Good News about Nuclear Energy - December 2011 

Another report in a continuing series in the post-Fukushima era

Plans for development of new nuclear reactors continue to emerge, or change from the past, as a result of the Fukushima disaster in Japan. This trend is visible in China where the government is getting ready to start approving new reactor projects following a safety review.

Other southeast Asian nations are also making plans or looking at the potential for nuclear energy. Chief among them is Vietnam with expectations of building as many as eight new reactors.

India is emerging as a major player in the business of building new reactors despite protests from opposition parties more interested in giving the incumbent government a black eye than developing a rational energy policy.

And there is lots of other positive news about carbon emission free nuclear energy.

China moves to Gen III reactors

Soon after the events at Fukushima last March the Chinese government ordered a safety review of its existing fleet of 9 GWe of nuclear generating capacity and all new projects. While China has not revealed the results of that review, it has indicated it will re-start approvals of new projects soon.

One of the likely outcomes of the review is that projects that are not already under construction will be shifted from a domestic Gen II design to a Gen III design based on the Westinghouse AP1000. A key feature of the reactor is its passive safety features.

Westinghouse is building four of its reactors in China and signed a technology transfer agreement with China. The firm says it will make money on future new builds as well as fuel and maintenance services.

Last November Exelon inked a consulting services agreement with China National Nuclear Corp. It is likely Exelon will be called on to help CNNC beef up its safety and maintenance capabilities.

Southeast Asia looks at nuclear

The New York Times reported Nov 27 that six southeast Asian countries are looking at nuclear energy. The nations are Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines, and Malaysia.

Vietnam, has plans to build eight new reactors. The first two will be built by Rosatom and Japan is reported to be in line to build the next two. Vietnam wants electricity from the reactors to support develop its huge bauxite deposits into a finished goods aluminum manufacturing industry. Also, it needs electricity to attract more projects like the $1 billion Intel computer chip manufacturing plant which opened in Vietnam.

Small modular reactors might find a ready market for plants that generate 50-300 NMW of power. There are two reasons. The first is cost. A 100 MW unit at $4,000/Kw costs just $400 million compared to $4 billion for a 1,000 MW unit. The second is a combination of the capacity of a developing nation's grid to take power from a new plant and the logistics of safely managing a nuclear reactor.

Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand are all in the process of making initial assessments of the need for nuclear energy. All three countries are said to be keenly aware the need for energy security and sustainability in a world that has fierce completion for fossil fuel and emerging constraints to use them due to global warming.

It’s unclear how fast any of the three countries will move to invest in new reactors or whether they will opt to build new fossil plants to meet near-term energy needs.

India will build new reactors despite protests

The chairman of India's Atomic Energy Commission Srikumar Banerjee told the Hindu newspaper Nov 30 that there will be significant growth globally in nuclear energy despite some countries withdrawing from it due to Fukushima. He said Brazil, Russia, India, and China are all committed to new reactor construction.

Banerjee was jointed by NPCIL chairman Anil Kakodar in promoting the Jaitapur project located on India's western coast south of Mumbai. The two officials are working with the provincial government to overcome protests against the construction of two Areva 1,600 MW EPR nuclear reactors.

Protest groups have raised issues about spent fuel disposal and the potential consequences of a nuclear accident. Additionally, they raised questions about the quality of the environmental report. Banerjee explained at a public meeting that the environmental studies for the plants are available for public inspection.

Similar protests have taken place at Kundankulam on India's southern coastal tip where twin Russian VVER 1,000 MW reactors are ready for hot start up. That milestone has been delayed as local protest groups, aided by German representatives from Greenpeace, blocked staff from entering the plant site.

A scientific committee chartered by the Indian government has been working to convince provincial officials not to support the protests and promised to address concerns of local fishermen about the plant's cooling water outfall on local waters.

GE-Hitachi offers plan to dispose of U.K. surplus plutonium

A sodium cooled fast reactor, called PRISM, developed by GE-Hitachi, is being offered by the firm to help the UK dispose of 87 tonnes of plutonium (181,200 lbs) at its Sellafield site.. Two 300 MW units would be used to turn the plutonium into MOX fuel that can then be used in commercial light water reactors.

Eric Loewen, the chief consulting engineer on the project for GEH, told financial wire services the PRISM reactor design is based on the Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) which was developed at the Idaho field office of Argonne National Laboratory.

Crocodiles prosper at Turkey Point

The U.S Fish & Wildlife Service says that an endangered species of crocodiles is on the comeback trail because they are thriving in the cooling canal system at FPL's Turkey Point nuclear power station near Miami. The 168 miles of man-made canals turn out to be excellent habitat for the reptiles which are different than Florida's alligators which are not endangered. The canals are home to hundreds of crocodiles which can weigh up to 2,000 pounds.

In 1977 there were fewer than 300 of them left in the U.S. Today there are more than 1,500. The canals provide excellent nesting habitat which is monitored by the federal agency in cooperation with the nuclear utility. The warm water that comes out of the reactor's cooling system provides ideal temperatures for the reptiles which need the warmth to survive even in Florida's semi-tropical climate.

Other endangered species that thrive in the canals include manatees and turtles.

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