NRC raises concern about new reactor design
’WASHINGTON — The Nuclear Regulatory Commission raised safety concerns Thursday with the design of a proposed next-generation reactor to be built by Westinghouse Electric Co., saying a key part of the reactor may not withstand a tornado, earthquake or even high winds. The NRC staff directed Westinghouse to make changes in the reactor design so that its outer shell, which is supposed to protect the reactor's concrete containment structure, is strengthened. The staff concluded the outer steel and composite structure does not meet the design requirements for safety. The reactor, called the AP1000, is one of three next-generation reactor designs under NRC review. The others are being proposed by Areva Inc., the French nuclear company, and GE Hitachi Corp. But the AP1000 is one of the most popular and has been widely viewed as likely to be the first of the new reactors to be built in the United States. At least seven utilities have selected the reactor design in preliminary applications filed with the NRC, anticipating the potential construction of 14 units.’

Toshiba in Talks With Finland to Sell Atomic Reactors
’Oct. 15 (Bloomberg) -- Toshiba Corp., aiming to win 39 reactor contracts globally by 2015, is in talks with three Finnish utilities seeking to build atomic plants as it challenges Areva SA for a share of the European market. Finland’s Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority is reviewing the Advance Boiling Water reactor produced by Toshiba, Yasuharu Igarashi, head of its power systems division, said in an interview in Tokyo on Oct. 14. The Finnish government will decide in February or March whether to grant licenses for new reactors sought by the three utilities. Areva, the leader in the European nuclear market, had been chosen as of July for at least 11 of 39 new plants planned or under construction in the region, while Toshiba hasn’t built a plant there for more than 20 years. An Areva project in Finland, the Olkiluoto-3 atomic plant, has encountered delays and cost overruns. Finnish utilities “are eager to know how we can build our reactors on schedule” and on budget, Igarashi said. The company is providing data to the utilities, Fortum Oyj, Teollisuuden Voima Oyj and the E.ON AG-led Fennovoima Oy.’

Next German government agrees to keep nuclear power plants
’Germany's incoming government has agreed to reverse plans to abandon nuclear power. Berlin is eager to reduce dependency on gas and oil imports but environmentalists have already vowed to fight the decision. Germany's next center-right government of Christian Democrats and Free Democrats (FDP) under Chancellor Angela Merkel now says that the timetable of abandoning nuclear power by 2020 cannot be kept. Already ahead of Germany's general election at the end of September, the two parties had pledged to extend the life of some of the country's 17 nuclear power plants. Economics Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg on Thursday confirmed that as coalition talks progress to form a new government, the two sides have agreed to accommodate that pledge and keep the nuclear plants running longer. Energy experts and economists from both parties argue that in order to keep other pledges to cut Germany's carbon dioxide emissions by 40 percent by 2020 and for reasons of energy security, the country has no choice but to extend the life of its nuclear power stations.’

Next nuclear worry for US: Kazakhstan?
’Washington - Does Kazakhstan want to increase its nuclear commerce – doing deals with other nations that have mixed records when it comes to weapons proliferation? That is a sensitive issue which US intelligence appears to be following closely. Since it gained independence following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Kazakhstan has cooperated with the US on key denuclearization activities. Nuclear weapons stationed on Kazakh territory were returned to Russia and their delivery systems destroyed. But Kazakhstan is second only to Australia in reserves of uranium. It has cut a number of nuclear material deals with Russia, China, and other nations. "Seemingly contrary to its promotion of a peaceful, nuclear weapon-free Central Asia, Kazakhstan foresees itself connected to the nuclear arena, and actively pursues collaborations with other countries in nuclear-related activities," concludes a new study from the US Director of National Intelligence's Open Source Center. The analysis is unclassified and based on published information collected by intelligence analysts. It was posted on the website of the Federation of American Scientists Project on Government Secrecy.’