February, 2009

26 Feb (NucNet): France’s Areva group has reported a 20 percent fall in net profit for 2008 but has forecast rising operating profit in 2009.

26 Feb (NucNet): A US-based subsidiary of Japan’s Toshiba Corporation has signed an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) agreement to build two additional units at the South Texas Project (STP) plant site.

25 Feb (NucNet): Japan’s government has formally approved the restart of unit seven of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant.

25 Feb (NucNet): Further steps are needed to protect people from radioactively contaminated material that can end up at scrap yards, including material from the demolition or decommissioning of nuclear installations, experts at a conference in Spain have...

24 Feb (NucNet): Updated information has been published about the types of new reactor construction activity in the US that need prior approval from regulators.

24 Feb (NucNet): The environmental impact assessment (EIA) report for a proposed new nuclear plant in Finland meets relevant legislative requirements in terms of its content, according to the country’s Ministry of Employment and the Economy (MEE).

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said there is “now an emerging consensus” for proposals aimed at putting all facilities for enriching uranium and reprocessing plutonium under multinational control.

17 Feb (NucNet): The UK government is to conduct a review of productivity and skills in the engineering construction sector to ensure British companies benefit from projects such as future nuclear new-build.

12 Feb (NucNet): Proposals to build two new nuclear reactor units in the US state of South Carolina have taken a step forward.

6 Feb (NucNet): US nuclear power plants continued their decade-long trend of reliable electricity generation in 2008, eclipsing all other electricity sources with an industry-average capacity factor of more than 90 percent, according to preliminary data...

6 Feb (NucNet): France’s GDF SUEZ and Iberdrola of Spain said on 4 February that they had entered into a partnership to jointly participate in the development of new nuclear power stations in the UK.

6 Feb (NucNet): Swedish-based Vattenfall has welcomed proposals by the country’s coalition government to scrap a national ban on building new reactor units.

5 Feb (NucNet): All four non-socialist parties in Sweden’s coalition government today confirmed plans to overturn a national ban and allow new nuclear reactor units to be built in the country (see NucNet News Alert No. 1, 5 February 2009).*

5 Feb (NucNet): Sweden is set to overturn a ban on building new nuclear units and enact a new nuclear power law, according to an agreement on future energy policy confirmed today by the country’s coalition government.

5 Feb (NucNet): Finnish utility Fortum today submitted is application for a decision-in-principle on the possible construction of a third reactor unit at the country’s Loviisa nuclear power plant.

5 Feb (NucNet): The European Parliament has adopted by a large majority a “wide-ranging blueprint” for the EU’s future energy strategy that calls for “a specific road map for investments in nuclear energy”.

4 Feb (NucNet): Japan’s non-operational Hamaoka-1 and -2 reactor units were formally closed down as of 31 January 2009, the International Atomic Energy Agency has confirmed.

4 Feb (NucNet): Up to six of Areva’s European Pressurised Water Reactors (EPRs) could be built in India under an agreement signed today.

3 Feb (NucNet): Areva said today that it had signed a major uranium enrichment contract with Electricite de France (EDF).

3 Feb (NucNet): Operational testing has begun at Japan’s 866-megawatt (MW) pressurised water reactor unit Tomari-3.

3 Feb (NucNet): A new study of Dutch energy policy by the International Energy Agency (IEA) urges the government to take a decision on new nuclear build as soon as possible or risk creating uncertainty.