No great future for nuclear power in India
Nuclear: Playing a marginal role http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/nuclear-playing-a-marginal-role/article5082669.ece 1 Sept 13, M. RAMESH Limping all the way, the first unit of the 2,000 MW Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project in Tamil Nadu achieved criticality on July 13, two decades after it was conceived.
With it, the country’s total nuclear power capacity has risen to 5,780 MW. Assuming that Kudankulam’s second unit will start producing electricity eventually, the number will increase by 1,000 MW.
Currently, there are five nuclear power plants coming up: Rawatbatta in Rajasthan (two units of 700 MW each), Kakrapar in Gujarat (2×700 MW), and Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu (one prototype fast breeder reactor of 500 MW). Together, these add up to 4,300 MW. When they are all on stream — scheduled to happen by 2016 — India’s nuclear power capacity will be a little over 10,000 MW.
The nuclear establishment, though, has been speaking of 20,000 MW by 2020 and 60,000 MW by 2032. However, the road beyond the first 10,000 MW is rough, for reasons, economic and human.
On paper, the plans involve the Russians, the French and the Americans. Kudankulam 3 & 4, and perhaps 5 & 6, have been offered to the Russians (Rosatom); Chhayamithi Virdi in Gujarat and Kovvada in Andhra Pradesh to the Americans (Westinghouse and GE, respectively); and Jaitapur, Maharashtra, to the French (Areva), for six units of 1,650 MW each.
The Nuclear Power Corporation of India will build these plants, with reactors supplied by the companies. NPCIL also plans a bunch of 700 MW projects in several places.
But the future looks bleak. Kudankulam 3 & 4 are estimated to cost Rs 40,000 crore. Negotiations will take years and the exchange rate of the US dollar, in which prices are denominated, is certain to be higher. The very economic viability of these projects is thus under question.
There will also be protests and litigation. India has a track record of 325 reactor years of safe operation. However, that is not going to stop protestors.
Economic new world order under way now, with renewable energy
Investors risk being left behind by renewable energy, Financial Standard, 29 August 2013
Nanuk manages a long/short thematic global equity fund which invests in companies that are positively exposed to a long-term structural shift towards cleaner and more efficient energy generation, management and use.
Chadwick told Financial Standard that the economic turmoil created by the global financial crisis had distracted investors from developments in the renewable energy space which he believes can spark a “new world order” with clean energy over-taking old-world fossil fuel sources much faster than most people realise.
“Out of the carnage of the GFC, solar and wind energy is fast becoming cheaper than traditional energy. There’s been carnage in the stocks related to the industry and there exists a questionable corporate situation but the theme is underpinned by unavoidable fundamentals.”…… Continue reading
Sellafield unions want new Sellafield planning authority
UNIONS WANT DEDICATED PLANNING AUTHORITY SET UP FOR SELLAFIELD, TIMES AND STAR, By Julian Whittle , 30 August 2013 Sellafield unions are calling for a dedicated planning authority to be set up specifically for the nuclear site and surrounding area. This new body would rule on any proposals for a nuclear power station or underground waste repository, taking over planning powers which are currently held by local authorities.
The call is a reaction to Cumbria County Council’s decision in February to block investigations into the suitability of west Cumbria for a repository and is among 10 recommendations drawn up by the Unite union on behalf of the Sellafield Workers’ Campaign.
Unite’s report asks the Government to “begin a new search” for a suitable site for a geological disposal facility with the search taking place “within the perimeter of the proposed new planning authority”.
The report, Sellafield – at the heart of a low carbon energy future, was launched this morning at Energus at Lillyhall with Copeland MP Jamie Reed as keynote speaker.
It contains a three-point plan to secure 10,000 jobs. This involves building a nuclear power station, exploring the use of Sellafield’s plutonium stocks as fuel for power stations, and pursuing the idea of a waste repository……. http://www.timesandstar.co.uk/unions-want-dedicated-planning-authority-set-up-for-sellafield-1.1081398
Debate on Georgia’s nuclear power plant costs may be delayed until 2018
Ga. regulators to vote on nuclear plant agreement http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2013/08/29/3174468/ga-regulators-to-vote-on-nuclear.html August 29, 2013 ATLANTA — The debate over the rising cost of building a new nuclear power plant in eastern Georgia would be deferred several years under a deal that Georgia regulators will consider Tuesday.
The members of the Public Service Commission decided Thursday to consider the preliminary agreement between agency regulators and Southern Co. subsidiary Georgia Power at the PSC’s meeting next week.
Under the proposed deal, Southern Co. would withdraw its request to increase its budget to build two more nuclear reactors at Plant Vogtle (VOH’-gohl), southeast of Augusta. The power company had previously asked to increase its budget by $737 million to $6.85 billion.
Instead, the debate over whether to formally raise the construction budget would not happen until the first of the two reactors comes online, probably January 2018 at the earliest, according to the latest timelines from a state monitor. The deal shifts some financial risk onto Southern Co. If the utility exceeds its budget, then the burden would be on Georgia Power to persuade regulators that the excess spending should be passed along to its customers. But if the PSC votes to raise the project budget, then the law would assume Georgia Power was entitled to collect all of its budgeted costs from customers, so long as regulators couldn’t prove the spending was imprudent, reckless or somehow criminal.
The preliminary agreement also helps Southern Co. avoid a politically charged fight over project spending while it deals with a separate rate case in Georgia and an over-budget coal gasification plant in Mississippi.
And now, Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant bites the dust
Plan to close Vermont Yankee marks latest blow to nuclear power http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/USA- The Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant will shut down by the end of 2014, its owner said Tuesday, citing ‘financial factors.’ It is the fifth nuclear plant this year to close or to have plans made for closure. By Chelsea B. Sheasley, Correspondent / August 27, 2013
The Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant in Vernon, Vt., will be shut down by the end of next year due to financial factors, the company that owns the plant 
announced Tuesday, in the latest sign of a difficult economic climate for nuclear power companies.Entergy Corp., the New Orleans-based company that owns Vermont Yankee, plans on closing and decommissioning the plant by the fourth quarter of 2014, in cooperation with the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. It is the fifth nuclear plant this year to close or to have plans made for its closure. The company said the decision to close was based on “a number of financial factors” including sustained lower power prices stemming from the natural-gas revolution, a high cost structure for the plant, and what it called “wholesale market design flaws” that artificially deflate energy prices. Some 630 people work at the plant.
Likely also a contributing factor was the ongoing legal battle with the state of Vermont, where state officials had been trying to shutter the plant on their own authority. In 2006 the state legislature granted itself the authority to close the plant and in 2010 voted to do so
The legal dispute had been turning in Entergy’s favor. Earlier this month a federal appeals court ruled that the Vermont Legislature did not have the authority to close the plant. Entergy had indicated in 2010 that it was considering selling the plant, a single unit boiling water reactor, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Entergy Corp. isn’t the only nuclear power company facing economic challenges. In June, Southern California Edison pulled the plug on the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, a 45-year-old facility in northern San Diego County, because of the high cost of repairs needed less than three years after the company invested $780 million in upgrades.
Nuclear energy can’t be both safe and cheap
Is Fukushima the new normal for nuclear reactors? the Conversation, Benjamin Sovacool, 27 Aug 13, “……..Electric pressure The third problem is electric market restructuring. This puts more pressure on nuclear operators to keep costs low, potentially compromising safety.
The problem is, as former Nuclear Regulatory Commission chair Peter Bradford states, “nuclear energy can be cheap, or it can be safe. But it can’t be both.” And even then, “there’s always the possibility somebody will cut a corner”.
For example, the pressure to build new generators on existing sites to avoid finding new locations can increase the risk of catastrophe, since there is a greater chance that one accident can affect multiple reactors.
Nuclear waste storage is also becoming more dangerous, with many spent fuel pools packed with more fuel rods to keep costs low, making them hotter and denser. Operators have to addboron to water pool to absorb neutrons, increasing the risk of chain reaction, or criticality, accidents.
The industry has also been trying to tinker with reactor sizes and promote designs that operators have little experience with, making operator training a factor. Some of these new reactor designs use more fuel and create more heat, meaning they have bigger cores containing larger quantities of dangerous fissionable materials, increasing the magnitude of any accident that could occur……..http://theconversation.com/is-fukushima-the-new-normal-for-nuclear-reactors-17391
Another uranium mining company gets the financial jitters
Bannerman waits for uranium price to turn around, The Northern Miner, 2013-08-21
A recently reported leak at the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan has reawakened concerns over the development of new nuclear reactors in the country, with most experts agreeing that the current build-up would likely be put on hold until the situation is resolved.
The news is the latest reason being offered for why uranium prices continue to remain at low levels, but whatever the reason may be, the consequences are real for Bannerman Resources (TSX: BAN)…….
With the spot price for U3O8 still a ways off from the breakeven point outlined in its feasibility study on its flagship Etango project, Bannerman recently pushed back expected first production date for the project by two years. The mine was originally set to enter production in 2016 but now will have to wait until 2018…….
Down, down again, goes the uranium market
Uranium sags once more 9 news Finance. 20 Aug 13 “…..Once again the floor was pulled out from under the spot market, and prices have responded accordingly. Some 800,000lbs of U3O8 equivalent did change hands in several transactions over the course of last week, but prices trended lower with each trade now that the sellers are on the hop once more. TradeTech’s weekly spot price indicator has fallen US75c to US$35.00/lb.These fluctuations in the spot price are having their effect on the term market. A number of utilities are looking to enter the term market for supply contracts, TradeTech reports, but none appears in a great hurry while price movements are unclear. No term transactions were reported last week….http://finance.ninemsn.com.au/newscolumnists/greg/8709269/uranium-sags-once-more
Gloomy future for nuclear energy in South Carolina
Doubts dampen S.C.’s nuclear future The State, South Carolina, August 19, 2013 By RODDIE BURRIS — rburris@thestate.com The hallmark of the future of nuclear power right now is uncertainty.
Utilities largely have backed off any rush to forge ahead in constructing the next generation of expensive, new nuclear reactor plants — even though they seemed plausible just a few years ago. Continue reading
Renewable energy creates many more jobs than there are in fossil fuel energy
Debunking the Renewables “Disinformation Campaign”, Mother Earth News, Despite vast evidence supporting the advancement of renewable energy, various media outlets insist on denying its progress, blurring the lines between inefficient reporting and deliberate lying. By Rocky Mountain Institute August 19, 2013 “……..a recent study commissioned by Germany’s Federal Environment Ministry found that the renewable energy sector provided around 382,000 jobs in 2011, up four percent in a year, and more than doubled in seven years. More jobs have been created than lost in Germany’s energy sector—plus any jobs gained as heavy industry moves to Germany for its competitive electricity.
Yet a myth persists that countries lose more jobs then they gain when they transition to renewables. This upside-down fantasy rests largely on a 2009 study from King Juan Carlos University in Spain, by an economist reportedly tied to ExxonMobil, the Heartland Institute, and the Koch brothers. His study asserted that, on average, every renewable energy job in Spain destroys 2.2 jobs in the broader Spanish economy. This story was picked up by news media around the world and is still promoted by U.S. anti-renewables groups. But its methodology and assumptions were promptly demolished by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the Spanish government, among others. A 2012 report for the International Labour Organization (ILO) even cites Spain, which built a renewable export industry, as a counterexample: “The green economy presents a good opportunity to increase competitiveness, promote the creation of quality employment and reduce the economy’s environmental impact,” says Joaquín Nieto, who heads the ILO Office in Madrid, especially “when Spain needs to kick-start its economy.” Sure enough, despite new electricity taxes and a halt to subsidies for new renewable projects, Spain’s latest solar projects continue to be built to compete without subsidy.
The disinformation campaign about job creation is not limited to Europe. A Cato Institute article claimed that if people believe a commitment to renewables will fuel job growth “we’re in a lot of trouble.” Yet in 2012 alone, more than 110,000 new U.S. clean-energy direct jobs were created, and in 2010, the U.S. had more jobs in the “clean economy” than in the fossil-fuel industries. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that direct employment in May 2012 totaled 181,580 for oil and gas extraction, 87,520 for coal mining, and 93,200 for iron and steel production. BLS doesn’t similarly classify solar or wind jobs, but reputable analysts have determined from bottom-up industry surveys that in September 2012, for example, the U.S. had 119,016 direct solar jobs (89 percent full-time, the rest at least half-time), up 27 percent in two years—more than in steel-making or coal-mining. Had you heard that before? Why not? …….. http://www.motherearthnews.com/renewable-energy/debunking-the-renewables-disinformation-campaign-zm0z1308zsal.aspx#axzz2cYi1w7VS
German utilities losing money on coal, gas, and nuclear plants
German energy giants pull plug on coal, nuclear The Local, 18 Aug 2013 Ever since Chancellor Angela Merkel announced a phase-out of nuclear energy over the next decade and pledged to generate as much as 80 percent of the country’s electricity from renewables by 2050, big question marks have been hanging over the future of coal and gas-fired plants in Germany.
Merkel, seeking a third term in general elections on September 22nd, is a staunch supporter of this hugely popular policy move.
But the turnaround is depriving utilities, including market leaders RWE and E.ON, of massive profits from their atomic plants and turning their gas and coal-fired stations into loss-makers as they are sidelined by rival renewable sources of energy.
Last week, the two biggest players in the German sector unveiled steep drops in profits, and “many of our plants are operating at a loss,” complained RWE’s finance chief Bernhard Günther.
Indeed, RWE announced that it would shut down a number of plants –representing combined capacity of 4,300 megawatts — in both Germany and the Netherlands. And more could follow, Continue reading
Squabble in Europe over subsidies for nuclear power
Opponents of nuclear power, including environmental groups, say government funding for atomic power would be a breach of EU legal principles and would mark a major shift in policy.
Under EU law, state aid is designed to address problems that the market cannot solve and must not cause unfair competition. It is in principle reserved for technology in its infancy, such as renewable energy. Nuclear generation began more than half a century ago.
Picking up the nuclear energy bill divides the EU Planet Ark, Date: 15-Aug-13 Country: UK/BELGIUM Author: Barbara Lewis and Karolin Schaps European Union rules to be published over the coming weeks could make it easier to justify using taxpayers’ money to fund new nuclear power, which would pitch major EU powers against each other.
The European Commission, the EU executive, says its mind is still open on the topic, but it is under pressure to set a legal framework for state aid to nuclear projects after several member states, including Britain, sought its guidance.
Whatever it lays down, as part of a wider modernization of state aid rules, is likely to widen a rift between anti-nuclear nations, such as Germany and Austria, and those willing to support the technology, including Britain and the Czech Republic.
A Commission spokesman said the executive is not planning to encourage nuclear state aid, but lawyers said a leaked draft of its proposal last month indicated it was leaning towards allowing nuclear financing….. Continue reading
Russia keen to sell nuclear reactors to UK, as long as UK subsidises price
RUSSIA’S ROSATOM EYES NUCLEAR CONTRACTS IN BRITAIN YAHOO NEWS, BY SVETLANA BURMISTROVA , 13 Aug 13, MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian state nuclear company Rosatom is considering selling reactors in Britain and will soon decide whether to apply for a UK reactor licence, a senior company executive said.
Rosatom is now building more atomic power plants than any other vendor and has been marketing the legacy of the former USSR’s own nuclear disaster, at Chernobyl in 1986, as a lesson learned in nuclear safety.
A major player in developing markets such as China, Vietnam and India, Rosatom has long been interested in building reactors in the European Union, where it is already a supplier of nuclear fuel…… Russian nuclear technology has been unpopular in western Europe since the Chernobyl disaster, but Britain is in dire need of investors willing to replace its ageing nuclear fleet after a series of utility companies, including Germany’s RWE and E.ON and Britain’s Centrica , have dropped out…….
Before entering the UK market, Komarov said, Rosatom would wait to see whether EDF reaches a deal with the British government on a guaranteed minimum power price for its proposed Hinkley Point project, Britain’s first new nuclear plant in almost 20 years.
The guaranteed price, also known as a contract-for-difference (CfD), is part of a major electricity market reform, currently being assessed by Parliament, to encourage types of energy that emit little or no carbon.
Through the CfDs, the government guarantees to top up prices to reach an agreed ‘strike price’ for power generated by the nuclear plants, should market prices fall after they are commissioned.
“This is a very comfortable scheme that guarantees return on investments,” Komarov said. EDF expects to announce by year-end whether it has reached a deal with the British government and plans to hold talks on partnering with a Chinese state-run firm.
“We are waiting to see what agreements EDF reaches,” Komarov said. “If we see that we can get a return on our investments, we will enter the project with great desire……. http://au.news.yahoo.com/world/a/-/world/18488685/russias-rosatom-eyes-nuclear-contracts-in-britain/
Entergy’s finances being probed by Nuclear Regulatory Commission
NRC to probe Entergy’s nuclear plant finances Rutland Herald, By Susan Smallheer
Deb Katz, executive director of the Citizens Awareness Network, said Saturday that the NRC accepting the petition for review was a major accomplishment for the groups. She said she hoped the NRC would get answers to many people’s questions about Entergy’s financial status.
Katz made her remarks during the “Flotilla 2013” rally and protest Saturday on the banks of the Connecticut River, directly across from the Vermont Yankee plant in Vernon, Vt. Entergy, the corporate parent of Vermont Yankee, announced last month it was laying off 800 employees out of its workforce of 15,000 nationwide. The cuts translate to a 4.6 percent staff cut at Yankee, which will lose 30 employees out of a total of 650.
Earlier in the year, the company announced it had been forced to write down the value of Vermont Yankee from $517 million to $162 million due to ongoing financial problems.
The NRC announced late last week that it was accepting the petition and would delve into Entergy’s finances. Continue reading
Escalating costs at Nuclear Plant Vogtle as Public Service Commission dilly dallies
State defers showdown on Ga. nuclear plant costs News Tribune, : August 11, 2013 By RAY HENRY — Associated Press ATLANTA — A debate over the rising cost of building a first-of-its-kind nuclear plant in Georgia will be pushed far into the future.
Regulators at the Public Service Commission were facing a legal dilemma ever since Southern Co. subsidiary Georgia Power asked in February to raise its construction budget for building two more nuclear reactors at Plant Vogtle by $737 million to $6.85 billion. That request raised expectations that PSC staffers would seek this month to block the utility from passing along some of its costs to customers, but that didn’t happen. Instead, Southern Co. and Georgia utility officials recently reached a preliminary deal that would postpone a major budget debate until at least January 2018, when the first reactor is projected to come online.
A glimmer of the state’s strategy emerged Friday in a report filed by nuclear engineer William Jacobs Jr. and PSC analyst Steven Roetger. Their report lays out the reasons why regulators could try to force the utility to absorb losses because of construction mishaps, but it stops short of recommending that regulators reject any spending now…….
Former Commissioner Robert Baker, who has represented a consumer watchdog group critical of the utility’s spending, said regulators should object to spending now, not wait years into the future. Baker said he believes the preliminary agreement might delay a major review until 2020.
“The new commission in 2020 that looks at this is not going to have the institutional memory, have gone through the entire process up to that time,” he said. “They’re not going to want to second guess what happened seven years ago or eight years ago.” http://www.thenewstribune.com/2013/08/11/2725340/state-defers-showdown-on-ga-nuclear.html
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25 June- THE PUKE ON NUKES
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