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Devastating news from eastern Turkey has riveted the country this week -- more than 500 killed and thousands left homeless by a 7.2-magnitude earthquake in Van province.

The earthquake in Van left investors in Korea worried that Turkey would call off its plans to build a nuclear power plant in the Black Sea province of Sinop, a project for which Korean firms hoped to win the construction bid, news agency dongA reported Tuesday. "The nuclear plant deal with Turkey has become very tough," it quoted an anonymous source from the Korean nuclear-power industry as saying, and added, without attribution, that the industry "expects the project to be scrapped in the wake of Sunday's powerful earthquake."

Florida Power & Light, a unit of NextEra Energy Inc , plans to complete work to increase the output at its 839-megawatt St. Lucie 1 nuclear reactor during an extended refueling outage set to begin next month, according to a state regulatory filing.The work is part of FP&L's larger effort, known as a nuclear "uprate," to add 450 MW in capacity at four existing reactors at the Turkey Point and St. Lucie stations by 2013.FP&L, the state's largest electric utility, recently adjusted some of the outage dates to minimize an overlap between the planned nuclear outages and non-nuclear outages, utility officials said.Adding the 450 MW is now estimated to cost $2.48 billion, the company said, compared with FP&L's initial 2007 estimate of $1.5 billion for an increase of 400 MW.

The increased output will supply 209,000 customers, save $4.8 billion in fuel costs over the project's lifetime and cut carbon dioxide emissions in the state, said NextEra spokesman Michael Waldron.On Monday, the Florida Public Service Commission approved FP&L's request to recover about $196 million from customers next year for the uprate costs, as well as costs to develop two new reactors at Turkey Point expected to begin service in 2022-2023."The vast majority of our request -- about 90 percent -- is dedicated to the uprate project," Waldron said.In the filing, FP&L said it plans to shut St. Lucie 1 on Nov. 26 to perform work to increase its output by 122 MW. The outage is expected to last 110 days, or until mid-to-late February.

On Feb. 6, 2012, FP&L plans to shut the 693-MW Turkey Point 3 reactor for 120 days to boost that unit's output by 109 MW, the utility said in the filing.St. Lucie 2, also rated at 893 MW, is set to shut June 27, 2012, for 95 days for uprate work. The unit was shut for an extended period earlier this year for work that increased output by 29 MW due to a more efficient low-pressure rotor, the filing said.The extra 29 MW is helping to save $1 million per month in fuel costs, Waldron said.Next fall, the 693-MW Turkey Point 4 reactor is scheduled to shut Oct. 1 for 120 days for work to increase output by 109 MW, FP&L told state regulators.

FP&L to recover $196 million in 2012 * Progress Energy Florida request cut to $85.9 millionHOUSTON Oct 24 (Reuters) - Florida electric regulators on Monday approved requests from the state's two largest utilities to charge customers more than $280 million next year for work to develop four proposed nuclear reactors and to expand output at two existing plants.Florida is one of a handful of U.S. states in which laws were passed in the mid 2000s to revive the stagnant nuclear industry by offering utilities incentives to reduce the risk of building costly new reactors which take years to site, license and construct.The laws typically allow utilities to charge customers for certain project-related costs during the development and construction years in order to reduce long-term project financing costs.

The Florida Public Service Commission approved NextEra Energy's Florida Power & Light's full request to recover slightly more than $196 million from customers next year.Commissioners also agreed to allow Progress Energy's Florida utility to recover nearly $86 million next year for costs associated with a plan to build two new 2,200-MW reactors in Levy County, Florida.FP&L's amount includes costs related to the proposed 2,200-megawatt Turkey Point Units 6 and 7 and costs to add 450 MW of capacity at existing reactors at FP&L's Turkey Point and St. Lucie nuclear stations.That's up from only about $31 million approved for recovery in 2011 after a protracted dispute between the commission and the state's largest utility which has more than 4 million customers.

An FP&L spokesman said 90 percent of the funds requested for 2012 will pay for work to increase output at FP&L's existing reactors. About 29 MW is already in service with work to add the remaining 400 MW set for completion in 2013.Commercial operation of the new Turkey Point reactors, expected to cost between $12 billion and $18 billion, has been delayed about four years until 2022 and 2023 after FP&L said growth in power consumption slowed in the state during the economic recession.Progress Energy Florida initially sought $140.9 million, but the commission reduced that amount by more than $50 million under a 2009 plan deferring some early Levy costs due to the state's worsening economy.The proposed Levy County reactors, expected to cost about $20 billion, were originally set to begin operating in the 2016-17 time frame, but Progress delayed the timeline until at least 2020."We're pleased the commission confirmed our plan to make state-of-the-art nuclear power available to our customers in the state of Florida," Progress spokeswoman Suzanne Grant said.

The Turkey earthquake, which registered M3 at the plant in Armenia, is nothing, according to the Public Radio of Armenia. However, There's a rumor that radioactive materials have leaked in the surrounding area. (Actually, it is reported by the Iranian state Japanese radio broadcast on October 25, quoting the Turkish newspaper Zaman which supposedly quotes the Turkish government source.)Armenia's Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant is often called "the most dangerous nuke plant in the world", as it is one of the few nuke plants in the world without primary containment structures, and is in the earthquake-prone region without ready access to water as reactor coolant in case of plant damage by the earthquake.

From Public Radio of Armenia (10/24/2011):The earthquake in Turkey has not caused and could not have caused any harm to the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant (ANPP), since it is designed to resist an earthquake measuring 9-10 on the Richter scale, the Armenian Ministry of Emergency Situations said in a statement.The epicenter of the earthquake was located about 160 km away from the ANPP, the quake measured 3-5 on the territory of Armenia.It did not cause any damage to any settlement or building on the territory of the Republic of Armenia, the Ministry said.ANPP Director General Gagik Markosyan says the quake measured 2-3 at the plant, adding that the ANPP had been stopped for planned reconstruction works from September 11.

Florida Power & Light and Progress Energy are asking the Public Service Commission to sign on off their proposals to pass off about $355 million in nuclear energy-related costs to residents and businesses. The money would go to upgrade existing power plants, including one in St. Lucie County, and two cover the costs of new nuclear reactors that may not begin operating for at least another decade.

Hearings on the nuclear cost recovery plans are scheduled to begin this morning at 9:30 a.m in Tallahassee and can be viewed live on the internet at www.floridapsc.com or The Florida Channel’s website at www.thefloridachannel.org. The meeting will begin with a discussion of which documents will remain secret.

Juno Beach-based FPL is asking for about $196 million next year to help upgrade nuclear plants in St. Lucie and Miami-Dade counties and to move forward on a plan to build two new reactors at the Miami-Dade site known as “Turkey Point.” The energy companies and many state lawmakers the expansion of nuclear power is necessary to wean the state off fossil fuels and to save money for customers.

The following cable by John Beyrle, US Ambassador to Russia who was the US Ambassador to Bulgaria before going to Moscow, dated April 3, 2009, was released Thursday by WikiLeaks and their Bulgarian partner Bivol.bg.

Subject: Russia's Atomstroyexport Cannot Fulfill Existing International Nuclear Energy Contracts, But Seeks New OnesOrigin Embassy Moscow (Russia)Cable time Fri, 3 Apr 2009 04:02 UTCClassification UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLYSource http://wikileaks.org/cable/2009/04/09MOSCOW851.htmlRelease timeWed, 24 Aug 2011 01:00 UTC -->History First published on Wed, 24 Aug 2011 03:21 UTC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 MOSCOW 000851 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KNNP [Nuclear Non-Proliferation] BTIO [Trade and Investment Opportunities] ETRD [Foreign Trade] ETTC [Trade and Technology Controls] ENRG [Energy and Power] TRGY [Energy Technology] PREL [External Political Relations] ECON [Economic Conditions] RS [Russia; Wrangel Islands]

Energy leaders from Russia and America have made a "commitment to supporting the safe and secure expansion of civil nuclear energy" on the sidelines of the International Atomic Energy Agency's General Conference.    Officials from the US Department of Energy and Russia's Rosatom signed what the US side called a "joint statement on strategic direction of US-Russia nuclear cooperation." US energy secretary Stephen Chu said it was a milestone for the two nuclear energy pioneers. They were long separated by their opposition during the Cold War, but now share a leading role in nuclear security and disarmament.

Chu said in his address to the conference that nuclear energy's role grows more valuable as we confront a changing climate, increasing energy demand and a struggling economy. "At the same time, Fukushima reminds us that nuclear safety and security require continued vigilance." He noted the agreements made by Russia and the USA to reduce their weapons stockpiles and the importance of the widest possible sign-up to the framework of international conventions supporting the safe use of nuclear energy.   Russian nuclear energy chief Sergei Kiriyenko focused comments on his country's efforts to help new nations enjoy the benefits of nuclear energy. Their entrance to the field raises "questions of nuclear safety, infrastructure, creation of licensing and safety oversight and development of a clear legal framework in accordance with the requirements and recommendations of the IAEA," he said.  

Kiriyenko noted Russia's cooperation towards nuclear build with Bangladesh, Belarus, Nigeria and Vietnam. "In the last year," he said, "we have proposed a new model of cooperation.. based on the principle of 'build-speak-operate'." The 'speak' component would refer to the lending of specific Russian expertise in the areas of law and regulation. This would come in addition to extensive and expanding lines of support from the IAEA. He said that "experience in this model confirms that this scheme can provide a higher level of safety and operational success."   The nuclear project in Turkey was said to be the first example of this mode of cooperation: Russia will build, own and operate a four-unit power plant at Akkuyu, supplying the state utility with electricity at a fixed price for at least 15 years. Rosatom will initially own 100% of the project and it intends to retain at least 51% in the long term.

SOURCE: Dr. Ernest J. Sternglass is Emeritus Professor of Radiological Physics in the Department of Radiology, at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Part 3 (Part 2 at end of post): 8:15 in Turkey Point reactors in Miami, FL released an enormous amount of radioactivity In some parts of Dade County we have seen teeth that are 10-20 times than minimum level we can detect Strontium-90 should be less than 0.5 picocuries per gram of calcium — it should be less than 0.5 — and we find levels as high as 15, 16, or 17 “Strontium-90 is considered a cancer-causing substance because it damages the genetic material (DNA) in cells.” -Delaware Health and Social Services

There are plans for eight more AP1000 reactors – four in Florida, two in North Carolina, and two in South Carolina. The next two AP1000s likely to be built are to be located near Miami at the Turkey Point power station operated by Florida Power & Light. The approval of the AP1000 design is turning into a high stakes outcome with much of the future of nuclear reactor construction in the U.S. over the next two decades riding on it. No other reactor vendor comes close.

UK continues on path to rebuilding a complete new sets of reactors. The Finnish government said that it has sent bid documents to Areva and Toshiba for responses to build a new nuclear power station. The new plant will need to generate up to 1,700 MW and be ready to produce power by 2020 at a cost of $6-9 billion

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has granted 20-year license renewals to the two reactors in Salem County, New Jersey. The two pressurized water reactors have been operating since 1977 and 1981 and generate just over 1,100 MW each.

Miami, Oct. 16 –Headline: ‘Fukushima disaster can happen here’ Today’s Miami Herald has an article warning South Florida residents they “should take little comfort in assurances that a Fukushima-type catastrophe could not happen here.” It notes that the Miami-area nuclear power plant, Turkey Point, “is just as reliant as Fukushima on offsite electricity, emergency electrical generators and batteries.” Yet, Florida Power & Light (FPL) is trying to build two new reactors at the site, making a total of four.

These two proposed reactors, the AP1000 design, are essentially “experimental” and “have never been tested or operated commercially at full scale”. The reactor design has “drawn substantial criticism on safety issues”. The article reviews three of these: 1) “One major issue is that the steel inner-containment structure is barely strong enough to keep radioactivity from escaping during a ‘design basis accident.’ This leaves little margin for error when the steel containment structure eventually corrodes and loses strength. Such corrosion is a common problem in older reactors.” 2) “The British Nuclear Installations Inspectorate has criticized Toshiba/Westinghouse for not sufficiently demonstrating that the outer concrete shield can withstand an external shock, such as an earthquake, hurricane, tornado or impact from a commercial aircraft crash.” 3) “Perhaps, the most damaging criticism comes from Dr. John Ma, the lead structural reviewer evaluating the outer concrete shield for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Dr. Ma submitted a ‘nonconcurrence statement of dissent’ stating that the outer shield could shatter like a ‘glass cup’ in an earthquake or commercial aircraft crash.”

There is a real possibility of creating a circuitous electrical super-grid, that begins in Spain, heads eastward through northern Africa and back toward Europe through the eastern Mediterranean nations via Turkey, in the foreseeable future, according to experts who discussed the vision at a conference in Tel Aviv on Thursday.The conference, hosted by Israel’s branch of CIGRE: International Council on Large Electric Systems, featured lead researchers and innovators from all over the world to speak about different techniques of transmitting power within, and among, their countries.

Establishing an interconnected grid throughout the Mediterranean basin is the work of a Paris-based organization called Medgrid, which is pushing for the continuation of a project called MEDRING, started quite some time ago, which would successfully link the countries electrically, thereby reducing individual infrastructural demands and boosting all of these nation’s economies.Members of the private joint venture currently include 20 European Union and southeast Mediterranean companies, among which include Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Syria – but not yet Israel due to its electrical isolation.

“The objective of Medgrid is to design the Mediterranean interconnection grid with a time target that is about 2020-2025, which is a bit near, in comparison with DESERTEC, which is 2050,” said Jean Kowal, executive vice president of Medgrid and former secretary general of CIGRE-France, referring to a campaign that aims to harness large amounts of desert light on a high voltage supergrid by 2050. Creating the Medgrid would complement European Union objectives for 2020, which include a 20 percent reduction in carbon dioxide compared to 1990 levels, a 20% gain in energy efficiency, and ensuring that 20% of energy consumption comes from renewable, according to Kowal.

It has been two years since Mohamed ElBaradei stepped down as head of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog, but the Nobel peace laureate still has nuclear technology very much on his mind.

But Mr. ElBaradei doesn't subscribe to the widely held view that Fukushima has killed off the nuclear industry for the foreseeable future. In fact, he argues countries exiting nuclear-power generation are the exception rather than the rule. "There will be, in the short term, a slowdown in some countries. But others like France, India or China [won't see] an impact on their [nuclear] programs," he says.

He also points to some nuclear newcomers, such as the United Arab Emirates and Turkey.

It is fashionable among green groups and others who have utopian visions of a low tech post industrial society to say that nuclear energy is finished as a result of the Fukushima crisis. This is dead wrong. Charles D. Ferguson, President of the Federation of American Scientists, has an important essay in Foreign Policy Magazine on the subject. In an article titled, "Think Again: Nuclear Power," he writes that while Japan has "melted down, that doesn't mean the end of the atomic age."His point is that the fashionable approach to the nuclear fuel cycle is sometimes wrong.Also, there is other positive news about nuclear energy. The NRC is making headway with the final design certification of the Westinghouse AP1000. South Africa will try again to get financing and build new nuclear reactors instead of more coal plants.

Here's a quick summary of Ferguson's essay.First, Fukushima did not kill the nuclear renaissance. Germany already had a significant anti-nuclear political constituency well before March 11, 2011. Fukushima simply accelerated a process that was already underway. Meanwhile, China, India, and South Korea are moving ahead with their plans to rely on nuclear energy.Second, nuclear energy is not "an accident waiting to happen." The accidents which have happened are mostly the result of issues with organizational culture, and not technology failures.

Third, the expense of building nuclear power plants is offset by the low cost of running them. Once you factor in the benefits of stopping carbon emissions and the issue of climate change, nuclear energy looks like a bargain. While nuclear energy has been good for highly industrialized countries, it doesn't have nearly the same potential in the developing world for two reasons – cost and lack of robust electrical grids. Ferguson doesn't address small modular reactors which could find a niche in these markets.Fourth, commercial nuclear development does not necessarily lead to bomb making. Most of the 30 or so countries that use nuclear power have not built their own enrichment plants nor reprocessing centers.