China Develops Key Component of World's First Fourth-Generation Nuclear Power Plant
People's Daily Online
On April 6, the digital control system (DCS) of the world's first commercial high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) nuclear power station passed its final tests and is now ready to be delivered for use. This project was undertaken by Huaneng Shandong Shidao Bay nuclear power plant, in eastern China's Shandong province. The DCS, one of four key pieces of equipment for a nuclear station, controls more than 300 full systems and nearly 10,000 individual components of a nuclear plant. It therefore plays a critical role in ensuring the safety and stability of nuclear power production. The DCS, one of four key pieces of equipment for a nuclear station, controls more than 300 full systems and nearly 10,000 individual components of a nuclear plant. It therefore plays a critical role in ensuring the safety and stability of nuclear power production.
A Little-Known Nuclear Race Taking Place in East Asia Is Dangerous and Pointless
Frank von Hippel and Fumihiko Yoshida | Huffington Post
Plutonium was first produced and separated during America’s World War II nuclear weapons project. Its destructive power became apparent at the end of the war when, in one-millionth of a second, one kilogram of plutonium in the Nagasaki bomb fissioned and destroyed the city below. Today, a number of countries — including France and Japan — are separating plutonium from the spent fuel of their reactors and building dangerous stockpiles of this weapon-usable nuclear material with no good economic purpose.
Iran's President Warns Over Missed Opportunities
Associated Press
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani warned on Thursday that the opportunities provided by a nuclear deal with world powers will not last forever, urging his countrymen to take full advantage of this moment in history. "The opportunity that the nuclear deal has created for us is not permanent and eternal." Rouhani said during a televised speech marking ceremonies for the national day of nuclear technology. "If, God forbid, a small group does not allow us to this opportunity in a proper way, the opportunity will not come back."
North Korea Has New Rocket System That Could Strike Seoul This Year, South Korea Warns
Anna Fifield | Washington Post
North Korea has developed a large-caliber multiple launch rocket system and could use it to strike South Korea as soon as this year, the South’s defense minister said Wednesday. This comes a day after South Korean officials said they thought that the North was now able to mount a nuclear warhead on a medium-range missile, and after China sharply curtailed trade with its dependent neighbor. Tensions have been running high in the region since North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test at the beginning of January, then followed it up with a long-range missile launch.
Republicans Offer Bill to Block Potential Iran Dollar Use
Reuters
Two Republican U.S. senators who oppose the nuclear agreement with Iran introduced a bill on Wednesday that would keep Iran from gaining even indirect access to the U.S. financial system or using U.S. dollars in business transactions.
Japan’s Nuclear Restart Stymied by Courts
Robin Harding | Financial Times
A welter of conflicting legal decisions has left Japan’s nuclear reactors in a state of limbo as national energy strategy clashes with the courts. The reactors are being turned on and off like light switches as activists file lawsuits, highlighting the tension between safety fears and energy supply, and raising questions about the role of courts in nuclear regulation.