Platts - Monday, November 13, 2006 http://www.platts.com ------------ GE, Hitachi plan global alliance for new nuclear business Washington (Platts)--13Nov2006 GE and Japan's Hitachi have signed a letter of intent to negotiate formation of a global alliance that will combine their new nuclear power plant and services businesses, GE said Monday. In a statement, GE said the goal is to strengthen the companies' existing operations, accelerate the development of new products and services, and position the alliance for growth in the nuclear energy industry. Under a shareholding arrangement, Hitachi will take a 40% stake in GE's existing nuclear business and GE will take a roughly 20% share in Hitachi's nuclear business. GE said the companies expect the transaction will be completed in first-half 2007, subject to required approvals and negotiation of the definitive agreement. ------------ Areva denies report that Olkiluoto-3 is 2-3 years behind schedule London (Platts)--13Nov2006 Areva denied a report that Okiluoto-3 is two to three years behind schedule. The French financial daily La Tribune reported November 10 that continuing problems with licensing validation of components and with the quality of concrete used in construction of the 1,600-MW EPR had pushed the completion date beyond spring 2010, the last estimate from Areva and Finnish utility TVO. Areva spokesman Charles Hufnagel told Platts that "is not true" and said the companies are maintaining their estimate of a year's delay, issued in July. The situation will next be reassessed in December, he said. Hufnagel also confirmed that TVO has not paid Areva since last summer, when the vendor missed a milestone in the reactor project, but said Areva's cash flow on the project is still positive. The vendor, which is building Olkiluoto-3 under a turnkey contract together with Siemens AG, recently named a new top-level manager of the project. ------------ Wolf Creek sets unit record for quick refueling Washington (Platts)--10Nov2006 Wolf Creek ended its shortest refueling and maintenance outage ever November 10, starting electricity production roughly 34 days and seven hours after operators shut down the 1,226-MW Westinghouse PWR October 2. Though the outage length is the shortest in Wolf Creek's 21-year history, it is near the most recent industry average. Nucleonics Week reported in July that the average refueling and maintenance outage in first-half 2006 was 39 days long, with the shortest outage just shy of 17 days. The outage at Wolf Creek ended the reactor's longest continuous run, 506 days, Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corp. said in a press statement. In that statement, Steve Hedges, vice president of operations and plant manager, touted the record but added, "more importantly, we safely completed the work needed to support another continuous run." ------------ France's new nuclear regulatory commission to hold first meeting Washington (Platts)--9Nov2006 France's new nuclear regulatory commission, the Autorite de Surete Nucleaire, or ASN, will meet for the first time November 13, following the formal nomination of all five members by decree published November 9. The nominations of Chairman Andre-Claude Lacoste and members Francois Barthelemy and Marie-Pierre Combes-Comets were announced November 8. The collegium of the ASN will include Michel Bourguignon, a medical doctor and biophysicist who has been Lacoste's deputy at the current nuclear regulatory agency DGSNR, and Marc Sanson, an expert in public administration. The decree and curricula vitae of the commissioners are at www.asn.gouv.fr. ------------ Energy Northwest's Columbia plant returns to full power Thursday Washington (Platts)--9Nov2006 Energy Northwest's Columbia nuclear plant returned to 100% power early Thursday, the utility said. Energy Northwest reported that 1,250-MW pressurized water reactor, located near Richland, Washington, reconnected to the Northwest power grid early Wednesday before beginning to ascend to full power. The reactor had been down since October 31, when an electronic part in a controller system failed and tripped a turbine, causing an automatic shutdown of the reactor. Energy Northwest said it took advantage of the downtime to make repairs to other plant systems. --Elaine Hiruo, elaine_hiruo@platts.com ------------ Andre-Claude Lacoste named French nuclear safety authority head London (Platts)--9Nov2006 Andre-Claude Lacoste will be named head of France's nuclear safety authority effective November 13, French government spokesman Jean-Francois Cop, said in a November 8 press briefing. The announcement came after the Council of Ministers agreed to terminate Lacoste's appointment as director general of nuclear safety and radiation protection, also effective November 13. The appointment had been anticipated, but by law the decree must be published before Lacoste's 65th birthday November 15. Two of the four other commissioners of the future ASN were also named November 8: Marie-Pierre Combes Comets, a researcher at the Institute of Nuclear Physics in Orsay, by National Assembly president Jean-Louis Debre; and Francois Barthelemy, a former nuclear transport safety official and a member of the elite Council of Mining Engineers, by the president of the Senate, Christian Poncelet. French President Jacques Chirac must nominate the final two commissioners. Under law, the ASN is considered in existence when the commission meets for the first time. ------------ NRC renews Monticello's license Washington (Platts)--8Nov2006 NRC has renewed Monticello's operating license for 20 years, the agency announced November 8. With the 20-year extension, the license for the 613-MW BWR expires in September 2030. Monticello is owned by Xcel Energy and operated by Nuclear Management Co. ------------ US nuclear power industry says it can work with House Democrats Washington (Platts)--8Nov2006 The US nuclear power industry has benefited from bipartisan support in Congress and is looking "forward to the enthusiasm and fresh ideas that the new members of Congress will bring to Washington," Nuclear Energy Institute President and CEO Frank Bowman said Wednesday. Bowman's comment came in an NEI statement the day after elections in which Democrats regained control of the House for the first time since 1994. Meanwhile, tight races in the Senate have delayed a determination of whether Republicans would retain control of that chamber. In the House ranking Democrats on several key committees and subcommittees, who likely will chair those panels next year, have generally agreed with their Republican chairmen on nuclear issues. "To be successful in enacting the energy and environmental policies that make sense for America, including an expanded role for nuclear energy, there must be stable bipartisan political support over the long-term," Bowman said. "Our industry's objection has been to develop supporters regardless of political affiliation. Good public policy is crafted upon accepted middle ground." ------------ International audit of France's nuclear safety authority begins London (Platts)--8Nov2006 An international audit of France's nuclear safety authority began this week and will run through November 21. The IAEA-led International Regulatory Review Service mission, known as IRRS, will be conducted by about 15 experts from nuclear safety authorities of Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, South Korea, Spain, the US, Russia, Finland, Japan, New Zealand and the Netherlands, said France's Nuclear Safety Authority, or ASN, said in a notice November 7. Four observers from other countries will also follow the mission to draw lessons for future IRRS missions of their own authorities, ASN said. Five staff from the IAEA will support the French IRRS. This is the first full-fledged IRRS mission the Vienna agency has run, although it has done partial IRRS reviews, most recently in the UK. ASN officials had hoped that their new nuclear regulatory commissioners would be named by the time the IRRS began, but the nomination decree had not been published as of November 7. ------------ NRC begins special inspection at Palisades Washington (Platts)--7Nov2006 NRC has begun a special inspection at Palisades after discovering that the plant's three auxiliary feedwater pumps were set for manual rather than automatic operation, the agency announced in a November 7 press release. The plant shut down November 1 to repair a leak in a cooling coil and returned to service two days later. During startup, an NRC inspector discovered the improperly set switches, the agency said. Plant staff determined that the controls were changed to manual during the shutdown, NRC said. NRC Region III spokesman Jan Strasma said the plant's technical specifications require the controls to be on automatic during startup and operation. The NRC team began its inspection November 7, Strasma said. The error in the pump controls was unrelated to the problem that shut down the plant, NRC said. ------------ US NRC launches 'special' inspection at Palisades nuclear plant Washington (Platts)--7Nov2006 The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has begun a special inspection at the Palisades nuclear plant near South Haven, Michigan, after discovering that the plant's three auxiliary feedwater pumps were set for manual rather than automatic operation, the agency said Tuesday in a press release. The plant was shut November 1 to repair a cooling coil leak and returned two days later. An NRC inspector discovered the improperly set switches during the startup, the agency said. The plant staff determined that the controls were changed to manual during the November 1 shutdown, NRC added. NRC Region III Spokesman Jan Strasma said the plant's technical specifications require the controls to be on automatic during startup and operation. The NRC team began its inspections Tuesday, Strasma said. The error in the pump controls was unrelated to the problem that shut down the plant, NRC said. -Daniel Horner, daniel_horner@platts.com ------------