Idaho Samizdat: Nuke Notes

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• Pebble Bed follows Eskom into funding limbo

  Lack of money for light water reactors impacts commercial development of advanced nuclear fuel concept The South African government's inability to fund conventional LWR reactors will significantly slow down development of the new pebble bed technology. The announcement by Eskom last week that it was canceling its $12 billion tender for conventional light water reactors is having a severe effect... Posted Dec 07 2008, 07:18 AM by Idaho Samizdat: Nuke Notes Filed under: South Africa, Eskom, New Nuclear Plants

• Eskom cancels its $12B nuclear tender

  "It's too big. We can't do it," says the utility Another casualty of the world wide credit crunch in the nuclear  industry was record Friday Dec 5. Eskom, the troubled South African electric utility, canceled its plans to build two nuclear power plants worth $12 billion. Bloomberg wire service reports that despite the severe shortage of electricity which has hampered major industries... Posted Dec 05 2008, 08:56 AM by Idaho Samizdat: Nuke Notes Filed under: South Africa, Eskom, New Nuclear Plants

• South Africa, Turkey, struggle with their new nuclear contracts

  Money and management get everyone's attention Eskom, the much troubled South African electric utility, told  Bloomberg Wire Service Nov 13 it will select the winner of a tender for construction of a $11.7 billion nuclear power plant by January 2009.  However, Eskom also said the current economic climate means it will have to back off its aggressive plans to build 20 GW of new nuclear... Posted Nov 16 2008, 01:49 PM by Idaho Samizdat: Nuke Notes Filed under: South Africa, Turkey

• South Africa to reprocess spent nuclear fuel

  Eskom wants ship it overseas to make MOX fuel South Africa is seeking commercial contracts with foreign  countries to reprocess spent nuclear fuel.  Currently, the electric utility has about 1,000 tons of it.  The current inventory of spent nuclear fuel comes from a single reactor at Koeberg. Potential contractors for the job are France, Japan, and the U.K.  There is no plans to... Posted Aug 29 2008, 12:45 PM by Idaho Samizdat: Nuke Notes Filed under: South Africa, nuclear fuel

• South Africa plans to reprocess spent nuclear fuel

  Current inventory is almost 1,200 tons, but a lot more is coming South Africa, which is planning a major new nuclear build to solve its economically draining power shortages, is also looking at what to do with the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle. This week a briefing by the Minerals & Energy Department to Parliament laid out plans to reprocess spent nuclear fuel. South African media reports... Posted Jun 28 2008, 11:13 AM by Idaho Samizdat: Nuke Notes Filed under: South Africa, spent fuel reprocessing

• South Africa goes green with nuclear energy

  Cabinet decision cuts reliance on coal-fired electric plants because of global warming Reuters reports that South Africa's cabinet has approved the country's nuclear energy policy. It will play a greater role in resolving a critical power shortage The cabinet approved the nuclear energy policy Themba Maseko, chief government spokesman, told reporters at a post-cabinet briefing. "The objective... Posted Jun 13 2008, 11:56 AM by Idaho Samizdat: Nuke Notes Filed under: South Africa

• South Africa's electric dreams

  Areva and Westinghouse bid new nukes for South Africa French nuclear giant Areva said it was ready to build up to 12 nuclear power plants in South Africa, where massive electricity shortages and brownouts shut down the key mining industry this month and slowed down the economy overall. South Africa's economy has been hobbled by power shortages in recent years as demand outpaced supply, with the... Posted Feb 09 2008, 03:00 PM by Idaho Samizdat: Nuke Notes Filed under: Areva, Westinghouse, South Africa

• NY Times reports on Pelindaba break-in

  Western news media finally notices there might be a problem After rattling around the South African press for five days and some coverage by various blogs, including this one, and Danger Room at Wired, the break-in and shooting at South Africa's nuclear plant at Pelindaba got some ink in the New York Times. The NYT reports, "One week after the most serious attack on a nuclear installation... Posted Nov 14 2007, 09:41 PM by Idaho Samizdat: Nuke Notes Filed under: nuclear, South Africa, Pelindaba

• Gunmen attack South African nuclear site

  Attack at Pelindaba nuclear facility [Hat tip to John Robb at Global Guerrillas ] An attack by three or four masked gunmen on the Pelindaba nuclear facility in South Africa has left a senior emergency officer seriously injured. Anton Gerber, Necsa emergency services operational officer spoke to the Pretoria News from his hospital bed hours after the attack. He was shot in the chest when the gunmen... Posted Nov 09 2007, 09:17 AM by Idaho Samizdat: Nuke Notes Filed under: South Africa, nuclear fuel, Pelindaba

• South Africa takes a pass on GNEP

  Energy strategy will reserve uranium for its own reactors Reuters reports that South Africa declined an invitation to join a U.S.-initiated multilateral nuclear supply pact because it could undermine Pretoria's plan to revive uranium enrichment on its own soil. South Africa's no-show at a 16-nation signing ceremony for the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership created concern in many developing and even... Posted Sep 23 2007, 10:04 PM by Idaho Samizdat: Nuke Notes Filed under: GNEP, South Africa, uranium enrichment

• PBMR Manufacturing Suspended

  Paperwork is the problem A setback to the pebble bed modular reactor (PMBR) project has been revealed in the annual report of the state-owned entity developing these small-scale, high temperature nuclear power plants. In the annual report to Parliament this week, the chief executive of PMBR Limited, a subsidiary of Eskom, Jaco Kriek, wrote that an instruction was given to Eskom during the year by the... Posted Sep 07 2007, 07:19 PM by Idaho Samizdat: Nuke Notes Filed under: PBMR, pebble bed, South Africa