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104-652: Founded in 1955, the party is currently led by Lex Delles . Its former president, Xavier Bettel , was the Prime Minister of Luxembourg from 2013 to 2023, leading the Bettel I and II governments in coalition with the Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party (LSAP) and The Greens . It is the second-largest party in the Chamber of Deputies , with fourteen seats out of sixty, having won 17.8% of

208-404: A carbon footprint comparable to that of renewable energy such as solar farms and wind farms , and much lower than fossil fuels such as natural gas and coal . Nuclear power plants are among the safest modes of electricity generation, comparable to solar and wind power plants. The first time that heat from a nuclear reactor was used to generate electricity was on December 21, 1951, at

312-420: A steam generator and heats water to produce steam. The pressurized steam is then usually fed to a multi-stage steam turbine . After the steam turbine has expanded and partially condensed the steam, the remaining vapor is condensed in a condenser. The condenser is a heat exchanger which is connected to a secondary side such as a river or a cooling tower . The water is then pumped back into the steam generator and

416-688: A Member of the Chamber of Deputies in 2013 and a member of the government in 2017. He has held various positions in the Democratic Party and is currently party president. Delles became member of the DP and it's youth department JDL in 2010. He was president of the East District chapter of the JDL until 2013. He became vice-president of the DP in 2015, an office he held until 12 June 2022, when he

520-456: A certain stability for Delles, as his majority was one seat larger. As part of his municipal responsibilities, Delles was chairman of the Syndicat intercommunal pour la création, l'aménagement, la promotion et l'exploitation d'une zone d'activités économiques à caractère régional dans le canton de Remich (SIAER - Triangle vert) from March 2014 until December 2018. The 2013 general election

624-402: A facility has been completely decommissioned it is released from regulatory control, and the licensee of the station no longer has responsibility for its nuclear safety. Generally speaking, nuclear stations were originally designed for a life of about 30 years. Newer stations are designed for a 40 to 60-year operating life. The Centurion Reactor is a future class of nuclear reactor that

728-428: A law that gives entrepreneurs a second chance so that they are no longer excluded from setting up another company in the event of bankruptcy. These regulatory actions were seen as an indication that Delles is very economically liberal. Delles also emphasised the importance of ecologically sound tourism, which would attract nature loving tourists to Luxembourg. During the campaign for the 2023 general election , Delles

832-431: A mixture of liquid water and steam at saturation conditions, from the turbine-generator exhaust and condenses it back into sub-cooled liquid water so it can be pumped back to the reactor by the condensate and feedwater pumps. In the main condenser, the wet vapor turbine exhaust come into contact with thousands of tubes that have much colder water flowing through them on the other side. The cooling water typically come from

936-404: A natural body of water such as a river or lake. Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station , located in the desert about 97 kilometres (60 mi) west of Phoenix, Arizona, is the only nuclear facility that does not use a natural body of water for cooling, instead it uses treated sewage from the greater Phoenix metropolitan area. The water coming from the cooling body of water is either pumped back to

1040-429: A nuclear power plant often spans five to ten years, which can accrue significant financial costs, depending on how the initial investments are financed. Because of this high construction cost and lower operations, maintenance, and fuel costs, nuclear plants are usually used for base load generation, because this maximizes the hours over which the fixed cost of construction can be amortized. Nuclear power plants have

1144-483: A nuclear station is smaller than the fuel cost for operation of coal or gas plants. Since most of the cost of nuclear power plant is capital cost, there is almost no cost saving by running it at less than full capacity. Nuclear power plants are routinely used in load following mode on a large scale in France, although "it is generally accepted that this is not an ideal economic situation for nuclear stations". Unit A at

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1248-516: A number of long-established projects are struggling to find financing, notably Belene in Bulgaria and the additional reactors at Cernavodă in Romania , and some potential backers have pulled out. Where cheap gas is available and its future supply relatively secure, this also poses a major problem for nuclear projects. Analysis of the economics of nuclear power must take into account who bears

1352-444: A previous goal aimed to reduce nuclear electricity generation share to lower than fifty percent by 2025, this target was postponed to 2035 in 2019 and ultimately discarded in 2023. Russia continues to export the most nuclear power plants in the world, with projects across various countries: as of July 2023, Russia was constructing 19 out of 22 reactors constructed by foreign vendors; however, some exporting projects were canceled due to

1456-466: A service to transport luggage from one hotel to another when tourists were cycling or hiking and the Vëlosummer (bike summer). Initially, 16 country roads would be closed to motorised traffic and thus become an additional option for leisure cyclists. However, nine communes vetoed the plans on their territory and other routes were changed in a manner that the project was a lot smaller than presented at

1560-591: A significantly different evaluation of the economics of new nuclear power stations. Following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan , costs are likely to go up for currently operating and new nuclear power stations, due to increased requirements for on-site spent fuel management and elevated design basis threats. However many designs, such as the currently under construction AP1000, use passive nuclear safety cooling systems, unlike those of Fukushima I which required active cooling systems, which largely eliminates

1664-413: A slight decrease from the 2653 TWh produced in 2021. Thirteen countries generated at least one-quarter of their electricity from nuclear sources. Notably, France relies on nuclear energy for about 70% of its electricity needs, while Ukraine , Slovakia , Belgium , and Hungary source around half their power from nuclear. Japan , which previously depended on nuclear for over a quarter of its electricity,

1768-427: A small enough volume to become supercritical. Most reactors require continuous temperature control to prevent a core meltdown , which has occurred on a few occasions through accident or natural disaster, releasing radiation and making the surrounding area uninhabitable. Plants must be defended against theft of nuclear material and attack by enemy military planes or missiles. The most serious accidents to date have been

1872-482: A three-year research study of offshore floating nuclear power generation. In October 2022, NuScale Power and Canadian company Prodigy announced a joint project to bring a North American small modular reactor based floating plant to market. The economics of nuclear power plants is a controversial subject, and multibillion-dollar investments ride on the choice of an energy source. Nuclear power stations typically have high capital costs, but low direct fuel costs, with

1976-577: A very distinctive class profile. When in government, the DP has always held the office of Minister for the Middle Class . Most DP supporters are civil servants , white-collar workers , self-employed people, and those on high incomes. This group has been fast-growing, further focusing the party's electoral socio-economic appeal. The party's most successful areas electorally are Luxembourg City and its wealthy suburbs, where those groups are concentrated. The Mayor of Luxembourg City has come from

2080-580: A worldwide perspective, long-term waste storage costs are uncertain. Construction, or capital cost aside, measures to mitigate global warming such as a carbon tax or carbon emissions trading , increasingly favor the economics of nuclear power. Further efficiencies are hoped to be achieved through more advanced reactor designs, Generation III reactors promise to be at least 17% more fuel efficient, and have lower capital costs, while Generation IV reactors promise further gains in fuel efficiency and significant reductions in nuclear waste. In Eastern Europe,

2184-595: Is a Luxembourgish politician. He was mayor of Mondorf-les-Bains , Member of the Chamber of Deputies , he served as Minister for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises and Minister for Tourism in the second Bettel Government and, from 17 November 2023 on, serves as Minister of Economy, SMEs and Engery and Tourism in the Frieden-Bettel Government . He is a member of the Democratic Party (DP). After Delles finished his secondary studies at

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2288-527: Is anticipated to resume similar levels of nuclear energy utilization. Over the last 15 years, the United States has seen a significant improvement in the operational performance of its nuclear power plants, enhancing their utilization and efficiency, adding the output equivalent to 19 new 1000 MWe reactors without actual construction. In France, nuclear power plants still produce over sixty percent of this country's total power generation in 2022. While

2392-503: Is being designed to last 100 years. One of the major limiting wear factors is the deterioration of the reactor's pressure vessel under the action of neutron bombardment, however in 2018 Rosatom announced it had developed a thermal annealing technique for reactor pressure vessels which ameliorates radiation damage and extends service life by between 15 and 30 years. Nuclear stations are used primarily for base load because of economic considerations. The fuel cost of operations for

2496-439: Is fissile which means that it is easily split and gives off a lot of energy making it ideal for nuclear energy. On the other hand, U-238 does not have that property despite it being the same element. Different isotopes also have different half-lives . U-238 has a longer half-life than U-235, so it takes longer to decay over time. This also means that U-238 is less radioactive than U-235. Since nuclear fission creates radioactivity,

2600-445: Is mounted to track the outlet steam of the steam generator. In contrast, boiling water reactors pass radioactive water through the steam turbine, so the turbine is kept as part of the radiologically controlled area of the nuclear power station. The electric generator converts mechanical power supplied by the turbine into electrical power. Low-pole AC synchronous generators of high rated power are used. A cooling system removes heat from

2704-465: Is now again part of the Ministry of Economy. In December 2023, Delles stated that his priorities for the new legislative period were the development of new areas for business parks and the expansion of Luxembourg's data centre capacities for artificial intelligence. He also wants to expand the sectors of space activities, health tech, logistics and transport. Attracting talent in the skilled trades and

2808-414: The 1974 general election , to 22.2% of the vote and 14 seats. This political upset gave it the opportunity to enter into coalition negotiations with the second-placed LSAP. Surprisingly, in the negotiations, the DP got the upper hand, securing the most ministerial positions and departments, as well as the premiership itself under Gaston Thorn . The formation of Thorn's government, however, coincided with

2912-843: The Experimental Breeder Reactor I , powering four light bulbs. On June 27, 1954, the world's first nuclear power station to generate electricity for a power grid , the Obninsk Nuclear Power Plant , commenced operations in Obninsk , in the Soviet Union . The world's first full scale power station, Calder Hall in the United Kingdom , opened on October 17, 1956 and was also meant to produce plutonium . The world's first full scale power station solely devoted to electricity production

3016-530: The Frieden-Bettel Government . The Democratic Party sits on the moderate centre-right of the political spectrum in Luxembourg. Since the late 1960s, thanks to the secularisation of Luxembourg and the CSV, the party has moved gradually towards the centre, to allow it to form coalitions with either the CSV or LSAP. Now, it could be seen to be to the left of the CSV, in the centre , and with more in common with

3120-589: The Frieden-Bettel government . On 17 November 2023, Delles was sworn in as Minister for the Economy, SME and Tourism, together with the other members of the government. As competences shifted with the new coalition treaty, external trade was now one of the responsibilities of the new Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel . The energy portfolio, which had been a separate ministry during the Bettel II government ,

3224-496: The Russian invasion of Ukraine . Meanwhile, China continues to advance in nuclear energy: having 25 reactors under construction by late 2023, China is the country with the most reactors being built at one time in the world. Nuclear decommissioning is the dismantling of a nuclear power station and decontamination of the site to a state no longer requiring protection from radiation for the general public. The main difference from

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3328-678: The UAE launched the Arab region's first-ever nuclear energy plant. Unit 1 of the Barakah plant in the Al Dhafrah region of Abu Dhabi commenced generating heat on the first day of its launch, while the remaining 3 Units are being built. However, Nuclear Consulting Group head, Paul Dorfman, warned the Gulf nation's investment into the plant as a risk "further destabilizing the volatile Gulf region, damaging

3432-533: The heat source is a nuclear reactor . As is typical of thermal power stations, heat is used to generate steam that drives a steam turbine connected to a generator that produces electricity . As of September 2023 , the International Atomic Energy Agency reported that there were 410 nuclear power reactors in operation in 32 countries around the world, and 57 nuclear power reactors under construction. Building

3536-424: The 1970s and 1980s, when it "reached an intensity unprecedented in the history of technology controversies," in some countries. Proponents argue that nuclear power is a sustainable energy source which reduces carbon emissions and can increase energy security if its use supplants a dependence on imported fuels. Proponents advance the notion that nuclear power produces virtually no air pollution, in contrast to

3640-485: The 1979 Three Mile Island accident , the 1986 Chernobyl disaster , and the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster , corresponding to the beginning of the operation of generation II reactors . Professor of sociology Charles Perrow states that multiple and unexpected failures are built into society's complex and tightly coupled nuclear reactor systems. Such accidents are unavoidable and cannot be designed around. An interdisciplinary team from MIT has estimated that given

3744-408: The 2018 election, which translated in two out of six seats of the constituency. As such, Delles won a seat in the Chamber of Deputies. To to his being a Minister, whose terms only come to an end with the swearing-in of a new government, he was not again member of the Chamber of Deputies. Delles was part of the DP delegation coalition talks between the CSV and his party, which resulted in the formation of

3848-861: The Athénée royal de Neufchâteau in Belgium , he began studying law at the University of Luxembourg . However, he changed his study program and graduated in educational sciences at the Haute Ecole Robert Schuman in Virton , Belgium. After his studies, he started teaching at the primary school in Lenningen . Delles held multiple political offices in a fast career, starting in the local politics in Mondorf-les-Bains, becoming

3952-606: The British Liberal Democrats or German Free Democratic Party than with liberal parties in Belgium or the Netherlands. However, the CSV usually prefers forming coalitions with the LSAP to those with the DP, pushing the DP to the economically liberal right. In economic policies, the DP is a strong supporter of private property rights, free trade , and the free market , although under Thorn's government,

4056-572: The Brussels supplementary convention, and the Vienna Convention on Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage . However states with a majority of the world's nuclear power stations, including the U.S., Russia, China and Japan, are not party to international nuclear liability conventions. The nuclear power debate about the deployment and use of nuclear fission reactors to generate electricity from nuclear fuel for civilian purposes peaked during

4160-568: The CSV, LSAP, and (recently) the Alternative Democratic Reform Party tend to receive the votes of older people. Unlike the CSV and LSAP, the DP is not affiliated to a major trade union . The party is particularly popular amongst male voters. Despite its anti-clericalism , DP voters are no less religiously affiliated than the general population. National groups: * observer *associate member **observer Lex Delles Lex Delles (born 28 November 1984)

4264-559: The Catholic CSV, the DP is notably anti-clerical , which gives it more importance than its electoral performances would suggest. The DP has led the CSV and LSAP in becoming more internationalist in outlook, focusing on the European Union , environmentalism , and advocacy of human rights abroad. It is the most vocal supporter of European integration , even in a particularly pro-EU country. The party puts great emphasis on

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4368-399: The DP absorbed the anti-establishment Popular Independent Movement . In that year's election , the party benefited from a tide of moderates shifting from an increasingly radical LSAP, returned to 11 seats, and consequently entered into government with the CSV under Prime Minister Pierre Werner . The DP remained in coalition with the CSV until 1974, when it experienced a surge in support in

4472-422: The DP greatly increased public sector employment. Taxation plays a major role in the party platform. It is also a supporter of agriculture, particularly the wine industry. It long advocated the advancement of nuclear power , but scrapped plans to build a plant at Remerschen , and now supports renewable alternatives, although not opposing nuclear power in principle. Indicating its priorities, when in government,

4576-576: The DP has usually or always controlled ministries in charge of Transport , Public Works , the Middle Class , the Civil Service , and Energy . The DP is the most outspoken party in support of civil liberties. Between 1974 and 1979, it legalised abortion and divorce, and abolished the death penalty. It also focuses its attention on the issues of minority groups, particularly migrant groups, but also homosexuals and single mothers . Unlike

4680-559: The DP lose a seat, but the three-party coalition was able to maintain its majority under the Bettel II Government . In 2023 , though the DP gained the most votes in its history and had its best result since 1999 with 14 seats, the electoral defeat of the Greens, who went from 9 to 4 seats, meant the government lost its majority. The party became a junior coalition partner to the CSV, with Bettel becoming Deputy Prime Minister in

4784-445: The DP parliamentary group. Delles was also replaced as mayor of Mondorf-les-Bains by Steve Reckel. Before the coalition agreement between DP, LSAP and The Greens was finalised and the Bettel II government was presented, Delles was already speculated as being part of the government, as Minister of Interior. He was sworn in as Minister for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises and Minister for Tourism on 5 December 2018. With 34 years, he

4888-657: The DP since 1970, and the party and its liberal predecessors have been out of the office for only seven years since the foundation of the Liberal League in 1904. The city lies in the Centre constituency, where the DP challenges the CSV for the most seats. However, the party also has some traditional following in Est and the Nord , consistently coming second in each. The party has notably more support amongst young people, whilst

4992-553: The DP to renew the coalition with them. As a result, Werner formed a coalition with the DP, with Thorn as Deputy Prime Minister . In the first European election in 1979 , the DP won 2 seats: an achievement that it hasn't matched since. In 1980, Thorn was named the new President of the European Commission , and was replaced by Colette Flesch . The 1984 general election saw the DP's first electoral setback in twenty years. The DP lost one seat, standing on 14, whilst

5096-617: The Higher Education and Research aspects); and on Institutions and Constitutional Review (for certain law projects). From 2015 to 2018, Delles was also an alternate member of the Luxembourg delegation to the Benelux Interparliamentary Consultative Council. During his mandate, Delles asked a total of 45 parliamentary questions, often related to local matters in his constituency or his home town of Mondorf-les-Bains, where he mayor. He

5200-423: The LSAP in vote share for the first time ever. This allowed it to displace the LSAP as the CSV's coalition partner, with Lydie Polfer as Deputy Prime Minister. As a result of the 2004 general election , the DP lost 5 seats, bringing its total down to 10. The party also lost its place as the coalition partner back to the LSAP, and remained in opposition until 2013. In the 2013 general election , held early due to

5304-452: The action and the governmental aids as too low to be able to secure their survival. The vouchers were originally valid until 31 December 2020, but their validity was first extended until 18 April 2021 and a second time until 15 September 2021. At the end of March 2021, 108 744 vouchers had been used, amounting to over 5,4 million Euro in financial aid for the tourism sector. Other measures to promote domestic tourism introduced in 2020 were

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5408-425: The beginning of an economic crisis, and the government was occupied mostly with the restructuring of the steel industry whilst attempting to avoid mass unemployment . Despite this, the coalition managed to push through major reforms of social policy, including abolishing capital punishment (1974), allowing no-fault divorce (1975) and broadening at-fault divorce (1978), and legalising abortion (1978). In 1977,

5512-504: The beginning. The Vëlosummer would continue in the following years, accompanied by criticism that longer cycle tours were only possible on a few weekends because many municipalities did not agree that roads on their territory should be closed to motorised traffic for a longer period of time. In May 2021, Delles announced the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg would buy back the boat MS Regensburg previously known as Marie-Astrid II , which

5616-557: The chief viable alternative of fossil fuel. Proponents also believe that nuclear power is the only viable course to achieve energy independence for most Western countries. They emphasize that the risks of storing waste are small and can be further reduced by using the latest technology in newer reactors, and the operational safety record in the Western world is excellent when compared to the other major kinds of power plants. Opponents say that nuclear power poses many threats to people and

5720-498: The collapse of the second Juncker–Asselborn government , the party acquired 13 deputies with 18.3% of the vote, becoming joint second-largest party along with the LSAP. In October 2013 the DP negotiated a three-party coalition government with the LSAP and The Greens , and on 4 December 2013 the Bettel-Schneider government was sworn in, with DP leader Xavier Bettel serving as Prime Minister. The 2018 general election saw

5824-493: The costs of fuel extraction, processing, use and spent fuel storage internalized costs. Therefore, comparison with other power generation methods is strongly dependent on assumptions about construction timescales and capital financing for nuclear stations. Cost estimates take into account station decommissioning and nuclear waste storage or recycling costs in the United States due to the Price Anderson Act . With

5928-491: The country. He was the only politician to be invited this often. This might have helped his popularity: between October 2019 and November 2020, his poll ratings rose by ten per cent and he climbed from 16th to sixth place in the ratings within a year. In April 2021, Delles stated that his ministry had paid over 326 million Euro in financial aid, with over 197 million being non-refundable aid. 92 million of these had been paid out to hotels and other tourism related enterprises. Since

6032-492: The cycle begins again. The water-steam cycle corresponds to the Rankine cycle . The nuclear reactor is the heart of the station. In its central part, the reactor's core produces heat due to nuclear fission. With this heat, a coolant is heated as it is pumped through the reactor and thereby removes the energy from the reactor. The heat from nuclear fission is used to raise steam, which runs through turbines , which in turn power

6136-458: The dismantling of other power stations is the presence of radioactive material that requires special precautions to remove and safely relocate to a waste repository. Decommissioning involves many administrative and technical actions. It includes all clean-up of radioactivity and progressive demolition of the station. Once a facility is decommissioned, there should no longer be any danger of a radioactive accident or to any persons visiting it. After

6240-481: The electrical generators. Nuclear reactors usually rely on uranium to fuel the chain reaction. Uranium is a very heavy metal that is abundant on Earth and is found in sea water as well as most rocks. Naturally occurring uranium is found in two different isotopes : uranium-238 (U-238), accounting for 99.3% and uranium-235 (U-235) accounting for about 0.7%. U-238 has 146 neutrons and U-235 has 143 neutrons. Different isotopes have different behaviors. For instance, U-235

6344-534: The energy-intensive stages of the nuclear fuel chain are considered, from uranium mining to nuclear decommissioning , nuclear power is not a low-carbon electricity source despite the possibility of refinement and long-term storage being powered by a nuclear facility. Those countries that do not contain uranium mines cannot achieve energy independence through existing nuclear power technologies. Actual construction costs often exceed estimates, and spent fuel management costs are difficult to define. On 1 August 2020,

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6448-402: The environment and raising the possibility of nuclear proliferation." Nuclear power plants do not produce greenhouse gases during operation. Older nuclear power plants, like ones using second-generation reactors , produce approximately the same amount of carbon dioxide during the whole life cycle of nuclear power plants for an average of about 11g/kWh, as much power generated by wind , which

6552-775: The environment, and that costs do not justify benefits. Threats include health risks and environmental damage from uranium mining , processing and transport, the risk of nuclear weapons proliferation or sabotage, and the problem of radioactive nuclear waste . Another environmental issue is discharge of hot water into the sea. The hot water modifies the environmental conditions for marine flora and fauna. They also contend that reactors themselves are enormously complex machines where many things can and do go wrong, and there have been many serious nuclear accidents . Critics do not believe that these risks can be reduced through new technology , despite rapid advancements in containment procedures and storage methods. Opponents argue that when all

6656-525: The expected growth of nuclear power from 2005 to 2055, at least four serious nuclear accidents would be expected in that period. The MIT study does not take into account improvements in safety since 1970. Nuclear power works under an insurance framework that limits or structures accident liabilities in accordance with the Paris Convention on Third Party Liability in the Field of Nuclear Energy ,

6760-508: The government abandoned plans to build a nuclear power plant at Remerschen , of which the DP had been the primary advocate. When PM, in 1975, Thorn sat as President of the United Nations General Assembly . In 1979 , Thorn went head-to-head with Werner, with the LSAP serving a supporting role to the DP. Both the CSV ended victorious, gaining six seats, and the LSAP's loss of three seats made it impossible for

6864-522: The hotel and catering industry is also important. In the area of renewable energy expansion, the CSV-DP government wants to abolish the private pre-financing of state subsidies so that people who have a photovoltaic system installed on their roof only have to pay the difference between the state subsidy and the price. During a debate about the stance of the government on nuclear power in May 2024, Delles emphasised

6968-451: The need for expansion of renewable energies , but stated that Luxembourg, importing 84 percent of its electricity,should hold back its opinion towards countries that have or want to build nuclear power plants. Energy prices, which had risen in 2022 due to the energy crisis, had since been subsidised by the Luxembourg government in order to ease the burden on households. These subsidies are due to expire in 2025. In February 2024, Delles said he

7072-607: The need to spend more on redundant back up safety equipment. According to the World Nuclear Association , as of March 2020: The Russian state nuclear company Rosatom is the largest player in international nuclear power market, building nuclear plants around the world. Whereas Russian oil and gas were subject to international sanctions after the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Rosatom

7176-479: The next ranking politician, Delles became mayor of Mondorf-les-Bains. Being also a Member of the Chamber of Deputies, Delles was the youngest deputé-maire , being 29 years old at the time. In the local elections in 2017, Delles received the most votes and his party had a ruling majority of 6 from 11 seats. However, he decided to form another coalition with The Greens, citing his friendship with and loyalty to Alderman Steve Schleck as reason. This agreement also brought

7280-483: The now decommissioned German Biblis Nuclear Power Plant was designed to modulate its output 15% per minute between 40% and 100% of its nominal power. Russia has led in the practical development of floating nuclear power stations , which can be transported to the desired location and occasionally relocated or moved for easier decommissioning. In 2022, the United States Department of Energy funded

7384-618: The only Prime Ministers of Luxembourg since 1945 not to be affiliated with the CSV (1974–1979 and 2013–2023). The party is a member of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) and the Liberal International . The party has been one of the most influential liberal parties in Europe, due to its strength, its regular involvement in government, its role in international institutions, and Thorn's leadership. Although

7488-500: The party congress in Bertrange . Being the only candidate for the office, he received 98,35 percent of the votes. In his candidate speech, Delles emphasized the importance to combat climate change and the, in his eyes, ambitious targets the Luxembourg government had set. He explained his view that climate policy must be socially just and can only be pursued together and not against the economy. He called zero growth and austerity policies

7592-563: The party traces its history back to the foundation of the Liberal League in 1904, it was founded in its current form on 24 April 1955. It was the successor to the Democratic Group , which had grown out of the major group of war-time liberal resistance fighters, the Patriotic and Democratic Group . The DP spent the majority of the 1950s and 1960s, under the leadership of Lucien Dury and then Gaston Thorn , establishing itself as

7696-474: The prospect that all spent nuclear fuel could potentially be recycled by using future reactors, generation IV reactors are being designed to completely close the nuclear fuel cycle . However, up to now, there has not been any actual bulk recycling of waste from a NPP, and on-site temporary storage is still being used at almost all plant sites due to construction problems for deep geological repositories . Only Finland has stable repository plans, therefore from

7800-420: The reactor core and transports it to another area of the station, where the thermal energy can be harnessed to produce electricity or to do other useful work. Typically the hot coolant is used as a heat source for a boiler, and the pressurized steam from that drives one or more steam turbine driven electrical generators . In the event of an emergency, safety valves can be used to prevent pipes from bursting or

7904-435: The reactor core is surrounded by a protective shield. This containment absorbs radiation and prevents radioactive material from being released into the environment. In addition, many reactors are equipped with a dome of concrete to protect the reactor against both internal casualties and external impacts. The purpose of the steam turbine is to convert the heat contained in steam into mechanical energy. The engine house with

8008-469: The reactor from exploding. The valves are designed so that they can derive all of the supplied flow rates with little increase in pressure. In the case of the BWR , the steam is directed into the suppression chamber and condenses there. The chambers on a heat exchanger are connected to the intermediate cooling circuit. The main condenser is a large cross-flow shell and tube heat exchanger that takes wet vapor,

8112-433: The reform of opening hours, could be realised. Delles focussed instead to aiding the struggling tourism and hospitality industry in Luxembourg, mostly by giving out financial aids. This led to heightened media presence: During 2020, Delles was among the four people that were invited most often – four times – for the daily interview show Invité vun der Redaktioun at RTL Radio Luxembourg , the most important radio station in

8216-423: The resurgence of the LSAP meant it overtook the Democratic Party once again. The LSAP formed a coalition with the CSV, with Jacques Poos serving as Deputy Prime Minister to Jacques Santer . This was renewed twice again, and the DP remained out of government until 1999. After the 1999 general election , the DP became the second-largest party in the Chamber of Deputies once again, with 15 seats. It also overtook

8320-540: The risks of future uncertainties. To date all operating nuclear power stations were developed by state-owned or regulated utilities where many of the risks associated with construction costs, operating performance, fuel price, and other factors were borne by consumers rather than suppliers. Many countries have now liberalized the electricity market where these risks and the risk of cheaper competitors emerging before capital costs are recovered, are borne by station suppliers and operators rather than consumers, which leads to

8424-570: The role of the United Nations, and Thorn served as President of the UN General Assembly . The party is centrist on national security , supporting membership of NATO , but having worked to end conscription . The leader of the party is the president. Below is a list of presidents of the Democratic Party, and its predecessors, since 1948. The DP has been consistent in its advocacy of the middle class , and consequently has

8528-415: The ropes of local politics accompanying his father to local events such as receptions, sporting events and inaugurations. He received the second most votes and became first alderman in a coalition of DP and The Greens . He was sworn in on 7 November 2011. After the 2013 general election , then-mayor Maggy Nagel became Minister of Culture and Public Housing, an office incompatible with being mayor. As

8632-476: The steam generators—in the case of a pressurized water reactor — or directly into the reactor, for boiling water reactors . Continuous power supply to the plant is critical to ensure safe operation. Most nuclear stations require at least two distinct sources of offsite power for redundancy. These are usually provided by multiple transformers that are sufficiently separated and can receive power from multiple transmission lines. In addition, in some nuclear stations,

8736-423: The steam turbine is usually structurally separated from the main reactor building. It is aligned so as to prevent debris from the destruction of a turbine in operation from flying towards the reactor. In the case of a pressurized water reactor, the steam turbine is separated from the nuclear system. To detect a leak in the steam generator and thus the passage of radioactive water at an early stage, an activity meter

8840-560: The third major party, ahead of the Communist Party . At the time of its foundation, the party had six seats in the Chamber of Deputies. At the following election in 1959 , the DP won 11 seats, allowing it to serve as a minor role in a grand coalition with the Christian Social People's Party (CSV) and Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party (LSAP). However, in 1964 , the party went back to six seats. In 1968,

8944-472: The tourism sector was hit hard by the of the effects of the measures against the pandemic, he promoted domestic tourism . One measure was the issuing of 50 Euro hotel vouchers to all Luxembourg residents over the age of 16 and all cross-border commuters in order to boost tourism in the Grand Duchy. In November 2020, only 67 000 out of 730 096 vouchers had been used. Some hotel owners criticized

9048-477: The turbine generator can power the station's loads while the station is online, without requiring external power. This is achieved via station service transformers which tap power from the generator output before they reach the step-up transformer. Nuclear power plants generate approximately 10% of global electricity, sourced from around 440 reactors worldwide. They are recognized as a significant provider of low-carbon electricity , accounting for about one-quarter of

9152-471: The vote at the 2023 general election , and has two seats in the European Parliament out of six. The party's stronghold is around Luxembourg City , where it has held the mayorship for all but 7 years since the end of World War II. The party has often played the minor coalition partner to the Christian Social People's Party (CSV). In Gaston Thorn and Xavier Bettel , the DP has provided

9256-413: The water source at a warmer temperature or returns to a cooling tower where it either cools for more uses or evaporates into water vapor that rises out the top of the tower. The water level in the steam generator and the nuclear reactor is controlled using the feedwater system. The feedwater pump has the task of taking the water from the condensate system, increasing the pressure and forcing it into either

9360-406: The world's supply in this category. As of 2020, nuclear power stood as the second-largest source of low-carbon energy, making up 26% of the total. Nuclear power facilities are active in 32 countries or regions, and their influence extends beyond these nations through regional transmission grids, especially in Europe. In 2022, nuclear power plants generated 2545 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity,

9464-414: The wrong approach to the climate crisis and claimed that the willingness of the economy to switch to climate-friendly alternatives was "immense". According to his own statements, Delles ran for local office in 2011 because he was annoyed by little annoyances in everyday life in his home town of Mondorf. As his late father Roland Delles was mayor of Mondorf from 1993 to 1996, Delles is said to have learned

9568-508: Was Delles first try at a national mandate. He was a candidate in the East constituency , where he was number three on the list of candidates. Lead candidate in the east was Maggy Nagel , with whom Delles was working together in local politics. She is considered his political mentor. Delles got the second most votes of his party in his constituency. As his party won back a second seat in the East, he

9672-411: Was again lead candidate for the DP in the East constituency , together with Carole Hartmann . Again, his home town of Mondorf-les-Bains was one of the five communes where his party had the majority of the votes. Delles got 13 042 votes, close to CSV candidate Léon Gloden who got the most votes in the East. His party got 22,92 percent of the votes, compared to 20,66 percent of the votes in

9776-423: Was elected president of his party. As vice-president, he took a role as observer and largely remained out of the party's internal affairs and was said to keep in the background at party events. His style was described as factual and discreet. However, Delles was also described as a power politician who can, at times, be impatient and knows how to assert himself. On 12 June 2022, Delles was elected party president at

9880-401: Was elected to the Chamber of Deputies . D Delles was chairman of the commission for education, children and youth from 2013 to 2018. He was a member of the commissions on civil service and administrative reform; on agriculture, viticulture, rural development and consumer protection; on culture; on petitions; on public housing; on Higher Education, Research, Media, Communications and Space (for

9984-482: Was floating on the river Moselle when the Schengen agreement was signed on 14 June 1985. The boat had been sold in 1992. On 3 August 2021, Delles signed the purchase agreement for 630 000 Euro. The boat was to be renovated and turned into a museum which would be anchored in the town of Schengen . The whole project should be finished in 2025 and was projected to cost around 6 million Euro. Delles stated that he

10088-499: Was from the same constituency. Later, it was revealed that he was asked, but refused the post. Delles was lead candidate in the East constituency for his party for the general election in 2018. During the election campaign, Delles dedicated himself to education policy as an election campaign issue, emphasising the reforms of the previous legislative period that his fellow party member Claude Meisch had initiated and for which he had been rapporteur. His home town of Mondorf-les-Bains

10192-474: Was in favour of a slow phase-out of these measures. Delles is married to Romain Mousty, an owner of a shoe shop in Mondorf-les-Bains. He cites Kniddelen with lard as his favorite dish. Nuclear power plant A nuclear power plant ( NPP ), also known as a nuclear power station ( NPS ), nuclear generating station ( NGS ) or atomic power station ( APS ) is a thermal power station in which

10296-477: Was not targeted by sanctions. However, some countries, especially in Europe, scaled back or cancelled planned nuclear power plants that were to be built by Rosatom. Modern nuclear reactor designs have had numerous safety improvements since the first-generation nuclear reactors. A nuclear power plant cannot explode like a nuclear weapon because the fuel for uranium reactors is not enriched enough, and nuclear weapons require precision explosives to force fuel into

10400-412: Was one of four communes where the DP had the majority of votes. Delles got 10 401 votes, the second most in his constituency. His party won two seats again, and went from 18,63 percent of the votes to 20,66 percent. As he became part of the government, Delles second mandate as member of the Chamber of Deputies was short, from 30 October to 5 December 2018. During this time, he was interim president of

10504-444: Was rapporteur on 24 laws, mainly in the area of education, where he was president of the commission, but also some laws in the area of institutional reform, in particular the separation of church and state. Delles was described as "not being very active" in the Chamber of Deputies. When Maggy Nagel resigned as Minister for Housing and Culture in 2015, it was speculated that Delles could take over as Minister, as he

10608-584: Was the Shippingport Atomic Power Station in Pennsylvania , United States, which was connected to the grid on December 18, 1957. The conversion to electrical energy takes place indirectly, as in conventional thermal power stations. The fission in a nuclear reactor heats the reactor coolant. The coolant may be water or gas, or even liquid metal, depending on the type of reactor. The reactor coolant then goes to

10712-468: Was the youngest member of the government. At the beginning of his term, Delles stated his priorities were the strengthening of congress tourism, regulation of homestay providers such as Airbnb , the expansion of tourist cycling and hiking trails and, for small and medium-sized enterprises, a reform of the law on shop opening hours. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic , not all of these projects, for example

10816-540: Was very proud of the "special project of the return of the first MS 'Princesse Marie-Astrid' to Luxembourg" and that during his political career it had been a real thorn in his side that Luxembourg had sold the ship, which represented one of the biggest milestones in EU history. At the end of his term, Delles stated that he had reduced the processing time for business establishment licences to less than seven days on average. He also introduced new assistance for start-ups and passed

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