Companies

France: Steps To Protect Gravelines Nuclear Plant From Oil Disaster

Monday, March 11, 2013

A catastrophic fire and explosion at a Total oil terminal could affect safety at the adjacent Gravelines nuclear power plant, an annual review of nuclear safety in France has revealed. Total and EDF will make changes to avoid effects on nuclear safety from a previously unconsidered scenario.

In the 1970s two major industrial developments began near the town of Gravelines in the Flanders region of northern France: An oil terminal began operation in 1974, followed one year later by construction of the first reactor at the adjacent Gravelines nuclear power plant. The terminal went on to expand through the 1970s and by 1985 the nuclear power plant was the largest in the world with six reactors in operation.

Posted in | »

French police search EDF chief's office in EnBW probe-source

Friday, March 1, 2013

PARIS, March 1 (Reuters) - French police have searched the office of EDF Chief Executive Henri Proglio as part of a German investigation into the 2010 purchase of EDF's stake in utility EnBW by the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, a source close to the matter said.

German prosecutors opened preliminary proceedings in July into alleged links between Morgan Stanley's top dealmaker in Germany and one of Baden-Wuerttemberg's top politicians relating to the state's purchase of shares in EnBW.

Posted in | »

Bomb at Tihange nuclear power plant made safe!

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Wed 27/02/2013 - 16:13Workmen have unearthed a device that is believed to be a bomb dating from the Second World War on the grounds of the Belgian nuclear power plant at Tihange near the town of Huy (Wallonia).

The website L'Avenir reports that the Belgian army's bomb disposal unit, DOVO, attended the scene to make the device safe. The nuclear power plant's internal emergency plan was implemented as a precaution.

Posted in | »

Bulgarian Parliament Confirms Decision to Scrap Belene N-Plant

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Bulgaria's Parliament confirmed Wednesday the country's decision to abandon the Belene nuclear power plant project.

The vote was prompted by a recent referendum on the construction of a new nuclear power plant in the country.

Under the law, the recent referendum results imposed for the Belene NPP to be put back on the Parliament's agenda, as voter turnout slightly exceeded 20%. 61% of the voters said "yes" to the construction of a new nuclear power plant; 39% cast a "no" ballot.

Posted in | »

Russia is keen in the Lithuanian nuclear power plant project

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Vydas Gedvilas, speaker of the Lithuanian parliament, said last week that he had a meeting with representatives of Russian energy company Rosatom ten days ago to discuss possible involvement of Rosatom in the Visaginas NPP project.

Gedvilas said in an interview to TV3 that representatives of Rosatom had confirmed that they were interested in the project.

Posted in | »

Finland's Fennovoima says may downsize reactor project

Monday, February 25, 2013

HELSINKI, Feb 25 (Reuters) - Finnish nuclear consortium Fennovoima said it was considering scaling back its planned nuclear reactor project in northern Finland after the exit of its top investor German utility E.ON.

It said it would choose Japan's Toshiba if it went ahead with original plans for a large, 1,600-megawatt reactor, dropping Areva who was previously another candidate.

Areva, Toshiba and Russia's Rosatom could be suppliers for a medium-sized reactor, Fennovoima said.

It said it aimed to choose the reactor supplier this year.

Posted in | »

RWE boss warns over nuclear plant subsidies

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

RWE npower, one of the big six power suppliers, has warned ministers not to seal a long-term subsidy deal with the nuclear industry behind the backs of consumers and saddle them with "unnecessarily high bills" for the next 40 years.

The warning from Paul Massara, RWE UK's new chief executive, comes as the Guardian can reveal that up to 15 private sector executives with links to the atomic sector have been seconded to government departments or other public sector roles.

Posted in | »

EDF confirms it wants 40-year contracts to build nuclear plants

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Electricity firm EDF has confirmed it wants the UK government to sign 40-year contracts to support building new nuclear reactors in Britain – as the national energy regulator warned prices are likely to rise higher than expected.

The French-owned company is in talks with ministers over "contracts for difference" funding, under which the government guarantees generators will be paid a minimum price for electricity from new nuclear plants: if the market price falls lower than this "strike price" then a surcharge will be added to customers' bills; if it rises higher there would be a refund.

Posted in | »

Minister cools power plant plans

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Treasury Minister Mikolaj Budzanowski has indicated that plans to fund Poland's first nuclear power plant have been shelved by the government.

In an interview with the Parkiet daily, Budzanowski reflected that “in today's circumstances it is not possible for the government to support the construction of a nuclear power plant.”

Posted in | »

Nuclear power: ministers offer reactor deal until 2050

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

The government is launching a last-ditch attempt to sign up energy companies to build new nuclear power stations by proposing to sign contracts guaranteeing subsidies for up to 40 years.

The coalition agreement reached between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats in 2010 promised that nuclear power stations would be built only if the industry got no public subsidy, but costly overruns for new reactors overseas and the exit of several major utilities from the UK programme, most recently Centrica, have driven ministers and officials to backtrack on that pledge and accept they will have to provide financial support.

Posted in | »