Fennovoima rules out Ruotsinpyhtää as possible location for new nuclear power plant
‘The race to build Finland's sixth commercial nuclear reactor gained a measure of clarity yesterday, when Fennovoima, the potential newcomer in the game, removed Ruotsinpyhtää in the southern province of Uusimaa from its list of possible sites for the power company's first nuclear facility. Hence Fennovoima will concentrate its efforts further north in Finland, where the company has two possible locations Simo and Pyhäjoki, for the country's next nuclear power station. In addition to Fennovoima, applications for a new reactor have also been submitted by Teollisuuden Voima (TVO) and Fortum. Teollisuuden Voima hopes to erect a fourth commercial reactor on the Olkiluoto site on the west coast of Finland, where the construction of the company's third unit, a 1600MW reactor, is already lagging several years behind schedule. Fortum's third unit would accompany the firm's two previous reactors on the Loviisa site east of the capital Helsinki, incidentally quite close to Ruotsinpyhtää.’

France seeks foreign cash to grow nuclear sector
‘PARIS, Dec 14 (Reuters) - France pledged 1 billion euros ($1.5 billion) to support next generation reactor design and said it would seek foreign capital to back its move to the forefront of nuclear energy expansion. The investment is part of a 35 billion-euro spending plan French President Nicolas Sarkozy Sarkozy unveiled on Monday aimed at improving France's competitiveness. The new nuclear projects, dubbed fourth generation reactors, would recycle uranium and plutonium, creating less waste, he told a press conference. The French government, which owns majority stakes in both nuclear reactor maker Areva (CEPFi.PA) and utility giant EDF (EDF.PA), is trying to position France as the market leader in designing and running these power plants. "Do we need external partners? Yes, I can say so without taking the risk of predicting a decision. Why? Because it's an industry that is capital intensive," Sarkozy said.’

SAN ONOFRE: Reactor temporarily shut down after backup generators fail to start
‘Plant operators had to temporarily shut down one of San Onofre Generating Station's two reactors over the weekend after an emergency generator failed a routine test. Gil Alexander, a spokesman for Southern California Edison, San Onofre's majority owner, said Monday that the plant's Unit 3 reactor was taken off-line at 2 a.m. Saturday when the back-up generators failed to start. A second generator could not be used because it was being repaired. Though San Onofre's nuclear reactors make electricity by heating water and using steam to turn turbines, they still need standard diesel backup generators to provide juice to myriad pumps, valves and other gear that move water through the reactor's core. California's anti-nuclear energy community, led by the advocacy group Citizens for Nuclear Responsibility, has been increasingly dismayed by the string of low-level problems reported by Edison and the commission. Rochelle Becker, the alliance's executive director, said the latest episode further convinces her that San Onofre has a flawed "safety culture."’

Stop uranium train
‘Despite concerns that the plan could be a figurative train wreck, a train load of depleted uranium is set to depart the federal Department of Energy's Savannah River Site in South Carolina, bound for Utah. The DOE announced last week that the first of three train loads of the radioactive waste will soon be shipped as part of a project in which federal stimulus money is unfairly being used to clean up the Palmetto State at the Beehive State's expense. In all, 14,800 drums containing 11,000 tons of DU, a byproduct of uranium enrichment, are earmarked for EnergySolutions' low-level radioactive waste disposal facility at Clive in Tooele County. But the decision to ship is premature because the verdict is still out on the best way to dispose of DU. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission, while classifying DU as Class A waste suitable for disposal at Clive, has never actually studied the risks posed by burying large quantities of the material in shallow landfills like EnergySolutions' Utah dump. That review, which is expected to take several years to complete, is still in the early stages. Plus, Utah's Radiation Control Board is requiring EnergySolutions to write a technical report assessing the long-term safety of the site, a process that will take about a year.’

Russia to build 12 nuclear reactors in India
‘NEW DELHI: Russia is planning to set up 12 to 14 nuclear reactors in India, with the Russian Ambassador to India Alexander Kadakin saying his country had no issues with transferring enrichment and reprocessing technologies (ENR) to New Delhi. "We do not have domestic laws as strict as in some other countries. We do not see many problems in this field," he said. He, however, said Moscow would act according to international conventions, but these would not impede nuclear cooperation with India. "Some modus operandi will be worked out so as not to prevent us from pursuing full nuclear cooperation with India," Alluding to India's burgeoning energy requirements, the envoy said Moscow was looking to set up six to eight new nuclear reactors at a site in West Bengal, besides six reactors it was building at Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu under two separate arrangements. "Maybe there will also be a third site," the Russian envoy said. "It should be done not piece by piece but series by series," he said.’

China, Kazakhstan set to sign nuclear agreement
‘China will soon reach an agreement to receive nuclear power assistance from Kazakhstan, a source told China Daily. The unnamed source with ties to the government said the two countries had originally planned to sign the agreement during President Hu Jintao's recent visit to the Central Asian country. But due to Hu's limited time there, an agreement was not drafted, but the source said one will be signed soon. The agreement, once signed, will allow the resource-rich Kazakhstan to offer substantial help to China, which has a rising demand for nuclear plants. China Guangdong Nuclear Power Co from China's major economic engine, Guangdong province, has begun cooperating with Kazakhstan's state nuclear power firm for uranium, according to the source. A legal framework such as an intergovernmental agreement is necessary for more cooperation in the nuclear energy field, said Kairat N. Kelimbetow, chief executive officer of Kazakhstan's sovereign wealth fund amruk Kazyna.’

UN nuclear watchdog chief holds talks in Nigeria
‘ABUJA - The new head of the UN nuclear watchdog, Yukiya Amano, on Monday held talks here on future cooperation with Nigeria, which plans to build its first nuclear power plant with Russian assistance. Amano, 62, a Japanese diplomat, chose Nigeria as his first official visit since taking over as director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on December 1. "I discussed future cooperation between Nigeria and the IAEA on nuclear energy, especially the infrastructure to support a nuclear energy programme," Amano told reporters after a meeting with Nigerian Vice President Goodluck Jonathan and the country's science and technology minister. Africa's most populous nation with about 150 million people is on the verge of building its first nuclear power plant for which the IAEA is providing technical assistance. "We are getting people from Moscow to build it for us.... I just came back two days ago from Moscow and it is the Russians who are going to build the nuclear facilities for us, working with Nigerians," Science and Technology Minister Alhassan Bako Zuma said at a press conference with Amano. Zuma said he signed an accord with the Russians but did not provide details on the plans to give a much needed boost to Nigeria's electricity supply.’