Turkey’s nuclear Plant delayed again

Turkey has put back for a seventh time a decision on which of three international consortia will build the country’s first nuclear power station. The delay follows the treasury ministry’s decision not to guarantee the financing of the project, which is to be offered through “other financial models”, according to state minister Recep Onal.

Seabank 1 handed over

Siemens Power Generation Group has handed over control of the 755 MWe Seabank 1 station to its owners. The plant, in Avonmouth, UK, uses two V94.3A Siemens gas-fired turbines in combined cycle mode. The 386 MWe Seabank 2 is under construction and is due to begin operations in late 2000.

MBO deal for alstom group

Alstom Automation Group has completed a management buyout for £53 million ($80 million). The company provides nuclear and thermal power specialist materials handling services.

NI plant

Premier Power Ltd plans a $320 million, 600 MWe CCGT at Ballylumford, which could meet up to half of Northern Ireland’s electricity needs. The plant, along with changes to the current power purchase agreements, could save $144 million over ten years, says the Office for Regulation of Electricity and Gas.

TVA in Court

Tennessee Valley Authority has applied to the appeal court to quash a ruling by the EPA over its modifications to coal-fired plant. The TVA has referred the administrative order to the courts after negotiations broke down.

Stranded costs

NCPA reports that it would be possible to recover stranded costs without a tariff charge by divesting assets at a premium. Given that the true market value of these assets is high at the moment, they would not then qualify as “stranded” at all. The NCPA calls upon state authorities to insist that utilities apply the market value test to assets before applying for compensation through rate settlements.

Turkish loans

US ExIm bank agreed to provide $525 million of financing for two thermal generation projects in Turkey. Two CCGT plants are under development by InterGen and local firm Enka. The 1555 MWe Gezbe plant is due July 2002, the 780 MWe Adapazari plant is due to start a few months later. Both plants US GE turbines

Aneel auction

Aneel, Brazil’s electricity regulator, is to auction a 35-year concession to build and operate the 690 MWe Barra Grande hydroelectric project on the Pelotas River. More than 20 companies have prequalified for the bidding, including Gerasul, Inepar, ABB, Siemens and Mitsubishi. The project spans the municipalities of Anita Garibaldi in Santa Catarina state and Esmeralda in Rio Grande do Sul. Other concessions scheduled for auction are the Foz de Chapeco and Rio das Antas projects.