POWER September 2014 - 15

While it suggests that the outlook for
nuclear power appears foggy, the IAEA
points out that in total, 72 reactors were
under construction at the end of last
year-the highest number since 1989. Of
these, 48 are in Asia. And of the 30 countries
currently planning to use nuclear
power, 25 were either expanding or planning
to expand their fleet at the end of
last year, the IAEA reported.
At the same time, several nuclear newcomers
reportedly made significant progress
on their first nuclear power plants
last year. Bangladesh began site preparation
work for its two-unit Rooppur plant,
and Jordan selected Atomstroyexport as a
preferred vendor for its first plant. Turkey
signed two cooperation agreements with
Japan for the Sinop plant, while Vietnam
prepared feasibility studies of two sites in
Ninh Thuan province.
At the end of 2013, more than 80%
of the currently operating nuclear power
plants worldwide had been in service for
20 years or more, and many countries
had given high priority to licensing their
nuclear power plants to operate for terms
beyond the 30 to 40 years originally anticipated,
the IAEA says.
On the nuclear fuel back end, the first
geological disposal facility was expected
to be operational in 2022, and it will be
" several decades " until such facilities are
commonly available in countries with nuclear
power programs, the report notes.
One trend that is apparent on the fuel
front is that " some reactor owners have
expressed concern over the assurance
of a long-term supply of reactor fuel, "
says the IAEA. " One potential mitigating
strategy is to use fuel from more than
one supplier. However, due to differences
in design and material, use of fuel from
different suppliers in the same reactor
core can present both technical and regulatory
challenges. "
5. Hydropower giant. Commissioning
of all 18 generating units at China's 13.9GW
Xiluodu Hydropower Station has been
completed, making it the world's third-largest
hydroelectric project after the Three Gorges
and Brazilian Itaipu complexes. This image is
an aerial view of the dam during construction.
Courtesy: China Three Gorges Corp.
China Commissions 13.9GW
Hydropower Project
Commissioning of all 18 generating units
at China's 13.9-GW Xiluodu Hydropower
Station has been completed, making it the
world's third-largest hydroelectric project
(Figure 5), China Three Gorges Corp. announced
in early July.
The massive $6.2 billion project is
situated on the Jinsha River, a major
headstream of the Yangtze River, in
southwest Yunnan and Sichuan provinces.
It is China's second largest after the
22.5-GW Three Gorges Dam and consists
of a 278-meter-tall concrete doublecurvature
arch dam with a crest elevation
of 610 m and a crest length of 700
m. Two large underground power houses
are inside the left and right banks, each
with nine 770-MW Francis turbine units.
The station can reportedly generate 57.1
billion kWh a year.
Construction of the project began in
December 2005, and it began generating
STATOR PROTECTION THAT
STANDS ON ITS OWN
The SEL-2664S Stator Ground Protection Relay is the
only relay on the market that offers standalone stator
winding protection with built-in I/O contacts and multiple
communications protocols. Combined with state-of-theart
technology that uses four individual low-frequency
injections, the SEL-2664S will ensure your generator is
protected all the time, even during startup.
Choose the SEL-2664S for complete stator ground
protection in a single, powerful relay. Learn more at
selinc.com/9pwr.
CIRCLE 9 ON READER SERVICE CARD
September 2014 | POWER
www.powermag.com
15
http://www.selinc.com/9pwr http://www.powermag.com
POWER September 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of POWER September 2014
