Day: February 10, 2022

France will build at least six new nuclear reactors in the decades to come, President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday, placing nuclear power at the heart of his country’s drive for carbon neutrality by 2050.

Macron said the new plants would be built and operated by state-controlled energy provider EDF and that tens of billions of euros in public financing would be mobilized to finance the projects and safeguard EDF’s finances.

“What our country needs, and the conditions are there, is the rebirth of France’s nuclear industry,” Macron said, unveiling his new nuclear strategy in the eastern industrial town of Belfort.

Promising to accelerate the development of solar and offshore wind power in France, Macron also announced he wanted to extend the lifespan of older nuclear plants to 50 years or more from 40 years currently, provided it was safe.

The announcement comes at a difficult time for debt-laden EDF, which is facing delays and budget over-runs on new nuclear plants in France and Britain, and corrosion problems in some of its aging reactors.

The nuclear blueprint cements France’s commitment to nuclear power, a mainstay of the country’s postwar industrial prowess but whose future was uncertain after Macron and his predecessor had promised to reduce its weight in the country’s energy mix.

Macron’s thinking has been reshaped by the European Union’s ambitious goals for carbon neutrality within three decades, which put renewed focus on energy forms that emit fewer, or zero, greenhouse gases than fossil fuels, including nuclear.

Surging energy prices and concerns about Europe’s reliance on imported Russian gas have also persuaded French officials of the region’s need for more energy independence.

EDF estimates the cost of six new EPR reactors at about 50 billion euros, depending on financing conditions.

The first new reactor, an evolution of the European Pressurized Reactor (EPR), would come online by 2035, Macron said. Studies for a further eight reactors beyond the initial half-dozen new plants would be launched, he added.

France will also increase its solar power capacity tenfold by 2050 to more than 100 gigawatts (GW) and target building 50 offshore wind farms with a combined capacity of at least 40 GW. Capacity from land-based wind turbines, which face strong public resistance, would only be doubled by 2050, he said.

Energy U-turn

Macron’s decision to extend the lifespan of existing plants marked a U-turn on an earlier pledge to close more than a dozen of EDF’s 56 reactors by 2035.

Nuclear safety still divides Europe after Japan’s Fukushima disaster. France lobbied hard for nuclear to be labeled as sustainable under new European Commission rules on green financing.

If the new EU taxonomy rules are approved, it should reduce the cost of financing nuclear energy projects.

Macron said the state would assume its responsibilities in securing EDF’s finances, indicating that the government may inject fresh capital into the 84% state-owned firm.

The State will assume its responsibilities in securing EDF’s finances and its short- and medium-term financing capacity,” Macron said.

EDF’s EPR reactors have suffered a troubled history. EPR projects at Flamanville in France and Hinkley Point in Britain are running years behind schedule and billions over budget, while EPR reactors in China and Finland have been hit by technical issues.

Separately EDF this week revised lower its output forecast for its nuclear fleet to 295-315 TWh compared to 361 TWh last year, in part due to extended reactor shutdowns due to corrosion problems in several reactors. If the level drops below 300 TWh, it would be at its lowest since 1990.

Compounding EDF’s difficulties, Macron, who faces a re-election battle in two months and is striving to head off public anger over rising energy bills, has ordered the utility to sell more cheap power to rivals – a move that will knock about 8 billion euros off EDF’s 2022 core earnings.

EDF’s share price is down 18% so far in 2022.

EDF confirmed on Thursday it would buy a France-based nuclear turbine unit from General Electric as the utility looks to bundle nuclear activities deemed to be strategic.

Source: Voice of America

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Thursday issued a draft of revised guidelines for prescribing opioid painkillers, urging doctors to be flexible and individualize their use of the drugs to the needs of the patient.

The CDC’s current guidelines were issued in 2016, largely in response to the over-prescribing of opioids in the United States from 2007 to 2012. The agency reports in 2012, 259 million prescriptions were written for the highly addictive painkillers, enough for every person in the country to have their own bottle.

The result was one of the worst drug-abuse epidemics in the U.S., with addiction and deaths related to the drugs skyrocketing. The CDC reports that from 1999 to 2014, more than 165,000 people in the United States died from overdoses related to opioid pain medication.

But CDC officials said that while 2016 guidelines helped end the over-prescribing of the drugs, they also may have pushed doctors too far in the other direction.

Co-author of the new guidelines, acting director of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Christopher Jones, said some doctors were too quick to cut off patients taking prescription painkillers and too strict in keeping the drugs from patients who might benefit.

The 229-page draft of the updated guidelines removes some of the suggested limits the original guidelines placed on administering opioids and proposes individualized patient care. It also offers more options for treating the kind of short-term, acute pain that follows surgeries or injuries.

The CDC published the draft of the new guidelines in the U.S. Federal Register, where the public can view and comment on them for the next 60 days. The CDC will consider comments before finalizing the updated guidance.

CDC guidelines are voluntary, though they are widely followed by U.S. healthcare providers.

Source: Voice of America

Khong Sedon Alcohol Distillery Sole Company signed on Feb 9 an agreement with Guangzhou Trading Company and Beijing Xinxiang Yulong Company on exporting Khong Sedon-branded rice whisky of the southern province of Saravan to China.

The agreement was signed by President of Khong Sedon Alcohol Distillery Sole Company Xayadeth Phanthong and President of Guangzhou Trading Company and Beijing Xixiang Yulong Company Li Xitao in the presence of Vice Governor of Saravan Phouthong Khammanivong, Governor of Khongsedon district Samai Phithisane, and representatives of relevant authorities. “Wishing to create jobs for people in Khongsedon district, the Khong Sedon Alcohol Distillery has asked the government to green light the establishment of a community small pot alcohol distillery complex to meet domestic and export demands,” said Vice President of Khong Sedon Alcohol Distillery Company Xayasack Phanethong.

“The establishment of the community industrial complex will yield benefits for all parties, promoting protection of the origin and tradition of longstanding small pot spirits, the quality of Lao white whisky and income generation for local people.”

Khong Sedon Alcohol Distillery was established in 2002 in Napheng, Khongsedon district, Saravan, as an original small pot alcohol producer. In 2005, the alcoholic product of the factory won a golden trophy from the National Chamber of Commerce and Industry. More people joined the alcohol production scheme of the company by distilling alcohol for the company to bottle, pack and sell to domestic markets.

Source: Lao News Agency

Key Messages

Key messages for this weekly report are presented below.

Rainfall and its forecast

• During 1-7 February 2022, rainfall was detected in the Mekong River Basin (MRB), varied from 1.00 mm to 19.00 mm.

• There will be some rain for the next 7 days over the Mekong region from 8 to 14 February 2022 due to low-pressure line dominating some parts in the LMB.

Water level and its forecast

• The MRC’s observed water level at Jinghong showed a stable level during the weekly monitoring period from 1 to 7 Feb 2022 (recorded on 7:00 am) and stayed about 0.36 m lower than its two-year average (2020-2021) value. The outflow at Jinghong station was about 807.00 m3/s from 1 to 7 February 2022.

• Amid the sudden decreased outflow from Jinghong upstream, water level of monitoring station at Chiang Saen in Thailand increased about 0.03 m from 1 to 7 Feb 2022 and remained 0.14 m higher than its long-term average (LTA), considered normal. Water level at Lao PDR’s Luang Prabang increased about 0.08 m compared with last week and stayed 0.02 m higher than its historical maximum value. WLs at the monitoring stations from Chiang Khan in Thailand to Vientiane of Lao PDR, however, significantly decreased, dropping about 0.50 m; which remained higher than their LTA value. Water levels from Nong Khai in Thailand to Paksane in Lao PDR decreased about 0.35 m and 0.49 m respectively and dropped close to their historical minimum level, considered critical. Also, WLs from Thailand’s Nakhon Phanom to Lao PDR’s Pakse decreased about 0.60 m and stayed lower than their LTA level. The current WL at Savannakhet in Lao PDR dropped close to its historical minimum level, which is still considered critical. Water levels from the stretches of the river from Stung Treng to Kompong Cham in Cambodia slightly decreased, while WL at Chaktomuk, Koh Khel, Prek Kdam increased about 0.20 m due to some contributed rainfall from the upstream part (The Tonle Sap Lake area).

• The water volume of the Tonle Sap Lake up to 7 Feb 2022 was lower than its LTA but higher than the levels in 2019, 2020 and 2021 during the report period, and still considered critical.

• Water levels at Tan Chau and Chau Doc remained fluctuating between their Minimum and Maximum values due to the tidal process.

• Over the next seven days, the water levels across the monitoring stations are expected to go down from Khong Chiam in Thailand to Kompong Cham in Cambodia. Water levels at some stations currently remain higher than their long-term average value, while the others remain lower. Drought condition and its forecast

• Drought conditions of the LMB from 30 January to 05 February 2022 were normal all over the LMB except some moderate drought in the northeast and southern parts due to severely dry soil moistures during the beginning of dry season. The region showed no significant threat except some moderate and severe dry soil moistures which are normal during dry season.

• For the upcoming three-month forecast, the LMB is likely to receive average rainfall and under normal conditions in February and March while receive relatively high amount of rain in April 2022. Based on the rainfall forecasts, April is likely to be much wetter than normal year especially in the north and central parts of the LMB.

Source: Mekong River Commission