17 December 2008 - 6 January 2009
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NEW NUCLEAR: |
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6 January 2009 |
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A construction contract has been signed for a new nuclear power plant in the USA. The deal between Progress Energy and the Westinghouse and Shaw consortium is the third so far. Two AP1000 nuclear power reactors are to be built at a new site in Levy County, Florida under the contract, valued at $7.65 billion plus inflation, owner costs and contingencies. |
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5 January 2009 |
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The row over delays at the Olkiluoto 3 new-build project has grown more serious after constructing consortium Areva-Siemens took their customer Teollisuuden Voima Oyj to arbitration. Meanwhile, the reactor pressure vessel has arrived on site. |
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31 December 2008 |
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An application has been made to build and operate the Eagle Rock uranium enrichment facility that Areva plans for Idaho, USA. An Areva subsidiary submitted the application for a combined construction and operating licence to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on 30 December. |
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30 December 2008 |
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Grid connections have been arranged for a potential new nuclear plant at Wylfa, on the Welsh island of Anglesey. Some 3600 MWe of nuclear capacity could be added there. European utility group RWE announced today that it had secured the connection agreements from National Grid. |
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29 December 2008 |
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Work on two new nuclear power reactors was inaugurated on 26 December - just 11 days after a ceremony for the start of work on six other units. The latest units to officially enter the construction phase are two CPR-1000 reactors at Fangjiashan, near the existing Qinshan nuclear power plant in Zhejiang province. |
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22 December 2008 |
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Japan's Chubu Electric Power Company decided today to build a new power reactor as a more economic option than modifying two older units. The two oldest reactors at Hamaoka, numbers 1 and 2, require modification to meet seismic standards imposed after the July 2007 Niigata Chuetsu offshore earthquake. |
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17 December 2008 |
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Consultation has started on the UK nuclear industry's required legal justification of new build plans. The Justification exercise is required under EU law to ensure that nuclear power developments are in the public interest. |
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NUCLEAR POLICIES: |
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5 January 2009 |
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Three old nuclear power reactors were shut down worldwide during 2008, while no new units were started up. However, construction started on ten new power reactors and power uprates of existing plants helped bolster operating capacity. |
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REGULATION & SAFETY: |
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18 December 2008 |
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Four years of work, three public meetings and several opportunities for public comment have resulted in the approval by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) of new rules enhancing security requirements for US nuclear power plants. |
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CORPORATE: |
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6 January 2009 |
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A subsidiary of Babcock & Wilcox (B&W) has completed its acquisition of Nuclear Fuel Services (NFS) - a provider of specialty nuclear fuels and related services - for an undisclosed sum. B&W entered into a definitive agreement in early August 2008 to acquire NFS. |
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22 December 2008 |
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Areva has simultaneously announced plans for the manufacture of nuclear fuel with Japan's Mitsubishi as well as reprocessing and recycling at home in France. The deal with Mitsubishi builds on a memorandum of understanding signed in April 2008. |
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19 December 2008 |
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A statement today from Texas-based Uranium Resources said the company had cut its annual costs by $2.2 million, in part by cutting jobs and salaries. Three 'executive officer' positions were eliminated, while those remaining in senior roles had their cash compensation cut by 30% to 40%, saving $800,000 per year in total. |
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18 December 2008 |
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German power giant EOn is set to become Belgium's third biggest power producer under an agreement to swap capacity, including rights to nuclear output, with Electrabel. The two companies have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) under which EOn will sell a total of around 1700 MWe of generating capacity and procurement rights in Germany to Electrabel, in return for a similar amount of capacity and rights in Belgium. |
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17 December 2008 |
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Electricite de France has reached a "definitive investment agreement" with US utility Constellation Energy to acquire half of its nuclear generation and operation business for $4.5 billion, rejecting an offer from MidAmerican of $4.7 billion for the entire company. |
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EXPLORATION & NUCLEAR FUEL: |
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19 December 2008 |
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It has been confirmed that Areva is to provide 300 tonnes of uranium to India. That Areva would supply uranium to India had been speculated in the media after comments were sourced from ministers. When the official announcement came yesterday, the figure of 300 tonnes was confirmed, but there were no details of the rate at which the material would be shipped or whether repeat annual orders were arranged. |
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19 December 2008 |
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The Honeymoon mine in South Australia should begin production in 2010, following a fresh commitment from Canada-based Uranium One and an engineering contract with Ausenco. Ausenco said that it has taken on an engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) contract for the project. |
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18 December 2008 |
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The US Department of Energy has a plan to release a large part of its uranium holdings to the market. Stocks of Russian origin are earmarked for the first cores of new US reactors. |
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INDUSTRY TALK: |