kristopher
kristopher's JournalJapan now down to 6 reactors out of 54 reactor fleet
"Turnaround" in this case means a planned shutdown. In the table at the link, don't let all the "P" status fool you. They were planned shut downs, but the duration was certainly not planned.
Mon Dec 26, 2011 12:16am GMT
Dec 26 (Reuters) - Kyushu Electric Power Co started planned maintenance on the 1,180-megawatt No.4 reactor at its Genkai nuclear plant late on Sunday, as scheduled.
It means only six reactors are now online in Japan with a capacity of 5,624 MW, leaving just 11.5 percent of the nation's total nuclear power capacity in use.
Public fears about nuclear safety sparked by the Fukushima radiation crisis have prompted the nation's nuclear watchdog to require utilities to conduct stress tests as a precondition for restarting reactors stopped for routine maintenance.
But it is unclear when the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency or the government will approve the stress test reports or when approval will be given by local authorities for reactor restarts. ...
http://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFL3E7NP04020111226
See table of reactors and status at link
Here is the nuclear industry spin clearly identified for you
Globalscan questions:
01
We should use the nuclear power plants that we already have, but we should not build new ones.
02
Nuclear power is dangerous and we should close down all operating nuclear power plants as soon as possible.
03
Nuclear power is relatively safe and an important source of electricity, and we should build new nuclear power plants.
Nuclear industry reporting
01 + 03 = Level of strong support for nuclear power.
Reality
03 = Level of strong support for nuclear power.
The question facing us is where do we spend our money going forward. An overwhelming majority of both experts and the public say renewable energy and energy efficiency.
Your OP author is "creatively framing" the issue of support.
Perhaps it is habit of the Nuclear Energy Institute when it spins anything related to nuclear that is swaying the author, who knows? But the fact is that no where in the world does support for building more nuclear rise to a majority. Recent international polling finds that among the nations of the world, support for new build in the US is among the highest, placing us right there with the UK, Nigeria and Pakistan.
However those numbers tend to confirm the ABC/Washington Post polling results with 58% explicitly opposing building more nuclear and 39% in favor.
The globalscan poll is simple and clear.
Poll wording
http://www.globescan.com/news_archives/bbc2011_energy/demoquest.html#quest
Americans oppose building more nuclear power plants in the United States, by a margin of 2-1
From the polling press release:
"Opposition is not merely a not-in-my-back-yard phenomenon. The survey, conducted for ABC News by Langer Research Associates, finds that 67 percent of Americans oppose construction of a nuclear plant within 50 miles of their home – not significantly different than the number who oppose it regardless of location."
“Strong” opposition outstrips strong support, 47-20 percent. Opposition is up from 53 percent in a 2008 poll, and strong opposition is up even more, by 24 points.
This ABC News-Washington Post poll was conducted by telephone April 14-17, 2011, among a random national sample of 1,001 adults, including landline and cell-phone-only respondents. Results have a margin of sampling error of 3.5 points....
Still, there are differences among groups; opposition is higher among Democrats (75 percent, vs. 59 percent of Republicans and independents combined), women (73 percent, vs. 53 percent of men) and liberals (74 percent, vs. 60 percent of moderates and conservatives).
http://texasvox.org/2011/04/21/nuclear-power-poll-shows-a-spike-in-u-s-opposition-after-fukushima
All Obama has done is give the industry enough economic rope to hang itself. He increased loan guarantees to 80% and the industry STILL can't find investors without states shifting all of the remaining risk to utility ratepayers.
Federal panel supports NY Atty Gen on nuclear plant safety issues
Government press release copyright concerns nil.
Full statements at links.
Actual court filing:
http://www.ag.ny.gov/media_center/2011/mar/2011%2003%2028%20OAG%202-206%20petition%20re%20fire%20safety.pdf
December 22nd
Nuclear Regulatory Commission Upholds Landmark Ruling That Indian Point Cannot Be Relicensed Before Review Of Upgrades Completed
Latest Success In AG’s Work To Improve Nuclear Regulation & Enforcement
NEW YORK – Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced a significant federal ruling in ongoing efforts to improve Indian Point’s accident preparedness, and ensure the protection of public health and the environment of the surrounding region. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) rejected a move by Entergy, Indian Point’s owner, to reverse a landmark Atomic Safety and Licensing Board decision ordering the completion of legally-required analyses of the facility's severe accident mitigation measures before it can be relicensed. Attorney General Schneiderman’s office won that ruling in July.
“It is a significant victory that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission firmly rejected an effort by Indian Point's owner to reverse a landmark federal ruling -- won by my office -- that the facility cannot be relicensed until legally-required analyses of its ability to control severe accidents are completed. Indian Point must follow regulations to protect the public and control the effects of a potentially severe nuclear accident,” said Attorney General Schneiderman. “While Entergy might prefer to treat severe accidents as impossibilities, the millions of people who live and work near Indian Point rightfully expect more. My office will continue to take every action necessary to ensure Indian Point complies with all applicable laws and regulations, and that the surrounding communities are protected.”
As part of the relicensing proceeding, nuclear power plants are required to identify the environmental impacts that could be caused by a severe accident and provide analyses of measures that facilities could take to protect the public if one were to occur. In its environmental review, Entergy identified numerous such measures at Indian Point Units 2 and 3, including flood protection and auxiliary power improvements.
In the context of Indian Point's relicensing, the Attorney General's office argued that the NRC has the obligation to require Entergy to complete analyses of cost-beneficial measures, or to require that the measures be adopted - consistent with NRC’s own regulations, as well as those of the National Environmental Policy Act, and the Administrative Procedure Act.
On July 15, the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board (ASLB) issued a decision, agreeing with Attorney General Schneiderman that Indian Point cannot be relicensed without completing the legally-required analyses of its severe accident mitigation measures. NRC must require Indian Point’s owner, Entergy, to either adopt cost-effective upgrades that would improve responses and control the impact of a severe accident, or provide a compelling reason why it will not do so.
Entergy appealed the ASLB's decision to the NRC and today's decision denies that appeal.
Attorney General Schneiderman has ...
http://www.ag.ny.gov/media_center/2011/dec/dec22b_11.html
Press Release from NY AttyGen office on original filing.
Amid New Fire Safety Concerns, Indian Point Seeks to Dodge Federal Regulations Developed to Keep Nuclear Power Plants Secure in Fire Emergencies
Today’s Petition is Latest Action in A.G.’s Vigilance of Indian Point, Follows Lawsuit on Nuclear Waste Storage & Appeal to Study Seismic Risk
NEW YORK – Amid growing concerns that Indian Point has failed to meet federal safety requirements, Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today filed a petition with the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) urging it to take enforcement action against the plant for its failure to comply with fire safety regulations. Following his lawsuit last month pressing the NRC to study the safety impact of storing spent nuclear fuel on site, today’s action is the latest in a series the Attorney General has taken to promote comprehensive, transparent and vigilant reviews of the Buchanan plant before decisions are made on whether to extend its operating license for another 20 years.
In a petition filed today with the NRC, Schneiderman wrote that compliance with fire safety requirements was necessary to ensure that the facility would be able to safely shut down during and after an emergency. Indian Point is currently in violation of established fire safety regulations and in seeking more than 100 exemptions from those regulations, undermines the efforts to secure the reactors lying within a 50-mile radius of where more than 20 million people live, work and travel.
“In the wake of Japan’s crisis, our country’s nuclear facilities should be bolstering their safety measures, yet Indian Point is looking to weaken its precautionary measures,” Attorney General Schneiderman said. “It is absolutely essential for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to compel the facility to comply with all fire safety measures – both to secure the plant’s emergency systems and ensure the safety of the tens of millions of people living in the region.”
The petition Schneiderman filed today cites the NRC’s own fire safety concerns. In June 2008, the NRC reiterated that “fire can be a significant contributor to nuclear power plant risk.” In a follow-up memo, the NRC confirmed that fires account for “approximately one-half of the core damage risk at operating reactors.” These operational risks, coupled with those posed both by seismic and other security events, demand Indian Point’s proper and full compliance with the federal fire safety regulations of which the plant is now in clear violation.
The Attorney General is seeking enforcement on a number of fire safety code requirements from which Indian Point has sought exemption and is now violating. For example:
- The plant has not installed required fire detectors or fire suppression systems in various locations;
- It has not strengthened electrical cables to withstand fire damage for one- to three-hours, a regulation established to provide necessary plant security in the event of an emergency;
- Moreover, rather than installing automatic response systems, the plant would resort to employees to perform a series of complex manual actions, which the NRC has not authorized as a means of adequately protecting nuclear facilities in the event of a fire.
Earlier ...
http://www.ag.ny.gov/media_center/2011/mar/mar28a_11.html
Why isn't the NRC in the lead on this?
Fukushima plant operators 'prepared to die' after quake
Fukushima plant operators 'prepared to die' after quakeDecember 23, 2011
By TATSUYUKI KOBORI / Staff Writer
Central control room operators at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant showed a wide range of emotions in the early chaotic moments of the disaster. Some expressed disbelief at what was happening. Others believed their utter helplessness would drive them insane.
Some were desperate to flee the plant. Some felt death was inevitable.
The operators' observations and feelings were mentioned in a report released by the plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co., on Dec. 22. The utility recently interviewed the operators to grasp a clearer picture of what occurred after the March 11 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami crippled the plant.
"I could not believe it was real," an operator working at the central control room, the nerve center of the No. 1 and No. 2 reactors, said. Twenty-four people were in the room when the earthquake struck on the afternoon of March 11.
The lights on ...
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/life_and_death/AJ201112230056
TEPCO will seek more disaster funds from government
TEPCO will seek more disaster funds from governmentDecember 24, 2011
Tokyo Electric Power Co. plans to seek about 600 billion yen ($7.7 billion) in additional aid for disaster compensation from a government fund following a review of evacuation zones, which will likely increase the number of evacuees and compensation required.
TEPCO plans to submit a request to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry by the end of the year, which is expected to be approved in early January.
The government plans to review the demarcation of evacuation zones and designate three new zones based on radiation levels, which could be announced as early as next week...
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/politics/AJ201112240049
China’s Trina Solar gambles on boosting capacity
China’s Trina Solar gambles on boosting capacityNovember 30, 2011
China’s Trina Solar, one of the world’s leading makers of photovoltaic products, will boost its production capacity 26.3% to 2.4 gigawatts annually by the middle of 2012.
The bold strategy cuts against the grain, but if successful, it would put Trina Solar in a better position when the market resumes a robust expansion.
With economic instability in Europe — the world’s largest market of solar cells – the supply-demand balance for solar power products is softening, and China’s major photovoltaic makers are all now in the red. Rivals such as Suntech Power Holdings Co. have frozen plant and equipment investments and shifted their focus from expansion to profitability.
But Trina Solar has chosen to invest 200 million dollars to boost capacity for solar panels and solar panel modules at its main plant in China, focusing on products made using value-added solar cells with high power-generating efficiency. It hopes greater economy of scale will reduce manufacturing costs.
http://www.asiacleantechgateway.com/2011/11/chinas-trina-solar-gambles-on-boosting-capacity/
I don't think so.
The way to stay afloat is to have enough cash reserves to allow demand stimulated by falling prices to catch up and outstrip the production increases. From the beginning of planning to going live solar projects are lightning fast to bring online. in the beginning of 2011 China set aside a big pool of money for the manufacturers and they only took about 30% or so of it. The rest is still sitting there waiting for the next round of expansion. If you believe it will take a long time to reach that point then the author's premise is valid. I don't believe it will. I think we will be ready for more expansion within 2 years.
The pace of growth in the market means (to me) that the time for real innovation isn't here yet. There is substantial room yet for competition based on price and until that has reached the point where there is essentially market saturation that can't be stimulated by adding more production, innovations that can't track the declining price curve of electricity from the present technology solar are not going to be able to compete.
Areva Plant Suspended; Idaho Falls Officials React
After putting in so much hard work and receiving a license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to build and operate a uranium enrichment plant here in Idaho Falls, it's a surprise to many that Areva has announced it will be suspending this $3 million project.
"The project has been slowed down but not terminated, not taken off the books, not removed, we're moving forward with this project” said Robert Poyser Areva V.P. of Regional Affairs.
"We're very optimistic that it's still going to be an ongoing project” said Idaho Falls Mayor Jared Fuhriman.
Areva officials say the economic crisis in Europe and the nuclear reactor accident in Japan have both had an effect on Idaho’s economy...
http://www.kpvi.com/mostpopular/story/Areva-Plant-Suspended-Idaho-Falls-Officials-React/3soPn5rGQUuVu6FtRYAsHA.cspx
Did you catch that? "the economic crisis in Europe and the nuclear reactor accident in Japan have both had an effect on Idaho’s economy", the Areva official says.
Pity he forgot to mention an over-aggressive global corporate power play that was poorly conceived from from the beginning.
The 2007 acquisition of UraMin by Areva proved financially costly, and is now compounded by a criminal complaint filed by Areva's former CEO concerning a private investigation into the purchase.
Author: Dorothy Kosich
Posted: Thursday , 22 Dec 2011
French nuclear giant Areva's troubles are growing as Standard and Poor's downgraded the company's credit rating two notches this week.
S&P downgraded Areva from ‘BBB+/A-2' to ‘BBB-/A-3', citing "very weak profitability and credit metrics." However the outlook is "stable" because of "the new management's focus on improving profitability through drastic cost reductions, and its intention to limit debt increases by funding negative free cash flow in 2012 through further asset disposals," said the credit ratings agency.
Meanwhile, a French newspaper reported that French prosecutors are examining allegations of spying by private investigators who examined the business affairs of former Areva CEO Anne Lauvergeon and her husband Olivier Fric concerning the 2007 acquisition of African uranium explorer UraMin.
The weekly French newspaper, Le Canard Enchaîné, which specializes in the reporting of scandals in the French government, reported Lauvergeon filed a criminal complaint after discovering a private investigators' report focusing on the purchase of a Namibian uranium mine during Lauvergeon's tenure as Areva's CEO. The newspaper said the investigation focused on whether Fric had "illegally benefitted" from Areva's US$2.5 billion acquisition of UraMin...
http://www.mineweb.com/mineweb/view/mineweb/en/page72103?oid=142117&sn=Detail&pid=102055
http://www.france24.com/en/20111212-trade-suspended-french-nuclear-giant-areva-fukushima-losses-layoffs
http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Nuclear-Power/France-s-Nuclear-Giant-s-Areva-Stock-Meltdown.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2011/dec/12/french-nuclear-group-monitor-health-niger
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