[ RadSafe ] [Nuclear News] British Energy to resume nuclear power plant construction in UK

[Sandy Perle]

Index:  

British Energy to resume nuclear power plant construction in UK
Sizing up Sizewell for a new nuclear power plant 
Florida PSC loosens regulations for nuclear power
FPL gets go-ahead to charge for plant
Pilgrim scolded because worker snoozed
Nuclear Power Unlikely Alternative in Northwest, Analyst Says 
Michigan: Ex-plant site to get historical marker  
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British Energy to resume nuclear power plant construction in UK

(The Herald) Feb 14 - British Energy yesterday signalled the 
controversial resumption of nuclear power plant construction in the 
UK, while admitting that continuing maintenance problems with two of 
its oldest plants including Hunterston in Ayrshire might threaten 
their future.  

Any new construction would be on "one or more" of its existing sites, 
British Energy said.

The company extended to April the expected closure of the two 
Hunterston B reactors, which along with two at Hinkley Point B in 
Somerset have been closed for repairs to cracked boiler pipes since 
last autumn. Both plants had been expected back on line next month.

Bill Coley, chief executive, said the company would decide within 14 
months whether or not to prolong the life of the two stations.

"The boiler issues are one factor in the life extension decision and 
always were a factor," Coley said.

"We are certainly interested in pursuing it, if it made economic 
sense depending on projected operating capacity and forecasts of 
electricity prices, along with all other factors."

Angelos Anastasiou, an analyst at Evolution Securities, said: "The 
ongoing boiler problems continue to be disappointing, especially the 
potential lack of life extensions."

We are certainly interested in pursuing it, if it made economic sense 
... depending on projected operating capacity and forecasts of 
electricity prices, along with all other factors. 
Bill Coley 
 
Coley said the pipe repairs at Hinkley were complete, while at 
Hunterston they would be completed by mid-March, but other work 
already planned for April would now be brought forward to avoid a 
"double outage".

The rescheduled work in Ayrshire is on reserve feed water tanks, a 
spokeswoman for the firm said, and would take "a number of weeks".

British Energy has asked the UK's nuclear safety watchdog for 
permission to run both plants at only 70% capacity when they do 
restart. It is still looking into when the units can safely return to 
full output.

Coley said the boiler problems meant British Energy's plant 
investment over the next financial year would be at the top end of 
its £250m-£300m range of planned spending.

Meanwhile, the company said it was looking for partners to work on 
new nuclear generation projects in the UK. The group, which operates 
eight nuclear stations capable of providing one-fifth of the UK's 
energy needs, said it would look to develop capacity on one or more 
of its existing sites, which include Torness in East Lothian.

The moves come ahead of next month's publication of the government's 
white paper on energy, which is expected to pave the way for the 
continued role of nuclear power in UK supplies.

Coley said: "We have today launched a process to invite potential 
partners for new nuclear generation projects in the UK. Construction 
of new nuclear power stations is critical to meeting the UK's 
security of supply and climate change objectives."

He said it was an "exciting opportunity" for the company, which was 
the subject of a government-backed financial rescue in early 2005.

French group EDF and German group RWE are likely to be among the 
potential partners.

The shutdowns at Hinkley Point B and Hunterston accounted for the 
majority of the 9.6% drop in electricity output over the nine-month 
period to 44 terawatt-hours.

However, the drop in output was offset by higher power prices and 
consequently the utility, said nine-month earnings had shot from 
£462m last year to £775m, above analysts' forecasts of £748m
--------------

Sizing up Sizewell for a new nuclear power plant 
 
(The Business EDP) Feb 14 - British Energy yesterday said its 
Sizewell site was a potential location for another nuclear power 
station.

The news emerged as the company announced that it was looking for 
partners to work on new nuclear generation projects.

The group, which operates eight nuclear stations capable of providing 
a fifth of the country's energy needs, said it would be looking to 
develop capacity on one or more of its existing sites.

And British Energy chief executive Bill Coley specifically mentioned 
Sizewell and Hinkley, in Somerset, as sites where there was spare 
capacity for development.

Mr Coley said the company had "an important role in any future new 
build programme" and possessed "the people, the experience and not 
least some very good sites". 

"We have land adjacent to the plants at Sizewell and at Hinkley," he 
said.

"We do have real estate which would support the construction and 
siting of new generation."

Mr Coley added that British Energy did not have any development 
partners lined up at the moment, but reports yesterday suggested that 
French group EDF - which runs the Sutton Bridge power station as well 
as being a major domestic power supplier in the region - and German 
group RWE, which owns Npower, could be interested in getting involved 
in the process.

Yesterday's announcement by British Energy came ahead of next month's 
publication of the government's white paper on energy, which is 
expected to pave the way for the continued role of nuclear power in 
UK supplies.

Mr Coley said: "We have today launched a process to invite potential 
partners for new nuclear generation projects in the UK.

"Construction of new nuclear power stations is critical to meeting 
the UK's security of supply and climate change objectives."

He described the process as an "exciting opportunity" for the 
company, which was the subject of a government-backed financial 
rescue in 2005.

Meanwhile, British Energy said repairs to two units affected by 
cracked boiler pipes would be completed by next month.

While the work at Hunterston B in Scotland and Hinkley Point B 
impacted on output in the company's third quarter, higher power 
prices meant the company recorded underlying earnings of £775m, up 
from £462m a year earlier.

The figures, covering the nine months to the end of last year, showed 
British Energy had achieved a price of £40.80 per megawatt hour for 
its power, up 41pc on a year earlier.

British Energy employs about 700 people, including contractors, at 
Sizewell B, near Leiston. 
-------------

Florida PSC loosens regulations for nuclear power

(Bizjournals.com) The Florida Public Service Commission has adopted 
new rules to encourage construction of additional nuclear power 
plants within the state. The rules are designed to spur investment 
and promote nuclear power development. Investor-owned electric 
utilities can now request partial recovery of the planning and 
construction costs of a nuclear power plant prior to the plant's 
commercial operation.  

"A diverse and balanced mix of fuel sources protects customers from 
significant price fluctuations and makes fuel-related power 
disruptions less likely," said Lisa Polak Edgar, PSC chairman.

In April, Florida Power & Light Co. said it notified the Nuclear 
Regulatory Commission of its intent to submit a license application 
in 2009 for a new nuclear power plant in Florida.

The Juno Beach-based company already has nuclear power plants in the 
state at Turkey Point, south of Miami, and St. Lucie, near Fort 
Pierce. Sister company FPL Energy owns nuclear power plants in other 
states.
----------------

FPL gets go-ahead to charge for plant

(Palm Beach Post) Feb 13 - Florida Power & Light Co. hopes to build 
another nuclear plant in Florida by 2018, but the utility's customers 
likely will be paying for that plant long before it starts producing 
electricity.  

The Public Service Commission on Tuesday said FPL and other utilities 
will be allowed to recover the costs up front of getting the permits 
for the plants and then building them. 
 
In the past, a utility that wanted to build a nuclear plant would pay 
for its construction and then recoup the money from consumers once 
the power started flowing.

Such projects can cost billions of dollars; typically at least six 
years are needed to obtain all of the federal and state regulatory 
permits and then another six to build.

The rule approved Tuesday morning without discussion by the three-
member PSC - the panel has two vacancies - stemmed from a state 
energy law passed last year calling for more coal, nuclear and 
alternative forms of energy to be used in Florida. The law contained 
a provision for early cost recovery at the urging of the utilities, 
which argued that nuclear plants are too expensive and risky to build 
otherwise.

"It was the position of the companies that they needed these things 
to build the plant, which is otherwise a tremendous risk for their 
investors," said Public Counsel Harold McLean, whose office 
represents Floridians in utility issues.

FPL President Armando Olivera said FPL has a "place in mind" for 
placing at least one other nuclear reactor. 

The utility, owned by FPL Group Inc. (NYSE: FPL, $59.44) of Juno 
Beach, operates two reactors on Hutchinson Island in St. Lucie County 
and two at Turkey Point in Miami-Dade County.

"The state has really gone a long way toward dealing with some of the 
risks that we have in terms of recovery," Olivera told the Florida 
Energy Commission last week. The commission was formed to give 
Florida lawmakers ideas about how to wean the state off oil and 
natural gas.

In 2008 or 2009, the utility plans to file what's known as a combined 
construction-and-operating license with the federal Nuclear 
Regulatory Commission. 

Just doing that will cost the utility upwards of $100 million, 
Olivera said.

"The costs today with all of the regulatory issues associated with 
nuclear plants are just mind-boggling," he said. "But if we don't 
start, ultimately we won't be able to build a plant."

FPL has maintained a bullish attitude about nuclear power, with 
Olivera at one time saying he wanted the utility to get at least 50 
percent of its fuel from nuclear.

Now it gets about 18 percent of its fuel from that source.

"The entire goal here is to promote investment in nuclear plants in 
Florida," FPL spokesman Mayco VillafaÒa said Tuesday. "Having an 
option to invest in nuclear power is because oil and gas have 
increased in prices, and we need to diversify our fuel mix."

FPL, St. Petersburg-based Progress Energy Florida and consumer 
advocates have been hashing out the policy with the PSC staff for 
months. Progress wants to build a nuclear plant in Levy County, on 
the northwestern Gulf Coast.

"Greater certainty over cost recovery for nuclear plant construction 
will benefit customers financially in the long run," Progress 
spokesman C.J. Drake said.

PSC Chairwoman Lisa Edgar said Tuesday customers benefit from getting 
their fuel from a number of different sources because their bills are 
typically more stable when that happens.

"The new rules will protect ratepayers while promoting investment in 
Florida's energy future," she said.
-------------------

Pilgrim scolded because worker snoozed; NRC says ´05 violation at 
power plant was of `low safety significance´

PLYMOUTH (The Patriot Ledger) Feb 14  - The federal Nuclear 
Regulatory Commission has reprimanded the Pilgrim nuclear power plant 
because a technician fell asleep on the night shift a little more 
than a year ago.  

A year and a half earlier, in June of 2004, another member of the 
plant´s night-shift crew, a senior reactor operator, was found 
sleeping in the control room.

The NRC considers the more recent case - a chemistry technician 
falling asleep on a mat in a locked, empty storage room on Dec. 30, 
2005 - the more serious of the two.

``He was noticed by a supervisor and appropriate disciplinary actions 
were taken,´´ said David Tarantino, a spokesman for Pilgrim.

Tarantino said the technician was not fired.

Chemistry technicians have jobs to perform if an accident occurs at 
the plant, but they are not involved in reactor operations.

The NRC classified the 2005 violation as ``Level IV,´´ the lowest in 
severity.

``It´s considered of low safety significance,´´ NRC spokesman Neil 
Sheehan said. ``There would have been other ways they could have 
responded to an emergency.´´

In a letter to Pilgrim, the NRC said the technician probably would 
have been wakened by alarms or his cell phone had there been an 
accident at the plant.

``Plant safety was not compromised,´´ Sheehan said. ``Nevertheless, 
we take this seriously.´´

The senior reactor operator who tell asleep in the control room in 
2004 was fired, as was his immediate supervisor.
-----------------

Analyst: Nuclear Power Not Likely in NW
Nuclear Power Unlikely Alternative in Northwest, Analyst Says 

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) Feb 14 -- Nuclear power is unlikely to expand in 
the Pacific Northwest any time soon, an analyst who reviewed the 
costs for the Northwest Power and Conservation Council said.
Jim Harding of Harding Consulting in Seattle told the regional 
council Tuesday that there are a number of factors that would affect 
investing in nuclear power, which has gained new attention nationally 
with increasing oil and natural gas prices. 
 
Some include public acceptance of new plants, a learning curve on 
building new plants with new designs, a shortage of engineers and 
skilled workers, waste disposal and Wall Street support.

But a key issue may be the supply of uranium.

Although it is still is relatively plentiful -- there are large 
supplies in Australia and Canada -- it takes a huge investment in 
time and money to mine it and process it for use in a nuclear plant, 
he said.

"It will take heroic efforts to find the uranium needed for a major 
nuclear expansion," Harding said.

The council is holding hearings this week to update its five-year 
energy plan developed in 2004 for Oregon, Idaho, Montana and 
Washington state.

The council, which oversees regional energy planning, sees a 
combination of coal, wind, natural gas and conservation as its best 
bet for meeting increased energy demand through 2024, said John 
Harrison, council spokesman.

But it also is considering other sources, including geothermal, solar 
and even nuclear power, Harrison said.

Laughter, however, broke out when Harding pointed out the cheapest 
way to build a nuclear power plant would be spreading out the cost 
with a public subsidy -- similar to what led to the largest municipal 
bond default in national history with the collapse of the former 
Washington Public Power Supply System nuclear project in the 1980s.

Only one plant survived among the five planned for the project. And 
the only other nuclear plant in the Northwest, the Trojan plant in 
Oregon, was closed in the 1990s by Portland General Electric after 
the utility decided it was too costly to repair cracks in steam 
tubes.

One of the last symbols of nuclear power in the region, the Trojan 
cooling tower visible from Interstate 5 along the Columbia River, was 
demolished last May.

A Virginia company, Alternate Energy Holdings Inc., announced plans 
last December to build a 1,500-megawatt nuclear plant along the Snake 
River in a remote area of southwestern Idaho. The company was formed 
last year by former utility and finance executives led by Donald 
Gillispie, who serves as its president.

Gillispie said Tuesday that Alternate Energy still is awaiting a 
report by geologists on the suitability of the site, along with 
Nuclear Regulatory Commission approval of new reactor designs, before 
moving ahead. The company also is considering whether to take on 
utilities as partners or to finance the project itself through 
private investment, but "we're determined," he said.

Gillispie also said the West cannot expect to rely on coal or 
alternative sources such as wind to provide all its energy needs.

"I think the West is running into a tough road without much coal 
capacity being built, and trying to rely almost totally on wind, and 
maybe solar power, to keep up with growth," he said.

Harding said any new plant likely will face increasing costs in the 
initial stages, especially for the cost of nuclear fuel.

He cited estimates on the cost of new plants, ranging from about 
$1,000 per kilowatt of installed capacity to nearly $2,500 per 
kilowatt. But studies have shown actual costs tend to be higher 
overall, he said.

"To have a nuclear renaissance, you have to have a stable supply of 
fuel, regulatory support and a compelling economic story," Harding 
said later in an interview. "And all three of those are questionable 
right now."
-----------------

Michigan: Ex-plant site to get historical marker  

LANSING (Capital News Service ) Feb 14 - The site of Michigan's first 
nuclear power plant will be remembered with a historical marker, a 
reminder of the plant that stood at Big Rock Point in Charlevoix.

The state Historical Preservation Office plans to erect a marker at a 
roadside park in Charlevoix overlooking Big Rock Point on Little 
Traverse Bay. The site took its name from a Native American meeting 
point, said Laura Ashlee, publication and historical marker 
coordinator at the office. 

"The plant was named after literally a big rock that sits out in the 
water," said Ken Pallagi of Consumers Energy, which built and 
operated the plant from 1962 to 1997. "It was used for centuries as a 
navigational aid by Native Americans.

"They would travel via birch bark canoe, and when they saw Big Rock, 
they used it as a gathering point and spent a couple days there 
before continuing their journey across the bay to Harbor Springs," he 
added.

One side of the marker will explain the power plant, while the other 
side will describe the history of Big Rock Point.

The marker is the first the state has erected for a nuclear power 
plant.

"Consumers Energy applied for Big Rock Point," said Ashlee. "We rely 
on people to tell us why a site is deserving, show historical 
research, provide photographs and the historical significance to 
Michigan."

Individuals or organizations must donate the cost of the markers. 
Consumers Energy paid $3,150 for the one at Big Rock Point, said 
Ashlee.

No dedication date has been set. 

Big Rock Point provided electricity for Charlevoix from 1962, when it 
became Michigan's first nuclear power plant, until 1997, when the 
antiquated reactor was shut down.

"Big Rock Point was Michigan's first and the nation's fifth 
commercial nuclear power plant," said Pallagi. "It really was the 
ground floor of nuclear power in the United States."

Today, little remains at the site. The day after it was 
decommissioned, plant cleanup began, which was finished last August, 
said Pallagi. 

An above-ground storage facility housing the spent fuel rods is the 
only remaining structure.

No firm plans have been set for the eventual use of the site.
--------------


Sandy Perle
Senior Vice President, Technical Operations
Global Dosimetry Solutions, Inc.
2652 McGaw Avenue
Irvine, CA 92614 

Tel: (949) 296-2306 / (888) 437-1714  Extension 2306
Fax:(949) 296-1144

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