THE WORLD'S NUCLEAR NEWS AGENCY

World Nuclear Review - week ending 18th June 2004

Areva Signs Agreements Of Intent On Future Chinese Reactors

Areva group has signed two agreements of intent to cooperate in the technology used in four new reactor units to be built in China - in the presence of the Chinese vice premier Zeng Peiyan, French prime minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin and the chairman of Areva's executive board Anne Lauvergeon.

Both agreements of intent were signed in Paris on 11th June during Mr Zeng's official visit to France. One was signed with Wang Yumin, president of the China Guangdong Nuclear Power Group, for Areva - through Framatome ANP, its joint subsidiary with Siemens - to share its expertise and provide assistance during the construction of two new units at phase two of the Ling Ao nuclear plant in Guangdong province.

The other agreement of intent was signed with Kang Rixin, president of the China National Nuclear Corporation, and relates to assistance in constructing two more units at the Qinshan phase two nuclear plant in Zhejiang province.

An Areva spokesman told NucNet that the letters of intent did not represent tenders or contracts. He said it is not known how the Chinese will proceed with the new reactor construction - or if there will be a formal bidding process. However, he said that some of the work is expected to go to foreign companies and that the agreements signed in Paris represented "a very good sign" for Areva.

Source: Areva

Full report: NucNet Business News No. 36, 15th June

Former IAEA Safeguards Chief To Head International Expert Group

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has announced the appointment of an international expert group to consider non-proliferation issues such as the possibility of bringing parts of the nuclear fuel cycle under "multilateral control".

IAEA director-general Mohamed ElBaradei said the group would be chaired by Bruno Pellaud - a former IAEA deputy director-general in charge of the safeguards department between 1993 and 1999.

Dr ElBaradei told the 14th June meeting of the IAEA board of governors in Vienna: "At the March meeting of the board I said that it was clear that the wide dissemination of the most proliferation-sensitive parts of the nuclear fuel cycle - the production of new fuel, the processing of weapon-usable material and the disposal of spent fuel and radioactive waste - could be the 'Achilles' heel' of the nuclear non-proliferation regime and that it was important to tighten control over these operations, which could be done by bringing them under some form of multilateral control.

Mr Pellaud, who is also president of the Swiss Association for Atomic Energy, told NucNet that the members of the group would represent a range of experience "of the technical, economic and political issues at hand".

Source: IAEA / Bruno Pellaud

Full report: NucNet News No. 132, 14th June

Sale Of US Ginna Nuclear Plant Completed

Constellation Energy has acquired the R. E. Ginna nuclear power plant in the US from the Rochester Gas and Electric Corporation (RGE), a subsidiary of the New York-based Energy East Corporation.

The final purchase price of the acquisition, which was announced on 10th June, reflected adjustments and was estimated to be about 408 million US dollars (USD), excluding USD 21 million for nuclear fuel and an expected post-closing adjustment of approximately USD 21 million in exchange for an equal amount of additional pension assets. Additionally, the final purchase price is subject to certain other adjustments.

Constellation Energy now owns and operates three nuclear power plants (including Ginna) with five units. The company said the finalisation of the purchase, which was accomplished in just over six months, marked the quickest approval of the transfer of ownership of a US nuclear plant.

Source: Constellation Energy

Full report: NucNet Business News No. 35, 14th June

Slovak Economy Minister Supports Nuclear And Stirs Debate

Slovak economy minister Pavol Rusko has described the proposed completion of units three and four of the country's Mochovce nuclear power plant as a "necessity" - and as a precondition for the proposed privatisation of the Slovak Electric (SE) national utility.

Mr Rusko's comments were made to the Austrian media, where there has been strong opposition to the further development of nuclear power in both Slovakia and in another neighbouring country, the Czech Republic.

The minister said, however, that both potential major bidders for SE - Czech utility CEZ and RAO USE of Russia - have already committed to completing the Mochovce units if their bids are successful.

Mr Rusko's comments also revived the debate concerning Slovakia's commitment to the planned shutdown of units one and two of the Bohunice V1 nuclear power plant - as agreed under conditions for Slovakia's entry into the EU.

Slovakia has been reconsidering the matter, and last month participants in an international conference held in the Slovak capital, Bratislava, called on the government to reopen negotiations with the EU.

Source: Jiri Suchomel, Slovak Nuclear Society / NucNet national correspondent

Full report: NucNet News No. 134, 17th June

Nuclear Society President Elected To European Parliament

Romana Jordan Cizelj, president of the Nuclear Society of Slovenia (NSS), is one of seven Slovenians who have been elected to the European Parliament.

Having received her PhD in nuclear engineering in 2001, Dr Jordan Cizelj, 38, worked as a researcher in the field of probabilistic safety analysis (PSA) at the Jo·ef Stefan Institute in the Slovenian capital, Ljubljana. She was elected NSS president in 2002.

Dr Jordan Cizelj was elected to the European Parliament on 13th June on the list of the centre-right Slovenian Democratic Party, and she will join the European People's Party (EPP-ED) parliamentary group.

Source: NSS / EPP-ED

Full report: NucNet News in Brief No. 1, 17th June

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