ST. PETERSBURG - According to the Elfii consortium of large Finnish electricity users, a construction delay in an experimental new reactor design at Olkiluoto NPP will cost Nordic electricity users EUR 3 billion, the Finnish business daily Kauppalehti reported. Birthe Weijola, 12/09-2007 Elfi director Antti Koskelainen is quoted saying that the cost of the delay is comparable to the investment cost for the whole reactor.
Companies
French nuclear vendor Areva says UK nuclear relaunch 'essential'
Tuesday, September 11, 2007French nuclear vendor Areva says UK nuclear relaunch 'essential'
London (Platts)--6 Sep 2007
French nuclear vendor Areva NP says that the revival of a nuclear power program in the UK is "absolutely essential."
CEO Luc Oursel, speaking at a conference in London Thursday, said that the UK would be the first in Europe to relaunch on a large scale a nuclear power effort. Therefore, he said, it has to be successful.
Success in the UK could lead other European countries planning to exit nuclear power to reconsider their plans.
Finnish plant demonstrates nuclear power industry's perennial problems
Tuesday, September 11, 2007By Alan Katz, Bloomberg News, September 6, 2007
Martin Landtman hunched forward in his shirtsleeves as a June storm on Finland's Baltic coast drenched the construction site of the world's most powerful nuclear reactor. As project manager for TVO, the joint venture buying the plant, Landtman has weathered far worse annoyances than rain.
Flawed welds for the reactor's steel liner, unusable coolant pipes and suspect concrete in the foundation already have pushed back the delivery date of the Olkiluoto-3 unit by at least two years.
Hundreds march in Niger against French nuclear firm
Saturday, September 8, 200708/09/2007 : Reuters Africa
Hundreds march in Niger against French nuclear firm
Hundreds march in Niger against French nuclear firm
Sat 8 Sep 2007, 13:00 GMT
NIAMEY, Sept 8 (Reuters) - Hundreds of people in Niger marched on Saturday to demand the departure of French nuclear giant Areva, which they accuse of backing a rebellion in the uranium-rich north of the former French colony.
The Tuareg-led Niger Movement for Justice (MNJ) has killed at least 45 government soldiers and taken dozens hostage since launching a campaign in February to demand more development for the region around t
Areva's ownership structure debated in France
Monday, September 3, 2007Paris (Platts)--31Aug2007
Areva's ownership structure is being debated in France, following a
statement August 30 by French President Nicolas Sarkozy that France's nuclear
enterprises must be "given the resources to develop."
On August 31, Areva CEO Anne Lauvergeon said that "Areva's development
needs major resources, [and] a change in capital [equity structure] appears
the best solution." She added, during a conference call with journalists and
analysts, that Areva's future is up to the government, its majority
shareholder.
The UK’s Oldbury-2 reconnects to grid
Thursday, August 30, 2007London (Platts)–24Aug2007The UK’s Oldbury-2 magnox reconnected to the grid August 23, operatorMagnox North said August 24. A fire and then turbine vibrations kept thereactor offline most of the time since May 30. Oldbury-2, one of the fourremaining operating magnox reactors, underwent a 23-month outage until May 27to determine the extent of graphite depletion in its core. It operated onlythree days before a May 30 fire on the non-nuclear side of the plant forcedits shutdown.
German chain reaction
Tuesday, July 24, 2007What were initially minor incidents in the non-nuclear sections of two German nuclear power plants have quickly developed into an industry crisis.
Merkel Furious about Nuclear Mishaps
Wednesday, July 11, 2007German Chancellor Angela Merkel is furious with energy company Vattenfall for having been slow to publicly admit the severity of recent mishaps at two reactors in northern Germany. Meanwhile, the company still seems to be in denial.
Sometimes it's not what you say, but when you say it. And for Vattenfall, a leading energy company in Germany which operates the two nuclear reactors near Hamburg which were forced to shut down in recent incidents, it is becoming increasingly clear that trying to cover up mistakes is not the best way to generate positive PR.
Reactor Affected in Nuclear Power Plant Fire
Wednesday, July 4, 2007Contrary to previous reports, a fire at a nuclear power plant in Germany last week did in fact affect the reactor. The disturbing news comes at a time when the German government is debating the future of nuclear power.
Czech power utility CEZ filed court action against Upper Austria over Temelin nuclear plant
Wednesday, June 27, 2007PRAGUE. JUNE 27. INTERFAX CENTRAL EUROPE - Prague and Warsaw-listed Czech power utility CEZ, which operates the controversial Temelin nuclear power plant, filed a complaint in a regional court earlier this month against Upper Austria for its efforts to bring Temelin's operations to a halt, Czech daily Lidove noviny (LN) reported Wednesday.
