New nuclear power in Europe - will Finland show the way?

By Sonja van Renssen

With the news in December that EDF's flagship nuclear reactor at Flamanville, France, is going to cost an extra €2 billion to build, ratcheting up costs to €8.5 billion from an initial cost estimate of €3.3bn - you would be forgiven for wondering whether Europe is ever going to get a new nuclear reactor off the ground. But some people still believe it can happen. Hopeful eyes are turned now to Finland, where another European Pressurized Reactor (EPR) is under construction. But this project too is late, over budget and unfinished. Nevertheless, the Finns are confident that they will get their nuclear power plant running -and will solve the nuclear waste storage problem in the process. EER's Brussels correspondent Sonja van Renssen travelled north to learn about the Finnish way.

Fallout of Fukushima: an energy giant awakens

By Rudolf ten Hoedt

The disaster in Fukushima will probably not lead to the end of nuclear power in Japan after all. With the victory of Shinzo Abe's Liberal-Democratic Party in the elections on 16 December, the prospect of a German-type Energiewende have faded. Nevertheless, Fukushima will prove to be a turning point in Japan's energy history: old monopolistic structures are being broken up, new players are entering the market, the renewable energy market is growing, Japanese companies are increasingly active in gas production around the world and Japan may even become a gas trading hub for East-Asia. EER correspondent Rudolf ten Hoedt reports from Tokyo.

Nuclear is not the solution to the energy challenge, it is part of the problem

By Thiemo Gropp

As the UK gears up for a crucial decision on the building of new nuclear power plants, the voices in support of nuclear energy are getting louder. They claim that climate change cannot be addressed without an expansion of nuclear capacity. Renewable energies are said to be too costly and immature. Actually, the reverse is true, argues Thiemo Gropp, Director of the Desertec Foundation. Nuclear power is too costly and immature. What the UK and Europe should be doing is investing in building a supergrid that can support the expansion of renewables.

New nuclear in the UK? It all depends on the government's policies

By Alex Forbes

Nowhere in the OECD region has a government shown more enthusiasm for new nuclear power stations than in the United Kingdom. The government's efforts to smooth the path for new projects have so far been impressively successful, with key milestones being reached with only a few months here and there of delay. For now, the proposed new projects - amounting to over 16 GW - have built up a head of steam, despite last week's news that big German investors Eon and RWE have decided to pull out. But even the front-runner projects face the uncertainty of not knowing how much they will be paid for their output. Much will depend on how the government chooses to implement its ongoing electricity market reforms.

Nuclear energy one year after Fukushima: no retraction of nuclear power outside Europe and Japan

World Energy Council

The incident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant—the result of a devastating earthquake and subsequent tsunami on March 11, 2011—has re-invigorated the debate about how to meet the world’s growing demands for energy and the contribution of nuclear power to the global energy mix.

Lessons learned from Japan Tsunami & Meltdown at Fukushima: rethink nuclear power

Shunji Murai

Governments all over the globe using nuclear power should rethink their choices after the meltdown at Fukushima in Japan last year. According to professor Shunji Murai a government has to choose between economic development and health of local people in an area where a nuclear power plant is built. Murai writes this in a new and remarkable book Higher Ground: Learning from the East Japan Tsunami and Meltdown at Fukushima NPS.

Auditors criticise decommissioning of nuclear reactors in Eastern Europe

By Hughes Belin

The European Court of Auditors (ECA), which checks the management of EU money, has published a highly critical report on the management of the EU's financial assistance for the decommissioning of eight nuclear reactors in Bulgaria (Kozloduy), Lithuania (Ignalina) and Slovakia (Bohunice). As one "Green" member of the European Parliament puts it, the ECA's report shows 'the enormous hidden costs of nuclear energy'.

"A Japan without nuclear industry is almost impossible"

Japan's "Nuclear Village": too big to fail?

By Rudolf ten Hoedt

This year will be decisive for the future of nuclear energy in Japan. Japan had built its industrial, economic and political future on nuclear power. Up until the Fukushima disaster in March 2011 nuclear reactors provided close on 30 percent of national electricity supply. Moreover, Japan had far-reaching plans to significantly boost its nuclear capacity, both domestically and in the form of exports. Now there's a chance that due to maintenance and inspections there won't be a single plant in operation in a few months' time. For a significant minority of the population that's fine - they'd like to see an end to nuclear power for good. But it would be premature to write off Japan's nuclear industry. The political and economic stakes are too high for the nuclear power lobby to give up without a fight. Rudolf ten Hoedt reports from Tokyo.

California's Energy Future: Powering California with Nuclear Energy

California Council on Science and Technology

This report is aimed at examining the potential of nuclear energy to meet California’s electricity demand in the year 2050. The main focus of our analysis is on the CCST Realistic Model (described in detail elsewhere) which assumes that total electricity demand in California in the year 2050 amounts to 510 terawatt-hours per year (TWh/y).

The pros and cons of building a new nuclear power plant in Bulgaria - and why it matters to Europe

By Atanas Georgiev

Bulgaria has to decide whether to finish the construction of the Russian-made nuclear power plant Belene, which was started in the 1980s and halted in 1990 after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The stakes are high, and not just for Bulgaria. A positive decision would make Belene the first Russian-built atomic energy facility within the borders of the EU.

Lithuania on collision course with EBRD over dismantling of Ignalina

By Reiner Gatermann

Lithuania is following a two-track nuclear energy policy: it is decommissioning the closed-down Ignalina nuclear power plant and wants to build a new nuclear plant at Visaginas. Despite having recently selected GE-Hitachi as "strategic investor" for Visaginas, it is still far from certain whether this project will ever be realised. But the decommissioning project has also run into major problems. The Lithuanian government has come into sharp conflict with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), which administers the decommissioning fund, about how to dismantle the plant. In addition, the project is facing a financing gap of €1.5 billion after 2014.

The risks of radiation

By Jan Willem Nienhuys

Further research into a little-known theory on the effects of low-level toxic exposure could revolutionise the way we assess radiation risk, with huge implications for the nuclear power industry, argues Jan Willem Nienhuys.

"Doctor Areva" tries to cash in on nuclear crisis

By Yves de Saint Jacob with Meriem Sidhoum Delahaye

French nuclear flagship Areva is putting a brave face on "Fukushima". It is positioning itself as a nuclear safety specialist that can help power producers everywhere improve the security of their reactors. It has even announced that it is ready to come to the rescue anywhere in the world when there are problems at nuclear power stations - like a Nuclear Doctor Without Borders. But this opportunistic response to the Fukushima crisis, thought up by CEO Anne Lauvergeon just before she was dismissed from her job by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, cannot hide the considerable long-term challenges the state-controlled French nuclear industry is facing. Yves de Saint Jacob reports from Paris.

World Nuclear Industry Status Report: Nuclear power in a post-Fukushima world

Worldwatch Institute

Four weeks after the beginning of the nuclear crisis on Japan’s east coast, the situation at the country’s Fukushima Daiichi power plant remains far from stabilized. The damaged reactors continue to leak radioactivity, and although it is impossible to predict the overall impact of the disaster, the consequences for the international nuclear industry will be devastating.

Fukushima: an earthquake for the French nuclear sector

By Yves de Saint Jacob

Professor Jacques Foos, one of France's most highly regarded nuclear experts, is frankly shocked by the accident at the Fukushima power plant in Japan. 'The accident is an earthquake for us engineers', he says in an interview with European Energy Review. 'We all have had our convictions shaken'. Foos calls for the establishment of a global "policeman" for civil nuclear energy and a global research effort into all fields of energy. 'We need to believe in the progress of science.'

Nuclear Renaissance headed for a Thirty Years' War?

By Chris Cragg

The nuclear renaissance has always been more a promise than a reality, certainly in the OECD countries, where expansion of capacity remains an illusion. The tragedy in Japan will probably cause further delays, leaving other power production technologies to fill the future gap in demand, predicts energy editor Chris Cragg. Nuclear energy might become like the old soldier that does not die, but simply fades away.

Assumptions and accidents

By Marcel Viëtor

If we want to continue with nuclear energy, we should think the risks of nuclear power through to their logical conclusion.

Nuclear power in China: Chinese are becoming self-sufficent

World Nuclear Organisation

This new report from the World Nuclear Organisation provides comprehensive data on the development of nuclear power in China.

Swedish vote will decide future of nuclear power

On Sunday 19 September, Sweden will elect a new parliament (Riksdag). The outcome may have important consequences for Swedish energy policy. If the Left succeeds in gaining back the majority in Parliament from the Right, the Swedish “nuclear renaissance” will likely be nipped in the bud. As regards state-owned energy company Vattenfall, the right-wing parties are contemplating opening the door for private shareholders and selling off the company’s German and Dutch assets. The Left is opposed to privatisation, but might agree to the divestment of non-Swedish assets. When it comes to renewable energy, there is not much difference between left and right: both sides have lost faith in ethanol and have promised to boost biogas, wind power and electric cars.

France considers its nuclear position

World Nucelar News

France is revising its nuclear strategy to improve reactor technology and boost cooperation between national champions Areva and Electricité de France (EdF). Up to 15% of Areva will be sold as optimisation takes place on the EPR design.

ITER project jeopardised by European indecision

by Hughes Belin

The international economic crisis has a new victim in its sights: the giant international ITER project, an experimental thermonuclear fusion reactor which could help project partners solve their potential energy shortage problems by the end of the century. The estimated costs for the first components to build the reactor, to be paid out of the EU’s dedicated research programme, have soared from €2.7 to €6.6 billion. ITER’s international partners are waiting for a clear signal of Europe’s commitment at the upcoming ITER Council meeting in Shanghai on June 17, but there is as yet no agreement within the EU how to cover the missing €3.92 billion. The Commisson has warned that pulling out now might cost the EU €4.5 billion.

The Finnish way: nonprofit nuclear power

by Reiner Gatermann

With the decision of the Finnish cabinet on 6 May to grant applications for two new nuclear power stations, Finland has taken a major step towards a significant expansion of its nuclear capacity. All that remains is for the Parliament to approve the decision. The suppliers, TVO and newcomer Fennovoima – both non-profit consortiums – believe the new reactors could become operational by 2020 and deliver power for 60 years. Remarkably, the third application, by state-owned energy producer Fortum, was rejected.

Coalition's emerging nuclear policy

World Nuclear News

The UK is set to have pro-nuclear policies delivered by an anti-nuclear politician as the details of a post-election coalition agreement are revealed.

Two out of three for Finland

World Nuclear news

Finnish leaders have made favourable decisions for two of the three nuclear projects put before them, meaning up to 4300 MWe in nuclear capacity could potentially come from private investment.

The ball gets rolling in Sweden

World Nuclear News

New nuclear is on the Swedish agenda with moves towards revised legislation and regulatory support for new build applications. Hans Blix told a seminar he was 'absolutely convinced' of the need for new reactors.

Fusion projects building for the future

World Nuclear News

Work is set to begin on the first building to be constructed at the Iter platform in France after a contract for the Coil Winding Facility was signed. Meanwhile, test facilities to help prepare for the next stages in the international pursuit of nuclear fusion are progressing.

View from london

by Alex Forbes

Long on ideas, short on cash

Column Chris Cragg

by Chris Cragg

The Nuclear Option

Rebuilding the nuclear network

by Yves de Saint Jacob

The hoped-for nuclear power renaissance depends upon a reliable network of subcontractors capable of supplying the necessary hardware and software. But years of stagnation in the nuclear power sector have left production capacity in a precarious state.

Interview Pierre Gadonneix, ceo EDF: ‘I am convinced we have what it takes’

by Yves de Saint Jacob

Pierre Gadonneix, Chairman and Chief Executive of EDF since 2004, surprised everyone by publicly inviting German electricity producers to join EDF in building the second French EPR, in which oil company Total already participates for 10%. ‘If we could also have German partners on board, it would be very good for the development of the EPR.’

Interview Dominique Vignon: ‘Politics interfered’

by Yves de Saint Jacob

Dominique Vignon was technical director of the French-German EPR project and presided over Framatome, the company producing the EPR reactors, from 1996 until 2001, until Framatome was merged with Cogema into Areva. In 2000, he concluded the agreement with Siemens that has now been terminated by the Germans.

Interview Jacques Saulnier, Areva: ‘Our model is unique’

by Yves de Saint Jacob

Nuclear energy supplier Areva sees orders piling up for its third-generation European Pressurised Reactor (EPR). But the agressively expanding group is in dire need of investment funds and is looking actively for investors. Jacques Emmanuel Saulnier, personal spokesman for Lauvergeon, talks to EER about the prospects of Areva.

A world to conquer for French technology

by Yves de Saint Jacob

As the main shareholder in the leading companies in the nuclear industry, the French government calls the nuclear shots, even appointing the managers at the top nuclear companies. President Nicolas Sarkozy’s strategy is to ‘conquer the world’ with French nuclear technology.

UK takes first step in long journey

by Alex Forbes

Europe’s biggest energy companies have been scrambling to acquire land on which to build the UK’s next generation of nuclear power stations. Some say the fi rst of a series of such stations could begin generating electricity as soon as 2017. But the obstacles – political, technical and fi nancial – remain formidable.

Saving children with nuclear power

by Remco de Jong

Belgium is preparing itself for a national debate on keeping open its nuclear power stations. The industry spent €2 million on a media campaign, which seems to have had some effect.

Cracks in the nuclear showcase

by Reiner Gatermann

Finland’s new nuclear power project is in a crisis. Delivery has been delayed by 3 years and costs have risen 50%. Still, the government has received applications for three more new nuclear plants. The Minister of Energy says Finland needs ‘zero additional reactors, or at most just one.’

Spring comes to East Europe again

by Anke Truijen

Countries in Eastern Europe are facing a variety of serious energy problems: shortages, rising prices, rising CO2 emissions and heavy dependency on Russia. Nuclear power will solve all these problems at one stroke. Or so many governments believe. Critics charge that simpler options are being ignored.

Chernobyl Legacy

by Chris Cragg

After Chernobyl, it might be thought that all reactors of the same design would be shut down. Actually, there are 11 such reactors still operating. The Russians are even thinking of building a new one.

Interview Santiago San Antonio, Foratom: ‘The word nuclear has lost its taboo status’

by Hughes Belin

The Director-General of Foratom - the association for the nuclear energy industry in Europe - Santiago San Antonio, is confi dent of a nuclear renaissance in Europe, stemming from the renewed support for nuclear energy from politicians across the continent.

Interview Mycle Schneider: ‘There is no revival of nuclear power’

by Hughes Belin

The renowned nuclear policy consultant Mycle Schneider has come to the conclusion that there is no nuclear revival, that nuclear’s role in energy generation is declining and that it has little relevance as a tool for avoiding CO2 emissions. For the Germanborn Frenchman, the challenge is elsewhere: to fi nd new ways for providing energy services intelligently.

Remembering Three Mile Island

by Yves de Saint Jacob

There were no fatalities, but the accident at the nuclear power plant on Three Mile Island, in Pennsylvania, lingered in people’s minds and had a long-term impact on the development of nuclear energy in America.

Nuclear waste: the intractable problem

by Yves de Saint Jacob

Scientists the world over agree: we must store nuclear waste with long-life, high-level radioactivity deep under the ground. However, not a single nation has in fact started doing so. This uncertainty is disturbing to most, but it does not seem to worry nuclear engineers. They believe the problem will be solved if it is given enough time.

Brussels careful not to step on toes

by Hughes Belin

The imminent adoption of an EU Directive on nuclear safety is the main advance in European legislation in the area of nuclear power since the current Commission entered in offi ce in November 2004. But Brussels is fi nding it extremely diffi cult to take control of nuclear energy policy in Europe. The divisions are too deep.

Nuclear 2.0: a revival with bugs

by Stefan Nicola

Nuclear power is undergoing a revival. Over the past years, governments all over the world have given the green light for new nuclear power plants, or have adopted legislation enabling new plants to be built. However, the fi nancial crisis is causing delays, the waste storage problem remains unsolved and safety continues to be an issue.

Public warms to the use of nuclear energy

Accenture

More than two-thirds of people around the world believe that their countries should start using or increase their use of nuclear power. Men are more likely to support nuclear energy than women and concerns over energy security, energy prices  and climate change were cited most often as grounds for supporting nuclear energy. These are the main findings of a recent global survey by Accenture.

Sweden’s nuclear power struggle comes to a head

by Reiner Gatermann

The Swedish government has taken a ‘historic’ decision to end the ban on new nuclear power stations. But it is by no means certain yet that any nuclear power stations will be built.

Croatia on course for nuclear power

by Anke Truijen

Croatia needs to re-assess and upgrade all its energy sources in order to safeguard future power supplies. Energy experts are lobbying for a nuclear power plant, but it remains to be seen whether the population will agree to such a step.

Lithuania's nuclear power dream

by Reiner Gatermann

Lithuania is pinning its energy hopes on keeping the nuclear plant at Ignalina open beyond 2009 and building a new nuclear power plant at the same spot. But many observers believe both projects are pipe dreams. ‘The government should face reality.’

German coalition on nuclear bombshell

by Stefan Nicola

For years, German politicians turned a blind eye to the massive amounts of nuclear waste dumped in a research repository near Hannover. Then a report warned that the site, Asse II, was in danger of collapsing. The scandal over Asse is only the tip of a highly radioactive iceberg.

Nuclear revival divides Germany

by Stefan Nicola

Germany agreed eight years ago to phase out nuclear energy by 2021. More and more politicians argue that the phase-out should be reversed, but they are faced with strong anti-nuclear sentiment. The issue could make or break a government in next year’s elections.

Stop talking, start buildingWorld Nuclear NewsThe time is right for a major change in world attitudes to energy - and the world cannot afford to wait before embarking on building the hundreds of new nuclear reactors that will contribute to a secure and clean energy future.

The nuclear future that never arrived

Kurt Cobb, Scitizen.com

Understanding how the great hopes of early nuclear power advocates eventually turned into great disappointment may shed some light on nuclear power's future.

Mixed prospects for nuclear in South-Eastern Europe

by Ioannis Michaletos

There are many plans for the expansion of nuclear power production in southeastern Europe, but also just as many obstacles. ‘Most countries have not looked into the details yet.’

Nuclear renaissance: Chernobyl days are over in Italy

by Maarten Veeger

The new Italian government of Silvio Berlusconi has announced the end of the “nuclear-free” period in Italy which started with Chernobyl. Many other countries in South and Central Europe are also eyeing new nuclear build. But many obstacles remain.

Report from Finland: nuclear example comes at a price

by Reiner Gatermann

In Finland, a nuclear reactor is being built – the first new nuclear plant in more than twenty years in Europe and the world’s largest. Now that one country after the other has announced plans to build new nuclear capacity, all eyes are focused on the Finnish experience.

US nuclear industry back in the 'fast lane'?

By Warner ten Kate, Clingendael International Energy Programme (CIEP), April 2008

Now that concerns about security of energy supply are increasing, nuclear energy is making a comeback on the agenda of international policy makers.

Nuclear power in the UK: is it necessary? is it viable?

By Malcolm Keay, Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, October 2007

UK: unclear nuclear

by Alex Forbes

The UK has ‘invited’ private investment in new nuclear power – but not because the industry’s problems have been solved. As the recent white paper makes clear, the government believes that it will be diffi cult to meet climate change and energy security objectives without nuclear as part of the fuel mix. But how realistic is the nuclear option?

Interview Patrick Kron, CEO Alstom: 'Closer ties to Areva, one option among several'

by Yves de Saint Jacob

Patrick Kron, 55, is ceo of Alstom, a global company in equipment and services for power generation and rail transport. A graduate of Ecole Polytechnique, he started his career as a civil servant before joining the Pechiney chemical group. He was head of industrial minerals producer Imerys before he joined Alstom in January 2003. Alstom is located in more than 70 countries and employs 65,000 people. Worldfamous for its high speed trains, Alstom recently expressed a desire to expand into the nuclear industry. Kron spoke to European Energy Review and explained his hopes of a ‘rapprochement’ with Areva.

Areva rejects Alstom’s advances

by Yves de Saint Jacob

After the Suez-Gaz de France merger, the next “national champion” in France is destined to be Areva-Alstom. Only this time it is not so simple.

ITER: the search for inexhaustible energy

by Yves de Saint Jacob

In France, the largest international scientific community in the world has started on a search for the Holy Grail of infinite energy.