Japan to permanently close five more of its remaining 48 “operable” nukes

In the still growing wake of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear catastrophe, the Japanese nuclear industry has preliminarily announced they will permanently close five more atomic power plants. Now nearly four years after the multi-unit accident, Japan has maintained “zero nuclear” power generation. This most recent decommissioning announcement reduces the number of the country’s operable ---but still not operating---reactors down to 43.  All six units at Fukushima Daiichi have been permanently closed including Units 1 through 4 destroyed in the accident as well as the undamaged Unit 5 and Unit 6 (a GE Mark II). The Abe government is struggling to restart some number of the nation’s atomic reactors amidst broad anti-nuclear public and political opposition.

Two of the newly announced closures are Shimane Unit 1 and Tsuruga Unit 1, both GE Mark I boiling water reactors identical to  Fukushima Daiichi Units 1-5. The other three units, Genkai Unit 1 and Mihama 1 and 2 units, are aging pressurized water reactors. Company officials with Kyushu Electric, Kansai Electric, Chugoku Electric and Japan Atomic Power Company decided to decommission the units rather than comply with now required expensive safety upgrades. The formal decisions are expected to be made  in March 2015.

With the recent closure of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant here in the U.S., Beyond Nuclear continues to campaign for the prompt and permanent closure of the world’s remaining thirty operable GE Mark I and sixteen Mark II reactors.  Twenty-two GE Mark I and eight Mark II units are still operating in the United States.  The remainder of the Mark I units are in Taiwan (2), India (2), Switzerland (1), Spain (1) and Japan (2). An additional two Mark II units are operating in Mexico and six “operable” but shutdown units in Japan.

And fire makes four

The Tihange 3 nuclear reactor in Belgium was shut down on November 30 due to a fire. It is now the fourth Belgian nuclear reactor to be out of service, as another plant at Tihange and two at Doel have been shut down due to defects or security concerns. The Tihange 3 power station, situated 70 kilometres south-west of the German town of Aachen, shut down automatically after one of its transformers reportedly caught fire. The fire, which has since been extinguished, was caused by an explosion. Belgium is planning to phase out its nuclear fleet. The technical, safety and security problems appear to be accelerating the plan. More.

Exelon looking to close uneconomic nuclear reactors

Exelon is considering shutting down at least three of its uneconomic nuclear power plants -- at Clinton, Quad Cities and Byron. Exelon Corp. owns and operates 11 reactors at six nuclear energy facilities in Illinois. Exelon is trying to point the finger at "energy policies that benefit renewable wind energy" but in reality, nuclear -- especially single units -- is becoming steadily more uneconomical and impractical.

Europe's nuclear giants are close to collapse

Reuters is reporting that the planned new nuclear construction project at Hinkley, Somerset in the UK could still be scrapped. The French project is now looking at funding from Saudi Arabia and China. The British government has agreed to vast subsidies raising the ire of the British public. No final decision to greenlight the project has yet been taken. The prototypes for the EPR reactor design planned for Hinkley -- in Finland and France -- have proven disastrous. Costs continue to sore, delays mount and in-fighting and the blame game characterize the business partnerships.

Steve Thomas, professor of energy policy at the University of Greenwich, London, said: “The [Hinkley] project is at very serious risk of collapse." More.

EdF delays Flamanville reactor another year

The ever moving "completion" date for EdF's Flamanville EPR on the Normandy coast was this week pushed one more year into the future according to the embattled French government-owned utility. EdF now estimates a 2017 completion date but given the endless delays, cost-overruns and bickering, it is an open question whether the reactor will ever be done. This time, EdF is blaming supplier, Areva, for failure to deliver parts.

Meanwhile, Areva saw its stocks plummet as a result of such delays and warned of an "uncertain outlook" for its business.