Bulgarian nuclear reactor to shut down over technical glitch
Tsanko Bachiyski, chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Agency, said the unit's shutdown was a preventive measure and there were no safety issues at the site.
"The problem is old," Bachiyski told BNR. "At the moment, the leaks are within the standards, there is no danger and no discharges into the environment." He was referring to a coolant leak in one of the plant's steam generators, a glitch that has occurred repeatedly over recent years.
The unit's repair has been coordinated with the power grid operator. After the completion of the planned activities, the unit will go back online, BNR reported.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Defiant TikTokers vow to ignore hosepipe ban 'because they pay their water bills'... as experts share tips on how to get around it without breaking the law
TikTokers claim they are flouting the hosepipe ban as they continue to fill up paddling pools while England struggles with the driest start to the year since 1976. Homeowners are posting jovial videos showing them using the hose in their gardens - with one saying: 'I pay my water bill so I will be filling up the pool for the kids.' Another posted a clip of a happy girl enjoying the pool on a sunny day, writing: 'Hosepipe ban? Someone come tell her that she can't do this today.' A third uploaded a clip showing them with a hosepipe next to their pool in the garden, writing: 'Do you think I'm playing in doors when it's 30C out here?' And one showed a hosepipe running into a garden being used to fill up a pool under the caption 'breaking the law', adding: 'It's not me, it's the neighbours hahahaha.' Others said they were filling up pools before the ban in their area came in, so they could enjoy being in the water outside even once the restrictions had begun. Some came up with workarounds, such as filling up the pool with a kettle - or running the water from an outside tap through a water bottle with a hole in the bottom. And gardening experts also pointed out that those in hosepipe ban areas are still allowed to water their plants by filling up a watering can from an outdoor tap. @_katiewood24 #breakingthelaw #hosepipeban #uk #30cheat #summerintheuk a #paddlingpool ♬ original sound - wannabe_mermaid TikTok users claim they are flouting a hosepipe ban as they continue to fill up pools - although one (bottom right) has insisted the video was a joke, and she is not in an area with restrictions It comes as England battles exceptionally dry weather and Southern Water today became the latest company to bring in a hosepipe ban, to protect rare chalk stream habitat. The company said restrictions on hosepipes for activities such as watering gardens, filling paddling pools or washing cars would come in for households in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight from Monday. The move aims to protect the Test and Itchen chalk streams, which supply most of the area's water, but are at 'critically low levels', down 24 per cent on normal flows for the time of year, Southern Water said. It was the latest announcement by water companies bringing in hosepipe bans in response to the driest start to the year since 1976 for England. Rainfall across England was 20 per cent less than the long-term average for June, which was also the hottest on record for the country, with two heatwaves driving unusually high demand for water, the Environment Agency has said. More heatwave conditions have followed in July, with the Met Office warning weather extremes such as heat have become the 'norm' for the UK as a result of climate change driven by human activities such as burning fossil fuels. East and West Midlands became the latest areas of England to fall into drought amid three summer heatwaves so far and a drier than average June. The Environment Agency said three more areas - Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire, East Anglia, and Thames area - have now moved into prolonged dry weather status. The East and West Midlands regions have joined Yorkshire, Cumbria and Lancashire, and Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire, which are already in drought. Across England, rainfall was 20 per cent less than the long-term average for June, which was also the hottest on record for the country with two heatwaves driving unusually high demand for water, the Environment Agency said. Other TikTok users have been filling up pools before the hosepipe ban in their area came in Reservoir levels continue to fall, with storage across the country at 76 per cent. Millions of households are facing water restrictions, with a hosepipe ban implemented in Yorkshire last Friday in the face of reservoir storage at only 54 per cent. Yorkshire Water said restrictions on using hosepipes for activities such as watering the garden, cleaning cars and filling paddling pools were brought in to try to protect supplies in the face of more dry weather forecast in the coming weeks. Customers who ignore the hosepipe ban could face fines of up to £1,000, but the utility said 'we hope it won't come to that' as it urged households to help conserve water by sticking to the restrictions. The restrictions include using a hosepipe to water gardens and wash private vehicles, fill domestic pools or clean outdoor surfaces. People can still wash their car and water their gardens using tap water from a bucket or watering can, while the region's 139,000 businesses will be allowed to use a hosepipe if it is directly related to an essential commercial purpose - but not for other uses such as cleaning paths outside a business property. Youlgrave Waterworks, a private firm which supplies 500 homes in Derbyshire, became the first to introduce a hosepipe ban at the start of last month. But Yorkshire Water was the first major utility to bring in restrictions for its 5.7million customers. Embattled utility Thames Water has also announced a ban which will begin next Tuesday for customers in Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, most of Wiltshire and some parts of Berkshire. London has avoided the ban, which will be applied to 1.1million customers in postcodes beginning with OX, GL, SN, RG4, RG8 and RG9. The water company has asked customers not to use hosepipes, including for cleaning cars, watering plants, filling pools or cleaning windows. Businesses which use water as a core part of their purpose, such as garden centres and car washes, will be exempt. South East Water has a ban in place from this Friday, which will affect homes and businesses in Ashford, Canterbury, Eastbourne, Maidstone, Haywards Heath and Royal Tunbridge Wells. Southern Water's water managing director Tim McMahon said: 'We're sorry we're taking this step, but as other water companies have already done, we have to respond to the widespread and prolonged dry weather affecting our region. Some people have come up with workarounds, such as filling up the pool with a kettle (right)- or running the water from an outside tap through a water bottle with a hole in the bottom (left) While some appeared to be confused as to what the ban means (left), gardening experts say those in hosepipe ban areas can still water their plants by filling up a watering can (right) 'In our case, this means a hosepipe ban for our customers in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight to protect the health of our amazing chalk streams, which as one of the rarest habitats on earth has been compared to the Amazon Rainforest. 'We must act now to support the wildlife that live there, including Atlantic salmon and southern damselfly.' He said the company has been working '24/7' to find and fix leaks, and ensuring the network is working as efficiently as possible, but it is 'not enough', and he urged customers to help to reduce use by adhering to the ban. Meanwhile Anglian Water, which supplies drinking water to 4.3 million customers across the East of England - the driest part of the country - said recent rain has prevented the need for a hosepipe ban, but one could still be required this summer. Recent rain has helped river and reservoir levels and more is predicted for the coming weeks, but with an 'exceptionally dry' few months and uncertainty over the forecast, a hosepipe ban may yet be needed, the utility said. The warning comes after East Anglia was among the regions moved into prolonged dry weather status, at the same time drought was declared in the East and West Midlands. Anglian Water's director of water services, Ian Rule, said: 'The East of England is the driest part of the country so we're used to seeing a lack of rainfall in our region and we plan accordingly. 'Our focus on leakage, and the investment we've put in place to give us resilience in the face of climate change, has helped to delay the need for restrictions, but the last few months have been exceptionally dry, even by our standards. 'River levels had been looking very low following the historically dry spring, but they have responded better than expected to recent rainfall. 'There is also some rain in the forecast over the coming weeks which, if it materialises, could provide some welcome respite for the region's rivers and reservoirs. 'However, the forecast is far from certain, so we're closely monitoring the situation and if the exceptionally dry weather does continue, then restrictions might still be needed this summer.' He also said the dry ground means water pipes are at greater risk of shifting and breaking, and the company is facing an increase in issues being reported, with teams working round the clock to fix burst and leaking pipes. The company does not want to put restrictions in place unnecessarily, he added, but protecting the environment and the region's 'vital' agricultural sector means leaving as much water in the environment as possible. The Environment Agency has warned that without substantial rain, more bans will follow. The drought declaration for the Midlands, where some river flows are at their lowest for June since 1976, came after the latest meeting of the National Drought Group - with the situation deteriorating since the group last met in early June. Water companies are being told to follow their drought management plans as well as step up work to fix leaks. The public are being urged to use water wisely across England and comply with any local restrictions as the dry weather continues to impact water resources nationwide. Anglers, wild swimmers and boaters are also being urged to report any environmental issues they see, such as fish in distress in low water conditions.
Reuters
20 hours ago
- Reuters
Bulgarian nuclear reactor to shut down over technical glitch
SOFIA, July 15 (Reuters) - Bulgaria's Kozloduy nuclear power plant will shut down its 1,000 megawatt Unit 6 at the end of the week following a technical problem with the cooling system of the unit's power generator, Bulgarian National Radio reported on Tuesday. Tsanko Bachiyski, chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Agency, said the unit's shutdown was a preventive measure and there were no safety issues at the site. "The problem is old," Bachiyski told BNR. "At the moment, the leaks are within the standards, there is no danger and no discharges into the environment." He was referring to a coolant leak in one of the plant's steam generators, a glitch that has occurred repeatedly over recent years. The unit's repair has been coordinated with the power grid operator. After the completion of the planned activities, the unit will go back online, BNR reported.
BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
Hosepipe bans: Has your area been banned from using hosepipes?
Hosepipe bans have been introduced across England, affecting millions of bans have been brought in by a number of water companies, after England experienced its second driest spring on record according to BBC has also been England's warmest June on latest hosepipe ban comes from a water company called Thames Water, and is said to effect 1.1 million customers in the south of England. Meanwhile, more English regions have announced they are experiencing a drought after the National Drought Group met on East and West Midlands have officially entered drought, joining the north west of England and Yorkshire who have already declared they are experiencing have always happened, but climate change and our growing use of water are raising the risks of water shortages, the Environment Agency what is a drought? And what is a hosepipe ban? Find out here. What is a drought? A drought is when there is a longer than expected period of dry weather, leading to a shortage of the UK, water is collected in places called help supply clean, fresh water to homes and businesses around the country throughout the if there is a long time with little to no rain, then reservoirs may not have enough water to go can read more about droughts and what they mean here. Why do water companies ban the use of hosepipes? When water supplies are very low, water companies may restrict how much water their customers can way to restrict water is to ban the non-essential use of are often used in homes to:water plantsclean cars and bikes fill up ponds or paddling of using garden hosepipes, customers are encouraged to use watering cans to water plants or buckets of water to wash cars and hope is these methods will use up less water than a hosepipe water companies may fine customers for using hosepipes during a ban. Which water companies have announced hosepipe bans? On Monday Thames Water announced a hosepipe ban, affecting 1.1 million hosepipe ban would start on 22 July in Swindon, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and parts of Water introduced the first hosepipe ban of the year, affecting 5 million customers on ban covers much of Yorkshire, parts of north Lincolnshire and parts of South East Water customers are preparing for a ban on 18 July affecting people in Kent and Sussex. What is happening in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland? As of Tuesday, there are no official droughts reported in Northern Ireland or Mid and South Ceredigion in west Wales say there is a risk of "developing drought".In Scotland, droughts are not declared. Instead, they monitor water levels. Parts of eastern Scotland have been affected by "moderate" water scarcity, meaning water levels are lower than usual.
