Lifetime Extension of Ageing Nuclear Power Plants: Entering a New Era of Risk
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Lifetime extension of ageing nuclear power plants: Entering a new era of risk Report comissionned by Greenpeace www.out-of-age.eu Lifetime extension of ageing nuclear power plants: Entering a new era of risk A report commissionned by Greenpeace Editor: Jan Haverkamp Published in March 2014 by Greenpeace Switzerland Heinrichstr. 147 B.O. Box, 8031 Zurich, Switzerland contact : [email protected] ISBN 978-3-033-04445-6 Ageing damaged outside wall of the reactor building at the Belgian nulcear power plant Tihange © Alain Vincent/Greenpeace Contents Introduction 1 Executive Summary 9 Chapter 1: Risks of Nuclear Ageing 15 Chapter 2: The economics of nuclear power plant lifetime extension 69 Chapter 3: Nuclear Liability Of Ageing Nuclear Reactors 99 Chapter 4: Politics, public participation and nuclear ageing 121 Ackowledgments 140 Introduction Introduction Introduction The heyday of nuclear power plant construction was the 1970s and 1980s. While most of the first generation of reactors have been closed down, the following second generation of reactors are largely still operational. By 11 March 2014, the third anniversary of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, the 25 oldest reactors in Europe (excluding Russia) will be over 35 years old. country power station type reactor reference unit power starting date age (years) 1 CH Beznau 1 PWR 365 17.07.1969 44 X 2 UK Wylfa 1 GCR 490 24.01.1971 43 X 3 ES Santa Maria de Garona BWR 446 02.03.1971 43 X 4 CH Muehleberg BWR 373 01.07.1971 42 X 5 SE Oskarshamn 1 BWR 473 19.08.1971 42 X 6 CH Beznau 2 PWR 265 23.10.1971 42 X 7 NL Borssele PWR 482 04.07.1973 40 X 8 SE Ringhals 2 PWR 865 17.08.1974 39 X 9 BE Doel 1 PWR 433 28.08.1974 39 X 10 SE Oskarshamn 2 BWR 638 02.10.1974 39 X 11 SE Ringhals 1 BWR 865 14.10.1974 39 X 12 BE Tihange 1 PWR 962 07.03.1975 39 X 13 BE Doel 2 PWR 433 21.08.1975 38 X 14 UK Hinkley Point B2 GCR 435 05.02.1976 38 X 15 UK Hunterston B1 GCR 430 06.02.1976 38 X 16 UK Hinkley Point B1 GCR 435 30.10.1976 37 X 17 FI Loviisa 1 PWR 495 08.02.1977 37 X 18 UK Hunterston B2 GCR 430 31.03.1977 36 X 19 FR Fessenheim 1 PWR 880 06.04.1977 36 X 20 FR Fessenheim 2 PWR 880 07.10.1977 36 X 21 FR Bugey 2 PWR 910 10.05.1978 35 22 FI Olkiluoto 1 BWR 880 02.09.1978 35 23 FR Bugey 3 PWR 910 21.09.1978 35 24 CH Goesgen PWR 970 02.02.1979 35 25 FR Bugey 4 PWR 880 08.03.1979 35 age on 11 March 2014 > 40 years X = less than three years from its original technical design life-time BWR = boiling water reactor 35 – 40 years X = older than its original technical design life-time PWR = pressurised water reactor GCR = gas cooled reactor Table 1.1. - 25 Oldest nuclear power stations in the EU and surrounding countries – operating reactors. Age shown as of 11 March 2011 Source: IAEA PRIS database – http://www.iaea.org/pris. 11.03.2014 2 INTRODUCTION Introduction Almost half of those are older than their original design lifetime. In Europe excluding Russia, 46 out of 151 operational reactors are older than their original design lifetimes or within three years of reaching that date. However, only a few of those reactors will be closed down in the near future – most have had, or are set to have, their lifetimes extended for a further 20 years or more. In the United States, meanwhile, more than two-thirds of the ageing reactor fleet have received extended licences to take them to 60 years of operation. As a result, we are entering a new era of nuclear risk. This study, commissioned by Greenpeace, consists of four chapters that address different aspects of Europe's ageing reactor fleet and issues relating to its lifetime extension. In Chapter 1, the German Öko-Institut investigates the technical aspects of nuclear ageing, building on earlier work commissioned by Greenpeace in 19861 and 2005.2 In Chapter 2, Prof. Stephen Thomas of the University of Greenwich assesses the role of economics in decisions on the lifetime extension of old nuclear reactors. In Chapter 3, Prof. Tom Vanden Borre of the University of Leuven in Belgium and Prof. Michael Faure from the University of Maastricht assess the implications of an ageing reactor fleet for nuclear liability – in particular the question of the extent to which, if an accident befalls one of these older reactors, victims can count on receiving adequate compensation. They have also produced a longer, more in-depth study that will be published on the internet together with this report.3 In Chapter 4, Ir. Jan Haverkamp assesses the public’s role in decisions to extend the lifetimes of old nuclear reactors, and considers whether there are adequate opportunities for it to influence the decision-making process. The opinions in the different chapters represent the opinions of the authors and do not necessarily coincide with those of Greenpeace. 1 Anderson, R, Benecke, J., Donderer, R. et al. 1986. International nuclear reactor hazard study. Gruppe Ökologie, Hannover. 2 Hirsch, H., Becker, O., Schneider, M. & Froggatt, A. 2005. Nuclear reactor hazards: ongoing dangers of operating nuclear technology in the 21st century. Green- peace, Amsterdam. http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/publications/reports/nuclearreactorhazards/ 3 Faure, M. & Vanden Borre, T, 2013. Study on the influence of Plant Lifetime Extension (PLEX) on nuclear liability. Greenpeace, Zürich INTRODUCTION 3 Introduction The Report Authors • Dipl.-Ing.Simone Mohr, Dipl.-Ing. Stephan Kurth, Dr Christoph Pistner and Dipl.-Ing.Judith Breuer are responsible for Chapter 1: Risks of nuclear ageing. Dipl.-Ing. Simone Mohr, Öko-Institut e.V. Darmstadt, Germany: [email protected] Simone Mohr holds a degree in mechanical engineering from the Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen. After several years in industry she joined the Nuclear Engineering & Facility Safety research division of the Öko-Institut e.V. in 1995. Major activities in recent years include producing expert reports and providing scientific-technical advisory services for the German Federal Ministry for Reactor Safety and other competent authorities. She has participated at national and international levels in investigations related to plant-specific safety reviews following the Fukushima disaster. She has also focused on safety analyses of different reactor types and evaluation of nuclear programmes. Selected publications: ‘Vulnerability analysis of the nuclear power plants in Dukovany, Czech Republic, with respect to the European Stress Test documents’, 2012; ‘Statement concerning the access records of citizens to technical safety documents of Mühleberg NPP in the context of the Federal Constitutional Court appeal by Ursula Balmer-Schafroth et al.”, 2011; participation in the “Analysis of documents in the context of the strategic environmental assessment of the Polish nuclear power programme”, 2011 Dipl.-Ing. Stephan Kurth, Öko-Institut e.V. Darmstadt, Germany: [email protected] Stephan Kurth received a Diploma in Plant and Process Engineering from the Fachhochschule in Cologne. After several years as a project engineer and consultant in the chemical industry he moved to the Öko-Institut e.V. Since 1995 he has worked in the Nuclear Engineering & Facility Safety research division. At present he is head of the plant safety group and as a senior expert he is responsible for safety-related questions concerning nuclear and non-nuclear technologies. His focus is on incident analyses and the assessment of specific safety systems as well as safety concepts as a whole – including related issues of safety management. For many years he has been involved in the systematic evaluation of operational experience, especially of reportable incidents. He is a member of the Committee on Reactor Operation of the German Reactor Safety Commission and the Committee on Plant Safety (non-nuclear). Dr Christoph Pistner, Öko-Institut e.V. Darmstadt, Germany: [email protected] Christoph Pistner received a PhD in Physics from the Darmstadt University of Technology (TUD). From 1999 to 2005 he worked on technical aspects of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation at the Science, Technology and Security Interdisciplinary Research Group of the TUD. In 2005, he joined the Nuclear Engineering & Facility Safety research division of the Öko-Institut e.V. Among other appointments, he is a member of the Committee on Plant- and Systems-Engineering of the German Reactor Safety Commission, the working group on probabilistic safety assessments of the German Environment Ministry and the board of the Research Association for Science, Disarmament and International Security (FONAS). He is co-editor of the book Kernenergie – eine Technik für die Zukunft?. Dipl.-Ing. Judith Breuer, Öko-Institut e.V. Darmstadt, Germany: [email protected] Judith Breuer received a Diploma in Electrical Engineering from the Darmstadt University of Technology (TUD). After several years as a project engineer at Siemens Power Generation and Areva she moved to the Öko-Institut e.V.. Since 2013 she has been working in the Nuclear Engineering & Facility Safety research division. • Prof. Stephen B. Thomas is responsible for Chapter 2: The economics of nuclear ageing. Prof. Stephen B. Thomas BSc PhD, University of Greenwich, United Kingdom: [email protected] Stephen Thomas is Professor of Energy Policy and Director of Research in the Business School of the University of Greenwich, London, where he has led the energy research since 2001. He has a BSc in Chemistry from the University of Bristol. He has worked as an independent energy policy researcher for 35 years.