Nuclear Power Crack
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has confirmed that it is investigating a crack which has been discovered in the concrete of the containment building at the Crystal River nuclear power plant which is owned by Progress Energy.
The Florida power plant had already shut down for its planned re-fuelling as well as to replace steam generators inside the room that also holds the reactor – whereby to move the large steam generators, workers started removing concrete from the facility to create the necessary opening, but is was during this process that the crack in the concrete was found.
The Crystal River containment structure is approximately 42 inches thick, containing steel support tendons and is lined with steel plates – the crack was found roughly nine inches from the outer surface of the concrete.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) inspection team will be made up of personnel from its Atlanta office, alongside those already working out of the Crystal River plant with additional support from the NRC headquarters in Rockville, Md.
It is also likely the NRC will enlist the help of one or more independent experts to assist in the inspection, but a spokesperson for the NRC commented that the crack does not appear to represent a major reduction in safety, therefore there are no immediate concerns as the plant is already shut down.
Source;
e-news @ newenergyfinance.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crystal_River_3_Nuclear_Power_Plant
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Illegal power market play
As reported by The Times, Seven companies have been found guilty of illegally carving up European and Japanese power transformer markets which has resulted in them receiving fines from the European Commission totalling £61.8 million (67 million euros).
Siemens, a conglomerate of three main business sectors which are Industry, Energy and Healthcare, only just escaped a fine after blowing the whistle on the illegal behaviour.
Receiving the biggest penalty of 33.75 million euros was ABB a UK leading power and automation technology group, followed by power generation and energy company’s Alstom, Areva, Toshiba, Hitachi, and Fuji Electrics – who were issued with smaller fines.
The Times – Business – 8 October 2009
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E.ON confirms Coal Plant holt
As reported by news.bbc.co.uk Energy company E.ON has confirmed that their controversial plans to build a new coal-fired power station at Kingsnorth in Kent, have been put on hold for up to three years, stating that it would be delayed until at least 2016, and claimed this is because electricity demand has fallen during the global recession.
A spokesperson for E.ON – who provides gas and electricity along with renewable energy to UK homes and businesses – stated that the economic downturn had:
“Pushed back the need for a new plant in the UK to around 2016 because of the reduction in demand for electricity…
And, continued by saying:
… As a group, we remain committed to the development of cleaner coal and carbon capture and storage (CCS), which we believe have a key role to play alongside renewables, gas and nuclear, in tackling the global threat of climate change, while ensuring affordability and security of energy supplies” .
The Kingsnorth site has become a high-profile target for environmental protests by groups arguing that a new plant would only increase carbon emissions and affect climate change, where upon hearing the news, Greenpeace acknowledged E.ON’s decision and said this was “good news for the climate”.
The plant still needs to be granted permission from the government, and would be the UK’s first coal-fired power station to be built for 30 years, if it was agreed.
Also campaigning against the new plant is Andy Atkins, executive director of environmental campaign group Friends of the Earth, who said that the station would have “seriously undermined the UK’s credibility on climate change” and that “The government must now show real leadership and say no to all new coal plants which aren’t fitted with 100% carbon capture and storage from day one”
Defying E.ONs insistence that their decision has been determined by the downturn, Oxfam’s campaigns director Thomas Schultz-Jagow, points out that the announcement has come after “Thousands of campaigners raised the alarm about this proposal”
Source;
Bbc.co.uk/News/UK
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8296076.stm
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Scottish Power losses CCS Funding
Electricity and Natural Gas company, Scottish Power – a subsidiary of the Spanish utility Iberdrola – has lost out on funding for Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) research, reports energyhelpline.com.
The energy firms Longannet power plant in Scotland was nominated to receive a share of £1 billion from the European Commission designated to help with the development of CCS technology – which is intended to reduce harmful emissions subsequently produced by burning coal, but was unsuccessful in its bid.
Nonetheless, officials remain hopeful that the power station will instead receive funding from the UK government through a CCS competition which has been set up by the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC).
The World Wildlife Fund acknowledged Longannet power plant as being the best place in the UK for CCS funding, and responding to the missed opportunity, the funds director, Richard Dixon stated:
“We sincerely hope it will get some form of support to properly test this technology soon, whether it is from Europe or as a winner of the UK government’s own CCS competition”
He also continued by saying that Scotland has a good position in becoming a world leader in the development of CCS technology.
Source;
Energyhelpline.com/ Gas and Electricity News
http://www.energyhelpline.com/news/article.aspx?aaid=19392387&y=2009&m=10&w=1&pid=1
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National Grid connects to Norway
National Grid, operator of the UK’s network of high-voltage wires, has announced that it is in talks with Norwegian energy company Statnett, regarding plans to lay a £1 billion cable beneath the North Sea that would connect the two countries – whereby British consumers would then benefit from hydroelectricity generated in the fjords of Norway.
Clocking up 560 miles – the high-voltage link from Kvilldal, Norway to an unspecified point along the English coast, would be the longest in the world, with a capacity of 1,000 megawatts. Both companies have carried out a feasibility study and are currently working out the best route.
This will not only enable Britain to import electricity from hydroelectric plants in Norway, but also increase the opportunity for the UK to export electricity from North Sea offshore wind farms, back to in to Norway – where the cable would be equally owned by National Grid and Statnett.
The Government is hopeful that this project will become the formation of a ‘European Supergrid’ – that will link all sources of renewable energy across the Continent.
The Times (Business) 7 October 2009 –North Sea Cable could bring Norway’s energy to Britain.
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E.ON makes Waves with Pelamis
One of the UK’s “Big Six” energy suppliers, E.ON, has teamed up with renewable electricity generator Pelamis Wave Power to deploy the company’s second-generation Sea Snake in Orkney in the spring of 2010.
The device consists of four sections which generate electricity by harnessing the motion of waves and is scheduled to be deployed at Orkney’s European Marine Energy Centre for testing, according to Reuters news.
Wave power is more expensive to develop than the higher profile wind turbine technology, however, the Carbon Trust has estimated that 20% of Britain’s future energy demands could potentially be met by harnessing power from waves.
E.ON’s marine development manager, Amaan Lafayette, said that they would like to see a small-scale plant of their own in the water by 2015-2017, built around what the project is doing in Orkney, he also explained that it is a kind of energy generation that they haven’t done before.
Source;
Energyhelpline.com/ Gas & Electricity News
http://www.energyhelpline.com/news/article.aspx?aaid=19394577&y=2009&m=10&w=1&pid=1
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£8 million renewable energy deal
UK waste management group Shanks announced an £8 million deal with Scotland’s Energen Biogas to build a renewable energy power plant, in Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire. The energy plant is expected to process 60,000 tons of organic waste each year, and generate up to 3MWh of renewable power in addition to fertiliser that can be used on agricultural land.
The facility, scheduled to become operational in mid-2010, will utilise Shanks’ Orgaworld Anaerobic Digestion (AD) technology – the conversion of animal and plant waste material using micro-organisms contained within sealed tanks – to process various organic materials which includes food processing waste, household and commercial kitchen waste and supermarket waste.
Orgaworld technology, currently in operation in Canada and the Netherlands, deploys micro-organisms in an oxygen-free environment, converting organic waste into biogas, which is then used to produce green power – this process also generates compost, which is then used by the agricultural sector.
Tom Drury, Shanks chief executive advised that the facility will provide organic waste producers an economical and sustainable alternative to landfill – forming part of a Scottish Government initiative aimed at reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill.
The project also aims to encourage local authorities to increase their recycling rates.
Source;
e-Daily update @ powertechnology.com, link
http://www.power-technology.com/news/news66225.html?WT.mc_id=DN_News&mxmroi=14002247/2202113/false
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The UAE adopts nuclear energy law
As reported by AFP yesterday – The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has adopted a civilian nuclear energy law that will pave the way for contracts worth 41 billion dollars for the construction of power plants, according to WAM news agency.
The official agency states that the law, which was issued on Sunday by presidential decree, will prohibit the enrichment of uranium – the process by which the substance is transformed into nuclear fuel and atomic bombs.
The UAE has set up the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation which will oversee as well as guarantee nuclear safety and security, and will devise a system to accredit workers in the sector across its seven emirates.
Authority chairman Ahmad Mubarak al-Mazrouie said that they totally understand the importance of safety and security in using nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, and confirmed that they are committed to their role in guaranteeing the benefits of nuclear energy, in such a way that will not impact public safety or the environment.
Source;
News @ newenergyfinance.com
Link http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20091005/wl_mideast_afp/uaeenergynuclear_20091005115936?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=sendNuclearHeadlines
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Triple Funding For Europe’s Energy Research
As reported by theepochtimes.com – Europe is set to launch a campaign later this week – in a bid to triple funding for energy research to 8 billion euros ($11.7 billion) a year – in a technology race with Japan and the United States, a draft document suggests.
The report by the European Union’s executive, the European Commission, advises that solar power should get 16 billion euros over the next decade and that up to 30 energy-sipping “Smart Cities” are expected to be built with the backing of around 11 billion euros. Wind energy research should benefit from 6 billion euros over the next decade, with nuclear research getting 7 billion euros and energy from biomass and other waste receiving 9 billion euros.
Increasing the funding also means that there should be 13 billion euros available for innovative “carbon capture and storage” technology that traps carbon dioxide from power stations and buries it underground – In total, at least 50 billion euros of additional funding over the next ten years would ensure that a wide range of technology emerges to help the EU meet its goal of cutting greenhouse gases by 80% by 2050.
The report also looks at how much funding is needed, instead of how businesses and the EU’s 27 member countries would find the money as they emerge from the biggest downturn since the second world war.
Sources;
Onenewspage.com-top news link
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/23393/
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Utilities unite to turn on gas power plants
It has been revealed that Gas and Electricity suppliers including E.ON AG and Centrica, along with additional European utilities, are planning to start at least 19 new gas-fired power plants this quarter. The power plants from Greece to Ireland will have the potential to reduce power and emissions prices whilst actually boosting gas demand.
Electricity producers are planning to add 9,364MW of natural gas-fired capacity in the three months leading to December, which is compared to five facilities, or 1,300MW, this year through to August – according to data from energy information provider McGraw-Hill Cos. Platts.
Gas plants are far cheaper to build and also emit around half the carbon dioxide of plants which are fired by coal – which is the most commonly used fossil fuel in power generation – a new combined cycle gas turbine plant in Europe costs between €600,000 and €700,000 per MW, the equivalent to half the price of a new coal-fired station.
Source;
e-news @ power technology, link
http://www.power-technology.com/news/news66120.html?WT.mc_id=DN_News&mxmroi=14002247/2196746/false