nuclear-news

Nuclear energy heading for a shutdown?

Is nuclear energy heading for a Golden Age or a shutdown? Earth Times 30 Nov 2009 “…..incidents at France’s nuclear power stations are increasing, and the industry is currently going through a bad patch, just as it appeared poised to enter a Golden Age. In mid-November, 18 of France’s 58 nuclear reactors were down – four to five times the normal number – either because of such incidents or for maintenance.This prompted electricity supplier RTE to warn that France, the world’s top exporter of electricity, could be forced to import electricity if winter temperatures are normal.And in case of a colder winter than usual, “RTE will have to activate exceptional measures and initiate actions to safeguard the system: voltage reduction of 5 per cent, or even load shedding.”In other words, the company would be forced to carry out intentionally engineered partial blackouts to keep the entire power grid functioning…………………..

the nuclear reactor availability rate has slipped from 83.4 per cent in 2005 to 79.2 per cent in 2008. It is expected to fall to 78 per cent this year and, according to the French Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN), the number of technical incidents forcing reactor shutdowns are on the rise in France……………………..

The latest Level 1 event occurred on November 12, when a technical problem forced the shutdown of reactor number 1 at the Flamanville power station. This effectively closed down the entire site, since reactor number 2 was undergoing a lengthy maintenance. Just weeks earlier, a freelance technician working on the same reactor received a high dose of radiation, an incident that was graded Level 2 on the INES scale, a relatively rare occurrence. Flamanville is a highly symbolic site for the French nuclear energy industry, since the country’s first third-generation EPR reactor is being constructed there. The EPR (European Pressurized Reactor) represents the future of the industry, and its own future suffered a serious blow in November when the British, Finnish and French nuclear safety authorities questioned the reliability and safety of its design. All this bad news comes at an unfortunate time for the industry, which is set to expand globally, because of the volatile price of crude oil and its value as a clean and relatively inexpensive alternative to fossil fuels.

Is nuclear energy heading for a Golden Age or a shutdown? – Feature : Energy Environment

December 3, 2009 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | 1, business and costs, France | antinuclear, AREVA, EDF, France, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear wastes, radiation, radioactive