NRG en nucleair in het nieuws	Krantenartikelen

Zoeken in NRG krantenartikelen NRG To Study New Nuclear In The Netherlands NucNet Door: Daniel MacIsaac 20 juli 2004   Nuclear Research and consultancy Group (NRG) has announced it will launch a study next month related to the introduction of new nuclear capacity into the Dutch energy market. NRG operates the Petten research reactor on the Netherlands’ North Sea coast, and made the announcement in releasing its 2003 annual report on 12th July. The company, which has celebrated its fifth anniversary working in the areas of nuclear technology and radiation protection (see Business News No. 125, 2nd November 1998), said it has also been witnessing many changes in the industry. NRG said: “In particular the nuclear power option has received significant worldwide attention -- is there even talk of a renaissance within Europe?” NRG referred to the results of the April 2004 “Nuclear Landscape” survey published by The Hague-based Rathenau Institute. NRG said: “The report demonstrates that also in the Netherlands there exists a seedbed for new debate -- discussion on important issues such as continuity of supply and climate change related to energy supply sources of the future, call for fundamental choices.” In this context, NRG said the survey starting next month would consider the reactor type and associated fuel-cycle most appropriate for market penetration both within Europe and within the Netherlands in particular -- and consider aspects like new market developments and the demand for hydrogen and heat generation. NRG said the issue requires an integrated process model for nuclear power for use within the context of macro-economic market penetration and in comparison with other energy sources -- and that the research will be undertaken in collaboration with organisations including the Netherlands’ Delft Technical University and Argonne National Laboratories in the US. The subject of the Netherlands’ nuclear future has come up recently. Ronald Blom, chief executive of ENERCO energy distributor, last December called for “a serious debate” about the need for nuclear (see News No. 329, 9th December 2003), and last month the local council in the Dutch municipality of Zijpe -- home to Petten -- urged a replacement be built when the current research reactor reaches the end of its operational lifetime around 2015 (see News in Brief No. 8, 12th July 2004). The NRG annual report also includes comments by Roland Schenkel, deputy director-general of the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission -- who called 2003 a “crucial” year for the Petten high flux reactor (HFR). He referred to the submission of a licence-renewal application, which included a required Environmental Impact Assessment and Integral Safety Assessment, as well as a structural-integrity assessment by Serco Assurance -- meaning that the reactor can safely operate using the latest technology “at least until 2015” while the process to replace it moves forward. Mr Schenkel concluded that in 2003 the reactor “has again proven to be a reliable source for both research and isotope production” and said he plans to “further strengthen the position of the HFR in the European Research Area”. Editor: Daniel MacIsaac

NRG, PO Box 25, NL-1755 ZG Petten, Netherlands, Tel +31-224564080, Fax +31-224563912 Informatie: info@nrg-nl.com Update 20 juli 2004