South Carolina’s nuclear power to get ever more costly
“The cost trends clearly suggest that nuclear reactor construction is not only more costly than the alternatives today, but will be a great deal more costly than many more alternatives in the future,”
Report: Gov’t incentives favor nuclear over renewable energy in SC The State, South Carolina, 15, 2013 By SAMMY FRETWELL — COLUMBIA, SC — As SCE&G and other utilities work to complete atomic power plants, the law that made construction possible gives power companies less incentive to use solar, wind and other forms of alternative energy.
That’s one conclusion in a broad study that criticizes the way South Carolina, Georgia and Florida have helped utilities afford the multi-billion dollar costs of building nuclear power plants.
The report, released Thursday through the Vermont’ Law School, said ratepayers in the three Southern states are being soaked for the high costs of building atomic reactors. It recommends that the nuclear reactor projects be cancelled to save money in the long run because the projects are still years from completion and will cost billions more than originally projected. SCE&G is spending $10 billion on two new reactors at Jenkinsville because of a special financing method allowed by the state Legislature six years ago. Already, the company has incurred more than $280 million in extra costs building the plants, the report said. The plants are expected to become operational in 2017 and 2018.
Historically, utilities have had to show that power plants are up and running properly before they could recover the costs for construction, Vermont researchers said. Now, laws adopted in South Carolina, Georgia and Florida have allowed utilities to charge ratepayers for nuclear power plants before the reactors are built. Continue reading
Misleading information masks true level of radiation received by Fukushima workers
63 workers exposed to higher radiation than logged in their records,
March 02, 2013, THE ASAHI SHIMBUN by Toshio Tada and Jun Sato
Dozens of workers at the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant
were exposed to radiation levels higher than those registered in their
personal records, according to a health ministry investigation. Continue reading
For economic reasons, USA’s nuclear power may simply disappear
current market forces challenge the economic viability of existing nuclear power plants, with new reactors representing an extremely unattractive investment prospect.US May Face Inevitable Nuclear Power Exit Science Daily, Mar. 1, 2013 — In a 2012 report, the Obama administration announced that it was “jumpstarting” the nuclear industry. Because of the industry’s long history of permitting problems, cost overruns, and construction delays, financial markets have been wary of backing new nuclear construction for decades.
The supposed “nuclear renaissance” ballyhooed in the first decade of this century never materialized. And then came Fukushima, a disaster that pushed countries around the world to ask: Should nuclear power be part of the energy future? In the third and final issue in a series focused on nuclear exits, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, published by SAGE, turns its attention to the United States and looks at whether the country’s business-as-usual approach may yet lead to a nuclear phase-out for economic reasons. Continue reading
In dismal uranium market, Rio Tinto cuts back, slashes jobs
Namibia’s Roessing uranium mine to slash jobs Global Post, 1 Mar 13, The Roessing uranium mine in Namibia, a unit of British mining giant Rio Tinto, said Friday it plans to cut 17 percent of its workforce due to slowing demand for nuclear fuel…. As with many other uranium producers, Roessing is buckling under low metal prices and reduced demand, the company’s managing director Chris Salisbury told reporters.
“Since the Japanese tsunami in 2011, uranium demand has remained depressed and the uranium price has fallen by more than 36 percent,” he said.
Japan shut down its nuclear power plants after the tsunami destroyed the Fukushima nuclear plant, and a number of other countries including Germany have also signalled they plan to reduce or phase out their facilities.
“With the utility sector in Japan essentially shutdown, there is little prospect of a turnaround in the near term,” he added.
At the same time electricity and water costs have gone up…. Roessing Uranium Limited is owned 68.6 percent by British mining giant Rio Tinto and is one of two operating uranium mines in Namibia. .http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/130301/namibia-s-roessing-uranium-mine-slash-jobs
Vogtle new nuclear plant, delayed, and running over budget
Utility: New nuclear plant in Ga. over budget
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2013/feb/28/us-nuclear-plant-georgia/#ixzz2MJuEFTt6
The Associated Press , Feb. 28, 2013 A utility says a
first-of-its-kind nuclear plant under construction in eastern Georgia
will go over budget.
Atlanta-based Southern Co. said Thursday that finishing Plant Vogtle
(VOH’-gohl) will now cost an estimated $6.85 billion, up from $6.11
billion.
The firm also moved back the completion dates for the massive project.
While the two reactors at the plant were supposed to start producing
power in April 2016 and April 2017, those dates have now shifted to
late 2017 and late 2018.
Utility officials say completing the nuclear plant remains cheaper
than the alternatives.
Georgia’s Public Service Commission must ultimately decide whether to
approve the new budget.
Plant Vogtle is one of three U.S. nuclear plants under construction.
The nuclear industry has struggled historically to meet construction
budgets.
Financial realities lead to scrapping of costly Los Alamos expansion plan
U.S. NUCLEAR LAB READY TO SHELVE COSTLY FACILITY PLAN NextGov 22 Feb 13, The Los Alamos National Laboratory is proposing to shelve plans to build an expensive new plutonium research facility and instead permanently parcel out work to an array of smaller buildings, the institution’s director said on Thursday.
“I’m concerned that in the current fiscal crisis, it may no longer be practical to plan and build very large-scale nuclear facilities,” Charles McMillan, who heads the New Mexico research site, said at a three-day conference on nuclear deterrence in Arlington, Va. “A new path forward is needed.”
A study team at Los Alamos has suggested scrapping plans to construct a $6 billion Chemistry and Metallurgy Research Replacement plant in favor of replacing the nuclear facility’s intended functions with a more attainable constellation of structures, he said. Continue reading
Radiation risk causes doctors to go on strike – Wuhan, China
Wuhan doctors on strike over X-ray radiation Shanghai Daily, February 22, 2013 Some hospital workers in Wuhan, capital of Hubei Province reportedly went on strike after three gynecologists developed thyroid cancer, which they believed was caused by their frequent exposure to X-rays.
The three women doctors at the Wuhan Union Hospital were diagnosed with cancer last month, today’s Beijing News reported. They blamed the hospital in a statement made to the public on Monday.
The statement said they performed surgeries on a floor directly underneath two X-ray machines in two bone surgery rooms overhead. The two rooms were not insulated with radiation-proof materials. The hospital did not inform or warn them of the risks…… http://www.china.org.cn/china/2013-02/22/content_28035886.htm
Huge financial risk for South Dakota with uranium mining
We are being asked to take a huge risk with our water and environment with a company of very dubious financial stability
This market has fallen to about $40 per pound and may go lower
We should not take this risk.
Uranium mine too great a risk for South Dakotahttp://www.mitchellrepublic.com/event/article/id/76549/group/homepage/Powertech (USA), Inc., a Canadian company with just 10 employees owned by a stock market hedge fund, is planning a massive uranium mining operation near Edgemont. Continue reading
Cash strapped Japanese nuclear power companies selling uranium back to original sellers at a lower price!
A senior official of a major utility said the move was exceptional because it likely meant selling the uranium for less than the import price.
Japan Atomic Power takes rare step of selling uranium to pay off loans http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/02/21/national/japan-atomic-power-takes-rare-step-of-selling-uranium-to-pay-off-loans/#.USfWWB1wpLt
KYODO
A Japanese nuclear power company has taken the rare step of selling some of its uranium, apparently to help repay loans amid its faltering business conditions, according to sources.Japan Atomic Power Co. apparently needs to secure money to repay loans due in April amid uncertainty over when it can resume operating its three idled reactors.
Tokyo Electric Power Co. is considering taking similar action as it continues to face funding difficulties following the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 complex, the sources said. Continue reading
Nuclear power on the wane, and cheap gas is hastening that decline
Another casualty of the shale gas boom: Nuclear power WP by Brad Plumer February 21, 2013 The last few years have seen all sorts of drastic upheavals in the U.S. energy sector. Cheap natural gas is dominating. Wind and solar are growing. Coal is dwindling.
Now we can add another trend to the list: Nuclear power is on the decline. Since 2010, the amount of electricity generated from America’s nuclear reactors has fallen about 3 percent, or 29 billion kilowatt-hours. That’s a sizable drop.
So why is nuclear on the wane? Part of the story here is that America’s fleet of reactors is aging, which means they need to be taken offline more frequently for repairs. The San Onofre plant near San Diego, for instance, has been out since January 2012.
But a huge part of the story here is competition from cheap shale gas. This month, Duke Energy decided to close its Crystal River nuclear plant in Tampa rather than pay $1.5 billion to repair a cracked dome. The reason? It was easier to build new natural-gas turbines to replace the lost electricity. Last fall, Dominion Power announced that it would close its Kewaunee reactor in Wisconsin for similar reasons.
And that’s just the start: One energy analyst told Bloomberg that at least four other U.S. reactors are now at risk of early retirement “due to new power market economics.” Not only that, but the gas boom is killing off future reactors, too: Back in 2011, NRG scrapped plans for two new nuclear units in Texas. The reason? Other sources were cheaper and easier, including gas and wind.
No costs for nuclear firms that built Fukushima reactors, but residents must pay back compensation
the firms that helped design and build the Fukushima reactors, such as General Electric, Toshiba and Hitachi, are not required to pay a cent in compensation.
Aslihan Tumer, Greenpeace’s international nuclear project leader, says some of the companies are continuing to profit from the reactor.
“Nuclear suppliers are completely protected from accepting any liability or being held accountable in case of an accident,” he said.
Residents paying back Fukushima compensation ABC News, By North Asia correspondent Mark Willacy Feb 19, 2013 Nearly two years on from the meltdowns at the Fukushima nuclear plant, there are accusations the nuclear industry is evading its responsibilities.
The disaster has mostly dropped out of the news in Japan and its victims remain largely hidden after being placed in tiny, so-called temporary apartments across the country.
The ABC has learned that TEPCO, the operator of the Fukushima plant, is handing out what are called “temporary compensation” payments – money handed out to victims of the meltdowns, but which must be repaid….. Continue reading
Vogtle new nuclear plant is not signalling a nuclear power revival
Vogtle is progressing but nuclear revival is not ajc By Kristi Swartz, 17 Feb 13, When major construction started at Georgia Power’s Plant Vogtle nuclear expansion project near Augusta a year ago, all eyes were on what was supposed to be the rebirth of the nuclear industry after more than a generation without new plants.
The stakes were high for Georgia Power and its parent, Atlanta-based Southern Co., which became responsible for showing the nation that the nuclear industry could build two reactors without major technical problems, delays or cost overruns. Consumers already were on the hook, paying for Georgia Power’s $6.1 billion portion of the project through a fee on their monthly utility bills.
The $14 billion Vogtle expansion in Waynesboro — one of the largest economic development initiatives in state history — is behind schedule, and the nuclear revival hasn’t worked out the way the industry had hoped. Continue reading
France – to phase out nuclear at home, but keen to sell it to India
Trust our nuclear technology: French president to India Deccan Herald, Mumbai, Feb 15, 2013, (IANS) French President Francois Hollande Friday urged India “to trust” his country’s nuclear technology and extended France’s support to the Indian nuclear power generation programme……
France is helping India construct two nuclear power reactors at the proposed 9,900 MW Jaitapur Nuclear Power Project in Ratnagiri, 400 km south of Mumbai. The project has been facing stiff resistance from locals, NGOs, anti-nuclear groups and some political parties..… Earlier Friday, Hollande met Maharashtra Governor K. Sankaranarayanan, Industry Minister Narayan Rane, Tourism Minister Chhagan Bhujbal and Protocol Minister Suresh Shetty and stressed the importance of nuclear energy.
UK govt twists and writhes – trying to give the nuclear industry a subsidy that doesn’t look like a subsidy
The government, which has ruled out any public subsidy for nuclear power, is determined to avoid the perception that it will support new nuclear at any price, even at the risk of the talks collapsing.
hangs in the balance amid increasingly fraught talks between EDF Energy and the Treasury over the price of electricity from EDF’s planned nuclear power station in Somerset.The two sides are negotiating over what price EDF should be awarded for the power it generates at Hinkley Point C, set to become the first new UK atomic plant built in a generation. But the gap between them is much wider than many in the industry were expecting. Continue reading
Czech Republic the latest in nuclear industry death agonies across Europe
Nuclear Revival Dying in Europe as Power Prices Slump: Energy Bloomberg, By Ladka Bauerova – Feb 13, 2013 A Czech atomic-plant expansion planned near the German border had been one of the few prizes left for Europe’s nuclear-power industry after the Fukushima disaster stopped projects from Switzerland to Romania.
Russian and U.S. contractors have prepared to bid for the $10 billion contract to build two new reactors, Europe’s largest competitive tender for a nuclear project. Now a combination of cheaper European power prices and carbon credits, falling demand for electricity and concern government support may falter leaves CEZ AS’s project in doubt, analysts and investors said.
“The future of nuclear energy in Europe looks very dim indeed,” said Mycle Schneider, an independent consultant on energy and nuclear power based in Paris. “Nuclear is too capital intensive, too time-consuming and simply too risky.”Abandoning the Temelin project would deal another blow to the foundering nuclear industry in Europe, and to contractors such as Russia’s Rosatom Corp. and Westinghouse Electric Corp., after the 2011 accident at the Fukushima plant in Japan. Continue reading
1 This Month
of the week– Nuclear Reactor Information Task Force
14 May – online event From Bombs to Data Centres: the Face of Nuclear Colonialism
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