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MHI and Areva Announce Name of New JV, New Reactor
3 September 2007
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) and Areva announced the name of their companies’ newly formed nuclear reactor joint venture: ATMEA. (Earlier post.)
ATMEA will develop, market, license and sell ATMEA 1, a new Generation 3 1,100 MWe reactor combining nuclear technologies of both Areva and MHI.
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| 1,100 MWe pressurized water reactor ATMEA1. |
Since October 2006, MHI and Areva have been working together to define the conceptual basis for an advanced Generation 3 reactor with power around 1,100 MWe.
To address the needs of a fast-growing nuclear market, the partners are jointly working to have the ATMEA 1 reactor ready for licensing application in less than 3 years.
Separately, the World Nuclear Association’s (WNA) 2007 Market Report, The Global Nuclear Fuel Market, Supply and Demand 2007-2030, forsees steady growth in nuclear electricity generation of 1.5% per year under its baseline scenario, taking global capacity to 377 GWe in 2010, 454 GWe in 2020 and 529 GWe in 2030.
A more aggressive scenario that would take global capacity to 720 GWe by 2030 is now seen as more probable than in earlier reports.
The report anticipates an adequate supply of uranium until 2030, with production picking up sharply in the period to 2015. The WNA will launch the report at its 32nd Annual Symposium in London on 6 September.
September 3, 2007 in Brief | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
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Comments
Again, where is all the work and "announcements" about new initiatives for waste storage/reprocessing. To me, these kinds of nuclear reactor "announcements" are very similar to GM trumpeting yet another redesigned gargantuan SUV, with "new and improved" safety features, cup holders and DVD players, while whistling past the idea of C02 and vastly more expensive oil.
Until the nuclear fuel cycle can be declared closed, with governmental policy and industry practice in line with reality, the whole nuclear "renaissance" is an illusion. Waste is the glowing and toxic skeleton in the nuclear closet. Deal with the waste we've already accumulated, then worry about new reactor designs.
Posted by: BlackSun | Sep 3, 2007 2:58:05 PM
BlackSun,
I understand your concern for closing the nuclear fuel cycle. However, in the US at least, disposal of used fuel is not a private industry issue.
All the nuclear power utilities pay a used fuel disposal fee to the federal government (I believe it is $0.001 per kwh). In return, for better or for worse, the US gummint takes posession and responsibility of the used fuel. The feds (DOE) are tardy on taking the fuel and have been sued because of the delay. DOE was supposed to have a repository (Yucca Mountain) open in 1995.
As I understand it, this joint reactor design is intended primarily for lesser developed nations which do not have a well developed grid system. The new generation of US reactors will be higher power than this unit.
Posted by: Bill Young | Sep 3, 2007 7:01:09 PM
