12
NuclearPlantJournal.com Nuclear Plant Journal, September-October 2014
Utility,
Industry &
Corporation
Utility
Emergency Sirens
Exelon Generation
completed the
installation of a state-of-the-art siren
system around Clinton Power Station.
This effort is part of a multi-year, $2
million investment to upgrade sirens at
Exelon’s six Illinois nuclear facilities.
Clinton Station has 41 Exelon-
owned sirens within a 10-mile radius
of the facility. Half were upgraded in a
prior improvement project completed
in 2008. The remaining 21 sirens were
upgraded recently. All of these sirens are
newer models that have a battery back-
up feature as well as enhanced remote
monitoring capabilities.
The sirens around Exelon’s Illinois
facilities are in place to alert residents in
the unlikely event of a station emergency.
Exelon also allows counties surrounding
the stations to use them to alert residents
for weather-related events or other
emergencies. Since 2010, counties around
Exelon’s facilities have activated sirens
189 times for severe weather events. The
sirens are a signal to tune to the local
Emergency Alert System channels.
Contact: Brett Nauman, telephone:
(217) 937-4205.
Industry
Prototype Reactor
The U.S. Department of Energy’s
Argonne National Laboratory
has
teamed up with the Korea Atomic
Energy Research Institute (KAERI) to
develop the Prototype Generation-IV
Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor (PGSFR).
KAERI’s Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor
Development Agency has provided $6.78
million funding to date for Argonne’s
contributions through a Work-for-Others
contract.
Jong Kyung Kim, President of
KAERI, visited Argonne to execute the
memorandum of understanding between
KAERI and Argonne for a broad field of
technical cooperation on nuclear science
and technology, including the PGSFR
project. “The technical cooperation
between KAERI and Argonne plays a
critical role in advancing cutting-edge
technologies in nuclear energy,” said
Argonne Director Peter Littlewood.
The PGSFR is a 400MWth, 150MWe
advanced sodium-cooled fast reactor that
incorporates many innovative design
features; in particular, metal fuel, which
enables inherent safety characteristics.
With Argonne support, KAERI is
developing the reactor system while the
Korean engineering and construction firm
KEPCO E&C is designing the balance of
the plant. The PGSFR Project aims to
secure the Korean licensing authority’s
design approval by the end of 2020,
and the schedule calls for PGSFR to be
commissioned by the end of 2028.
Contact: Angela Hardin, telephone;
(630) 252-5501, email:
Bruce
Following a hearing held on
September 10, 2014 in Ottawa,
Ontario, the
Canadian Nuclear Safety
Commission
(CNSC) announced its
decision to approve the operation of
the Bruce Power Nuclear Generating
Stations Bruce B, Units 5 and 6 beyond
the 210,000 equivalent full power hours
(EFPH) threshold. The facility is located
in the Municipality of Kincardine, on the
eastern shore of Lake Huron, Ontario.
The approval authorizes Bruce
Power to operate the units, on a temporary
basis, beyond 210,000 EFPH up to a
maximum of 245,000 EFPH. The matter
will be further considered as part of the
relicensing hearings of the Bruce Nuclear
Generating Station planned for February
and April 2015. The Commission is
satisfied that the Bruce B Units 5 and 6
can be operated safely beyond 210,000
EFPH until that time.
During the hearing, the Commission
received and considered submissions
from Bruce Power and CNSC staff’s
recommendations. The Record of
Proceedings, including Reasons for
Decision, is available, in both official
languages, on the CNSC website.
The CNSC regulates the use of
nuclear energy and materials to protect the
health, safety and security of Canadians
and the environment; to implement
Canada’s international commitments on
the peaceful use of nuclear energy; and to
disseminate objective scientific, technical
and regulatory information to the public.
Contact: Aurèle Gervais, telephone:
MOU
The
Organization of Canadian
Nuclear Industries
(OCI) announced
the signing of a Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) with the Korean
Atomic Industrial Forum (KAIF). The
MOU was signed by Dr. Ron Oberth,
President of OCI, and by Mr. Kye-Hong
Min, Executive Vice Chairman of KAIF,
during a reception on August 26, 2014
for Korean delegates to the Pacific Basin
Nuclear Conference (PBNC-2014) in
Vancouver.
This Memorandum of Understanding
outlines several ways that OCI and KAIF
will work together including identifying
opportunities at nuclear projects in Korea,
Canada, or third countries on which OCI
and KAIF companies can cooperate. The
MOU supports and promotes innovation
and cooperation associated with joint
development, design, testing, licensing
and construction on pressurized heavy
water reactors, pressurized light water
reactors, and small modular reactors in
Korea, Canada, or in third countries. OCI
and KAIF will organize seminars in Korea
and in Canada to exchange information
leading to enhanced collaboration and
possibly the creation of joint ventures
among OCI and KAIF companies.
Another objective of the KAIF-
OCI MOU is to encourage and facilitate
cooperation among Canadian and Korean
nuclear research institutes and universities
on nuclear research, development, and
nuclear education.
Contact: Ron Oberth, telephone:
(905) 839-0073, email: ron.oberth@oci-
aic.org.
Corporation
Co-operation
AMEC
,
the
international
engineering and project management
company, announced the signing of a
Memorandum of Understanding with
China National Nuclear Corporation
