US Additional Protocol Enters into Force

source: www.iaea.org

An Additional Protocol to the nuclear safeguards agreement (AP) between the IAEA and the US entered into force on 6 January 2009.

US Ambassador Gregory Schulte formally handed over the notification of the completion of the US´ ratification procedures to IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei, marking the effective date for the entry into force of the AP for the country.

With the entry into force of the US AP, all five nuclear-weapon States party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) have fulfilled their undertaking, assumed at the time of approval by the IAEA Board of Governors of the Model Additional Protocol in 1997, to conclude such APs.

The entry into force of the US AP brings the number of States with APs to 89 and contributes to efforts aimed at achieving universal application of APs.

See Story Resources for more information.

US Ambassador Gregory Schulte hands over to IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei the communication of the US ratification of its Additional Protocol with the IAEA. (Photo: P. Pavlicek/IAEA)

• Story Resources
• Status of Additional Protocols
• IAEA Safeguards Overview


• IAEA Safeguards Agreements & Additional Protocols [pdf]
• Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) [pdf]

Marketsmonitor Releases Report on Nuclear Energy - a New Hope for India

source: www.articlesbase.com

According to "Nuclear Energy - A New Hope for India", a new research report by RNCOS, the Indian nuclear power industry is set to boom post Indo-US nuclear deal.

High demand and low production pushed the power deficit in India to around 10% of the total requirement in the FY 2008. And this deficit is expected to widen further in future as India’s power requirement is growing faster than generation. This can put breaks on the seamless economic growth of the country. So the government, as a precautionary measure, is focusing on the nuclear power industry. The major reason for shifting to nuclear power is its potential to generate more power than any other energy source in a short period of time and with low fuel requirement.

In FY 2008, total nuclear power installation capacity in the country reached just over 4 GWe, and once India starts getting international cooperation, its installed capacity and plant construction will take off in a big way.

This report gives extensive analysis on the Indian nuclear power industry. It evaluates the growth prospects and market potential, underlines the issues related to the success of the industry, and provides a prudent analysis on its various aspects. It presents a comprehensive overview of the past and current performance of the industry and identifies the future direction of the market.

Industry Projections

- nuclear power plant installation capacity till FY 2018.
- Numbers of reactors that are planned to start operation in future.
- Evaluating the investment requirements for plant construction.
- Uranium requirements in Million Pound.
- Power generation in TWH.

Players Profiling

This section covers information on domestic companies that are playing an active role in the nuclear power industry. The companies discussed in the report are Larsen & Toubro Limited, Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd, Walchandnagar Industries Ltd, Hindustan Construction Co. Ltd, Rolta, Gammon India, and Avasarala Technology Ltd.

France could order two nuclear power plants

Thu Jan 22, 2009 1:55pm EST

By Benjamin Mallet and Emmanuel Jarry

PARIS, Jan 22 (Reuters) - France could build two new nuclear power stations or share the work on the one already planned between government-backed utilities EDF (EDF.PA) and Suez-GDF.

An official at the Elysee presidential palace said on Thursday that a decision on at least one new European Pressurised Reactor (EPR) nuclear power plant would be taken in the next few weeks.

He said the office was reviewing the location of the reactor and a possible joint investment by the two utilities.

Les Echos newspaper said on Thursday the government is considering two new reactors and would award one to EDF and the other to Suez-GDF, which would then team up with Germany's E.ON (EONGn.DE).

France has a leading position in the world for nuclear power stations. Both utilities, in which the state has a stake, could obtain big export orders if the EPRs are a success.

Big construction projects are also a way to create jobs.

The recent crisis over Russian gas supplies via Ukraine has highlighted the strategic importance of energy independence and France now generates about 15 percent of its total energy needs and 80 percent of electricity with nuclear plants.

State-owned electricity giant EDF (EDF.PA) is already building an EPR in the north of France, near Flamanville, which will have a capacity of 1,600 Megawatts. It will now cost 4 billions euros ($5.20 billion), at 2008 euros, after a upward revision of the 3.3 billion euro initial budget.

The government already has plans to order a second EPR for Flamanville. EDF and GDF Suez are contenders for that contract. Le Figaro said on its website that French oil company Total (TOTF.PA) would be part of the GDF Suez (GSZ.PA) bid.

A spokesman for Total did not confirm or deny the report, but said any role the oil major took would be a minority one. Total and GDF Suez are co-operating with state-controlled nuclear reactor builder Areva (CEPFi.PA) to offer two plants to the United Arab Emirates.

Areva is building an EPR in Finland and is facing cost-overruns and delays due to the complexity of the new type of station.

EDF had planned to team up with big electricity users such as building materials group Saint-Gobain (SGOB.PA) and steel group ArcelorMittal (ISPA.AS).

EDF bought almost all of British Energy (BGY.L) and assets from Constellation Energy (CEG.N) to be able to build nuclear stations in Britain and the United States.

EDF said that a $5 billion bond issue, designed in part to refinance its purchase of British Energy (BGY.L), had been oversubscribed, especially in the United States.

EDF stock ended flat on Thursday.

For a background story on the French EPR see[ID:nLC424054] (Additional reporting by Jean-Michel Belot)

Livni, Clinton agree to maintain close cooperation on Iran's nuclear issue

Updated January 23, 2009 04:07 AM

JERUSALEM (Xinhua) - Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and new US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton yesterday agreed to maintain close cooperation on Iran's nuclear issue, local daily Ha'aretz reported on its website.

Shortly after Clinton officially took the helm at the US State Department yesterday, Livni and Clinton had a phone conversation and agreed to cooperate closely on the issue of Iran'snuclear program. The two also agreed to work together in order to exert more pressure on Tehran, according to Ha'aretz.

The United States and Israel have been accusing Iran of developing secretly nuclear weapons under the cover of civil nuclear program. Iran denies the charges.

Turning to situation in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, Livni told Clinton that Israel is involved in humanitarian efforts to reconstruct the Palestinian coastal enclave, which has been ravaged by Israeli army's 22-day Cast Lead Operation. The foreign minister said that Israel strongly opposes Hamas receiving a leading role in those efforts, adding that the international community must not grant Hamas any legitimacy.

"Hamas is the enemy of peace in the region," said Livni, "It threatens anyone who wants quiet in the Middle East."

Also yesterday, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had a phone conversation with Clinton and congratulated her on assuming her important and central office.

According to a statement released by Olmert's office, Olmert told Clinton that Israel is interested in continuing to advance the Middle East peace process and intends to invest great effort in providing humanitarian assistance to Gaza residents.

Israel would also do its utmost in order to fight terrorism and prevent weapons from being smuggled to the militant groups in Gaza, vowed the premier.

Earlier yesterday, Clinton, who arrived at the US State Department for her first full day as secretary of state, promised a new era in US diplomacy but tough times ahead.

source: www.philstar.com

Ex-soldier backs nuclear veterans

An ex-soldier with cancer is backing calls by veterans of nuclear tests in the South Pacific for compensation.

Barry Hands, 71, from Droitwich, Worcs, said he was ordered to stand on a beach during five nuclear explosions on Christmas Island in the 1950s.

Nearly 1,000 veterans have taken the Ministry of Defence to the High Court saying they suffered illness as a result of the tests.

The MoD says it compensates when liability is proven.

The three-week hearing will decide if a full hearing over the multi-million pound compensation claim will go ahead.

The ex-servicemen want compensation for illnesses, including cancer, skin defects and fertility problems, which they claim result from exposure to radiation during nuclear bomb testing.

But MoD lawyers are arguing the tests happened too long ago for compensation to be considered.

'Duty of care'

Mr Hands, who has malignant melanoma, said the servicemen did not have the resources to carry out "exhaustive medical tests" to back their case.

But he believed the numbers "would indicate that there is a connection between the young men who went out on these nuclear testing programmes who have come back with cancers" in relation to the general population.

Mr Hands added that other countries, including France and Australia, who were involved in the tests had paid out to their claimants.

He said: "I find it strange that the government doesn't accept it has a duty of care to the young men who were sent out there."

At Tuesday's hearing, Benjamin Browne QC, who is representing the ex-servicemen, said science had made a link between their health and role in the tests.

Mr Browne pointed to the Rowland study of a small group of New Zealand test veterans which "proved that most, if not all, of them suffered genetic effects due to radiation exposure".

An MoD spokesman said the government recognised "the vital contribution service personnel played in the UK's nuclear tests during the 1950s" and understood its obligation to veterans.

He added: "Where there is a proven legal liability, compensation is paid."

source: news.bbc.co.uk