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FORATOM
July 2010
Finnish Parliament approves building of two more nuclear reactors

On 1 July, the Finnish parliament voted with a clear majority (120-72 and 121-71) in favour the applications submitted by TVO and Fennovoima for the construction of two more nuclear reactors in Finland, thereby ratifying the “decision in principle” that the Finnish government reached in April 2010. The parliament also approved the building by Posiva of an extended spent fuel repository in Eurajoki municipality.

 

 

IEA and OECD/NEA: Nuclear to produce one quarter of global electricity by 2050

The International Energy Agency (IEA) and the Nuclear Energy Agency of the OECD (OECD/NEA) published on 16 June its Nuclear Technology Roadmap. The results of the study show that nuclear could generate up to 25% of global electricity production by 2050.

Who said what?

“Nuclear energy is one of the key low-carbon energy technologies that can contribute, alongside energy efficiency, renewable energies and carbon capture and storage, to the decarbonisation of electricity supply by 2050.” Nobuo Tanaka, IEA Executive Director, on 16 June 2010 speaking from the East Asia Climate Forum in Seoul.

“This is one of the most important decisions my government is going to make, because it really improves Finland's competitiveness and will create new jobs, and thus also increase the economic growth," Mari Kiviniemi, Finnish Prime Minister said on 1 July on the Parliament’s approval of the construction of two new reactors in the country.

Facts and figures
One gram of plutonium or 100 grams of uranium can produce as much electricity as 1 ton of oil. (source: AREVA)
Factsheet on public opinion

Swedish Parliament lifts nuclear ban

The Swedish parliament voted on 18 June to officially bring to an end the nuclear phase-out policy that was first introduced in 1980 and paved the way for the building of new nuclear reactors in Sweden.

Video
Debate: does the world need nuclear?

A debate on nuclear power was organised by a small American non-profit making organisation, TED. It featured a nuclear advocate, Steward Brand, Writer and Founder of the Whole Earth Catalog, and a nuclear opponent Mark Z. Jacobson, Professor of Energy Resources Engineering at Stanford University.

FORATOM guest explains what long–term operation is

On 29 April, FORATOM organised in Brussels a Thematic Press Briefing on the Long-term Operation of Nuclear Power Plants. The guest speaker was Geert Backaert of the Belgian Nuclear Forum, who is also Project Manager for Long-term Operation at Electrabel GDF SUEZ. After the Press Briefing, he gave a short interview, in which he broadly defines of what long-term operation means, stressing that the length of operation of a plant can roughly be calculated as equivalent to that of the longevity of the main reactor pressure vessel (the only major component that can’t be replaced) – i.e. about 60 years.

Plan to speed up Trawsfynydd nuclear decommissioning

Work on decommissioning the former nuclear power station at Trawsfynydd, Gwynedd, could be finished earlier than expected.
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