Platts - Wednesday, August 13, 2003 http://www.platts.com ------------ Washington (Nuclear News Flashes)--12Aug2003 DOE outlines future budget goals and plans Beginning with the fiscal 2005 budget, DOE will incorporate its performance plan into the department's annual budget presentation and justification, according to DOE's draft strategic plan for the next 20 years. The plan outlines what DOE, under the Bush administration, sees as its seven key goals--nuclear weapons stewardship, nonproliferation, naval reactors, energy security, scientific research, environmental cleanup, and the licensing and construction of a nuclear waste repository by 2010. In the area of energy security, nuclear power was seen as a clean source of energy and of hydrogen. DOE said it planned to "lead the international community in pursuit of advanced nuclear technology" that enhances safety and plant economics, and reduces waste production. The department said it also would collaborate with the "domestic industry to assure the availability of nuclear fuel." The plan was posted on DOE's Web site (http://www.energy.gov) Aug. 12; deadline for public comments is Sept. 11. ------------ Paris (Nuclear News Flashes)--12Aug2003 EDF granted more exemptions to thermal discharge permits The French government approved more exemptions to thermal discharge permits for Electricite de France (EDF) nuclear plants Aug. 11 as record temperatures persisted throughout the country. At a press conference following an inter-ministerial meeting devoted to EDF's applications for the exemptions, but before the exemptions were announced, Environment Minister Roselyne Bachelot-Narquin said that without the exemptions, rolling brownouts could have been expected as early as next week. Bachelot-Narquin aides said EDF had lowered nuclear plant production, in some cases stopping plants temporarily, to avoid exceeding the temperature limitations, but gave no details. They said EDF was asking for an increase of roughly 1 degree C in the allowed river temperatures at six sites (Bugey, Tricastin, Golfech, St. Alban, Cruas and Blayais). At Tricastin, where nuclear safety authorities already relaxed the restriction by one degree last week (from 27 degrees to 28 degrees C), EDF requested another 1-degree hike. Officials said the Eurodif gaseous diffusion enrichment plant, fed by two of the four 900-MW-class Tricastin PWRs and France's single largest power consumer by far, would also stop operation next week. Bachelot-Narquin and Industry Minister Nicole Fontaine appealed to Frenchmen to conserve electricity. ------------ Washington (Nuclear News Flashes)--11Aug2003 St. Lucie-2 steam generators to be replaced in 2007 FPL plans to replace St. Lucie-2's two steam generators in 2007 and will delay the unit's vessel head replacement until then. In its most recent quarterly filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC), FPL Group said the new steam generators would cost about $224-million. During the unit 2 spring refueling outage, more tubes were plugged than had been anticipated, so revised tube plugging projections were developed, the SEC filing said. That evaluation led to the plan to replace in 2007, it said. FPL also plans to wait until the fall 2007 refueling outage to replace unit 2's pressure vessel head, depending on the results of future head inspections. The head replacement had been scheduled for the spring 2006 refueling outage. ------------ Washington (Nuclear News Flashes)--11Aug2003 NRC begins special inspection at Diablo Canyon NRC began a special inspection at Diablo Canyon Aug. 11 to evaluate multiple battery charger failures at the two-unit Pacific Gas & Electric station. There were three battery charger failures at unit 1 and three at unit 2 during a 15-month period, NRC said. The chargers provide DC power to various safety and non safety- related systems and equipment. Batteries can supply power for only eight hours if the chargers are unavailable. ------------