Final design element completed at ITER fusion reactor in France (28 May 2013)
In late April, ITER nuclear fusion project team leaders gave final approval for the design of the most technically challenging component – the fusion reactor’s ‘blanket’ that will line the inside of ITER’s doughnut-shaped 500MW tokamak reactor chamber, which will contain the super-heated nuclear fuel.
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New Shell report forecasts possible societal and energy trends over next 50 years (08 May 2013)
With the world’s population headed toward 9 billion at mid-century and millions of people climbing out of poverty, global energy demand could increase by as much as 80% by 2050, according to a new report from Shell. The report, New Lens Scenarios, looks much further into the future than most similar reports.
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Chemical fire on derailed Belgian train kills one (07 May 2013)
One person was killed and dozens injured after a freight train carrying chemicals derailed and caught fire near the town of Wetteren in northwest Belgium on May 5. The blaze led to a series of explosions in the railway cars and a fire spread over hundreds of metres, prompting authorities to evacuate residents living within 500 metres of the site of the accident.
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Polish gas group PGNiG sacks CEO over Gazprom pipeline deal (30 April 2013)
Polish gas monopoly PGNiG fired its chief executive Grazyna Piotrowska-Oliwa on April 29 because she failed to stop a joint venture pipeline project with Russia's Gazprom that would sideline Ukraine. The board also dismissed her deputy, Radoslaw Dudzinski.
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Leak at BP platform in Norwegian North Sea could have caused major accident - PSA (29 April 2013)
The Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA), Norway's oil safety watchdog, said BP must review the way it handles risk and maintenance at its offshore oil platforms in Norwegian waters following a leak at a North Sea platform last year that the PSA said could have caused a major accident. The platform was evacuated, but no one was injured in the incident.
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Latvian pharmaceutical plant blast injures two (17 April 2013)
On April 16 an explosion took place at the Olainfarm pharmaceutical plant in Olaine, central Latvia, according to the Baltic Times. The explosion took place at around 9:20 a.m., and was caused by a toluene vapour leak. Two persons were injured in the explosion, and have been taken to hospital.
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Bosch Chairman says US shale gas is killing off green technologies (09 April 2013)
Bosch Chairman Franz Fehrenbach said in a recent edition of
Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung that the decline in energy prices caused by the glut in US shale gas production was wiping out European manufacturers of alternative technologies, particular solar and photovoltaic manufacturers.
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Outlines of European offshore oil and gas safety directive agreed (01 April 2013)
A political agreement has been reached between the European Parliament and the Council on the European Commission's proposal for legislation on the safety of oil and gas operations in the European Union (EU).
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Power problems cause gas leak on Norwegian rig (18 March 2013)
Power outages at Statoil's busy Oseberg field centre in the North Sea caused a gas leak on March 14. The leak was stopped, but Statoil has flown staff to land to make room for personnel to fix the power problem and resume production.
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DNV launches global recommended practice for shale gas risk management (06 March 2013)
DNV has launched recommended practice (RP) guidelines for the entire life cycle of shale gas extraction, based on risk management principles, industry best practices and standards. The objective is for the RP to form the foundation for future development of a globally recognised standard for safe and sustainable shale gas extraction.
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