Nuclear agency inspects Taft plant
LOUISIANA - The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is conducting a special inspection at Entergy Louisiana Inc.'s Waterford 3 nuclear plant in Taft because of repeated problems with electrical relay switches.
The inspection was ordered after plant operators discovered problems in a high-pressure safety injection pump that is used to supply cooling water to the plant's reactor core during some accident conditions. The problem was traced to an electrical relay, which subsequently was replaced, allowing the pump to operate normally.
But Nuclear Regulatory Commission officials are concerned because there have been six previous failures of similar electrical relay switches at Waterford in the past year.
The inspection, which began July 20, is expected to last for several days.
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How the dirtiest power station in western Europe switched to renewable energy
LONDON - A power station that used to be the biggest polluter in western Europe has made a near-complete switch to renewable energy.
The Drax Power Station in Yorkshire, England, used to spew out millions of tons of carbon dioxide a year by burning coal. But over the past eight years, it has overhauled its operations by converting four of its six coal-fired units to biomass. The plant's owners say it now generates 15% of the country's renewable power.
The change means that just 6% of the utility's power now comes from coal. The ultimate goal is to stop using coal altogether.
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