A trio of UT engineers is preparing for the worst: nuclear disaster. This August, Derek Haas, mechanical engineering assistant professor, started a research collaboration with the U.S. Air Force and two first-year nuclear engineering graduate students, Brandon De Luna and Marji Pasman. Their research will allow the U.S. government to better detect radioactive material and prevent the use of nuclear weapons, Haas said. Dailytexanonline.com French Environment Minister Nicolas Hulot reiterated on Wednesday that France will need to close several nuclear reactors in order to meet a target to cut the share of atomic energy in power generation to 50 percent by 2025. Reuters.com Bulgaria started on Tuesday (29 August) construction of a radioactive waste depot for its sole nuclear plant, with the facility expected to become operational in 2021, the energy ministry said. euractiv.com Alleging that SCE&G unfairly charged customers up to $1 billion for a failed nuclear expansion project, a lawsuit filed Monday in Fairfield County seeks to recover money for virtually all of the company’s ratepayers in the Columbia and Charleston areas. Thestate.com