Platts - Thursday, October 19, 2006 http://www.platts.com ------------ New nuclear design center to open at INL in 2008 Washington (Platts)--18Oct2006 A newly formed DOE team will open a center for Nuclear Systems Design and Analysis at DOE's Idaho National Laboratory in 2008, DOE said October 18. DOE said in a press statement that INL has joined with engineering firm Burns & Roe and nuclear fuels analysis software company Studsvik Scandpower to establish the center. Personnel from Burns & Roe and Studsvik will manage research and development work at the center, while INL will give the center access to other facilities at the lab. The center "will begin by integrating digital design technology, reactor, and nuclear system simulations with advanced virtual reality software," DOE said. "Designs of next generation reactors and nuclear fuel cycle facilities will be developed and inspected in virtual reality before being built physically." ------------ Biblis-A, -B offline indefinitely London (Platts)--18Oct2006 Biblis-A and -B are offline indefinitely for inspection and possible repair of support anchors, following discovery of several incorrectly installed anchors at the 1,167-MW Biblis-A PWR during a scheduled outage that began September 15. Biblis spokesman Frank Staude said October 17 that the length of the outage depends on the extent of defects in the anchors' installation and the solution to the problem, which he said is also under study. The outage takes a total of some 2,300 MW off the German grid. RWE and the Hesse state environment ministry said the anchor defect had no impact on routine operation but that the utility must demonstrate that the anchors would withstand a major transient such as a pipe break or a large earthquake. Staude said there were between 3,500 and 4,000 of the affected anchors in each unit. ------------ Toshiba completes acquisition of Westinghouse Washington (Platts)--17Oct2006 Toshiba Corp. completed acquisition of Westinghouse October 16, the company announced October 17. Combining the resources of the two companies will form "a world leading company with experience and expertise in both BWR and PWR" technology, Toshiba President/CEO Atsutoshi Nishida said in a briefing in Tokyo. Toshiba will hold 77% of the company, while the Shaw Group will own 20% and Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries will have 3%. Toshiba will continue to hold discussions with potential partners, Nishida said. Westinghouse will continue to be headquartered in Pennsylvania and be operated as an independent company, he said. ------------ UK's Sellafield fined $929,000 over leaking nuclear pipe: press London (Platts)--17Oct2006 The operator of Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant was fined GBP500,000 ($929,000) Monday after 83,000 litres of radioactive acid leaked out of a broken pipe, British media reported Tuesday. British Nuclear Group Sellafield was handed the fine after pleading guilty to three counts of breaching conditions attached to the Sellafield site license. The "Daily Telegraph" reported the case at Carlisle Crown Court that heard scientists had taken eight months to detect the spillage when it should have been discovered "within days." The acid, which contained 20 tonnes of uranium and 160kg of plutonium, was destined for a sealed concrete holding site at the west Cumbrian plant but dripped from a crack in the system, the report said. No one was injured in the leak and no radiation escaped, but the plant has been closed ever since it was uncovered, it added. Monday's punishment comes on top of a GBP2 million penalty imposed on BNG Sellafield by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority earlier this year. News of the fine came on the same day that British Energy announced it was shutting down key nuclear reactors after discovering cracks inside boilers. The discovery forced the firm to shut down its Heysham plant in Lancashire and prepare to shut down two similar reactors at Hinkley and Hunterston, in Ayrshire. For more news, request a free trial to Platts Power in Europe at http://www.platts.com/Request%20More%20Information/ or subscribe now at http://www.platts.com/infostore/product_info.php?cPath=2_31&products_id=55 ------------ UK's Sellafield fined $929,000 over leaking nuclear pipe: press London (Platts)--17Oct2006 The operator of Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant was fined GBP500,000 ($929,000) Monday after 83,000 litres of radioactive acid leaked out of a broken pipe, British media reported Tuesday. British Nuclear Group Sellafield was handed the fine after pleading guilty to three counts of breaching conditions attached to the Sellafield site license. The "Daily Telegraph" reported the case at Carlisle Crown Court that heard scientists had taken eight months to detect the spillage when it should have been discovered "within days." The acid, which contained 20 tonnes of uranium and 160kg of plutonium, was destined for a sealed concrete holding site at the west Cumbrian plant but dripped from a crack in the system, the report said. No one was injured in the leak and no radiation escaped, but the plant has been closed ever since it was uncovered, it added. Monday's punishment comes on top of a GBP2 million penalty imposed on BNG Sellafield by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority earlier this year. News of the fine came on the same day that British Energy announced it was shutting down key nuclear reactors after discovering cracks inside boilers. The discovery forced the firm to shut down its Heysham plant in Lancashire and prepare to shut down two similar reactors at Hinkley and Hunterston, in Ayrshire. ------------ BE's stock prices plunges 23.8% Oct 16 London (Platts)--17Oct2006 BE's stock price plunged 23.8% October 16 on news two more reactors would be taken offline for inspection of boiler tube cracking. In a regulatory announcement released mid-day October 16, BE said that an inspection of Hinkley Point B-1 had revealed more extensive boiler tube cracking than previously experienced, indicating that "early inspections" of the same components were required at Hunterston B-2 and Hinkley Point B-2. BE's share price dropped 133.50 pence in trading October 16, closing at 427.50 pence (US $7.95). The stock had traded as high as 760 pence in mid-August before the extent of the cracking issue was revealed. The cracking issue first arose in mid-August during the statutory outage at Hunterston B-1. The four advanced gas-cooled reactors at Hunterston B and Hinkley Point B are sister plants, commissioned within months of one another. BE said that "preparations are being made to shut down" the B-2 units but would not say when that would happen or how long they would be down for inspection and repair. BE Finance Director Stephen Billingham said they should be back online "in a matter of months" but that the company would have to buy back power it had sold for delivery in the winter months. ------------ British Energy's stock price plunges on tube cracking news Paris (Platts)--16Oct2006 British Energy's stock price plunged 23.8% October 16 on news two more reactors would be taken offline for inspection of boiler tube cracking. In a regulatory announcement released mid-day October 16, BE said that an inspection of Hinkley Point B-1 had revealed more extensive boiler tube cracking than previously experienced, indicating that "early inspections" of the same components were required at Hunterston B-2 and Hinkley Point B-2. BE's share price dropped 133.50 pence in trading October 16, closing at 427.50 pence (US $7.95). The stock had traded as high as 760 pence in mid-August before the extent of the cracking issue was revealed. The cracking issue first arose in mid-August during the statutory outage at Hunterston B-1. The four advanced gas-cooled reactors at Hunterston B and Hinkley Point B are sister plants, commissioned within months of one another. BE said that "preparations are being made to shut down" the B-2 units but would not say when that would happen or how long they would be down for inspection and repair. BE Finance Director Stephen Billingham said they should be back online "in a matter of months" but that the company would have to buy back power it had sold for delivery in the winter months. ------------