New Nukes
German utility RWE AG (RWE.XE), which has bid jointly with E.ON AG (EOAN.XE) for sites in the U.K. with a view to building nuclear reactors there, doesn’t expect to make a final investment decision before 2011, a company executive said Monday. The final call on whether to invest in building new nuclear capacity in the U.K. could come in 2011, 2012, “or even later.”
Wall Street Journal 29th June 2009 more >>
Companies
French state-controlled nuclear group Areva’s supervisory board is due to meet later on Tuesday to consider a long-awaited plan to bridge an 11 billion euro ($15.4 billion) funding gap. Areva’s 15 board members are set to gather in the morning and the company said it would communicate on the outcome of the meeting after the Paris stock market closes at 1530 GMT. They are expected to adopt a package of financing measures that will include a capital increase, a sale of Areva’s power transmission and distribution (T&D) business, the disposal of minority interests, and debt.
Reuters 30th June 2009 more >>
Cumbria
Radiation Free Lakeland has sent an open letter to the new Bishop of Carlisle who has indicated his support for the nuclear industry. The Right Reverend James Newcome believes Cumbria is on the brink of a new dawn with regeneration schemes such as Carlisle Renaissance and Britain’s Energy Coast promising to breathe new life into the area following a period of decline.
Get Noticed Online 29th June 2009 more >>
Dungeness
The controversial decision over the expansion of Lydd Airport has been delayed for another two months by Shepway council, after a request from the airport’s lawyers. The owners of the site – renamed London Ashford Airport – want to build a new 500,000 passenger terminal building and extend the runway.Those in favour of the development say it would create much need jobs and prosperity on Romney Marsh, while those against say it would wreck the environment and pose a risk to nearby Dungeness nuclear station.
Kent News 29th June 2009 more >>
Oldbury
INVESTIGATION work is set to begin in July on land in Shepperdine that could become the home of a new nuclear power station. Energy giant E.ON, which owns the land, has said the work will include seismic studies to investigate the best location for the foundations of the new station. E.ON started to buy land in Shepperdine last year and has also bought land from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority next to the existing Oldbury power station to make room for a new nuclear plant.
Gloucestershire Gazette 29th June 2009 more >>
Nuclear and Carbon Trading
The UK boss of EDF, EDF Energy CEO Vincent de Rivaz has called for a ‘level playing field’ for nuclear power, and suggested that the UK government establish a floor on the price of carbon in the publicly-traded European Emission Trading Scheme (ETS). Nuclear power stations generate hardly any carbon dioxide – yet carbon trading plays a big role in the industry. Their relationship was covered in detail last year by NEI contributor Ian Jackson.
Nuclear Engineering International 29th June 2009 more >>
Europe
The EU has become the first major regional nuclear actor to provide binding legal force to the main international nuclear safety standards, namely the Safety Fundamentals established by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) 1 and the obligations resulting from the Convention on Nuclear Safety 2. The Directive also reinforces the independence and resources of the national competent regulatory authorities.
Nuclear Engineering International 29th June 2009 more >>
OECD
OECD countries have agreed to boost official backing for exports of renewable energy and nuclear power equipment by offering more generous terms on government-backed credits in support of export deals.
Nuclear Engineering International 29th June 2009 more >>
GNEP
The US Department of Energy is cancelling the wide-ranging environmental analysis of the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) project. Its decision follows a change in government policy on commercial reprocessing. In a notice published in the Federal Register, the Department of Energy (DoE) said that it had decided to cancel the GNEP programmatic environmental impact statement (PEIS) because it is no longer pursuing domestic commercial reprocessing, which was the primary focus of the prior administration’s domestic GNEP program.
World Nuclear News 29th June 2009 more >>
Japan
Tokyo Electric Power Company, Inc. (TEPCO) has received an approval from Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) to restart the No. 6 reactor at Kashiwazaki Kariwa nuclear plant. The plant was shut on July 16, 2007, after a magnitude-6.8 temblor. Haruki Madarame, head of a ministry committee reviewing an assessment by the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, said the No. 7 reactor, which restarted on a trial basis last month, is safe for commercial operation.
Energy Business Review 29th June 2009 more >>
Canada
The Canadian province of Ontario said on Monday it is suspending a multibillion-dollar plan to build two new nuclear reactors because of concerns about the future of the favored bidder and cost overruns. Ontario said a proposal from Atomic Energy Corp Ltd, which is owned by the Canadian government, was the only one to meet its requirements for building two new reactors by 2018 at its Darlington nuclear power plant site, east of Toronto. Other proposals to build the reactors came from French group Areva SA and Westinghouse Electric Co, which is owned by Toshiba Corp and Shaw Group Inc .
Interactive Investor 29th June 2009 more >>
Bloomberg 29th June 2009 more >>
World Nuclear News 29th June 2009 more >>
Iran
Prospects for negotiations over Iran’s nuclear activities appear bleak after the reassertion of power by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
BBC 29th June 2009 more >>
China
China National Nuclear Corporation said on 25 June that the cold test phase of China’s experimental fast reactor (CEFR) has been completed on schedule, and that hot tests have begun. The cold performance tests are designed to obtain the initial operation data of the system and equipment, verify the operation compatibility of related system and the function of system. The sodium-cooled fast reactor is being constructed with some Russian assistance at the China Institute of Atomic Energy (CIEA), near Beijing. It is a 65MWt reactor with a 25MWe turbine generator.
Nuclear Engineering International 29th June 2009 more >>
India
India may announce two nuclear power plant locations where American companies can provide new reactors. The announcement would be made during the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s visit to New Delhi in July 2009.
Energy Business Review 29th June 2009 more >>
Trident
The Government faces renewed pressure to re-think its decision to update its Trident nuclear deterrent in the face of growing cost pressures on the defence budget. A report by a high-level commission for the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) think-tank urges ministers to consider whether the submarine-based system is the most cost-effective way of maintaining Britain’s “minimum” deterrent capability.
Southport Visiter 30th June 2009 more >>
A root and branch review of Britain’s security interests, including options to avoid renewing the Trident nuclear missile system, is urgently needed, the Institute for Public Policy Research says.
Guardian 30th June 2009 more >>
Independent 30th June 2009 more >>
Telegraph 30th June 2009 more >>
The defence budget, already under unprecedented pressure, was delivered a severe blow last night when defence officials admitted that the cost of two new aircraft carriers had soared to £5bn, over £1bn more than first estimated. The huge increase comes at a time when defence chiefs are at odds over ambitious weapons projects, with the army highly critical of expensive projects, including plans to replace the Trident nuclear missile system at a cost of more than £70bn.
Guardian 30th June 2009 more >>
