Nuclear Plant Journal, January-February 2016 NuclearPlantJournal.com
11
Utility,
Industry &
Corporation
Utility
MOU
AREVA and Ukrainian nuclear
utility
ENERGOATOM
have signed
a Memorandum of understanding to
reinforce cooperation between the
two companies for safety upgrades
of existing and future nuclear power
plants in Ukraine, lifetime extension
and performance optimization. The
agreement covers areas and expertise
in fields such as reactor maintenance
and inspection, outage optimization,
electric systems, filtered containment
venting systems as well as equipment and
material obsolescence management.
Contact: ENERGOATOM, telephone:
Braidwood
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission
(NRC) approved Braidwood Generating
Station’s license renewal application on
January 27, 2016. Braidwood Unit 1 will
operate until 2046 and Unit 2 will operate
until 2047.
In a 2014 report by the Nuclear
Energy Institute,
Exelon Generation’s
nuclear fleet’s total economic output
impact on the state of Illinois is estimated
at $8.9 billion – of which $1.7 billion is
attributed toBraidwood Station alone. The
study cites nearly 20 economic sectors
benefitting from Braidwood’s continued
operation,
including
construction,
manufacturing, transportation and retail
trade.
Braidwood Generating Station
generates nearly 2,500 megawatts of
electricity, enough for more than two
million homes. Over the last 10 years
Braidwood Station has operated at 97.3
percent of capacity, a key measure of
reliability and a figure far ahead of other
sources of electricity generation.
Contact: Krista Lopykinski, Exelon
Generation, telephone: (630) 657-3602,
email:
.
Byron
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission
(NRC) announced the approval of Byron
Generating Station’s license renewal
application. Byron Station Unit 1 will
operate until 2044 and Unit 2 will operate
until 2046.
Byron
Station
supports
approximately
5,100
direct
and
secondary jobs in Illinois, and the facility
contributes $1.7 billion to the state’s
economy annually.
Exelon
personnel spent thousands
of hours preparing the license renewal
application that was submitted to the NRC
on May 29, 2013. This process involved
reviewing thousands of documents, a
detailed review of historical equipment
and component performance, a safety
and environmental review and a rigorous
review of the existing maintenance and
engineering programs. The reviews were
conducted to ensure the station is capable
of maintaining plant systems over the
extended license period.
The plant’s original 40-year operating
license was set to expire in 2024 for Unit
1 and 2026 for Unit 2. The 40-year term
for initial nuclear plant operating licenses
is based on amortization schedules
to finance large utility projects, not
on safety, technical or environmental
considerations.
Contact: Krista Lopykinski, Exelon
Generation, telephone: (630) 657-3602,
email:
Sendai-2, Japan
On November 17, 2015, the Sendai-2
Nuclear Power Plant (890MWe PWR),
owned and operated by the Kyushu
Electric Power Co., Japan, returned to
regular commercial operation. After
having its operation adjusted over a fixed
period of time, the reactor then completed
an integrated performance test by Japan’s
Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA).
This is the second NPP in the country,
following its sister reactor Sendai-1, to
clear the new regulatory standards.
Toward resuming the operation of
the two units, Kyushu Electric Power
applied to the NRA in July 2013 for
examinations to be held to confirm their
compatibility with the new regulatory
standards. As the units were designated
as NPPs to be examined “with priority,”
their examinations were carried out
intensively, with permission granted
for changes to their reactor installations
related to basic design on September 10,
2014.
One year later, on September 10,
2015, Sendai-1 resumed commercial
operation. On October 15, 2015, then,
Sendai-2 was started up, and resumed
power generation six days later, on
October 21, 2015.
Contact:
Japan Atomic Industrial
Forum, Inc.
, website:
Takahama, Japan
Kansai Electric Power Company
restarted Takahama Unit 3 nuclear power
plant in Fukui prefecture. The company
soon plans to start loading fuel into unit 4
at the plant ahead of its restart.
Takahama 3 was restarted at 5.00 pm
on January 29, 2016, Kansai said, adding
that it expects the 870 MWe pressurized
water reactor to reach criticality on
January 30, 2016. The unit's output
will gradually be increased while tests
are conducted and, following a final
inspection by the Nuclear Regulation
Authority (NRA), it is expected to re-
enter commercial operation by the end
of February, 2016. However, Kansai said
this schedule may change "depending on
the result of the ongoing inspection by
the NRA".
Kansai completed loading 157
nuclear fuel assemblies - including 24
mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel assemblies -
into the core of unit 3 in December, 2015.
The company planned to start loading
fuel into the core of Takahama 4 on
January 31st as all necessary preparatory
inspections and activities have now
been completed. That unit is expected to
resume operation in late March, 2016.
Units 3 and 4 of the Takahama plant
have remained offline since being shut
for periodic inspections in February 2012
and July 2011, respectively.
Kansai first applied to the NRA for
permission to restart the units in July
2013. It subsequently submitted various
amendments to its plans to increase the
plant's resistance to extreme events, such
as earthquakes, tsunami and tornadoes,
in accordance with the regulator's
requirements. Such amendments have
resulted from the findings of reviews
