nuclear energy

Yuriy Samoilenko stands for a portrait at the headquarters for Green World, an independent environmental advocacy group and the Ukrainian branch of Friends of the Earth International, in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Aug. 18.

Ukraine still fears another Chernobyl-size disaster at Europe's largest nuclear plant

6:00am December 11, 2022

by Julian Hayda

International atomic experts have warned of a potential nuclear disaster with Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia plant in the middle of a war zone, bringing back terrifying memories of Chernobyl.

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Enerhodar on Sunday. It is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe and among the 10 largest in the world.

World News

Zaporizhzhia nuclear reactors won't restart until Russians leave, its operator says

5:41pm September 15, 2022

by Kat Lonsdorf

Europe's largest nuclear plant will remain shut down until Russian forces leave, the head of Ukraine's atomic energy agency tells NPR. Under Russian occupation, he says, "staff cannot operate freely."

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Science

The U.S. is divided over whether nuclear power is part of the green energy future

2:03am January 18, 2022

by The Associated Press

Nuclear power is emerging as an answer as states transition away from coal, oil and natural gas to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and stave off climate change.

Entering the control room at Three Mile Island Unit 1 is like stepping back in time. Except for a few digital screens and new counters, much of the equipment is original to 1974, when the plant began generating electricity.

As Nuclear Struggles, A New Generation Of Engineers Is Motivated By Climate Change

5:35pm June 15, 2018

by Jeff Brady

The number of people graduating with nuclear engineering degrees has more than tripled since 2001. Many say they are motivated by climate change.

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In 1952, atomic scientists came together on the 10th anniversary of the first controlled nuclear fission chain reaction, which took place Dec. 2, 1942, at the University of Chicago.

Science

75 Years Ago, Scientists Conducted An Unprecedented Nuclear Experiment

6:36pm November 28, 2017

by Samantha Raphelson

On Dec. 2, 1942, a group of scientists in Chicago created the first controlled, self-sustained nuclear chain reaction, which would prove essential to developing an atomic bomb a few years later.

The Three Mile Island nuclear power plant, in Londenderry Township, Pa., was the site of a partial meltdown in 1979. The plant, with its one still-functioning reactor, is having trouble selling its power because it's more expensive than other resources, i

Struggling Nuclear Industry Lobbies State Governments For Help

11:43pm May 16, 2017

by Marie Cusick

The nuclear industry is struggling with aging plants and competition from cheaper natural gas. Now, touting itself as another form of "clean" energy, it's lobbying state lawmakers for help.

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Inside a nondescript building at Los Alamos National Laboratory known as TA-66, nuclear weapons inspectors are carefully trained in the detection of plutonium.

How Do You Find Plutonium? Go To Nuclear Inspector School

12:58pm October 19, 2015

by Geoff Brumfiel

A nuclear agreement with Iran hinges on the work of nuclear inspectors. Here's a close-up look at how they train to do their job.

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