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NuclearPlantJournal.com Nuclear Plant Journal, July-August 2014
New Energy
Moorside
Toshiba Corporation
and GDF
SUEZ have completed a deal that will
boost development of the Moorside
new nuclear power project on the West
Cumbria coast in northwest England – the
largest, single proposed nuclear power
plant construction project in Europe.
The agreement sees Toshiba
acquiring a 60-percent stake and GDF
SUEZ retaining a 40-percent holding
in NuGeneration Ltd (NuGen), the
U.K.-based nuclear energy company
that plans to build three Westinghouse
AP1000 reactors in West Cumbria. Each
reactor will take approximately four
years to build. When fully operational,
the Moorside site is expected to deliver
around seven percent of the U.K.’s future
electricity requirements.
A deal has also been concluded with
the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority
(NDA) on the extension of a land option
agreement for the Moorside site.
The Moorside plant is targeted
to come online in 2024. When fully
operational, it will have a combined
capacity of 3.4GW, enough to deliver
power to six million homes. The project
supports the U.K. Government’s low-
carbon and energy security objectives at
a time when existing power plants are
retiring and low
-
carbon generation is
required tomeet national and international
commitments. TheWestinghouseAP1000
reactor – a pressurised water reactor – is
licensed by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission. Currently, eight AP1000
reactors are under construction globally.
Before the final investment decision
which is forecast to be taken by the end of
2018, NuGen will be undertaking a broad
range of preparatory works, including
regulatory, permitting and commercial
activities. The management team’s focus
in 2014 will be on site investigations,
preliminary studies for site layouts and
stakeholder engagement and preparation
for stakeholder consultations.
Westinghouse intends to utilise
its Springfields facility, a UK-licensed
fuel manufacturing facility near Preston
to manufacture the fuel for AP1000
reactors built in the UK, thereby securing
indigenous fuel supply. The facility
currently manufactures fuel for the
entire U.K. fleet of advanced gas-cooled
reactors, and pressurised water reactor
fuel for export.
Contact: Midori Hara, telephone:
81-3-3457-2100,
email:
media.
.
Atucha 2
Having achieved criticality early
this month, the new reactor at the Atucha
nuclear power plant, Argentina, began
sending 5% of its rated power to the
Argentine electricity grid on June 27, 2014.
The reactor is to ramp up its production
in stages, reaching 30% this week and
approaching full power within two to
three months.
Atucha 2’s rated power is 692 MWe
and together withAtucha 1 and the reactor
at Embalse it establishes Argentina’s total
nuclear generating capacity at around
1627 MWe. The Carem small reactor
project should add a further 27 MWe by
2018.
Speaking at the plant to celebrate
the achievement of first power, Julio de
Vido, the minister of planning, public
investment and services, said the new
reactor would diversify Argentina’s
energy mix and generate clean
affordable energy with nuclear power.
Its contribution to diversity was in line
with President Cristina Fernandez de
Kirchner’s goals to ‘recover energy
sovereignty,’ said De Vido.
Contact:
World Nuclear News
, website:
.
Active COL Applications with the NRC
Proposed New Reactor Design Applicant
Bell Bend U.S. EPR PPL Bell Bend, LLC
Calvert Cliffs, Unit 3 U.S. EPR Calvert Cliffs 3
Nuclear Project,
LLC and UniStar
Nuclear Operating
Services, LLC
Fermi, Unit 3 ESBWR Detroit Edison Co.
Levy County Units 1&2 AP1000 Progress Energy
Florida, Inc.
North Anna, Unit 3 ESBWR Dominion
South Texas Project
Units 3&4 ABWR South Texas Project
Nuclear Operating
Company
Turkey Points Unit 6&7 AP1000 Florida Power and
Light Company
William States Lee III
Units 1&2 AP1000 Duke Energy
Source: US NRC website, New Reactors page
.
