2015 June 13 « nuclear-news

South Korea running out of space for spent nuclear fuel

they should just stop making this toxic stuff

South Korea needs new facility for spent nuclear fuel: advisory group, Reuters, SEOUL | BY MEEYOUNG CHO Editing by Richard Pullin 11 June 15, South Korea should build a new temporary facility to store spent nuclear fuel from 2030 and consider permanent underground storage from the middle of the century, a government advisory body said on Thursday.

South Korea is the world’s fifth-biggest user of nuclear power, but has yet to find a permanent solution for its spent nuclear fuel, with temporary sites at individual nuclear plants likely to start to fill up from 2019.

The Public Engagement Commission, an independent body that advises the government on nuclear issues, said Seoul should select a domestic site by 2020 for an underground laboratory that could conduct safety checks and provide temporary storage.

The facility could become the site for a long-term storage facility, which would bury the country’s nuclear waste 500 meters (1,640 ft) underground and start operations from 2051.

The commission’s recommendations, which are subject to parliamentary hearings, will be given to the country’s energy minister.

Public trust in nuclear energy in South Korea has been undermined by a 2012 scandal over the supply of reactor parts with fake security certificates and the 2011 Fukushima crisis in Japan…http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/06/11/us-nuclear-southkorea-spentfuel-idUSKBN0OR0AT20150611

June 13, 2015 Posted by Christina Macpherson | South Korea, wastes | Leave a comment

Economically unwise decision for Hungary to buy nuclear reactors from Russia

Hungary challenged on nuclear choice with Russia By Nick Thorpe BBC News, Hungary 11 June 15 Environmentalists in Hungary are hoping the European Commission will scupper a €12.5bn (£9bn) Hungarian-Russian deal to build two new 1,200 megawatt (MW) reactors at the Paks nuclear power station on the River Danube.

The expansion, they argue, will produce expensive energy, far beyond market prices, plunge Hungary into debt, and deepen dependence on Russia….
Mr Orban based his 2014 election victory on promises to keep utility prices low.

Months earlier he struck a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin that saw Russia agree to loan Hungary around 80% of the estimated construction cost of the new reactors at Paks. Hungary will pay Russia back from the electricity generated.By the time Hungary has to start paying for this next generation of reactors, in 2025, Mr Orban should be in comfortable retirement.

Nevertheless, the decision to sign a deal with Russia took even his own Fidesz party by surprise.
Built by the Soviet Union in the 1980s, the working life of the four existing reactors at Paks will run out between 2032 and 2037.

That means that no new decision on replacing them would actually be necessary until 2020 at the earliest……….

Balazs Felsmann of the Corvinus University Research Centre says electricity prices would need to triple on the European market to make the new reactors economically feasible. And there are concerns that the project deadline might slip, meaning Hungary would have to start paying interest on the €10bn loan to Russia from 2025, while the project is still a building site…….

opponents hope the European Commission will rule that Hungary’s 20% share of the construction costs will be judged to be a direct subsidy, which is illegal under competition rules.

A decision is expected in October http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-33078832

June 13, 2015 Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, EUROPE | Leave a comment