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RWE AG Chief Executive Officer Juergen Grossmann urged Chancellor Angela Merkel to scrap a plan to close Germany's nuclear reactors, saying an extension would protect the country from fuel price swings. "They're a predictable part of the power-generation cost" for Germany's industrial electricity users, Grossmann, who heads the country's second-largest utility, said in an interview at an energy conference in Berlin yesterday. "We hope to carry on our nuclear operations in Germany." RWE and competitor Energie Baden-Wuerttemberg AG are trying to build support before Merkel's September re-election bid. While she's in favor of extending nuclear power plants, her Social Democratic coalition partners oppose it. If she's able to form a partnership with the liberal Free Democratic Party, that may open the way to keeping reactors operating beyond 2021. "We don't need to mention that I would be in favor of extending the lifespan of nuclear power plants," Merkel told delegates at the conference.

Federal regulators want to know if the time is right to think about allowing a Utah company to import radioactive waste from Italy. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission officially opened up its comment line last week to "potential parties" in EnergySolutions Inc.'s controversial import application. The door opened for the Salt Lake City nuclear waste company to dispose of low-level waste from 39 states and foreign nations following a May 15 ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Ted Stewart. The ruling basically said a regional radioactive waste organization has no authority to limit the waste the company buries at its Tooele County landfill as Northwest Interstate Compact on Low-level Radioactive Waste and the Rocky Mountain Compact had tried to do.

The Vermont Yankee nuclear plant edged one step closer Thursday to getting its final federal approval for another 20 years of operation. But while one arm of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said it was satisfied with recent additional analyses done by Entergy Nuclear about the effects of metal fatigue on a key safety system, another arm of the federal agency criticized Entergy's plan on how it would handle its high-level radioactive waste and its decommissioning trust fund, saying it was lacking key information and financial analysis. The issue of metal fatigue in the spray nozzles in the reactor's containment was first raised by the New England Coalition during the appeal process of the NRC's initial approval.

An environmental group Friday asked the state Supreme Court to block an application for South Carolina Electric & Gas Co. to build two nuclear reactors in Fairfield County. In the lawsuit, Friends of the Earth challenges the constitutionality of a 2007 law that allows utilities to charge customers higher rates to cover future building costs for reactors. The SCANA Corp. said it wasn't surprised that Friends of the Earth appealed a regulators' decisions allowing it move forward with a project expected to cost $10 billion.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will require more detailed environmental studies of proposed new in-situ uranium mines in the western United States. The in-situ technique involves pumping chemicals into groundwater to free uranium from the surrounding ore so it can be pumped to the surface and refined. The agency announced Thursday that is has released its final environmental study of the mining method after conducting public meetings in Wyoming, Nebraska, South Dakota and New Mexico. Wyoming is the leading producer of uranium at about 2 million pounds a year.

The Bureau of Land Management has authorized several new uranium exploration permits near the Grand Canyon despite a congressional resolution last year barring new claims near the national park. According to documents (pdf) released yesterday by the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Grand Canyon Trust, BLM on April 27 authorized Quaterra Alaska Inc. to conduct eight uranium mine exploration operations at five separate projects north of Grand Canyon National Park and west of the Kaibab Plateau.

A U.S. Supreme Court decision rendered on April 1 could delay the relicensing of Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. But then again, the decision might not affect the relicensing at all. "We are sort of in limbo, not knowing what the rules are going to be," said Catherine Gjessing, legal counsel for Vermont's Agency of Natural Resources. "It will probably cause further delay," said Pat Parenteau, a former director of Vermont Law School's Environmental Law Center and of the Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic.

"Sellafield's former top boss Barry Snelson got a £2 million pay off when he left the site just over a year ago. The ex-managing director picked up £1,859,000 as compensation for "loss of office" rising to over £2m under long-term incentive schemes and emoluments. This came on top of his pension after working for nearly 30 years with British Nuclear Fuels."

An environment ministry decision to grant an unlimited licence to the Mühleberg nuclear power station has prompted mixed reaction. The operators of the plant outside the capital Bern said they welcomed the move because it finally puts all five nuclear power stations in Switzerland on par with each other. The Mühleberg facility became operational in 1972 and had a licence that was due to run out by the end of 2012. An application has already been handed in to built a new reactor in ten years' time. However, critics of nuclear power described the decision as irresponsible and scandalous. They pledged to challenge it in court.

An environment ministry decision to grant an unlimited licence to the Mühleberg nuclear power station has prompted mixed reaction. The operators of the plant outside the capital Bern said they welcomed the move because it finally puts all five nuclear power stations in Switzerland on par with each other. The Mühleberg facility became operational in 1972 and had a licence that was due to run out by the end of 2012. An application has already been handed in to built a new reactor in ten years' time. However, critics of nuclear power described the decision as irresponsible and scandalous. They pledged to challenge it in court.

"The German government said scheduled talks will focus on improving the lifespan of nuclear power plants and using reactor funds to aid renewable energies. Der Spiegel said talks scheduled to take place Thursday in Berlin were expected to include German Chancellor Angela Merkel's chief of staff, Ronald Pofalla, and other top officials, along with officials from German energy utility companies. If the negotiations help lead to the lifespan of nuclear power plants being increased by 25 years, the country's top four energy groups could reap significant profits."

"SELLAFIELD Ltd has just exported a shipment of recovered uranium to Russia for processing to allow its manufacture into new fuel. The uranium was recovered from spent nuclear power station fuel owned by European reprocessing customers in Germany and the Netherlands and sent to Sellafield for reprocessing at the Thorp plant. It was the eighth such shipment of material from Thorp."

"When it come to Indian Point's long-term ability to generate electricity here, the latest score is sturgeons 1, plant officials 0. Indian Point's operations are harming the endangered prehistoric fish enough that the nuclear plant must change the way it uses the Hudson River to meet New York's water quality standards, Albany regulators said late today. The 23-page draft decision was sent by state Department of Environmental Conservation staff in an April 2 letter to officials of Entergy Nuclear, which owns and operates Indian Point. A copy of the document was obtained by The Journal News. The letter cites the federal Clean Water Act of 1972 and states that biological data shows that the two working plants in Buchanan have harmed shortnose and Atlantic sturgeon by trapping them against screens or killing them as they are drawn in with the 2.5 billion gallons of river water Indian Point uses to cool its daily operations. The company is seeking to extend its operation until 2035."

"Chancellor Angela Merkel's cabinet has long supported extending the lifetimes of Germany's nuclear power plants. Previous plans to limit negotiations to a 20-year extension have apparently been scrapped. The German government is willing to consider extending the gradual closure of nuclear power plants by up to 28 years, according to an interview with Environment Minister Norbert Roettgen by the Munich-based daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung on Friday."

"For more than half a century the futuristic dome of Dounreay nuclear power station has stood as one of the most iconic - and intimidating - coastal landmarks in Scotland. Now, despite last-ditch rescue attempts, it seems the imposing and eye-catching structure is doomed to be removed from the Caithness landscape forever. Although Dounreay is now defunct and set to be decommissioned, a public consultation over the future of the monumental structure has come up with a series of strange suggestions designed to save the building."

"The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality is proceeding with permits to allow uranium developers to inject wastewater underground despite federal regulators' concerns. The department recently issued a draft permit to allow Ur Energy Inc. to operate five underground injection wells at the company's proposed Lost Creek uranium mine in Sweetwater County. The agency is accepting public comments on the draft permit through April 26. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, meanwhile, has raised objections that could hold up federal certification of the Sweetwater County project and two other similar projects in the state. The federal agency is concerned that injecting wastewater underground could pollute drinking water supplies."

"FIVE bags of low level radioactive waste have ended up at the Lillyhall landfill site - by mistake. The waste should have been sent from Sellafield to Drigg, the country's only designated disposal site for the material. Sellafield Ltd has admitted the blunder which it says was due to incorrect assessments by a purpose-built bag machine. No more bagged waste will leave Sellafield pending investigations. But the company stressed that no one's health has been put at risk on the Lillyhall site and neither are there any environmental problems."

"The Ministry of Defence is struggling to deal with hundreds of safety blunders, pollution leaks and environmental lapses at nuclear weapons bases on the Firth of Clyde. Official reports obtained by the Sunday Herald reveal that Faslane and Coulport have been plagued by nuclear accidents, radioactive contamination and fires over the last two years. Worryingly, there have been unspecified "shortfalls" in the safe management of nuclear bombs. And rules meant to protect people against asbestos and even Legionnaires' disease have been frequently broken."

CAMPAIGNERS from Norway descended on Westminster to demand Sellafield be closed down amid fears an accident at the site would cause devastation across the globe. 0508874 CAMPAIGN: Campaigners from Norway protest against Sellafield at Westminster The group claimed the quality of the radioactive waste is poor and they fear there will be an accident at the site. Frank Storelv, from Oslo, said 90 per cent of wind blows from the south west and if there was an explosion or accident at Sellafield, one or two days later the radioactive waste would be carried to the west coast of Norway.

CAMPAIGNERS from Norway descended on Westminster to demand Sellafield be closed down amid fears an accident at the site would cause devastation across the globe. 0508874 CAMPAIGN: Campaigners from Norway protest against Sellafield at Westminster The group claimed the quality of the radioactive waste is poor and they fear there will be an accident at the site. Frank Storelv, from Oslo, said 90 per cent of wind blows from the south west and if there was an explosion or accident at Sellafield, one or two days later the radioactive waste would be carried to the west coast of Norway.

"ROCKVILLE, Md. - When commercial nuclear power was getting its start in the 1960s and 1970s, industry and regulators stated unequivocally that reactors were designed only to operate for 40 years. Now they tell another story - insisting that the units were built with no inherent life span, and can run for up to a century, an Associated Press investigation shows. By rewriting history, plant owners are making it easier to extend the lives of dozens of reactors in a relicensing process that resembles nothing more than an elaborate rubber stamp. As part of a yearlong investigation of aging issues at the nation's nuclear power plants, the AP found that the relicensing process often lacks fully independent safety reviews. Records show that paperwork of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission sometimes matches word-for-word the language used in a plant operator's application."

"For those that think nothing has changed in United States' regulation since the Japanese earthquake and tsunami started the ongoing crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear facility, think again. The pre-disaster mentality of "What could possibly go wrong?" has been replaced with reassurances that "Stuff like that hardly ever happens!""