Nuclear Energy Insider: Post Fukushima, Intensified Interest in Nuclear Power in the MENA Region Continues
Thursday, May 17th 2012

In a bid to meet increasing energy demands, the last decade has seen energy-rich countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) turn to alternative energy sources such as nuclear power and renewable energy. However, in the last few years the interest in nuclear energy has intensified despite issues raised following the accident at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant in Japan.

There are a number of key challenges facing countries in the MENA region that are driving plans towards nuclear power generation, ultimately making this the most exciting region for nuclear contractors globally. In particular, countries in the region face:

Increasing energy demands due to population and economy growth
Energy independence
Reduction of reliance on fossil fuels
Increasing revenue on fossil fuel exports
Reduction of carbon emissions

As a direct result of these challenges there are significant plans in place to deliver considerable nuclear generation capacity in the region by 2030. The Middle East Nuclear New Build Report 2012 has summarised these announced plans below:

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Kansai power crunch just political rivalry?
Oi reactor factor tied to Noda's Hashimoto feud
By ERIC JOHNSTON
Staff writer

OSAKA — The confrontation between the central government and Kansai area leaders over the restart of two nuclear reactors in Oi, Fukui Prefecture, has more to do with the growing power struggle between Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto and Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda than with safety or objective attempts to determine how much electricity will be available this summer.

Since February, Kansai Electric Power Co. has revised downward its projected electricity shortages after being grilled by Hashimoto-appointed critics.

On Tuesday, Kepco said that while it currently stands by its projection of a 15 percent shortage, a combination of purchasing electricity from other suppliers, ramping up natural energy use and instituting curbs on power use might actually shrink the projected shortage to 5 percent.

Meanwhile, the governors of Kyoto and Shiga as well as Hashimoto are critical of the way Noda's administration is pushing for the Oi reactors' restart without addressing their detailed safety concerns.

They are also angry the administration and Kepco announced blackout preparations without first consulting independent outside experts who ...

Diet panel to tackle question: Did TEPCO want to desert Fukushima plant?
May 16, 2012

A Diet committee will try to determine who is telling the truth about a key phase in the Fukushima nuclear disaster: politicians or executives of Tokyo Electric Power Co.

The issue concerns disturbing allegations from politicians that TEPCO wanted to abandon the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant during the early stages of the disaster last year, a move that could have exacerbated the crisis.

TEPCO has vehemently denied the company had any plans to desert the stricken plant. But from May 17, politicians will be summoned to the Diet's Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Commission to give their side of the story.

The central government's Investigation Committee on the Accident at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Stations and TEPCO's Fukushima Nuclear Accidents Investigation Committee have released interim reports about their respective efforts in dealing with the nuclear disaster. The private-sector Independent Investigation Commission on the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Accident also released its final report in late February.

All three accounts have differing interpretations ...

North Korea nuclear reactor construction progressing

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A U.S.-based institute said Wednesday new satellite imagery shows that North Korea has resumed building work on a reactor after months of inactivity.

That indicates the North is pressing on with efforts to expand its nuclear program, the institute says, despite international criticism. North Korea says the reactor is intended to generate electricity but its active pursuit of nuclear weapons raises doubts over its intentions.

The image from a commercial satellite dated April 30 shows progress in construction of the containment building for the light-water reactor at the North's main nuclear facility at Yongbyon, according to the U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.

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Two U.S. academics who visited the site in November 2010 and have studied subsequent satellite imagery, say the reactor appears designed for electricity generation. Other experts fear the reactor could eventually produce plutonium for bombs.

Pyongyang expelled U.N. monitors ...

How to make people 'love' nuclear power
A poll on whether a new nuclear power station should be built at Hinkley Point provides a masterclass in manipulation


.... I quite like nuclear power stations, not just because they're clever, or even because I regretfully concede they might be one of our least bad options for power. I secretly like nuclear power stations because they remind me, in the way nostalgia makes us pine for things we disliked at the time, of a childhood in the early 1980s when I believed that I would die in a nuclear holocaust.

Which leads me on to the energy company EDF, which last month conducted a poll on whether people near Hinkley Point nuclear power station would like it to be expanded. The BBC dutifully reported the results. "EDF survey shows support for Hinkley power station," ran the headline. "Six in 10 people support a new power station at Hinkley." Polls like this convince locals, and politicians.

But Leo Barasi at the blog ClimateSock has diligently obtained the original polling questions from ICM, and what he has found is a masterclass in how to manipulate answers to a single question.

Respondents are set into the frame with a simple starter: "How favourable or unfavourable is your opinion of the nuclear energy industry?" Then things heat up. "To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement: nuclear energy has disadvantages but the country needs nuclear power as part of the energy balance with coal, gas and wind power." As Leo says, this is structured in a way that makes it harder to disagree. "It appear reasoned: taking on board the downsides of nuclear before drawing a measured conclusion that it's a necessary evil to produce a greater good." As a result, only 13% disagree, but the whole audience is gently nudged.

Then locals are asked a whole series of branching questions...

Hinkley nuclear power station delay deals blow to government hopes
Earthwork preparation of Hinkley site put back as election of Francois Hollande as French president hits confidence

Damian Carrington guardian.co.uk, Monday 14 May 2012 11.05 EDT

Massive earthworks needed to prepare the ground for a new nuclear power station at Hinkley in Somerset have been delayed, dealing a further blow to the government's energy plans.

Half of the big six energy firms have already abandoned their nuclear plans as too costly, but Hinkley is backed by the most pro-nuclear of them, EDF, which is 83% owned by the French state.

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The delay comes at a highly sensitive time as EDF and other companies negotiate with the government over the financial support that will be available to nuclear and other low-carbon energy sources, such as wind and solar power.

On Friday, the chief executive of Centrica, which has a 20% stake in EDF's nuclear plans, issued a warning to ministers. "The investment case for nuclear has yet to be proven," Sam Laidlaw told investors. Earlier, EDF's chief executive, Vincent de Rivaz, said: "It is absolutely critical that the government continues to make steady, tangible progress with its electricity market reform plans." EDF has been criticised as being too close to government, providing full-time staff to work within the Department of Energy and Climate Change....

Energy companies blame abandonment of nuclear plans on lack of cash
guardian.co.uk

Investing billions in new nuclear power stations would have forced a credit-rating downgrade on energy giant RWE, the company's chief executive has revealed. The head of another big six energy company, E.ON, blamed the abandonment of its nuclear plans on a lack of "financial firepower".

Tuesday's developments are the latest to demonstrate that the huge cost and decades-long payback times of new nuclear power stations are making them difficult to fund in the current economic crisis. RWE and E.ON cancelled their joint plan to build new reactors in March, while nuclear giant EDF has delayed work at its site at Hinkley and EDF's nuclear partner Centrica says the case for nuclear investment is "unproven".

"We believe nuclear should be the lowest-cost, large-scale energy source, and the price will reflect that."

Hendry told MPs that at least £100bn was needed to build replacements for the many old coal, gas and nuclear plants that will close in the next few years. He said the government's forthcoming energy bill aimed to ensure energy security, while meeting greenhouse gas emissions and getting the best deal for the consumer. Being exposed to events in other countries, such as the nuclear disaster at Fukushima and the election of nuclear-power-sceptic François Hollande in France, was "inevitable", said Hendry. "If we want to see nuclear power as part of the energy mix, that's a challenge we have to take on."

'Green deal' will fail, government's climate advisers warn
Scheme to make 14m UK homes more energy efficient will only reach 2-3m households, Committee on Climate Change says
Damian Carrington
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 20 December 2011 11.38 EST

...The daft thing is that at the same time [as delivering the green deal plan], the government has put out a national carbon budget plan that states with complete confidence that they will get all the lofts and cavity walls done - but there is no programme to do it," said Warren.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/dec/20/green-deal-fail

David Cameron briefed on concerns over green deal for homeowners
Impact assessment shows loft insulations and cavity wall insulations are set to fall dramatically under current plans
Damian Carrington
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 16 May 2012 11.43 EDT

...The green deal aims to provide "pay as you save" loans to homeowners to improve their energy efficiency and cut bills. It is due to launch in October but has faced widespread criticism from energy companies, the building industry, consumer groups and charities. The government's own impact assessment shows loft insulations and cavity wall insulations – the most cost-effective measures by far – are set to fall by 93% and 67% respectively under current plans. "The impact assessment says it is going to be a train crash," said Andrew Warren, director of the Association for the Conservation of Energy.

The escalation of the issue to Downing Street came on the same day as official data revealed that average home energy bills have shot up by up 12% – £140 – in 12 months, following a doubling in the past six years due largely to rising gas prices. Furthermore, national statistics on fuel poverty due to be published on Thursday are certain to show a rise from the current 5 million homes, a quarter of the total.

The green deal is intended to address fuel poverty, as well as being a crucial policy in cutting the carbon emissions driving climate change, but the Cabinet Office has been told it will flop unless fundamental changes are made. Warren and a series of other senior stakeholders were interviewed by Cabinet Office officials, who reported to Cameron, Clegg and energy secretary Ed Davey on Wednesday.

A Downing Street spokesman said: "As we implement all policy, we maintain constant dialogue with stakeholders and businesses who have an interest. The deputy prime minister and prime minister are fully committed to the green deal." While the commitment to the green deal is not under review, government sources said the implementation of the policy is being discussed...

States where utilities have not expressed an interest in getting licenses for new nuclear reactors have a better track record on efficiency and renewable and more aggressive plans for future development of efficiency and renewables, as shown in Exhibit ES-3. These states:
- had three times as much renewable energy and ten times as much non-hydro renewable energy in their 1990 generation mix and
- set RPS goals for the next decade that are 50 percent higher;
- spent three times as much on efficiency in 2006;
- saved over three times as much energy in the 1992-2006 period, and
- have much stronger utility efficiency programs in place.

Bashing Japan and Germany Over Nuclear Exit
An Audacious Nuclear Hypocrisy
by LINDA PENTZ GUNTER

With audacious hypocrisy, American pro-nuclear pundits have been indulging in the familiar sport of losers – the relentless bashing of the more successful.

With nuclear energy rapidly losing favor around the globe, the industry’s boosters have taken to blaming countries that have rejected it for worsening climate change. Top of the target list? Germany, which has vowed to generate 80-100% of its electricity from renewable energy sources by 2050; and Japan, which chose this month not to restart the last of its 54 nuclear reactors.

The accusation that these countries are worsening climate change is pretty rich coming from US commentators. By any measure – whether calculating total CO2 emissions or per capita – the US is one of the worst offenders on the planet. Among major nations, the US trails only Australia (almost exclusively reliant on coal) in emissions per capita at 17.7 tonnes per year (based on US Energy Information Administration 2009 data). Japan and Germany rank 37th and 38th respectively. China recently overtook the US in both total CO2 and total greenhouse gas emissions. But the US remains in commanding second place, responsible for 17.8% of the world’s total CO2 emissions and 15.7% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.

By contrast, Japan’s 2009 CO2 emissions stood at 3.6% of the world’s total. Germany’s were at 2.5%. While a greenhouse gas emissions increase is bad news for the planet no matter where it occurs, the US should put its own carbon emissions house in order before criticizing others. Even if both Japan and Germany’s emissions were to rise significantly, they will continue to trail the US by a large margin.

With the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster prompting an overwhelming public rejection of continued reliance on nuclear power...

As Reactors Age, the Money to Close Them Lags
The license for the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant, on the Connecticut River, expires Wednesday. Federal regulators plan to renew the license, but the State of Vermont is opposed.
By MATTHEW L. WALD Published: March 20, 2012

WASHINGTON — The operators of 20 of the nation’s aging nuclear reactors, including some whose licenses expire soon, have not saved nearly enough money for prompt and proper dismantling. If it turns out that they must close, the owners intend to let them sit like industrial relics for 20 to 60 years or even longer while interest accrues in the reactors’ retirement accounts.

Decommissioning a reactor is a painstaking and expensive process that involves taking down huge structures and transporting the radioactive materials to the few sites around the country that can bury them. The cost is projected at $400 million to $1 billion per reactor, which in some cases is more than what it cost to build the plants in the 1960s and ’70s.

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Bills that once seemed far into the future may be coming due. The license for Vermont Yankee in Vernon, Vt., at 40 the nation’s oldest reactor, expires on Wednesday, for example. And while the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has granted its owner, Entergy, a new 20-year permit, the State of Vermont is trying to close the plant.

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Entergy is at least $90 million short of the projected $560 million cost of dismantling Vermont Yankee; the company is at least $500 million short of the $1.5 billion estimated cost of dismantling Indian Point 2 and 3...