Platts - Monday, August 22, 2005 http://www.platts.com ------------ Turkey should consider nuclear power: Chamber of Commerce London (Platts)--22Aug2005 Turkey must adopt nuclear power if it is to achieve the 54,000 MW of new plant capacity needed by 2020, Ankara's Chamber of Commerce (ATO) said in a new report picked up by the BBC Monday. Turkey has no nuclear plants, though it is very rich in uranium and thorium which are the raw materials of nuclear energy. The country has discovered uranium reserves of around 10,000 tonnes, while data provided by the Directorate General of Mineral Research and Exploration shows it has visible thorium reserves of 380,000 tonnes. Exploration work could reportedly double this number. "Turkey does not have the luxury of turning its back on nuclear energy. If the necessary measures are taken nuclear power plants eliminate the environmental problems caused by fossil fuels. Moreover this is a cheap technology in the long run," said ATO President Sinan Aygun. Turkey's dependence on fossil fuels of 70% constitutes a "big risk", since it has a high population growth rate. Oil accounts for the largest share of energy consumed at 38%, followed by coal at 27% and natural gas at 23%. The remaining 12% of is met from renewable resources. Turkey consumed 83.8 MTEP (equivalent million tonnes of petroleum) in 2003. This figure is expected to rise to 126 MTEP in 2010 and 222 MTEP in 2020. Its demand for electricity, which stood at 141.2 TWh at the end of 2003 is expected to rise to 242 TWh by 2010 and 499 TWh by 2020. For more nuclear stories, request a free trial to Platts Nucleonics Week at http://www.platts.com/Request%20More%20Information/ ------------ Southern Nuclear chooses Vogtle as potential new reactor site Washington (Platts)--19Aug2005 Southern Nuclear has picked Vogtle to host a potential new reactor. Southern Nuclear Operating Co. announced today that it would file with NRC in summer 2006 either an application for an early site permit (ESP) or information that would ultimately become part of a construction permit-operating license (COL) application. An ESP allows a company to obtain NRC approval that a site is suitable to host a new reactor. A COL authorizes actual construction. Southern Nuclear, a Southern Co. subsidiary, said Vogtle's owners have not decided to build a new unit but want to keep their options open to meet future generation demand. Also, Southern Nuclear said, selection of the Vogtle site doesn't preclude other sites within Southern Co.'s service area from being considered for future nuclear units. The Vogtle site was originally envisioned as hosting four reactors, but only two were built. Plans for two additional PWRs, rated at 1,113-MW each, were canceled in 1974. ------------ Southern Nuclear picks Vogtle for potential new reactor Washington (Platts)--19Aug2005 Southern Nuclear Operating Co Friday told the NRC it had selected Vogtle to evaluate for possible future reactors. Southern Nuclear said it will file this summer either an application for an early site permit or information that would ultimately become part of a construction permit-operating license application. Southern Nuclear, a Southern Company subsidiary, emphasized that the plant's owners have not decided to build a new unit. Letting the NRC know of the company's plans will help ensure the agency has sufficient resources for the application review, it said. In addition, Southern Nuclear said selection of the Vogtle site doesn't preclude other sites within Southern Company's service area from being considered for future nuclear units. Southern began seismic borings this week at Vogtle as part of its evaluation of the site. The drilling will check the site's integrity, including identifying any faults, a company spokesman said. The borings will also determine whether the site is stable enough to support containment and other structures for a new reactor, he said. The Vogtle site was originally envisioned as hosting four reactors, but only two were built. Plans for two additional reactors, rated at 1,113-MW each, were canceled in 1974. Southern Company subsidiary Georgia Power owns the largest share of Vogtle (45.7%). Other owners are Oglethorpe Power Corp (30%), the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia (22.7%), and the City of Dalton (1.6%). The plant is operated by Southern Nuclear. For more information, take a trial to Platts Nucleonics Week at http://nucweek.platts.com. ------------ NRC to complete spent fuel pool analyses this year Washington (Platts)--18Aug2005 NRC started conducting site-specific spent fuel pool assessments in July and will complete them by year-end, the agency reported to a congressional oversight committee. NRC finished nine assessments last month and has 24 scheduled this month. The rest will be completed before 2006, according to information provided in an Aug. 11 letter to Senate Environment & Public Works Committee Chairman George Voinovich (R-Ohio). The letter, posted publicly today on NRC's electronic database Adams, was signed by NRC Commissioner Jeffrey Merrifield, who was serving as acting chairman the day it was signed. "The NRC is conducting these assessments to identify additional mitigation strategies to enhance the spent fuel pool cooling safety function under severe circumstances challenging the functional capabilities of the plant," he wrote. ------------ ASLB to hear challenge to Monticello relicensing Washington (Platts)--17Aug2005 An Atomic Safety & Licensing Board (ASLB) will hear objections to the relicensing of Monticello. An Aug. 12 notice, released today to Adams, NRC's electronic library, said the ASLB had been established to hear the case brought by environmental group North American Water Office (NAWO). NAWO's claims include that radiation monitoring and severe-accident analysis at the Minnesota plant are not adequate. NRC staff and plant operator Nuclear Management Co. had argued that NAWO's petition should be denied. ------------