[ RadSafe ] Nuclear-plant financing bill could hit ratepayers hard

[Sandy Perle]

Index:

Nuclear-plant financing bill could hit ratepayers hard
China Forms Venture for Nuclear Plant
Reactor at Swedish nuclear plant offline for checks  
Fuel loading begins at Unit 2 Cernavoda nuclear power plant 
Swedish nuclear plant threatens security
Nuclear comeback heats UW classroom 
Legislators press to keep nuclear waste site open 
Bruker Daltonics device gets exemption from radiation safety rules
Belarus Accelerates Plans To Build Nuclear Plant
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Nuclear-plant financing bill could hit ratepayers hard

TXU, which operates the Comanche Peak nuclear plant near Glen Rose, 
is among four companies considering plans to build more.AUSTIN -- 
Texas could see the construction of nuclear plants -- and the 
companies building them could one day get ratepayer-backed subsidies -
- under legislation filed this week by a key lawmaker.

Although going largely unnoticed as debate rages over coal-plant 
proposals and global warming, the legislation could set the stage for 
the construction of nuclear reactors, which don't pollute the air but 
create dangerous radioactive waste, in the state.

At least four companies have proposed such facilities for Texas, 
which has two nuclear plants, one near Glen Rose and the other near 
Bay City.

"The way I've been looking at nuclear, it's the direction that we 
want to go," said state Rep. Phil King, R-Weatherford, who heads the 
powerful House Committee on Regulated Industries. He says his 
legislation, House Bill 1386, would make it easier for nuclear 
operators to obtain financing.

The legislation already has drawn fire, with some critics saying that 
it gives nuclear energy an unfair advantage and therefore violates 
the free-market principles that form the basis of the Texas electric-
deregulation law.

Others critics say serious safety and environmental concerns remain 
about nuclear power.

"This whole issue of nuclear power is a loser," said Ken Kramer, 
director of the Texas chapter of the Sierra Club.

How the bill works

The federal government requires the establishment of special trust 
funds to finance the cost of decommissioning nuclear plants at the 
end of their useful life, which can be about 50 years. These trust 
funds are also supposed to pay for the permanent storage of the 
plants' radioactive waste.

If adopted, House Bill 1386 would change how these funds operate in 
Texas. The bill calls for the operator of a nuclear plant to provide 
money for the fund -- making it part of the cost of doing business -- 
but also requires that ratepayers pick up the tab if the company 
falls short or ends up in default.

King said he also is considering an alternate industry-backed 
proposal that would pass all the decommissioning charges on to 
ratepayers in any case. Such costs can easily exceed $1 billion per 
plant.

King said without such a bill, would-be nuclear operators would have 
a difficult or impossible time obtaining financing. He notes that no 
nuclear construction has begun since the 1970s, long before Texas or 
any other state deregulated their electric markets. Financing was 
easier under the previous regulated system because utilities had a 
guaranteed rate of return.

"If we build nuclear power plants in Texas, they'll be the first that 
are privately funded," King said.

"But there's a big question as to whether you can build a nuclear 
facility in a competitive market -- it's never been done. ... So the 
best thing for us to do is to put a bill out on the table. It just 
needs to be hashed out."

TXU is among the companies that have floated plans to build nuclear 
plants in Texas. Others include Illinois-based Exelon, NRG Energy and 
Amarillo Power.

TXU spokesman Tom Kleckner said his company is planning to file a 
regulatory request by December 2008 to operate up to three 
facilities. He said the earliest they would be operational is 2015. 
"We're looking at nuclear energy as more of a long-range answer to 
Texas' demand problem," he said.

He said his company has not taken a position on King's legislation.

Other companies contacted by the Star-Telegram provided similar 
responses.

Critics abound

Several critics question the fairness of the legislation.

Tim Morstad, a policy analyst with AARP, said the legislation "sets 
up the scenario where today's babies may pick up the tab for nuclear 
cleanup when they hit AARP age."

Phillip Oldham, energy counsel for a group of large industrial 
customers, said his organization doesn't have a position on the bill, 
but he stressed that "no technology should receive a subsidy, and 
having ratepayers backstop the cost of building a nuclear plant 
appears to be a subsidy."

The Sierra Club's Kramer said that persistent environmental and 
safety concerns make nuclear power unpalatable. "It's pretty obvious 
that we have yet to solve the nuclear-waste issue," he said.

King said that the legislation is a work in progress. Change is 
likely, he said.

"I think we need to build nuclear, and to build nuclear we've got to 
deal with decommissioning costs," King said. "But I'm not all that 
convinced yet that this is the right way to go. I just put the bill 
out there. It's not in the form that I would want it voted on. I'm 
just laying the issue on the table."
--------------

China Forms Venture for Nuclear Plant

China Forms Joint Venture Company to Operate First Inland Nuclear 
Power Plant 

SHANGHAI, China (AP) -- China has formed a joint venture company to 
run the first inland nuclear plant away from its comparatively 
wealthy coastal regions where it already has six plants in operation, 
the official Xinhua News Agency said Thursday.
 
Hunan Taohua River Nuclear Power Co. Ltd. brings together China 
National Nuclear Corp., China Three Gorges Project Corp., China 
Resources Co. Ltd and Hunan Xiangtou Holdings Group Co. Ltd., Xinhua 
said.

The planned Taohua River plant in Hunan province near the city of 
Yiyang is part of a strategy to boost the proportion of China's power 
generated by nuclear plants to 4 percent by 2020 from 2.3 percent 
today.

To meet that goal, the government says it must build about two new 
facilities every year, providing a potential boon to foreign nuclear 
power technology firms.

Hunan lies in China's poor hinterland, which has long lagged behind 
the coast in income generation and infrastructure development.

Xinhua did not say who would build the Hunan plant, or what 
technology it would use. Previous reports have said that Chinese 
technology would be used to keep costs down.

China sees nuclear energy as its most practical option for reducing 
reliance on heavily polluting coal-fired power plants.

China and the United States last year signed a memorandum of 
understanding supporting the transfer of nuclear technology to China, 
paving the way for a multibillion dollar deal for Westinghouse 
Electric Co. to build four civilian nuclear reactors in China.

French nuclear group AREVA and Russia's AtomStroyExport also competed 
for that deal.

No date has been announced for the start of construction of the Hunan 
plant.
--------------

Reactor at Swedish nuclear plant offline for checks  

Stockholm - A reactor at the Swedish nuclear plant Ringhals was taken 
offline late Thursday due to a minor leak in the primary coolant 
system, officials said Friday.

"The (water) leak was detected Thursday and after an initial 
inspection we decided to take the reactor offline to inspect more 
areas," production manager Lars Eliasson said.

The coolant system has numerous valves and parts that may generate 
leaks, Eliasson said, adding that the results of the inspection were 
likely due later Friday.

The Ringhals plant, 60 kilometres south of the west coast city 
Gothenburg, operates four reactors and provides about a fifth of 
Sweden's electricity.

Two of the other reactors were restarted earlier this week after 
other repairs.

State-controlled energy group Vattenfall owns some 70 per cent of 
Ringhals, while energy company E.ON owns 29 per cent. 

Two of three reactors at the Forsmark plant, 140 kilometres north of 
Stockholm, were also offline, pending the replacement of the rubber 
sealing in the outer walls of Reactor 1 while the Swedish
Nuclear Power Inspectorate (SKI) wanted better documentation of 
routine maintenance procedures at Reactor 2 before allowing it to go 
online.

The move was triggered by Forsmark's recent disclosure that samples 
of the rubber sealing were taken last year but the results were not 
reported until last month, suggesting poor reporting and
follow-up routines, SKI said, noting that the sealing did not affect 
safety.

Vattenfall is also majority-owner of Forsmark and has launched a plan 
to improve security issues at Forsmark. 

Sweden has operated 12 nuclear reactors at most. Two at the Barseback 
plant in southern Sweden have been decommissioned, the most recent in 
May 2005.  
---------------

Fuel loading begins at Unit 2 Cernavoda nuclear power plant 

On Thursday, at 1:29, the reactor of Unit 2 of the Nuclear Power 
Plant in Cernavoda started being loaded with fuel, and the operation 
will last for approximately ten days. `Nuclearelectrica informs that, 
with the introduction of the first nuclear fascicle into the active 
area of the Unit 2 reactor of CNE Cernavoda, on Thursday at 1:29 
hours, it became a nuclear installation´, reads a company´s 
communiqué. 

The manual loading of the 4,560 nuclear fuel fascicles with a weight 
of nearly 100 tons of natural uranium will last approximately ten 
days and will be followed by the loading of the heavy water and by 
the continuation of the of the commissioning tests. According to the 
Minister of Economy and Trade Varujan Vosganian, reactor 2 will start 
functioning on April 25. The uranium had been produced by the nuclear 
fuel plant in Pitesti. Unit 2 will be commissioned in September and 
the Nuclearelectrica power output will increase by 50 per cent, to 
8.4 TWh, from 5.6 TWh in 2006. The entering into service of the 
reactor will also elevate the share to be held by Nuclearelectrica in 
the total energy output of Romania from 9-10 per cent to 18 per cent. 
The nuclear plant at Cernavoda had been designed to accommodate five 
reactors, using Canadian technology of the CANDU type, with installed 
powers of around 700 MW each. The construction of reactors 3 and 4 
may start in the first half of 2008 and that will raise the annual 
power output to 10.478 TWh, as the two units will have a total 
installed power of 1,440 MW.
-------------

Swedish nuclear plant threatens security 

FORSMARK, Sweden, Feb. 15 A Swedish nuclear power plant has for 
several years emitted radioactivity three times higher than normal 
rates.

Reactor 1 of the Swedish Forsmark power plant since 2004 has released 
radioactive emissions three times higher than normal because of a 
faulty covering, the Swedish industry magazine Ny Teknik reported. 
The plant is located roughly 120 miles north of Stockholm and is 
jointly operated by Swedish energy giant Vattenfall and German firm 
Eon.
 
The Swedish government in Stockholm has since said it was concerned 
about the security of other reactors in the country, also because 
this has not been the first incident at Forsmark, a plant that 
provides roughly 18 percent of Sweden's electricity.

Two emergency generators of the Forsmark 1 reactor malfunctioned 
during a power failure last July, in what observers said was the 
worst incident in the history of atomic energy in Sweden.The Swedish 
public has since become significantly more suspicious of civil 
nuclear power, after widespread backing of nuclear power only a few 
years ago. 
--------------

Nuclear comeback heats UW classroom 

The prospect of new nuclear power plants rising on the Wisconsin 
horizon sent sparks flying on the UW-Madison campus Friday.

(The Capital Times ) UW engineering physics professor Michael 
Corradini irked many in the audience at Grainger Hall with his call 
for expanding nuclear energy, saying that concerns over safety and 
waste disposal have been overblown.

"You could take all of the high-level nuclear waste generated in the 
U.S. since 1957 and store it in half of Grainger Hall," Corradini 
said. "We're talking about a very small volume of material."

No nuclear power plants have been built in the U.S. in over two 
decades and a state law on the books since 1984 blocks any new plant 
construction in Wisconsin.

But a debate on the future of nuclear power and whether it has a 
place in the state's energy portfolio has developed following a 
recommendation last month by the Legislative Council's Committee on 
Nuclear Power to lift the nuclear moratorium.

Corradini has been a leading supporter of nuclear power and speaking 
at a forum sponsored by the Nelson Institute of Environmental Studies 
he argued for moving away from polluting fossil fuels.

At present, the world relies heavily on fossil fuels such as oil, 
natural gas and coal as primary energy resource. Fossil fuels account 
for over 75 percent for all energy and 70 percent of electricity 
production in the U.S. Worldwide, fossil fuels generate 88 percent 
for all energy and 65 percent of electricity.

And the environmental impact of fossil-fuel energy are becoming 
significant. Recent analyses by NASA scientists indicate that if 
levels of greenhouse gases like methane and carbon dioxide are not 
reduced, global warming will become unstoppable.

"If you're worried about CO2 then don't shut down nuclear," said 
Corradini.

But Dennis Dums, research director for the Citizens Utility Board, 
said the lack of a viable storage facility for high level radioactive 
waste from the nation's 103 operating nuclear power plants remains an 
overriding concern. "The fact is, spent nuclear fuel continues to 
pile up in Wisconsin on the shores of Lake Michigan," he said.

Wisconsin has two operating nuclear facilities, Kewaunee and Point 
Beach, supplying about 20 percent of the state's electric generation. 
Coal remains the largest source of electric generation at about 70 
percent, with three new plants in the works in the state.

The federal Department of Energy has been unable to site a nuclear 
waste dump at Yucca Mountain in Nevada, despite spending millions of 
dollars in ratepayer money on the project. Dums said Wisconsin should 
keep its moratorium on nuclear plant construction until that issue is 
solved.

Wisconsin utilities have been moving to divest their nuclear plants, 
with the Kewaunee facility being sold in 2005 to Dominion Resources 
Inc. of Richmond, Va. and the Point Beach plant being sold by 
Wisconsin Energy Corp. to Florida Power & Light. "Our utilities are 
showing no interest in ownership of these plants," said Dums.

Dums also warned that if Wisconsin lifted its nuclear plant law, 
other companies could move in to site merchant plants here and sell 
the electricity out of state, leaving state residents to deal with 
the waste.

Some in audience went a step further in their criticism of nuclear 
power, saying the industry continues to deceive the public about the 
risks of both waste and plant operations.

"This is an industry that built two bombs that killed a lot of people 
and since then they have been trying to make something good out of 
it," said Jim Pawley, a UW professor of zoology.

Others said that if nuclear power is such a panacea, why is the 
insurance industry hesitant to provide coverage and Wall Street 
reluctant to invest?

But Corradini noted that the energy picture is a global one and 
whatever happens in Wisconsin will ultimately not mean much. He noted 
that electric use in Asia is increasing 5 to 8 percent annually vs. 2 
percent in Europe and the U.S.

"The short-term answer is energy efficiency either by cost or law, 
and we need both," he said. "Medium term we should be looking at 
'clean' coal, nuclear, hybrid cars and wind."

Corradini also tossed water on those who say renewable energy sources 
like biofuels can solve the energy crisis. He said using land to grow 
crops for energy use makes no sense from either an environmental or 
technological perspective.

"Renewables just aren't going to do it." he said.

This comes as Gov. Doyle has announced $30 million in his new budget 
for production of ethanol, biodiesel and other crop-based fuels in 
Wisconsin.

Ave Bie, former chair of the state Public Service Commission, was 
among those in attendance Friday.

"I think it's a good discussion to be having," said Bie, now working 
for the Quarles & Brady law firm.
-------------

Legislators press to keep nuclear waste site open 

COLUMBIA - Some lawmakers say the state cannot afford to close its 
low-level nuclear waste facility in Barnwell next year.

A bill introduced Thursday by Rep. Billy Witherspoon, R-Conway, would 
keep the Barnwell facility open to out-of-state waste beyond next 
year's schedule closing date to collect the millions of dollars in 
fees companies pay to bury their low-level atomic waste here.

Barnwell County collects about $2 million a year from the landfill 
and South Carolina schools get about $10 million a year, according to 
the State Budget and Control Board.

"If we do not sustain the facility's economic viability, Barnwell 
County and Barnwell schools will be thrown into an economic crisis," 
said Rep. Lonnie Hosey, D-Barnwell. "The facility is safe. We need it 
for jobs and economic growth, and it ought to be allowed to continue 
current operations." 

Two North Carolina-based utilities that operate nuclear reactors 
support Witherspoon's proposal to keep the landfill open to all 
states rather than restrict it to waste from South Carolina, 
Connecticut and New Jersey under a compact signed in 2000.

Others say the 235-acre landfill, which places casks of nuclear waste 
in unlined trenches and once leaked radioactive tritium onto nearby 
property, is unsafe and should stop accepting the nation's nuclear 
trash.

"Basically, we're saying that if there's money involved, there is 
nothing we won't do," said Sen. Phil Leventis, D-Sumter. "It really 
comes down to how much respect you have for yourself and your state." 

Gov. Mark Sanford's office said the governor hasn't seen a 
"compelling reason" to keep the landfill open to national waste 
beyond 2008.

The landfill is operated by Energy Solutions Inc., a Utah corporation 
that bought previous operator Chem-Nuclear and its parent company in 
2006.

Energy Solutions has lobbied in recent years to keep the landfill 
open to waste from other parts of the country. The company has hired 
10 lobbyists, including aides to past governors and former lawmakers.

But the company says it is part of an effort to invest in the state's 
nuclear industry and provide a safe central location for the nation's 
nuclear power plants to dispose of waste.

"I'm doing it for my industry," company president Steve Creamer said. 
"If you don't have these facilities, that's when bad things happen in 
the environment." 

Creamer said the landfill accounts for less than 5 percent of his 
company's nuclear division revenues.
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Bruker Daltonics device gets exemption from radiation safety rules

Mass High Tech: The Journal of New England Technology Feb 16 - 
Officials at Billerica-based Bruker Daltonics say that its RAID 
chemical detectors have won an exemption from radiation safety 
requirements from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. 

Bruker Daltonics' RAID IMS (ion mobility spectrometry) chemical 
detectors use a very low intensity radiation source in a closed 
system to ionize air samples for analysis. Prior-generation radiation 
sources have normally required extensive administrative and handling 
procedures, which company officials say can be inconvenient, 
particularly for local first responders. 
  
The NRC's grant of an exempt license for the RAID IMS instruments 
mean they now no longer require registration, licensing, leak 
testing, record keeping, special disposal or fees. 

Bruker Daltonics develops mass spectrometry life-science tools and 
analytical systems for chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear 
detection. It is a subsidiary of Bruker BioSciences Corp., which is 
also the parent company of Bruker AXS Inc. and Bruker Optics Inc. 

Bruker Daltonics develops mass spectrometry life-science tools and 
analytical systems for chemical, biological, radiological, and 
nuclear detection.
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Belarus Accelerates Plans To Build Nuclear Plant 

February 16, 2007 (AFP) -- Belarusian Prime Minister Syarhey Sidorsky 
has said Minsk will accelerate the construction of the country's 
first nuclear power plant.

The government initially planned for the plant to be operational by 
2015.

But due to the country's energy needs, President Alyaksandr 
Lukashenka has ordered it to be ready by 2011.

The plant's site has not yet been announced. Belarus has been seeking 
new energy sources since Russia increased fuel prices in January.

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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

Global Dosimetry Website: http://www.dosimetry.com/ 
Personal Website: http://sandy-travels.com/