THE WORLD'S NUCLEAR NEWS AGENCY

World Nuclear Review - week ending 7th May 2004

EU Nuclear Capacity Increases Along With Bloc's Expansion

The EU's nuclear park increased as of 1st May when 10 new states officially joined and took the total number of nations in the community to 25.

Five of the 10 states that joined - Lithuania, Slovakia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Hungary - have a total of 19 operational reactor units. Their accession means that 13 out of the 25 EU member states produce nuclear power, and the total number of operational reactor units in the EU increases from 136 to 155.

While EU enlargement means increased nuclear-generating capacity, it also means the shut-down of some reactors as negotiated in the terms of EU accession. Lithuania must close its two units by 2005 and 2009 respectively, while Slovakia must close two of its six units - in 2006 and 2009 - although it has another two under construction.

Before the latest expansion, about 35% of all electricity in the EU was generated by nuclear power plants. Nuclear was also the community's largest single energy source for electricity generation, ahead of coal at 29% and gas at 15%.

A recently released report for 2003 by the Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA) helps place the EU's energy situation in perspective. The previous 15 EU member states generated a total of 2544.9 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity in 2003 (compared to 2479.1 TWh in 2002) while consuming 2574.4 TWh, and importing 235.3 TWh of electricity. Of the total electricity generated in the EU, combustible fuels accounted for 1378 TWh, nuclear for 853.5 TWh, hydro for 295.8 TWh, and geothermal and other sources for 17.6 TWh.

Source: Foratom / EU / IEA / German Atomic Forum

Full report: NucNet News No. 105, 30th April

Governments Advised To Take An Open-Minded Approach To Nuclear

In a new publication titled "Government and Nuclear Energy", the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) recommends governments treat nuclear similar to other energy sources in developing energy policy.

The NEA report reads that: "Governments should try as much as possible to treat nuclear energy on a similar basis to other energy sources, while keeping in mind its unique properties. They should sponsor studies that compare the full life-cycle costs and impacts, including risks, across the spectrum of energy sources and uses. They should also internalise the external costs of all energy activities on an even basis."

The report looks at government policy toward nuclear energy in the evolving context of the three main goals of energy policy in NEA countries - adequate and secure supply; competitive markets and prices; and sustainable development, including goals for climate change and air quality. The NEA is an agency of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and NEA membership comprises 28 OECD countries.

The report examines the relationship between government and nuclear energy - and how privatisation and competition mean that governments no longer directly make many of the decisions affecting the nuclear industry. The report reads: "The current sentiment in most OECD countries is that the government should intervene only when it is in the best position to carry out the task and when the benefits of intervention outweigh the costs."

The most important government role is setting overall policy for the economy, energy and the environment, with an adequate base in legislation and institutional competence. The report urges governments have clear strategies for achieving energy-policy goals and, as an example, stresses: "They should know how they will meet climate-change and air-quality goals, given the current and prospective market dominance of fossil fuels."

"Government and Nuclear Energy" covers a range of other issues influencing nuclear energy policy - such as government responsibility for ensuring an independent, competent regulator and modern regulatory practice "allowing nuclear energy to compete fairly". The report says governments have a role in ensuring for a flexible, stepped policy for long-term waste management - and for balancing public input with scientific information in making key energy decisions.

Source: NEA

Full report: NucNet News No. 106, 3rd May

Ukraine Confirms Plans to Build Khmelnitsky-3

Construction of a new, third unit at the Khmelnitsky nuclear power plant remains a long-range goal for Ukraine - it was confirmed at an energy-policy conference held in Kiev on 30th April.

Chairing the meeting, which focused on the development of Ukrainian energy policy through 2030, was Serhiy Tulub, the country's fuel and energy minister and president of Energoatom - the state-owned utility that operates all four of Ukraine's nuclear power plants.

Mr Tulub said: ?In 2010-2012, we plan to complete unit three at the Khmelnitsky site. This will be a self-protected reactor plant of a new generation offering enhanced safety features and an output of at least 1000 megawatts (MW) as well as a number of passive safety systems and power-manoeuvring capability."

Mykola Vlasenko, director of Energoatom's Science and Technical Centre, confirmed that Khmelnitsky-3 could be completed and operating by approximately 2011 or, according to certain Russian assessments, by 2013. Former fuel and energy minister Serhiy Yermilo had proposed building a third unit at Khmelnitsky in October 2003 - and requested President Leonid Kuchma issue an order to proceed to the design stage.

Khmelnitsky was initially designed to operate four units. Unit one was commissioned in 1987. Construction of unit two began in 1983 and it was to be commissioned in 1991 - however, plans were suspended following a moratorium on the introduction of new nuclear units imposed by the Ukrainian parliament in 1990. By the time the moratorium was lifted, funding problems delayed further progress - and unit two is now scheduled for completion this August.

The April 30th policy meeting in Kiev concluded that nuclear will maintain its share of domestic electricity generation through 2015.

Separately, the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO) announced 30th April the completion of its first pre-operational peer reviews at Khmelnitsky-2 and at Rovno-4, earlier in the month. The reviews were conducted by the WANO Moscow Centre, and used WANO's Performance Objectives and Criteria, which WANO said had been revised to incorporate aspects of nuclear plants nearing the beginning of operation.

Source: Ukrainian Nuclear Society / WANO

Full report: NucNet News No. 107, 3rd May

Experts Note 'Strength And Quality' Of Swiss Disposal Report

An international team of experts has given high marks to a study into the feasibility of the safe disposal of radioactive waste in Switzerland.

The experts gave their views in a report released recently by the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) titled "Safety of Disposal of Spent Fuel, High-level Waste and Long-lived Intermediate Level Waste in Switzerland".

The document brings together the results of an international, independent peer review that examined the post-closure radiological safety assessment for disposal in the Opalinus clay of the Zrcher Weinland region of the country. The original safety report was prepared by Switzerland's National Cooperative for the Disposal of Radioactive Waste (Nagra).

The main appraisal by the experts of the Nagra report - which was carried out at the request of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy - said that the report:

"Is a remarkably mature document considering the current stage of development of the Swiss programme. In particular, Nagra presented a sound and practical disposal project based on a specific realisation of the multi-barrier concept And clear evidence exists that carefully thought-out procedures have been applied for the management of uncertainties."

The full report has the ISBN number 92-64-02063-2 and is available free from the NEA's web site (http://www.nea.fr) or in paper format on request from the OECD/NEA Publications Office, Le Seine St. Germain, 12 boulevard des Iles, 92130 Issy-les-Moulineaux, France (nea@nea.fr). The same document is also available in German.

Source: NEA

Full report: NucNet News No. 104, 30th April

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