Iran’s foreign minister says his country is ready to work more closely with the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog, but only if it drops its investigation into allegations Iran has developed a nuclear weapons program. Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said Tuesday both Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency should sit together and develop a new […]
Japan: Idled Nuclear Plants to Resume Operation Only After Passing ‘Stress Test’
Posted July 11th, 2011 at 9:20 pm (UTC-5)
Japanese officials said Monday the country’s idled nuclear plants will be allowed to resume operations only after passing new two-stage “stress tests” designed to evaluate their resilience to major catastrophes. The officials said the full safety assessment is part of government efforts to restore public confidence in atomic energy after the March 11 earthquake and […]
Policy Confusion Clouds Future of Second Japanese Nuclear Plant
Posted July 7th, 2011 at 2:25 am (UTC-5)
The future of a nuclear power plant in southwestern Japan is in doubt because of confusion caused by the government’s decision to order stress tests on all reactors in the country. Meanwhile, the president of the company that operates the plant says he may resign over revelations that employees sought to improperly influence a government […]
Japan to Run Stress Tests on Nuclear Power Plants
Posted July 6th, 2011 at 1:05 am (UTC-5)
The Japanese government says it will conduct stress tests on all the country’s nuclear reactors to determine whether they can withstand a natural disaster. Trade Minister Banri Kaieda told reporters Wednesday that tests will be conducted on all 54 operational reactors to ensure there will be no problems with power supplies. The decision follows a […]
US Stands By India on Nuclear Trade
Posted June 30th, 2011 at 9:10 am (UTC-5)
The United States says it will back India’s exemption from international rules on nuclear trade. The global Nuclear Suppliers Group tightened rules on the exchange of sensitive nuclear technology last week, but outgoing U.S. Ambassador Timothy Roemer said Washington “strongly and vehemently” supports a waiver for India. Roemer spoke at a ceremony in new Delhi […]
Japanese Utility at Heart of Nuclear Crisis Survives Shareholder Revolt
Posted June 28th, 2011 at 1:55 pm (UTC-5)
The Japanese utility at the heart of the country’s nuclear crisis has won shareholder backing to maintain operations in the face of widespread anger from stockholders seeking an end to nuclear energy. Tokyo Electric Power Company shareholders defeated a key motion Tuesday aimed at ending the use of nuclear reactors, in a fiery six-hour meeting […]
TEPCO Officials Face Heckling, Jeers at Annual Meeting
Posted June 28th, 2011 at 1:05 am (UTC-5)
Directors of the Tokyo Electric Power Company faced a barrage of insults from angry shareholders Tuesday at the company’s first annual meeting since a March 11 tsunami disabled its Fukushima nuclear power plant. Several hundred shareholders backed a resolution calling for the company to get out of the nuclear power business, while others demanded the […]
Iran’s Nuclear Power Plant Start Set for August
Posted June 27th, 2011 at 11:45 am (UTC-5)
Russian officials say Iran’s Russian-built Bushehr nuclear power plant will likely be providing electricity by August. Russian news agencies quoting Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov on Monday say tests are nearly complete on the Islamic Republic’s first nuclear power-generating facility. Iran started loading fuel rods into the 1,000-megawatt reactor last August, but the process encountered […]
Japan Names Cabinet Ministers for Disaster Management
Posted June 27th, 2011 at 11:35 am (UTC-5)
Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan has appointed two new cabinet ministers to spearhead crisis management at the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant and reconstruction of the country’s earthquake and tsunami-devastated northeast coast. The appointments, announced Monday, come as engineers at the plant activated a water decontamination system described as a key step toward shutting down […]
France to Invest $1.4 Billion in Nuclear Power
Posted June 27th, 2011 at 7:25 am (UTC-5)
French President Nicolas Sarkozy says France plans to invest $1.4 billion for the development of nuclear power plants. The announcement comes amid French concerns about the safety of nuclear energy following the disaster at Japan’s power plant in Fukushima in March. Thousands of protesters on Sunday formed a human chain around France’s oldest nuclear power […]
