atw 2018-12

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atw Vol. 63 (2018) | Issue 11/12 ı November/December 620 NEWS The review was carried out in 16 EU member states and three non-EU member states – Norway, Switzerland and Ukraine – with commercial nuclear power plants or research reactors. The peer review process will continue with national action plans, to be produced by September 2019, that address the peer review results, Ensreg said. The review was the first in a series of peer reviews into nuclear safety in Europe that will take place every six years, in accordance with the EU’s revised nuclear safety directive. Ensreg said it was largely inspired by stress tests carried out after the March 2011 accident at the Fukushima- Daiichi nuclear power station in Japan. The review process was developed by Ensreg, an independent, expert advisory group with members from all EU countries. A public meeting will be held in Brussels on 22 November to present the results of the review. The peer review report is online: https://bit.ly/2JpUTWi | | www.ensreg.eu IAEA launches international training course on protecting nuclear facilities from cyber-attacks (iaea) The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has introduced a new international training course (ITC) on protecting nuclear facilities from cyber-attacks, highlighting the Agency’s role in supporting national efforts to strengthen nuclear security. The inaugural course, Protecting Computer-Based Systems in Nuclear Security Regimes, was held earlier this month. It brought together 37 participants from 13 countries for two weeks of immersive training on best practices in computer security. Developed together with the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration ( NNSA) and hosted by the Idaho National Laboratory in the United States, it was the first in what will be a series of IAEA information and computer security ITCs focusing on raising awareness of the threat posed by cyber-attacks, and their potential impact on nuclear facilities. The course offered participants a chance to test their skills on mockups of actual state-of-the-art digital systems common in today’s nuclear facilities, which use digital technologies to provide functions that | | Dominion files to extend Surry operating license to 80 years. support safe operations, security, material accountancy and control, and pro tection of sensitive information. “Everyone with responsibility for nuclear security must have a thorough understanding of the vulnerabilities of their systems – they must know how to prevent and mitigate possible cyber-attacks on those systems,” said Raja Adnan, Director of the IAEA’s Division of Nuclear Security. “The IAEA offers a range of training courses in computer security to help ensure that governments and organizations have the necessary technical, regulatory and other tools to succeed when faced with highly skilled adversaries.” In developing the course, cybersecurity experts from the IAEA and the Department of Energy National Laboratories – Idaho National Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and Los Alamos National Laboratory – designed a learning environment that replicated equipment typically found in a nuclear facility. “The hands-on lab environment, presentations, and exercises were conducted in a manner that allowed participants of varied experience to gain the full benefit of the training,” said James Byrne, a participant from EDF Energy in the United Kingdom. “It was a valuable training experience that provided me with many cyber security insights that will be helpful for me when I return to work.” | | www.iaea.org Reactors Dominion files to extend Surry operating license to 80 years (nei) Dominion Energy’s twin-reactor Surry Power Station will continue to provide carbon-free electricity to more than 400,000 homes in Virginia through the middle of the century, once the company’s application for a second renewed 20-year operating license is approved by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Dominion’s submittal, filed Tuesday, is the third “second license renewal” application to be sent by nuclear utilities to the NRC this year, reflecting the industry’s increasing interest in sustaining the future of its reactor fleet. “Our application to renew Surry Power Station’s licenses for another 20-year period is good news for our customers, the regional economy and the environment,” said Dan Stoddard, Dominion Energy’s Chief Nuclear Officer in an Oct. 16 press release. “Our customers will benefit from continuing to receive safe, reliable, affordable, and clean electricity from the station through 2053.” “Renewing the operation of Surry also positions Virginia for economic growth and will help the Commonwealth remain a leader in the production of clean energy among other states in the mid-Atlantic and South,” Stoddard added. “It supports more than 900 high-paying jobs at the station and produces additional economic and tax benefits.” News
atw Vol. 63 (2018) | Issue 11/12 ı November/December All U.S. nuclear reactors are initially licensed to operate for 40 years, with NRC regulations allowing for licenses to be renewed for 20 years at a time. The reactor license renewal process is well established. It entails a rigorous NRC review of reactor licensees’ plans for managing all plant structures and components for safe long-term operations throughout the renewal period. The NRC agrees with the industry that there are no technological limitations on restricting the operating lifetime of well-maintained nuclear reactors. Licensees have the discretion to decide whether to pursue extended operations based on economic and other considerations. Since the first 20-year license renewal was issued in 2000, nearly all the 98 operating reactors in the U.S. fleet have obtained their initial license extensions – Surry’s was obtained in 2003. The remaining few reactors have applications under review or pending submittal. Even so, half of these reactors are expected to reach the end of their 60-year extended periods by 2040, and all by 2050. The continued operation of America’s nuclear fleet is vital to ensuring an adequate supply of clean, carbon-free energy. Nuclear plants are the largest source of carbon-free electricity in the country. An NEI study finds that if all operating U.S. reactors were to run for 80 years instead of 60, a cumulative total of about 3.5 billion tons of CO 2 emissions would be avoided through 2050. The first SLR application was submitted by Florida Power and Light in January 2018 for its Turkey Point Nuclear Plant in Florida, followed by Exelon’s filing in July for Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station in Pennsylvania. Including the two Surry units, there are now six reactors in the vanguard of the SLR program, with more to come. “The Peach Bottom SLR application has been an excellent example of industry cooperation. We could not have submitted a high quality application without EPRI and DOE research, and the Nuclear Energy Institute leading the way on inter facing with the NRC on this process,” Exelon Vice President for Licensing and Decommissioning Mike Gallagher said. “We look forward to safely and efficiently operating Peach Bottom for many years to come.” The NRC has committed to completing SLR application reviews within an 18-month period, and is piloting this review schedule with one of the initial license renewal applications under way. The success of the program to date, including the NRC’s expedited review schedule, has resulted in the industry’s increasing confidence in the process. As shown by industry surveys conducted in 2017 and 2018, more than half of nuclear plant licensees now want to pursue SLR applications (see accompanying chart). Among them is Dominion Energy, which already announced its intention to file an SLR application for its two North Anna Power Station units in Louisa County by 2020. Additional announcements are expected in 2019. More than half of the operating reactor fleet is anticipated to pursue license renewals to operate for 80 years. | | www.nei.org Modification work results in capacity increase at Finland’s Loviisa reactors (nucnet) The net capacity of both nuclear power units at the Loviisa nuclear power station in Finland is now 507 MW (net) after modification and improvement work carried out during recent outages. Both units have seen their net capacity increase from the original design net capacity as the result of modifications and improvement work since they began commercial operation. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s reactor database, the units’ original design net capacity was 420 MW. Fortum said the most recent outages included “the most challenging” work in the Loviisa station’s history, both in terms of workload and how demanding the work was. Unit 1 returned to commercial operation on 18 October after an annual outage that lasted just over 26 days. Earlier, Unit 2 returned to service on 21 September after an outage that lasted nearly 47 days. Loviisa-2 underwent an extensive outage that involved the standard periodic inspections performed every eight years in addition to the plant modification and improvement work. Loviisa-1 underwent a shorter refuelling outage, but modification and improvement work waswere also carried out, Fortum told NucNet. Several safety improvements were implemented for both units, including improvements to critical safety functions, maintenance work on the main generators and the replacement of generator stators. Fortum and Rolls-Royce signed an agreement in May 2014 for the modernisation of the most critical safety automation systems on both units at Loviisa. The work done by Rolls-Royce included the design, licensing, installation and commissioning of the new safety systems. Both Loviisa units are pressurised water reactors supplied by Russia. Unit 1 began commercial operation in May 1977 and Unit 2 in January 1981. In 2017, the load factor at Loviisa was 92.9%, among the best in the world for PWR plants. The plant produced a total of 8.16 TWh of electricity, which is more than 10% of Finland’s total electricity production. In 2017, Fortum invested about € 90 m in the Loviisa nuclear station. | | www.fortum.com Anglesey hearings mark beginning of six-month Wylfa Newydd planning examination (nucnet) Three days of hearings have being held as part of a six-month formal examination of plans to build two UK Advanced Boiling Water Reactors at the Wylfa Newydd nuclear power station on the isle of Anglesey in North Wales. The hearings began on 23 October as part of Horizon Nuclear Power’s development consent order application for the station, which will generate enough power for about five million homes. A five-member panel will consider and make a recommendation on the proposed power station to business secretary Greg Clark. Mr Clark will then decide whether to grant planning permission to build the main power station and other off-site integral developments. As the host local authority, Anglesey Council said it will play a key role in the examination process, ensuring that the Wylfa Newydd plans are scrutinised and challenged to secure the best possible outcome for the Island. Council leader Llinos Medi said: “The Wylfa Newydd power station is a huge energy infrastructure project of national significance. The sheer scale and complexity of the 621 NEWS News
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