World:
¶ The residue radioactive water at the Fukushima nuclear plant has become “an emergency”, the authorities said. The situation is even more serious as a barrier built to contain the water has already been breached, the Nuclear Regulatory Authority warned. [The Tokyo Times]
¶ Radioactivity levels soared 47-fold over just five days in groundwater from a monitoring well on the ocean side of the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, the plant operator said Aug. 5. [Asahi Shimbun]
¶ Following safety checks required under rules put in place since the Fukushima disaster two years ago, it may take until July to restart some of the reactors in Japan, according to a government-affiliated institute. [Chicago Tribune]
¶ A scandal over nuclear regulation in South Korea is worsening. Weeks of revelations about the close ties between South Korea’s nuclear power companies, their suppliers and testing companies have led the prime minister to liken the industry to a mafia. [Energy Tribune]
US:
¶ In a clash between renewable energy developers and environmental activists, a California appeals court approved plans to build one of the world’s largest solar power projects about 50 miles south of Silicon Valley. [Budget & Tax News]
¶ NRG has plans to build a renewable energy park in Montville, Connecticut. The park would produce 50 MW of power from a mix of biomass, fuel cell, and solar power. [TheDay.com]
¶ According to the EPA, many contaminated land sites in Kentucky have potential for large-scale photovoltaic solar installations. There are a handful of sites with utility-scale wind potential, and numerous opportunities for landfill gas energy and biopower. [WFPL]
¶ The New England Coalition and the Vermont Public Interest Research Group are asking the Vermont Public Service Board to take into account new information about layoffs at Vermont Yankee as part of the board’s decision on a Certificate of Public Good. [vtdigger.org]
¶ Entergy Nuclear and Green Mountain Power have reached a confidential settlement in the utility’s $6.6 million lawsuit over its increased power costs due to the partial collapse of Vermont Yankee’s cooling towers in 2007 and again in 2008. [Barre Montpelier Times Argus]
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