First unit of troubled Temelin nuclear power plant shut down again

["Sandy Perle" <sandyfl@EARTHLINK.NET>]

Index:



First unit of troubled Temelin nuclear power plant shut down again 

Kazakhstan's only nuclear power plant goes bankrupt 

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First unit of troubled Temelin nuclear power plant shut down again 



PRAGUE, Czech Republic - AP - Jan 20 - A minor oil leak was detected 

Monday in the non-nuclear part of the Temelin nuclear power plant 

near the border with Austria, a spokesman said. 

 

The leak was detected in the plant's first unit, spokesman Milan 

Nebesar said. He said the unit was shut down. 



The shutdown came only hours after workers reconnected the plant's 

second unit to the national power grid. 



The second reactor was restarted on Saturday after a two-week outage 

caused by a minor leak of steam. 



Nebesar said the second unit was reconnected to the power grid early 

Monday, and its reactor is currently running at some 35 percent of 

its capacity. 



Initial tests on the 1,000-megawatt second unit, scheduled to be used 

commercially beginning in 2004, started in May. However, testing has 

been plagued by several non-nuclear malfunctions. 





Tests on the first unit of the 2,000-megawatt plant — based on 

Russian design and upgraded with U.S. technology — started in 

November 2000. Testing of that unit, too, has been plagued by 

frequent non-nuclear malfunctions. 



The Temelin plant, located just 60 kilometers (35 miles) north of the 

Austrian border, has been a source of friction between the two 

countries. 



Critics in Austria argue the plant is unsafe and demand that it be 

shut down, but Czech authorities insist the plant is safe. 

----------------



Kazakhstan's only nuclear power plant goes bankrupt 



ALMATY, Kazakhstan AP - Jan 16 - The only nuclear power plant in the 

former Soviet republic of Kazakhstan was declared bankrupt Thursday 

by a court after accumulating unbearable debts. 



The Mangyishlak plant in western Kazakhstan was driven into the red 

because of reduced demand for energy and low prices enforced by local 

anti-monopoly authorities there, said Valikhan Asambayev, who was 

appointed to bring the plant back to profitability. 



The plant has been struggling in recent years and in February 1999 

was ordered to restructure, having accumulated a debt of 3.3 billion 

tenge (US$21.3 million at today's rates). 



The deadline for the plant to return to profitability was extended 

last September to Feb. 2, but it has been unable to repay even that 

initial debt, while accumulating more financial burdens. 



On Thursday, a regional court declared the plant bankrupt and ordered 

it to be auctioned off. To operate the plant, a potential buyer must 

have a license to handle radioactive materials in Kazakhstan and have 

been working in the sector for at least five years. 



That leaves only two possible suitors, national energy company 

Kazatomprom or the National Atomic Center. The latter lacks the money 

to buy the plant, leaving the likely buyer as Kazatomprom. 







-------------------------------------------------

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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