Asia seizes the nuclear torch
Contents
Japan's HTG keeps going
India also shows support for nukes
South Korea fills China's nuclear void
Taiwan troubles
As much of the West and now Taiwan remain negative to nuclear, all major Asian power producers are moving strongly to develop their own programs. Japan, South Korea and India have since June announced major new developments.
Also, China's Nuclear Power Department director-general Shen Wenquan said Dec. 22 that its Tsinghua University-designed and built 10 MW fourth generation high-temperature gas-cooled (HTG) research reactor had reached criticality.
Japan's HTG keeps going
HTG offers dramatically lower power costs and greater safety. But blanket public opposition to nuclear has meant that only the U.S., UK, Germany and Japan have so far built such reactors of which only Japan's 20 MW unit is still running.
Table 1 shows how the balance of nuclear activity is consequently shifting to Asia (bottom line) even as it dramatically understates China's intentions. If China builds the at least 30,000 MW of nuclear it says it requires by 2020, Asia will dominate nuclear power from now on.
Given its recent history, the most surprising developments are occurring in Japan. The criticality accident at Tokaimura Sept. 30, 1999 seemed likely to assure its program's demise. Chubu Electric Power's early cancellation this year (2000) of a long planned nuclear project seemed merely to confirm the new reality.
But it now seems Tokaimura served as a much needed wake-up call to an overly complacent industry. The following chronology that excludes unprecedented sanctions against the Tokaimura operator at the time shows a very different picture:
- Dec. 9, 1999: The entire nuclear industry comprising 14 companies associated with power generation, 18 plant manufacturers and fuel processors and five research organizations establish the Nuclear Safety Network (NSnet).
- April 6, 2000: NSnet holds its first seminar.
- April 8: NSnet begins monthly peer reviews, one site per month, of all 23 facilities in Japan that handle nuclear materials. The reviews are posted on a public web site in non-technical language. As of November, three nuclear fuel processors, two fuel handlers and one power station had been reviewed.
- May 31: The Diet (parliament) approves disposal of high-level radioactive waste. Vitrified wastes will be stored in stainless steel containers buried more than 300 meters underground. The new law empowers the program operator and specifies a three-step burial site selection process. Burial would begin 2035 onwards.
- Sept. 6: Hokkaido governor Tatsuya Hori approves the island's third nuclear power plant—a 900 MW light water reactor (LWR) to be commissioned December 2008 by Hokkaido Electric Power Co.
- Oct. 6: Rokkasho village, Aomori prefecture agrees to store nuclear wastes for future reprocessing. Federation of Electric Power Companies (FEPC) members have already accumulated some 8,000 tons of spent fuel currently stored at their power plants.
- Nov. 10: FEPC agrees to produce commercial mixed oxide (MOX) fuel domestically. Japan Nuclear Fuel Ltd. (JNF) is appointed program operator at its Rokkasho facility where the spent fuel storage pool is ready. Reprocessing 800 tons of spent fuel annually to produce MOX powder is scheduled to begin July 2005. MOX fuel production at 130 tons/year would begin 3-4 years later.
- Nov. 21: A Tokaimura pilot spent fuel reprocessing plant reopens for the first time since a 1997 accident. (The 1999 accident was at a different plant in Tokaimura.)
- Nov. 27: Japan's Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) decides to restart its experimental fast breeder reactor at Monju "as soon as possible," also for the first time since a December 1995 accident. AEC uses the occasion to formally reaffirm Tokyo's commitment to nuclear power as "vital."
- Dec. 19: The first 24-ton consignment of spent fuel shipped by sea from Japan Atomic Power Co. and Tokyo Electric Power Co. arrives at Rokkasho. JNF expects to receive 97 tons by April 2001 and 1,600 tons by July 2005, enough for two years' reprocessing.
Thus although Japan may not build all its 14 planned reactors within a specified time frame, they now seem certain to get built. Japan is clearly still committed to a closed nuclear fuel cycle involving fast breeders. HTG is an additional option. (Back to top)
India also shows support for nukes
India is similarly committed. Although it has far fewer installed reactors than Japan, it last year achieved a similar average 80% plant capacity factor and may trail Japan's newbuilding only slightly.
Further, Indian Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) chairman Rajagopola. Chidambaram told the 2000 International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) general conference that "India has opted for a closed nuclear fuel cycle involving a fast breeder reactor program, thorium utilization, and associated fuel reprocessing and fabrication. Preparations to build a 500 MW prototype fast breeder reactor are underway."
He also mentioned ongoing "design and development of an advanced heavy water reactor (AHWR) using plutonium and U233" at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) that will "facilitate thorium utilization."
India is also researching "non-grid-based nuclear power applications such as desalination, process heat generation, production of non-fossil fuels and portable power packs."
"Since 1995," Chidambaram said, "MOX fuel designed at BARC has been introduced in a limited fashion in the boiling water reactors (BWR) at Tarapur. The fuel has performed well." India therefore envisages an expanded program to enable use of "plutonium in thermal reactors as well as in fast breeders."
Elsewhere, indigenous nuclear fuel production is ahead of target while the Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPC) announced Nov. 17 that it had synchronized Rajasthan's fully indigenous 220 MW unit 4 with the grid in a record 14 days from criticality.
A day earlier the first 220 MW pressurized heavy water reactor (PHWR) at Kaiga had been declared commercial after reaching criticality in late September and synchronization in mid-October.
NPC now operates 14 reactors with a combined rated 2,520 MW capacity. Its next project is the 2000 MW Russian-assisted pressurized water reactor (PWR) at Kudankulam, Tamil Nadu, work on whose detailed project report is about to begin.
Significantly, NPC managing director V. K. Chaturvedi sees the corporation building a diverse range of reactors totaling some 1,000 MW new capacity per year within seven years. "The time has come when nuclear power installations in India will not be added but will be multiplied," he emphasized soon after assuming his post Aug. 1. (Back to top)
South Korea fills China's nuclear void
With China yet to define a clear nuclear development path, South Korea stands out in Asia for following a radically different strategy. For while Japan and India both emphasize energy security (closed fuel cycles) at the cost of more expensive power, Korea has consistently aimed for the economies available from standardized open fuel cycles.
Thus after building four Canadian 700 MW PHWRs (and acquiring the technology) it now builds only fully indigenized standardized 1000 MW PWRs.
It consequently now has some of the highest plant capacity factors, best safety records and lowest priced nuclear power in the world. An important outcome of this has been much less popular opposition to nuclear than in many other countries.
Thus, its most recent 1,000 MW Korean Standard Nuclear Plants (KSNP) at Yonggwang have achieved 102% and 103% capacity factors while the OECD's Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) lists Korean generation costs including capital, O&M and fuel as second lowest after Canada in the world. (Neighboring Japan has the highest costs.)
It is now close to building the 1,300 MW Korean Next Generation Reactor (KNGR), also standardized, whose first units will be commissioned around 2009.
In addition, alone in Asia South Korea is moving into nuclear machinery exports. Power generation equipment manufacturer Hanjung shipped four heavy water type steam generators to China's Qinshan unit 1 in May and June while another four will be shipped early in 2001 for Qinshan unit 2.
Hanjung will also supply four steam generators to a Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) nuclear plant by October 2002. In late August, it acquired the entire nuclear power plant control system business of Dallas-based Forney Co.
Finally, California-based Orbit Technolgies announced Nov. 9 that it had successfully "processed, treated and encapsulated a secondary scrubber waste stream that is the result of a vitrification pilot plant being operated by the Nuclear Environment Technology Institute (NETEC) of the Korean Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO)."
The project was "part of a feasibility study for an improved final disposal solution for KEPCO's radioactive waste." Very clearly indeed, Asia is still in favor of nuclear. (Back to top)
Taiwan troubles
So what of Taiwan? Well, its Supreme Court started Dec. 22 to hear arguments that cancellation of its fourth nuclear power project last October was unconstitutional. Even if such arguments fail, the whole ball game is changing.
For a large part of Taiwan's dislike of nuclear centers on wastes. On the same day the hearings began, Russia's parliament strongly approved as a commercial venture the idea of importing nuclear waste for treatment, in part from Asia.
Japan, South Korea and now Russia. The waste problem—as well as nuclear safety and economics—is finally being addressed. (Back to top)
About the author: Tim Sharp's insight on the Asian power market also appears in his monthly column for Power Online, Logical Output. tsharp@loxinfo.co.th. (Back)
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