Nm704.indd

FEBRUARI 26, 2010 | No. 704
OBAMA APPROVES LOAN
FOR REACTORS, PROPOSES
TRIPLING OF LOAN
PROGRAM; STILL NOT
OBAMA APPROVES LOAN FOR
REACTORS, PROPOSES
TRIPLING OF LOAN PROGRAM;
ENOUGH FOR SENATE
STILL NOT ENOUGH FOR
SENATE REPUBLICANS
REPUBLICANS
ENEL INVOLVED IN
CONSTRUCTION OF BALTIC
Channeling George W. Bush, President Obama called in his
NUCLEAR PLANT?
January 27 State of the Union speech for development of “safe,
KOLA NPP FIRST HIDES, THEN
clean” nuclear power in the U.S. Obama quickly followed that up
DOWNPLAYS INCIDENT
with a surprising request in the FY 2011 Department of Energy
NEW LAW ON RADIOACTIVE
budget for a near-tripling of the loan guarantee program for new
WASTE UNDER DISCUSSION IN
reactor construction and then upped the ante on February 17 with
a personal announcement of an US$8.3 billion (6.1 bn Euro)
FRANCE: LUNG-CANCER
taxpayer loan to build two new reactors at the Vogtle site in
RECOGNISED AS
Georgia.
PROFESSIONAL SICKNESS
(704.6013) NIRS - Meanwhile, Energy
Congress with letters demanding that the FUTURE SOUTH AFRICAN PBMR
tripling of the loan program be rejected. UNCERTAIN 6
long-overdue attention in the nation’s SIX CANADIAN REACTORS TO
the Administration’s decision to withdraw CLOSE IN TEN YEARS 6
BURMA: A NUCLEAR
administration’s position is controversial. WANNABE 7
of environmentalists, the composition of consensus policy for radioactive waste.
named, but it does include industry representatives like Exelon CEO James the actual loans for new reactors, through a little-known agency called the Federal Financing Bank. This is ushering in a new kind of nuclear socialism, where taxpayers fund reactor construction, but utilities take all the profits if the project archaic filibuster rule that requires 60 projects will fail- then taxpayers will be left holding the bag. Distressingly, at a stimulus bill, and just about every major sponsor of climate legislation, has been contrasting his positions then and now.
for “clean” coal development. Kerry has case here. They’ll get as much support and will then try to stop a climate bill minority’s bluff and allows them to go ahead and filibuster (which requires the opponents of a bill to talk, without stop, outside, at least, it appears that Obama A definitive answer will probably require interim, it is clear that there has been then vote on a bill that requires only a One problem is that the approach isn’t there is unlikely to be a climate bill.
it appears they have the upper hand.
says he won’t support a bill, and that But the new overt nuclear support likely guarantees isn’t enough for the industry (R-Tenn.), sponsor of a bill calling for year. Nevertheless, it is clear that there Senate for a climate bill -there are too welcome, but isn’t strong enough to get Source and contact: NIRS
NUCLEAR MONITOR 704
ENEL INVOLVED IN CONSTRUCTION
OF BALTIC NUCLEAR PLANT?
Russian leading business magazine 'Expert' reported on February 4, that Italian Enel may invest
into construction of a nuclear power plant in the Russian region of Kaliningrad. According to the
magazine, Enel and Russian 'Inter RAO' are in talks to set up a joint company to build two
VVER-1200 nuclear reactors nearby the border of Kaliningrad and Lithuania. Lithuania is a member
of the European Union. Both companies are not commenting on the issue presently. 'Inter RAO' is
a Russian company dedicated to find EU-customers for electricity from Russian nuclear reactors.
State-owned nuclear corporation 'Rosatom' (previously known as Minatom) owns 57,3% of 'Inter
RAO' shares.
(704.6014) WISE Kaliningrad - This
Moreover, the region will fully cover its relatively small (up to 20 tons) airplane realistic plan on nuclear waste disposal. earliest. It is therefor likely that 100% of According to activists, the construction the electricity produced by the reactors will be for export, while local residents “Rosatom”, spent nuclear fuel will be reactors will cost around Euro 6 billion. reprocess spent fuel from a VVER-1200.
Baltic nuclear plant will be located right they never analyzed the sustainability of Source and contact: WISE Kaliningrad
to the construction of the nuclear plant. KOLA NPP FIRST HIDES, THEN
DOWNPLAYS INCIDENT
On January 15, 2010, an energy transformer exploded into bits and pieces at the Kola Nuclear
Power Plant, located on the Kola Peninsula, in Northwest Russia. The incident led to a 50%
reduction of power output from two reactor units leaving onsite spent nuclear fuel storage without
energy supply. The authorities at the plant neglected to report about the incident.
(704.6015) WISE Amsterdam - Kola
south-eastern part of the Kola Peninsula off. Units 3 and 4 reduced their capacity 1984, respectively. The two first reactor with the guidelines,” reported the press the first two reactors. The life span of "While the plant was operating at 1433 more than three hours after the incident.
NUCLEAR MONITOR 704
Source and contact: Bellona, PO Box
massive release of radioactivity into the stipulates that Russia informs Norwegian authorities about accidents NEW LAW ON RADIOACTIVE WASTE UNDER
DISCUSSION IN RUSSIA
On January 20, the lower house of the Duma (the Russian parliament) adopted in first reading a
new law on radioactive waste. It is expected that final approval by lower and upper houses of
parliament and Russian president will happen by next summer. The legislation was developed last
year by state-owned nuclear power corporation Rosatom.
(704.6016) WISE Kaliningrad - After
radioactive waste one more time. This is legislation was passed in first reading, environmental groups started to criticize significant lacks related to the disposal new reactors”, said Vladimir Slivyak of include the necessity of public approval law. Otherwise, new legislation will bring for the construction of storage facilities According to the proposed law, it will be reactors and the nuclear industry should For example, a so-called 'declaration on parliament. In the first week of February, nearly 500 letters from individuals, small invited environmental activists to join a was adopted in legislation. As a result, water for nearby cities. One of the goals financial responsibility for radioactive radioactive tritium – a highly dangerous NUCLEAR MONITOR 704
the legislation is still no agreement. It is forward if no agreement will be reached. Source and contact: WISE Kaliningrad
FRANCE: LUNG-CANCER RECOGNISED AS
PROFESSIONAL SICKNESS
On January 15, an employee who has suffered long-term exposure to radiation whilst working
around EDF nuclear reactors was informed that his cancer had been officially recognised as a
professional sickness resulting from exposure to radiation.
(704.6017) Sante/Sous-Traitance - The
over a certain size) is in presenting the suffered long-term exposure to radiation evidence for linking working at specific today’s levels, it is allowed to receive cancer, either at the highest level of the in just a few minutes. There is desperate mutagens, repro-toxins and “harmful” painful inquiry process held by the local should look first of all for any role that been officially recognized as conforming to MP (Professional sickness) Table No 6 Source: Association Sante/Sous-
Contact: Philippe Billard, Sante/Sous-
This is an incredibly important victory for Apart from anything else, it’s clear that the theoretical “safe limit” of radiation exposure (in the EU 50 millisieverts per FUTURE SOUTH AFRICAN PBMR UNCERTAIN
On February 8, South African Public Enterprises Minister Barbara Hogan has announced that the
Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) consortium will be no longer funded from 2013. In a phone
call with Bloomberg she said the project has not attracted a long-term investor or customers and
South Africa can no longer fund the PBMR. A decision on the future of the technology will be made
in August, she said in a statement.
(704.6018) Laka Foundation - It is not
strategically most important battlefields declared that it was canceling its plans to industry has received more state support to the escalating financial crisis starting NUCLEAR MONITOR 704
country to “pursue the involvement in the field of nuclear, including showing a keen says it will reorganize and fire as many as “opens a real opportunity for two African South Africa has a long relationship with Algeria on co-operation in the field of nu- clear energy and research. Kriek said that Eskom Holdings Ltd. and South Africa’s building of the fuel plant to manufacture together 85% of the PBMR (Pty) Ltd. - it demonstration plant, but do not cover the dreaming in finding partners to complete waste disposal or insurance costs. Other (or at least continue) the PBMR project.
Sources: Bloomberg, 18 February 2010:
could not start before late 2008 or early “S. Africa Halts Funding to Pebble Bed optimistic estimate, again. In September spending, to end allocations by 2013” / bed” / Independent Online, 18 February Plant (DPP) project has been indefinitely Contact: Pelindaba Working Group,
“a keen interest” in South Africa's pebble bed technology, and that a “high-level delegation” from Algeria had visited the SIX CANADIAN REACTORS TO CLOSE IN TEN YEARS
The six nuclear reactors at Pickering would be closed down permanently in 10 years time,
according to a new plan put forward by Ontario Power Generation (OPG). Meanwhile, the four
nuclear reactors at Darlington would be refurbished to extend their lifetime until 2050. Whether a
new reactor would be built is still uncertain.
(704.6019) WISE Amsterdam - Cana-
time for the nuclear division of Ontario Hydro (as it was then called) to deal with of their rated electrical output. Thus, after the Pickering [B] nuclear station open for Pickering A restart project, only 30% of its electrical output was restored. (See refurbish the Darlington nuclear station. Darlington supplies about 20 per cent of to restart the four Pickering A reactors. Ontario’s power, with Pickering at roughly the older “A” plant, where two of four reactors are still operating after recent of effort, only one of the four reactors (Unit 4) was successfully restarted. After and four reactors at the newer “B” plant, which is nearing the end of its operating effective to do a full refurbishment at the unit was restarted (Unit 1). At this point Pickering plant because of its smaller re- actors and older, first-generation CANDU were shut down in 1997 (along with three design. The four reactors in the Pickering NUCLEAR MONITOR 704
ton because the best of three bids, from the four in Pickering B dating to the early we start construction,” said Bill Robin- 1980s. Critics and anti-nuclear activists Smitherman termed “many billions” of have long been after the original owner, Projects of OPG. Rough, very preliminary lington's four nuclear reactors, to extend their generation capability to about 2050, will cost Can$6 billion to Can$10 billion, nuclear station located at the Darlington safety. Anti-nuclear activists likely will be said Ontario’s Infrastructure and Energy site license work for a potential new build closing but question why it won't happen will continue in parallel with the above sooner. The answer is partly simple; jobs. cost of the nuclear refurbishment, or were withholding the figures from the public. “People should know what the costs are Costs Darlington unknown
make a multibillion-dollar decision based keep nuclear at 50 per cent of the supply on a guess''. Darlington didn’t come on over the long term. It'll bankrupt us if we the most reliable plant at OPG, producing energy watchdog Sean-Patrick Stensil.
power 94.5 per cent of the time in its best Sources: The Star, 9 February 2010 /
Ontario’s Premier Dalton McGuinty said that Ontario “remains on track to keeping grated Improvement Plan that will define half of its electricity generated by nuclear refurbishment project. “The key to a suc- Contact: Gordon Edwards, [email protected]
building another nuclear plant at Darling- BURMA: A NUCLEAR WANNABE
For several years, suspicions have swirled about the nuclear intentions of Burma’s secretive
military dictatorship. Burma is cooperating with North Korea on possible nuclear procurements
and appears to be misleading overseas suppliers in obtaining top-of-the-line equipment. Certain
equipment, which could be used in a nuclear or missile program, went to isolated Burmese
manufacturing compounds of unknown purpose. Although evidence does not exist to make a
compelling case that Burma is building secret nuclear reactors or fuel cycle facilities, as has been
reported, the information does warrant governments and companies taking extreme caution in
any dealings with Burma. The military regime’s suspicious links to North Korea, and apparent
willingness to illegally procure high technology goods, make a priority convincing the military
government to accept greater transparency.
(704.6020) ISIS - Suspicions about
to Burma. North Korea’s past prolifera- sufficient to establish that North Korea tion activities and the failure to promptly is building nuclear facilities for Burma’s detect the Syrian reactor cannot but lead military junta, despite recent reports to with the resumption of a formal military sibility of significant North Korean nuclear Nuclear Monitor 657, 21 June 2007: “My- anmar: A new Iran in the making?”). Ac- one adds Burma’s own efforts to acquire cording to U.S. officials, concerns about sold a reactor to Syria, a sale which the world’s best intelligence agencies missed until late in the reactor’s construction, nuclear cooperation, but their information no one is willing to turn a blind eye to nuclear equipment, materials, or facilities NUCLEAR MONITOR 704
the reactor complex, but no construction Quantities Protocol (SQP) that it signed in facilities and only small quantities of nu- the terms of its cooperation, Russia has with a few exceptions, mainly conditions mese in fields related to the building and The military regime’s lack of transparency effort to investigate suspicions about its nuclear program. A priority is getting the if it imports or exports nuclear material, also receives nuclear energy training in nuclear facility that is within six months of receiving nuclear material. In the case implement the full safeguards agreement, no later than six months before receiving Burma’s enquiries, or requests for equip- official, Russia assists Burma’s uranium exploration and mining efforts, but this tal entities, Burmese trading companies, effort is relatively small-scale and has guards with the IAEA in the context of the The Myanmar Ministry of Energy lists five areas with potential for uranium mining.
under the SQP. In particular, it has not agreed to report a nuclear facility when it Minimal nuclear Capability
Burma or Myanmar?
In 1989, the military junta officially changed the English translations of many colonial-era names, including the name of the country, to "Myanmar". The democratic elected opposition did and does While some of the name changes are closer to their actual Burmese pronunciations, many domestic and foreign opposition groups and other countries continue to oppose their use in English because they recognize neither the legitimacy of the ruling military government nor its authority to rename the country or towns in English. Various non-Burman ethnic groups choose to not recognize the name because the term Myanmar has historically been used as a label for the majority ethnic group rather Source: Burma Center Netherlands
thermal research reactor. A draft cooper- Minimal nuclear transparency
into operation in October 2009. This net- in May 2002 for the construction of a nu- eration Treaty (NPT) in 1992. It insists it clear research center that would include is in compliance with all its obligations to consider if Burma should be invited to a ten megawatt-thermal research reactor, published reports in the summer of 2009, A new constraint on Burma’s cooperation and facilities for the disposal of nuclear states from engaging in trade with North eration agreement in 2007 for the sale of Korea in almost all conventional weapons NUCLEAR MONITOR 704
related to ballistic missiles and nuclear. Burma to ascertain if there is an underly- well as its cooperation with North Korea lant. Suppliers need to exercise greater ficials have expressed worries about the “nature and extent” of Burma’s ties with in a manner that would make it extremely entities or companies in other countries difficult for Burma to acquire a nuclear Conclusion and policy recommenda-
A priority is to establish greater transpar- ency over Burma’s and North Korea’s ac- tivities and inhibit any nuclear or nuclear be pursuing a long-term strategy to make countries that supplied the high-precision reports to the contrary, the military junta other military goods illegally. Vigorous im- a legal justification to press for access to lishing a significant nuclear capability. plementation of the recent U.N. Security the equipment in order to verify that it is of major nuclear facilities appears unreli- should continue to press Burma’s military with a secret missile or nuclear program. Although Burma and North Korea appear Source: “Burma: A Nuclear Wan-
termined with the available information. Facilities” by David Albright, Paul Bran- nuclear, conventional weapon, or missile cipal condition, including the Additional capabilities or is Burma assisting North Available at: http://isis-online.org/coun- Contact: Institute for Science and In-
capability of some type, but whether its Suite 500, Washington, DC 20002, USA.
ultimate purpose is peaceful or military facilities, equipment, or materials from questions about the regime’s activities Germany: debate on n-power in CDU party. Debate is still raging in the German government over the use of nuclear power.
Chancellor Merkel has distanced herself from comments by environment minister Norbert Röttgen a day earlier. On February
20, Röttgen predicted that Germany would be free of nuclear power by 2030. By 2030, Germany's youngest nuclear power
stations will have reached a lifespan of 40 years, eight longer than that agreed in 2000 on by former Chancellor Gerhard
Schröder's centre-left coalition of Social Democrats and Greens.
Röttgen, a member of the conservative Christian Democrats, told the Frankfurter Rundschau newspaper that even by the
most skeptical of forecasts, Germany would reach its goal of getting 40 percent of its energy from renewable sources by
2030, thus allowing the country's remaining nuclear power stations to shut down. Renewable sources currently supply 16
percent of Germany's electricity. "In the coalition contract it says that nuclear power is a stopgap until renewable energy can
take over the supply reliably and at competitive prices. That's exactly the line I am following." But the Federal Environment
Agency (UBA) believes that this target is still achievable. "We can still cover 40 percent from renewable energy by around
2020," UBA president Jochen Flasbarth told the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper on the same day. A few days later, on
February 23, Peter Mueller, Christian Democratic prime minister in the German state of Saarland, said the government should
NUCLEAR MONITOR 704
stick to its timetable to phase out nuclear power. Amending the phase-out, fixed by legislation in 2002 for about 2021,
“needs plausible grounds,” Mueller is cited as saying. “I don’t see those.”
The Local, 20 February 2010 / Deutsche Welle, 21 February 2010 / Bloomberg, 23 February 2010
EDF-AREVA quarrel over reprocessing resolved? As mentioned in the January 29 issue of the Nuclear Monitor there is a
lot of rivalry between the French nuclear giants AREVA and EDF. In the beginning of January AREVA stopped removing spent
fuel from reactors for reprocessing at the facility at La Hague. At the end of 2008, the companies agreed on a framework for
contracts for the 2008-2040 period. But since mid-2009 they have not been able to settle disagreements over prices and
volumes.
On January 20, the two companies were given a two-week deadline by the French government to resolve their differences on
this matter. On February 5, the two companies said in a statement, they would sign a contract covering “transportation,
treatment and recycling” of used nuclear fuel before the end of March. The agreement reached by the two groups lays out
conditions for applying the framework agreement of Dec. 19 2008, which set out a partnership covering treatment-recycling
of used fuel, and reprocessed fuel fabrication, the firms said.
Reuters, 5 February 2010
European Union heading for clash on funding ITER. European governments want to slow down construction of the
International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) because they are paying for the bulk of the construction costs and
are concerned that the budget is spiraling out of control. The EU is covering 45% of the costs of building and running ITER,
which is to be built in Cadarache, France. The other six partners (the US, China, Russia, India, Japan and South Korea) are
each paying 9%. Concerned about the mounting costs, the EU rejected a construction timetable proposed by ITER's
administration at a meeting of participating countries on 18-19 November. The administration had proposed that ITER, which
was launched in November 2006, should conduct its first experiments in 2018. But the EU's member states agreed in a
position paper in November that a 2018 deadline was “not feasible”. (see Nuclear Monitor 698, 27 November 2009: “Fusion
Illusions”) They reaffirmed this at a working group of the Council of Ministers on February 1. A 2018 deadline, however, is
strongly backed by all non-EU countries involved in ITER, with the exception of the US, which has shown signs of flexibility.
Officials said that the EU would prefer to make construction costs less painful by spreading them over a longer period of
time. Concerns about the ballooning budget led the Commission last year to set up an expert group tasked with reviewing
the construction costs. The group's report, released to member states in January, said that the construction costs alone
could rise as high as 1.5bn Euro (compared to a 2001 estimate of 598 million Euro).Total EU-contribution of ITER-project
costs could rise to 3,5 billion Euro (US$ ) instead of the 1.5 billion estimated in 2001.
The countries participating in the ITER project will hold a special high-level meeting in Paris on 23-24 February to try to
resolve the dispute.
European Voice, 4 February 2010
Replies safety AP1000 & EPR of 'poor quality'. UK nuclear regulators have criticised the "long delays" and "poor quality" of
replies they have received from Westinghouse and Areva following safety reviews of their reactor designs, AP1000 and the
European Pressurised Reactor (EPR). The Nuclear Installations Inspectorate has raised a number of serious issues on the
design of the new reactors but in its latest report says the response from the two companies is less than expected.
The inspectors have already issued a formal 'Regulatory Issue' (RI) regarding the safety and control systems of the EPR and
are now considering a RI on the shield building for the AP1000. Westinghouse is planning to use a new construction method
for the reactor's shield building, using a sandwich of steel plates filled with concrete, rather than the conventional reinforced
concrete. Regulators say they will have to be convinced the new techniques will be sufficient to withstand an accident,
including a crash of a large aircraft. Westinghouse said it changed its construction methods in response to US regulations
after 9/11 requiring it to withstand an aircraft impact.
N-Base Briefing 642, 10 February & 643, 17 February 2010
Kakadu mine: Uranium contamination 5400 times background. Australia: environmental regulators for the office of the
Supervising Scientist admitted to a Senate Estimates committee on February 9, that water with uranium concentrations 5400
times background and a cocktail of other radionuclides are seeping from beneath the tailings dam at the Ranger Uranium
Mine in Kakadu National Park. The Office of the Supervising Scientist acknowledged to Australian Greens Senator Scott
Ludlam that the contamination was occurring, and said that the estimated amount of 100,000 liters per day was based on
modeling and not measurement. "The biggest surprise is that despite knowing about this leakage for years, the regulators
don't know how much is seeping, where it is going, or how highly contaminated it is. The regulator suggested that directly
sampling this contaminated water would be 'impractical.' I suggest that it is now essential", Senator Ludlam said. "The
mining company ERA booked a 2009 profit in excess of A$270 million dollars (US$240m or 177m Euro) and yet the regulator
won't compel them to undertake any water quality sampling under the tailings dam. That has to change."
Uranium is only one of a number of radioactive elements present in the tailings dam – others include Thorium, Polonium,
Radon, Radium, Bismuth, etc.
Media release Australian Greens Party, 9 February 2010
10 NUCLEAR MONITOR 704
WISE/NIRS NUCLEAR MONITOR
WISE AMSTERDAM/NIRS
The Nuclear Information & Resource Service was founded in 1978 and is based WISE Amsterdam/NIRS
in Washington, US. The World Information Service on Energy was set up in the same year and houses in Amsterdam, Netherlands. NIRS and WISE Amsterdam ISSN: 1570-4629
joined forces in 2000, creating a worldwide network of information and resource centers for citizens and environmental organizations concerned about nuclear Reproduction of this material is encouraged.
power, radioactive waste, radiation, and sustainable energy issues.
Please give credit when reprinting.
The WISE/NIRS Nuclear Monitor publishes international information in English Editorial team: Dirk Bannink and Peer de Rijk
20 times a year. A Spanish translation of this newsletter is available on the WISE Amsterdam website (www.antenna.nl/wise/esp). A Russian version is published With contributions from: WISE Amsterdam,
by WISE Russia and a Ukrainian version is published by WISE Ukraine. The NIRS, Rosalie Bertell, WISE Kaliningrad and
WISE/NIRS Nuclear Monitor can be obtained both on paper and in an email Laka Foundation.
version (pdf format). Old issues are (after two months) available through the WISE Amsterdam homepage: www.antenna.nl/wise.
Next issue of the Nuclear Monitor (#705) will
be mailed out on March 12, 2010
The “Elfi Gmachl Foundation for a Nuclear-
US and Canada based readers should contact NIRS for details of how to free Future” / PLAGE-Salzburg supports the
receive the Nuclear Monitor (address see page 11). Others receive the Nuclear Nuclear Monitor financially. See: http://www.
plage.cc (not available in English (yet))
For individuals and NGOs we ask a minimum annual donation of 100 Euros (50 Euros for the email version). Institutions and industry should contact us for details of subscription prices.
WISE/NIRS offices and relays
WISE Amsterdam
WISE South Africa
WISE Czech Republic
Takoma Park, MD 20912Tel: +1 301-270-NIRS WISE India
WISE Sweden
NIRS Southeast
WISE Japan
WISE Ukraine
WISE Russia
WISE Argentina
WISE Uranium
WISE Slovakia
WISE Austria
NUCLEAR MONITOR 704
WISE/NIRS NUCLEAR
MONITOR c/o WISE Amster PO Box 59636 1040 LC Amster Netherlands

Source: http://nonuclear.org.ar/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/NM704.pdf