A ceremony was held to mark the start of loading fuel into the first unit at Iran's new Bushehr nuclear power plant. The process was supervised by inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Russia's AtomStroyExport (ASE), which completed the 1000 MWe Bushehr 1 reactor under a contract with Iran, defines this event as the end stage of testing of all systems of the station and the commencement of the physical launch of the unit.
According to Ali Akbar Salehi, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, with this event the largest symbol of Iran's peaceful nuclear activities operates despite all pressure, sanctions and hardships imposed by western nations.
In accordance with signed in 2005 agreements Iran has assured supply of fresh fuel for the Bushehr nuclear reactor from Russia instead of enrichment locally, and its return to Russia after use. Russia completed the transport of fuel assemblies for use at the Bushehr plant in January 2008 in eight separate shipments, each monitored by the IAEA and under the IAEA safeguards regime and international security and monitoring system.
The Bushehr nuclear power plant will initially be operated by a Russian-Iranian joint venture during the one-year warranty period. A protocol setting up the joint venture was signed on 21 August.

A ceremony has been held to mark the start of groundbreaking for units 7 and 8 of the Rajasthan Atomic Power Project (RAPP) in India. First concrete is scheduled to be poured at the site before the end of the year.

Excavation work started at the site on 19 August, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) reported. Approval to start the work had been granted the previous day by the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board.

RAPP 7 and 8 will be 700 MWe indigenously designed pressurized heavy water reactors. The reactors are scheduled to begin commercial operation in June and December 2016, respectively. The estimated cost of constructing the two units is put at Rs 123.2 billion ($2.6 billion).

In May, Hindustan Construction Company (HCC) was awarded an Rs 8880 million ($188 million) contract by NPCIL to undertake main plant civil works of RAPP 7 and 8. HCC has constructed all six existing units at RAPP, which are also PHWRs of varying sizes, the first of which began operating in 1973 and the latest earlier this year.

The Indian government gave the go-ahead for the construction of RAPP 7 and 8 in October 2009. At the same time, it approved the construction of two further 700 MWe PHWRs at Kakrapar in Gujarat state.

An intergovernmental agreement was signed on 20 August between Russia and Armenia for cooperation in the construction of a new nuclear power plant in Armenia.
The agreement stipulates that Russia will build a new nuclear power plant in Armenia based on VVER-1000 reactors and supply fuel for the plant. The exact size and configuration of the plant has yet to be decided.
The plant, to be built by AtomStroyExport, will be owned and operated by a joint Armenian-Russian company, ZAO Metsamorenergoatom.

The Romanian government plans to cut its stake in a project to construct two new reactors at Cernavoda. Meanwhile, Romania has asked Areva to participate in building the country's second plant in Transylvania.

The project company, EnergoNuclear SA which is going to construct, commission and operate units 3 and 4 at Romania's Cernavoda nuclear power plant decided what share each investor will hold and, correspondingly, what proportion of financing and share of the power generated each will take.
Romania's state-owned Nuclearelectrica SA holds a 51% stake in EnergoNuclear, while Czech utility CEZ, France's GDF-Suez, Italy's Enel and Germany's RWE Power each hold a 9.15% stake. In addition, Spain's Iberdrola and global steel producer ArcelorMittal each hold a 6.2% stake in the project company. In April 2009, construction costs were expected to be about €4 billion ($5.2 billion), but by September it was evident that SNN could not raise its share of the funds.

Romania's energy minister, Adriean Videanu, has now said that the government will reduce its stake in EnergoNuclear. He noted that the current agreement with the investors is valid until 25 September.

The Cernavoda plant was originally intended to host five Canadian Candu pressurized heavy water reactors of 633 MWe each. Construction on units 2-5 was halted in 1991 in order to concentrate on unit 1, which entered commercial operation at the end of 1996. It now provides 10% of the country's electricity. The government decided to resume work on unit 2 in 2000. After some upgrades during completion, unit 2 is rated at 655 MWe and began commercial operation in October 2007. Cernavoda 3 and 4, both 720 MWe Candu reactors, will be a similar design to Cernavoda unit 2. The new units are scheduled to start up in 2016 and 2017, respectively.

In February 2010, EnergoNuclear signed an agreement with Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd (AECL) to assess the viability of the project and define what is required to complete and commission units 3 & 4.

Cernavoda units 1&2

Meanwhile, in an interview published in Romania's Adevarul newspaper, Videanu said that during a visit to Paris in early June he invited Areva to participate in the construction of a second nuclear power plant in Romania.The second plant is planned for Transylvania in northwest Romania and is expected to be completed between 2020 and 2030. The exact location of the plant has yet to be identified.

France considers its position on nuclear strategy to improve reactor technology and boost cooperation between national champions Areva and Electricité de France (EdF). Up to 15% of Areva will be sold as optimisation takes place on the EPR design.

Announcements came on July 27, 2010 after President Nicolas Sarkozy met with the Nuclear Policy Council as it reviewed a report by former EdF chief Francois Roussely. Roussely wrote that the country's nuclear sector, on which its electricity and therefore industry relies, is facing a "double challenge" in the years to 2030. It needs to continue to operate at top levels of safety, while extending the operation of existing reactors and building more. Meanwhile, decommissioning will accelerate and waste management programs will make major steps. And internationally, France is hoping to win a large share of the 250 new reactors Roussely thinks will be ordered before 2030. The current market for these is "highly segmented and highly competitive," he noted, and 'Team France' has to "make considerable efforts to improve its offer against other industry giants."

The response from the council was "to strengthen the unity of the French nuclear industry around its national champions," first with "a strategic partnership agreement between EdF and Areva covering all their areas of common interest."

Support for exports should also come from improvements to Areva's manufacturing capability, thanks to the sale of up to 15% of shares to raise investment capital. The company is about 93% state-owned via shareholders such as the CEA (79%), as well as state banks, holding companies and EdF (itself 85% state controlled). The announcements did not say which of these would be directed to divest part of their share, but did mention that EdF's holding could be increased in line with the new partnership.

Roussely recommended that EdF establish a program to ensure the best construction performance from now on at Flamanville and use feedback from that project as well as Olkiluoto 3 and Taishan 1 before starting work on the next French EPR at Penly. He said this feedback would benefit EdF's plans for the UK and lessons learned from the process should be absorbed in a timescale compatible with UK schedules. France's nuclear product line needs to be expanded, Roussely said, with smaller models such as the 1000-1150 MWe Atmea 1 design under development by Areva and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, which offers an alternative to the 1650 MWe EPR.

President Sarkozy visit at Flamanville in 2009

Photo: Reuters