11 December 2009
The Jordan Atomic Energy Commission has selected a consortium of the Korea Atomic Energy Institute (KAERI) and Daewoo Engineering to build a 5 MWt research reactor at the Jordan University for Science & Technology. The $173 million project is seen as a precursor for Jordan's plans to build a nuclear power reactor, providing training opportunities for nuclear scientists and engineers as well as producing radioisotopes for industry, agriculture and medicine. The Korean-design Hanaro research reactor is based on the aborted Canadian Maple reactor, and a 30 MWt version has been running successfully in South Korea since 1995. Construction is to begin in 2010, with completion planned for 2014. The Korean consortium was chosen over bids from Invap of Argentina, China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) and AtomStroyExport of Russia. The Jordanian contract will be the first time a Korean reactor has been exported.
Korea Electric Power Co (KEPCO) has agreed to take a 10% interest in the operating company of the new Imouraren uranium mine, and 10% of the product, for a single payment of Eur170 million ($250 million) to Areva. Production is expected to be 5000 tU/yr for 35 years from 2013. Development of the large Imouraren deposit about 80 km south of Arlit was confirmed in January 2008, after Areva agreed to increase royalty payments to the government by 50%, following a 2006 agreement. In January 2009, Areva announced that it had been awarded a mining licence and that it would hold 66.65% of the project, with the Niger government holding the balance in a joint venture: Imouraren SA. The Areva share will now apparently be 56.65%. Imouraren will be the largest mining project ever undertaken in Niger. The deposit covers 8 km by 2.5 km and contains 146,000 tonnes of measured and indicated uranium resources at 0.11% U. Average depth is 110 m and maximum thickness 60 m. KEPCO subsidiary Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power operates 20 nuclear reactors which require about 3100 tU per year.
Testing of the first centrifuge cascade has begun at the Georges Besse II uranium enrichment plant in southern France. The cascade is scheduled to start operating by the end of this year, while further cascades are progressively brought on line. The plant is set to reach full capacity of 8.2 million SWU per year in 2016, two years earlier than initially scheduled. The Eur3 billion ($4.7 billion) plant is based on 'ultra centrifuge technology' and will replace Areva's existing Georges Besse plant at Tricastin, which uses energy-intensive diffusion technology. Areva said that the new project "represents one of the biggest industrial investments for the past decade in France." The plant will be owned and operated by Areva subsidiary Societe d'Enrichissement du Tricastin (SET). The centrifuge machines are being manufactured and supplied by the Enrichment Technology Company (ETC), a 50-50 joint venture between Areva and Urenco.
The head of the large Chinese shipping company Cosco has suggested that container ships should be powered by nuclear reactors in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from shipping. He said that Cosco is in talks with China's nuclear authority to develop nuclear powered freight vessels.
