The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board announced Friday that it will hold a hearing next month to discuss the future of the Los Alamos National Laboratory, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported. The board is an independent panel that advises the U.S. Department of Energy and the president. A recent fire has put a national laboratory’s ability to operate safely into question. Wtop.com The Navy is beginning the process of evaluating additional upgrades and technical adjustments to the sub-launched Trident II D5 nuclear weapon such that it can serve for decades well beyond its current service life extending to 2040. Scout.com The US Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded a contract worth about $1.5bn to Four Rivers Nuclear Partnership to continue deactivation and remediation of the Paducah nuclear site. Nuclear.energy-busniness-review.com Massachusetts U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern and U.S. Sen. Edward Markey are pushing a bill meant to honor veterans who took part in nuclear weapons testing. The bill would authorize the award of a military service medal to members of the Armed Forces exposed to ionizing radiation after participating in the testing of nuclear weapons or under other circumstances. Militarytimes.com The bank holiday heatwave has started with a new record for solar power generation which blazed to a quarter of the electricity mix on Friday afternoon. The nation’s solar panels scorched the previous record set last month by generating 8.7GW of power, more than nuclear and coal power combined. Telegraph.co.uk
