THE WORLD'S NUCLEAR NEWS AGENCY

World Nuclear Review - week ending 14th May 2004

Japan: Industry Rejects 'Untrue' Reports About Nuclear Policy

Reports that Japan's government has been recommended to move away from the development of fast breeder reactors as part of changes to nuclear power policy have been rejected.

Recent international media reports had wrongly claimed that government advisers were recommending a shift in national nuclear policy to focus on conventional light-water reactors - and that the authorities were considering halting the country's nuclear fuel cycle programme.

The Japan Atomic Industrial Forum (JAIF) told NucNet on 13th May that the reports were untrue.

In October last year, Japan's cabinet approved the country's "energy basic plan", which stipulated that nuclear power and the nuclear fuel cycle was a key element of the country's energy policy.

Source: JAIF

Full report: NucNet News No. 112, 13th May

New Clean-up Enterprise Launched As Part Of BNFL Group

A new UK-based nuclear clean-up business - the British Nuclear Group - has been launched as part of the British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL) group.

British Nuclear Group, launched this month, will operate as a separate business group of BNFL until 1st April 2005 when it will become a standalone commercial business. British Nuclear Group chief executive Lawrie Haynes said the new group would "significantly enhance the clean-up of the nuclear legacy, both at home and abroad".

In the UK, the new group will focus on clean-up programmes for the country's new Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) - which will take over the majority of BNFL's UK assets and liabilities in April 2005, subject to the successful passage of energy legislation now going through the UK parliament.

Source: British Nuclear Group

Full report: NucNet Business News No. 22, 11th May

Slovakia Urged To Revive Talks With EU Over N-Plant Closure

The government of Slovakia and the country's future members of the European Parliament have been urged to revive negotiations about the closure of Slovakia's Bohunice V1 nuclear power plant.

Slovak participants at an international conference held in Bratislava on 5th and 6th May described the planned closure of the plant as a politically-inspired "groundless commitment" based on what they said was outdated information.

Slovakia joined the EU on 1st May based on agreements that included a commitment to close unit one at the plant in 2006 followed by unit two in 2008.

The head of the neighbouring Czech Republic's nuclear safety authority, Dana Drabova, told journalists at the conference that the situation was similar to that faced by other eastern European countries that had joined the EU before Slovakia. She said: "The decision of (Bohunice's) early closure is also one of those political decisions."

In a joint statement the conference co-chairmen Tibor Mikus, president of the Slovak Nuclear Forum (SJF) and Jiri Suchomel, chairman of the Slovak Nuclear Society (SNUS), said: "The conference concluded that the nuclear option should remain open in Slovakia, as part of a balanced energy mix... The participants called on the Slovak government and the future Slovak members of the European Parliament to revive negotiations on a revision of this groundless commitment."

Slovakia goes to the polls on 13th June to elect 14 members of the European Parliament.

Source: SJF / SNUS / Various

Full report: NucNet News No. 109, 11th May

Copyright NucNet. This material can be freely used on publicly-accesible electronic information systems provided NucNet is quoted as the source. For full access to NucNet's range of subscription-based services, write to editors@worldnuclear.org or visit our web site www.worldnuclear.org.