Peak Oil News and Message Boards

New Russian reactor in commercial operation.
The Kalinin-3 V-320 nuclear reactor, which started up late in 2004, has commenced commercial operation. With modern Russian process control technology the 950 MWe unit has an expected life of 50 years, compared with 30 years as standard for Russian plants. Rosenergoatom is planning to start construction of unit 4 in 2006, with a view to operation in 2010.

China: Construction of phase two of the Ling Ao nuclear power plant began on 14 December. Using improved second-generation technology, the project to build two 1000 MWe PWRs is the third commercial nuclear power plant built by China Guangdong Nuclear Power Holding Co in Guangdong province. The company also constructed the Daya Bay and Ling Ao Phase I plants. Unit one of phase two is scheduled to begin commercial operation in December 2010 and unit two in August 2011.

Namibia: Rio Tinto has approved the proposal to extend the production life of the Rossing uranium mine through to about 2016. Management at Rossing Uranium - which is 68.6% owned by Rio Tinto - have spent the past three years preparing a comprehensive investment proposal to extend the mine's life. The project - which should return the mine to its full production capacity of 4000 tonnes U3O8 per year within the next two years - involves capital expenditure of US$112 million, about half of which will be for new mine equipment and the other half for refurbishing the mill.

December 22, 2005
California utility regulators approved a large contract for deployment of solar thermal concentrators that use Stirling engines.

Pakistan: The first concrete was poured for the second reactor at the Chashma nuclear power plant (Chasnupp) on 28 December 2005. Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz was present at the ceremony and pressed the button that started the concrete pouring process. The main contract for construction of Chashma-2 - a 300 MWe PWR - was signed on 4 May 2004 between China National Nuclear Corp (CNNC) and the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC). (Associated Press of Pakistan, 28 December; CNNC, 30 December) Pakistan is reportedly negotiating the purchase of six to eight nuclear power reactors from China over the next 10 years. The deal could cost US$7-10 billion and would involve adding 3600-4800 MWe of capacity using a series of 600 MWe reactors. The plants are expected to be completed by 2025, with construction starting by 2015, a senior Pakistani official told the Financial Times.

China: The Tianwan-1 nuclear power reactor - a Russia-designed VVER-1000 - achieved first criticality on 20 December 2005, China National Nuclear Corp (CNNC) announced. The unit will now undergo tests at low power prior to commissioning of the reactor. (CNNC, 21 December; see also News Briefing 05.47-12) Meanwhile, a contract for nuclear island design and technical services for phase two of the Lingao nuclear power plant in Guangdong province was signed on 22 December between the Beijing Institute of Nuclear Engineering (BINE) and China Guangdong Nuclear Power Holding Corp (CGNPC).

Portugal has inaugurated what it says is the world's most powerful solar power plant.

The array of electricity-generating solar panels covers about 60 hectares (150 acres)..... enough energy to supply 8,000 homes.....
The 11-megawatt plant has 52,000 photovoltaic modules, which will produce 20 gigawatt hours of power each year....

Portugal is developing wind, solar and wave power projects as part of a plan to invest $10bn (£5bn) in renewable energy over the next five years.

Prime Minister Jose Socrates has said he wants 45% of Portugal's power consumption to come from renewable energy by 2010.

Let us use this thread to post reports on actual facilities and infrastructure being built, not planned or under consideration, but where the ground has actually been broken and construction has started.

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USEC is now working towards beginning commercial plant operations in late 2009 and having approximately 11,500 machines deployed in 2012, which would provide about 3.8 million SWU capacity, based on our current estimates of machine output and plant availability.