Platts - Friday, June 16, 2006 http://www.platts.com ------------ France's waste bill voted out of National Assembly June 15 London (Platts)--16Jun2006 France's waste bill was voted out of the National Assembly June 15, after much less debate than the government had budgeted and in a version identical to that passed by the Senate earlier this month. That means it can be promulgated by the French President within 15 days. The law, called the "Nuclear Materials and Waste Sustainable Management Program Act," sets France's nuclear waste policy for the next 15 years and, in particular, endorses the concept of deep geologic disposal for ultimate wastes, i.e., those for which no further use is foreseen. The bill passed by a large majority, with the majority UMP and UDF groups voting for and the Socialists abstaining. The Communist group did not vote. Claude Birraux, the assembly's rapporteur for the waste bill, expressed "great satisfaction" at the way the parliament and the government had worked together to craft legislation acceptable to all parties, including provisions added by the legislators for greater parliamentary control over future waste policy. For similar stories, request a free trial to Platts Nucleonics Week at http://www.platts.com/Request%20More%20Information/ ------------ Susquehanna operator investigating unit 1 shutdown Washington (Platts)--15Jun2006 PPL Susquehanna is investigating the cause of an automatic shutdown at Susquehanna-1 early this morning, company spokesman Lou Ramos said today. He said the shutdown occurred during a test of the power supplies for the reactor protection system. The system is designed to shut down the reactor under any of a number of specific conditions; PPL has not yet determined which of the conditions was responsible for the shutdown, he said. He said the 1,202-MW BWR would not restart until PPL had established the cause of the problem. In a press release, PPL said restart was expected "within the next couple of days." ------------ Nuke decommissioning to stop if Swedish government lose election London (Platts)--15Jun2006 Nuclear decommisssioning will not continue if Sweden's four main opposition parties win the September election and run a coalition government, they said in a joint statement yesterday. The minority Social Democratic government now in power is officially committed to phasing out nuclear, and has shut down the two 600-MW Barsebaeck reactors. In a compromise move, the opposition said that it does not support building of new nuclear now, but would look at the issue toward the end of its four-year term if elected. The Center Party, which is part of the opposition group, has traditionally supported a nuclear phase-out, but recently said it was withdrawing from the agreement on phase-out it supported with the government and the Left. For similar stories, request a free trial to Platts Nucleonics Week at http://www.platts.com/Request%20More%20Information/ ------------ NRC to include Category 3 radioactive sources in NSTS Washington (Platts)--14Jun2006 The NRC has told the staff to include Category 3 radioactive sources in the National Source Tracking System and to study whether the commission should specifically license so-called Category 3.5 sources, which have activity levels a factor of 10 below the lower limit of Category 3 sources. In a June 9 memo to the staff, released today on the agency's web site, the commission said that staff should develop a proposed rule to include Category 3 sources in the NSTS within three years. Category 3 sources have wide uses, including as industrial gauges, plutonium-based pacemakers, and research reactor startup sources. Category 3 sources are also increasingly being used in security screening at ports and cargo terminals. Separately, NRC published a notice in yesterday's Federal Register, asking for comments on changing the basis for the NSTS from NRC's authority to promote the common defense and security to protection of public health and safety. The change would give Agreement States a larger role in the NSTS. ------------ Russian firms to build first floating nuclear power plant Washington (Platts)--14Jun2006 Rosenergoatom and Sevmash Shipbuilding Company today signed a contract for construction of the world's first floating nuclear power plant. The contract was signed in Severodvinsk (Arkhangelsk region) during a visit by Sergey Kiriyenko, chief of the Federal Atomic Energy Agency (Rosatom). According to utility Rosenergoatom, the project will cost about 9.1 billion rubles (US$337 million). The plant is planned for commissioning in October 2010 and will supply power to Sevmash. Kiriyenko said that only Russian resources will be used for the project. ------------ Swiss UVEK rejects license extension for Swiss Muhleberg nuke Freiburg (Platts)--14Jun2006 The operating license for Switzerland's nuclear power plant Muhleberg is to remain valid until 2012, according to a decision Wednesday by the Swiss office for the environment, traffic, energy and communication, UVEK. An application by operator BKW FMB Energie was rejected, the argument being that under Switzerland's new nuclear energy law, a limitation of operation permits is possible and the right of equality under the law was not infringed. Muhleberg, which is the smallest and oldest nuclear unit of the country at 355 MW, is the only nuclear unit which has a limited operation license. For the plant to be operated beyond the year 2012, the operator has to get permission under the new nuclear energy law. BKW can still apply for an unlimited license, but it has to carry out the permit process with public consultation. UVEK said with that BKW was treated equal to NOK, which had received an unlimited operating license for its Beznau-2 nuclear reactor at the end of last year. NOK has completed out a permit process with public consultation. For similar stories, request a free trial to Platts Power in Europe at http://www.platts.com/Request%20More%20Information/ ------------ Washington state nuclear waste law unconstitutional, court says Washington (Platts)--13Jun2006 A federal court judge declared a Washington state law unconstitional that prohibits the storage of additional mixed radioactive and hazardous chemical waste at DOE's Hanford site until existing waste at the site has been cleaned up, treated, and disposed of. The June 12 summary judgment by US District Court Judge Alan McDonald said that the state initiative, which was enacted into law by voters in 2004, recognized Washington voter concerns about the present and future management of nuclear waste at Hanford, a shuttered nuclear weapons plant. However, McDonald added that the state law, known as the Cleanup Priority Act, violates the federal government's sovereign immunity, as well as the commerce clause of the US Constitution. The summary judgment indicated that McDonald expects the state will appeal his decision to the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. ------------