Page 8 - Nuclear Plant Journal March-April 2012
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8
Nuclear Plant Journal, March-April 2012
New Energy
United Kingdom
EDF
has demonstrated further
progress towards plans to build up to four
new nuclear plants in the UK, through
signing new agreements at the Franco-
British Summit in Paris on February
17, 2012. These agreements, together
with others concluded by third parties in
relation to safety, engineering and R&D,
will support EDF’s plans to develop its
first new nuclear plants at Hinkley Point
with its partner Centrica, England.
The project, the final investment
decision for which is expected to be
made at the end of 2012, represents a
massive investment in UK infrastructure
and unprecedented opportunities for
the supply chain in France and the UK,
employing up to 25,000 people over the
course of construction with 5,600 people
on site at peak.
The agreements signed include
a £100 million–plus contract with
Kier BAM, United Kingdom, for site
preparation works at Hinkley Point C,
a Memorandum of Understanding with
AREVA relating to the delivery of the
nuclear steam supply system and central
instrumentation and control systems
for the Hinkley Point C project and
confirming the timeframe for completing
the negotiation for this contract, and a
£15 million investment to establish a
world class national training centre in
partnership with Bridgwater College in
Somerset, United Kingdom.
The agreement with Kier BAM
is the first major construction contract
for preliminary works at Hinkley Point
C, the site of EDF Energy’s first two
planned nuclear power plants. The initial
activities in relation to these works are
expected to begin this spring, 2012.
Contact: Jonathan Levy, telephone:
020 7752 2265.
United Arab Emirates
The
Emirates Nuclear Energy
Corporation
(ENEC) has been granted
approval by the United Arab Emirates
(UAE) Federal Authority for Nuclear
Regulation (FANR) for additional civil
works at the proposed site for the UAE’s
first nuclear power plants in Barakah,
located in the Western Region of Abu
Dhabi.
Approval for the additional
works has also been provided by The
Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi
(EAD), the Emirate’s environmental
regulator.
In October 2011, ENEC requested
approval to undertake the preparatory
work to ensure delivery of the UAE’s
first power plant safely by 2017. The
additional work includes creation of a
smooth, flat surface at the bottom of the
excavation using a thin layer of concrete
in preparation for the installation of the
initial safety concrete, installation of
waterproofing material over the leveled
concrete, installation of encasement
piping, installation of a protective layer
of concrete to support installation of
reinforcing steel to be performed later.
ENEC is not authorized to pour
initial safety concrete until it is granted
a Construction License from FANR.
ENEC submitted its Construction
License Application for Barakah Units
1 and 2 to FANR on December 27,
2010 and the application is currently
under review. ENEC’s submission also
included a Nuclear Environmental
Impact Assessment, which requires
approval from The Environment Agency
– Abu Dhabi.
Contact: Khadija Mohamed Al
Marzouki, telephone: 9712 6595 863,
Vogtle
Construction is set to begin on the
nation’s first two new nuclear units
in 30 years at
Southern Company's
subsidiary, Georgia Power’s PlantVogtle,
near Waynesboro, Georgia.
The
Nuclear
Regulatory
Commission (NRC) voted to approve the
issuance of the Combined Construction
and Operating License (COL) for Plant
Vogtle units 3 and 4, the first such license
ever approved for a U.S. nuclear plant.
Receipt of the COL signifies that full
construction can begin.
“This is a monumental accomplish-
ment for Southern Company, Georgia
Power, our partners and the nuclear in-
dustry,” said Southern Company Chair-
man, President and CEO Thomas A.
Fanning. “We are committed to bringing
these units online to deliver clean, safe
and reliable energy to our customers.
The project is on track, and our targets
related to cost and schedule are achiev-
able.”
The company expects to deliver
to customers more than $1 billion in
benefits from the Department of Energy
loan guarantees, production tax credits
and recovering financing costs during
construction.
Georgia Power expects Unit 3 to
begin operating in 2016 and Unit 4 in
2017.
Southern Nuclear, a subsidiary
of Southern Company, is overseeing
construction and will operate the two
new 1,100-megawatt AP1000 units
for Georgia Power and co-owners
Oglethorpe Power Corporation, the
Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia
and Dalton Utilities. Georgia Power
owns 45.7 percent of the new units, with
a certified cost of $6.1 billion.
Contact: telephone: (404) 506-
5333.
