The Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) has expanded from its core five members - USA, China, France, Japan and Russia to take in 11 more countries including Australia and Kazakhstan. These have all signed the Statement of Principles which incorporates seven objectives touching on each element of GNEP and establishes broad guidelines for participation. This document is the foundation for all future involvement in the partnership - probably including Canada, South Africa, South Korea and UK. While it talks about "creating a viable alternative to acquisition of sensitive fuel cycle technologies" it does not preclude signatories building such facilities. The emphasis has shifted from requiring most countries to renounce sensitive technologies to simply dissuading them.
GNEP aims to improve the proliferation-resistance of the nuclear fuel cycle while providing some kind of guaranteed access to fuel supplies. It proposes that both uranium enrichment and reprocessing of used fuel be carried out in a limited number of "fuel cycle countries", with the long-lived 'waste' components recycled and the remainder disposed of in those fuel cycle countries or in the user countries.
This agenda involves both political and technological initiatives, the latter mainly in relation to reprocessing which does not separate plutonium and which enables all actinides (long-lived transuranic elements) to be burned in fast reactors, thereby reducing waste management demands. GNEP aims to work closely with the International Atomic Energy Agency and avoid duplication of effort.
GNEP creates a framework where states that currently employ reprocessing technologies can collaborate to design and deploy advanced separation and fuel fabrication techniques that do not result in any accumulation of separated pure plutonium. Variants of the traditional Purex process which keep the plutonium either with some uranium or with other transuranics (minor actinides) are well advanced in both the USA and France.
The second main technological development envisaged under GNEP is the advanced recycling reactor - basically a fast reactor capable of burning minor actinides. Thus used fuel from light water reactors would be reprocessed at a recycling centre and the transuranic product transferred to a fast reactor on site which both produces some 1000 MWe of power and incinerates the actinides.
Another issue addressed by GNEP is the cost to develop and expand nuclear power. For developing nations seeking to make use of nuclear power for electricity generation, costs for establishing nuclear technology initially, including high capital costs and inefficiencies in the fuel cycle, make it less attractive then more traditional technologies.
Finally, GNEP is concerned to foster the development of "grid-appropriate reactors", ie smaller units (perhaps 50-350 MWe) for electricity grids of up to 3 GWe. These should incorporate advanced features including safety, simplicity of operation, long-life fuel loads, intrinsic proliferation-resistance and security. The Westinghouse Iris design is instanced.
Under any scenario, the USA and others will require waste repositories, though recycling will substantially reduce the amount of waste destined for disposal. For the US Yucca Mountain repository, the reprocessing-recycling approach with burning of actinides and perhaps also some long-lived fission products means that the effective capacity of the repository is increased by a factor of 50 or more. This is due to decreased radiotoxicity and heat loads, as well as reducing greatly the ultimate volume of waste requiring disposal.
GNEP envisages the development of comprehensive fuel services, including such options as fuel leasing, to begin addressing the challenges of reliable fuel supply while maximizing non-proliferation benefits. The establishment of comprehensive and reliable fuel services, including spent fuel disposition options, will create an all-encompassing approach to nuclear power for nations seeking the benefits of it without the need to establish indigenous fuel cycle facilities. It is through enabling such a framework that GNEP makes its primary contribution to reducing proliferation risk.
As more countries consider nuclear power, it is important that they develop the infrastructure capabilities necessary for such an undertaking. The USA is working with the IAEA to provide guidance for assessing countries' infrastructure needs and for helping to meet those needs. It is ready to help countries interested in expanding the use of nuclear energy to achieve responsible implementation and management. For countries that have no existing nuclear power infrastructure, GNEP partners can share knowledge and experience to enable developing countries to make informed policy decisions on whether, when, and how to pursue nuclear power.
TVA decision to complete new reactor
Following a $20 million feasibility study, the Tennessee Valley Authority has decided to complete unit 2 of its Watts Bar nuclear power plant in Tennessee. The 1180 MWe reactor is expected to come on line in 2013 at a cost of $2.49 billion. Construction was suspended in 1985 and will resume next year under a still-valid permit. Its twin started operation in 1996. Completing Watts Bar 2 will be the fastest and cheapest way of bringing new capacity on line, and will provide power at 4.4 c/kWh, 20-25% less than coal-fired or new nuclear alternatives and 43% less than natural gas.
TVA 1/8/07, Bloomberg 1/8/07.
Construction start on new MOX plant
After some delays, construction of the US plant to turn weapons-grade plutonium into civil nuclear reactor fuel has commenced. The Mixed Oxide (MOX) fuel fabrication plant is being built by Shaw Areva MOX Services for the National Nuclear Security Administration at Savannah River, South Carolina. From 2016 it will mix at least 34 tonnes of fairly pure plutonium-239 with depleted uranium to make MOX fuel, thereby removing the material for about 8500 nuclear warheads and fulfilling an obligation under a US-Russia accord signed in 2000. The plutonium will make about 1700 MOX fuel assemblies and be equivalent to about 6000 tonnes of natural uranium. (Most MOX is made from fresh reactor-grade plutonium comprising about one third non-fissile isotopes.)
The high cost of the plant - $3.5 billion plus $1.3 billion contingency and $183 million per year to operate - is justified on non-proliferation grounds. Annual cost will be offset by revenue. Russia is to proceed similarly with another 34 t of weapons-grade plutonium.
NNSA 1 & 7/8/07.
Texas utility signs for new reactors
NRG Energy and its 44% owned South Texas Project (STP) Nuclear Operating company have signed a project services agreement with Toshiba Corp. for support in preparing to build two new nuclear power reactors. STP 3 & 4 will be 1350 MWe GE-Hitachi Advanced Boiling Water Reactors such as have been operating in Japan for ten years. While Toshiba today owns a rival supplier, it has much experience with these and will contribute design, engineering, construction and procurement expertise. It is not yet clear what role GE-Hitachi will play in the project. NRG has also ordered heavy components for the plant, including the first reactor pressure vessel, and other heavy components will be ordered in 2008.
NRG Energy 9/7/07, Nucleonics Week 23/8/07.
US reactor development gets French boost
Constellation Energy and Electricité de France (EdF) have announced a major joint venture to progress plans for a fleet of the US version of Areva's EPR advanced reactor in the USA and Canada. UniStar Nuclear Energy (UNE) started in 2005 as a joint project of Areva (based in France) and Constellation Energy to develop a business framework for building at least four of Areva's advanced US-EPR nuclear units in North America. The US design certification process was commenced with Areva's help. Bechtel Power Corporation supported UniStar with engineering and construction expertise and in mid 2006 an agreement was signed with EdF for technical assistance. On the basis of the business framework developed over two years, EdF has now become the 50-50 partner with Constellation in the UNE holding company and has pledged $350 million cash upfront and up to $625 million total to the joint venture which aims to build, own and operate the US-EPR units.
UniStar, Constellation, EdF & Areva 20/7/07.
California heads for nuclear revival
The California Republican party has voted unanimously to work to remove the 31-year old prohibition on new nuclear power plant construction. This will become part of a mid 2008 state referendum, backed by over five million Republicans. The state has two nuclear power plants - total 4324 MWe, a small part of the capacity serving 35 million, and it imports about 20% of its power.
Business wire 10/9/07.
US enrichment plant milestone
US efforts to develop indigenous centrifuge enrichment technology have reached the stage of USEC operating a cascade producing uranium of the desired specification. A cascade is an arrangement of centrifuges which can achieve this. The lead cascade test program will continue so as to refine the design of the full plant. This is to begin operation in 2009, ramping up to 11,500 machines in 2012 delivering 3.8 million SWU/yr.
USEC 14/9/07.
US releases weapons plutonium for fuel
The US Department of Energy has released a further nine tonnes of weapons-grade plutonium from dismantled warheads (pits) for use as civil nuclear fuel. This will be incorporated into mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel by the US National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) at Savannah River and used in nuclear power plants. The amount is from over 1000 warheads and will make 200 tonnes of reactor fuel which would produce about 53 billion kWh of electricity. It is additional to the 52.5 tonnes of military plutonium declared surplus in 1994 (including 34 tonnes of weapons plutonium agreed in 2000 to be released by each of Russia and USA), and brings the US military inventory down to about 40% of its early 1990s level.
DOE 17/9/07, WNN 18/9/07, NTI 19/9/07.
Remote recovery for US uranium mines
Uranium One has announced an arrangement with Cameco for toll milling to recover uranium from its small Wyoming ISL mines, initially Moore Ranch in 2009. At each operation the leach solution will deposit uranium on an ion-exchange resin. The novelty is that instead of being stripped and precipitated there, the resin is trucked to a larger plant for stripping and uranium recovery - in this case to Cameco's Smith Ranch-Highland mill 80 km away. Production of up to 540 tU per year is expected. Moore Ranch has 2235 tU as measured resource (NI 43-101 compliant) plus indicated resources. In southern Texas, Uranium One is refurbishing its Hobson mill to recover uranium from loaded resin trucked similarly from its La Palangana ISL mine.
Uranium One 21/8/07.
Strong support from nuclear neighbours
A survey of 1150 people living within 16 km of nuclear power plants in the USA, but without any personal involvement with them, has shown very strong support for new nuclear plants. Over 90% thought nuclear energy was important for future supply, 82% favoured it now, 77% said that new plants should definitely be built and 71% said they would accept a new plant near them. There was an overwhelmingly favourable view of local nuclear plants, notably their safety. On nuclear waste, 71% said it was safe being stored at the plant and 78% said the federal government should get on with developing the Yucca Mountain repository. Regarding reliable sources of information about nuclear energy, various nuclear plant sources were rated 68-74% compared with environmental groups 45% and anti-nuclear groups 22%. The researcher concluded that "Nimby (not in my back yard) does not apply at existing plant sites because close neighbours have a positive view of nuclear energy, are familiar with the plant, and believe that the plant benefits the community."
Bisconti Research 8/07.
New Romanian reactor on line
Cernavoda-2 has been grid connected in Romania. The 700 MWe Candu-6 heavy water reactor was built by a Canadian-Italian-Romanian team. Loans of EUR 218 million from Canada and EUR 223.5 million from Euratom helped towards its EUR 777 million cost. Two Cernavoda units will supply about 18% of Romania's electricity.
Nuclearelectrica 8/8/07.
Areva and EdF court British public
Launching a new web site setting forth the virtues of Areva's large EPR type reactor, Areva and EdF have appealed straight to the British public. The EPR is one of four designs, each supported by utilities, ready to undergo generic design assessment in UK. The assessments will be done by experts belonging to the nuclear regulators - the Health and Safety Executive (including its Office for Civil Nuclear Security) and the Environment Agency. Each full GDA will cost up to £10 million and take some three years, though not all the proffered designs are likely to proceed past initial selection early in 2008.
www.epr-reactor.co.uk.
Russia plans deployment of small reactors
Atomenergoprom has announced its schedule for building new nuclear plants to 2020. Its basis is funding for seventeen 1200 MWe reactors to come on line 2013-17. More are proposed but as yet unfunded, including six of the new VK-300 boiling water reactors scheduled to begin operating from 2017-20 at Kola and Primorskaya in the far east. These are likely to be the smallest modern reactors on offer in the next decade, apart from the modular high-temperature gas-cooled reactors from China and S. Africa, and will be of interest to countries and regions with grids of around 2-3 GWe.
Shchedrovitsky paper at WNA Symposium 6/9/07.
Hungary uprates Paks reactors
Two units of Hungary's Paks nuclear power plant have been uprated by 8%, and preparatory work to do the same on the other two is under way, for completion in 2009. The four VVER-440 units started up 19892-87 and provide 40% of the country's power. Two new 1000 MWe units are proposed for the Paks site.
Paks 20/6/07.
Chernobyl shelter contract
Ukraine has signed a EUR 430 million contract with a French-led consortium to build a new shelter for the destroyed Chernobyl-4 reactor, to enclose both it and the hastily-built 1986 structure over it. It will be a metal arch 105 metres high and spanning 257m, which will be built adjacent and then moved into place.
Platts 17/9/07.
Nuclear power for motor vehicles
Electricité de France, the world's biggest nuclear power generator, has joined Toyota to advance plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) technology. They will test a small fleet of plug-in vehicles and new charging stations.
WNN 13/9/07.
Chinese contracts signed for western reactors
Westinghouse, along with consortium partner Shaw, has now signed contracts to supply four of its AP1000 nuclear power reactors for Sanmen and Haiyang in China. These will be the first such units built, and major technology transfer is involved. The contracts are with the State Nuclear Power Technology Corporation (SNPTC), Sanmen Nuclear Power Company, Shangdong Nuclear Power Company (for Haiyang) and China National Technical Import & Export Corporation. Specific terms were not disclosed. Full construction is to start in 2009 and the first power is expected at Sanmen late in 2013.
Westinghouse 24/7/07.
China's reactor developments move ahead
Tianwan-2, the second of two 1000 MWe reactors built by Atomstroyexport in China, has started commercial operation.
Due apparently to drawn-out negotiations with Areva and EdF over EPR units, China Guangdong Nuclear Power Co. has decided to build six of its well-proven CPR-1000 units at Yangjiang, instead of two EPRs, and to move the EPRs to Taishan where electricity demand is less pressing.
Construction of the first Hongyanhe nuclear reactor has commenced in Liaoning province - the first nuclear plant in the northeast of China and the first to build four units in one phase of construction. The cost of all four 1080 MWe CPR-1000 units in phase 1 is put at US$ 6.6 billion. Commercial operation is planned for 2012-14. Five units are now under construction in China, with 13 more due to start construction in the next 18 months.
Xinhua 19/8/07, WNN 20/8/07.
Toshiba buys into Kazakh uranium mine
In April several Japanese companies bought 40% of the Kharasan uranium mine project in Kazakhstan, entitling them to that share of production which is expected to reach 5000 tU/yr about 2014. When Toshiba recently agreed to sell part of Westinghouse to Kazatomprom, it agreed to buy 9% of Kharasan from Marubeni (ie 22.5% of the Japanese stake). Production is expected to commence in the first quarter of 2008. This deal will secure some 450 tU/yr for Toshiba and Westinghouse as well as linking both more closely with evolving Kazakh plans to move from supplying uranium alone to selling fabricated nuclear fuel.
Marubeni 20/8/07.
Tepco aftershocks in Japan
The Ministry of Economy Trade & Industry has set up a 20-member Chuetsu Investigation and Countermeasures Committee to investigate the specific impact of the July 16 earthquake which closed Tepco's Kashiwazaki Kariwa nuclear power plant, and in the light of this to identify what government and utilities must address to continue ensuring nuclear plant safety. It acknowledged that the government was responsible for approving construction of the first units in the 1970s very close to what is now perceived to be a geological fault line. The magnitude 6.8 earthquake significantly exceeded the required design criteria for the plant, though so did the actual conservative engineering of it.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) joined Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency in a review of the situation at Kashiwazaki Kariwa. While there was significant damage on site due to the earthquake, none of it threatened safety and the main reactor and turbine units were structurally unaffected. The initial IAEA expert report said that damage overall was "limited and less than expected", though detailed examination will continue for some months.
IAEA 17/8/07, JANTI 10/8/07, Tepco 24/7.
Indonesia opts for Korean reactors
Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. (KHNP) have signed a memorandum of understanding with Indonesia's PT Medco Energi Internasional to start implementing the country's nuclear plans. This will involve two standard 1000 MWe OPR-1000 units from KHNP at a cost of US$ 3 billion. The agreement was part of a wider energy collaboration. Earlier plans were to call for tenders for these Muria units in 2008.
Bloomberg 26/7/07, Korea Times 24/7/07.
Plan for new Argentine reactor
Following a favourable feasibility study completed recently, Nucleoelectrica of Argentina has signed an agreement with Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd (AECL) to establish contract and project terms for construction of one and possibly two new 740 MWe Candu 6 nuclear power reactors. The agreement also calls for AECL to assist Nucleoelectrica to finish construction of the Siemens-designed Atucha 2 reactor, now 80% complete. A government decision to confirm this is expected in April 2008, though these are major elements of the $3.2 billion strategic plan announced in 2006.
WNN 30/7/07.
South Africa embraces nuclear future
A draft nuclear energy policy for South Africa addresses growing electricity demand and the country's 87% reliance on coal for this. It builds upon 23 years of experience with nuclear power and outlines an extensive program to develop all aspects of the nuclear fuel cycle. With uranium mining already well established, conversion, enrichment, fuel fabrication and also reprocessing of used fuel are envisaged as strategic priorities related to energy security. The principal reactor technology will be pressurized water reactors (PWR), while the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) is developed for both electricity and heat. By 2016 the local manufacturing of nuclear components and equipment should be under way and the PBMR commercialized, all with a view to exports as well as local use. Conversely, export of unprocessed uranium will be restricted and a strategic stockpile will be maintained.
The Nuclear Energy Corporation of South Africa (Necsa) earlier said that it expects nuclear capacity to increase to about 27 GWe, supplying 30% of electricity, by 2030, including 12 new large PWR units and an initial set of 24 small PBMRs. New plant would be run by state utility Eskom, which already supplies about 95% of South Africa's electricity (and more than 60% of all Africa's).
DME consultation draft July 2007.
Rio Tinto proposes Rossing mine extension
Rio Tinto is actively considering expanding the Rossing uranium mine in Namibia to 4500 t U3O8 (3800 tU) per year and extending its life beyond 2016. The first phase would extend mining in 2008 to a new small orebody, introduce radiometric ore sorting to beneficiate material from stockpiled coarse ore, and construct a new sulfur-burning acid plant. Phase 2 will be defined in 2008 and could include heap leaching of low-grade ore and development of other small satellite orebodies with different mineralisation and hence needing a new treatment plant for them. 2006 production was 3617 t U3O8.
Rio Tinto info doc 8/07.
Kazakhstan lifts production target
Kazatomprom expects to be the world's largest uranium producer by 2010 from 16 mines, and has projected 18,700 tU production in 2015.
Platts 6/9/07.
Pakistan plans civil fuel complex
As talks have proceeded towards loosening trade restrictions on India for nuclear fuel and plant, Pakistan has stepped up its efforts to achieve something similar, despite firm rejections from the USA and others. In 2006 the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission announced that it was preparing to set up separate and purely civil conversion, enrichment and fuel fabrication plants as a new US$ 1.2 billion Pakistan Nuclear Power Fuel Complex which would be under international safeguards and managed separately from existing facilities. The enrichment plant would have a 150,000 SWU/yr capacity by about 2013, then be expanded in similar increments to be able to supply one third of the enrichment requirements for a planned 8800 MWe generating capacity by 2030.
However, this has had a double setback: Plans for China to build two 1000 MWe reactors at Karachi evaporated when China deferred development of its CNP-1000 type - the only large Chinese type able to be exported. Pakistan is now exploring the possibility of smaller units with higher local content. Furthermore, if Pakistan cannot obtain exemption for Nuclear Suppliers' Group trade sanctions in order to build more nuclear power capacity and obtain more uranium in the near future, there would be no point in proceeding with this civil Fuel Complex.
NuclearFuel 27/8/07.
Ontario to spend $26.5 billion on nuclear plants
After extensive public consultation, the Ontario Power Authority has released its C$ 60 billion plan to meet power demand to 2027. In line with last year's government announcement, this will involve bringing on 14,000 MWe of new or refurbished nuclear plant costing $26.5 billion, and closing 6434 MWe of coal-fired capacity (except as emergency back-up) by 2014. Gas-fired power will increase from 22 to 28% of total at a cost of $3.6 billion. Energy conservation costing $10 billion is planned to reduce demand by 6300 MWe, and doubling of renewable energy capacity (adding 10,771 MWe hydro, 4685 MWe wind) will cost $15 billion. CO2 emissions will drop by 60% and electricity costs rise by 15-20%. Present Ontario generating capacity - much of it old - is about 30 GWe and projected 2027 need is for extra 8 GWe (or 1.7 GWe with conservation measures). Base-load provision rises from 138 billion kWh today to 170 billion kWh.
OPA 29/8/07.
Alberta site for nuclear power plant
Energy Alberta Corp has picked a site near Peace River in the northwest of the province (500 km from Edmonton) for a new 2200 MWe nuclear power plant, using twin ACR-1000 Canadian reactors. It has applied to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission for a site licence for the C$ 6.2 billion plant and aims at 2017 start-up. The site was selected because of expressed community support, but the company pointed out it was just the start of a long approval process. Most of the power would be supplied to the grid.
WNN 28/8/07.
Canadian six-month uranium production
Uranium production from Canada's mines in the first six months of 2007 was slightly below 2006 levels. While McArthur River maintained full production (4284 t U3O8, 3633 tU), that from Rabbit Lake and McClean Lake was down slightly (961 t U3O8/ 815 tU and 355 t U3O8/ 301 tU respectively). Production at McClean Lake is expected to almost double in 2008 relative to 2007.
Cameco 30/7/07, Denison 31/7/07, Areva 8/8/07.
Australia joining global partnerships
The Australian government has joined the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) - see lead story. Australia has made it a condition that it is not obliged to accept any foreign nuclear wastes, and has reserved the right to enrich uranium in the future. In the lead up to this Australia and the USA finalized a joint action plan for civil nuclear energy cooperation including R&D and regulatory issues.
In connection with GNEP, the USA and Japan will support Australia's bid for membership in the Generation IV International Forum (GIF), involving the development of safer and better nuclear reactors for deployment from about 2025. The focus is on six designs.
PM media releases 5/9/07, Age 6/9/07, Aust 10/9/07.
Australian uranium possible for India
The Australian government has decided in principle to allow uranium sales to India. This would first require an Indian safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency, approval from the Nuclear Suppliers Group involving 47 nations and negotiation of a bilateral safeguards agreement with India. No sales to Pakistan are contemplated. Political discussion centres on whether the prospect of uranium sales and trade in nuclear plant with India under conditions such as those worked out with the USA enhances or detracts from the international non-proliferation regime.
PM media release 16/8/07.
Safeguards agreement with Russia
A bilateral safeguards agreement with Russia has been signed, which when ratified will allow Australian uranium exports to that country. Russia is one of five nuclear weapons states under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty but at present has only one reactor under (voluntary) international safeguards - these will need to be extended considerably to cover all facilities using Australian-obligated material. The agreement is much the same as that with China ratified earlier this year. Mr Putin said that increased uranium supplies were needed to support the scaling-up of Russia's nuclear power industry (a tripling of nuclear capacity) over the next 20 years.
News Ltd 7/9/07.
Australian uranium production
Uranium production for the 2006-07 year was 9576.5 tonnes U3O8 (8120.5 tU), slightly less than the previous FY but more than 2006 calendar year. Ranger produced 5256 t (4457 tU), Olympic Dam 3474 t (3491 t UOC, 2946 tU) - steadily increasing over the year - and Beverley 846.6 t (718 tU). Exports were 9518 tonnes U3O8 worth A$ 658 million.
BHPB, ERA, Heathgate 7/07.
Uranium exploration merger
A merger between Toro Energy and Nova Energy will create a significant Australian uranium exploration company with two mine projects and a spread of exploration leases. The enlarged and strengthened Toro Energy will also be active in Africa.
Toro 6/8/07.
US-India agreement takes shape
The nuclear cooperation agreement finalized in July opens the way for India's participation in international commerce in nuclear fuel and equipment. The USA called it "the symbolic centerpiece of our new global strategic partnership with India". It would allow India to reprocess US-origin and other foreign-sourced nuclear fuel at a new national plant under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards. This would be fuel which has been used in those 14 reactors designated as unambiguously civilian and under full IAEA safeguards. The IAEA has greeted the deal as being "a creative break with the past" - where India was excluded from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The agreement still has to gain international acceptance by the Nuclear Suppliers Group and India must set up a new and comprehensive safeguards agreement with the IAEA, plus an Additional Protocol. It will then go to US Congress for final approval. France has also made clear its intention to forge close commercial links with India in relation to nuclear power development.
WNN 30 & 31/7/07, US State Department 3 & 10/8/07.
Kazatomprom confirms Westinghouse purchase
Toshiba's $540 million sale of 10% of Westinghouse to Kazatomprom has been confirmed. Toshiba bought the company from BNFL for $5.4 billion early in 2006, and the Shaw Group then took 20% and IHI Corp. 3%. This sale reduces Toshiba's holding to 67%, still above the 51% originally envisaged, and spreads the ownership of this leading reactor supplier very widely. The Kazakh holding will strengthen the company's upstream links for fuel supplies, enhancing its marketing of nuclear reactors (the vendor usually supplies the first core for a new reactor, and ongoing fuel services may be offered in addition). It will also extend Kazatomprom's commercial reach and boost its move into fuel fabrication in particular - it aspires to sell most of its rapidly-expanding uranium production as finished fuel within ten years. A bilateral Kazakhstan - Japan nuclear cooperation agreement is under negotiation, following on from less formal agreements signed in April.
Kazatomprom 13/8/07.
Areva and Mitsubishi flesh out new reactor plans
Areva NP and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries have established the Paris-based Atmea 50-50 joint venture to develop an advanced third-generation pressurised water reactor of about 1100 MWe. This will have extended fuel cycles and high thermal efficiency. It is expected to be ready for licence application by 2010. The reactor is regarded as mid-sized - relative to the two companies' other Generation III units (1600-1700 MWe) - and will be marketed primarily to countries newly embarking upon nuclear power programs.
Areva 3/9/07.
South Africa targets world process heat market
The long-delayed South African Pebble-Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) Demonstration Power Plant is now expected to start construction at Koeberg in 2009 and start up in 2013 - about the same time as the Chinese version. It will be for electricity production, and Eskom has said it expects to order 24 of them.
However, In 2006 the PBMR Board formalised the concept of a higher-temperature PBMR Process Heat Plant (PHP) with reactor output temperature of 950ºC. The first plants are envisaged for 2016 and the applications will be oil sands production and petrochemical industry (process steam), steam methane reforming of natural gas for hydrogen, and eventually thermochemical hydrogen production. This design is being submitted to the US Department of Energy as a candidate Next-Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP).
Paterson, Matzie et al paper at WNA Symposium 6/9/07.
Uranium companies in ethical investment index
Rio Tinto has joined BHP Billiton in the FTSE4Good index, having fulfilled its criteria for socially responsible mining of uranium. The FTSE4Good index series was launched in 2001 for investors that wanted to only invest in companies with good standards of corporate responsibility and that minimize social and environmental risk. The index initially excluded uranium mining and nuclear power companies, lumping them with tobacco and weapons, but FTSE has recently completed a review of the 'negative screen' that excluded them. For uranium mining companies there are now specific criteria in addition to the index's demanding requirements for any companies with potential to have high environmental and social impacts.
WNN 18/9/07.
Areva bags UraMin and revs up U exploration
Areva NC has succeeded in its bid of over US$ 2.5 billion in cash for UraMin Inc, achieving 93% acceptance, with UraMn's board recommendation. It will integrate it into its mining business unit and expects to get 7000 t/yr of uranium from UraMin's three deposits in Africa after 2012.
As well as its energetic campaign of acquiring uranium exploration companies such as UraMin, Areva is to triple its own exploration budget to some EUR 90 million per year (cf EUR 30 million in 2006), focused on Africa and Central Asia.
Platts 30/7/07, Bloomberg 9/8/07.
Uranium from phosphate feasibility check
Nukem Inc and CF Industries in Florida are undertaking a feasibility study for a plant to recover 400 tonnes of uranium per year as by-product from the latter's phosphate fertiliser production plant. CF Industries recovered about 550 tones of uranium there in the 1980s but abandoned the project due to low prices. Potential world resources in such phosphate deposits are some 22 million tonnes of uranium.
Nucleonics Week 2/8/07.
APEC resolution on emission reduction
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum summit in Sydney reached agreement on climate, energy security and development. Leaders from 21 nations including the USA, Russia, Japan and China set a goal of 25% reduction of energy intensity by 2030, relative to economic development and with 2005 base. Progress towards the goal will be monitored and reported at a summit in 2010. The APEC parties called for a post-2012 international climate change agreement that would strengthen, broaden and deepen the current UNFCCC arrangements and would lead to reduced global emissions of greenhouse gases. The statement noted the importance of nuclear energy as a zero-emission energy source.
WNN 10/9/07.
WNA releases biennial market report
The World Nuclear Association's (WNA) Market Report 2007 does not substantially revise its growth scenarios for nuclear energy, but says that the upper scenario has become rather more likely. The scenarios for uranium and enrichment requirements are also little-changed, but uranium demand is generally now slightly lower than two years ago and enrichment input higher. This is because buyers have taken the opportunity to substitute enrichment services for uranium, owing to rapid price escalation in the latter.
The report emphasises that secondary supplies such as downblended former military highly enriched uranium (HEU) will continue to play an important part in the market until 2020 and beyond. Primary uranium production is now set to increase rapidly, based on a firm reserves base and a greater stimulus from higher uranium prices to develop new mines. It appears that the nuclear fuel market will be adequately supplied to 2030, but more uranium mines, currently categorised as prospective, would be required to meet the upper demand scenario.
Wood, Janet, 2007, Nuclear Power, Institution of Engineering & Technology, UK, IET Power & Energy series 52, 239 pp.
This is an informative book with many interesting bits but its coverage is very detailed in places and cursory in others. About one quarter of it is focused on the UK. Its strengths are in talking about nuclear power generation and its challenges, including important but not newsworthy aspects such as plant ageing; the weak parts are the science and the rest of the fuel cycle, especially mining, coupled with an odd reliance on personal sources. It is occasionally let down by poor editing (rocks instead of minerals, curies as radioactive "effect", lack of SI units, etc). The two pages on uranium resources is shallow and reprocessing doesn't look beyond Purex. GNEP isn't mentioned. IHL
Reactor table
Plans for new reactors worldwide
Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (new)
Generation IV reactors
Safety of nuclear power plants
Small nuclear power reactors
Nuclear plants and earthquakes
Tokai-mura criticality accident
Safeguards to prevent proliferation
Safeguards appendix (Iran, N. Korea)
India, China & NPT
Cooperation in nuclear power
Country papers:
Africa,
Argentina,
Australia,
Belgium,
Canada,
China,
Finland,
France,
Germany,
India,
Hungary,
Japan,
Kazakhstan,
Korea,
Namibia,
Niger & Gabon,
Pakistan,
Romania,
Russia,
Slovakia,
South Africa,
Sweden,
Switzerland,
UK,
Ukraine,
USA,
Emerging nuclear countries
Nuclear process heat for industry (new)
Transport & hydrogen economy
Military warheads as source of fuel
Uranium & depleted U
Processing used fuel for recyle
Radiation & nuclear energy
Japanese waste and MOX shipments
Australia's uranium mines (AUA mines paper)
See also Ux Consulting graphs
World reactor changes in last two months:
Argentina: planned 1 x 740 MWe
China: Hongyanhe-1 start construction 1080 MWe
China: Tianwan-2 commercial operation
GPO Box 1649, Melbourne 3001, Australia
phone (03) 8616 0440
fax (03) 8616 0441