Atomenergoproekt, prime contractor for the construction of the second phase of the Novovoronezh NPP, has announced that the metal structure of the inner containment building at unit 1 has been completed. Earlier this month Rosatom announced that the first ring of the reactor dome had been installed by crane.

Credit: Atomenergoproe

The US Department of Energy has announced its intent to extend CH2M HILL Plateau Remediation Company’s contract for environmental cleanup at the Hanford Site by another five years.

TEPCO has begun work to change most of the main operational headquarters of the Fukushima Daiichi decontamination & decommissioning project, the seismic isolated building, from a controlled to an uncontrolled zone.

Whole-body contamination monitors installed in ant

In a pilot project, an optical monitoring technique that uses computer image processing to measure displacement and strain was applied to a US nuclear power plant containment vessel during a pressure test. Results agreed with data from strain gauges and other physical structures (such as a hidden cold joint location). By Paul Bruck, Thomas Esselman and Michael Fallin

In the war to win the hearts and minds of the general public, facts are not enough. Even if people could be bothered to think about where their energy comes from, they are unlikely to think rationally about the matter.

As I write this, the one-year anniversary of Fukushima Daiichi is creating a media flurry, with press conferences held, reports published, and conclusions shared.