EdF gets approval for Constellation deal
‘State regulators have granted Electricité de France (EdF) conditional rights to take over part of Constellation Energy but the firms were criticised on their debating strategy. EdF's bid for 49.99% of Constellation Energy's nuclear generation, made after Constellation suffered a "near-death experience" on the credit crisis last year, hit a hurdle related to Constellation's state-regulated subsidiary, Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE). In order to allow the transaction state regulators the Maryland Public Service Commission had to determine whether it would be "consistent with the public interest, convenience and necessity, including benefits and no harm to consumers." In practice that meant Constellation taking steps to strengthen BGE with a $250 million investment while accepting that BGE would not pay dividends if its equity levels dropped. In addition EdF made a range of commitments to the state including a new $20 million visitor centre at Calvert Cliffs nuclear power plant, a $36 million donation to Constellation's charitable foundation, a $32 million payment into Constellation's long term incentive plan and $22.5 million to BGE's ratepayers. Lastly, in order to show enough of a direct benefit to ratepayers the commission said that EdF would also have to match the total ($110.5 million) in a one-off payment to BGE's residential customers. This equates to about $100 per household.’

North Korean Plutonium Reprocessing Plant Said Readied for Operations
‘A plant that helped to provide North Korea with weapon-grade plutonium appears to have been returned to operational status, Kyodo News reported today. Pyongyang closed the facility at its Yongbyon nuclear complex under the terms of a denuclearization deal struck with China, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the United States. Ultimately, it was to have been disabled and then dismantled. However, the North said last spring that it was through with the six-party process after being criticized at the United Nations for an April rocket launch. It said subsequently that it would resume plutonium operations. "The [plutonium] reprocessing factory appears to have been restored to its earlier conditions, a high-level South Korean defense official told the Yonhap News Agency. Satellite images of the factory showed a regular stream of workers moving to and from the facility. "Activities involving people and vehicles have been consistent for months," said the official. "I wouldn't be surprised if North Korea has started to reprocess spent fuel rods."’

Nuclear Cargo Security Workshop Held in Russia
‘Officials from Russia and the United States met last week to discuss strategies for improving security in the transport of nuclear materials. Participants met for three days in Kolontaevo, Russia to share best practices in training, equipping and operating security forces traveling with nuclear cargoes, according to a press release from the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration. The workshop followed a similar session in March at Fort Chafee, Ark. It involved officials from the NNSA Material Protection, Control and Accounting Program and Russian transportation security officials from Atomguard, Rosatom and the Internal Affairs Ministry. "The National Nuclear Security Administration's long-standing cooperation with Russia on critical nuclear security issues demonstrates a shared commitment to learning and collaboration," said NNSA Principal Assistant Deputy Administrator Kenneth Baker in a press release. "Working together to ensure the secure transport of nuclear materials is another way we can help meet the president's commitment to secure nuclear material." Moscow and Washington have been jointly working on security of nuclear shipments since 1996. The United States, through last month, had provided Russia with 283 reinforced nuclear material shipment containers, 115 escort vehicles, 97 cargo trucks, 77 freight railcars and 25 guard railcars.’

North Korea's broken economy the key to nuclear talks
‘SEOUL, Nov 2 (Reuters) - A promise by North Korean leader Kim Jong-il to improve the state's broken economy is forcing him to ask for massive aid and may even bring him back to nuclear talks that Pyongyang once declared dead. The North, which last month sent an envoy to the United States on a charm offensive, on Monday gave its clearest signal yet that it was ready to return to the six-way, disarmament-for-aid talks. Plenty of obstacles remain to reviving the discussions, not least the fact that Washington wants Pyongyang to recommit to giving up its nuclear activities before negotiations. "It is still too early to tell if the North is desperate enough to make the strategic decision about a change in its nuclear arms programme," said a diplomatic source in Seoul. But Kim, it appears, has backed himself into a corner after having pledged to turn North Korea into a "strong and prosperous nation" by 2012 to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of his father and the state's founder, Kim Il-sung.’

EDF cuts capacity at Belleville plant after fire
‘PARIS, Nov 2 (Reuters) - EDF (EDF.PA) cut the production capacity of its reactor 2 at the Belleville plant in Central France to 60 percent after a fire broke out on Sunday in a non-nuclear part of the installation, the firm said on Monday. "Smoke erruped at 1215 (1015 GMT) from the non-nuclear part of the plant," EDF said on the plant's information line. "The fire was extinguished immediately," EDF said.’

Nuclear dump sites 'all in the Territory'
‘THE Federal Government has been sitting on a report on the decision to build a nuclear waste dump in the Territory for the past nine months. Australia needs to build a waste facility by 2015, when spent nuclear fuel rods are returned from France. The Government had previously promised to decide the location of the facility based on "science". The Commonwealth's Radioactive Waste Section manager Patrick Davoren told the Senate Estimates committee that the Parson Brinckerhoff report into the sites was received in February. But he said the report only looked at three Defence sites - all in the Northern Territory. They included two near Alice Springs and another one in the Katherine region. The report also considered Muckaty Station, near Tennant Creek, which was offered by the local traditional owners. "The Government is considering its position in the light of that report and in light of its platform and its election commitment," he said.’