[ RadSafe ] [Nuclear News] Fennovoima to consider five sites for new Finnish nuclear plant
Sandy Perle
sandyfl at cox.net
Wed Aug 29 09:33:24 CDT 2007
Index:
Fennovoima to consider five sites for new Finnish nuclear plant
Evaluating The Urinary Tract System Using A Low Radiation Dose
DHS Graduates First Advanced Radiation Detection Course
Alberta nuclear proponent has mystery power buyer
Australian PM urges traditional owners to accept nuclear waste
Brazil's public ministry calls for suspension of NPP bidding
Planned U.S. Nuclear Power Plant Uprates Exceed $1 Billion
UK Nuclear plant staff call off strike over pay
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Fennovoima to consider five sites for new Finnish nuclear plant
Energy Business Review Aug 28 - Finnish nuclear power company
Fennovoima has said that, following its evaluation of the suitability
of a number of nuclear power plant site alternatives in Finland, it
will continue co-operations for the potential scheme with five
municipalities. According to Reuters, the power firm is hoping to
build a 1,000MW to 1,800MW station.
Fennovoima said that it will continue to consider the regions of
Kemijarvi, Kristinestad, Pyhajoki, Simo and Vaala for the nuclear
facility's location and added that it is also possible that its
studies will result in co-operation with other municipalities.
Fennovoima plans to select two to four sites for an environmental
impact assessment in autumn 2007.
When the assessments are completed, Fennovoima will file an
application for the decision in principle for constructing a new
nuclear power plant. The site will be selected after the decision in
principle has been approved by the Finnish parliament. Reuters said
that the firm, which is a joint venture established by E.ON,
Outokumpu and several other smaller companies, hopes to start
operations at the plant in 2018.
"Our endeavor to find a new site for a nuclear power plant has
proceeded as planned. By the beginning of summer we had preliminarily
evaluated the suitability of 30 sites. Thereafter we have continued
and focused our evaluation. Now we continue our close co-operation
with five municipalities. We have not ruled out the possibility that
there may still be suitable sites in other municipalities," said
Tapio Saarenpaa, Fennovoima's CEO.
"When conducting our site studies, we will strictly follow the rules
and regulations of the Finnish Nuclear Radiation and Safety Authority
(STUK) and of other authorities. Our aim is to proceed in close co-
operation with municipalities, local citizens, and especially with
neighbors," continued Mr Saarenpaa.
-----------------
Evaluating The Urinary Tract System Using A Low Radiation Dose
Science Daily Aug 28 - The split-bolus (cross sectional imaging) MDCT
urography technique reduces both radiation dose and number of images
produced, according to a recent study conducted by radiologists from
Stanford University School of Medicine in Stanford, CA and VA Palo
Alto Health Care System in Palo Alto, CA.
"Since CT urography was first conceived, in the late 90s, there have
been a multitude of protocols described in the literature. The vast
majority of these protocols entail scanning patients before contrast
and at multiple phases after the administration of IV contrast," said
Lawrence C. Chow, MD, lead author of the study. "We wanted to show
that a similar examination could be achieved with fewer scan
acquisitions [meaning potentially less radiation and fewer images] by
administering a split-bolus of IV contrast, without sacrificing
sensitivity," he said.
The study consisted of 500 patients with possible urinary tract
abnormalities who underwent split-bolus CT urography. CT urography
identified 100% of pathologically confirmed renal and ureteral
malignancies. Fourteen of 19 confirmed cases of uroepithelial
neoplasms involving the bladder were found.
"We believe that the use of CT urography results in a simplified
diagnostic evaluation for patients with painless hematuria [presence
of blood in the urine] and can potentially replace what previously
required two studies: traditional excretory urography plus CT, MR or
sonography," said Dr. Chow.
CT urography had a sensitivity and specificity of 100% and 99%. It
also depicted numerous other congenital and abnormalities of the
urinary tract.
"We were impressed with the wide spectrum of abnormalities which we
were able to see with CT urography and with the ability of CT
urography to detect even very small abnormalities such as papillary
necrosis, renal tubular ectasia and very small urothelial tumors," he
said.
The full results of this study appear in the August issue of the
American Journal of Roentgenology, published by the American Roentgen
Ray Society.
Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by
American Roentgen Ray Society.
------------------
DHS Graduates First Advanced Radiation Detection Course
For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: 202-282-8010
Aug 24 - The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Domestic Nuclear
Detection Office (DNDO) announced today the graduation of the first
class of the Advanced Radiation Detection (ARD) course in Las Vegas,
Nev. The 5-day course focuses on the preventive radiological and
nuclear detection (PRND) mission and provides participants from
state, local, and municipal jurisdictions with the skills needed to
detect and investigate the potential malicious use of radioactive or
nuclear material.
"The Advanced Radiation Detection course is the capstone course in
the national preventive radiological and nuclear detection
curriculum," said Vayl S. Oxford, DNDO director. "This curriculum
aids state and local jurisdictions in joining the national
radiological and nuclear detection mission."
ARD course graduates learned skills in detecting radioactive
material, assessing detection instrument alarms, and adjudicating
radiological and nuclear alarms.
In addition to the ARD course, the national PRND curriculum consists
of an 8-hour Personal Radiation Detector (PRD) course and a 16-hour
Radioisotope Identification Device (RIID) course. The PRD and RIID
courses are prerequisites for students attending the ARD course.
DNDO oversees and executes the national PRND training and exercise
policy, which offers federal, state, and local law enforcement and
emergency responders the opportunity to enhance local PRND
capabilities.
DNDO is a jointly staffed office that was established in 2005 to
improve and to further enhance the nation's capability to detect
nuclear or radiological material that may be used against the
homeland.
-------------------
Alberta nuclear proponent has mystery power buyer
CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) Aug 28 - Backers of the first nuclear
power plant proposed for the western Canadian province Alberta
sketched out their plans on Tuesday, but left questions unanswered
including the identity of a mystery buyer for most of the
electricity.
Privately held Energy Alberta has agreed to supply a company with 70
percent of the 2,200 megawatt plant's output, but President Wayne
Henuset declined to name the firm, its business or describe the stage
of the deal, citing confidentiality agreements.
"(The agreement is) as solid as it gets, I guess, five years out,"
Henuset said at a news conference. He was referring to his goal of
starting construction around 2012.
The C$6.2 billion ($5.8 billion) plant had first been proposed to
provide both electricity and steam for the booming oil sands industry
in northeastern Alberta.
But Energy Alberta applied to Canada's nuclear safety authority on
Monday to build it further west in the Peace River area and to
provide just the power.
Since the company first floated the idea two years ago, it has
sparked debate among residents and politicians in Alberta, an oil-
and coal-producing province that had officially rejected the notion
of nuclear energy.
Under the proposal, the debt-financed plant would start up in 2017.
Government-owned Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd would build a twin-unit
ACR-1000 Candu reactor and Energy Alberta would own and operate it.
Henuset said it could help solve a power supply crunch in Alberta,
where he projected to jump by 400 MW annually. The capacity is about
20 percent of the province's current peak load.
"There are no doubts Alberta needs a large, reliable, clean power
source to meet its current future needs and there is no doubt in our
minds Albertans are ready for nuclear power," he said.
Radioactive waste would initially be stored near the plant, 30 km (19
miles) west of Peace River, but long-term storage is still being
studied, said Stella Swanson, an environmental consultant to the
project with Golder Associates.
She pointed out Canadian Energy Minister Gary Lunn recently approved
the idea of burying waste deep underground at a single location.
Environmentalists have condemned the idea as too risky.
Also attending the news conference were representatives of Citizens
Advocating Use of Sustainable Energy, a group formed to oppose the
plan.
Among its many criticisms is that the Peace River region is
susceptible to seismic activity, said CAUSE member Jack Century, a
geologist and consultant to the oil industry.
"Just to the west of the Peace River faulted area is Fort St. John
(British Columbia), where oil fields have been inducing earthquakes
as a result of conventional water-flooding. This is known to all
seismologists, but sort of hidden in the oil patch," Century said.
Swanson said the backers have done geological and engineering studies
"at a regional level in a preliminary nature" and plan to keep
studying such risks.
"You're right, there have been earthquakes in the area, but it was
not what we would call a fatal flaw for choosing this area," she
said.
Henuset, a Calgary-based businessman, has run a series of oil field
service businesses and car dealerships and has also established a
chain of liquor stores.
His partner in Energy Alberta, Hank Swartout, founded Canada's
biggest oil field service company, Precision Drilling, and is on the
boards of a handful of other firms.
-------------------
Australian PM urges traditional owners to accept nuclear waste
ABC News - Aug 28 - Prime Minister John Howard says negotiations with
traditional owners on whether to build a nuclear waste dump in the
Northern Territory are continuing.
Mr Howard has refused to consider holding a plebiscite on whether low-
and intermediate-level nuclear waste is transported and stored in
the Territory.
He says the states and territories have agreed to a process to set up
a waste dump and the NT Government is being hypocritical in calling
for a vote on the issue.
"We're negotiating with the traditional owners of the land and let's
see how those negotiations proceed," he said.
"Can I just point out to you that we're talking here about the
disposal of waste largely as a result of hospital and other uses."
Mr Howard says the best thing to do is to let discussions between the
Commonwealth and traditional owners continue.
"When the process resulted in the nominated place in a particular
part of South Australia, the South Australian Government said 'no'
despite having agreed to the process," he said.
"So I think there's a mite of hypocrisy on the part of the [Northern]
Territory and state Labor Government."
However Member for Lingiari Warren Snowdon has labelled Mr Howard a
hypocrite for promising a plebiscite for communities where a nuclear
power station could be built, while refusing a vote on nuclear waste
facilities.
The federal Labor MP says Mr Howard is being "mean and tricky" by not
revealing which communities are involved in consultations.
"He says that people have been consulted - well I've asked the Prime
Minister, what the hell is he talking about?" he said.
"Which people have been consulted? And over what site have they been
consulted? If it's true that people have been consulted and they've
approved of a particular site then you can discount immediately the
other sites. He's done none of that."
------------------
Brazil's public ministry calls for suspension of NPP bidding
Peoples Daily Online Aug 29 - Brazil's Federal Public Ministry
Tuesday called for the suspension of the bidding process for an
environmental license to build another nuclear power station in the
country.
The ministry (ombudsman's office) said the process had so far been
"rushed and chaotic."
The process violated the law and denied people the right to express
an opinion, the ministry told Eletronuclear, the company which is
bidding for the license, and which manages Brazil's two existing
nuclear power stations.
The company is also in charge of the 3.65-billion-U.S.-dollar project
to build the Angra III power station, in the town of Angra dos Reis.
The ministry said the Brazilian Environmental Agency had yielded to
Eletronuclear's pressure to speed up the license process.
The Brazilian government considered the nuclear plant essential to
avoiding energy shortages after 2011, but the plans have met strong
opposition from environmentalists.
In addition to the nuclear power plant, the government plans to build
two new hydroelectric stations on the Madeira and Tocantins Rivers in
a bid to avoid a repeat of the widespread power shortages in 2001 and
2002.
-------------------
Planned U.S. Nuclear Power Plant Uprates Exceed $1 Billion
SUGAR LAND, TX--(MARKET WIRE) --Aug 29 -- Researched by Industrial
Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas) -- Power uprates of nuclear power
plants are an economical and emission-free way to increase generating
capacity. Power plant owners are performing power uprates to increase
output from as little as 0.4% to as much as 20%. Uprates can be as
simple as adjusting operating parameters or as complicated as
changing out major components, such as steam turbines, moisture
separators/reheaters, main generators and transformers.
--------------------
UK Nuclear plant staff call off strike over pay
Scotsman.com Aug 28 - STRIKE action by staff at a nuclear plant has
been suspended to allow fresh peace talks in a row over pay, it was
announced yesterday.
Union members at the UK Atomic Energy Authority site in Dounreay,
Caithness, had planned industrial action tomorrow in a dispute over
the current year's pay claim.
Mick Rix, national officer for the GMB union, said: "Members will be
pleased the employers have agreed to talks. Let us hope they [have] a
decent offer which we can put to members to settle this year's pay
round."
-----------------------------------------
Sander C. Perle
President
Global Dosimetry Solutions, Inc.
2652 McGaw Avenue
Irvine, CA 92614
Tel: (949) 296-2306 / (888) 437-1714 Extension 2306
Fax:(949) 296-1144
E-Mail: sperle at dosimetry.com
E-Mail: sandyfl at cox.net
Global Dosimetry Website: http://www.dosimetry.com/
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