Belgian nuclear reactor shuts down after fire

[MickeyD]

A Belgian nuclear reactor shut down on Sunday after a fire broke out at the plant in the east of the country, the Belga news agency reported.

The incident could put a further strain on Belgium's electricity grid, after warnings in August that outages at other nuclear plants could lead to power cuts in the approaching winter.

The Tihange 3 power station, situated 70 kilometres south-west of the German town of Aachen, shut down automatically at around 10:30 am (0930 GMT) after one of its transformers reportedly caught fire. The fire was caused by an explosion, Sudpresse newspaper group reported on its website.

The fire has since been extinguished, a spokeswoman for Electrabel, the energy company operating the plant, told Belga. She said security procedures had been correctly followed.

However it was unclear Sunday how long the 1,048-megawatt reactor will remain out of service. Electrabel provisionally hopes to restart it on Tuesday, the spokeswoman said. More should be known about the cause of the incident later in the day, she added.

Tihange 3 is now the fourth Belgian nuclear reactor to be out of service, Sudpresse reported, as another plant at Tihange and two at Doel have been shut down due to defects or security concerns.

The Tihange 1 reactor was not affected by Sunday's incident, however.

Belgium has adopted a nuclear phaseout plan that foresees the complete abandonment of nuclear energy by 2025.

Source : Sapa-dpa /kd
Date : 30 Nov 2014 15:15

 

[buyeye]

A Belgian nuclear reactor shut down on Sunday after a fire broke out at the plant in the east of the country, the Belga news agency reported.

The incident could put a further strain on Belgium's electricity grid, after warnings in August that outages at other nuclear plants could lead to power cuts in the approaching winter.

The Tihange 3 power station, situated 70 kilometres south-west of the German town of Aachen, shut down automatically at around 10:30 am (0930 GMT) after one of its transformers reportedly caught fire. The fire was caused by an explosion, Sudpresse newspaper group reported on its website.

The fire has since been extinguished, a spokeswoman for Electrabel, the energy company operating the plant, told Belga. She said security procedures had been correctly followed.

However it was unclear Sunday how long the 1,048-megawatt reactor will remain out of service. Electrabel provisionally hopes to restart it on Tuesday, the spokeswoman said. More should be known about the cause of the incident later in the day, she added.

Tihange 3 is now the fourth Belgian nuclear reactor to be out of service, Sudpresse reported, as another plant at Tihange and two at Doel have been shut down due to defects or security concerns.

The Tihange 1 reactor was not affected by Sunday's incident, however.

Belgium has adopted a nuclear phaseout plan that foresees the complete abandonment of nuclear energy by 2025.

Source : Sapa-dpa /kd
Date : 30 Nov 2014 15:15

Back to coal?

 

[Arthur]

There's that kryptonite word again. If the plant had been gas or coal, no-one would have batted an eyelid. But use the word "nuclear" and reason melts away.

 

[Mike Hoxbig]

There's that kryptonite word again. If the plant had been gas or coal, no-one would have batted an eyelid. But use the word "nuclear" and reason melts away.

Usually because people don't have a clue about the difference between nuclear weapons and nuclear power...

 

[Arthur]

Yup.
And they think "radiation" is some evil thing to be banished, forgetting our eyes are simply radiation detectors operating at different wavelengths.

 

[satanboy]

Tihange 3 is now the fourth Belgian nuclear reactor to be out of service, Sudpresse reported, as another plant at Tihange and two at Doel have been shut down due to defects or security concerns.

European problems.

 

[Arthur]

"... and Majuba 5 and 6 are now the seventh and eighth South African coal-fired generator units to have been shut down due to defects ..."

Just doesn't have the same panic value because there's no kryptonite.

 

[Johnatan56]

Back to coal?

Drive through Belgium, lots of wind farms. Also I think they are working on hydro energy? Not sure on that though.

 

[AntiGanda]

There's that kryptonite word again. If the plant had been gas or coal, no-one would have batted an eyelid. But use the word "nuclear" and reason melts away.

Nuclear accidents can cause terrible injuries and very long term effects. It is unseen and often covered up.
A very reasonable response.

 

[supersunbird]

Nuclear accidents can cause terrible injuries and very long term effects. It is unseen and often covered up.
A very reasonable response.

And what about coal powered station that WILL cause such, not just can possibly cause it?

 

[SauRoNZA]

Nuclear accidents can cause terrible injuries and very long term effects. It is unseen and often covered up.
A very reasonable response.

Only if there is an accident...

Fossil fuel burning on the other hand causes constant issues for everyone in immediate surrounds.

 

[Space_Chief]

There's that kryptonite word again. If the plant had been gas or coal, no-one would have batted an eyelid. But use the word "nuclear" and reason melts away.

Because unless you live on the plant a fire at a coal power station would not be hazardous to your health. A fire which causes a malfunction which leads to the release of nuclear material would be a serious health hazard. I do think the concern is justified.

 

[Space_Chief]

Yup.
And they think "radiation" is some evil thing to be banished, forgetting our eyes are simply radiation detectors operating at different wavelengths.

Radiation can be evil. If you get too many CAT scans and Xrays in too short period of time you could end up with a cancer. If you're exposed to the fallout of the sort encountered in Chernobyl you may end up dead after a seriously painful illness or likewise with a neoplasm, or you children may be born malformed or dead.

 

[Space_Chief]

Only if there is an accident...

Fossil fuel burning on the other hand causes constant issues for everyone in immediate surrounds.

You forgot about the problem of the spent fuel and decommissioned reactors.

Fossil fuel emissions can also be filtered off.

 

[Space_Chief]

And what about coal powered station that WILL cause such, not just can possibly cause it?

Environmental pollution?

Those things are monitored and reduced, especially in places like Belgium.

 

[rwenzori]

Yup.
And they think "radiation" is some evil thing to be banished, forgetting our eyes are simply radiation detectors operating at different wavelengths.

Off to Fukushima for you, to try to contain the harmless radiation leaks.

 

[SauRoNZA]

You forgot about the problem of the spent fuel and decommissioned reactors.

Fossil fuel emissions can also be filtered off.

Oh I'm by no means saying it's perfect.

But Nuclear does seem the lesser of all evils in the bigger picture.

 

[ponder]

The Tihange 3 power station, situated 70 kilometres south-west of the German town of Aachen...

Why reference a German town when it's in Belgium, Huy municipality?

 

[Arthur]

Off to Fukushima for you, to try to contain the harmless radiation leaks.

No problem. Fukushima is safe. The radiation panic and evacuation was a media creation unwarranted by the facts.

Chernobyl is another exaggeration.

 

[MickeyD]

BELGIAN NUCLEAR REACTOR FIRE PROBABLY CAUSED BY TECHNICAL FAULT

A fire that led to the shutdown Sunday of a Belgian nuclear reactor was likely caused by a technical fault, plant operator Electrabel said, according to Belga news agency.

"The first indications suggest a technical cause," Electrabel spokeswoman Geetha Keyaert told Belga.

The incident could put a further strain on Belgium's electricity grid, after warnings in August that outages at other nuclear plants could lead to power cuts in the approaching winter.

The Tihange 3 power station, situated 70 kilometres south-west of the German town of Aachen, shut down automatically at around 10:30 am (0930 GMT) after one of its transformers caught fire. The fire was caused by an explosion, Sudpresse newspaper group reported on its website.

Electrabel said the fire was under control by the early afternoon, but had not yet been extinguished, as had been reported earlier. The company said the incident had "no impact on nuclear security and the safety of colleagues and residents on the site."

It was unclear Sunday how long the 1,048-megawatt reactor will remain out of service. Technicians and nuclear inspectors were inspecting the site after the incident. Earlier, Electrabel said it hoped to possibly restart the reactor on Tuesday.

Tihange 3 is now the fourth Belgian nuclear reactor to be out of service, Sudpresse reported, as another plant at Tihange and two at Doel have been shut down due to defects or security concerns.

The Tihange 1 reactor was not affected by Sunday's incident, however.

Belgium has adopted a nuclear phaseout plan that foresees the complete abandonment of nuclear energy by 2025.

Source : Sapa-dpa /kd
Date : 30 Nov 2014 16:30