The Nuclear Power Thread

The NPPs like the AP1000, EPR and USAPWR are supposed to be constructed in 5 years or 60 months. I don't know if that's from first pour, or when they start excavation for the basemat.

According to SC folks I know, the part of the site where V3 and 4 are going was still largely undeveloped.

I'd see that prediction too. Apparently the reality is different. Georgia is spending money on construction now, but will sell electricity from 3,4 before 2017.

No doubt. By existing site I mean that, for example, road access and electrical transmission are already in place, evacuation plans still apply, and so on.

Fuqing reactor construction on China's SE coast, one the of the "22 nuclear reactors under construction" in China. "[H]omegrown design based on France's existing light-water reactors."

http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/25112/?a=f

A new company should be formed later this year to support Japanese exports of nuclear power technology and knowledge. The Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry (Meti) has agreed to set up the firm with involvement from utilities the Tokyo, Chubu and Kansai electric power companies as well as with reactor vendors Toshiba, Hitachi and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. The Innovation Network of Japan - a joint venture of government and industry - may also join. The move is seen as a reaction to South Korea's success in exporting to the United Arab Emirates and directed towards winning new nuclear contracts with the emerging nuclear countries of south-east Asia.

Here's a surprise -

Dominion selects APWR for North Anna
http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NN...a-1005104.html

Dominion had previously expressed interest in the ESBWR. Generally it's not a good idea to mix technologies (e.g., PWR and BWR) at one site.

The lead utility on Mitsubishi's US-APWR is Luminant (TXU) with two units planned for Comanche Peak near Ft. Worth, Tx (actually Glen Rose in Somervell County, Tx).

Colin Smith, Rolls-Royce's director of engineering and technology, attended opening ceremonies at both institutions, which he described as proven centres of excellence for nuclear science. "Rolls-Royce is well placed to deliver world-class engineering and manufacturing capability to support the delivery of global nuclear power programs and we are delighted that these new UTC collaborations will help us remain at the cutting edge of technology," he said.

Rolls-Royce has announced the opening of two new university centres dedicated to nuclear technology at Imperial College in London and the University of Manchester.

http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NN...s-1105108.html



U of M has the Dalton Nuclear Institute.
http://www.dalton.manchester.ac.uk/

Curious, given the UK has no new nuclear plans that I've seen.

The next generation of nuclear generators will most likely be built on existing sites owned by British Energy.

Dungeness in Kent, Sizewell in Suffolk, Bradwell in Essex and Hinkley Point in Somerset are among the most likely sites for new-build, according to industry insiders.

EDF completes UK nuclear line-up
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7532542.stm
Possibly 4 EPRs.

after the government gave the go-ahead for the rebirth of the nuclear industry early this year.

[...]A couple of recent incidents in France have made such concerns pertinent.

In July, 100 workers at EDF's Tricastin power plant in Bollene, southern France, were contaminated as waste particles escaped from a pipe during maintenance work.

Medical checks found the workers were all fine as the contamination was mild, but it nevertheless pointed to a lack of control.

And only a few weeks earlier, an adjacent Areva subsidiary failed to notify the locals until late in the afternoon the day after some 75kg of liquid containing unenriched uranium leaked into the ground water.

The leak was taken seriously. Locals were told to stop drinking tap water; swimming pools were covered up; farmers and gardeners stopped watering their crops.

Really? I'd missed that. I had thought one of the reasons behind the UK's expensive offshore wind push was because more nuclear was not on the table.

Progress Energy has announced that it has postponed major construction activities at the proposed Levy nuclear power plant in Florida until it has received a licence for the plant. At the same time, the estimated cost for the project has increased by up to $5 billion.

The company said that it has delayed work on the Levy project for several reasons, including: the need to reduce capital spending to avoid short term rate increases; a recent downgrading to Progress Energy Florida's credit ratings; a delay in the licensing timeline; the current economic climate; and continued uncertainty about federal and state energy policies, including carbon regulation.

Progress says that, according to the current schedule, it expects the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to issue the combined construction and operating licence (COL) for Levy in late 2012. The company said that at that time it will "update its assessment of the project and schedule to ensure that it continues to be in the best interests of customers and shareholders."
. . . .

Construction work delayed at Levy as costs rise
http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NN...se-0705105.htm
07 May 2010
Escalating costs will likely delay/slow the renaissance.

Meanwhile, Progress said that its current estimate for the cost of the proposed Levy plant is between $17.2 billion and $22.5 billion.

Same article - disconcerting waste handling behavior in France

so, does that mean maintenance and operation costs trump fuel costs?