The Tennessean: Nuclear energy issue needs intelligent, accurate debate
’I appreciate that The Tennessean recognizes the importance of debate on the issue of a new generation of nuclear power plants and that this was the topic on the June 19 editorial page. However, some of the statements of the proponents deserve corrections and response. Gerry Calhoun wrote that nuclear power opponents want "to take us back 200 years." This simply is not true. Rather, we are looking to move forward to a sustainable future. Uranium, like fossil fuels, is a finite resource. Mr. Calhoun is misinformed about breeder reactors. There are no operating commercial breeder reactors anywhere on Earth. Their designs never even contemplated using spent fuel rods as fuel. This plutonium-driven technology is extremely problematic. The Japanese spent more than $11 billion on the Monju breeder, which operated for a short period at low power before a sodium leak and fire shut it down. The French Superphenix was plagued with problems during its operational life. Several countries are continuing to experiment with breeders, but this is far from a proven power source.’

Engineering News: EDF ready to partner South Africa as utility pursues international nuclear expansion
The world’s largest operator of nuclear energy reactors, EDF, of France, has identified South Africa as one of five countries outside its home market where it hopes to deploy, in partnership with local utilities, ten new-generation ‘EPR’ pressurised water reactors (PWRs) by 2020. The other markets include China, the US, the UK and Italy. EDF South Africa MD Frederic Diore tells Engineering News that the utility - which currently operates 58 nuclear reactors in France, mostly second-generation PWRs - would be keen to take equity in the South African programme, should Eskom and government decide to pursue the nuclear option and should it select Areva’s Evolutionary Power Reactor, or EPR, technology.’

Cumberland News: Sellafield hit by another contractor walkout
’Only 200 of the 900 contractors have been involved in the latest strike, which started on Wednesday afternoon and continued into Thursday morning, and it is believed the men downed tools against the advice of their own shop stewards. Forty eight hours earlier, all the Sellafield contractors took unofficial industrial action in support of 650 Lindsey sacked oil refinery workers. They returned to normal working on Wednesday morning and it came as a surprise when a hundred of the contractors working one the construction site's biggest projects - a new plutonium storing plant known as SPRS - suddenly took their own action later in the day.’