THE WORLD'S NUCLEAR NEWS AGENCY

World Nuclear Review - week ending 22nd October 2004

Flamanville Is Named Host Of France's Demonstration EPR Project

French state utility ElectricitÈ de France (EDF) announced on 21st October that Flamanville - on the English Channel west of Cherbourg - will be the site of the country's demonstration unit of European pressurised water reactor (EPR)

EDF said its chairman, Pierre Gadonneix, had just concluded consultations with the EDF board of directors its decision to locate the head-of-series unit at Flamanville - site of two existing 1,330-megawatt pressurised water reactors (PWRs) - and that, according to legislation, the matter would be referred to the French National Public Debate Commission in the coming days.

EDF said the selection of Flamanville marks the end of an extensive consultation process with elected officials and commercial representatives in the regions involved. EDF added that Flamanville, among the 20 EDF centres of nuclear power production, met specific technical criteria: such as available land reserves, adequate electricity-transmission capacity and the ability to host the work site.

EDF said: "Furthermore, there is a broad consensus on the part of local elected representatives and economic players to set up the EPR at Flamanville, considering in particular the expected local economic consequences."

EDF described the EPR, designed by Areva-Siemens subsidiary Framatome ANP, as "the fruit of French-German collaboration" - saying it offers new developments in safety, environmental and economic performance. EDF said the project would be carried out over five years, starting from 2007.

Source: EDF

Full report: NucNet News No. 195, 21st October

Russian Duma Committee Promotes Closed Fuel-Cycle Unit Development

A Russian state Duma (parliamentary) committee is proposing that the government include a programme for developing nuclear reactor units with closed fuel cycles in its proposed "Energy-Efficient Economy" strategy for 2005-2010.

The proposal was approved by the Duma Committee for Power Industry, Transport and Communications on 6th October - at a session that included the participation of the leaders of the country's nuclear industry enterprises.

The committee noted that that further development of nuclear power based on the construction and implementation of fast-neutron power units with closed fuel cycles represents one way of promoting the sustainable development of the Russian economy in the near future.

Oleg Saraev, director-general of state-owned utility Rosenergoatom, said that the waste produced by such fast neutron reactors with closed fuel cycles is safe for the environment because the waste "is burned during the cycle" of electricity generation. In 20 years, the closed fuel cycle could use up the entire stock of reactor and weapons-origin plutonium in Russia - a stockpile that Mr Saraev said represents both a potential security concern as well as a management expense.

In 2005, Rosenergoatom plans to devote approximately 900 million Russian rubles (RUR) - or more than 30 million US dollars (USD) - to developing the design of the BN-800 fast neutron reactor - to be installed at Beloyarsk nuclear power plant. Mr Saraev said: "In order to preserve the resources of the project, it is necessary to allocate RUR 2 billion annually".

Source: Rosenergoatom / Nuclear Society of Russia

Full report: NucNet News No. 193, 18th October

Finnish Emissions Report Recommends 6th Power Unit

A new report commissioned by the government of Finland recommends the construction of a sixth nuclear power unit as the best way for the country to address future energy challenges - including avoiding the negative effects of a complying with the Kyoto Protocol on greenhouse gas emissions.

The recommendation was made in the report by author Mikko Kara - executive director of the Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT) - and submitted to the Finnish Ministry of Trade and Industry on 7th October.

Mr Kara told NucNet that he was nominated last March to prepare a report on the effects of the EU Greenhouse Gas Emission Trading Scheme (EU ETS) - which will commence operation in January 2005. The ETS is designed "ensure that greenhouse gas emissions in the energy and industry sectors are cut at least cost to the economy and will help the EU and its member states meet their emission targets under the 1997 Kyoto Protocol" - and, under the Emissions Trading Directive, the then-15 EU member states were also due to submit their national allocation plans to the European Commission last March.

Nuclear energy has been increasingly promoted as an energy source that produces virtually no emissions of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide - and one that can help meet emission-reduction targets, such as those within the Kyoto Protocol. Finland currently has four operating power units and is building a fifth unit - a European pressurised water reactor (EPR) with a capacity of 1600 megawatts.

Mr Kara said that, from an economic point of view, the country requires a sixth power unit. He said: "The idea of the sixth unit came out as the most economical solution as well as the one best-suited to meeting emission targets and, further, to keeping investment on the production side."

Source: VTT / EU

Full report: NucNet News in Brief No. 42, 15th October

French Finance Minister Promotes A Post-Oil, Nuclear Future For Europe

French minister for economy, finance and industry Nicolas Sarkozy says Europe's answer to rising oil prices and a depleted oil supply should be to follow the example set by France - and opt for nuclear energy.

Mr Sarkozy addressed the issues of oil-price rises and an impending scarcity of oil supply in a series of recent energy-policy statements - including at a meeting of finance ministers from the G7 group of industrialised nations and in an interview on France Inter state radio.

Mr Sarkozy told the G7 meeting in Washington earlier this month that, with oil prices having reached a cost of 50 US dollar per barrel for the first time since the early 1980s, the situation is unlikely to improve - because "the high cost of oil is before us and not behind us". He said that, consequently, "we ask ourselves about the nuclear question - and must ask about it seriously - because nuclear is one of the alternative energies".

Mr Sarkozy said the impending scarcity of natural resources is not restricted to oil alone - whose supply, he said in the France Inter interview, is limited to only another 40-50 years - as he also pointed to rises in the price of steel. Further, he referred to the new interest the energy debate holds when one considers China - the site of a recent state visit by France, a fast-developing country with a population of more than 1 billion and the consumer of 7%-8% of the world's supply of oil.

But on the question of depleting natural resources, Mr Sarkozy said that "in France, we have an answer". He said: "That answer is nuclear - 50% of our energy is nuclear. At the same time, Germany is stopping its nuclear programme. The first question we should be asking concerns European energy policy (and) what will replace oil?"

Source: Agence France Presse / France Inter / French Nuclear Society (SFEN)

Full report: NucNet News No. 194, 19th October

Swiss Association For Atomic Energy Becomes Swiss Nuclear Forum

Among the statute changes passed by the 45th general assembly of the Swiss Association for Atomic Energy (SVA), held in Bern on 14th October, was the decision to change the association's name to Swiss Nuclear Forum - effective 1st January 2005.

The new name is intended to reflect the importance of the forum - or communications - in the nuclear industry, particularly as Switzerland, like most countries, faces questions concerning future energy demands and challenges as well as nuclear-waste disposal.

Association president Dr Bruno Pellaud presided over the general assembly.

Source: SVA

Full report: NucNet News in Brief No. 42, 15th October

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