Platts - Tuesday, December 26, 2006 http://www.platts.com ------------ New reactor construction is in jeopardy due to funding Washington (Platts)--26Dec2006 The nuclear industry's plans to break ground for three or more plants by late 2008 or early 2009 is in jeopardy because of problems with the federal government's budget for fiscal 2007 and 2008, Nuclear Energy Institute President/CEO Frank "Skip" Bowman said in a December 18 letter to President George W. Bush. Most government agencies are operating on FY-06 funding levels and might continue to run without an increase for the full fiscal year. In the letter, Bowman said three key areas needed to be addressed. He urged the president to ensure that DOE's Nuclear Power 2010 cost-sharing program for reactor design and engineering work continues to be funded. He also asked that DOE receive enough funds to start up an energy loan guarantee office. In addition, he said, NRC needed congressional approval for its full funding request in order to avoid licensing delays. Bowman told Bush it would be a "fitting legacy for your administration" to have new reactor construction under way while he was still in office. ------------ Nevada petitions against indefinite interim spent fuel storage Washington (Platts)--26Dec2006 Indefinite interim spent fuel storage should not be allowed at the proposed Yucca Mountain repository site, the state of Nevada said in a petition filed December 22 with the NRC. Robert Loux, executive director of the Nevada Agency for Nuclear Projects, said in a statement that DOE's proposal for interim surface storage at the Yucca Mountain site could lead to decades of surface storage and violates federal law which, the Nevada agency asserted, "prohibits a large interim storage site in Nevada as long as the state is the proposed location of a repository." The petition is available online at http://www.state.nv.us/nucwaste/news2006/pdf/nvag061222petition.pdf. ------------ CNSC renews Gentilly-2's license, refurbishment plan Toronto (Platts)--22Dec2006 The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission renewed Gentilly-2's operating license and Hydro-Quebec's refurbishment plan for the unit, in decisions announced December 22. The CNSC approved renewal of Gentilly-2's license until December 31, 2010. The CNSC also said that, based on its review of a screening environmental assessment, refurbishing the unit would not cause significant adverse environmental impacts. The environmental decision means the CNSC can move ahead with reviewing Hydro-Quebec's requests for approving the project. Refurbishment would allow the unit to operate until 2035. The 675-MW Gentilly-2, operated by Hydro-Quebec, is Quebec's only power reactor. ------------ OPG's Darlington-1 nuclear reactor reconnects to grid Houston (Platts)--22Dec2006 Ontario Power Generation's 935-MW Darlington-1 nuclear reactor in Clarington reconnected to the grid Friday and was sending more than 500 MW to the grid into early Friday afternoon. A spokesman said the reactor would be put on hold at 60% for testing but was expected to return to full power during the Christmas holiday weekend. The unit was taken down this past Tuesday for turbine generator work. Meanwhile, 12 of 16 nuclear reactors in the province were operating at high power, totaling 8,579 MW. Darlington-1's output to the grid reduced nuclear outages to less than 2,500 MW. --William Mock, william_mock@platts.com ------------