World Nuclear Industry Status Report

Taipei Times (Taiwan): Power Play Rife in Nuclear Debate

2013-05-12T21:25:38Z

Taipei Times Mon, May 13, 2013 - Page 8 By Tsui Shu-hsin 崔愫欣 On Tuesday last week, Kuo Way (郭位), president of City University of Hong Kong, made a presentation on nuclear power at the Presidential Office in Taipei, during which President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) asked about global trends. Kuo was an almost permanent fixture in the media during the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear crisis, speaking in his capacity as an expert on nuclear safety about the crisis at the Fukushima plant itself and of the (...) - In the media

Kewaunee Plant in Wisconsin Closed

2013-05-07T20:40:50Z

On 7 May 2013, Dominion, "one of the nation's largest producers and transporters of energy", closed its Kewaunee nuclear power plant in Wisconsin. The plant owner had intended to sell the facility but failed to identify a buyer. The 39-year old 535 MW reactor was first connected to the grid on 8 April 1974 and is the second US reactor to shut down in 2013, after operator Progress Energy decided in February to close Crystal River for good. The decision is particularly remarkable as "despite (...) - Essential News

Duke Energy Cancels Shearon Harris Project in North Carolina

2013-05-06T09:53:45Z

On the 3 May 2013 US utility Duke Energy announced that it had withdrawn the 1998 license request for the construction and operation of two 1000 MW reactors at the Shearon Harris plant in North Carolina. The company informed the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) that the plant was no longer needed due to sluggish demand growth forecasts. However, others contest the explanation and suggest that Duke have consistently exaggerated demand growth projections and that the changes in the energy (...) - Essential News

US Ownership Rules Hurdle for South Texas Project

2013-05-06T09:34:58Z

On 29 April 2013 the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) put a break on plans for the construction of two reactors at the South Texas Project (STP). The proposal was to build two Advanced Boiling Water Reactors (ABWR) at STP, through a company called Nuclear Innovation North America (NINA). NINA was originally a joint venture between Toshiba American Nuclear Energy Corporation (TANE) and US company NRG. However, following Fukushima, NRG, pulled out of the project and according to the NRC (...) - Essential News

HR-INFO (Germany): Zu Gast im Studio-Mycle Schneider

2013-04-29T20:34:47Z

Am 26.04. jährte sich der Gau von Tschernobyl zum 27. Mal. Aber die Atomkatastrophen in Tschernobyl 1986 und Fukushima 2011 haben den Abstieg der Atomkraft nur beschleunigt. Zu Gast in der Sendung ist Mycle Schneider. Er lebt als unabhängiger Energie- und Atompolitikberater in Paris und ist Initiator und Hauptautor des World Nuclear Industry Status Report. HR-INFO, 28 April 2013, Audio 23:36 min Der "Welt-Statusreport" ist der Faktencheck zur Atomindustrie. Wer den neuesten aus dem Jahr (...) - In the media

Swiss Mühleberg Reactor Gets Unlimited Operating License

2013-03-28T16:20:35Z

On 28 March 2013, the Swiss Federal Court has ruled in favor of the operator of the Mühleberg nuclear power plant and overruled a March 2012 judgement by the Federal Administrative Court that limited the operating license to the end of June 2013 (see Switzerland: Mühleberg Reactor Likely to Close in 2013). This ruling means de facto an unlimited operating license for the 42-year old 373 MW Boiling Water Reactor (BWR), that reached first criticality on 8 March 1971 and was connected to the (...) - Essential News

UK Government Awards Planning Permission for Hinkley C and Launches its Long Term Strategy for Nuclear Power

2013-03-26T18:47:58Z

In the UK on 19 March 2013 the Government granted planning consent for the construction of two EPR reactors at the Hinkley C nuclear power plant. The project has now been given the majority of approval that is required to begin construction. However, despite the announcement, it is far from clear when or if the project will proceed. In particular, the negotiations between the Government and EDF on the guaranteed price of electricity (the strike price) have yet to be concluded. Although the (...) - Essential News

Construction Start at Vogtle Reactor in the US

2013-03-16T15:01:04Z

On 15 March 2013, first concrete was poured at the third unit of the Vogtle nuclear power plant in Georgia, symbolizing the start of construction. The reactor is a Westinghouse AP 1000 design and one of two new units for the nuclear power plant near Atlanta. The reactors are expected to be finished in 2017 and 2018, a year behind schedule. The construction cost is expected to be $14 billion and are supported by a $8.33 billion federal loan guarantee, awarded in February 2010. The (...) - Essential News

Summer, South Carolina: First Construction Start in 36 Years in the US

2013-03-12T21:24:33Z

It was no coincidence. On 11 March 2013, the second anniversary of the start of the Fukushima disaster, SCANA Corporation—company slogan: "Power for Living"—announced the official beginning of the construction of the Virgil C. Summer Unit 2 reactor in Fairfield County, South Carolina. This is the first new nuclear power reactor construction start in the US in 36 years. South Carolina Electric & Gas Company (SCE&G) is a subsidiary of SCANA and plans to complete two Westinghouse AP1000 (...) - Essential News

Les Echos (France): Peu de nouveaux projets pour l'industrie nucléaire dans le monde

2013-03-11T10:20:58Z

Par Anne Feitz | 11/03 | 07:00 Deux ans après Fukushima, l'industrie du nucléaire poursuit sa traversée du désert. Suite à l'onde de choc provoquée par la catastrophe, certains acteurs de la filière ont même commencé à revoir leur stratégie. L'arrêt brutal ou programmé de centrales au Japon et en Allemagne a durement affecté les japonais et les allemands. Plombé par des pertes abyssales, l'électricien Tepco, opérateur de la centrale de Fukushima, a été nationalisé en juin 2012. Les opérateurs exploitant des (...) - In the media