Jordan and Japan drafts nuclear deal

Jordan said Tuesday that it had reached agreement with Japan on a draft nuclear cooperation accord, as King Abdullah II accused Israel of trying to block Amman’s acquisition of nuclear know-how for peaceful purposes.

The agreement, the eighth to be concluded with states with nuclear technology by Jordan, followed a final round of negotiations between the two countries in Amman over the past few days, according to the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC).

The nuclear cooperation agreement is expected to be officially signed by the two countries later this year after it is approved by the Japanese parliament, a JAEC statement said.

Jordan has shortlisted three offers for the nuclear technology; a joint offer from Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and French giant AREVA, as well as from Canadian and Russian firms.

As of this month, JAEC and its consultant, Worley Parsons, entered discussions with the three suppliers to select the final bidder, the statement said.

The JAEC said that it would then proceed to select one vendor to negotiate a final contract for the design and construction of the nuclear plant, intended to be built 25 kilometres outside the Red Sea port of Aqaba and several kilometres inland.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal Tuesday, King Abdullah accused Israel of trying to prevent Jordan from developing a peaceful nuclear programme, aimed at producing energy.

He told the paper that Israel had approached France and South Korea with requests to refrain from selling Jordan nuclear technology.

Source: Jordan News

ANS to review safety of Atmea reactor

The French Nuclear Safety Authority (ANS) is going to review the safety of Mitsubishi and Areva’s 1100MW pressurised water reactor, Atmea1.

The review will evaluate the reactor’s safety options against French safety regulations. It will be conducted with the support of the French Institute for radiation protection and nuclear safety (IRSN).

President and CEO of Atmea, Stefan vom Scheidt, said: “This formal review of the adequacy and appropriate level of safety options of Atmea1…is an important step to demonstrate the licensability of the reactor. Since reactor’s basic design has been successfully completed, Atmea is now ready to answer formal requests for proposal from its customers.”

The results of the review will be available to potential customers and their respective safety authorities from the autumn of 2011, according to an 8 June statment.

The Areva and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries joint venture, Atmea, created in November 2007 is targeting the market for mid-size reactors with its 1100MW PWR design.

Source: Nuclear Engineering International

Mitsubishi works with Iberdrola on APWR construction

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) is to team up with Spain’s Iberdrola in the construction of its Advanced Pressurized Water Reactor (APWR) in Europe.

The APWR design (Image: MHI)

MHI has agreed with Iberdrola Ingenieria y Construccion – the engineering and construction subsidiary of Spanish energy group Iberdrola – to collaborate in the bidding for nuclear power plant construction in some European countries.

In a statement, MHI said that the two companies have already signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to cooperate on an exclusive basis for the qualification process to an undisclosed European utility. However, a report from Spain’s EFE news agency suggested that this utility is Finland’s Teollisuuden Voima Oyj (TVO), which recently received government approval to construct a fourth reactor at its Olkiluoto site. Under the MoU, MHI will be responsible for overall engineering of the nuclear power plant and major plant components and equipment, while Iberdrola will be in charge of installation work and design, procurement and commissioning of the nuclear island.

Through this collaborative initiative, MHI said that it aims to accelerate market penetration of its 1700 MWe APWR design. The company added that this agreement marks its first collaborative partnership with a European company relating to the APWR.

In March 2008, MHI announced plans to launch a version of its APWR specifically for the European market. The company said that the reactor design will meet the European Utility Requirements (EUR) for light-water reactors, which have been developed by a group of 16 European electricity generators since the early 1990s covering such areas as safety, security, performance, quality and design. MHI said that it is currently conducting a feasibility study of the APWR for compliance with European safety requirements.

The EU version of the APWR is based on the 1538 MWe APWR models planned for units 3 and 4 of Japan Atomic Power Co’s Tsuruga nuclear power plant. However, the reactor will feature design changes that reflect the demands of European customers for enhanced performance. The proposed enhancements include a thermal efficiency of 39%, a 20% reduction in plant building volume, 24-month fuel cycle lengths, and increasing the unit’s capacity to 1700 MWe.

In the USA, MHI submitted its application for a US-specific version of its APWR with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in December 2007. The design is currently undergoing the NRC’s certification process. The US version of the reactor will also have a capacity of 1700 MWe.

Last month, US utility Dominion selected the US APWR design for the potential third unit at its North Anna nuclear power plant in Virginia. The company expects to make a decision later in 2010 whether to go ahead with the unit’s construction. Luminant has also chosen the APWR as the basis for plans to build two new reactors at the Comanche Peak site in Texas.

Source: World Nuclear News

Weir in nuclear agreement with Mitsubishi

Weir employs 9,000 people worldwide across a range of sectors

Weir Group has joined forces with Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to carry out work for new nuclear power stations.

Under the deal Mitsubishi would design and make pumps for the stations.

Weir would be responsible for the commissioning, the project management, installation and maintenance.

The Scottish government is opposed to new nuclear stations but several sites have been earmarked in England and Wales.

Weir said the “primary focus” of the agreement was on the UK nuclear new build market, however the joint cooperation may extend to other locations.

Keith Cochrane, chief executive of Weir, said: “This agreement provides an excellent opportunity to further grow our nuclear offering and build and strengthen customer relationships.”

Weir employs 9,000 people around the world, working across the mineral, oil and gas and power sectors.

Source: BBC News

MHI plans to double nuclear sales by 2019

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) aims to double sales from its nuclear business, to ¥600 billion ($6.25 billion), in the next ten years, according to the company’s vice president, Ichiro Fukue.

Steam generators for nuclear power plants (Image: MHI)

He said this growth would be attained through new plant construction, after service sales and through its nuclear fuel cycle business, including its new fuel fabrication joint venture with France’s Areva.

MHI, Mitsubishi Materials Corp (MMC), Mitsubishi Corp (MC) and Areva signed the shareholders agreement in February to form a joint venture company in the nuclear fuel fabrication business. The new company was established in April and is preparing to build a new factory in the USA.

Fukue’s remarks came during a business briefing of MHI’s energy and environment business division. The company said it expects around 130 new nuclear power plants to be constructed worldwide, excluding China, up to 2030.

Akira Sawa, MHI’s executive vice president, said that the company plans to sell an average of two nuclear reactors annually up to 2030.

The company is ruling out China as a sales target for new nuclear plants because it expects the country will favour locally made reactors. However, MHI still aims to sell components, such as turbine, to China.

MHI has supplied large components to many nuclear power plants worldwide, including new and replacement parts. MHI produces steam generators, reactor pressure vessels, reactor vessel heads, steam turbines and reactor coolant pumps.

The company has also developed nuclear power plants, such as the 1700 MWe US-APWR, a larger and US-specific version of its 1538 MWe Advanced Pressurized Water Reactor, two of which it is contracted to build for Japan Atomic Power Co at Tsuruga. US utility TXU has chosen US-APWRs as the basis for plans to build two new reactors at the Comanche Peak site in Texas. MHI is also in collaboration with Areva to design a new reactor of around 1100 MWe, known as Atmea, suitable for countries with smaller electricity transmission grids.

Source: World Nuclear News

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) and Luminant team up for New Build at Comanche Peak in Texas

The companies’ move is in line with statements made in December 2008 when they submitted a combined construction and operating license application for the two new reactors they want to build at Comanche Peak. The 1700 MWe APWRs should begin operation before 2020.

The joint venture, to be called Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Company, will be 88% owned by Luminant and 12% by MHI and represents a new model for funding the final stages of new reactor deployment – in which the reactor vendor and buyer share project development costs. The joint venture would operate until the point at which a licence to build and operate the units is issued. Read more