New developments for Iowa and California

Developments in two US states could lead to the construction of new nuclear power plants. In Iowa, legislation has been passed to enable utilities to study building new power reactors, while in California Areva has firmed up its agreement to participate in a plant near Fresno.

The governor of Iowa has signed into law a measure which encourages utilities to conduct studies into the possible expansion of nuclear energy in the state. On 28 April, at the Des Moines offices of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Governor Chet Culver signed a bill which requires rate-regulated public utilities to undertake analyses of and preparation for the possible construction of nuclear power plants in Iowa.

The legislation calls for such studies to be conducted with only a limited cost to ratepayers and with the Iowa Utilities Board providing oversight. The bill also modifies existing law related to electricity generation and to switching existing coal-based plants to other fuel sources. Utilities will be able to enter into rate-making in order to pay for investments that may lead to lower carbon emissions from current plants. This, the governor said, “opens the door for plants to switch from coal to natural gas, add ‘carbon capture’ to existing plants, and add gas or biomass as a primary source of fuel for these plants.”

On signing the bill, Culver commented: “This bill gives Iowa utilities and consumers more tools to make decisions on our energy future. The study will give us a clear idea of what the future for nuclear and alternative energies may hold in Iowa.” He added, “From the $100 million Power Fund, to wind energy, to the Office of Energy Independence, we are building our own future in energy production, and the new energy economy can create good jobs with benefits for Iowans. We are proving that environmental protection and economic growth can and should be tied together.”

In March 2010, the Iowa state Senate voted to allow utility MidAmerican Energy to increase electric consumer rates so that it can study the feasibility of constructing a nuclear power plant. A vote of 37-13 in favour has allowed a $4 per year increase in residential customers’ electricity bills, with a $15 increase for commercial customers and $1100 for industrial customers. Over three years the additional funds, totalling $15 million, will be used by MidAmercian to finance a study into the feasibility of constructing a second nuclear power plant in the state.

MidAmerican had previously proposed constructing a nuclear power plant in Payette County, Idaho. However, in December 2007, it announced that it had decided not to proceed. At that time, the company said that its decision was “based on economic considerations and not on issues related to the suitability of the Idaho site.”

There is currently only one nuclear power plant operating in Iowa: the single-unit Duane Arnold plant. The 600 MWe boiling water reactor (BWR) is majority owned and operated by NextEra Energy Resources (70%), while the Central Iowa Power Cooperative owns 20% and the Corn Belt Power Cooperative owns 10%. The reactor, which began operating in 1975, accounts for almost 10% of Iowa’s electricity generation, with the remainder primarily produced from coal-fired plants.

California dreaming

Meanwhile, in California – where a moratorium introduced in 1976 on new nuclear build is still in place – France’s Areva has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Fresno Nuclear Energy Group (FNEG) to develop a “clean energy park” near Fresno. The MoU follows the signing a letter of intent to cooperate in December 2009. The park, in California’s Central Valley, is eventually to include nuclear and renewable electricity generation.

Under the MoU, the two companies will work together on the site selection and initial development of a nominal 1600 MWe EPR reactor. The agreement also allows for the potential development of other Areva energy technologies, such as concentrated solar power.

In a statement, Areva and FNEG said that, once the site of the energy park has been selected, work will begin on the solar phase of the park.

Before a nuclear power plant can be built on the site of the park, the legislation banning the construction of such plants in California must first be removed. A bill to repeal this moratorium was voted down in April 2007, but may be reintroduced.

Source: World Nuclear News

EdF build its alliances

Electricité de France (EdF) has reaffirmed partnerships in China and launched a new trial of electric cars in Strasbourg with Toyota.

During a visit by President Nicolas Sarkozy, EdF chiefs signed further agreements with China’s two current nuclear operators, China National Nuclear Corporation and China Guangdong Nuclear Power Corporation.

A text on the implementation of a ‘global partnership’ was agreed with CGNPC, following on from a joint venture deal concerning the construction and operation of the two Areva EPRs being built at Taishan in southern Guangdong province. EdF said the latest agreement “complements” the previous one and “provides a broader framework for cooperation… particularly in the fields of engineering, purchasing and research & development.”

“It is also a reminder of the determination of EdF and CGNPC to identify the opportunities for joint development projects, both within China and internationally,” said EdF.

Besides operating some 58 reactors in France, EdF is of course constructing an EPR of its own at Flamanville and planning another for Penly. It also wants them in Italy, the UK and the USA through various partnerships and subsidiaries. CGNPC operates only four reactors at Daya Bay and Ling Ao, but has 13 under construction at the moment and ten more firmly planned.

With CNNC, the government-owned consolidated nuclear fuel cycle and reactor operating company, EdF agreed to strengthen engineering collaboration and increase liaison “particularly in the fields of training, project management and research & development.”

Electricité des Voitures A project led by EdF and Toyota will see 26 partners lease about 100 plug-in hybrid cars for three years in the city of Strasbourg, on the French-German border. There will be more than 150 charging points in users’ homes as well as streets and public car parks, each linked via a 3G network to a central load management system. EnBW will maintain a compatible charging network on the German side of the Ill river. EdF called the trial a first in terms of the size of the plug-in hybrid fleet and the charging infrastructure. It is part of a forthcoming global trial involving about 600 vehicles.

Source: World Nuclear News

Governor Culver signs nuclear power bill

Governor Chet Culver has signed legislation that allows Mid American Energy to charge their customers extra to fund a feasibility study for a nuclear power plant. Utility officials say they want to start building a new plant in 2014 to help reduce carbon emissions.

Culver says nuclear power should be part of the state’s renewable energy portfolio and says construction of a new facility will create good paying jobs. “Our energy security is of utmost importance and I am looking forward to helping create those job opportunities across this state and this study bill will allow us to identify the very best parts of the state for a potential nuclear plant,” Culver said.

Iowa currently has one nuclear power plant in the eastern Iowa town of Palo. To pay for the $15 million study, Mid American will charge residential customers an additional $4 a year for the next three years. Commercial customers will pay an additional $15 and industrial customers just over a thousand dollars more per year. Culver says without this legislation, the company could have requested an even bigger rate increase from the Iowa Utilities Board.

“The more alternatives we have, the less dependent we are on more conventional energy options and the lower the rates are going to be,” Culver said. “I’ll put our rates in Iowa, especially related to Mid-American rates, up against any in America. In fact, over the last four years, (Iowa’s rates) have been some of the lowest in the nation.”

Opponents say the bill Culver signed contradicts previous state law that requires utility companies to fund their own feasibility studies. Clean energy advocates held a small protest at the statehouse following Wednesday’s bill signing.

Source: Radio Iowa

China to build two reactors in Pakistan

China on Thursday acknowledged that it will build two new nuclear reactors in Pakistan in a deal that could re-ignite concerns about proliferation and safety of atomic materials in Pakistan.

After comments made by China National Nuclear Cooperation (CNNC) that it will build at least two 650 MW reactors at Chashma (near Rawalpindi) in Pakistan, a foreign ministry spokesman said the two countries were cooperating in the field of nuclear energy.

Jiang Yu, affirmed Beijing’s cooperation with Islamabad saying it was consistent with international obligations under International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) supervision.

Jiang said this cooperation respects international obligations for peaceful use of nuclear energy and accepts IAEAs regulations and supervision.

The Chinese spokesman did not directly refer to financing the two reactors.

China is proposing to build these reactors under the new agreement .

Beijing built a nuclear reactor in Chashma in 1991 and is nearing completion of the second reactor, work on which began in 2005, Financial Times reported.

The paper said the decision to supply reactors to Pakistan, which has a nuclear arsenal and a record of dealing with states such as North Korea, Libya and Iran, reflects Beijing’s growing diplomatic confidence.

“It also reflects Beijing’s ambition to become a global supplier of nuclear energy and underscores its views of Pakistan as a prized South Asian strategic partner.”

“Our Chinese brothers have once again lived up to our expectations. They have agreed to continue to cooperate with us in nuclear energy field,” the paper quoted a Pakistani government official as saying.

The CNNC said on its website that the two governments had signed an agreement to finance the construction of the two reactors in February.

Shanghai Nuclear Engineering Research and Design Institute said it had been hired to design the two reactors.

The Financial Times quoting Western diplomats in Islamabad said that US was likely to accept China’s growing role as a supplier of nuclear power to Pakistan.

The confirmation of Chinese assistance in building two more reactors in Pakistan comes even as the country’s President Hu Jintao recently told a nuclear summit in Washington that Beijing formally opposes nuclear weapon’s proliferation, while backing its civilian uses.

Source: Hindustan Times

FPL to Move Forward with Plant Modernizations That Will Deliver Customer Benefits in the Decades Ahead While Reducing Staffing Levels to Keep Costs in Line in the Current Economy

JUNO BEACH, Fla.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Florida Power & Light Company, a subsidiary of FPL Group (NYSE: FPL), today announced that it will move forward with a $2 billion investment to modernize two power plants while reducing company staffing levels by about 300 positions as a result of the currently difficult economy.

The actions will benefit FPL customers by delivering customer benefits for decades to come, including fuel savings and improvements in environmental performance and reliability, while keeping current operating costs in line.

“These decisions were not easy, but we believe that the near-term focus on keeping operating costs in line while continuing to invest in our infrastructure to deliver the best value, service and reliability over the long term represents a balanced and responsible approach to meeting the needs of our customers,” said FPL President and CEO Armando J. Olivera.

Read More: Business Wire

Sen. Alexander proposes small nuclear reactor in Oak Ridge

Alexander wants DOE to put modular nuke reactor in Oak Ridge; ORNL director says idea is still in ‘brainstorming’ stage

U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander today urged the Dept. of Energy to consider housing a small, modular nuclear reactor in Oak Ridge. According to the senator, it would provide enough power for DOE’s Oak Ridge facilities, and help DOE meet its 2020 target for reduction of greenhouse emissions.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory Director Thom Mason — who discussed the concept with Alexander during the senator’s visit to ORNL last week — said siting, licensing and building a 125-megawatt reactor in Oak Ridge could be an example for the nuclear industry and help evaluate the economic viability and risks of small, modular reactors for the future.

Alexander raised the possibility during a hearing of the Senate Appropriations energy and water subcommittee, where Energy Secretary Steven Chu was testifying.

Addressing Chu, the Tennesseen Republican said, “I’m wondering if your own departmental goals for greenhouse gases and the interest in small modular reactors might offer a way to accelerate pilot programs to see how they work? I’m sure the first reactors would have an additional cost to them — a cost that’s always associated with a start-up — but if it were part of a Navy installatino or part of aDepartment of Energy greenhouse gas goal, I wonder whether a small reactor at Oak Ridge — where a 125-megawatt reactor could eliminate the need for any additional power over the entire Oak Ridge complex and meet 48 percent of the Department of Energy’s greenhouse gas reduction goals — might be a wise approach.”

According to information released by Alexander’s office, Chu was supportive of the idea — noting there was a site near Oak Ridge National Laboratory “that was designed for a reactor that’s waiting and ready to be used.”

Chu was apparently referring to the old Clinch River Breeder Reactor Site, which currently is owned by TVA.

Mason said the idea is not yet a proposal and is still in the “brainstorming” stage, but he estimated that a small reactor would cost in the range of $500 million to $800 million. If such a plan moved foward aggressively, it’s possible the reactor could be operational by 2020 — when federal agencies, including DOE, are supposed to meet target for reducing CO2 emissions.

A reactor of that size (125MW) would be enough to power all of DOE’s Oak Ridge reservation, including ORNL and the Y-12 National Security Complex, Mason said.

The ORNL director emphasized that the lab is interested in nuclear energy and emerging tehcnologies and the engineering aspects associated with nuclear reactors, but the lab is not in the power business.

“We’re a research facility. I’m not sure it would make sense for us to get into the power business,” Mason said. “You’d have to have an owner/operator . . .and then a vendor who has a design.”

TVA, of course, would appear to be a natural partner. Mason said there had been some informal talks with TVA, but nothing official at this point.

Babcock & Wilcox, the company involved in management of Y-12, is among the companies that has touted design plans for small, modular reactors. Mason said there are multiple possibilities for teaming arrangements.

“There are all kinds of questions about how it would work and how you would share the risk,” he said.

By pushing the reactor plan through the siting and construction process at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Oak Ridge reactor would provide a first-of example for others to view and help put together business plans for financing, etc., Mason said.

Mason said the Department of Energy has proposed some funding for the small, modular nuclear reactor program in fiscal year 2011 budget to study the siting and licensing aspects.

ORNL’s Dan Ingersoll would be the technical director if that work gets funded, he said.

Source: Frank Munger / KnoxNews

Savannah River communities outraged by Yucca decision

For decades now, workers and local residents have fully expected that giant canisters of nuclear waste put into temporary storage at the Savannah River Site would eventually be relocated from their backyards to a permanent nuclear repository at Yucca Mountain in Nevada.

But the decision last month by the Energy Department not to finish construction at Yucca Mountain has angered leaders of the communities surrounding the Savannah River Site, who say they’ve been misled, lied to and ignored by the government — and some say they’re frightened about their region’s future.

“The government’s unexpected action took communities like ours by surprise,” said Sue Parr, president of the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce. “We knew the schedule had been delayed and the pace was slow, but we thought we could count on the government to follow the law and complete Yucca Mountain as promised.”

Parr and other business and community leaders were in Washington Wednesday to enlist members of Congress from Georgia and South Carolina in their fight to get the Energy Department to reconsider its decision and find a home for much of the nuclear waste now stored at the Savannah River Site.

“I am very disappointed by the push by DOE to shut down Yucca Mountain,” said U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.).  “We need to retain Yucca Mountain as our nation’s high-level waste repository unless a new repository is designated that can accept the waste currently at Savannah River Site..”

The plant lies on the Georgia-South Carolina border, about three hours east of Atlanta.

Storing nuclear waste permanently in facilities designed to be temporary could result in large-scale public health and environmental problems in nearby communities, said Aiken County, S.C., Administrator Clay Killian, citing the government’s own studies.

In February, Aiken County and the state of South Carolina filed lawsuits asking that the Energy Department not be allowed to withdraw its permit to develop Yucca Mountain for long-term nuclear waste storage.

“It was never intended that the temporary storage would remain permanent,” said Rick McLeod, executive director of the Savannah River Site Community Reuse Organization.

The Energy Department has said it has no plans to abandon its legal duty to find a permanent home for waste now stored at the Savannah River Site and other nuclear facilities nationwide, even it if it is giving up on developing Yucca Mountain. Last month, the agency convened a commission led by former lawmakers and regulators to study what to do next. Community leaders have complained that they don’t have a seat at the table with the commission.

They and others say that politics, not science, is driving the government’s decision on Yucca Mountain. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has been a staunch opponent, as have state and local leaders throughout the region. Nevada and neighboring states.

“The issue with Yucca Mountain is not its safety or its technical feasibility,” Parr said. “The big problem today … is political.”

The Savannah River Site currently employs about 12,000 workers, including about 4,000 Georgia residents.

The region wants and needs the jobs at the site,  McLeod said, but it doesn’t want and never intended to keep the permanent waste that comes with it.

Source: AJC News

AREVA, Fresno Nuclear Energy Group Sign MOU for Clean Energy Park Project in California

April 28, 2010

FRESNO, Calif., and BETHESDA, Md., April 28, 2010 – AREVA and the Fresno Nuclear Energy Group, LLC (FNEG) today announced that they have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to develop the country’s most advanced Clean Energy Park near Fresno, California, including nuclear and renewable generation.

According to the MOU agreement, AREVA and FNEG will work together on the site selection and initial development of a nominal 1,600 Megawatt U.S. EPR™ reactor. The agreement also includes potential development of other AREVA energy technologies such as concentrated solar power.

“Our goal is to create a power-producing infrastructure that combines clean elec-tric energy sources, including nuclear, solar and future technologies,” said John Hutson, president of FNEG. “We’ll begin with solar because that’s what’s avail-able in Western Fresno County right now.”

“We look forward to helping to realize a California Clean Energy Park. This agreement with FNEG is an important step toward reaching our goal of develop-ing a fleet of U.S. EPR™ reactors, which will produce cost-effective, CO2-free electricity, spur local investment and manufacturing, and create thousands of jobs,” said Jacques Besnainou, CEO of AREVA Inc. “AREVA, which holds a complete renewable energy portfolio, is also pleased with the potential develop-ment of concentrated solar power generation as part of this Clean Energy Park.”

John Hutson added, “Our vision of a Clean Energy Park in California’s Central Valley would produce large amounts of clean electricity and usable water for our state’s critical agricultural industry while meeting our self-imposed commitment to reduce greenhouse gases.”

FNEG and AREVA are considering dozens of promising sites in the Central San Joaquin Valley. Once a site is selected, work will begin on the solar phase of the Clean Energy Park.

Construction of the nuclear facility will create up to 11,000 direct and indirect jobs, and more than 400 permanent jobs upon completion. Additionally, the pro-ject will generate billions of dollars of regional economic investment. When com-plete, the solar and nuclear plants will produce clean, constant, reliable, carbon-free electricity for more than 1.6 million households.

Find out more: View press release

Source: AREVA News

International nuclear safety changes

The World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO) is adapting to ensure safety and performance improvements remain the top priorities of a growing industry, managing director George Felgate told World Nuclear News.

Formed in 1989, WANO has long enjoyed universal membership of nuclear operators and has built the trust needed to organise peer reviews of operations at every nuclear power plant in the world. While performance indicators have improved markedly over the years, improving further into the forthcoming nuclear expansion requires a certain re-invention of the body.

The package of changes unanimously voted through at WANO’s biennial general meeting in February “is a re-commitment to the original principles of our founding fathers,” said Felgate.

WANO’s revised mission: “To maximise the safety and reliability of nuclear power plants worldwide by working together to assess, benchmark and improve performance through mutual support, exchange of information, and emulation of best practices.”

One goal is to make sure every new reactor is given a thorough, independent review before it starts up, either by WANO or the International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA). While these kinds of review have been conducted in the past, Felgate believes additional resources and coordination will be needed in the coming years to “ensure focus on nuclear safety is what it should be.”

WANO will gather experts with experience in pre-startup peer reviews from its regional centres into a team to be headed by a specialist at WANO London. Once suitable practices and documents are ready, at least one of these core team members will take part in every pre-start review.

And besides new reactors, WANO is reaching out to new countries wishing to become involved in nuclear energy with training, benchmarking and simply making sure they are able to visit a well-run plant.

The organisation is also adapting its membership structure to reflect the new realities of the nuclear industry. Today, any owner or operator of a nuclear power or fuel reprocessing plant has the right to become a WANO member. This is a big change from WANO’s original arrangement, which saw only one ordinary voting member per country.

“Any CEO must ensure their own facilities are safe but also ensure every other facility is safe. It’s part of their commitment to investors to do everything they can to ensure absolute safety and the one CEO that doesn’t believe in this concept will risk the investment of every other.” George Felgate Managing Director, WANO

“That was the right approach at the time, but times have changed,” said Felgate. “Our new membership structure recognises the fact that multi-national companies today have interests in a variety of countries and many nations are served by multiple corporations. Owners may also become members of WANO. They control the purse strings and can therefore have an impact on nuclear safety.”

New involvement will also come with reactor vendors and technology suppliers. In the past, these have not had access to the confidential operational experience analysis and data WANO provides its member, but “it is important to nuclear safety that the next power plants are designed and constructed with that operational experience in mind to the extent possible.” WANO is developing a special channel for that information, mindful of the confidentiality of its members.

In addition, WANO’s governance will involve more executives at a higher level than before. An enlarged board of governors will include the chair of each regional centre (Paris, Moscow, Tokyo and Atlanta) as well as the “most influential CEO in that region” and another CEO picked by the regional board. Felgate said the change “puts direct involvement in WANO much more in the hands of the chief executives who have the greatest stake in nuclear safety in the world.”

These company heads are hostages of one another when it comes to nuclear safety. “Any CEO must ensure their own facilities are safe but also ensure every other facility is safe. It’s part of their commitment to investors to do everything they can to ensure absolute safety and the one CEO that doesn’t believe in this concept will risk the investment of every other.”

Finally, the revisions include the fundamental one of updating WANO’s mission “to capture the broader range of activity that we are involved in today, which covers peer reviews, professional and technical development, operational experience exchange and technical support,” said Felgate.

Source: World Nuclear News

Infotech inks pact with n-energy firm Westinghouse

Infotech Enterprises Limited, a leading technology solutions provider, has signed an agreement with Westinghouse Electric Company, the world’s pioneering nuclear energy company, for providing engineering services in India. Infotech will augment the engineering resources of Westinghouse as it prepares for global nuclear energy business growth and will lay the foundation for Westinghouse’s nuclear power plant work in India.

Infotech and Westinghouse Wednesday inaugurated the newly-formed Westinghouse India Engineering Center in the presence of executives from both companies, a statement by Hyderabad-based Infotech said .

Under the terms of the agreement, Westinghouse will further expand its skills infrastructure in India while Infotech will provide high value and competitive engineering services.

“This is the first engagement for outsourced engineering in India in the nuclear industry and further demonstrates Infotech’s strength in working in time and mission critical engineering industries,” said Infotech Chairman and Managing Director B.V.R. Mohan Reddy.

“Our partnership with Infotech will further strengthen Westinghouse’s capabilities in the region, and it serves as another sign of our commitment to the Indian market,” said Aris Candris, President and CEO of Westinghouse.

Westinghouse Electric Company, a group company of Toshiba Corporation, is the world’s pioneering nuclear energy company and is a leading supplier of nuclear plant products and technologies to utilities throughout the world.

Source: Thaindian News

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