Platts - Tuesday, June 13, 2006 http://www.platts.com ------------ ITER "at the heart" of France's energy strategy: De Villepin London (Platts)--13Jun2006 ITER is "at the heart" of France's energy strategy, Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin said on a visit June 9 to Cadarache, where the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor is to be built in the context of a six-party cooperation. De Villepin said his government has three priorities in energy policy: "(low) cost, supply security, and (protection of the) environment." The reactor, which is aimed to demonstrate net energy production from inertial confinement fusion, is expected to cost some 10 billion euros in euros of 2002 (US$12.6 billion) to build and operate over 30 years, beginning in 2015. De Villepin said France would "continue to conduct an ambitious nuclear policy," calling ITER "an essential element of this strategy." Until the advent of successful fusion, however, Villepin said, France will develop fourth-generation fission reactors, with a decision on the first such reactor to be made by the government's Atomic Energy Committee this fall. For more news, request a free trial to Platts Nucleonics Week at http://www.platts.com/Request%20More%20Information/ ------------ Hungary's Paks nuke to boost capacity in second half of 2006 Budapest (Platts)--13Jun2006 Hungary's 1866-MW Paks nuclear power plant will begin a program to increase its capacity by 8% later this year, perhaps as early as September, Ferenc Kovacs, leader of the plant's lifespan extension project, told Platts Monday on the sidelines of the EnKon conference of the Institute for International Research. As a first step, capacity at the plant's 471-MW unit 4 will be increased by 3-4%, and this will rise to 8% about three months later, in December 2006 or early 2007. Capacity will then be increased at the remaining units in a similar two-stage process. The first stage will be carried out at the 467-MW unit 1 in the second half of 2007, and be completed in 2008. Units 2 and 3 will both be started in 2008 and completed in 2009, Kovacs told the conference. The capacity upgrade will be made possible by an improved fuel design, already approved by Hungary's atomic energy authority. The new design will also have a positive impact in terms of the ageing of reactor equipment, an important point given a planned 20-year lifespan extension project, Kovacs said. The capacity increase will mean cost savings of some Ft 0.5-0.7/kWh for Paks, Kovacs said. He added that Paks was both Hungary's largest and cheapest generator in 2005, selling power for an average Ft 8.32 ($0.0417)/kWh. For similar stories, request a free trial to Power in Europe at http://www.platts.com/Request%20More%20Information/ ------------ DOE, NRC to start on licensing strategy for NGNP this year Washington (Platts)--12Jun2006 DOE and NRC staff plan to begin developing a licensing strategy this year for the Next Generation Nuclear Plant Project, Dennis Spurgeon, assistant secretary of nuclear energy, said today. Testifying before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Spurgeon said DOE is making progress on the NGNP project, which calls for building a very high-temperature gas-cooled reactor at Idaho National Laboratory that can produce both electricity and hydrogen. Idaho Senator Larry Craig, who chaired the hearing, said the committee wanted an update on the project's status. Spurgeon said DOE was making progress toward deployment of a demonstration plant by 2021. Two others testifying -- Regis Matzie of Westinghouse Electric Co. and Dan Keuter of Entergy Nuclear -- said they supported the project but urged DOE to make its highest priority the Nuclear Power 2010 program to build new LWRs. ------------ Illinois governor signs radioactive release reporting bill Washington (Platts)--12Jun2006 An Illinois state law requiring reporting of radioactive releases has been signed by Democratic Governor Rod Blagojevich, his office said Sunday in a statement. Effective immediately, House Bill 1620 requires nuclear plants to "report releases of radioactive contaminants into the soil, surface water or ground water to the state of Illinois" within 24 hours and mandates quarterly inspections by the state's environmental protection and emergency management agencies at each of the state's six nuclear power plants--Braidwood, Byron, Clinton, Dresden, LaSalle, and Quad Cities--all of which are owned and operated by Exelon. "People should not be afraid to drink water from their faucet or give their children a bath. This new reporting requirement will give people the information they deserve to know about whether the water they use is safe," Blagojevich said. ---Steven Dolley, steven_dolley@platts.com For similar news, take a trial to Platts Nucleonics Week at http://nucweek.platts.com. ------------