Plutonium
Britain’s top scientific organisation has backed a controversial proposal to build a second multibillion-pound nuclear fuel plant at Sellafield in Cumbria to deal with the UK’s enormous stockpile of civil plutonium, but it has done so without addressing either the cost or the failures of an existing fuel plant, which had to be closed this year. Critics say that the society’s inquiry into the nuclear fuel cycle has been heavily influenced by the vested interests of the nuclear industry. One of the experts on the report’s working group, Dr Christine Brown, was a key figure at Sellafield when British Nuclear Fuels Ltd (BNFL) was building its Mox plant. Nor does the report mention of the problems at a US Mox plant being built at Savannah River in South Carolina, with French help, which is behind schedule and five times over budget.
Independent 13th Oct 2011 more >>
A cardinal rule of science is not to cherry-pick your data to suit your hypothesis. Reading the Royal Society’s long-awaited report on the nuclear fuel cycle delayed because of the Fukushima crisis it is difficult not to conclude that it has employed a cherry picker of industrial dimensions. The Royal Society picks the nice ripe cherry of the Melox plant at Marcoule in France, which it says could teach us a lesson in how to build a Mox plant that works. Tell that to the Americans. And then there is the strange omission of the “third way” of dealing with Britain’s plutonium stockpile using the existing Sellafield Mox plant to make Mox fuel for disposal, which the Royal Society chose not to mention even though it must have known about it from one of its star witnesses, Professor Frank von Hippel of Princeton University. Perhaps that was a sour cherry too far?
Independent 13th Oct 2011 more >>
The government must establish long-term plans for a new generation of nuclear power plants so future generations are not left dealing with its legacy, experts urged on Thursday. Ministers must work with the industry to create a “holistic” strategy which deals effectively with reprocessing and disposal of spent nuclear fuel and does not treat it simply as “an afterthought”, they warned. The new build programme must also take into account the UK’s stockpile of civil plutonium – the largest in the world – created as a waste fuel from nuclear reactors but which can potentially be reprocessed into new nuclear fuel.
Guardian 13th Oct 2011 more >>
The government should consider building a new mixed-oxide fuel (MOX) plant to reuse the country’s huge stockpile of separated plutonium as part of a long-term nuclear strategy, the Royal Society said in a report on Thursday. The report also advised the government to reconsider its plan to stop its reprocessing activities once existing contracts have been fulfilled. Sellafield’s THORP reprocessing plant’s lifetime could be extended and investment made to refurbish it, the report said. “Economic considerations would play an important role in deciding the scale of this investment since a new reprocessing plant may even be necessary,” it added. Without putting a cost on building a new MOX and reprocessing plants in the UK, the report said it cost 3 billion pounds to build THORP and the Rokkasho reprocessing plant in Japan cost several times that amount.
Reuters 13th Oct 2011 more >>
Roger Cashmore, chairman of the Royal Society working group and head of the UK Atomic Energy Authority, said: “The last time any UK government articulated a coherent long-term plan for nuclear power was in 1955. While the Government has made some positive moves towards an integrated approach to nuclear power, more must be done. “We need a clearly articulated long-term plan, which also addresses the UK’s current reprocessing capacity and the options that it provides in an uncertain future, both for the UK’s nuclear power programme and, indeed, a global nuclear renaissance.”
Local Guardian 13th Oct 2011 more >>
Fuel Cycle Stewardship in a nuclear renaissance report. There is no proliferation proof nuclear fuel cycle. The dual use risk of nuclear materials and technology and in civil and military applications cannot be eliminated. Given the significant change in government policy and the opportunities provided, and risks presented, by the significant volumes of spent fuel to be generated in a nuclear renaissance, current assumptions that the UK should stop its reprocessing activities once existing contracts have been fulfilled should be revisited.
Royal Society 13th Oct 2011 more >>
Royal Society 13th Oct 2011 more >>
New Nukes
The global upsurge in the use of nuclear power in countries such as China, Russia and Britain must be accompanied by a greater focus on security and the management of nuclear waste, a report said Thursday. In the wake of the Fukushima disaster, the respected Royal Society called for a World Nuclear Forum that embraces globalisation and overcomes separate national approaches to nuclear safety.
AFP 13th Oct 2011 more >>
The London-based World Nuclear Association predicts a 30 percent increase in global nuclear generating capacity over the next decade; it foresees 79 more reactors online by 2020, for a total of 514, even taking Fukushima into account. And it sees a 66 percent increase by 2030, with capacity additions in China, India, South Korea and Russia outnumbering projected declines in Germany, France, the United Kingdom and the United States. Curiously, it assumes Japan will restart all but the six units at Fukushima Daiichi and continue to build new reactors to replace aging ones, for a net number of operating reactors in 2030 more or less the same as before Fukushima. While the nuclear association is obviously bullish, it is less so than it was in its last forecast two years ago. And the projected increase would only keep nuclear energy treading water. As a percentage of global generation it would account for just 14 percent, the same amount the association says it currently contributes. (Other experts say the figure is lower.)
New York Times 10th Oct 2011 more >>
NUCLEAR power will come under the spotlight during a talk in Leominster next Tuesday (18th). It takes place at the towns community centre on School Road from 7.30pm.
Hereford Times 12th Oct 2011 more >>
Weightman Report
The report commissioned by the government immediately after the Fukushima Dai-ichi accident in Japan earlier this year, is confident that nuclear sites are protected against the worst-case scenarios that are predictable for the UK. But it also stresses the need to learn lessons from the Japanese crisis, and outlines 38 areas where improvements could be made to ensure the industry is even safer.
Health & Safety at Work 12th Oct 2011 more >>
Cumberland News 12th Oct 2011 more >>
Eureka Magazine 12th Oct 2011 more >>
Chief nuclear inspector Mike Weightman has given firms working in the nuclear sector one year to implement the 38 recommendations made in his report into the Fukushima disaster in Japan. Existing and new nuclear firms will have the next 12 months to establish how they will respond to the recommendations.
New Civil Engineer 12th Oct 2011 more >>
Professional Engineering 12th Oct 2011 more >>
Sellafields spent nuclear fuel ponds must be dealt with urgently, chief nuclear inspector Mike Weightman said yesterday following the release of his report into the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan. Action to deal with risks created by the close proximity of the spent fuel ponds at the Sellafield site in Cumbria was one of the key recommendations in the report. Loss of power at spent nuclear fuel ponds was blamed for causing a reactor explosion at the Fukushima plant in Japan in March. The fuel ponds at Sellafield were built over 50 years ago to a design we would not accept today, said Weightman. He called for Sellafield site owner the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority to establish its plan to deal with its waste legacy for example, by constructing a geological disposal facility (GDF). The Department of Energy and Climate Change is expected to make an announcement on the UKs nuclear waste legacy soon.
New Civil Engineer 12th Oct 2011 more >>
Britain’s nuclear regulator said he could shut down plants that fail to comply with recommendations put forward on Tuesday in response to Japans Fukushima crisis. If operators dont comply, we have various legal means and enforcement powers, but Im sure the industry will respond effectively and the information we received already showed that they have taken a robust approach, said Mike Weightman, head of Britains Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR).
Reuters 12th Oct 2011 more >>
The widely-anticipated go-ahead also came with 38 recommendations, ranging from emergency equipment being kept offsite to the type of ventilation used in nuclear chambers. But concerns have been raised over the extra investment needed investors already have to sink billions into the plants to get them operational. The report comes just weeks after power firm SS E pulled out of its NuGEN consortium to build the next generation of reactors, and as RWE Npower is said to be reviewing its venture with E.ON.
This is Money 12th Oct 2011 more >>
Supply Chain
Cammell Laird is to bid for work building the UK’s next generation of nuclear power plants. The Birkenhead shipbuilder has joined forces with Italian company Ansaldo Nucleare and Warrington-based Nuvia to bid for the contract. The partners propose building huge modules and components for the plants in a weather-protected construction hall in Birkenhead.
BBC 12th Oct 2011 more >>
Liverpool Echo 12th Oct 2011 more >>
NOF Energy, the UKs business support organisation for oil, gas, nuclear and offshore renewables sectors, is hosting a nuclear industry networking event with EDF Energy. Taking place at the Xcel Centre, Newton Aycliffe on October 27, it will offer supply chain companies the opportunity to learn more about EDF Energys plans to invest a potential £20bn in the construction of four nuclear reactors in the UK.
Newcastle Evening Gazette 11th Oct 2011 more >>
Horizon
Consultant Jacobs yesterday announced an extension to its contract with Horizon Nuclear Power in the UK, on the same day it also announced $1.4bn (£888M) worth of contracts with Alberta oil sands clients. Jacobs scope of worksfor Horizon includes delivering a baseline marine ecology survey program, environmental impact assessments and further assessments for the new power station and associated infrastructure.
New Civil Engineer 12th Oct 2011 more >>
Energy Prices
Analysts and rivals lined up to attack Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) yesterday over its plan to shake up the energy industry by auctioning on the open market all of the electricity it generates. One detractor rejected the move as “smoke and mirrors”. SSE’s proposals would see it breaking away from its major rivals, who effectively sell most of the power they generate directly to homes and businesses in a process that makes it extremely difficult for smaller, independent players in the utilities sector to break into the market.
Independent 13th Oct 2011 more >>
Power company SSE has admitted failures in a bid to win back customers’ trust. We look at why the energy industry needs reform.
Telegraph 12th Oct 2011 more >>
“Its the first big chink in the Big Six. Theyve really set the cat among the pigeons.
Telegraph 12th Oct 2011 more >>
Ian Marchant, who runs the £12.5bn utility company, pledged to stay away from loss-leading tariffs that mean long-term customers are subsidising new ones. He criticised other companies for such aggressive tactics that mean it is difficult for small suppliers to compete. “That is predatory pricing. It’s trying to put [small suppliers] out of business. They can’t compete with that on a long term basis,” he told an audience at Policy Exchange. Mr Marchant’s comments came as he unveiled new plans to regain the trust of consumers at a time when prices are rising sharply.
Telegraph 12th Oct 2011 more >>
Ian Marchant, SSE’s chief executive, has run a company guilty of misleading sales techniques, culminating in prosecution and the axing of its 900-strong commission-based sales force. Phew, he’s now seen the light. “Energy companies do a huge amount of good work on a day-in day-out basis. The reality is, however, that too many customers have little of no trust in their supplier or the sector.” No kidding, and whose fault is that? Marchant was even being nice to his bete noire, Ofgem the industry regulator, claiming the watchdog was right to say that in a period of rising prices, suppliers had to transform the way they deal with customers.
Telegraph 12th Oct 2011 more >>
Hinkley
The nuclear disaster in Japan earlier this year should not prevent a new generation of reactors being built in Britain, ministers said yesterday. A report from chief nuclear inspector Mike Weightman said the UK has one of the best safety regimes in the world. But Greenpeace, which is pursuing a judicial review over the Governments decision to green-light new reactors before the final study was published, criticised the review for being rushed. It said it was being brought out before the full implications of the disaster were known, to green-light a new generation of nuclear reactors in the UK.
Western Daily Pres 12th Oct 2011 more >>
APPRENTICES from Hinkley Point B have been told the sky is the limit as they prepare to embark on successful nuclear careers.
Bridgwater Mercury 12th Oct 2011 more >>
Bradwell
Work is due to start this month to remove 730ft (224m) steel river barriers at a nuclear power station in Essex as part of decommissioning. The offshore wing walls, at Bradwell power station, separated cooling water discharge and intake areas in the Blackwater River estuary. Divers will cut the steel piles below the estuary bed level for removal by barge, in a 12-week operation.
BBC 12th Oct 2011 more >>
THE contractor responsible for decommissioning Bradwell power station has scooped a national prize. Magnox was named as Macro Employer of the Year in the National Training Awards at a ceremony in London on Wednesday. Judges were impressed with the companys partnership with Radwise, which saw 40 staff at the power station earn qualifications as radiological protection technicians to address a national shortage.
Maldon Standard 11th Oct 2011 more >>
Wylfa
THE Fukushima disaster will not halt the development of Wylfa B but lessons must be learnt to prevent a similar nuclear crisis in the UK, the official regulator has announced.
Daily Post 12th Oct 2011 more >>
Hartlepool
NUCLEAR power plants, including Hartlepool, can go on supplying energy to homes in the UK after the findings of a top-level review. Energy Secretary Chris Huhne spoke out after the publication of a report on the Fukushima disaster, which found no reason to curb the use of reactors here. The review, led by chief nuclear inspector Mike Weightman, examined the lessons which could be learned for the UK industry from the crisis at the Japanese reactor when it was hit by a magnitude nine earthquake and subsequent tsunami in March.
Peterlee Mail 12th Oct 2011 more >>
Finland
Delayed construction works at Finnish nuclear power plant Olkiluoto 3 may further push back the start of regular operations there until 2014, Finnish utility Teollisuuden Voima (TVO) said on Wednesday. Olkiluoto 3, Finland’s fifth nuclear reactor, has been hit by repeated delays and ballooning costs. The 1,600 megawatt plant was originally scheduled to start operations in 2009 and TVO had said last year it will start in 2013.
Reuters 12th Oct 2011 more >>
French nuclear plant builder Areva’s total bill for its oft-delayed next-generation Finnish reactor is seen swelling to 6.6 billion euros ($9.1 billion) from an initial budget of 3 billion, according to a report in daily Les Echos citing lawmaker Marc Goua. The construction of the 1,600 megawatt European Pressurized Reactor (EPR) is three years behind schedule, a delay Areva blames largely on Finnish power operator TVO’s “inertia” in validating technical documents before passing them to the Finnish nuclear safety authority.
Reuters 12th Oct 2011 more >>
Finnish utility firm Teollisuuden Voima (TVO) blamed supplier Areva for further delays to the construction of its Olkiluoto 3 nuclear power plant which may further push back operations to 2014. The 1,600 megawatt plant Olkiluoto 3, Finland’s fifth nuclear reactor, was originally scheduled to start operations in 2009 but delays and soaring costs meant TVO revised its start date to 2013.
Reuters 12th Oct 2011 more >>
The new reactor at Olkiluoto may not be fully operational until 2014 said owner TVO in a stock market statement that was then questioned by plant vendor Areva. Teollisuuden Voima Oyj (TVO) released a statement today in which it “estimates the start of regular operation [of Olkiluoto 3] may be postponed until 2014.” This was based on the latest progress update from the Areva-Siemens consortium building the plant. Areva CEO Luc Oursel, however, expressed surprise at the date when talking to Reuters. He said that under the current schedule late 2012 would see nuclear fuel loaded in the reactor.
World Nuclear News 12th Oct 2011 more >>
Evidence has come to light suggesting that cheap labour is being employed at the construction site of the Olkiluoto 3 nuclear power plant on the Finnish west coast. At worst, some Polish workers are paid less than two euros an hour. A Polish electrician who wishes to remain anonymous told YLE that the dearth of jobs in his home country drove him to seek work at Olkiluoto. The man says it took him some time to realise he was being short-changed. “For the first three months I was left with 1000 zlotys. Later I received 2,500 zlotys per month,” he said. The roughly 250 euro monthly salary is printed on pay slips obtained by YLE.
YLE 27th Sept 2011 more >>
China
YLE has obtained evidence of problems in the construction of a nuclear power plant being built in China by Areva. The French company is building a reactor of the same model on Finland’s Olkiluoto island, which has experienced similar shortcomings The first two European Pressurized Reactor (EPR) construction projects at Olkiluoto and in Flamanville, France, have been plagued by problems. Now it turns out that there have been similar setbacks with another EPR project, a double reactor in Taishan, southern China, near Hong Kong. YLE has obtained inspection reports from China’s National Nuclear Safety Administration based on visits in 2009, as construction was beginning there. The results are familiar to observers of the Finnish and French ventures.
YLE 7th Oct 2011 more >>
Japan
As the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Plant drags on, worries are growing particularly among Fukushima Prefecture residents over drawn-out and in some cases apparently futile nuclear decontamination operations. The unease is especially strong in areas in and around mountains that must be repeatedly decontaminated, as every rainfall brings a new batch of radioactive substance-contaminated leaves and soil washing down from the hills. Since some 70 percent of Fukushima Prefecture is mountainous, such instances of regular recontamination could occur over a broad area, while the same effect has also been observed in some undeveloped areas of cities.
Minichi 11th Oct 2011 more >>
The Tokaimura nuclear reactor 110km northeast of Tokyo must be decommissioned, the regional mayor has urged. Tokaimura Mayor Tatsuya Murakami is the first local leader in Japan to urge scrapping a reactor as Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda tries to rehabilitate the tarnished nuclear sector to help meet the nation’s power needs. The reactor at Tokaimura, where Japan’s commercial nuclear power industry was born in the late 1950s, has been shut since a devastating earthquake and tsunami struck northeast Japan in March, triggering a crisis at Tokyo Electric Power’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
Engineering & Technology 12th Oct 2011 more >>
