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Calvert Cliffs 2 sets new world record being in operation for 693 straight days

A new world record for continuous operation of a pressurized water reactor (PWR) has been set. Calvert Cliffs 2 operated without interruption for 693 days.

The milestone was announced by plant owner Constellation today as the unit was taken offline for refuelling. Brew Barron, the company’s executive vice-president described the achievement at “phenomenal”, while site vice president Jim Spina said it would not have been possible without “employees’ unwavering commitment to safety, human performance and equipment reliability.”

AECL’S Pre-Project Design Review on ACR 1000 successful in meeting Canadian Regulations

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) has completed Phase 1 of a Pre-Project Design Review of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited’s (AECL) Advanced CANDU Reactor (ACR-1000). The conclusion is that, at the high level, the ACR-1000 design is compliant with Canadian regulations. With completion of Phase 1, the CNSC has begun Phase 2 of the two-step Pre-Project Design Review.

The CNSC has determined in this preliminary stage of their review that the ACR-1000 is a robust reactor design, says AECL President and CEO Hugh MacDiarmid. We welcome this news as business activity to build new nuclear reactor plants continues to surge around the world, including interest in the CANDU(R) design.

Refurbishment delays at Point Lepreau cost AECL $100 Million

Delays in the $1.4-billion refurbishment of the Point Lepreau, N.B., nuclear power plant are hitting Canadians in the wallet, according to new documents released by the federal government.

The Treasury Board of Canada reported Thursday that Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. is paying $100 million to cover the cost associated with delays at two nuclear refurbishment projects. The federal Crown corporation is also running late on the refurbishment of a Candu reactor at the Bruce complex near Lake Huron in Ontario, and now Ottawa is budgeting extra money in its latest batch of supplementary estimates.

GE Energy to refurbish Gentilly 2 – contract worth more than $120 million

Under the contract, GE Energy will replace the generator rotor windings and the moisture separator-reheaters. In addition, the two low-pressure steam turbine rotors and diaphragms must be replaced and adjustments made to the turbine base plate. A new control system will also be installed.

Gentilly 2 is a 675 MWe gross (638 MWe net) Candu pressurized heavy-water reactor (PHWR) built by Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd (AECL) between 1974 and 1982. The unit was commissioned in October 1983. Candu reactors require refurbishment and replacement of core components after about 25-30 years of operation. The process normally extends the unit’s life by about the same amount.

GSE Systems wins upgrade contract at Leningrad 3 simulator in Russia

The Leningrad plant currently operates four 1000 MWe RBMK reactors. GSE has built two full scope control room simulators covering these four reactors, as well as two emergency shutdown control room simulators. The Leningrad 3 simulator was initially delivered by GSE in 1996 and underwent an upgrade in 2002. Now the Unit 3 simulator will undergo a major modification, including safety system upgrades.

The contract includes modernizing the simulation computers, updating plant models to reflect the plant safety system changes, upgrading the simulation tool set and providing a new hardware interface system. GSE said that the upgrade will be complete in approximately eighteen months.

Nuclear is good for jobs and economy

The US industry body, the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), has published a report into the role of new nuclear power plants in job creation and economic growth. According to the NEI, “nuclear energy is one of the few bright spots in the US economy – expanding rather than contracting.” It says that the prospect of new nuclear power plant construction in the USA has already stimulated significant investment and job creation among companies that supply equipment and services to the nuclear industry.

Amidyne Group forms strategic alliance with California-based Ronan

Ronan Engineering Company of Woodland California (Ronan.com) announced today that they will be teaming up with the Versatile Measuring Instruments division of the Amidyne Group to market their products to the CANDU nuclear market in Canada and internationally.

Ronan, founded in 1959, is an international manufacturer of instrumentation used in the power generation, oil and gas, steel, mining and food processing industries. For decades, Ronan has supplied instrumentation including Annunciators and Sequence of Events Monitors to nuclear power plants in North America and internationally.

Versatile Measuring Instruments Inc. (versatilemeasuring.com), a nuclear instrumentation division of the Amidyne Group, has manufactured electronic instrumentation and panel meters for the nuclear power industry since 1964. Versatile has been recently qualified to CSA CAN Z299.2, CSA N286.1 and N286.2 to design, manufacture, procure and perform Commercial Grade Dedication on components and systems used in CANDU reactors.

Westinghouse and Korea Nuclear Fuel (KNF) form Joint Venture for Control Element Assemblies

Under the terms of the joint venture agreement, Westinghouse will hold a 55% stake in the joint venture and KNF will own 45%. The new company – KW Nuclear Components Co (KWN) – will be located at the KNF fuel fabrication plant in Daejeon. In nuclear reactors, control rods are inserted into or removed from guide tubes within a fuel element in order to control the neutron flux – that is, to increase or decrease the number of neutrons which will split further uranium atoms. This in turn affects the thermal power of the reactor, the amount of steam generated, and hence the electricity produced. A control element assembly (CEA) is a cluster of control rods which are moved by a single drive mechanism.

China Planning to Double it’s Target for Nuclear Energy by 2020

China plans to nearly double its target for nuclear energy by 2020, state media said Wednesday, a move likely to reaffirm the nation’s position as a prime market for the global atomic industry.

The new objective is for nuclear power plants to reach a capacity of 70 gigawatts in 11 years, the China Daily reported, enough to power 70 cities the size of San Francisco.

The objective, if approved by the State Council or Cabinet, will be up from a previously announced target of 40 gigawatts for 2020.

Nuclear Power to be Part of Sweden’s Energy Future

New nuclear power plants will play a part in Sweden’s long-term energy future, after the coalition government scrapped old anti-nuclear policies.

‘The climate issue is now in focus, and nuclear power will thus remain an important part of Swedish electricity production for the foreseeable future’, said the policy document released today. This was part of what the government called a ‘long-term, sustainable energy and climate policy’ with the vision of an efficient and sustainable Sweden by 2050 with no net emissions of greenhouse gases.

A piece of legislation in 1980 set 2010 as the shutdown date for all the country’s nuclear power plants, but this was put aside by Christian Democrat policy in March 2007. The coalition government, which also includes Conservatives, and Liberals then settled on a line that no new reactors could be planned during their first term. That principle too was thrown out today.

Siemens to Cooperate with Russian Energy Firms

President and CEO of Germany-based Siemens, Peter Löscher, met the Russian prime minister yesterday. “We’re please to be invited to discussions on expanding our existing cooperation in energy technology to include nuclear power,” said Löscher, adding that he would like to “further intensify” his firm’s partnerships in Russia.

Putin told Löscher: “Russia is ready to pass from one-time projects to large-scale partnership as practice has shown that our cooperation with your company is quite effective.”

The discussions follow Siemens’ announcement last week that it wishes to leave its nuclear plant construction partnership with Areva. The Areva group will buy back Siemen’s 34% stake in Areva NP before the end of January 2012.

Cooperation Deal between Areva and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) Likely to Result in Six New EPRs

The deal allows “the initiation of technical cooperation” between Areva and NPCIL towards building the reactors, which would supply 1600 MWe each. Should six units actually be built, Jaitapur would have greater generating capacity than any current nuclear power plant at 9600 MWe, the current leader being Kashiwazaki Kariwa in Japan where eight reactors produce 6898 MWe.

Areva said the memorandum also specified that it would provide uranium fuel for all the reactors throughout their operating lives of at least 60 years. This puts the potential Jaitapur project among the very largest in Areva’s history.

Canadian Government Commit Additional $135 million to AECL’s, ACR 1000

The Conservative government has quietly committed another $135 million to the development of Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd.’s next-generation nuclear reactor.

The Canadian Press has learned that the latest proposed funding for the Advanced Candu Reactor, or ACR 1000, is part of the $351 million budgeted for AECL in last week’s federal budget.

The 2009-10 stipend is the biggest federal subsidy to the Crown corporation since the late 1980s, and the Conservative government won’t provide an itemized breakdown of what the money is for.

AECL Pulls Plug on Contract with Precision Nuclear Inc, 75 jobs cut

Precision Nuclear Inc. of Mactaquac appears to be on its last legs.

The company, which manufactures parts for CANDU nuclear reactors, passed out pink slips to 75 employees Friday.

A dozen people have been kept on to put the finishing touches on a contract for Point Lepreau, while another 10 are still working at Precision Metal Works, the company’s sister facility.

Pam Allen, vice-president of sales for Precision Nuclear Inc., said the company had no choice but to lay off employees after Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. (AECL) cancelled a contract the company was working on to deliver parts for a nuclear plant in Wolsong, South Korea.

“We are hopeful that AECL will reverse its decision to allow us to keep the Wolsong contract,” Allen said.