2019-05-06 11:20:00
FRANCE'S SAFE NUCLEAR FUEL
WNN - Framatome, the French fuel and technology company said "two full fuel assemblies" of its Enhanced Accident Tolerant Fuel would be loaded at Exelon's Calvert Cliffs plant in February 2021.
It said it was the fourth contract for the fuel, at the fourth reactor type so far.
"We are continually looking for innovative ways to enhance our reliability while maintaining the exceptional standards for safety that are held at Calvert Cliffs and across the Exelon nuclear fleet," said Calvert Cliffs site vice president Mark Flaherty.
Calvert Cliffs in Maryland has two pressurised water reactors which produce about 860 MWe each. Company statements did not reveal which of the two units the fuel would be loaded into.
Framatome said its "advanced chromium coating added to the state-of-the-art M5 Framatome zirconium alloy cladding" improves high-temperature oxidation resistance and reduces hydrogen generation during loss of cooling. The chromium coating also "greatly reduces" creep to maintain a coolable geometry and has mechanical properties that allow for more operator response time, it added. The coating also offers increased resistance to debris fretting during normal operations, it said.
In addition to chromium coated cladding, the fuel design includes chromia-enhanced fuel pellets, which have a higher density, reduced fission gas release and improved behaviour during loss of cooling, Framatome said, adding that Reduced Pellet Clad Interaction (PCI) also better supports power manoeuvring.
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Earlier:
2019, May, 2, 16:20:00
FRANCE'S NUCLEAR SHUTDOWN
France's ambitious energy plan will require substantial investment efforts over the next few years. Against this backdrop, the French government has expressed a willingness to propose a new remuneration framework for the existing nuclear fleet - though the timing and details of such a regulatory change remain uncertain and remote. What's more, the French state has opened the option of increasing its stake in EDF (currently 83.7%) by as early as 2019. If, or indeed when, these developments are implemented it could be credit positive.
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2019, April, 24, 10:40:00
FRANCE'S NUCLEAR IS IMPORTANT
France's ambitious energy plan will require substantial investment efforts over the next few years. Against this backdrop, the French government has expressed a willingness to propose a new remuneration framework for the existing nuclear fleet - though the timing and details of such a regulatory change remain uncertain and remote. What's more, the French state has opened the option of increasing its stake in EDF (currently 83.7%) by as early as 2019. If, or indeed when, these developments are implemented it could be credit positive.
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2019, April, 10, 10:45:00
RUSSIA'S GAS FOR FRANCE +58%
It was noted that France ranks among Gazprom's key markets in Europe. The Company's gas exports to the country grew by 58 per cent in five years, reaching 12.9 billion cubic meters in 2018.
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2019, April, 5, 09:55:00
FRANCE'S HYDROGEN ENERGY
France's EDF has launched a hydrogen production and distribution subsidiary to support decarbonisation of industry and mobility using low-carbon electricity from its nuclear and renewable energy fleet.
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2019, March, 29, 10:50:00
FRANCE, CHINA NUCLEAR
Chinese President Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron discussed common goals for nuclear power and the fight against climate change in bilateral talks held on 25 March during Xi’s three-day state visit to France. Macron's statement specifically mentioned the long-awaited project for cooperation to build a plant to reprocess China's used nuclear fuel.
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2019, February, 20, 10:45:00
FRANCE'S NUCLEAR POWER UP
WNN - EDF in 2018 achieved all its financial objectives and exceeded the targets of its performance plan, company chairman and CEO Jean-Bernard Lévy announced last week. Its performance would be "amplified" in 2019, he said during the presentation of its results.
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2019, January, 30, 10:40:00
FRANCE'S NUCLEAR CHANGES
WNN - President Emmanuel Macron announced last November that a total of 14 French power reactors of 900 MWe capacity will be shut down in order to reduce the share of nuclear in the country's electricity generation mix from the current 75% to 50% by 2035.
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