Platts - Friday, November 09, 2007 http://www.platts.com ------------ Bipartisan support grows for new nuclear to fight global warming London (Platts)--9Nov2007 A Delaware Senator said bipartisan support for new nuclear to combat global warming is growing. Thomas Carper said he sees increasing support for language in a global warming bill that would promote construction of nuclear plants. At a November 8 Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing on bill S.2191, Carper said his support for the measure, which calls for cutting greenhouse gas emissions 60% below 2005 levels by 2050, is contingent on adding language to promote nuclear as a non-greenhouse-gas-emitting source. "There is going to be a nuclear amendment," Carper told Platts, either during committee markup or on the Senate floor. He said he believes bipartisan support for nuclear provisions is increasing. The bill, sponsored by Senators Joe Lieberman, an Independent from Connecticut, and Republican John Warner from Virginia, would set incremental caps on greenhouse emissions from the electric power, transportation fuel and industrial sectors starting in 2012, and would set up a carbon allowance market. ------------ UKAEA drains materials test reactor fuel pond at Dounreay London (Platts)--8Nov2007 UK Atomic Energy Authority has drained the materials test reactor fuel pond at Dounreay, the first fuel pond at the former research site completely drained for decommissioning, UKAEA spokeswoman Sue Thompson said November 8. The 17-foot deep, stainless steel-clad pond was used from 1964 to 2001 to store fuel from materials test reactors from around the world. In initial work prior to drainage, fuel storage racks and other "loose debris" were removed and an irradiated fuel tube was also recovered, said UKAEA. The drainage was done July 4-August 14 under a "containment tent" to prevent the spread of contamination. Since, workers with respirators have been applying a peelable sticky paint to the pond surfaces to minimize airborne contamination. "Over a thousand individual respirator entries to the pond area were needed to reach this stage in its decommissioning," said Charlie Fowler, Dounreay's decommissioning project manager for the area. Final decommissioning work, including cutting up and removing the stainless steel pond liner, is expected to be completed by March 31, 2008. UKAEA will not reveal project cost. ------------ Increased nuke use tied to only scenario that cuts C02 emissions London (Platts)--8Nov2007 Increased nuclear energy use is tied to the only scenario that cuts global CO2 emissions below 2005 levels by 2030, according to the World Energy Outlook 2007 study, released in London November 7. The International Energy Agency annual study evaluated three scenarios -- a reference scenario in which the status quo is maintained; an alternative policy scenario, which involves implementation of CO2 reduction plans that governments are "already considering;" and a so-called 450 stabilization case scenario. The latter refers to a national pathway to long-term stabilization of the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere at around 450 parts per million. The IEA study showed that even with the alternative policy scenario, global CO2 emissions will still be one-quarter above current levels in 2030. In the 450 stabilization case, global emissions would peak in 2012 and then fall sharply below 2005 levels by 2030. Emissions savings in the latter scenario come from improved efficiency in industry, buildings and transport, switching to nuclear power and renewables, and the widespread deployment of CO2 capture and storage. IEA said that "exceptionally quick and vigorous policy action by all countries, and unprecedented technological advances, entailing substantial costs, would be needed to make this case a reality." ------------ British Energy finds corroded wiring at second AGR London (Platts)--7Nov2007 Corroded wiring has been found in a second AGR reactor vessel penetration cap, British Energy said November 7. The failed wire is part of the pre-stressing within a concrete boiler closure unit, or BCU, at the Heysham A-1 advanced gas-cooled reactor, or AGR. Its discovery follows a similar finding at Hartlepool-1 announced by BE on October 22. BE said the Heysham A-1 finding is part of the "initial results" of "partial inspections." It said similar inspections are ongoing at sister unit Heysham A-2 and will start shortly at Hartlepool-2. The BCUs are unique to the four units and form part of the reactor pressure boundary, sitting like giant plugs on top of each pressure vessel. The other 10 AGRs have side penetrations, rather than BCUs, to do the same job of providing access for the boiler feed water entering the boilers and the return of the resultant steam from the boilers to the turbines. BE described the state of the wiring as "a legacy issue of the initial construction." It said it could give no timetable for restart of the four units until the inspections and "a full assessment of the situation" have been completed. ------------ Germany's Merkel backs mix of generation for future power supply Cologne (Platts)--7Nov2007 German Chancellor Angela Merkel backs a mix of energy generation sources including coal for future power supply, she told the biannual gathering of the hard coal industry Tuesday, as announced Wednesday on her official website bundeskanzlerin.de. Merkel, who leads the conservative CDU party, added her doubts about the country's planned exit from nuclear power with a view to achieveing GHG reduction targets. She said Germany's "ambitious targets" could be reached quicker if it does not decommission its nuclear reactors over the next 15 years. The plan to close all German nuclear power plants was created under the previous SDP/Green Party government. The SDP is now a junior partner in the coalition government. Merkel said she would "demand transparency" in the electricity and gas markets for "clear and comprehensible" prices. She supports stricter cartel law for the energy sector, as planned by German Economy Minister Michael Glos. She also appealed for understanding between the energy producing industry and politicians. Merkel said confrontation between sectors had to stop and she welcomed the offer from power producers to start sober discussions aimed at "favorable and secure electricity generation." The share of German hard coal in the country's primary energy demand was 4.4% in 2006. Germany operates eight coal mines, down from 175 mines in 1956. In 2006, the country's hard coal output was about 20 million mt, down from 150 million mt in 1956. ------------ France's new nuclear facility licensing rule published November 3 London (Platts)--7Nov2007 France's new nuclear facility licensing rule was published November 3 in the Official Journal, the Nuclear Safety Authority, or ASN, said in a notice posted November 6 on its web site, www.asn.fr. The 26-page "INB licensing procedures" decree is based on the June 13, 2006 Nuclear Transparency and Safety Act. The new rule supersedes a decree published originally in 1963 (and amended since then) that set the regime for licensing all of France's "major nuclear installations," or INBs -- research and power reactors as well as fuel cycle installations whose radioactive inventory is above a certain level. The earlier decree was not based on any specifically nuclear legislation. The new rule reinforces public consultation in nuclear licensing and regulation. It stipulates licensees' responsibilities at every stage (construction, operation, decommissioning) and provides for administrative or criminal sanctions in case of violation. ASN officials said the new rule conforms to the "safety reference levels" for existing reactors agreed on by the Western European Nuclear Regulators Association. They said administrative orders implementing various sections of the new decree will be published over the next two to three years. The decree (in French) is at www.legifrance.gouv.fr/WAspad/UnTexteDeJorf?numjo=DEVQ0762539D. ------------ Atomstroyexport, Jiangsu Nuclear Power Corp to build 2 more VVERs London (Platts)--7Nov2007 Atomstroyexport and Jiangsu Nuclear Power Corp. agreed to build two more VVERs at Tianwan, Atomstroyexport announced during the regular summit of Russian and Chinese leaders November 6 in China. The basic agreement to build Tianwan-3 and -4 as so-called VVER-1000/428 reactors was signed by ASE chief Sergey Shmatko and JNPC general manager Jiang Guoyuan. Tianwan-1 and -2, also VVER-1000/428 units, were turned over to JNPC on June 2 and September 12, respectively. Atomstroyexport, which coordinates Russian industry's nuclear export projects, said 150 Russian organizations worked on the Tianwan project, including St. Petersburg Atomenergoproekt (architect-engineer), Kurchatov Institute (basic design), Gidropress (NSSS design), Izhora Plants (nuclear component manufacturing), and Power Machines (Siloviye Mashiny) (conventional equipment). It said the Model 428 reactor has several new safety features that make Tianwan "unique in the world," including four safety trains, a core catcher, and a double containment building. ------------ Fennovoima appoints project manager for planned plant in Finland London (Platts)--6Nov2007 Fennovoima has appointed Tiina Tigerstedt as project manager for the company's planned nuclear plant in Finland, management said in a statement November 5. She was previously project manager for energy sector analysis at Cision Finland, which provides media research and marketing consulting. ------------ Entergy decides to spin off non-utility nuclear business Washington (Platts)--5Nov2007 Entergy's board of directors approved a plan to separate the company's non-utility nuclear business into a separate company and enter into a nuclear services joint venture with the spun-off entity, the company said Monday in announcing its third quarter earnings. The new company, which has yet to be named, will be an independent publicly traded company and Entergy shareholders will own 100% of the common equity in both Entergy and the new company. Entergy said it expects the spin-off to complete in the third quarter of 2008 and that it may consider changes to the transaction or the joint venture during the process, including an initial public offering before the spin-off or the addition of a third-party joint venture partner. Further approvals from the board of directors and from regulators are needed to complete the transaction. The spun-off company, which will be headquartered in Jackson, Mississippi, is expected to own nearly 5,000 MW of nuclear generation, most of which is located in the northeastern US, where higher power prices are forecast through at least 2020, the company said. The new joint venture is expected to be owned 50% by Entergy and 50% by the new company, with operating responsibility for the new company's nuclear fleet and Nebraska Public Power District's Cooper plant, which Entergy operates currently through an existing agreement. "While the operating results of the non-utility nuclear plants have contributed substantially to Entergy's profitability, the full value of the investment has not and is unlikely to be recognized or realized embedded in a 'utility' which has a separate set of investment and credit needs," Wayne Leonard, chairman and CEO of Entergy, said in a statement. ------------ Sellafield Product and Residue Store completed last week London (Platts)--5Nov2007 The concrete roof of the largest of Sellafield's new buildings, the 200 million pound (US$416 million) Sellafield Product and Residue Store, or SPRS, was completed last week, site manager Sellafield Ltd. said November 2. The SPRS, which has a 100-year design life, will store some of the more difficult-to-handle products emerging from the UK site's reprocessing operations. It will enable the Thorp oxide reprocessing plant, the B205 magnox reprocessing plant and the Sellafield mixed-oxide facility to meet their operational requirements, according to sources close to the project. Construction on the SPRS started in September 2005 under main contractor Carillion. Mechanical and electrical equipment is being installed. The Sellafield site owner, Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, says in its site plans that regulatory permission to start up the facility could be given late in 2008 or 2009. NDA has been boosting new construction to aid Sellafield's operations. Other key projects being started or under construction include Evaporator D, an evaporator planned downstream of Thorp to help ease an evaporative bottleneck, and a third encapsulation storage facility for intermediate-level wastes. ------------ Palo Verde contract worker with `pipe bomb' detained Washington (Platts)--2Nov2007 A contract worker with security clearance to work in the nuclear area of the Palo Verde nuclear plant is being detained after a "pipe bomb" was found in his pickup truck as he attempted to enter the plant November 2, Arizona Public Service Co. spokesman Jim McDonald said November 2. APS, which operates the three-reactor station outside Phoenix, would not identify the worker or the company for whom he works, but said the worker has the necessary clearance to be in the plant's protective area. Plant security guards saw a small, capped pipe in the bed of the worker's pickup truck while he was at a security check-point and notified the Maricopa County Sheriff's Department, the utility said. APS said the sheriff's office later determined the pipe "was a credible explosive device." No information was available on why the worker had the device. "Our security personnel acted cautiously and appropriately, demonstrating that our security process and procedures work as designed," Randy Edington, APS executive vice president and chief nuclear officer, said in a statement. The FBI will investigate the event, APS said. The worker has been detained, but not arrested, according to McDonald. As a precaution, the utility put the plant in a security lockdown, barring vehicles from entering or leaving the plant. Palo Verde-2 was at 100% power November 2, while unit 1 was restarting from a maintenance outage, and unit 3 is offline for a scheduled refueling and maintenance outage. ------------