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Germany mulls nuclear extension

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

BERLIN, June 7 (UPI) -- The German government will extend the running times of its nuclear power plants by no more than 10 years.

The decision is the product of lengthy government consultations over the weekend, the Berliner Zeitung newspaper reports. It would be a victory for Environment Minister Norbert Roettgen, who has campaigned for no or moderate running time extensions. A host of pro-nuclear state governors had lobbied to extend the running times by as much as 28 years.

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German state vote may block nuclear life extensions

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

FRANKFURT, May 10 (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel's centre-right coalition may have trouble pushing through planned nuclear lifetime extensions after a German regional election on Sunday went awry for the government.

North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany's most populous state, left Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) and their Free Democrat (FDP) allies short of their previous state majority, leaving the make-up of the next government unclear.

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German nuclear talks messy, operators may still gain

Monday, March 8, 2010

FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Germany’s nuclear power industry is no closer to knowing how long its plants may operate than five months ago when Chancellor Angela Merkel’s new government assumed power and promised to extend their lives.

Rifts inside her center-right cabinet over the merit of rivalling renewables energies and a local election potentially threatening her party’s leadership of a key state have delayed steps to free the 17 reactors from closure in the coming decade.

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German parties agree nuclear extension-officials

Thursday, October 15, 2009

BERLIN, Oct 15 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives have agreed with the Free Democrats (FDP) on extending the life of nuclear plants deemed safe but the timing is unclear, FDP and conservative politicians said on Thursday.

"You can say that," the FDP's Gudrun Kopp told Reuters, when asked about agreement on an extension. She is a member of a working group that is discussing economic and energy issues. A conservative member of the working group confirmed the agreement.

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Problems Plague Launch of 'Safer' Next-Generation Reactors

Thursday, October 15, 2009

The executives of electric utilities worldwide are dreaming of a renaissance in nuclear power. But problems with a new, state-of-the-art reactor in Finland suggest that this is unlikely to happen. The industry's alternative strategy is to modernize older plants to drastically extend reactor lifetimes.

The managers at Finnish electric utility TVO expressed one last wish before ordering what would be the world's largest nuclear power plant from Siemens and the French nuclear power conglomerate Areva. They wanted the reactor to be painted oxblood red and white, the traditional colors of the picturesque summer homes on Finland's western coast.

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Belgium may extend lifetimes of nuke plants

Friday, October 2, 2009

BRUSSELS, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Belgium may extend the lifetimes of its three oldest nuclear power stations by ten years to 2025 to guard against energy shortages, newspaper De Standaard reported on Friday.
The plants, two in Doel near the northern city of Antwerp and one in Tihange in southeastern Belgium, are due to close in 2015.

But Energy Minister Paul Magnette will submit a report to the government on Friday that concludes Belgium will face energy supply problems if the plants close on schedule, De Standaard said.

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Spanish nuclear plant appeals 2013 closure

Friday, September 18, 2009

MADRID, Sept 15 (Reuters) - Spain's oldest nuclear power station filed an appeal on Monday against a government decision to close the 500-megawatt plant in 2013, operators Nuclenor said on their website.

"Nuclenor considers that there are solid reasons to support the continued operation of the Santa Maria de Garona plant until 2019," a statement on the Nuclenor site said.

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Tractor trek flags German nuclear split before vote

Friday, September 4, 2009

BERLIN, Sept 3 (Reuters) - Farm tractors are rumbling across Germany to a mass anti-nuclear rally in Berlin at the weekend which promises to thrust the divisive issue into the federal election campaign weeks before polling day.

The future of Germany's 17 nuclear power plants, due to be shut down by the early 2020s, is one of the major issues that divides Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives from the Social Democrats (SPD) of her challenger, Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

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EDF hopeful of extending duration of its reactors

Monday, December 8, 2008

EDF is hoping to secure a multi-billion euro windfall by extending the lifecycle of its nuclear power stations. This could prove crucial to maintaining its top grade credit rating as it invests billlions in acquisitions and plant renewal.

The energy group this week set out in detail the costs and expected gains from the planned investment in its 58 nuclear power stations that could enable it to run reactors for up to 60 years, against the current lifecycle of 40 years.

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Nuclear plant asks for 20-year extension

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Hungary's only nuclear power plant, south of Budapest on the Danube in Paks, last Friday applied to the National Atomic Energy Office (OAH) for a 20-year extension to the working life of its four reactors. Spokesman István Mittler told state news agency MTI that the 30-year lifespan of the four reactors is due to expire between 2012 and 2017. The plan to extend the lifespan of Soviet-era pressurised water reactors was drawn up with the help of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the OAH. The power plant provides over 40 per cent of Hungary's electricity generating capacity.

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