THE WORLD'S NUCLEAR NEWS AGENCY

World Nuclear Review - week ending 3rd September 2004

Paks-2 Expected Back On Line In Early September

Load tests were continuing on 30th August at unit two of Hungary's Paks nuclear power plant - which was expected to be back in commercial operation within a matter of days.

The Hungarian Atomic Energy Authority (HAEA) gave the conditional approval for the restart of the unit in July - following its shutdown last year after an incident that led to the serious damage of 30 fuel assemblies.

Paks spokesman IstvÀn Mittler said: "Normal operational electrical energy production could be started after successful completion of the test run." He said a forecast given to the Hungarian Power System Operator Company (Mavir) and electricity distributors was for production to start in "the first days of September".

Paks told NucNet last week that an application for a licence to recover the damaged fuel assemblies from a service shaft near the reactor would be submitted soon.

Source: Paks nuclear power plant

Full report: NucNet News No. 168, 30th August

IAEA Reports On 2003 And Updates On 'Fastest Growth In Asia'

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says it continued to expand its scope of activities in 2003 - a year that marked the 50th anniversary of US president Dwight D Eisenhower's "Atoms for Peace" speech - and that Asia continues to be the centre for nuclear expansion and growth prospects.

The IAEA's comments came with the announcement of its annual report for 2003 - and followed the recent releases of its 2003 Nuclear Safety Review, 2003 Nuclear Technology Review and summary of its latest Safeguards Implementation Report and 2003 Technical Cooperation Annual Report.

The annual report shows that nuclear continued to account for 16% of global electricity generation in 2003. At the end of the year there were 439 nuclear reactor units in operation around the world, compared to 441 at the end of 2002. The "global energy-availability factor" of the nuclear units increased from 74.2% in 1991 to 83.7% in 2002.

In 2003, the IAEA reports that two new units were connected to their respective national grids, Qinshan phase three unit two in China and Ulchin-5 in South Korea.

The IAEA says that Asia continued to be the centre for expansion and growth prospects in 2003. In a 26th June statement titled "Nuclear Power's Changing Future", the IAEA updated the "fastest growth in Asia" trend. The statement says that - with the grid connections earlier this year of China's Qinshan phase two unit two and Japan's Hamaoka-5 - 22 of the last 31 units connected to grids worldwide were in Asia.

Source: IAEA / Swiss Association for Atomic Energy (SVA)

Full report: NucNet News No. 167, 27th August

Russia Moves Forward On Cooperation With Iran

Russian prime minister Mikhail Fradkov has signed a decree giving a legal basis for the recently established Russian Federal Atomic Energy Agency (Rosatom) to move forward on cooperation in the development of nuclear energy with Iran.

The decree authorises Rosatom "to hold negotiations and sign on behalf of the government of the Russian Federation the protocol introducing the amendments in the Agreement for Cooperation in constructing a nuclear power plant in the Republic of Iran".

Rosatom was formally established in March 2004 - and succeeded the former Ministry of Atomic Energy (Minatom). In May 2004, Rosatom was placed under the direct authority of Mr Fradkov.

Nikolai Shingarev, head of the Rosatom public relations centre, said: "This decree has filled the legal vacuum that resulted from the liquidation of Minatom and establishment of Rosatom, in connection with the agency's international cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy."

The decree also authorises Rosatom to negotiate with the governments of South Africa, Indonesia and Myanmar, and to sign previously adopted documents on cooperation with those countries in the field of the peaceful use of nuclear energy. Mr Shingarev explained that the decree would accelerate significantly the signing of agreements with these countries.

He said, however, that the key document is the additional protocol to the Agreement for Cooperation with Iran on the return of spent nuclear fuel to Russia. Without the protocol, the contract to supply nuclear fuel to the Bushehr nuclear power plant could not be signed.

Source: Rosenergoatom / Nuclear Society of Russia

Full report: NucNet News No. 169, 30th August

Japan's Tepco Restarts Fukushima II-2 Reactor Unit

Japan's Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) has announced the restart of generation on 29th August at unit two of its Fukushima II nuclear power plant.

Operations at the unit were stopped for periodic inspection in April 2003 as part of the suspensions of operations at Tepco's nuclear power plants - following allegations concerning the falsification of voluntary inspection records.

Source: Tepco / Japan Atomic Industrial Forum

Full report: NucNet News No. 170, 2nd September

Ranger Mine Operations Suspended For Health And Safety Upgrade

Energy Resources of Australia Ltd (ERA) announced the voluntary suspension of operations at its Ranger uranium mine from 31st August, "for a period of some days" - to address health and safety issues raised by reports from the country's Office of the Supervising Scientist (OSS).

ERA said the decision followed consultations with Australia's minister for Industry, Tourism and Resources, Ian Macfarlane - and the tabling in the Australian Senate of two OSS reports on radiation clearance procedures for vehicles leaving the Ranger uranium mine and on a water contamination incident at the mine.

In ERA's announcement, chief executive Harry Kenyon-Slaney announced the establishment of three teams at the Ranger mine to oversee health and safety improvements. These teams will focus on the implementation of the findings of a radiation controls review conducted at the mine in July as well as on carrying out key safety initiatives, and a major and sustainable improvement in general housekeeping standards across the Ranger site.

In addition to the company's actions, Mr Macfarlane outlined a further process of auditing the company's health and safety procedures - and Mr Kenyon-Slaney said the company would cooperate with this external process.

Source: ERA / Australian Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources / OSS

Full report: NucNet News in Brief No. 26, 31st August

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