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NuclearPlantJournal.com Nuclear Plant Journal, March-April 2014
Utility,
Industry &
Corporation
Utility
Garoña
Spain’s cabinet has approved a royal
decree that allows recently shutdown
nuclear power plants to apply for their
operating permits to be renewed. The
regulatory change could lead to the restart
of the Garoña plant.
The decree for the responsible and
safe management of used nuclear fuel
and radioactive waste states that the
generation of radioactive waste must be
kept to a minimum and that those who
created the waste will be responsible
for the costs of managing it. However,
it includes an amendment through
which owners of nuclear reactors that
have stopped operations for reasons
other than nuclear safety or radiological
protection may request the renewal of
their operating licence. This request must
be made within one year of the cessation
order being received.
Spain’s
nuclear
trade
body
Foronuclear described the regulatory
change as “positive.” It said, “With this
decision, our country advances towards
stable sources of energy that are abundant,
reliable, clean and diversified, and to an
increase of its own energy resources,
which would consequently make us less
dependent on outside sources.”
The amendment could allow Spanish
utility Nuclenor to request the renewal
of its operating licence for the Garoña
nuclear power plant.
The 446 MWe boiling water reactor
began operation in 1971 and was deemed
by the country’s Nuclear Safety Council
(Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear, CSN) to
be suitable for operation until 2019 given
certain technical upgrades.
In September 2012, Nuclenor missed
the deadline to submit an operating
licence renewal application for Garoña
meaning that it had to shut by the time its
licence expired on July 6, 2013. However,
the reactor was closed in mid-December
2012 to avoid a full year of retroactive
tax charges for which it would have been
liable if it was operating on January 1,
2013.
Contact: World Nuclear News,
website:
Industry
Professional Engineers
Licensure
Enhance public trust in your
engineering integrity and competence
by getting a Professional Engineers (PE)
license. Now is the time to investigate
your state registration board’s process
and apply to sit for the next exam on
October 24, 2014.
Candidates can access their state’s
requirements through links provided at
the web sites of the National Council of
Examiners for Engineering and Surveying
(
or the National
Society of Professional Engineers (www.
NSPE.org) under the topic heading
“Licensure”.
In addition, the
American Nuclear
Society
offers a stand-alone study
guide and a face-to-face review course
to help the candidates prepare for the
examination. The review course is offered
in conjunction with the ANS Annual
Conference in Reno, NV, on June 15-19,
2014.
Contact: Rick Michal, telephone:
IRRS Mission Review
The
Nuclear
Regulatory
Commission
“has acted promptly and
effectively… in the interests of the
public health and safety” following the
March 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident,
according to an International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA) report today.
The report stems from a follow-up visit
from the IAEA’s Integrated Regulatory
Review Service (IRRS), which assesses
a country’s regulatory infrastructure
against international safety standards and
good practices.
The weeklong visit of eight
nuclear regulators and support staff
from European countries examined the
NRC’s response to recommendations and
suggestions from a full IRRS mission
in 2010. The team’s examination of
the agency’s response to Fukushima
concluded that the NRC acted in a timely
manner and properly implemented short-
term actions. The team also discussed the
agency’s commitment to action in the
long term, as well as the significant efforts
that remains for fully incorporating all
the changes into NRC regulations.
The follow-up team commended
the NRC for effectively addressing one
of the two recommendations and 19 of
20 suggestions from the original IRRS
mission. The resolved recommendation
involves comprehensively mapping the
NRC’s various processes in order to
develop a more integrated management
approach. The NRC continues to address
the remaining recommendation and
suggestion, and will address the team’s
new suggestion on consolidating rules
and guidance for plants permanently
ceasing operation and moving to
decommissioning.
The follow-up team’s report will be
available on the NRC website
gov). The 2010 IRRS mission focused
on technical and policy issues regarding
the agency’s oversight of operating
U.S. nuclear power plants. The IRRS
program provides independent peer
review of a country’s nuclear regulator by
interviewing staff, examining documents
and observing inspection activities. The
IAEA has conducted 51 full or follow-
up IRRS missions in countries that
include Australia, Canada, France, Japan,
Mexico, Russia and the United Kingdom.
Contact: Scott Burnell, telephone:
(301) 415-8200).
Corporation
Rebranding
AREVA Inc.
announced the
rebranding of its logistics and used fuel
storage business as AREVA TN. This
rebranding unites all three of AREVA’s
Transnuclear entities – Transnuclear
International in France; Transnuclear,
Inc. (a division of AREVA Inc.) in the
United States; and Transnuclear Tokyo in
Japan – under one name and brand.
Under AREVA TN, the three global
teams will continue to work together
closely to provide comprehensive
solutions for the safe storage of used
fuel and high-level waste, and for the
safe transportation of nuclear materials
around the world.
