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Recent developments with links to updated WNA Public Information Service Papers. For previous items from Weekly Digest see archive menu. 

10 January 2013 

2012 brings slightly increased nuclear capacity
With three large reactors coming on line and three smaller ones being retired, plus three refurbished Canadian reactors coming back into service and four US uprates, 2012 showed a world increase from 370.4 to 374.1 GWe nuclear capacity, and 435 power reactors operable. There were new grid connections for Shin Kori 1 and Shin Wolsong 1 in South Korea, and Ningde 1 in China, each over 1000 MWe. Also, Bruce A1 & A2 and Point Lepreau in Canada came back on line after major refurbishment, total 2135 MWe. In the UK, Oldbury 1 and Wylfa 2 were decommissioned, as were Gentilly 2 in Canada and Garona in Spain, removing 1811 MWe from service. Most of Japan’s reactors remain shut down, but operable and with renewed prospect of restarting. In the USA, four uprates added about 300 MWe.

There were seven construction starts: Baltic 1 in Russia (Kaliningrad), Barakah 1 in UAE, Shin Ulchin 1 in South Korea, Tianwan 3, Yangjiang 4, Fuqing 4, and Shandong Shidaowan 1 all in China. The last is a demonstration high-temperature gas-cooled design with fuel as ‘pebbles’, actually twin small reactors driving a single 210 MWe turbine.
WNN 2/1/13.

Quebec’s Gentilly nuclear plant shuts down
At the end of December Hydro-Quebec shut down the 638 MWe (net) Gentilly-2 nuclear power reactor rather than embark upon an expensive refurbishment of it. The unit is a Candu-6 type and had been running since 1982. It is being defueled and the heavy water will be treated over 18 months to mid 2014. The main part of the reactor will then be closed up in safe storage configuration and left for 40 years to allow radioactivity to decay before demolition. The total cost of decommissioning over 50 years is put at C$ 1.8 billion.
WNN 2/1/13. Canada NP

Spain’s Garona shutdown confirmed final
As reported three weeks ago, Nuclenor shut down Spain’s oldest nuclear power plant, the 466 MWe Garona, in order to avoid paying substantial new taxes from 1 January. The government did not relent on those taxes in its energy reform bill, and the reactor was defueled by the end of December to avoid retrospective aspects. As well as the 7% tax on electricity generation, amounting to some EUR 1 c/kWh for nuclear power, a tax of EUR 2190 per kilogram on used nuclear fuel discharged came in – about EUR 315 million per year across the industry. In addition, utilities must make provision in their accounts for partially used fuel still in the reactor - this is expected to amount to over EUR 500 million per year.
WNN 2/1/13. Spain

Other papers updated on the WNA Public Information Service (see WNA web site):
Reactor Table, China NP, Russia NP, Russia fuel cycle, US uranium mines, Canada uranium, Turkey, Electricity & cars, Renewable energy, Niger

 

29 December 2012 

China grid connection and construction start
In China, the first unit of the Ningde nuclear power station in Fujian province has started supplying power to the grid, 58 months after construction start. This is a largely-indigenous CPR-1000 unit of 1037 MWe net. It brings to 16 the number of operating nuclear power reactors in China, with almost 13 GWe net on line. Ningde will eventually have six reactors, four of these in phase 1, costing some $7.2 billion and coming on line to 2015.

Further north in Jiangsu province, construction has started on the third Tianwan unit. This is a Russian AES-91 VVER type, of 1060 MWe gross, very similar to the two operating there since 2006-07. Unit 4 construction will follow in 2013. Atomstroyexport is providing the main nuclear reactor components comprising 30% of the $3.8 billion project, Jiangsu Nuclear Power Corporation is responsible for the balance including civil work, turbine island with equipment, and related infrastructure on the site. It has contracted much of this to China Nuclear Engineering & Construction Group (CNEC) companies. The turbine generator sets will probably be sourced from Dongfang Electric, using Alstom Arabelle low-speed technology.
WNN 29/12/12. China NP

 

 20 December 2012 

Spain’s Garona reactor shut down as tax protest
The utility Nuclenor has shut down Spain’s oldest nuclear power plant, the 466 MWe Garona, in order to avoid paying substantial new taxes from 1 January. Its fuel is being transferred to the storage pond. Nuclenor operates the plant on behalf of its owners, Iberdrola and Endesa (92% Enel). Spain’s energy reform bill would result in taxes on the plant of EUR 153 million in 2013. However, the company noted that its decision to end operation of Garoña could be reversed if the bill is not enacted, or if it is substantially changed. The bill was discussed in the House of Representatives this week, and a 7% tax on all electricity generation starts in January, along with a tax on used nuclear fuel. The higher taxes on power generation are to address an EUR 24 billion energy tariff deficit after more than a decade of selling electricity at regulated rates which do not cover costs, with high subsidies on renewables – some EUR 7 billion per year.

The closure comes as the latest and possibly final tactic in a continuing standoff between the company and the government. In June 2009 the Nuclear Safety Council (CSN) recommended that a 10-year licence extension be granted, to 2019, but the then government granted an extension only to mid 2013. The new government removed this limit subject to Nuclenor renewing the licence. However, Nuclenor delayed it application until pending government rules and taxes were specified, since EUR 120 million in investment would be required to take the plant to mid 2019, and government plans involved heavy taxes on electricity generation, particularly for nuclear. The company said that the proposed new taxes would bankrupt it. Nuclenor made several requests to the industry ministry to either extend the deadline for the application submission or to provide details about the planned energy reforms to "clear up the regulatory doubts that surround the future of the Garoña plant so as to be able to make a decision to justify the return of investment that would be required."
WNN 17/12/12. Spain

Japanese election improves nuclear prospects
After a decisive victory in Japan’s elections, with 294 out of 480 seats, the Liberal Democratic Party is likely to take a more positive view of restarting idled nuclear power plants than its predecessor (which won only 57 seats, down from 267, and had toyed with a nuclear phase-out policy). At present 48 of the country’s operable nuclear power reactors are offline, resulting in electricity shortages and massive LNG and other fossil fuel import costs. All the nuclear plants have been subject to detailed safety appraisal following the Fukushima accident, but restarts are subject to permission from the new regulatory authority, which needs to establish its public credibility.
WNN 17/12/12. Japan


Other papers updated on the WNA Public Information Service (see WNA web site):
Reactor table, China NP, Electricity grids

 

13 December 2012 

Nuclear power reactor construction resumes in China
After an 18-month hiatus to investigate and reconsider safety, construction has started on three new reactors in China. Two are the mainstream CPR-1000 units of 1080 MWe, in each case the fourth unit at a site - Fuqing and Yangjiang - where work has been ongoing on another three reactors since 2008. The third start is a small innovative high-temperature gas-cooled reactor, or actually a pair of them designed to drive a single 210 MWe turbine generator. This is the Shandong Shidaowan HTR-PM project, with fuel as large ‘pebbles’, based on German technology from the 1980s, but now a world-leading technology. This HTR-PM is a demonstration plant to pave the way for a 3780 MWe power station there comprising 18 such units. The new construction starts bring the total under construction in China to 29 units and 30,000 MWe.

Following the Fukushima accident in March 2011, the State Council suspended approvals for new nuclear power stations and ordered comprehensive safety checks of all nuclear projects, including those under. It also suspended work on four approved units due to start construction in 2011, including the two above. In May 2012 a new safety plan for nuclear power was approved in principle. The State Council considered a report on civil nuclear facilities including changes made since the Fukushima accident, and affirmed that the fundamental principle of China’s nuclear safety and radioactive pollution prevention is to put safety and quality first. It is now explicit that Chinese regulations are to fully incorporate the safety standards of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). In an unprecedented move to improve the transparency of nuclear regulation the government then formally solicited public comments on its nuclear safety plan which must ensure that no ‘serious incident’ (INES Level 3) or greater occurs at any reactor. The plan was approved in October.
WNN 13/12/12. China NP

UK completes design assessment of Areva EPR
The UK Environment Agency and Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) have completed a five-year design assessment of Areva’s EPR reactor design and issued a Statement of Design Acceptability and Design Acceptance Confirmation respectively. The approvals will enable EdF Energy to proceed with site licensing for the EPR, initially at Hinkley point in Somerset. ONR estimates that the GDA process for EPR has involved 27,000 days of assessment time and thousands of technical documents. The cost of around £35 million ($56 million) per reactor design is charged back to the proponent companies.
WNN 13/12/12. UK

ERA completes open pit mining at Ranger
After more than 30 years, Energy Resources of Australia has finished open pit mining. The first orebody was mined out over 1980-94, then #3 orebody over 1997-2012. The surface stockpile now comprises enough ore to last to 2020 if market conditions are favourable, or at least to 2016 when underground mining is planned to commence. Meanwhile work on the boxcut and decline to access the Ranger Deeps orebody is progressing. The company is spending A$120 million on the Deeps project, leading towards a decision on whether to mine at the end of 2014.
WNN 10/12/12. Australian U mines

Other papers updated on the WNA Public Information Service (see WNA web site):
Russia NP, Finland, Mongolia,