Companies and organisations included in this news round-up include: Forsmark, Oskarshamn,Ringhals, Barsebäck, Sheffield Forgemasters International, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL),JEA, Salem 1, Salem 2 and Hope Creek.

New reactors permitted in Sweden

Overturning the decision of a referendum 30 years ago, the Riksdag vote will allow Swedish firms to replace the existing ten reactors that provide over 40% of the country's electricity, according to a WNN report.  

The 1980 decision offered the public three different ways to end nuclear power but none to allow it to continue normally.

 In the intervening years Swedish utilities have concentrated on maintaining and uprating the ten reactors at Forsmark, Oskarshamn and Ringhals, adding 1050 MWe in extra generating capacity.

Two reactors at Barsebäck were shut down early because of political pressure from neighbouring Denmark leading to a net loss of only about 200 MWe, said the report. 

The bill passed yesterday will come into effect on 1 January 2011, said a Riksdag statement that noted the Business and Industry Committee's determination that new nuclear power would recieve no subsidy.  

Despite delivering a new era for Swedish nuclear, the new rules still contain arbitrary restrictions.

For example, new reactors are only permitted at the existing three power plants and a new reactor may only begin operation as an older one is permanently shut down. None of the current fleet should need replacement before the 2030s. 

New government chops Sheffield Forgemasters £80m loan

Sheffield Forgemasters International will continue to develop its significant involvement into civil nuclear, thermal and hydro power generation markets and seek other ways to develop the business having recieved confirmation that the Government will not honour an £80m loan for a new 15,000 tonne press.

The company was given no prior warning of the decision and would not have impacted the bud gedeficit because it was a loan rather than a hand-out.

Graham Honeyman, Chief Executive, said: "The government announcement to overturn the loan offered to Sheffield Forgemasters' plans to install a 15,000 tonne press is a huge disappointment to all at the company.

"While the press would have placed the company at the forefront of civil nuclear manufacture, it is important for us now to focus on other elements of the company's development.

"The government clearly has a remit to reduce spending and cut the economic deficit and it is for them to decide how best to do that. Sheffield Forgemasters will continue to develop its significant involvement into civil nuclear, thermal and hydro power generation markets and seek other ways to develop the business."

Sheffield Forgemasters signs multi-million pound forgings deal with BHEL

Despite its multi-million pound government loan for a new press being pulled last week, Sheffield Forgemasters has signed what it calls a historic £30m knowledge transfer deal.

Sheffiield Foremasters has signed the deal to oversee the development of power generation forgings with Indian state-run power equipment maker Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL).

The ten year partnership will operate as a technology and collaboration agreement, whereby BHEL buy the technology and specialist engineering knowledge from the Sheffield-based manufacturer.

The official launch of the trade agreement, which pledges future training provision in specialist steelmaking and forged steel production with the world’s only independent forgemaster, was marked on Friday by a visit to Forgemasters by India's Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises and the BHEL Chairman and Managing Director.  

Forgemasters Chief Executive Graham Honeyman will host the visit of The Honourable Vilasrao Deshmukh, Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises and B. S. Meena, Secretary, Department of Heavy Industries who will be accompanied by BHEL chairman and managing director Shri B.P. Rao.

The venture, which helps to protect future Forgemasters markets in the sub-continent, will serve India ’s rapidly growing domestic market for turbine and power generation products.

JEA looking to buy nuclear plant

Florida utility company, JEA, could spend $2 billion to buy a piece of a nuclear plant, it was reported in the Florida Times Union.

Managers at the Jacksonville-owned utility say they have no deals yet, or even a specific power plant in mind, say owning up to 500 megawatts of a plant's capacity could have long-term benefits for the utility and its customers.

JEA's generating capacity is more than 3,000 megawatts. But the utility expects to need more, and sees nuclear power as a possible way to grow while shifting away from fuel that could face new regulations for producing greenhouse gases.

"It would ultimately grow to be a replacement ... of a fossil fuel technology," said Paul McElroy, JEA's chief financial officer.

However, JEA Board members were told last week that the best prospects were probably deals on plants that could start operation in 10 to 20 years.

Valve problems shut down New Jersey´s Salem 1 plant

Two times in a scale of one week, the operators of the New Jersey-based Salem 1 nuclear reactor shut down the plant to repair a faulty valve, according to a nj.com report.

Salem 1 was taken off-line at 3:58 a.m. Thursday after control room operators discovered a problem with a valve on one of the plant’s four steam generators, according to Joe Delmar, spokesman for PSEG Nuclear.

The problem was fixed and Salem 1 was restarted and began sending out power over the regional power grid at 4:51 p.m. Thursday.

On Tuesday, Salem 1 however was shut down at 4:35 p.m. after operators found a problem with one of the valves that regulates water flow to one of the plant’s four steam generators, said the report.

The problem was taken care of and the plant went back online at 1:40 p.m. Wednesday.

According to Delmar the problem encountered on Thursday was with another valve on another of the four steam generators at the plant. It was not the same valve involved.

Salem 1’s neighboring reactors at the Island — Salem 2 and Hope Creek — remain operating at full power, Delmar said.