March, 2010

Includes permanent transfer of Springfields Fuels Limited ownership to Westinghouse - Edited by Stephen Heiser - Westinghouse Electric Company has confirmed that it will commence innovative new commercial arrangements with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) involving the long-term lease of the Springfields nuclear fuel manufacturing site, near Preston in Lancashire. The new arrangements...

Nuclear Fission in Space - By Duncan Williams - The National Aeronautics Space Administration (NASA) recently announced that it is developing a nuclear fission reactor plant that can be used as an energy source for space stations on the surface of the moon and/or Mars. Although the United States conducted extensive research into the use of fission reactors in space between 1959 and 1973, we...

AREVA’s mining activities in Niger are carried out in strict compliance with international health, safety and environmental standards. The many international inspections and audits hoped and prayed for by Greenpeace have already been carried out on several occasions over the last few years - Edited by April Murelio - At the invitation of AREVA, five representatives of Greenpeace visited...

U.S. and Italy Sign Megaports Initiative Agreement to Prevent Smuggling of Nuclear and Radioactive Material - By Stephen Heiser - The governments of the United States and the Italian Republic have partnered to prevent the smuggling of nuclear and other radioactive material through the global maritime system. Under the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed today in Rome, the Department of...

Servicing, modifying and upgrading the world’s fleet of existing nuclear plant simulators continues to be a major revenue stream for GSE. This work is driven by the global movement to extend the life of existing nuclear plants, uprating plant power generation levels and making modifications to older simulators - By Chris Smith - GSE Systems, Inc.(GSE), a leading global provider of real-time...

“Resolution of two key issues will enable India to assume a key role in the global commercial nuclear supply chain” - By Linton Levy - In a significant step forward for U.S.-India commercial nuclear cooperation, India and United States have concluded an agreement to grant India advance consent to reprocess spent fuel of U.S. origin and fuel burned in U.S. reactors.

Politics and Nuclear Waste. The most problematic nuclear waste in the United States is spent fuel rods from nuclear reactors. The problem is largely a creation of the federal government - By H. Sterling Burnett - The use of nuclear power to generate electricity is growing worldwide. More than 100 nuclear power plants are under construction or in various stages of planning, and many existing...

This is the facility’s second consecutive major safety accomplishment. In February 2009, the company reached a Total Safety Industrial Accident (TISA) rate of zero for the preceding 18 months, ranking the facility in the top 10 percent of all U.S. nuclear plants in personal safety. The plant has maintained a TISA rate of zero for 31 months - By Stephen Heiser - The South Texas Project has safely...

During the three-day event, AREVA got a unique opportunity to listen to its customers, in order to better meet their expectations. On the customer side, participants could benefit from insights and answers of international experts on today’s main nuclear challenges - Edited by April Murelio - With 150 customers from 20 countries, the 3N2010 Symposium was a great success. Feedback was excellent...

Establishment and maintenance is to be funded by the Russian Federation, including the relevant costs of storage, safety, security and safeguards. LEU from the reserve, which is supplied to a Member State by the IAEA, would be provided at the prevailing market spot price, and the resulting proceeds would be used to replenish the reserve - By Sasha Henriques, IAEA Division of Public Information...

The closing of the transaction remains subject to the approvals of competition authorities in some countries and of the French Commission des Participations et des Transferts (CPT) - By Stephen Heiser - Schneider Electric and Alstom take note of the approval by the European Commission on their joint acquisition of Areva’s Transmission & Distribution business.

Statements of the Director General to the Argentine Council for International Relations - By IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano - Ladies and Gentlemen, It is a great honour for me to speak at the Argentine Council for International Relations. I know I am addressing an audience that is very knowledgeable about the whole range of nuclear matters dealt with by the International Atomic Energy...

Company Offers Live, Interactive Virtual Tour of Recycling Facility in France - By Linton Levy - AREVA last week, offered a live virtual tour of its La Hague nuclear fuel recycling facility on France’s Normandy coast, allowing viewers to see firsthand the company’s decades of expertise in recycling used nuclear fuel safely and economically. The tour highlighted that recycling is a proven and...

This agreement establishes a long-term industrial and commercial partnership, a partnership underpinned by a sharing of the risks associated with the performance, scheduling and development of EDF's electronuclear production facilities and one which meets European competition law - By April Murelio - The EDF Group and Exeltium, a consortium of electricity-intensive industrial consumers...

"Creating dedicated leadership roles for South Carolina and North Carolina recognizes the significant investments Duke Energy has in both states, as well as the commitment we have made to the customers and communities we serve." - Edited by April Murelio - Duke Energy has named Catherine Heigel to the newly created position of president of its South Carolina service region. In this...

Summit would bring together key leaders, stakeholders and innovators to discuss America’s nuclear energy future - By Stephen Heiser - U.S. Senators George V. Voinovich (R-OH) and Tom Carper (D-DE) have led a Congressional letter to President Obama requesting that the White House join them in hosting a nuclear energy summit to bring together key leaders, stakeholders and innovators to discuss...

“We inspect and review the performance of the Farley plant and all other commercial nuclear plants throughout the year,” NRC Region II Administrator Luis Reyes said. “This meeting gives us an opportunity to discuss the plant’s safety performance with the company, local officials and citizens interested in the plant.” - Source NRC - The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has scheduled...

Proposal would consolidate operation of Y-12 National Security Complex, Pantex Plant and Savannah River Tritium Operations into one contract, extend Kansas City Plant contract, and launch new Integration, Management and Execution Construction Management Contract - Edited by Stephen Heiser - After more than two years of review, the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration...

The successful effort to identify the source of the leakage, fix the problem and prevent a recurrence capped an intense and rigorous effort by Entergy with the oversight of state and federal regulators that began in January when elevated levels of the radionuclide tritium were detected in monitoring wells built for that purpose. - Edited by Stephen Heiser - Entergy Corporation today announced...

GNF—a Joint Venture of GE, Hitachi Ltd. and Toshiba—Supplying Innovative Defender Filter Technology - By Stephen Heiser - Global Nuclear Fuel (GNF) is helping Sweden improve power plant reliability with innovative nuclear fuel technology, as a growing number of European nations turn to nuclear energy to address greenhouse gas emissions.

The project remains a very highly anticipated proposition for people living in and around Payette County. According to a recent study, the project will introduce $5.3 billion dollars into the Idaho economy, through construction, $4.8 billion of that revenue will flow directly into Payette County. - By Linton Levy - The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has officially recongnized AEHI's proposal...

Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff is seeking public comments on its preliminary finding that there are no environmental impacts that would preclude issuing Combined Licenses (COL) for two new reactors at the South Texas Project site near Bay City, Texas. - Source NRC - NRC Seeks Public Input On Draft Environmental Impact Statement For South Texas Project New Reactors; Meetings Scheduled

“China will be the world’s nuclear industry leader in terms of technology and also in terms of planning for long term 30, 40 years,” Tony De Vuono, senior vice president and chief technology officer at Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd., said in a separate interview in Beijing - Edited by April Murelio - According to a Bloomberg report, China, the world’s second-biggest energy user, has approved...

High-sensitivity, high-throughput Trace detector purchase part of $8.7 million in contracts - By Linton Levy - Morpho Detection, Inc., part of the Safran group’s security business, has announced that it has fulfilled $8.7 million in orders for the EntryScan 4 explosive trace detection (ETD) portal placed by NETco Inc., Morpho Detection’s exclusive distributor to the nuclear industry.

The nuclear renaissance is driven in large part by a growing need for global energy security. Toshiba has been a major nuclear reactor vendor with its experience of constructing and providing maintenance services for the Japanese nuclear industry - Edited by Linton Levy - Toshiba Corporation and Westinghouse Electric Company, have announced the formation of a new joint venture, Advance Uranium...