NucNet: Global Nuclear News

The nuclear communications network

March 2008

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December 2007

March 2008

UK’s NDA Signs Low-Level Repository Contract With Consortium

31 Mar (NucNet): The UK’s Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) has signed a contract for the management and operation of the low-level waste repository near Drigg in north-west England, with UK Nuclear Waste Management, a consortium led by URS Corporation’s Washington Division and including Studsvik, Areva and Serco Assurance.

France, UK To Work Together On Nuclear Energy Development

27 Mar (NucNet): France and the UK have promised to work together to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of nuclear energy development projects, including in safety and pre-licensing.

Minister Says UK Can Become ‘Number One’ For New Nuclear

26 Mar (NucNet): A new generation of nuclear power plants will offer “breathtaking” economic opportunities for British business on a scale not seen since North Sea oil was discovered, UK business secretary John Hutton said in a speech today.

NRG Energy, Toshiba Form Venture To Build Nuclear Plants In US

26 Mar (NucNet): Toshiba Corporation today announced it will invest 300 million US dollars (USD) (190 million euro) in a new company that will aim to build Toshiba’s Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (ABWR) units in the US.

Russia Aims For Egypt Nuclear Contract

25 Mar (NucNet): Russia and Egypt said today they have signed an agreement for cooperation in the field of peaceful use of nuclear energy.

China Is Looking Overseas For Nuclear Investment, Says Report

25 Mar (NucNet): China’s state-controlled agencies and companies are increasingly turning to foreign investors to help speed-up development of the domestic energy sector including nuclear, according to new analysis.

Turkey Invites Bids For First Nuclear Plant

25 Mar (NucNet): Turkey yesterday invited local and foreign companies to bid to build the country’s first nuclear power plant, part of a plan to reduce dependence on gas supplies from Iran and Russia.

US And Bahrain Agree On Nuclear Energy Cooperation

25 Mar (NucNet): The US has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on nuclear energy cooperation with Bahrain to “ensure the stability and diversity” of the Gulf state’s energy supplies.

Russia Signs Cooperation Agreement With Japan’s Toshiba

20 Mar (NucNet): Russia’s state nuclear energy company Atomenergoprom has signed a framework agreement with Toshiba Corporation of Japan to explore cooperation in civilian nuclear energy.

Hazardous Sodium Drained From Dounreay’s Prototype Fast Reactor

20 Mar (NucNet): The final pools of hazardous liquid metal sodium have been drained from the Prototype Fast Reactor (PFR) at Dounreay in Scotland, the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) said yesterday.

NRC Panel Recommends Changes To Materials Licensing Process

20 Mar (NucNet): The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC) independent external review panel has recommended changes to the NRC’s process for granting licences to possess radioactive materials. The commission said the changes are aimed at “eliminating vulnerabilities that could be exploited by terrorists or other adversaries”.

Florida Commission Gives Go-Ahead For Proposed Turkey Point Units

19 Mar (NucNet): The Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) has approved Florida Power & Light’s (FPL) proposals to build two new nuclear units at its Turkey Point nuclear power plant in Miami-Dade County.

All Four Reactor Designs Pass Initial Tests, Say UK Regulators

18 Mar (NucNet): The UK’s nuclear energy regulators have said the four designs being considered for future nuclear reactors in the country have all passed initial tests as part of the generic design assessment (GDA).

Japan Presents ‘EU-APWR’ Design For European Market

18 Mar (NucNet): Specifications of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ (MHI) modified advanced pressurised water reactor design for the European market, the EU-APWR, were presented to utility representatives at a technical seminar in Belgium, MHI said yesterday.

British Energy Confirms Talks On Possible Takeover Or Merger

17 Mar (NucNet): British Energy, the UK’s biggest nuclear energy producer, has confirmed it is holding talks about a possible takeover or merger.

DOE Expects To File Yucca Application In June

17 Mar (NucNet): The US Department of Energy (DOE) expects to file a licence application in June for construction of the Yucca Mountain deep geological used fuel repository, the programme’s director said at the recent Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC) Regulatory Information Conference.

NDA Denies Media Speculation On GBP 20 Billion Sellafield Contract

14 Mar (NucNet): The UK’s Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) has not received any final bids for the 20-billion-pound (GBP) (40 billion US dollars, 26 billion euro) contract to decommission the Sellafield nuclear site in north-west England and recent speculation in the British press about who might win the contract is “without any foundation”.

Bruce Power Acquires Energy Alberta, Files Application For Potential Units

14 Mar (NucNet): Canada’s Bruce Power completed its purchase of Energy Alberta Corporation on 13 March 2008 and filed an application on the same day to prepare for potential construction of the first nuclear power plant in the west of the country.

Prefecture Supports MOX Fuel Use At Japan’s Hamaoka-4

13 Mar (NucNet): Japan’s Shizuoka prefecture has approved the planned use of mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel at unit 4 of the country’s Hamaoka nuclear power plant.

US Legislators Told ‘Nuclear Power Is Needed In Energy Mix’

13 Mar (NucNet): The development of new nuclear power plants over the next decade will help the US meet its growing demand for electricity with a reliable, carbon-free source of energy, legislators have been told.

China To Integrate National Energy Management Under New Commission

11 Mar (NucNet): A national energy commission will be established in China to integrate energy management, supervision and policies including nuclear power, the secretary-general of the country’s state council (cabinet) announced today.

US Laboratory Announces Improved Burn-Up Milestone For N-Fuel

11 Mar (NucNet): The US Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has announced a breakthrough in improving the performance of coated-particle nuclear fuel which it says has turned “fuel test failures from the early 1990s into successes in 2008”.

Commissioners’ Association Calls For Yucca Application ‘This Year’

11 Mar (NucNet): The US programme to build a deep geological repository at Yucca Mountain in Nevada must be “vigorously pursued” and the construction application submitted this year, a US organisation of utility commissioners has said.

Ontario Invites International Bids For Possible New Build

10 Mar (NucNet): The Canadian province of Ontario has taken the next step towards building new nuclear units by announcing a competitive procurement process to choose a reactor vendor.

Survey Indicates Nearly Half Of Germans Favour Longer N-Plant Operations

10 Mar (NucNet): A new survey indicates that nearly half of the German population supports extending operations of the country’s nuclear power plants, the German Atomic Forum (DAtF) said today.

 

‘ Time To Act’ On US-India Nuclear Cooperation Deal

7 Mar (NucNet): Time is running out for the US-India bilateral agreement for peaceful nuclear cooperation and the government of India must act quickly if it wants the deal to proceed, a former US state department official has said.

Increased Oversight Continues For Palo Verde

7 Mar (NucNet): The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued annual assessment letters to the nation’s 104 operating commercial nuclear power plants. The commission said all the plants continue to operate safely in 2007.

Draft Investment Agreement For Completion Of Cernavoda Units

6 Mar (NucNet): A draft investment agreement has been sent to the six companies selected to lead the construction and commissioning of units 3 and 4 of Romania’s Cernavoda nuclear power plant.

Call For Developers To Outline Proposals For Use Of UK Nuclear Sites

6 Mar (NucNet): The UK’s Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) today called for proposals from developers interested in using NDA land such as for the possible construction of new reactor units.

Toshiba Launches New Nuclear Company In US

6 Mar (NucNet): Toshiba Corporation of Japan has established a new company in the US for marketing and promoting advanced boiling water (ABWR) nuclear power plants and providing support for related services.

JNFL Revises Completion Date Of Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant

5 Mar (NucNet): Japan Nuclear Fuel Ltd (JNFL) has pushed back the scheduled completion of its Rokkasho reprocessing plant to May 2008, the company has said.

Agreement Signed For China’s First Inland Nuclear Plant

4 Mar (NucNet): 4 Mar (NucNet): The China Guangdong Nuclear Power Group (CGNPG) and the Hubei provincial government signed an agreement in Beijing today to build the country’s first inland nuclear power plant.

First Concrete Poured At China’s Ningde Nuclear Power Plant

4 Mar (NucNet): First concrete has been poured in a ceremony at the site of a new nuclear power plant in China’s Fujian Province, the Chinese government has announced.

IAEA Chief Highlights ‘Rising Expectations’ Of Nuclear

3 Mar (NucNet): Rising expectations for nuclear energy are starting to translate into increased construction, with expansion and growth prospects centred in Asia, the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said.