Corporate

Garoña licence renewal option sought

Warwick Pipe — Fri, 17 May 2013 16:31:03 GMT

Spanish utility Nuclenor has requested a partial revocation of a ministerial order allowing an extension to the operating licence application deadline for the shut Garoña nuclear power plant, enabling a possible restart.

Westinghouse, SNPTC join forces for SMR

Warwick Pipe — Fri, 17 May 2013 16:28:41 GMT

Westinghouse and China's State Nuclear Power Technology Corporation (SNPTC) will work together to develop a small modular reactor (SMR) design licensable in both the USA and China.

CGNPC renamed to reflect expansion

Warwick Pipe — Wed, 15 May 2013 15:12:07 GMT

China Guangdong Nuclear Power Group (CGNPC) has changed its name to China General Nuclear Power Group to reflect the group's ambitions to grow outside of Guangdong and China itself.

International tie-up bolsters AP1000 supply chain

Warwick Pipe — Tue, 14 May 2013 15:54:44 GMT

Westinghouse and China's State Nuclear Power Technology Corp have formed a joint venture to develop the global AP1000 supply chain.

Twin research reactor contract for Invap

Warwick Pipe — Thu, 09 May 2013 15:43:48 GMT

Nuclear technology firm Invap will construct two research reactors, one in Brazil and one in Argentina, under a contract signed with the two countries.

I&C collaboration celebrates China first

Warwick Pipe — Thu, 09 May 2013 15:12:05 GMT

The first digital instrumentation and control (I&C) system developed jointly by Mitsubishi Electrical Corporation of Japan and China Techenergy Corporation has entered commercial operation.

New backup generators for Olkiluoto

Jeremy Gordon — Wed, 08 May 2013 14:24:50 GMT

Nine new backup generators will be delivered to the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant in what owners TVO are describing as the largest ever individual modification of the plant. These are to be supplied and installed by Wärtsilä over the period 2016 to 2020.

Simulator upgrade for Chinese plant

Jeremy Gordon — Wed, 08 May 2013 15:15:44 GMT

L3-MAPPS will add a severe accident module to the full scope simulator of China's Ling Ao Phase II nuclear power plant.

Kewaunee enters retirement

Warwick Pipe — Tue, 07 May 2013 15:33:38 GMT

Electricity generation at Dominion's Kewaunee nuclear power plant in Wisconsin ended today after almost 40 years of operation.

Cameco awaits market pick-up

Warwick Pipe — Thu, 02 May 2013 15:27:51 GMT

Canada's Cameco expects the restart of Japanese reactors and the signing of long-term supply contracts to kick-start the stagnant uranium market. The company saw net earnings drop 93% in the first quarter of 2013.

New steam generators arrive at Prairie Island

Warwick Pipe — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 15:18:03 GMT

Areva has delivered two replacement steam generators for use in Xcel Energy's Prairie Island nuclear power plant in Minnesota.

France and China strengthen nuclear bond

Jeremy Gordon — Wed, 08 May 2013 14:40:51 GMT

A state visit has seen Areva, EDF and China Guangdong Nuclear Power Corporation sign a three-way agreement for further cooperation.

MHI signs off on turbine contract

Jeremy Gordon — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 15:06:27 GMT

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) has completed the final shipment of turbine rotors for the first AP1000 nuclear power plants under construction in China.

Uprates completed at Florida plants

Jeremy Gordon — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 15:10:16 GMT

Florida Power & Light is celebrating the completion of a major five-year upgrade program that has added over 500 MWe of capacity to four reactors at its Turkey Point and St Lucie sites.

UK decides on Urenco sale

Jeremy Gordon — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 14:17:09 GMT

The British government will go ahead with a process to sell its stake in Urenco, subject to security concerns and the company's complex ownership structure.

UK nuclear R&D projects secure funding

Jonathan Cobb — Tue, 14 May 2013 10:07:24 GMT

A project to develop robotic snakes fitted with lasers for use in nuclear power plants, as well as one to produce cast reactor coolant pumps, are among those that will benefit from recently announced funding from the UK government.

TVA surprise at possible sell-off

Warwick Pipe — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 15:03:30 GMT

A strategic review of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) announced as part of the US federal budget will consider the possible sale of all or part of the government-owned corporation. TVA executives appear to have been taken by surprise by the news.

Darlington turbine refurb contract

Jeremy Gordon — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 09:03:02 GMT

Alstom is to refurbish the turbines and generators of all four Candu reactors at the Darlington nuclear power plant under a contract signed with Ontario Power Generation. The work is part of a project to extend the plant's life by up to 30 years.

Putin offers help to South African nuclear industry

Warwick Pipe — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 16:22:43 GMT

Russia is offering to help South Africa to develop its own nuclear industry from resource production to power plant design and manufacture, Vladimir Putin has told South African president Jacob Zuma.

Tohoku scraps plan for Namie-Odaka plant

Warwick Pipe — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 16:30:48 GMT

Long-standing plans for the construction of a new nuclear power plant in Japan's Fukushima prefecture have been dropped by utility Tohoku Electric Power Company. The Namie-Odaka plant was first proposed some 45 years ago.

Embalse wins loan for longer life

Jeremy Gordon — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 17:01:40 GMT

The Development Bank of Latin America has issued its first loan for a nuclear project to support the refurbishment and licence extension of Argentina's Embalse nuclear power plant.

New vessel head installed at Angra 1

Warwick Pipe — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 16:21:26 GMT

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) has completed the installation of a new reactor vessel head at Brazil's Angra 1. The contract was the first large-scale overseas reactor component retrofit for the Japanese company.

Costain to prepare Trawsfynydd for Safestore

Jeremy Gordon — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 17:34:10 GMT

Costain will reinforce the reactor buildings of the Trawsfynydd nuclear power plant under decommissioning as part of its second contract from Magnox for work at ten UK sites being prepared to enter care and maintenance.

New direction for Canadian nuclear labs

Jeremy Gordon — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 16:34:48 GMT

Canadian nuclear companies have welcomed plans for private sector involvement in the management of national nuclear laboratories in the latest phase of the restructuring of Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd.

Rössing restructuring to see 276 jobs go

Jeremy Gordon — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 18:44:13 GMT

Falling uranium demand and prices due to the Fukushima accident, as well as increasing costs of electricity and water, have caused Rössing Uranium to reduce its workforce by 276.

Reactor shutdowns impact EnBW's earnings

Warwick Pipe — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 16:49:52 GMT

The forced closure of two of its four nuclear power reactors in 2011 contributed to a 4.3% drop in profits in 2012, German utility EnBW reported.

New chief for WANO

Jeremy Gordon — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 16:09:59 GMT

Ken Ellis will take over as managing director of the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO) in April. He comes from a background of operations at Bruce Power in Canada.

Shikoku joins rate hikers

Jeremy Gordon — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 11:45:25 GMT

A fifth Japanese nuclear utility has moved to raise its electricity tariffs in order to accommodate the cost of soaring liquid natural gas imports. Shikoku Electric Power company intends to increase household rates by 11% and commercial rates by 17.5%

Laguna Verde uprate signed off

Claire Maden — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 12:15:10 GMT

Iberdrola Ingenieria has formally announced the completion of a five-year project to upgrade Mexico's only nuclear power plant, Laguna Verde.

MHI's Super-Giraffe robot reaches new heights

Warwick Pipe — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 16:43:06 GMT

A remote-controlled robot that enables work to be conducted at heights up to eight metres has been developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI). It is the latest to be built to help clean-up work at Fukushima Daiichi.

Naval nuclear contracts awarded

Warwick Pipe — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 15:54:43 GMT

Separate contracts for naval nuclear power systems have been signed by engineering companies Rolls-Royce and Babcock & Wilcox. Both firms also have a significant presence in the civil nuclear industry.

More clarity for Fennovoima

Warwick Pipe — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 12:16:57 GMT

The co-operative company that is the majority shareholder in Fennovoima has purchased EOn's 34% stake to assume full control. The project is moving forward and recently received advice from government on waste disposal.

Tohoku seeks to raise electricity rates

Warwick Pipe — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 17:04:52 GMT

Tohoku Electric Power Co has applied to the Japanese government to raise the region's household electricity prices by 11.4%. The utility faces increasing costs for fossil fuel to meet demand while its nuclear generating capacity remains idled.

EDF pleased with 2012 figures

Jeremy Gordon — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 17:12:07 GMT

EDF has reported strong results for 2012 that "underscore the solidity of its integrated and diversified business model," it said. Total earnings for the French utility in 2012 were some €16.1 billion ($21.4 billion), representing growth of over 7.7%.

Tepco's increasing reliance on fossil fuels

Warwick Pipe — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 17:13:56 GMT

Tepco's use of liquefied natural gas, crude and heavy oil has significantly increased since the accident at its Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, figures released by the Japanese utility show.

Cameco confident despite earnings drop

Warwick Pipe — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 16:35:07 GMT

Canada's Cameco has promised to focus on reducing costs after a year that saw net earnings fall despite exceeding annual production targets.

TVA seeks Sequoyah licence extension

Warwick Pipe — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 15:19:24 GMT

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has applied to the US regulator to extend the operating life of its twin-unit Sequoyah nuclear power plant. Ifgranted, the reactors could operate until 2040 and 2041, respectively.

Nuclear spying verdict overturned

Jeremy Gordon — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 15:45:14 GMT

EDF has been acquitted on appeal from a charge of illegally hacking Greenpeace computers. The utility claimed it was also a victim of methods used by a company involved in monitoring the anti-nuclear group.

New deputy chairman for Hitachi Europe

Warwick Pipe — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 16:47:11 GMT

As Japan's Hitachi increases its presence in the European nuclear energy market, Masaharu Hanyu has been appointed as deputy chairman of Hitachi Europe Ltd and chief executive of the company's nuclear power systems business in Europe.

Storm rocks Kazakh uranium industry

Jeremy Gordon — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 14:24:31 GMT

UPDATED: Uranium mining in southern Kazakhstan's Sozak region was suspended after extreme weather brought down power lines and flooded villages.