Protests as Turkey starts work on first nuclear power plant

Ankara (AFP) - Turkey on Tuesday launched construction of its first nuclear power plant which Ankara hopes will open a new era of greater energy self-sufficiency, but the ceremony was marred by angry protests against the controversial $20 billion project.

Steven Chu warns UK its nuclear plans risk becoming financial drain

A leading energy expert has warned that although the British government is right to proceed with new nuclear plants they risk becoming a “financial drain” unless they can be built on time and on budget.

Fukushima Fires Up Atomic Industry’s Removal-of-Liability Drive

Japan will introduce legislation this year to ratify a controversial treaty backed by General Electric Co. and other atomic-plant manufacturers seeking protection from damage claims caused by nuclear accidents.

Exclusive: China commits $6.5 billion for Pakistani nuclear project

(Reuters) - China has committed $6.5 billion to finance the construction of a major nuclear power project in Pakistan's port city of Karachi as it seeks to strengthen ties with its strategic partner, Pakistani officials said.

Jellyfish clog pipes of Swedish nuclear reactor forcing plant shutdown

A huge cluster of jellyfish forced the Oskarshamn plant, the site of one of the world's largest nuclear reactors, to shut down by clogging the pipes conducting cool water to the turbines.

The Next Nuclear Reactor May Arrive Hauled by a Truck

THE first commercial nuclear plant in the United States, commissioned in 1957, was just a scaled-up version of the reactors that powered submarines, and for decades afterward engineers made them bigger and bigger to maximize economies of scale.

Japan's firms fear summer meltdown in nuclear-free nation

TOKYO: Japan's hard-hit manufacturers are facing a long summer with businesses making everything from ice creams to crayons fretting production may be hampered as the now nuclear-free nation faces energy cuts.

Thousands march as Japan shuts off nuclear power

TOKYO (AP) — Thousands of Japanese marched to celebrate the switching off of the last of their nation's 50 nuclear reactors Saturday, waving banners shaped as giant fish that have become a potent anti-nuclear symbol.

Nuclear industry dreams dashed by current economic reality

The news that nuclear giants RWE and E.ON are dropping plans to build any new UK reactors has sent a toxic cloud not only over Wales, but over the nuclear industry itself.

ENERGY: Obama Pushes Forward on Clean Energy Without Congress

With Congress gridlocked and clean-energy policy stifled by solar-panel maker Solyndra's default on a federal loan, President Obama said on Tuesday evening in his State of the Union address that he is pressing forward with major initiatives in solar and wind energy that his administration can shepherd on its own.

Energy-hungry Japan in $34 bln Australia gas deal

Japanese energy firm Inpex and French giant Total on Friday announced a huge $34 billion gas project in Australia, as Tokyo looks for alternatives to nuclear power in the wake of the Fukushima disaster.

French president clings to nuclear energy despite post-Fukushima fears, waste protests

PIERRELATTE, France — French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Friday it would be madness to reduce his country’s huge reliance on nuclear power, despite worldwide wariness after Japan’s Fukushima disaster and protests this week over the dangers of waste.

Nuclear power plants shut down in Germany

Germany has temporarily shut down seven of its nuclear reactors while it reconsiders its nuclear strategy.

Chancellor Angela Merkel said that all reactors operational before 1980 would be taken offline, and safety checks carried out on the remaining plants.

The move comes after concerns about radiation leaks at a Japanese plant after last Friday's earthquake.