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1. voda 9 april 2015 16:30

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   Weak spots found in steel of Areva's French EPR reactor
   
   Reuters reported that Areva has found weak spots in the steel of the EPR nuclear reactor it is building for utility EDF in Flamanville, France.
   
   Areva and EDF said in a joint statement that while they start a series of new tests on the EPR, construction work would continue on the reactor, which is already years behind schedule and billions of euros over budget.
   
   ASN said that Areva had informed it that tests at end 2014 had shown that in certain zones of the reactor vessel and cover of the EPR there was a significant concentration of carbon, which weakens the mechanical resilience of the steel and its ability to resist the spreading of cracks.
   
   The regulator said that the ASN has informed nuclear regulators in other countries where EPRs are being built. EDF also plans to build two EPR reactors in Hinkley Point, Britain.
   
   The EPR, or European Pressurised Reactor, is a new-generation pressurised water reactor built to resist the impact of a commercial airline crash. It has been widely criticised as too big and too expensive and Areva has been forced to book billions of euros in provisions due to cost overruns.
   
   Source : REUTERS
2. voda 9 april 2015 20:46

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   Mr Modi aims to advance purchase of nuclear reactors and fuel from France and Canada
   
   Mr Narendra Modi, PM of India, aims to advance the purchase of massive nuclear reactors and fuel from France and Canada to power a resurgent economy, overriding domestic opposition and concerns over liability laws as he embarks on a foreign tour.
   
   In France, where Mr Modi is making his first visit since taking office last year, he will seek to speed up price negotiations for the building of 2 reactors by state-run Areva S.A. of 1,650 megawatts each in Maharashtra.
   
   An official at state-run India's Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited said that Mr Modi's visit from April 9th to 11th was expected to add political heft to a project that under the last government became bogged down.
   
   The official, who declined to be named because he was not authorised to speak to the media, said that "Techno-commercial discussions have been going on for sometime now, there is desire on the part of the new government to conclude the discussions."
   
   Mr Modi has made nuclear power a key element of his clean energy strategy and in January announced a 'breakthrough' pact with Mr Barack Obama, US President, to help clear a logjam of stalled projects.
   
   India needs foreign nuclear technology and fuel to ramp up capacity by a planned 14 times from 4,560 MW over the next 2 decades.
   
   For decades it was shut out of nuclear trade because of its weapons programme but a 2008 agreement with the United States gave it access to foreign suppliers without giving up arms that are primarily meant as a deterrent against nuclear-armed China.
   
   NPCIL and the French supplier have been trying to hammer out a contract for the past 5 years, wrangling over the price as well as India's strict liability law for the plant in Jaitapur.
   
   If completed in full, the Jaitapur project would be the world's largest nuclear power station and a lifeline for the loss-making French company. But one industry source with knowledge of the talks said there was still disagreement over the price Areva would be paid for the plant's power.
   
   Mr Francois Richier, France's ambassador to New Delhi, said that "The only thing I can confirm is that the teams are working. It is a big project with six reactors. It is not something to be tied to a particular visit. It is really good if it happens during this visit. If not, it will happen later."
   
   Mr Modi's government is pushing for the reactors despite opposition from anti-nuclear groups as well as from regional Shiv Sena, who says it is not safe.
   
   Mr Modi's administration has also proposed the setting up of an insurance pool with a liability cap of INR 15 billion to indemnify international and domestic nuclear suppliers in case of an accident.
   
   Mr SK Jain, former chairman of the NPCIL who negotiated the initial agreement with Areva, said that "The establishment of the insurance pool has addressed the main concern of the suppliers. The main stumbling block of global suppliers was unlimited and indefinite liability."
   
   After France, Mr Modi visits Germany then Canada on April 17th. There he hopes to close in on a deal to secure uranium imports after a 2013 agreement ended a 39 year embargo on nuclear trade with India following its first nuclear test.
   
   Canada's Cameco Corporation, one of the world's biggest uranium producers, has been holding talks with Indian government officials for a long term supply arrangement.
   
   One senior Indian government official said that during the visit there may be a deal for the supply of uranium fuel.
   
   Source : INDIA TODAY
3. voda 14 april 2015 16:38

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   Chinese nuclear reactors did not get safety tests before installation
   
   South China Morning Post reported that 2 new nuclear reactors in Taishan, Guangdong, did not undergo the same quality tests as a similar reactor in France that was found to have weak spots prone to cracks.
   
   France’s Nuclear Safety Authority said that special tests at the Flamanville EPR nuclear power plant were only carried out last year after France tightened its nuclear safety regulations.
   
   No such tests were conducted on the two third-generation EPR Taishan reactors before French nuclear manufacturer Areva shipped them to China.
   
   That meant the CNY 50 billion Taishan plant, located about 80km west of Zhuhai and Macau, could be plagued by the same problem and not be detected.
   
   Weak spots in a reactor’s steel shell is a serious defect, once installed, the shell cannot be replaced throughout the reactor’s 60 year lifespan.
   
   The tests in France found that excessive carbon in the steel that formed the reactor’s top and bottom could lead to unexpected cracks that could later spread.
   
   The news comes as a shock to China’s burgeoning nuclear sector. With the completion date of the first project phrase expected by the end of this year, the Taishan EPR plant was a landmark project for China’s nuclear sector.
   
   The plant’s two advanced 1.75 GW pressurised water reactors were to be the world’s largest single-piece electric generators and their operation was said to be the safest, too.
   
   An EPR reactor vessel similar to the ones installed in Taishan. Graphic: ASN
   
   Now it is not certain whether the Taishan reactors would comply with France’s stricter standards.
   
   The ASN said that “Manufacturers must perform non-destructive tests on their products to guarantee their compliance. However, some mechanical properties can only be measured by destructive tests, which cannot be performed on delivered equipment.”
   
   It said that “Following a revision of the French regulations in 2005, ASN has required manufacturers to perform destructive and non-destructive tests on equipment to qualify their manufacturing process. For the domes of the EPR main pressure vessel, those tests were performed in October 2014. Areva performed extensive non-destructive tests on all reactor vessel equipment, including on those shipped to China. But, as explained previously, the problem can only be detected by destructive tests.”
   
   However, the ASN said that Areva had a come up with a plan to deal with the problem.
   
   It said that “Over the next few months, Areva plans to perform comprehensive tests on equipment made with the same manufacturing process to fully characterise the problem, assess its impact on the safety of the reactors, (and) if need be, provide additional justifications and/or propose compensatory measures.”
   
   The ASN said that China’s National Nuclear Safety Administration were informed about the problem were provided with information on Friday last week.
   
   Areva said that the Taishan reactors met Chinese nuclear standards.
   
   The company said that “The reactor vessel heads for the Taishan reactors were evaluated as being in compliance with the Chinese regulations. The French and Chinese safety authorities are in contact following the information provided by the French watchdog.”
   
   Source : SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
4. voda 14 april 2015 16:38

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   Ukraine's Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant to officially shutdown
   
   Sputnik News reported that the State Inspectorate for Nuclear Regulation of Ukraine issued a permit for the completion of the Chernobyl NPP decommissioning and dismantling activities of the first 3 units, which survived the meltdown of 1986.
   
   The issuance of such a permit shows the recognition by regulatory agencies of significant progress in decommissioning the Chernobyl NPP and successful work in the release of blocks from the station of highly radioactive spent nuclear fuel and placing it in a special vault for safe keeping in HOYAT- 1.
   
   The report of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant said that "The first step in the removal from exploitation is the closure and conservation of the nuclear plant. The implementation of this step is essential for safety and requires a strategic application of a period of over 10 years."
   
   Removal of uncontaminated equipment has begun at Reactor No. 1 and this work could be completed by 2020 to 2022.
   
   It was further said that all the work planned for the realization of the project is aimed at safety in general and is focused on protecting the population and preserving nature.
   
   The Chernobyl disaster in 1986 occurred due to a flawed Reactor No.4. It overheated and built up pressure, until its structure failed and it blew up.
   
   In 3 hours following the disaster some 50,000 people left the city of Pripyat in mass evacuation, not knowing that they would never return.
   
   Ukraine, Russia and Belarus sustained the most damage, although increased radiation was detected far across Europe.
   
   Source : SPUTNIK NEWS
5. voda 14 april 2015 17:06

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   Japanse Wall-E maakt eerste spookbeelden van Fukushima
   
   Voor het eerst heeft een robot de reactor van de verlaten kerncentrale in Fukushima gefilmd. De video levert spookachtige beelden op van de centrale, die in 2011 door een tsunami en aardbeving werd vernield. Eigenaar van de centrale, Tepco, stuurde de robot om de straling in het gebouw te meten.
   
   Uit dat onderzoek blijkt vandaag dat de stralingsniveaus in de verwoeste reactor lager is dan verwacht. Tepco is nu van plan om voor de tweede keer een robot te sturen, dieper de centrale in. Deze nieuwe missie moet uitwijzen hoeveel radioactief materiaal nog in de reactor ligt en waar het zich bevindt. De informatie is een vereiste voor de uiteindelijke ontmanteling van de kerncentrale.
   
   Ondanks dat de straling lager is dan verwacht, is deze alsnog ontzettend hoog. Een mens zou binnen een uur overlijden in dergelijke condities, zelfs met beschermende kleding aan. De robotjes die Tepco naar binnen stuurt houden het langer uit, maar kunnen niet worden teruggehaald. Daarvoor zijn ze dan te radioactief besmet.
   
   Op de beelden is goed de verwoesting te zien van de aardbeving en de tsunami. De centrale zou het decor kunnen zijn van een horrorfilm. In de donkere centrale liggen brokstukjes en overal hangt spookachtig stoom.
   
   Voor video, zie link.
   
   www.ad.nl/ad/nl/1013/Buitenland/artic...
6. voda 15 april 2015 16:49

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   Turkey launches construction of first nuclear power plant
   
   steelguru_turkey-launches-construction-of-first-nuclear-power-plant_83390.jpg AFP reported that Turkey on Tuesday launched the construction of its first nuclear power plant, a controversial USD 20 billion project slammed by ecologists which Ankara hopes will begin a new era of greater energy self-sufficiency.
   
   The nuclear power station, in Akkuyu in Mersin province on the shores of the Mediterranean is being built, like Iran’s first nuclear power plant, by Russia’s nuclear agency Rosatom.
   
   It is the first of three nuclear power plants Turkey currently plans to build to reduce its dependence on importing energy from exporters like Russia and Iran.
   
   A second plant is due to be built by a French-Japanese consortium in the Black Sea city of Sinop while a third plant whose location is yet to be finalised is also planned.
   
   Source : AFP
7. voda 15 april 2015 16:50

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   Japanese court forbids restart of Takahama nuclear plant
   
   Digital Journal reported that pro-nuclear proponents suffered a serious setback after Fukui District Court's three-judge panel handed down a ruling forbidding the restart of two of the 13 nuclear reactors in Fukui Prefecture.
   
   The injunction, that takes place immediately, will push back KEPCO's plans to restart the reactors in November.
   
   Fukui Prefecture has a total of 13 commercial nuclear reactors clustered in a line along the region's short coastline. The prefecture has earned the rather notorious nickname 'Genpatsu Ginza,' or Nuclear Alley, not only because of the number of reactors, but because of the decidedly uneven number of nuclear-friendly politicians who dominate Fukui's government positions.
   
   Japan's Nuclear Regulatory Authority had approved the restart of the two reactors at the Takahama plant owned by Kansai Electric Power. But the plan was thwarted by the one judge in Japan brave enough to go up against the Mr Shinzo Abe government's plans to restart all the reactors in the country, 62 year-old Judge Mr Hideaki Higuchi.
   
   In the current case, residents argued that nuclear officials had understated the KEPCO facilities vulnerability to powerful earthquakes like the one that triggered the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. They also added that the reactors did not meet safety standards and there was no adequate evacuation plans in place.
   
   The last of Japan's 48 nuclear reactors went offline in September 2013 as a result of the Fukushima disaster. A different court will rule on a separate injunction later this month on stopping the restart of the Sendai reactors. If that court upholds the injunction, it will be a serious setback for Abe because it could take months and even years to resolve the cases.
   
   Source : DIGITAL JOURNAL
8. voda 17 april 2015 16:25

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   Polish first nuclear power project delays at least another two years
   
   Daily Times reported that plans to build Poland’s first nuclear power plant will be delayed by at least another 2 years, after the decision late last year by state-run utility PGE to take on site research itself and cancel a consultancy contract.
   
   According to 2 sources with knowledge of the project, the project, expected to cost between USD 10 billion and USD 15 billion, was first touted in 2009 as part of a drive to find alternatives to coal-fired power. Since then it has been delayed as falling power prices weakened its economic case and Japan’s 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident hit public support. Now PGE’s move last December to scrap a USD 65.87 million contract with Australia’s WorleyParsons , on the grounds that it was taking too long to look into available sites, will push the plant’s construction further back.
   
   A person familiar with the program said on condition of anonymity that “This alone delays the program by at least two years, PGE would now have to conduct all the studies, including those on environment impact, on its own, which could take additional time given its lack of expertise.”
   
   A 2nd source with knowledge of the plan confirmed there would be a delay of at least two years as a result of cancelling the contract. The project’s official deadlines are to have the first unit operating by 2025, delayed from the original plan to be up and running by 2020 and to complete the plant by 2035.
   
   But some observers said that it looks increasingly unlikely that the plant will be built at all. Poland’s Supreme Audit Office said in a report published on Tuesday that there was a high risk of further delays in building the plant or that it might not be developed at all.
   
   Mr Wladyslaw Mielczarski, a professor from the Institute of Electric Power Engineering at the technical university of Lodz, in central Poland, said that he did not expect the project would be cancelled outright but would be allowed to stall indefinitely.
   
   He said that “Poland does not need a nuclear power station. The nuclear program was the former prime minister’s project. Now there is no one to carry it out.”
   
   On top of the consultancy wrangles, there is as yet no decision on how PGE is to bear the cost of the project.
   
   It has said only that it plans to find a strategic partner to supply the technology needed to build the nuclear plant and help carry some of the costs. Proceedings aiming at selecting the partner will be launched in the second half of this year. So far PGE has said only it will decide on the plant’s site in 2017. It is considering two locations at the Baltic Sea, at Choczewo, and at Zarnowiec, where works on a nuclear power plant were carried out under Communist rule.
   
   PGE EJ1, the unit of PGE that is undertaking the project, said it was reviewing what the impact of cancelling the consultancy contract would be on the schedule. It did not confirm a 2 year delay.
   
   Mr Jacek Cichosz, the unit’s chief executive officer, said that “Only after these analyses and evaluations are completed will the company be able to present changes to the project’s schedule.”
   
   Nonetheless, Mr Jerzy Pietrewicz, secretary of state in the Economy Ministry, said last week that the first phase of program could be still completed by 2025 with the full commitment of all participants.
   
   Source : DAILY TIMES
9. voda 20 april 2015 16:53

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   Chernobyl nuclear power plant enters decommissioning phase
   
   World Nuclear News reported that the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine has officially entered the decommissioning phase, following approval by the country's nuclear regulator. The first phase of decommissioning is the so-called final shutdown and preservation stage, which is expected to take 10 years.
   
   On April 26th 1986, the Chernobyl plant suffered the worst nuclear accident in history when a power runaway event wrecked reactor 4. The 3 remaining reactor units, however, were vital to Ukraine's electricity needs and continued to operate for some years. Unit 2 shut down in 1991, unit 1 in 1996 and unit 3 in 2000. The decommissioning of units 1-3 is being carried out separately from that of the destroyed unit 4, which is expected to take many years longer to complete.
   
   The move into the decommissioning phase for the first 3 units follows an order issued by the State Inspectorate for Nuclear Regulation of Ukraine that was announced on April 9th.
   
   SNRC said that work will start on gradually bringing the 3 units into a 'conserved' state, beginning with FS&P. That permission follows issuance of a licence for decommissioning work at the site that SSE ChNPP, the state company tasked with managing the plant, obtained in March 2010. Public hearings on FS&P were held in 2013.
   
   SSE ChNPP said in a statement that FS&P will be of 'great positive significance' for areas of the Kiev region adjacent to the Chernobyl exclusion zone and for the northern city of Slavutych, in assisting their social and economic development.
   
   Work to bring the 3 units into a conserved state will be carried out in 6 stages between now and 2028. The first stage is to refurbish the water supply system for the plant's fire protection system. The 2nd stage will involve the dismantling of the pressure tubes and control and protection channels of units 1 to 3. The reactors of units 1 and 2 will then be put into a state of care and maintenance in which they will lie undisturbed, allowing the remaining radioactivity to decay naturally. In the 4th stage, the roofs of the reactor halls of units 1 and 2 will be refurbished while the fuel handling machines of those units will be dismantled. The plant's third unit will then be put into care and maintenance, while in the final stage the unit's reactor hall roof will be refurbished and its fuel handling machinery dismantled.
   
   SSE ChNPP said that the ultimate aim of the project is to bring units 1, 2 and 3 to a condition that ensures safe, controlled storage of radioactive substances and sources of ionizing radiation within them. It said that the project will cost more than USD 43 million.
   
   For the period between 2028 and 2046, the most contaminated equipment will be removed from the units, while the reactors themselves will be dismantled between 2046 and 2064.
   
   The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development said in March that construction of the Chernobyl New Safe Confinement for unit 4 was entering its final stage. The giant structure has been erected over the past 4 years in a secure area near the damaged reactor in two pieces which are about to be joined together. Meanwhile, a sophisticated ventilation system which will keep the structure corrosion-free during its lifespan is being installed.
   
   The New Safe Confinement will make the old Chernobyl shelter and remnants of the damaged reactor safe and environmentally secure. Completion of the project is scheduled for the end of 2017. The total cost of the Shelter Implementation Plan, of which the New Safe Confinement is the most prominent element, is estimated to be around EUR 2.15 billion. The New Safe Confinement alone accounts for EUR 1.5 billion.
   
   For the decommissioning of units 1, 2 and 3, the international community is financing, through the Nuclear Safety Account, the Interim Storage Facility 2 at a cost in excess of EUR 300 million and the Liquid Waste Treatment Facility. The ISF2 facility is currently in the final phase of construction and will process, dry and cut more than 20,000 fuel assemblies and place them in metal casks, which will be enclosed in concrete modules on site. The used fuel will then be stored safely and securely for a minimum period of 100 years. The LRTP received an operating licence at the end of 2014.
   
   Source : WORLD NUCLEAR NEWS
10. voda 20 april 2015 16:54

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    China's first Hualong One units gets construction approval
    
    China's State Council has given final approval for construction of units 5 and 6 of the Fuqing nuclear power plant in Fujian province. They will be demonstration units for the domestically-developed Hualong One reactor design.
    
    During a meeting yesterday, chaired by Chinese premier Li Keqiang, the State Council approved construction of the new units. Their construction had been approved earlier this month by the National Development and Reform Commission.
    
    In a statement, the State Council said that "Technologies used in the Hualong One reactor are based on experience gained after two decades of producing nuclear power for civilian use and have taken reference from the world's top-notch designs.Intellectual property rights for key technologies and equipment used in nuclear power plants will facilitate the country's efforts to explore third party markets."
    
    The council also said that "The project will adopt the highest international safety standards, and improve on existing emergency plans to ensure the safety of construction and operation."
    
    In November 2014, China National Nuclear Corporation announced that the 5th and 6th units at Fuqing will use the Hualong One design, marking its first deployment. The company had previously expected to use the ACP1000 design for those units, but plans were revised in line with a re-organisation of the Chinese nuclear industry.
    
    Site preparations are well advanced for Fuqing 5, which had previously been slated to start construction before the end of 2014. According to that schedule it would be in operation in around 2019. CNNC is reportedly now lilely to pour first concrete for Fuqing 5 by mid-2015.
    
    In 2012 central planners in Beijing directed CNNC and the other large nuclear builder and operator, China General Nuclear to 'rationalise' their reactor programs. This meant CNNC's ACP1000 and CGN's ACPR1000 were 'merged' into one standardised design, the Hualong One.
    
    In fact, each company has its own supply chain and their versions of Hualong One will differ slightly but the design is considered to be standardised. It is set for wide deployment in China as well as export to other countries.
    
    CGN's version of the reactor design has already been approved for use at units 3 and 4 of its Fangchenggang site.
    
    In February, China and Argentina agreed to cooperate on construction of a Hualong One reactor in the South American country, marking the first potential overseas order for the reactor.
    
    Source : WORLD NUCLEAR NEWS
11. voda 20 april 2015 16:55

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    India and Canada contract strengthens nuclear ties
    
    A long-term uranium supply contract signed by Cameco and India's Department of Atomic Energy has been welcomed by the two countries' PM as they look to further cooperation and collaboration between their nations.
    
    The contract was signed yesterday in the presence of Mr Stephen Harper, PM of Canada and Mr Narendra Modi, PM of India, during the first official visit by an Indian prime minister to Canada in 42 years. It is Cameco's first contract with India and was made possible by a nuclear cooperation agreement between the 2 countries that came into force in September 2013.
    
    According to the Canadian government, under the contract, which covers the period to 2020, Cameco will supply the DAE with 7.1 million pounds of uranium concentrate. All of the uranium is to be sourced from Cameco's Canadian operations. The contract is worth around CAD 350 million at current uranium prices.
    
    A joint statement issued by the 2 leaders highlighted the importance of the supply agreement, saying it imparted a 'new significance' to civil nuclear cooperation between the countries. Mr Modi said that the uranium procurement agreement launched a 'new era of bilateral nuclear cooperation' and reflected a new level of mutual trust and confidence.
    
    Mr Tim Gitzel, president and CEO of Cameco, said that “The contract opened the door to a dynamic and expanding market. Much of the long-term growth we see coming in our industry will happen in India and this emerging market is key to our strategy."
    
    Beyond uranium supplies, Mr Harper and Mr Modi also agreed to encourage a collaborative program to 'leverage their industries respective strengths' in pressurized heavy water reactor technology. 16 of India's 21 currently operating nuclear power plants are indigenously designed PHWRs that can trace their ancestry to 2 Canadian-designed Candu plants, Rajasthan 1 and 2, which started up in 1973 and 1980.
    
    The leaders also encouraged closer civil nuclear energy cooperation between Indian and Canadian companies, and welcomed the setting up of the India Nuclear Insurance Pool earlier this year as a positive step towards that. A Canadian civil nuclear trade mission to India is scheduled for October, and the leaders also agreed to explore mutually beneficial partnerships in the application of radioisotopes for societal benefits.
    
    The joint statement also encourages Canadian and Indian atomic energy establishments and research institutions to establish mechanisms for long-term collaboration in nuclear energy R&D and includes an agreement to exchange nuclear safety and regulatory experiences and developments. The 2 countries' nuclear regulators, the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board of India and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, have finalized an arrangement for regulatory cooperation in the field of nuclear and radiation safety regulation.
    
    Source : WORLD NUCLEAR NEWS
12. voda 20 april 2015 16:57

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    EIA predicts 4pct fall in nuclear power's share of US generation by 2040
    
    The US Energy Information Administration forecasts that between 2013 and 2040, nuclear power's share of total generation in the USA will fall from 19% to 15% in its High Oil and Gas Resource case and to 18% in its High Oil Price case, where higher natural gas prices lead to additional growth in nuclear capacity. EIA published its predictions in its Annual Energy Outlook 2015, which focuses on the factors expected to shape the country's energy markets by 2040.
    
    EIA said that electricity generation from nuclear units reflects the impacts of planned and unplanned builds and retirements.
    
    Total electricity use in the AEO2015 Reference case, including both purchases from electric power producers and on-site generation, grows by an average of 0.8% per year, from 3836 TWh in 2013 to 4797 TWh in 2040.
    
    It said that "The relatively slow rate of growth in demand, combined with rising natural gas prices, environmental regulations, and continuing growth in renewable generation, leads to tradeoffs between the fuels used for electricity generation."
    
    From 2000 to 2012, electricity generation from natural gas-fired plants more than doubled as natural gas prices fell to relatively low levels. In the AEO2015 Reference case, natural gas-fired generation remains below 2012 levels until after 2025, while generation from existing coal-fired plants and new nuclear and renewable plants increases. In the longer term, natural gas fuels more than 60% of the new generation needed from 2025 to 2040 and growth in generation from renewable energy supplies most of the remainder.
    
    Generation from coal and nuclear energy remains fairly flat, EIA said, as high utilization rates at existing units and high capital costs and long lead times for new units mitigate growth in nuclear and coal-fired generation.
    
    Total electricity generation increases by 24% from 2013 to 2040 in the Reference case but varies significantly with different economic assumptions, ranging from a 15% increase in the Low Economic Growth case to a 37% increase in the High Economic Growth case.
    
    EIA said that "High construction costs for nuclear plants limit their competitiveness to meet new demand in the Reference case."
    
    It said that "In the near term, 5.5 GWe of planned additions are put into place by 2020, offset by 3.2 GWe of retirements over the same period. After 2025, 3.5 GWe of additional nuclear capacity is built. In the High Economic Growth and High Oil Price cases, an additional 10 GWe to 13 GWe of nuclear capacity above the Reference case is added by 2040 to meet demand growth, as a result of higher costs for the alternative technologies and/or higher capacity requirements."
    
    Source : WORLD NUCLEAR NEWS
    
    
13. voda 24 april 2015 15:43

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    Japanese court allows restart of reactors at Sendai nuclear plant
    
    Digital Journal reported that Kagoshima District Court on Wednesday dismissed a resident's injunction that would have halted the restart of two reactors at the Sendai nuclear power plant in Japan, giving a boost to the government's plans to bring back nuclear energy.
    
    After suffering a huge setback last week, pro-nuclear proponents are cheering the latest court ruling that will allow the restart of two reactors at the Sendai nuclear power plant, owned by Kyushu Electric Power, in western Japan in July.
    
    As reported in Digital Journal on April 14th, a district court judge known for his anti-nuclear leanings thwarted an attempt to restart two reactors at the Takahama plant owned by Kansai Electric Power.
    
    It was hoped that this latest petition submitted to the court in Kagoshima Prefecture, on Japan's southern island of Kyushu, would also put a halt to plans to restart the Sendai reactors. The Sendai reactors have one last obstacle to overcome, and that is a final inspection of the reactors safety regime. That decision could come in June.
    
    Mr Ikumasa Maeda, Presiding Judge, said in his decision that “No unreasonableness is evident in new regulatory standards set by the NRA for nuclear power generation."
    
    According to the court's ruling, there was no reason to doubt the Nuclear Regulatory Authority's conclusions that the two reactors at the power station in the city of Satsumasendai did not meet safety standards.
    
    The primary focus in the latest trial centered on the degree of maximum seismic vibrations predicted by the company. This was the basis for the facility's 'earthquake resistant' design. Reactor No. 1 started up in 1984 and Reactor No. 2 began operations in 1985.
    
    In the court's decision, the presiding judge said that “Kyushu Electric conducted detailed investigations into earthquakes occurring in areas surrounding the grounds of the power plant and the geological features of the region, and then determined the maximum seismic vibrations by considering a certain measure of uncertainty involved in the prediction of natural phenomena."
    
    Mr Shinzo Abe, PM of Japan, has been pushing for a restart of Japan's nuclear power plants, despite overall public opinion being against the planned restarts. Abe has repeatedly warned that the country's economy is at risk because of the high cost of imported coal and natural gas.
    
    When all 48 of the country's nuclear reactors were online, they supplied 30% of the Japan's electric power needs. With the country's increasing dependence on fossil fuels and with plans to build more coal-fired power stations, it begs the question of Japan's ability to meet CO2 emission targets.
    
    Source : DIGITAL JOURNAL
14. voda 26 april 2015 15:41

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    Mr Obama proposes 30 year deal with China on nuclear power
    
    Reuters reported that Mr Barack Obama, President of US, proposed a 30-year agreement to cooperate with China on nuclear power, a deal that would allow the transfer of material, reactors, components and technology between the 2 nations, if approved by the US Congress.
    
    Source : REUTERS
15. voda 26 april 2015 15:44

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    China to start work on 6 to 8 nuclear power plants this year
    
    Head of the country's nuclear energy association said that China will bring 8 nuclear power stations online this year and begin work on 6 to 8 more.
    
    Mr Zhang Huazhu, head of the China Nuclear Energy Association, said that Currently, China has 26 units under construction, the most in the world.
    
    There are 23 generators operating commercially, with a total capacity of 21.39 million KW.
    
    The 11th China International Exhibition on Nuclear Power Industry opened on Wednesday with nearly 200 businesses and institutes from 10 countries taking part. Hualong One, China's third generation power project, is being promoted in Argentina, Pakistan and the United Kingdom.
    
    Mr Zhang said that "China will have 30 million KW under construction and meet the goal of having 58 million kilowatts online by 2020."
    
    Source : XINHUA
16. voda 26 april 2015 15:54

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    Japan govt draft: nuclear to be 20% to 22% of power mix by 2030
    
    Reuters reported that Japan's government has proposed making nuclear energy account for between 20% and 22% of the country's electricity mix by 2030, with renewable energy to account for slightly more.
    
    The proposal on nuclear energy, if adopted, is likely to be unpopular among a public that opinion polls show has been consistently opposed to atomic energy since three meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi plant north of Tokyo in 2011.
    
    It will, however, mark a shift away from nuclear power, which contributed to about 30% of Japan's electricity supply before the world's worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986.
    
    All of Japan's reactors remain closed pending safety checks by a new regulator set up after the Fukushima crisis highlighted cozy links between industry and those meant to monitor safety at the country's nuclear plants along with lax regard for rules.
    
    The Yomiuri newspaper and other media reported, without citing sources, Japan's government has proposed making renewable energy account for between 22% and 24% of electricity output from nearly 11% in the year through March 2014.
    
    Natural gas, shipped to Japan in superchilled liquid form, should account for 27% of power production, from 43.2%, while the ratio for crude and fuel oil was set at 3%, down from 14.9%.
    
    The Yomiuri said that the government is proposing making coal account for 26% of electricity production, compared with 30.3% now.
    
    Japan has ramped up coal use to record levels since the nuclear shutdown, setting it at odds with countries including Britain and the United States and pushing carbon emissions higher.
    
    The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, which oversees the power sector, has been holding panel meetings on the energy mix since January.
    
    An official said that the person in charge of the ministry's general policy division was not immediately available to comment.
    
    Two nuclear plants have cleared the main safety hurdle for restarts, but in the last two weeks courts have stepped in, preventing one of them from restarting and allowing the other to go ahead, complicating the return to nuclear.
    
    Source : REUTERS
17. voda 28 april 2015 18:53

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    US nuclear power industry hopes for a new era
    
    Herald and News reported that for decades, the US nuclear power industry has stood at a virtual standstill, a victim of economics and fears over safety. But as President Mr Barack Obama prepares to issue new carbon-emission regulations targeting the power industry, nuclear companies are hoping a new era is upon them.
    
    With high-profile advocates like former Environmental Protection Agency administrator Mr Christie Whitman on board, the industry is embarking on a very public campaign arguing nuclear must be part of any national energy plan. To accomplish that, it wants to examine amending power and licensing regulations to encourage nuclear and speed up construction.
    
    From the USD 6 billion to USD 8 billion cost of a new reactor in this country to the 2011 meltdown at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear power plant, nuclear faces an uphill climb domestically. Perhaps no hurdle is greater than wholesale power prices, which have fallen nationally as US hydraulic fracturing operations have flooded the country with cheap natural gas.
    
    The US has 5 new reactors under construction in South Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee. But with power prices low, any plans for further construction have been put on hold. Also, the future of the country’s 61 nuclear plants, many of which were built in the 1970s, is falling into doubt as facilities come up for relicensing and will probably require costly upgrades.
    
    The president’s call for a 30% cut in emissions by the US power industry is expected to force the closure of vast numbers of coal-fired plants and cause a surge in wind and solar farm construction.
    
    Mr Dan Lipman, VP of the trade group the Nuclear Energy Institute, sai dthat “Something like 65% of the existing coal fleet will not be operating. That’s a lot of electricity that needs to be replaced. Natural gas is going to supply the vast majority of that, but nuclear is going to have a place too.”
    
    But the industry will face opposition. Nuclear remains a divisive issue among environmentalists. Some support it as a proven means to cut carbon emissions out of the nation’s power supply.
    
    But there are many see its potential contamination risks as just too great to make it sensible.
    
    Mr Jim Martson, Texas director of the nonprofit Environmental Defense Fund, said that “On nuclear, the environmental community is not a monolith. There are some groups that grew up around anti-nuclear protests.”
    
    Among an older generation of Americans, the partial meltdown of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania in 1979 remains a vivid memory.
    
    Mr Dale Klein, a professor at the University of Texas and former chairman of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, said that new technology designed to keep reactors cool even when a plant loses power as happened at Fukushima has greatly reduced the risk of a meltdown.
    
    He said that “One of the things people often forget about is any source of electrical generation has issues. The one that would kill the most people is hydroelectric. If a dam failed, you could take out 200,000 people very quickly. You have to look at a risk-benefit comparison.”
    
    Source : HERALD AND NEWS
18. voda 1 mei 2015 16:43

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    India ranks 13th in generating power from nuclear source
    
    The New Indian Express reported that India stands at the 13th place world-wide in generating electricity from nuclear source and expects to increase the installed nuclear power capacity from 5,780 MW to 10,080 MW by 2019.
    
    According to the data published in 2014 by Power Reactor Information System of International Atomic Energy Agency, "India ranked 13th position in terms of generation. However, it stood at 7th position in terms of number of reactors in operation country-wise globally."
    
    Noting that the government has accorded sanctions for two more projects with a total capacity of 3,400 MW, Mr Jitendra Singh, Minister of State in the PMO, said that "More nuclear power projects based on indigenous technologies and with international cooperation are planned in future."
    
    Mr Singh said that the total requirement of nuclear fuel over the next five years is estimated to be about 5,940 tonne of natural uranium.
    
    He dismissed reports suggesting that government is buying nuclear reactors without site studies, saying sites for locating nuclear power plants are selected after detailed scientific evaluation in accordance with the criteria laid down in the atomic energy regulatory board code of practice.
    
    He said that “Similarly, safety of nuclear power reactors to be set up is extensively reviewed at every stage and only after its state-wise clearance, the reactors are set up.”
    
    Source : The New Indian Express
    
19. voda 1 mei 2015 16:56

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    DAE sets 63000 MW target for atomic energy by 2031-32
    
    In July 2014, a target of tripling the then existing capacity of 4780 MW in the next ten years (by 2024) was set. However, the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) has set for itself an ambitious target of reaching an installed generation capacity of 63000 MW by the year 2031-32.
    
    A capacity of 1000 MW has already been added to the grid in December 2014 by start of commercial operation of Kudankulam Unit-1 taking the capacity to 5780 MW. The target of tripling of the capacity of 4780 MW by 2024 is expected to be met, largely on progressive completion of projects under construction and the projects accorded financial sanction.
    
    The Government had also accorded ‘in principle’ approval of the following sites for locating nuclear power projects in future, based on both indigenous technologies and with foreign cooperation.
    
    Indigenous Reactors;
    
    Site State Capacity (MW)
    
    
    Gorakhpur, Haryana 4 X 700
    
    Chutka Madhya Pradesh 2 X 700
    
    Bhimpur Madhya Pradesh 4 X 700
    
    Kaiga Karnataka 2 X 700
    
    Mahi Banswara Rajasthan 4 X 700
    
    With Foreign Cooperation;
    
    Site State Capacity (MW) In cooperation with
    Kudankulam Tamil Nadu 4 X 1000 Russian Federation
    
    Jaitapur Maharashtra 6 X 1650 France
    
    Chhaya Mithi Virdi Gujarat 6 X 1000* USA
    
    Kovvada Andhra Pradesh 6 X 1000* USA
    
    Haripur West Bengal 6 X 1000 Russian Federation
    
    Pre-project activities have been taken up at these sites
    
    Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited (BHAVINI), a Public Sector Undertaking of Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) is presently constructing a Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) of 500 MW capacity at Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu. In addition, two Fast Breeder Reactors of 600 MW are also proposed to be constructed at Kalpakkam.
    
    A 300 MWe Advanced Heavy Water Reactor (AHWR) using Thorium based fuel has been designed and developed. This reactor will serve as a technology demonstrator for the Thorium fuel cycle technologies. A project for initiation of activities towards start of construction of AHWR has been included in the XII Plan.
    
    The installed nuclear generation capacity by 2031-32 would depend on actual start of projects and their completion, which in turn would be contingent to completion of pre-project activities like land acquisition and obtaining statutory clearances and conclusion of techno-commercial discussion in respect of reactors to be set up with foreign co-operation.
    
    This information was provided by MoS in the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, PG & Pensions, Dr Jitendra Singh in written reply to an unstarred question in the Lok Sabha today.
    
    Source : Strategic Research Institute
    
    
20. voda 26 mei 2015 16:39

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    Vier nieuwe kerncentrales in Tsjechie •Hans Verbraeken
    
    Tsjechië heeft aangekondigd vier nieuwe kerncentrales te gaan bouwen. De aanbesteding van de eerste is voorzien voor eind 2016, zo heeft de Tsjechische premier Bohuslav Sobotka afgelopen zaterdag verklaard. De sociaal-democraat leidt een centrum-linkse coalitie.
    
    Dukovany
    
    Sobotka deed zijn mededeling in Dukovany, in het zuid-oosten van het land, waar al een van de twee kerncentrales van Tsjechië is gevestigd, met een capaciteit van 2040 Megawatt. De eerste nieuwe centrale zal in Dukovany worden gebouwd, aldus Sobotka.
    
    Staat meerderheidsaandeelhouder
    
    De twee al bestaande energiecentrales worden beheerd door energieconcern CEZ. De Tsjechische staat is meerderheidsaandeelhouder in CEZ. De tweede centrale, met een capaciteit van 1050 Megawatt, staat in Temelin in het zuid-westen van het land. De twee centrales zijn samen goed voor een derde van de Tsjechische energiebehoefte.
    
    Sobotka gaf geen informatie over de bouw van de andere drie centrales. Hij noemde de beslissing een 'een fundamenteel besluit' voor de toekomst van de Tsjechische energiesector.
    
    Bron: FD.nl