Page 10 - AsiaElec Week 17

AsiaElec NUCLEAR AsiaElec
Russia’s Rosatom delivers fuel material to Iran’s Bushehr nuclear plant
IRAN
RUSSIA’S Rosatom has announced it has deliv- ered another shipment of nuclear fuel to Iran’s largest nuclear plant of Bushehr on the Persian Gulf, the country’s embassy in Tehran reported on April 29.
The US quietly renewed waivers on April 1 on Russia’s work with the plant as part of a 60-day renewed exemption package — a leg- acy of the Iran nuclear deal as part of Russia’s commitments.
“As a result of the joint efforts of the OAEI, State Atomic Energy Corporation “Rosatom” and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, another consignment of nuclear fuel was deliv- ered to the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant (NPP),” the embassy in Tehran announced.
The memo said that Bushehr plant needed further fuel and this “is necessary for the further successful functioning of the reactor.”
Russia announced back in 2019 that it would halt co-operation with Iran at another site called
Fordo, sparking fears for the continued opera- tion of Bushehr which powers cities in the south of Iran.
Rosatom announced in December that it was halting work on the project at the underground site.
Its announcement came shortly after Iranian authorities said they were once again enriching uranium at Fordo in breach of the 2015 nuclear accord, signed with six world powers but unilat- erally abandoned by the US in May 2018.
The Russians said their decision to exit the project was not directly related to Iran’s decision to restart enrichment.
“Uranium enrichment and the production of stable isotopes cannot be carried out in the same room,” Rosatom nuclear fuel cycle unit TVEL said in a statement, adding that the implemen- tation of the project was “technologically impos- sible” currently.™
RENEWABLES
IRENA-led green players
call for recovery to meet
climate objectives
Over 100 leading players in renewable energy, gathered under the IRENA Coalition for Action, have come together in a joint
call for action, putting forward concrete recommendations on how governments
can ensure a rapid and sustained economic recovery that aligns with climate and sustainability objectives.
IRENA’s recent Global Renewables Outlook finds that aligning COVID-19 recovery efforts with the objectives of the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development will require comprehensive policy packages, massive resource mobilisation, and enhanced international cooperation, but would result
in massive socio-economic gains at the global level.
Renewable energy can play a key role in strategies addressing COVID-19 by providing reliable, easy-to-mobilise, and cost-effective electricity for essential services.
The Coalition for Action members called
NEWS IN BRIEF
on governments to follow put renewables at the heart of their economic recovery post- COVID-19.
Governments must revisit deadlines
for renewable energy projects that face contractual obligations for near-term delivery. They must also designate the renewable energy industry and related infrastructure
as a critical and essential sector. Finally, they must affirm and extend policies promoting renewable energy solutions, both centralised and decentralised.
To do this, the coalition wants governments to prioritise renewable energy in any stimulus measures and commit to phasing out support for fossil fuels. They must provide public financial support to safeguard the industry and mobilise private investment in renewable energy. Also, they must enhance the role of renewable energy in industrial policies and revise labour and education policies to foster a just transition and help workers make the shift into renewable energy jobs.
Finally, governments should strengthen international co-operation and action to accelerate renewable energy deployment in line with global climate and sustainability objectives.
The IRENA Coalition for Action brings
together over 100 leading renewable energy players from around the world with the common goal of advancing the uptake of renewable energy.
IRENA
NUCLEAR
Tepco weighs options over
projected tsunami threat to
Fukushima plant
TEPCO is assessing a government report
that highlights the threat of another tsunami overwhelming its wrecked Fukushima nuclear station, Reuters reported.
TEPCO is trying to clean up the site of its Fukushima Daiichi plant, hit by a massive earthquake and tsunami in 2011, an effort expected to last decades as it looks to build defences against another disaster.
The latest government projection suggests an 11-metre seawall planned by TEPCO engineers could be overwhelmed if tsunami waves taller than 20 metres) are unleashed by a quake of magnitude 9 or more, broadcaster NHK has said.
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Week 17 29•April•2020