Following the management buy out (MBO) at British Coal`s Hatfield Colliery, a member of the Solicitors involved looks at some of the issues to be considered in coal industry MBO`s. British Coal should be notified, a business plan will be needed for handling venture capital and other issues, and warranties need negotiating.
This project of law concerns an additional protocol to the agreement of warranties signed on September 22, 1998 between France, the European atomic energy community and the IAEA. This agreement concerns the declaration of all information relative to the R and D activities linked with the fuel cycle and involving the cooperation with a foreign country non endowed with nuclear weapons. These information include the trade and processing of nuclear and non-nuclear materials and equipments devoted to nuclear reactors (pressure vessels, fuel loading/unloading systems, control rods, force and zirconium tubes, primary coolant pumps, deuterium and heavy water, nuclear-grade graphite), to fuel reprocessing plants, to isotope separation plants (gaseous diffusion, laser enrichment, plasma separation, electromagnetic enrichment), to heavy water and deuterium production plants, and to uranium conversion plants. (J.S.)
Energy projects are extremely capitalistic and the costs involved have a significant weight on the balance sheets of companies. This paper describes the general rules of financing policies used by companies from the natural gas and petroleum industries: constraints (external and financial markets, partnership, warranties..); implication of financiers; risk analysis (political (nationalization, civil or military troubles, difficult transfer of profits outside the project..), financial (property developer, nature of the project, delay, cost overruns, performance, market..)); financial instruments (proper funds and debt, bankers and insurers, loans etc..). These rules are illustrated with several examples of recent projects of gas pipelines and exploitation of oil fields abroad. (J.S.)
The photovoltaic (PV) industry is rapidly beginning to recognize the market potential of the buildings sector. New PV-for-buildings products have recently become commercially available, and numerous products that are under development will be introduced within the next 5 years. To ensure that these new products will be adopted and used in common building practices, the PV industry should recognize and address important buildings industry issues. These issues include building codes and standards, after-market servicing, education, and warranties and insurance policies. Photovoltaic systems are also still very expensive. The simplest method for increasing their value for a building is to decrease the building's electrical loads through energy efficiency and conservation. Meeting these goals can only be accomplished through partnerships with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), private industry, and public institutions.
This presentation explored the use of marine biodiesel in the Puget Sound region. Marine vessels are now adopting biodiesel fuels as a means of expressing corporate commitments to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the environmental impacts of hydrocarbons released into marine environments. Various biodiesel blends have been designed for use in small commercial, recreational, and research vessels. Biodiesel has also been adopted by charter and whale watching vessels in the Puget Sound. The Guemes Island Ferry has recently been re-configured to use biodiesel fuels, with 2 fuel tanks capable of receiving 2200 gallons at a time. The ferry adopted biodiesel after receiving soot complaints from marinas, and hopes to serve as a model for other vessels in the region. Four fueling docks supply the biodiesel blend to marine vessels. The sale of biodiesel has doubled in some marinas over the last 5 years. Deterrents to biodiesel use include parts incompatibilities and ...
Hydrogenics is a leading global developer of hydrogen and fuel cell products for onsite generation and power and test systems. Hydrogenics has been working with the Canadian military since 1996, and also has contracts for portable hydrogen systems with the National American Space Agency (NASA), and the United States Army. This presentation highlighted a number of Hydrogenics' fuel cell technologies for military and commercial applications. Products included portable military generators, electrolysers and reformers, backup power systems, and regenerative satellite systems. Specifications, warranties and power capabilities for the batteries and systems were presented. Details of the company's testing facilities and procedures were provided, as well as a case study of a fuel cell hybrid vehicle. Details of the HyPORT-E 5 kW Regenerative Fuel Cell Auxiliary Power Unit were presented, as well as a feasibility study for the use of fuel cells in Canadian ...
The H-SAPS (Hydrogen Stand-Alone Power System) project, an EU project within the ALTENER programme in the period 2002-2004, was initiated to determine the potential for the introduction of environmentally benign hydrogen technology in what is believed to be a near-term market, namely stand-alone power systems (SAPS). The objective of the project was to examine the technological, political, social and economical factors affecting the emergence of hydrogen technology in the stand-alone power system market today and in the future. The scope of the project was limited to small and medium sized stand-alone power systems, up to a few hundred kilowatts (kW) power rating and based on renewable energy as the primary energy source. The work was divided into five phases: (1) Inception, (2) Data collection and analysis, (3) Market analysis and barrier removal, (4) Dissemination, and (5) Final report. Separate reports were written on these topics, and later summarised this final report. The ...
This additional protocol to the agreement between France, EURATOM and the IAEA aims at reinforcing the nuclear weapons non-proliferation regime. This protocol widens the field of competences of the IAEA with the supply of new information relative to: the civil nuclear cooperation between France and countries having no nuclear weapons in the domain of fuel cycle; the regular inspection of French nuclear facilities; the trade (import and export) of medium- or high-level radioactive wastes containing plutonium, highly enriched uranium or {sup 233}U, and the trade of some non-nuclear equipments or materials with countries having no nuclear weapons. The protocol defines also some practical dispositions relative to the delays and periodicity of controls, to the transmission of data, to the appointment of IAEA inspectors and their access to the facilities and sites considered. The list of the activities and equipments covered by the protocol are given in appendixes. (J.S.)
After 3 years of construction the trial run of the heating power station HKW 2 ended in November 1997 on time. No extraordinary damage occured during construction, assembly or commissioning. The plant has been operating according to schedule since November 1997. A brief inspection carried out in the summer of 1998 in order to assess warranty claims showed no damage to any part except one valve. Experience shows that all aforementioned activities were necessary. The paper reports about success and negative experience. Certification according to DIN EN ISO 9000ff., however, affords to guarantee of high-quality construction. Builders of such plants therefore need to set up their own quality assurance centre and ensure its technical competence. If necessary,additional experts should be called in.Quality assurance costs for HKW 2 came to about 0.5-0.6 percent of total costs. In view of the success and long life of this investment these expenses are more than justified. ...