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Fiji says nuclear waste transports through Pacific must be opposed
Index:
Fiji says nuclear waste transports through Pacific must be opposed
Koizumi won't meet A-bomb victims
Entergy sets deadline to restore plant buy's terms
Detroit Edison Dedicates New Training Center at Fermi 2 Nuclear Plant
Framatome ANP to Supply Fuel Reload for Columbia Generating Station
==========================================
Fiji says nuclear waste transports through Pacific must be opposed
NADI, Fiji - JUL 18 (AP) Fiji called on a group including most of the
world's poorest and smallest states to join it in opposing shipments
of radioactive nuclear fuel traveling through the Pacific Ocean
between Japan and Britain.
"We will be asking you to join with us in expressing our outrage and
opposition to those who are so willing to put the Pacific and our
peoples at risk," Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase said Thursday in a
speech to a summit of the 78-nation African, Caribbean and Pacific
group meeting in this Fijian resort town.
His call came as the environmental group Greenpeace accused two ships
carrying the fuel from Japan to Britain of breaching the 320
kilometer (200 mile) sea zones of four small Pacific states.
The British Nuclear Fuels Ltd. ships, carrying 255 kilograms (560
pounds) of a rejected mixture of plutonium and uranium known as MOX,
had disregarded the wishes of Pacific states to avoid their exclusive
sea zones, said Greenpeace Pacific nuclear campaigner Ange Heffernan.
The shipment has been heavily opposed by environmentalists who fear a
leak of radioactive material, accident or terrorist attack.
Qarase said the Pacific Ocean had defined the region's peoples,
shaped their cultures, created their myths and traditions and fed
them.
"This relationship with the ocean will make it easy for you to
understand why we are so adamantly opposed to any actions which
expose it to threats of pollution, hazardous waste and the
destructive effects of nuclear and missile tests," he said.
The two ships are expected to pass through the Tasman Sea between
Australia and New Zealand this weekend, where an anti-nuclear
flotilla of a dozen yachts is waiting for them.
The armed cargo vessels set off from Japan on July 4 for the two-
month journey to take the rejected radioactive material back to its
maker in Britain.
Japan's Kansai Electric Power Co. imported the fuel in 1999 for an
experimental nuclear power program. But British Nuclear Fuels, the
fuel's maker, later admitted it had falsified quality records and
agreed to ship the fuel back to Britain.
--------------
Koizumi won't meet A-bomb victims
TOKYO, July 18 (Kyodo) - Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said
Thursday he will not attend annual meetings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki
in which atomic bomb survivors usually tell premiers what they expect
in the way of governmental measures to help them.
''I believe it better to let the health and welfare minister handle
the issue,'' the premier told reporters at his office.
Koizumi said he will attend the peace ceremonies to be held Aug. 6 in
Hiroshima and Aug. 9 in Nagasaki to mark the 57th anniversary of the
U.S. atomic bombing of the two cities. The premier attended the peace
ceremonies and the meetings with survivors last year.
Sunao Tsuboi, an atomic bomb survivor who is a leading member of a
peace group in Hiroshima, said he regrets that Koizumi is unlikely to
join the meeting, which has been held every year since 1976.
Some representatives of peace groups in Hiroshima have refused to
attend the meetings with premiers, saying they are nothing but a
show.
In this year's meeting, a group of atomic bomb survivors plans to
urge the government to step up efforts to help their children and
grandchildren in such fields as medical treatment, and compensate
atomic bomb victims living in other countries, the group said
earlier.
The Hiroshima survivors also plan to ask that the government upgrade
into legislation its three principles of not producing, possessing,
nor allowing nuclear arms on Japanese soil. The plan follows remarks
made in June by Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda that the
government could scrap the principles. Fukuda later retracted the
remarks.
-------------------
Entergy sets deadline to restore plant buy's terms
NEW ORLEANS, July 18 (Reuters) - Entergy Corp. <ETR.N>, said Thursday
it will not complete its $180 million purchase of a Vermont nuclear
power station unless the electricity and natural gas company can
share in any excess funds set aside to dismantle the plant.
Entergy, the second-largest U.S. operator of nuclear plants behind
Exelon <EXC.N>, said it would let the deal expire on July 31 unless
the terms it had negotiated can be restored before then.
The company had said last week it might scrap the acquisition of
Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station after state regulators said it
could not keep any of the so-called decommissioning funds.
Entergy said its agreement with the sellers -- eight New England-
based utilities -- and the Department of Public Service had called
for it to retain any excess funds if the plant closed before 2022.
Entergy and the sellers would share the funds equally if the plant
was decommissioned after that date.
The company said it had made it clear that sharing in the potential
excess funds was an integral part of the deal.
"Entergy believes that it is fundamentally inequitable for it to bear
all of the downside decommissioning fund risk without the potential
to share in the upside if funding levels for actual decommissioning
costs turn out better than expected," the company said in a
statement.
The Vermont Public Service Board said on June 13 that Entergy would
have to give the decommissioning funds to the sellers for the benefit
of their ratepayers.
Entergy said the board has denied its request for an amendment of the
order, which approved the acquisition.
The company said it has told the sellers that it wants to meet with
them as soon as possible to discuss the deal.
The largest of the sellers are Central Vermont Public Service Corp.
<CV.N>, New England Power Co., Green Mountain Power Corp. <GMP.N> and
Connecticut Light and Power Co.
------------------
Detroit Edison Dedicates New Training Center at Fermi 2 Nuclear Plant
DETROIT, July 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Today officials from DTE Energy,
parent company of Detroit Edison, dedicated a new 65,000 square-foot,
high-tech training center at the Fermi 2 Nuclear Plant. The new
training center will enhance Detroit Edison's ability to provide the
best possible training for employees to maintain and advance their
skills in plant operations, maintenance and safety.
"Our commitment to safety remains our number one priority in the
operation of Fermi 2," said Anthony F. Earley, Jr., chairman and
chief executive officer, DTE Energy. "This new facility enables our
employees to enhance their skills dedicated to the safe operation of
the plant," Earley said. "We now have a best-in-class facility to
support our efforts to remain a best-in- class, safe producer of
electricity."
Detroit Edison employees will have the ability to practice their
skills on full-scale replicas of plant equipment such as a dynamic
control room simulator, reactor undervessel and control rod
equipment, large capacity diesel generator and electrical switch gear
and test equipment. Employees can improve and maintain their skills
in areas like engineering, maintenance, plant operations and safety.
Fermi 2 is a 1,100 megawatt nuclear power plant, providing nearly 15
percent of the electrical needs of Detroit Edison's 2.1 million
customers. Plant workers and operators maintain a rigorous schedule
of training; plant operations personnel train every five weeks and
maintenance personnel are back in the classroom on a quarterly basis.
The Nuclear Training Center was built under a union contract using
local union contractors. During the peak of construction, 75
construction workers were employed. The project began in May 2001
and was completed ahead of schedule in June.
Detroit Edison is an investor-owned electric utility serving 2.1
million customers in Southeastern Michigan and a subsidiary of DTE
Energy (NYSE:DTE), a Detroit-based diversified energy company
involved in the development and management of energy-related
businesses and services nationwide. Information about DTE Energy is
available at http://www.dteenergy.com .
------------------
Framatome ANP to Supply Fuel Reload for Columbia Generating Station
LYNCHBURG, Va., July 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Framatome ANP has been
awarded a contract by Energy Northwest to supply nuclear
fuel reloads at the Columbia Generating Station in 2003, 2005, 2007
and possibly in two additional cycles in 2009 and 2011.
Framatome ANP also will provide an advanced core monitoring system.
The Columbia Generating Station, a 1,150 Mwe boiling water reactor,
is located near Richland, WA, about 10 miles from Framatome
ANP's fuel fabrication plant. Dale Atkinson, manager of engineering
at the station, said, "We look forward to renewing our
relationship with our neighbors. Framatome ANP's fuel will help us
continue the successful operation of the Columbia Generating
Station."
Framatome ANP will supply ATRIUM(TM)-10 fuel assemblies for loading
into the core of Columbia Generating Station. This design
was developed jointly by Framatome ANP engineers in Richland and
Erlangen, Germany.
Framatome ANP was awarded the contract through a bidding process that
began in June 2001. Energy Northwest concluded that
Framatome ANP's ATRIUM-10 fuel assemblies meet the rigorous demands
for two-year operating cycles and are designed to provide
reliable, failure-free operation.
This award continues the momentum for ATRIUM-10 fuel assemblies from
other utilities in the United States, Taiwan, Sweden,
Finland and Germany.
In addition to the reload fuel, Framatome ANP also will equip the
plant with the state-of-the-art POWERPLEX(R)-III core monitoring
system for accurate monitoring of nuclear power plants during
operation. The accuracy of the system enables the plant operator to
reduce the number of control blade sequence exchanges, thereby
keeping the plant running at a higher capacity factor.
Framatome ANP (Advanced Nuclear Power), an AREVA and Siemens Company,
is the world's premier nuclear supplier.
Framatome ANP's focus includes comprehensive engineering,
instrumentation and control, nuclear services, heavy component
manufacture, modernization, fuel assemblies for many reactor designs,
including those supplied by other vendors, and the development and
construction of nuclear power plants and research reactors.
Framatome ANP is headquartered in Paris with principal subsidiaries
in the U.S. and Germany. In the company, AREVA has a 66 percent
share and Siemens 34 percent. Framatome ANP has a total workforce of
approximately 14,000 worldwide and posts annual revenues totaling
about $2.5 billion.
For further information, visit: http://www.framatome-anp.com
-------------------------------------------------
Sandy Perle
Director, Technical
ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Service
ICN Plaza, 3300 Hyland Avenue
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Tel:(714) 545-0100 / (800) 548-5100 Extension 2306
Fax:(714) 668-3149
E-Mail: sandyfl@earthlink.net
E-Mail: sperle@icnpharm.com
Personal Website: http://sandy-travels.com/
ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Website: http://www.dosimetry.com/
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