Nuclear Plant

Zelenskyy, UN's atomic agency chief discuss disaster risk at nuclear plant

The UN's atomic energy chief warned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a meeting Monday that the perilous situation at Europe's largest nuclear plant isn't getting any better as relentless fighting in the area puts the facility at risk of a nuclear disaster. The Zaporizhzhia plant, which continues to power war-torn Ukraine, has lost several of its power transmission cables during Russia's war, and on multiple occasions has had to switch to emergency diesel generators to power its essential cooling systems preventing a meltdown. International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Rafael Grossi plans to visit the Russian-held plant this week. The Vienna-based agency has staff permanently deployed at the plant following Russia's invasion 13 months ago. In the meeting, covered exclusively by The Associated Press, Grossi said the situation at the plant remains tense because of the heavy military presence around it and a blackout that recently struck the facility, something that h

Russia's Rosatom sends 'more advanced' fuel option for Indian nuclear plant

Russia's state-owned nuclear energy company Rosatom earlier this year sent a "more advanced" fuel option for a nuclear power plant in southern India, an Indian government minister told parliament

Iran begins construction of new nuclear power plant in Khuzestan

Iran began on Saturday the construction of a new nuclear power plant in its southwestern province of Khuzestan

Backup diesel generators used at Ukraine nuclear site to fend off crisis

Europe's largest nuclear power plant was relying on emergency diesel generators to run its safety systems on Thursday after external power from the Ukrainian electric grid was again cut off, Ukrainian and UN officials reported. Fighting in Ukraine has repeatedly damaged power lines and electrical substations that the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant requires to operate in-house safety systems, forcing operators to turn to backup generators to cool its six reactors until regular power is restored. All six reactors have been shut down. The generators have enough fuel to maintain the plant in southeastern Ukraine for just 15 days, state nuclear power company Energoatom said. The countdown has begun, Energoatom said, noting it had limited possibilities to maintain the ZNPP in a safe mode, raising fears of a potential nuclear disaster. The UN's International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed the switch to backup diesel generators and said that underlines the extremely precarious nuclear ..

Ukraine alleges Russian dirty bomb deception at Europe's largest nuke plant

Ukraine's nuclear energy operator said on Tuesday that Russian forces were performing secret work at Europe's largest nuclear power plant, activity that could shed light on Russia's claims that the Ukrainian military is preparing a provocation involving a radioactive device. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu made an unsubstantiated allegation that Ukraine was preparing to launch a so-called dirty bomb. Shoigu levelled the charge over the weekend in calls to his British, French, Turkish and US counterparts. Britain, France and the United States rejected it out of hand as transparently false. Ukraine also dismissed Moscow's claim as an attempt to distract attention from the Kremlin's own alleged plans to detonate a dirty bomb, which uses explosives to scatter radioactive waste in an effort to sow terror. Energoatom, the Ukrainian state enterprise that operates the country's four nuclear power plants, said Russian forces have carried out secret construction work over the last wee

Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant to switch to Russian fuel amid outages

Plans are afoot to switch the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) to Russian fuel even as the situation around it remains "increasingly dangerous, precarious and challenging"

Iran confirms uranium enrichment at its Natanz underground facility

The Iranian nuclear chief has confirmed media reports that Iran has begun enriching uranium with the third cascade of new centrifuges at its Natanz underground facility

Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant wihout external power: UN watchdog

The head of the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog said Wednesday that a Ukrainian nuclear plant surrounded by Russian troops has lost all external power needed for vital safety systems for the second time in five days. International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Rafael Grossi said agency monitors at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant reported the interruption and said backup diesel generators are keeping nuclear safety and security equipment operational. This repeated loss of #ZNPP's off-site power is a deeply worrying development and it underlines the urgent need for a nuclear safety & security protection zone around the site, Grossi tweeted.

Last reactor at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant stopped says operator

Ukraine's atomic power operator said Sunday that the last reactor at Europe's largest nuclear power plant has been shut down after the plant was reconnected to the electricity grid. The six-reactor Zaporizhzhia plant was disconnected from the grid last week after all its power lines were disconnected as a result of fighting in the area, and was operating in island mode for several days, generating electricity for crucial cooling systems from its only remaining reactor in operation. Nuclear operator Energoatom said that one of the power lines was restored late Saturday, allowing plant operators to shut down the last reactor. The company said the risk remains high that outside power is cut again, in which case the plant would have to fire up emergency diesel generators to keep the reactors cool and prevent a nuclear meltdown. The company's chief told The Associated Press on Thursday that the plant only has diesel fuel for 10 days. The plant, one of the 10 biggest atomic power station

Germany sticks to nuclear phaseout plan but leaves loophole

Germany is sticking to its long-held plan of shutting down the country's three remaining nuclear power plants this year but keeping the option of reactivating two of them in case of an energy shortage in the coming months, officials said Monday. The announcement follows the publication of a much-anticipated stress test that examined how Germany's power grid will cope with a possible electricity squeeze due to the energy crisis Europe is facing. Like other European countries, Germany is scrambling to ensure the lights stay on and homes stay warm this winter despite the reduction in natural gas flows from Russia amid the war in Ukraine. The government has already announced numerous measures to import gas from other sources and reactivate mothballed coal- and oil-fueled power plants, while urging citizens to conserve as much energy as possible. But there were concerns that Germany's power grid could be heavily strained if consumers switch to electric heaters in the winter and strong .

Ukraine's nuclear plant cut from main power line again: Officials

Europe's largest nuclear plant, Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, once again went off in the early hours of the day amid the shelling that destroyed a key power line

UK's outgoing PM Johnson pledges millions to fund new nuclear plant

Britain's outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday pledged 700 million pounds (USD 810 million) of government funding for a planned new nuclear power plant as part of a drive to improve the UK's energy security. Johnson said the spike in global gas prices driven by Russia's invasion of Ukraine showed why more nuclear generation capacity was needed in the UK. The plant, called Sizewell C, is located on eastern England's Suffolk coast. French energy company EDF, which will partly fund the project, has said it can generate low-carbon electricity for at least 60 years when the project is complete. The plant will reportedly cost about 20 billion pounds (USD 23 billion). Britain's government gave the greenlight for the plant in July, and talks about how to fund it are ongoing. Yes, nuclear always looks relatively expensive to build and to run, Johnson said in his final major policy speech as prime minister. But look at what's happening today, look at the results of Putin's war.

UN monitors head to Ukraine nuclear plant amid concerns over radiation leak

A team of international nuclear inspectors was heading Wednesday to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant caught in the middle of the fighting in southern Ukraine amid international concern of a potential accident or radiation leak. Rafael Grossi, the head of the the International Atomic Energy Agency, said he hoped to establish a permanent mission in Ukraine to monitor Europe's largest nuclear plant. These operations are very complex operations. We are going to a war zone. We are going to occupied territory. And this requires explicit guarantees from not only from the Russians, but also from the Republic of Ukraine, Grossi said in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv before the monitoring the mission's departure. We have been able to secure that. ... So now we are moving. The power plant has been occupied by Russian forces and operated by Ukrainian workers since the early days of the 6-month-old war. The site was recently temporarily cut off from the electrical grid because of fire damag

Ukraine on edge as Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, region's towns shelled

Moscow reports more shelling near Russia-held plant; no new information from Ukraine nuclear operator * IAEA awaits clearance to visit Zaporizhzhia plant

At UNSC, India voices concern over Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine

This concern comes as recent weeks have seen an escalation in shelling in and around Europe's largest nuclear facility

UN chief demands halt to "nuclear saber-rattling'' at Ukrainian nuke plant

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has demanded a halt to nuclear saber-rattling, saying the world is at a maximum moment of danger and all countries with nuclear weapons must make a commitment to no first-use. The UN chief on Monday told the Security Council that the commitment to dialogue and reason that led to the recent deal restarting grain and fertiliser shipments from Ukraine and Russia must be applied to the critical situation at Europe's largest nuclear power plant at Zaporizhzhia in southeastern Ukraine, where continued shelling and fighting in the area has raised fears of a nuclear catastrophe. Saying humanity's future is in our hands today, Guterres urged all countries to recommit to a world free of nuclear weapons and to spare no effort to come to the negotiating table to ease tensions and end the nuclear arms race, once and for all. The secretary-general spoke at a council meeting organised by China, which holds the presidency this month, on promoting common securit

World powers appeal for military restraint at Ukrainian nuclear plant

The leaders of Germany, France, Britain and the US have called for warring sides to show restraint around Ukraine's embattled Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant

California nuclear power plant extension challenged in legislative proposal

A proposal circulated Friday by California Democratic legislators would reject Gov. Gavin Newsom's plan to extend the lifespan of the state's last operating nuclear power plant and instead spend over $1 billion to speed up the development of renewable energy, new transmission lines and storage to maintain reliable power in the climate change era. The legislative plan obtained by The Associated Press reveals mounting tension between the Democratic governor and some members of his own party over a politically volatile issue. The rift was revealed one week after Newsom proposed giving plant operator Pacific Gas & Electric a forgivable loan up to $1.4 billion as part of a plan to keep the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant running beyond its scheduled closing by 2025. Newsom has argued that as hotter temperatures drive up the demand for power, the twin-domed reactors along the coast between Los Angeles and San Francisco would provide a necessary buffer against electrical blackouts, as

Live news: Putin's war hurls Russian economy back four years in one quarter

Live news updates: The jolt of international sanctions over the war disrupted trade and threw industries like car manufacturing into paralysis while consumer spending seized up

Concerns rise over shelling of Ukrainia's Zaporizhzhya nuke plant

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for sanctions to be imposed on Russia's nuclear industry following the shelling of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant