Nuclear Plant Journal, July-August 2013 NuclearPlantJournal.com
9
Utility,
Industry &
Corporation
Utility
License Renewal
Exelon Generation
filed license
renewal applications with the Nuclear
Regulatory Committee (NRC) for
its Braidwood Generating Station in
Braceville, Illinois and Byron Generating
Station in Byron, Illinois.
The application filing begins a
multiyear review by the NRC to extend
the stations’ licenses to operate for
another 20 years.
Braidwood Unit 1 is currently
licensed to operate until 2026 and Unit
2 until 2027. Byron Unit 1 is licensed
to operate until 2024 and Unit 2 until
2026. The plants generated a combined
37 million megawatt hours of electricity
in 2012, enough to power more than four
million homes.
The applications are the result of
two years of work by an Exelon team
of technical and environmental experts
to review every mechanical, electrical
and structural aspect of the plants and
design aging management strategies
for all relevant equipment and systems.
Combined, the application totals
approximately 3,600 pages and reviews
more than 480,000 plant components.
Contact: Paul Dempsey, telephone:
(815) 406-3554.
Industry
New Investments
As part of the Obama Administra-
tion’s all-of-the-above strategy to accel-
erate clean energy leadership and to en-
able a low-carbon economy, the
Depart-
ment of Energy
announced $3.5 million
for four advanced nuclear reactor projects
that go beyond traditional light water de-
signs. These projects -- led by General
Atomics, GE Hitachi, Gen4 Energy and
Westinghouse -- will address key techni-
cal challenges to designing, building and
operating the next generation of nuclear
reactors. These steps support the Presi-
dent’s plan to cut carbon pollution and
spark innovation across a wide variety of
energy technologies including emerging
nuclear technologies, as announced ear-
lier this week.
With support from the Energy
Department, private industry and the
Department’s national laboratories have
achieved significant advances that boost
the safety and efficiency of new nuclear
power reactors worldwide. For example,
the Department’s early research and
development investments in passive
safety laid the foundation for the nuclear
reactors currently under construction in
Georgia and South Carolina. The projects
announced today will further advance
nuclear energy technology – providing
more options for low-carbon energy.
The four projects selected for
negotiation will receive up to $3.5 million
in total, with a 20 percent private cost
share.
Contact: telephone: (202) 586-4940.
Corporation
Cooperation Agreement
Alstom
has signed a cooperation
agreement with China’s Dongfang
Electric Corporation (DEC) for the
supply of turbine and generator packages
for future Chinese AP 1000 projects.
Patrick Kron, Alstom’s Chairman and
Chief Executive, and Wang Ji, Chairman
of DEC, formalized the agreement at a
ceremony in the city of Chengdu.
This agreement has a strategic
importance for both Alstom and DEC as
China resumes building nuclear power
plants and moves towards ‘Generation
III’ nuclear power technology. It is also
in line with the Chinese government’s
commitment to steady growth in the
sector under the current Five Year Plan,
with a top level of safety which fully
meets the standards of the International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
According to the agreement, DEC’s
turbine and generator packages related
to future AP 1000 projects will be based
on Alstom’s Arabelle technology. The
Arabelle steam turbine is suitable for
all types of nuclear reactors including
AP 1000 and is renowned globally for
providing higher efficiency and reduced
installation and maintenance costs.
AP 1000 belongs to the ‘Generation III’
pressurised water reactor and has been
identified as one of the major standards for
China’s future nuclear development.
Contact:VirginieHourdin,telephone:
33 1 41 49 21 36, email: virginie.hourdin-
ATMEA1
Developed jointly by
AREVA
and
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), the
ATMEA1 reactor has passed the first
stage in the pre-certification process
carried out by the Canadian Nuclear
Safety Commission (CNSC), which has
validated the objectives and global safety
options of the reactor by comparing them
with the regulatory requirements for the
construction of new nuclear plants. The
second and third stages will consist in
performing an in-depth analysis of the
reactor design in order to ensure that the
certification process begins under the best
possible conditions.
The third-generation ATMEA1
technology has advanced safety and
security systems similar to those of
the EPR: resistance to aircraft crashes
and earthquakes, the latest-generation
instrumentation & control, a core catcher
and three independent safety trains.
These features meet the most recent
international rules and recommendations,
including post-Fukushima requirements.
In 2012, the French Nuclear Safety
Authority (Autorité de sûreté nucléaire
- ASN) confirmed that the ATMEA1
reactor met the defined safety criteria
for this generation of reactors. Selected
for the Sinop site in Turkey and pre-
selected in Jordan, Brazil and Argentina,
the ATMEA1 reactor now has good
commercial prospects worldwide.
Contact: Julien Duperray, telephone:
Strategic Agreements
On June 7, 2013 in Tokyo, Luc
Oursel, President and CEO of
AREVA
,
signed a series of key agreements with
the companies JNFL (Japan Nuclear Fuel
Ltd.) and ATOX for the continuation and
development of the strategic Franco-
Japanese partnership in civil nuclear
power.
