fiji Islands. The NFIP movement grew out of the first regional Nuclear Free Pacific […]
On 29 June 2026, the Urenco Group issued a statement announcing that the UK Government formally requested the company to support its effort "to re-establish a nuclear fuel cycle for reactor fuel for defence purposes." The UK Government announced its intent to re-establish this program in November 2024. This announcement is part of a broader […]
The Netherlands has agreed to allow Urenco to be used for the British military nuclear program. This clears the way for uranium enriched by Urenco to be used in nuclear weapons. With his decision, Foreign Minister Berendsen (CDA Christen Democrats) is departing from the principle that civilian and military nuclear applications must remain strictly separate. […]
Behnam Raeesian is an internationally recognized visual artist and poster designer from Iran, known for bold political and cultural works. Through exhibitions, workshops, jury roles, and collaborations with cultural institutions worldwide, he has built a strong voice in contemporary political graphic design. His projects confront complex issues such as nuclear risk and technological impact, transforming […]
Everywhere you look, the nuclear industry’s hype machine is in overdrive. Goldman Sachs, Microsoft, and the UK government all tout small modular reactors as the silver bullet for climate change and energy security. Tech billionaires are hiring nuclear veterans. Wall Street is whispering about “round-the-clock power” for artificial intelligence data centers. For those old enough […]