The upper Federal Council chamber of Russia’s parliament today approved a bill which would revoke ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban a week after the lower State Duma passed it. The draft legislation needs only President Vladimir Putin’s signature to take effect. [node:read-more:link]
Canada is lending Romania up to $3 billion for completion of two Candu nuclear reactors. Announcing the funding September 20, Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said the funds will be directed to Canadian companies working on the project. [node:read-more:link]
Iran’s decision to ban some UN nuclear inspectors is being denounced by the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, as a “disproportionate and unprecedented unilateral measure.” Iran linked its decision to criticism by U.S., Britain, France and Germany and the maintenance of economic sanctions. [node:read-more:link]
The scheduled release August 24 of treated radioactive coolant water from Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, irreparably damaged by a tsunami in March 2011, prompted China to immediately ban imports of Japanese “aquatic products.” Korea also protested the slow staged release into the Pacific, which the UN nuclear agency said is within safe limits. [node:read-more:link]
Federal emergency protocols for dealing with fallout from the use of tactical nuclear weapons in Europe or other radiation sources are being updated, including measures toensure that the government continues to function. The updates are in response to Russian rhetoric during its invasion of Ukraine. [node:read-more:link]
Facing surging electricity demands, the Ontario government announced July 6 that it wants to add a third nuclear generating station at its station on the shore of Lake Huron on the Bruce Peninsula. Bruce Power has two stations with eight reactors and Energy Minister Todd Smith said the goal is an addition 4.8 gigawatts of generating capacity, which would nearly double current output as the province moves away from fossil-fuel options. [node:read-more:link]
Despite opposition from South Korea and China, the International Atomic Energy Agency says Japan’s plan to release waste water from the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant complies with international standards. The operator, Tokyo Electric, is running out of storage space for the slightly-irradiated coolant. [node:read-more:link]
Ukraine’s nuclear agency, announced June 9 that it had shut down the Zaporizhzhia power station due to the breach of the Kakhovka dam further down the Dnipro River which reduced water levels in the upstream reservoir used to cool the facility. Other factors including artillery shelling near the Russian-controlled site. [node:read-more:link]
The Kakhovka dam and hydroelectric plant in southern Ukraine, which feeds coolant water to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear station, was breached by an apparent explosion June 5. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy blamed Russia, which took control last year of the facility on the Dnipro River near Kherson, for a “terrorist” act which has caused widespread flooding. [node:read-more:link]
Russia has been warned by the U.S. not to touch what is described as sensitive technology at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine. The U.S. Energy Department says the plant operated by Ukrainians under Russian supervision ontains “nuclear technical data that is export-controlled by the United States Government.” [node:read-more:link]
Germany’s decision to shut down the country’s three remaining nuclear power stations after decades of debate remains divisive. One side says keeping the reactors online would mean huge investment which could be used for renewables. The other argues that it illogical when reduced dependence on imported energy is boosting costs and potentially increasing reliance on fossil fuels. [node:read-more:link]
The U.S. and Russia have stopped sharing biannual nuclear weapons data as the latest arms limitation agreement falters, a State Department official confirmed March 28. The U.S. had offered to continue sharing information but that was rebuffed. “Because of Russia’s noncompliance […] the United States will not provide its biannual data exchange to Russia either,” theofficial said. [node:read-more:link]
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the safety at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station cannot be guaranteed while it is occupied by Russian troops. “Holding a nuclear power station hostage […] is surely the worst thing that has ever happened in the history of European or worldwide nuclear power,” he said March 27. The station’s six reactors are currently shutdown but power to prevent a meltdown evidently is unreliable. [node:read-more:link]
International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano said today that while a deal deal to protect Europe's largest nuclear power plant from a catastrophic accident due to fighting in Ukraine could be “close”, he warned that intensified combat in the area has increased risks to the facility. “It is a zone of extreme volatility so the negotiations are, of course, affected,” he said. “I would not characterize the process for the last few months as one that has not led to any progress.” [node:read-more:link]
The federal government today confirmed more than $32 million to bolster “security and stabilization” in Ukraine, including some $9.7 million previously announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The total includes $7.5 million for de-mining, $12 million to “counter chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats” and some $13 million for “accountability efforts” including addressing conflict-related sexual violence. [node:read-more:link]
