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atw Vol. 63 (2018) | Issue 3 ı March 194 NEWS must lead to prompt and meaningful action, including on issues such as price formation.” | | (18501442), www.nei.org Reactors European Union: Thematic peer review – ageing management of power and research reactors (asn) In 2014, the Council of the European Union adopted directive 2014/87/EURATOM on nuclear security. The main purpose of this directive, supplementing a directive of 2009, was to ensure that the licensees of nuclear facilities learned the lessons from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) accident which occurred in 2011. The peer review process, considered as an important instrument for promoting the implementation of continuous safety improvement measures, was introduced by the directive in 2014: a peer review of the nuclear facilities of each Member State must thus be carried out every 6 years. This in-depth review process, inspired by that performed during the stress tests on nuclear facilities carried out in the wake of the Fukushima Daiichi NPP accident, started in 2017. In July 2015, from among the proposals made by WENRA, the 30 th meeting of ENSREG selected ageing management of power and research reactors as the topic for this first peer review. In addition to the national policies developed on this subject, particularly close attention was paid to how they are applied to the following four technical topics: reactor vessels, containments, concealed pipes and electrical cables. In accordance with the provisions [1] regulating this peer review, the 19 Member States concerned and participating in this review are required to submit their national reports before the end of 2017. For the nuclear facilities concerned, ASN publishes its report in both English and French on its website. This report is also published on the ENSREG website. Following the publication of the reports from each Member State, a peer review of the 19 reports for mutual examination of the steps taken by the licensees and their assessment by the regulators will begin in 2018. A first workshop is scheduled from 14 to 18 May 2018. It will be an opportunity to discuss ageing and identify best practices. The conclusions of this peer review will be presented to ENSREG. | | (18501609), www.french.nuclear-safety.fr Russia’s nuclear electricity share increased up to 18.9 % in 2017 (rosatom) Following 2017, a share of electricity production by Russian nuclear power plants (parts of Power Division of ROSATOM, Rosenergoatom) has increased up to 18.9 % (18.3 % in 2016). In 2017, the capacity factor has also grown to reach 83.29 % (83.1 % in 2016). In 2017, electricity generation at Russian NPPs reached another record of 202.868 billion kWh (196.366 billion kWh in 2016). Thus, cumulative production has increased more than 6.6 billion kWh while the FAS balance of 2017 was exceeded by 3 billion kWh or 1.5 % (at the target indicator of 199.84 billion kWh). Russian NPPs set the absolute record over the entire history of the Russian nuclear power getting closer to the absolute pro duction record reached only during the Soviet Union times in 1989 (212.58 billion kWh, considering plants in Ukraine, Lithuania and Armenia). According to the online data of the System Operator of the United Energy System of Russia, the generation of electricity in Russia in 2017 was 1,073.6 billion kWh that is 0.2 % more than in 2016. UES of Russia’s power plants produced 1,053.7 billion kWh that is 0.5 % more than in 2016. | | (18501543), www.rosatom.ru Rosatomflot increased the number of ice-breaking escorts through the Northern Sea Route in 2017 (rosatom) FSUE Atomflot (an enterprise of ROSATOM) has summed up the results of 2017. According to the results, 492 ships of the total gross tonnage of 7.17 million tons passed the Northern Sea Route assisted by nuclear ice-breakers in 2017 (for comparison, in 2016 there were 410 ships of the gross tonnage of 5.28 million tons). “Off-shipment of hydrocarbon products is the key factor of the nuclear icebreaker fleet demand. In future, the escort numbers will rise. Crews of the port nuclear icebreakers and tow boats are maximum responsible for their contractual commitments. This is the best ads of their work for their potential clients,” Mustafa Kashka, Chief Engineer of Atomflot, says. Atomflot ensures stable annual growth of earnings. This is due to the work the company does to keep the existing icebreaker service consumers and to find new clients. In 2017, earnings of the company grew up to RUB 6,622 million (in 2013 – RUB 1,828 million). In total, over five years (2013 to 2017) this indicator grew up by 3.6 times. Labor efficiency grew from RUB 1,511,000 in 2013 up to RUB 3,667,000 in 2017. The indicator was up by 243 %. Mustafa Kashka says: “Based on the 2016 results, for the first time the united atomic technological complex has been formed, the company has got the net profit of RUB 1,201 million due to company’s effective performance. The positive financial result was kept in 2017: Rosatomflot’s net profit is estimated at RUB 696 million based on the year results.” In 2017, Rosatomflot completed planned works to extend service lives of reactors at the Vaygach and Taimyr icebreakers up to 200,000 hours. The operation time of the icebreakers was increased to 5 years. The planned implementation of the icebreaker reactor life extension program allows Atomflot completely excluding an “ice pause” and smoothly starting operation of universal nuclear icebreakers of Project 22220 while strictly following the contractual commitments. The Baltijskiy Zavod – Sudostroyenie continues building universal nuclear icebreakers (UNI) of Project 22220. In September 2017, the first UNI Sibir was launched. The leading UNI Arktika will be set off in mid-2019; the first series-build nuclear icebreaker Sibir – November 2020 and the second series-build nuclear icebreaker Ural – in November 2021. In 2017, Atomflot continued its Portoflot project. It was established by Rosatomflot as part of the global Yamal LNG project which is implemented in the Russia’s Arctic Zone. The building of a port icebreaker, two icebreaker towing boats and two tow boats of ice class are to ensure roundthe-year safe berthing of large-capacity ships at berths of Sabetta Port. In November 2017, the icebreaker towing boat Yuribei of Project T40105 was put in operation. It is of ice class Arc 6 that allows the ship to render specialized services to large-size vehicles carrying liquefied natural gas and stable gas condensate. In December 2017, News

atw Vol. 63 (2018) | Issue 3 ı March | | Rosatomflot increased the number of ice-breaking escorts through the Northern Sea Route in 2017 the Yuribei took part in loading the first batch of Yamal LNG. The contract for the port fleet services is in effect till December 2040 with potential prolongation to two periods of 5 years each. The “Atomflot’s Plan of Measures to Hold the Environmental Year in 2017” was implemented. The company operates with no spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste accumulating. In 2017, the disposal of the nuclear icebreaker Sibir and floating maintenance base Lepse continued. In June 2017, the off-shipment of the first batch of spent nuclear fuel from Andreeva Bay’s storage facility for further reprocessing at the Rosatomflot’s lighter ship Rossita was the important event for rehabilitation of the North-West Region. The positive developments of Atomflot and the work to conclude long-term contracts on ice-breaking services in large-scale projects in the Arctic Zone of Russia are expected to allow Rosatomflot to keep with pace in all main businesses of the company in 2018. | | (18501545), www.rosatom.ru Fennovoima: Support has increased for Finland’s Hanhikivi Nuclear Project (nucnet) Local support for the Hanhikivi-1 nuclear power plant project in Finland has increased by 7.6 % since last year, according to a telephone survey of 850 people. Project developer Fennovoima said 75 % of residents in the Pyhäjoki area support the plant, which is scheduled to begin commercial operation in 2024. When surrounding municipalities were also taken into account, 71.9 % of residents were in favour of the project, an increase of 9.9 % over a similar survey last year. Fennovoima said the increased support is an indication that the impact of the Hanhikivi-1 project, which is using Russian reactor technology, is becoming more visible. Fennovoima said local companies have been “strongly involved” in the project. | | (18501707), www.fennovoima.fi Saudi Arabia to award nuclear contracts by end of year (nucnet) Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest oil exporter, plans to award contracts in December 2018 for the construction of its first nuclear power plants, Bloomberg reported, quoting a government official involved with the project. The kingdom has received requests from five bidders from China, France, the US, South Korea and Russia to perform the engineering, procurement and construction work on two nuclear reactors, Abdulmalik al Sabery, a consultant in the business development department at King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy, said in an interview in Abu Dhabi. “By April we will sign a project development agreement with two to three selected vendors,” Mr al Sabery said. “We are going to have only one winner that will be building the two reactors.” The government expects construction to start next year and is aiming to commission the plants in 2027, he said. Saudi Arabia wants to diversify its economy and lessen its dependence on oil sales for most of its official revenue. As part of these reforms, the country wants to meet a larger share of its energy needs from renewables such as solar power and from nuclear plants. Its neighbour the United Arab Emirates is close to completing the first of four reactors supplied by South Korea at the Barakah nuclear station. In September 2017 a Saudi official told the International Atomic Energy Agency that the kingdom was carrying out feasibility studies before deciding how and where to build its first reactors. The official said Saudi Arabia would have an independent body to supervise its nuclear industry by the third quarter of 2018. | | (18501719), www.emergy.gov.sa Finland: Loviisa had record production year in 2017 (nucnet) Fortum’s two-unit Loviisa nuclear power station had a record production year in 2017, generating 8.16 TWh (net) of power, which is more than 10 % of Finland’s total electricity production. Fortum said the 92.7 % load factor of the Loviisa facility was among the best in the world for pressurised water reactor power plants. Loviisa-1’s load factor was 92.7 % and Loviisa-2’s was 92.6 %. Production output at Loviisa-1 was the highest in the station’s history and at Loviisa-2 was the second highest. Both units underwent a short refuelling annual outage in 2017. Unit 1 was out of production for 21 days and Unit 2 for 17 days. In addition to normal scheduled maintenance and fuel replacement, high-pressure safety injection pump motors were renewed. A turbine’s high-pressure housing was modernised and two turbine reheaters replaced to increase the power plants’ production and improve efficiency. Fortum sad its investments in Loviisa in 2017 were approximately €90m ($108m), compared to €100m in 2016. Investments in the coming years will continue to be significant, the company said. Both Fortum units are 502-MW PWRs supplied by Russia. Unit 1 began commercial operation in May 1977 and Unit 2 in January 1981. | | (18501713), www.fortum.com China: Tianwan-3 aynchronised to grid (nucnet) The Tianwan-3 nuclear plant under construction in Jiangsu province, northeastern China, has been synchronised to the grid and has delivered its first kilowatt-hours of electrical energy at a power level of 25 %, Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom said on 2 January 2017. Rosatom said the 990-MW VVER V-428M unit, which reached first criticality in September 2017, would now undergo a series of tests at power levels of 50 %, 75 % and 100 %. At 100 % power the unit will be operated for 100 hours before regulators 195 NEWS News