Japan:
¶ With a change in government, the plan to phase out nuclear power in Japan is seen to be in jeopardy. TEPCO shares have risen 33% on news of the Japanese election results. [Businessweek]
¶ The large increase in the demand for PVs has produced a shortage of skilled workers to install solar them. [The Daily Yomiuri]
¶ The ministerial safety conference has begun in Fukushima. [UPI.com]
World:
¶ British regulators have approved the design of the EPR, a nuclear reactor designed by Areva. Meanwhile, there is some question about whether the reactor will be built, as cost overruns are plaguing it elsewhere. [UPI.com]
¶ The Iranian Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance says the lost oil revenue the country has already experienced would have paid for 70 nuclear power plants. [Trend.az]
¶ The Egyptian New and Renewable Energy Authority will offer 7 622 square kilometers (2900 square miles) of land for energy development projects by the private sector. [Daily News Egypt]
¶ The Bulgarian Greens Party has been banned from campaigning against nuclear power in an upcoming referendum. They intend to file a case with the European Human Rights Court in Strasbourg against the ban. [Novinite.com]
… The president of Bulgaria will vote against nuclear power in the referendum, because the cost of construction the plant was unacceptably high. [Standart News]
US:
¶ Susquehanna Unit 2 shut down unexpectedly on Sunday during a routine test of a valve in the main turbine system. The cause of the problem is unknown as yet. [Scranton Times-Tribune]
… (Though the article above does not mention it, both reactors were shut down briefly on Friday. [US Nuclear Power Report])
geoharvey 