 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Czech N-Plant In New Glitch As Austria Protests Flare
Prague (AFP) Jan 11, 2001 A glitch-plagued Czech nuclear power plant suffered yet another technical problem Friday, even as anger at the reactor flared in neighbouring Austria, where the issue is straining the ruling coalition. The Soviet-built Temelin plant, barely 60 kilometers (35 miles) from the Austrian border, had to be urgently shut down just hours after powering up to 100 percent capacity, said plant spokesman Milan Nebesar. "Nuclear security was in now way affected," said Dana Drabova, head of the Czech National Nuclear Safety Office (SUJB), adding that the problem was not necessarily due to the reactor working at 100 percent capacity. The nuclear plant was first powered up in October 2000, but its commercial launch has been delayed both by repeated technical glitches, and negotiations with Austrian leaders over the start-up. Early Friday morning the Temelin plant was powered up to 100 percent of its 1,000 Megawatt capacity, in preparation for a series of tests over three weeks, spokesman Frantisek Hezoucky said. But just hours later an automatic emergency shutdown was triggered by a generator problem, said the spokesman. Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel struck a deal with Czech Prime Minister Milos Zeman in November to allow the plant to go ahead, but anti-Temelin protestors have remained vociferous. The far-right Freedom Party, which rules in a fractious coalition with Schuessel's conservative People's Party, has notably spearheaded continuing protests against the power plant. Next week it is going ahead with a national non-binding referendum on Temelin, threatening to veto Prague's EU membership negotiations, in open defiance of the Austrian chancellor. Austria voted against nuclear energy in a 1978 referendum. Next week's vote has little legal force, but if more than 100,000 Austrians sign it parliament must debate the poll, although it does not have to act on it. Before the latest glitch, managers had planned a three-week test period, to be followed by a further three weeks of checks with the reactor powered down, then by a final six-day test before an 18-month test commercial operation. The plant, originally Soviet-built but updated with security features by US giant Westinghouse, currently only has one reactor powered up, but two further reactors are due to be completed by the end of the year. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links Yucca Mountain Project Search SpaceDaily Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express Civil Nuclear Energy Science, Technology and News Powering The World in the 21st Century at Energy-Daily.com
India Calls For Action Against Nuclear Proliferators
New Delhi (AFP) Oct 24, 2005India Monday urged the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to take action against illegal proliferators of nuclear weapons technology such as Pakistan's disgraced scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2006 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA PortalReports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additionalcopyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
