atw 2018-1

atw Vol. 63 (2018) | Issue 1 ı January
66
NUCLEAR TODAY
Links to
reference sources:
Bangladesh
new nuclear project:
http://bit.ly/2BxD8z7
UK nuclear skills
warning:
http://on.ft.com/
2iIIML8
Author
John Shepherd
nuclear 24
41a Beoley Road West
St George’s
Redditch B98 8LR,
United Kingdom
‘Newcomer’ Nuclear Nation
Leads Way into New Nuclear Year
John Shepherd
At the start of a new year, it is appropriate that a ‘newcomer’ nuclear nation has launched work on building its first
nuclear power plant. First nuclear safety-related concrete has been poured for the plant at Rooppur in Bangladesh –
­making the South Asia nation the first in 30 years to start building its first commercial reactor unit following the United
Arab Emirates in 2012 and Belarus in 2013.
In Bangladesh, it is Russia’s Atomstroyexport that has been
selected to build two VVER type (AES-2006) pressurised
water reactors, each with a 1,200 MW(e) gross electricity
generating capacity. The units are expected to be commissioned
in 2023 and 2024 respectively.
In addition to supporting the country’s increasing
electricity needs, the reactors will “transform Bangladesh
into a middle income country” and a developed one by
2041, said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Despite setbacks that nuclear has endured in recent
years, there are nearly 60 reactors under construction
around the world, mostly in Asia, according to the International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Some 447 commercial
reactor units are in operation in 30 countries.
IAEA director-general Yukiya Amano told the recent
fourth International Ministerial Conference on Nuclear
Power in the 21 st Century in the United Arab Emirates that
the agency’s latest projections showed the global potential
for nuclear energy up to 2050 continues to be high,
­although figures show expansion is likely to slow.
Amano warned: “It is difficult to see other low-carbon
energy sources growing sufficiently to take up the slack if
nuclear power use fails to grow.”
But there is cause for optimism, beyond Bangladesh, as
a new nuclear year gets under way. Key developments to
look forward to include a review of the role of nuclear in
France, following a long-overdue acceptance, of sorts, that
the obsession of former president François Hollande to
­reduce the national nuclear share to 50 % by 2025 from
the current 75 % was flawed.
France’s grid operator RTE had warned that the country
faced potential supply shortages beyond 2020 – in addition
to increasing CO 2 emissions – if nuclear power were rolled
back. The new administration of President Emmanuel
Macron has chosen to fudge the issue, by saying it remains
committed to reducing nuclear’s role. A new “timetable” to
reduce the nuclear share is being drawn up and environment
minister Nicolas Hulot has indicated that the government
is now considering a period of 2030 to 2035. Therefore,
it will be for a future leader of France to potentially
revisit the issue.
Another highlight of this new nuclear year will be in
Pakistan, which is set to see construction start on a Chinese
Generation III HPR1000 Hualong One reactor at the
country’s Chashma nuclear power plant. This follows a
cooperation agreement signed recently by the China
National Nuclear Corporation and the Pakistan Atomic
Energy Commission.
China is also making strides in the UK, where regulators
have begun the second stage of a generic design assessment
that could see a version of the HPR1000 being built at
the Bradwell B site in Essex, in eastern England.
Meanwhile, the UK government has unveiled its
Industrial Strategy white paper, with proposals to be
fleshed out during 2018 aimed at seeking cost reductions
across new build and decommissioning programmes.
However, the chairman of the UK’s Nuclear Industry
Association, Lord Hutton, said: “As we build new capacity to
replace retiring power stations, and decommission old
ones, the UK is well placed to develop supply chains, skills
and international opportunities for the long term.”
The UK has an ambitious domestic programme of
nuclear new build, but industry and labour leaders warned
last summer that the country would not have enough
skilled workers to build the plants planned unless ministers
removed uncertainty hanging over national energy policy.
Recruitment in the UK is ramping up to complete the
Hinkley Point C EPR nuclear plant in Somerset, along with
several other reactors planned around the UK over the next
20 years. Thousands more will be needed with the expertise
to decommission the UK’s existing fleet of reactors.
The nuclear development director at engineering giant
Costain, Alistair Smith, told the Financial Times: “It’s
20 years since we built a nuclear power station. These
people are not just sitting around waiting to start again.
We’ve just got Hinkley C started and resources on that
project are already starting to look scarce.”
So as the new year gets under way, questions will rise
again as to whether the world has the skilled workforce
needed to operate the nuclear stations of the future. As the
IAEA has rightly pointed out, the availability of skilled staff
is a cornerstone of the sustainability of the civil nuclear
sector – and this will be the focus of a conference to be held
in May in South Korea.
The Third International Conference on Human Resource
Development for Nuclear Power Programmes: Meeting Challenges
to Ensure the Future Nuclear Workforce Capability,
will review progress since the last IAEA conference held
on the issue in 2014.
Sustainable nuclear power relies on a sustainable
workforce, which means investing in the recruitment and
training of tomorrow’s nuclear generation.
The IAEA is also developing a ‘SAT (systematic approach
to training) Nuclear Training Effectiveness Evaluation’
model that is designed to support member states. The
agency said the model is “designed around a self- assessment
process, together with the option to establish some form of
independent validation capability”.
Towards the end of 2017, a new nuclear training centre
was launched in France by Trihom, a training organisation
jointly owned by New Areva and Engie's industrial maintenance
subsidiary Endel. The new centre in Normandy is
said to be the largest nuclear training centre in France.
The world’s nuclear industry understands the urgent
need to nurture a new generation of nuclear professionals
and equip them with the expertise they will need. Opponents
of nuclear power will be quick to stoke up fears about a lack
of skills in an attempt to halt progress on the development of
new reactors. They should be denied that opportunity, so
there is no time to lose. The start of a new year represents an
ideal opportunity for nuclear industry leaders to renew
their commitment in this area.
Nuclear Today
‘Newcomer’ Nuclear Nation Leads Way into New Nuclear Year ı John Shepherd