Platts - Friday, January 05, 2007 http://www.platts.com ------------ Comments due April 4 on GNEP environmental assessment Washington (Platts)--4Jan2007 Public comments on a planned environmental assessment for the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership program will be taken until April 4, the department said. In the January 4 Federal Register, DOE published a notice of intent that it plans to prepare a programmatic environmental impact statement, or EIS, for the GNEP program. GNEP is a fuel-cycle initiative that aims to develop new technologies for reprocessing plants and fast reactors. The EIS, which is required under the National Environmental Policy Act, will analyze both programmatic and project-specific proposed actions, DOE said. The EIS is to evaluate three facilities: a reactor; a "recycling center" that would include a reprocessing plant and a fuel-fabrication facility; and an "advanced fuel cycle research facility." Thirteen DOE and non-DOE sites are under consideration for one or more of the facilities, DOE said. That group includes the 11 sites offered by the "commercial and public consortia" that, according to a November 29 DOE announcement, are eligible to receive money for siting studies, and two additional DOE sites that are candidates to host the research facility -- Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois and Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. Before the comment period ends, DOE will hold scoping meetings near the candidate sites and in Washington, DC, the department said. ------------ DOE begins work on Global Nuclear Energy Partnership analysis Washington (Platts)--4Jan2007 The US Department of Energy moved a step closer toward implementing the Bush administration's Global Nuclear Energy Partnership Thursday as it announced plans to conduct a programmatic environmental impact statement on GNEP's proposals to recycle spent nuclear fuel for use in advanced reactors. DOE said it intends to publish a draft PEIS in 2007 and a final version in 2008. The department set an April 4 deadline for public comments on the document, whose analysis of the environmental implications of GNEP activities is required under law before work can begin on the project's facilities. The PEIS will consider 13 potential sites for one or more of the three facilities envisioned under GNEP: a nuclear fuel recycling center that would separate spent nuclear fuel into its reusable and waste components, and manufacture new fuel using the reusable components; an advanced reactor that would destroy long-lived radioactive elements while generating electricity; and an advanced fuel cycle research facility that would explore options for fuel recycling. The administration unveiled GNEP in 2006 as a way to encourage the expansion of nuclear energy production in the US and abroad while reducing nuclear proliferation risks and cutting the volume of spent nuclear fuel. Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman has estimated that developing recycling technologies and fast reactors could cost between $20 billion and $40 billion, and conceivably could exceed $60 billion. While GNEP offers the potential for more efficient nuclear waste disposal, the project "does not diminish in any way the need for, or the urgency of, the nuclear waste disposal program at Yucca Mountain," the department said in a Federal Register notice. DOE has proposed a permanent repository at the Nevada mountain. ------------ Lithuania should have a controlling stake in new Ignalina plant London (Platts)--4Jan2007 Lithuania should have a controlling stake in a new Ignalina plant, Prime Minister Gediminas Kirkilas said January 2. Kirkilas told the newspaper Verslo Zinios that since the plant will be built in Lithuania, his country will "bear most of the responsibilities and problems." Therefore, Lithuania is entitled to a large stake, he said. Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia have agreed to build the plant, whose capacity has not yet been decided, and had agreed on equal joint ownership. Poland was subsequently invited to participate as well. ------------ New Nevada governor allies in fight against Yucca repository New York (Platts)--3Jan2007 Nevada's new governor was welcomed by incoming US senate majority leader Harry Reid of Nevada this week as an ally in the fight against DOE's planned Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository. Former congressman James Gibbons, a Republican, was sworn in as Nevada's 28th governor January 1. Reid, a Democrat, worked with Gibbons on several Nevada issues, including opposing the Yucca Mountain project, during the 10 years Gibbons was in the US House of Representatives. Reid said in a statement that he looks forward to working with "Governor Gibbons to make Nevada an even better place to live" by addressing challenges that include "putting an end to the proposed nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain." Dean Heller, Nevada's former Republican secretary of state, replaces Gibbons as the congressman for the state's second congressional district. ------------ Ringhals' 2006 production second-best on record Stockholm (Platts)--3Jan2007 Ringhals' 2006 production was its second best year on record, but it was "not as good as we hoped it would be when the year started," Ringhals AB CEO Jan Edberg said in a statement January 3. The Swedish plant's four reactors produced 27 terawatt-hours, and average capacity factor was 88%. ------------ Poweo signs French nuclear/gas-fired output swap deal with EDF London (Platts)--3Jan2007 Independent power company Poweo has signed a power supply exchange agreement with Electricite de France relating to nuclear and gas-fired production. In a January 3 statement, Poweo says the agreement allows it to access 160 MW of EDF nuclear capacity for 15 years for the period 2007-2021. In return, Poweo is to allow EDF access to a portion of its 412-MW Pont-sur-Sambre gas-fired combined cycle power plant, in construction since December 1, 2006. EDF's access to Pont-sur-Sambre capacity will be for a similar 15-year period, beginning in 2009, Poweo said. Poweo said it planned further deals similar to this one in order to support strong growth in the French market. It aimed to have a flexible portfolio of power plant by 2009, with an objective of 3,400 MW installed by 2012, including 600 MW of renewables plant. ------------ Kozloduy-3, -4 could restart in 3 months if EU revereses policy London (Platts)--3Jan2007 Kozloduy-3 and -4 could restart within three months if the EU were to reverse its policy and allow Bulgaria to continue operating the VVER-440s, plant director Ivan Gerov told local news outlets January 2. Both reactors were shut down just before 10 p.m. December 31, in compliance with a EU requirement for Bulgarian European Union membership. Nationalist politicians organized a demonstration against the closing of the two reactors at the plant site the previous day, which was attended by about 200 people, Bulgarian media reported. Gerov said that no layoffs would result from decommissioning of the two VVERs. The final decision to shut the units, in accord with EU requirements, was made by the Bulgarian cabinet on December 21. ------------ Olkiluoto-2 sets production record in 2006 Stockholm (Platts)--2Jan2007 Olkiluoto-2 had a record production year in 2006, plant management said in a statement January 2. The 840-MW BWR produced 7,294 gigawatt hours and had 96.9% availability. Olkiluoto-1, also 840 MW, produced 6,973 GWh with 93.8% availability despite being down for more than three weeks of annual maintenance. ------------