"Building on the collaboration in April in Sapporo, Japan, during the G7 Climate, Energy and Environment Ministers meeting and Business Forum, we stand ready to work together with policymakers to rebuild leadership in nuclear energy within OECD countries and to cooperate with other like-minded nations as they seek to meet their climate and energy security goals."

They pledge to work with governments to:

• Extend the operating period of existing nuclear generation resources for as long as is feasible. This includes supporting the restart of operable reactors and encouraging efficient safety reviews
• Drive rapid and significant reductions in construction costs and timelines of nuclear energy by leveraging lessons learned from recent nuclear new-build projects
• Accelerate the deployment of small modular reactors and advanced reactors, alongside large nuclear reactors, to unlock large-scale deployment in the 2030s and support decarbonisation of hard-to-abate sectors
• Deepen international cooperation for the development of the nuclear supply chain and its workforce and to explore options to better ensure capabilities and resources in key strategic areas
• Develop nuclear fuel supply chain capacity and promote cooperation with likeminded nations who seek to end reliance on civil nuclear fuel and related goods from nations that present ongoing geopolitical threats to energy security
• Advance sustainability principles including the circular economy in the nuclear sector through responsible use of nuclear technology and life-cycle management of nuclear materials
• Promote an inclusive and diverse nuclear industry, including in the areas of gender diversity, building on the 2023 OECD Recommendation on Improving the Gender Balance in the Nuclear Sector

They call on policymakers to "foster a financial environment that promotes investment in nuclear energy" and on regulators to modernise regulatory frameworks to "license nuclear technologies efficiently" and to increase cooperation to reduce "regulatory barriers to deployment of technologies in multiple countries". They also urge governments to "develop technology-neutral climate policies in which nuclear energy is fairly compensated for its low-carbon, resilience and reliability value".

Ahead of the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) they call for the event to "take action to ensure we succeed in meeting our collective climate goals and to recognise the important role that nuclear energy will play in meeting these goals".

A separate communiqué was issued by the energy ministers and heads of delegation of Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Ghana, Hungary, Japan, Korea, Poland, Romania, Netherlands, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine, the UK and the USA, saying that "nuclear energy already plays a significant role in meeting climate goals and can play an even larger role in achieving global net zero emissions by 2050, consistent with the 1.5°C scenario and with the Paris Agreement".

It calls for extending the operation of existing nuclear power plants and "large-scale deployment of new nuclear power plants" and says "securing the needed increase in global nuclear energy will require strategic international collaboration among like-minded governments as well as public-private partnerships and industry leadership".

They issue a "call to action" ahead of COP28, which begins in Dubai at the end of November, to explore innovative financial approaches for funding and for "greater inclusion of nuclear energy in the environmental, social and governance policies in the international financial system considering that it is one of the zero and low-emissions sources of power generation that can contribute substantially to climate change mitigation".

The countries say they are committed to "fostering international collaboration" to "support the creation and maintenance of enabling policy frameworks, regulatory pathways, and codes and standards to enable nuclear energy deployment". They also pledge to ensure safe and efficient waste management strategies, support research and development and to enabling integrated supply chains as well as "exploring collaborations on strategic opportunities in uranium extraction, conversion, enrichment, and fuel fabrication to develop secure and reliable nuclear fuel supply chains for the operating reactor fleets and new advanced reactors".

There are commitments on skills, public engagement and a call for the "recognition of the role that hydrogen from zero and low-emission sources, including nuclear technologies, can play in decarbonising hard-to-abate industrial sectors, as a vector of energy transition, with positive effects on the cost competitiveness of the hydrogen market and supply chain".

The governments' communiqué also calls on the NEA "to coordinate with stakeholders in our countries to develop and support a network of industry leaders, government officials, researchers, and experts as a practical, solutions-oriented approach to support decision-makers in maximising the full potential of long-term operation of large reactors, large reactors new build projects and development and deployment of SMRs for power generation and industrial applications".

The MoU follows on from the announcement last week by Canada's Natural Resources and Energy Minister Jonathan Wilkinson of CAD3 billion in potential export financing to support clean energy security in Romania, where Nuclearelectrica operates two CANDU reactors at Cernavoda, with plans for more in development.

CANDU reactors can produce medical isotopes without interrupting electricity generation, with OPG's Darlington nuclear power plant producing molybdenum-99, helium-3, heavy water, and tritium, with plans under way to produce cobalt-60, which is currently also extracted from reactors at the Pickering station. Laurentis said the MoU will look at working together to produce and supply heavy water, which CANDU reactors use as a moderator and coolant, and which can be used in pharmaceuticals, medical diagnosis and fibre-optics and OLED screens.

Jason Van Wart, President and CEO of Laurentis Energy Partners, said: "Laurentis is committed to leveraging our proven refurbishment and isotope production expertise to advance healthcare solutions and expand market opportunities in Romania ... and look forward to our cooperation in the pursuit of sustainable and impactful global energy solutions."

Nuclearelectrica's Ghita said: "The nuclear industry is currently essential to generating clean energy and producing medical isotopes given the recent evolutions of the medical isotope market, and we are looking forward to this partnership with Laurentis as a way to advance much-needed global solutions for the health sector."

Minister Burduja said: "This is a significant step toward helping to improve the health of millions of people around the world and demonstrates the multiple benefits of nuclear power plants: besides being a source of clean energy, contributing to energy stability and economic growth, they are able to contribute to cancer treatment. Equally important is the project to restart heavy water production in Romania ... the demand for heavy water is growing and Romania can be a strategic player. Romania and Canada’s collaboration can be an example to other countries about the important role of nuclear energy."

Kazatomprom announced in 2017 that it would "flex down" production by 20% below its subsoil use agreements from the start of 2018 for three years - which it subsequently extended - to better match supply with demand. However, in August 2022 it announced plans to increase uranium production in 2024 to 10% below its subsoil use agreements. The additional volumes that are expected to be produced in 2025 will be used to meet contractual obligations under medium and long-term contracts, the company said.

Kazatomprom remains committed to its market-centric strategy and its disciplined approach to production but is "excited to witness the start of a long-awaited historical shift in the uranium market", Chief Commercial Officer Dastan Kosherbayev said, adding that it has shown "strong market discipline for seven consecutive years" in keeping its production 20% below the total subsoil use agreements.

"Consistent with our market-centric strategy, our intention to return to a 100% level of Subsoil Use Contracts production volumes in 2025 is primarily driven by our strong contract-book and already growing sales portfolio against conservative 2023-2024 production scenario," he said. "As we are seeing a clear sign that the industry has entered into the new long-term contracting cycle, driven by the recognition of the restocking needs, Kazatomprom, with its best-class and lowest cost mines, is absolutely prepared to respond to these improving market conditions. Our current contract book provides sufficient confidence that the additional volume in 2025 will have a secure place in the market and be needed to fulfil future contractual obligations."

The company said it will now begin working with its joint venture partners and mining subsidiaries to incorporate the necessary changes into its 2024 budgets and development plans for the 2025 increase in production volumes, but added that it will "continue to monitor ongoing market developments and maintain the flexibility to react quickly to changing conditions". No decision has yet been taken regarding mine development activity and production volumes beyond 2025, it said, and geopolitical uncertainty and global supply chain issues along with high inflationary pressure "remain existent and the Company may therefore potentially face challenges in increasing production significantly above stated levels".

Kazatomprom, through its subsidiaries, joint ventures and associates, produces uranium from 26 uranium deposits grouped into 14 mining assets, all using in-situ leach technology. Subsoil use contracts are agreements with the Kazakh government covering the production of uranium by in-situ leach methods.

Four localities formed Community Partnerships interested in hosting it - Allerdale, South Copeland and Mid Copeland in Cumbria in northwest England, and Theddlethorpe in Lincolnshire, in eastern England. The Allerdale GDF Community Partnership was the third to form, in January 2022, following Mid Copeland GDF Community Partnership and South Copeland GDF Community Partnership in late-2021. A Community Partnership was formed in Theddlethorpe in June 2022.

Allerdale GDF Community Partnership focused its engagement activities in a 320 square-kilometre search area covering 13 electoral wards: Aspatria; Broughton St Bridgets; Dalton; Ellen & Gilcrux; Flimby; Harrington & Salterbeck; Maryport North; Maryport South; Moorclose & Moss Bay; Seaton & Northside; St John's; St Michael's and Stainburn & Clifton.

In a process that began in June this year, each of the potential locations is being assessed by NWS against a number of siting factors, including safety and security, the environment, engineering feasibility, geology, transport and value for money. The overall aim is to ensure that a GDF can be constructed, operated and closed safely. The initial stage will see geophysical surveys and desk-based studies of existing data on local geology and things such as transport infrastructure.

"Following a comprehensive and robust evaluation of information it was concluded only a limited volume of suitable rock was identifiable and the geology in the [Allerdale] area was unlikely to support a post-closure safety case," NWS has now said. "NWS has therefore taken the decision not to take Allerdale further in the search for a suitable site to host a GDF."

"We need enough suitable geology to accommodate a GDF and to support safety cases to build, operate, and close the facility," said NWS CEO Corhyn Parr. "Our assessments show evidence of limited volume of suitable rock for a GDF in the Allerdale search area, including the adjacent inshore area."

NWS said initial assessments of existing data and information for the other three communities in the siting process have indicated potentially suitable geology.

"The door also remains open for new communities to join the process," Parr said.

When a site is ultimately selected, NWS said a decision to develop a GDF would be taken only if the "potential host community has had a say and given consent through a Test of Public Support. The GDF requires both a suitable site and a willing community".

The UK has used nuclear technology for more than 60 years - for power generation, industry, medicine and defence. These activities have created radioactive waste which needs to be managed safely. This waste is currently stored at more than 30 surface facilities across the UK, which have to be replaced every 50-100 years.

"In this regard, the Kingdom has decided recently to rescind the Small Quantities Protocol and implement the full Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement," he said. "The Kingdom is working, within the framework of its national ecosystem, to establish the necessary mechanisms for this full implementation, following best international practices and experiences. The Kingdom is also working closely with the Agency to leverage its expertise and the advisory services it provides in the field of implementing safeguards to develop the national infrastructure and human capabilities required to support this transition."

All non-nuclear-weapon states party to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty - the NPT - are required to conclude Comprehensive Safeguards Agreements (CSAs) with the IAEA and undertake to accept IAEA safeguards on all nuclear material in all peaceful nuclear activities within its territory, under its jurisdiction or carried out under its control anywhere.

Many states that have very limited quantities of nuclear material have concluded Small Quantities Protocols - or SQPs - to their CSAs. These protocols reduce the burden of safeguards implementation for states with little or no nuclear activities.

The minister also reiterated Saudi Arabia's plans to operate a regional cooperation centre with the IAEA to develop human capabilities in the areas of preparedness and response to radiological and nuclear emergencies, and other regulatory aspects at national, regional, and international levels.

Saudi Arabia has established the Nuclear Energy Holding Company to act as the country's nuclear developer, and according to the 2023 edition of World Nuclear Association's Nuclear Fuel Report, plans initially to build two 1.4 GWe nuclear reactors with a goal of increasing nuclear capacity to 17 GWe by 2040.

Cooperation will include information exchanges, reciprocal visits, organisation of seminars and workshops and joint studies and technical collaboration or research and development projects. It builds on the two countries' original agreement in 1994 and the 2010 one.

Serquis said the 2010 agreement had been pending renewal since 2021. The new agreement, she said, "seeks to expand the themes of that original agreement, considering both the nuclear plans of each country and the potential for bilateral ties in the areas of work of each institution, such as reactors, materials, small modular reactors, component testing, accelerators and nanotechnology."

France has 56 operable nuclear power plants, and has plans for a wave of new plants in the coming years. Argentina has three nuclear reactors generating about 7% of its electricity. It is also in the process of building the CAREM small modular reactor and the RA-10 radioisotope production and research reactor.

The government will make the final decision on Posiva's application, but a positive opinion by STUK is required beforehand. The ministry requested STUK's opinion on the application by the end of this year. The regulator began its review in May 2022 after concluding Posiva had provided sufficient material.

However, STUK has now said its safety assessment and opinion on the application will not be completed this year.

"Overall, STUK has progressed well in processing the application for an operating permit, but it is still in progress," the regulator said. "The data is large and STUK has also required Posiva to update parts of it. Consequently, the work has lasted longer than expected. When STUK has received the processing of the operating licence application material submitted by Posiva, it will prepare a safety assessment, which will be attached to the safety statement prepared for the operating licence application."

STUK said it is preparing to propose to the ministry to postpone the deadline for the submission of its opinion.

The regulator said it cannot estimate how long it will take to submit its opinion. "It depends not only on STUK but also on Posiva and how quickly it can deliver the missing material to us," said STUK's project manager Päivi Mäenalanen. However, he said "there is no question of any dramatic delay".

The site for Posiva's repository was selected in 2000. The Finnish parliament approved the decision-in-principle on the repository project the following year. Posiva submitted its construction licence application to TEM in December 2013. The company studied the rock at Olkiluoto and prepared its licence application using results from the Onkalo underground laboratory, which is being expanded to form the basis of the repository.

The government granted a construction licence for the project in November 2015 and construction work on the repository started in December 2016.

Once it receives the operating licence, Posiva can start the final disposal of the used fuel generated from the operation of TVO's Olkiluoto and Fortum's Loviisa nuclear power plants. The operation will last for about 100 years before the repository is closed.

Under the contract, in cooperation with PEJ, Westinghouse and Bechtel will finalise a site-specific design for a plant featuring three AP1000 reactors. The design/engineering documentation includes the main components of the power plant: the nuclear island, the turbine island and the associated installations and auxiliary equipment, as well as administrative buildings and infrastructure related to the safety of the facility.

The primary objective of the conceptual design/engineering is to define the requirements and design/engineering criteria, and specify norms and standards in accordance with which the Polish nuclear project will be executed. The engineering work at this stage will result in more than 400 final deliverables. PEJ said nearly 2 million man-hours and the support of the industry's top professionals have been envisaged for this goal.

The provisions of the contract regulate cooperation during the processes of obtaining further permits, including the development of technical specifications for the preliminary design of the planned plant reflecting the elements of the installation used, so that it complies with the required performance parameters. It will also be the basis for another contract covering the next phase of construction of the plant.

The contract also involves supporting the investment process and bringing it in line with current legal regulations in cooperation with Poland's National Atomic Energy Agency (PAA) and the Office of Technical Inspection. PEJ said the developed results will be the basis for the preparation of documentation for the purpose of obtaining a construction permit for the power plant, so as to further execute the project based on the highest Polish and European safety standards and norms. In addition, the contract provides for an evaluation of the proposed radiological protection solutions and safety analyses planned in accordance with the requirements of the Atomic Law.

As part of the 18-month contract, joint activities with Westinghouse and Bechtel are planned to be continued to involve Polish industry in the project. Taking into account the needs and capabilities of Polish contractors, the activities are intended to allow establishing supply chains for the nuclear power plant in a way that maximises the local content participation, including contractors from Pomerania, while guaranteeing efficient and safe execution of the investment project.

In a joint statement, Westinghouse and Bechtel said the work outlined in the contract will begin immediately.

On 21 September, Westinghouse and Bechtel signed a formal agreement to partner on the design and construction of Poland's first nuclear power plant at Lubiatowo-Kopalino. An agreement signed earlier this year by Bechtel, Westinghouse and PEJ set out plans for the delivery of the project, with Westinghouse to lead the consortium at the design stage and Bechtel during construction.

"One week ago, Westinghouse and Bechtel, leaders of the American civil nuclear power sector, formed a consortium to design and build the first nuclear power plant under the Polish Nuclear Power Programme," said Anna Łukaszewska-Trzeciakowska, Government Plenipotentiary for Strategic Energy Infrastructure. "Two days later, Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe received a decision on environmental conditions for this project in Pomerania. Today we witness signing a contract for the plant design and engineering.

"Consistent and timely implementation of the schedules assumed, but also the scope of the contract being executed today, confirm our determination to build the first nuclear power plant within the target timeframe, in line with the budget, and with the optimum utilisation of the Polish industry."

The Polish government selected the Westinghouse AP1000 reactor technology for construction at Lubiatowo-Kopalino in Pomerania in November 2022. The country's Ministry of Climate and Environment in July this year issued a decision-in-principle for Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (PEJ) - a special purpose vehicle 100% owned by the State Treasury - to construct the plant.

PEJ noted that the Polish plant will be "based on the latest experience of Westinghouse and Bechtel, resulting in particular from the construction of Vogtle unit 4, which introduced improvements over the previously commissioned unit 3".

Poland's first AP1000 reactor is expected to enter commercial operation in 2033.

The group will also "study how to use special legislation to reach a new nuclear facility as quickly and economically as possible", he added.

State Secretary for the National Nuclear Programme, Danijel Levičar, head of the working group, emphasised that the government of Slovenia recognised the strategic importance of the construction of JEK 2.

Director General of GEN Energija Dejan Paravan and JEK2 Project Manager Bruno Glaser attended the meeting and outlined the steps being taken "to speed up the implementation of the project ... according to the planned timeline in such a way that the final investment decision is made by 2028 at the latest".

Krško, a 696 MWe pressurised water reactor, is Slovenia's only nuclear power plant and generates about one-third of its electricity. The plant, which is co-owned by neighbouring Croatia, began commercial operation in 1981, and a 20-year extension to its initial 40-year operational lifetime was confirmed in mid-2015. Krško is owned and operated by Nuklearna Elektrarna Krško, which is jointly owned by Croatia's Hrvatska elektroprivreda (HEP Group) and Slovenia's GEN Energija.

GEN group says JEK 2 could provide 8 TWh electricity per year, bringing with it the benefits of being able to reduce the need to import electricity, cut CO2 emissions as well as being used for district heating schemes and providing jobs and skills across the Slovenian economy.

But more innovation is needed, he said. "I'm quite sure that within next 10 years we will see larger amount of nuclear innovation coming to the market … including of course small modular reactors but also when it comes to larger, more traditional reactor types," he said. Finland's investment in nuclear research and development has built on decades of experience developing and using nuclear, but now there is "a clear, new inspiration" for still further investment in innovation.

The UK is another country where EPR units are currently under construction, with an "ambitious" target of 24 GWe of nuclear on the grid by 2050, UK Minister for Nuclear and Networks Andrew Bowie said. The "absolutely clear" message emanating from the forum - and the wider general conference - is that there can be no net-zero without nuclear power, he said. "But it's not just about net-zero - vital as it is to decarbonise baseload," he said. "It's also about affordable energy, being energy secure, and energy independent … If we can work together as like-minded nations developing the technology, supporting the innovation, supporting the research and development … then we can drive down carbon emissions and make energy cheaper and more accessible for more people across the world."

China National Nuclear Corporation Chairman Yu Jianfeng agreed that the pace of innovation - and the pace of new technologies coming on to the market - has been an important player in the rapid growth of nuclear in China. The design of the Hualong One third-generation reactor and rapid development of small modular reactor (SMR) technology is a reflection of the many thousands of nuclear experts engaged in China's nuclear sector, as well as a large network of research institutes, that work as an integrated team. In addition, China has been continuously constructing nuclear power plants since the 1990s, standing it in good stead to meet its future ambitious construction plans.

Innovating outside the box

Peter Baeten, Director-General of the Belgian Nuclear Research Center SCK CEN, underlined the importance of human capital in reaching innovative solutions for challenges such as extending reactor lifetimes and also in securing societal acceptance for the growth of nuclear. While solutions, especially those at the back-end of the fuel cycle need, to be accepted by society and innovation in public interaction, as well as technological innovation, will be important for reaching such acceptance, he said.

Nuclear has embraced innovation for over five decades, World Nuclear Association Director General Sama Bilbao y Léon said, so the industry already recognises that research is an absolute essential, with collaboration between research institutes and industry, and between international organisations, enabling continuous improvement and bringing developments to fruition.

But while technological innovation is absolutely essential for moving the industry forward, there are other aspects of innovation that should not be overlooked, she said. "For example, innovation in the way in which we finance new nuclear - we really need to think outside the box to attract affordable investment. We need to be innovative in the way we license and regulate these reactors," she said, adding that "we need to make the most and optimise" regulatory work to accelerate licensing at global level.

"Nuclear electricity is only one of the products that nuclear power plants can produce. We need to rethink our business model" to factor in the many ways in which nuclear power plants can be used, she said. "And maybe we as an industry need to innovate in the way we inspire, and attract, the next generation of nuclear talent."

Optimism

Asked by session moderator Hannah Vaughan Jones about the speed and scale of innovations, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said there will never be a "one-size-fits-all" solution in the energy area but said he is "optimistic" that the world is moving decisively. "One very important corollary is that we can see how nuclear is firmly - very firmly - positioned in this global effort that is taking place right now," he said.

He called for a "larger table" where industry, politicians, decision-makers, regulators, scientists who are advancing innovative techniques can come together to discuss "what needs to be done", he said. This is going to become even more important as nuclear moves into other spheres such as marine propulsion, and process heat supply, and even the integration of fusion power."

"My hope is that this scientific forum will have helped us in getting a clear view of where we are going, what is being done, what is needed. And the effort will continue," he said.

The forum, which took place from 26-27 September, is the flagship side event of the IAEA General Conference. This year's forum - Nuclear Innovations for Net Zero - focused on nuclear innovations for net-zero, and saw leading experts from around the world look at the role of new nuclear reactors for energy production; the importance of innovations such as artificial intelligence, digitalization, robotics and advanced manufacturing in supporting nuclear development; and the use of nuclear technology to avoid greenhouse gases in industrial applications and other areas.

"The pathway to 1.5°C has narrowed in the past two years, but clean energy technologies are keeping it open," said IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol.

The IEA noted that since 2021, "many changes have taken place, notably amid the global energy crisis triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. And energy sector carbon dioxide emissions have continued to rise, reaching a new record in 2022. Yet there are also increasing grounds for optimism: the last two years have also seen remarkable progress in developing and deploying some key clean energy technologies."

The IEA says bolder action is necessary this decade. In this year's updated net-zero pathway, global renewable power capacity triples by 2030. Meanwhile, the annual rate of energy efficiency improvements doubles, sales of electric vehicles and heat pumps rise sharply, and energy sector methane emissions fall by 75%. "These strategies, which are based on proven and often cost-effective technologies for lowering emissions, together deliver more than 80% of the reductions needed by the end of the decade," it says.

With regards to nuclear energy, the IEA sees capacity more than doubling from 417 GW in 2022 to 916 GW in 2050. Despite this growth, the share of nuclear power in generation declines slightly in the NZE Scenario from 9% in 2022 to 8% in 2050.

"After three decades of modest growth, a changing policy landscape is opening opportunities for a nuclear comeback," according to the IEA. "As a means of pursuing emissions reductions targets and addressing energy security concerns, several countries have announced strategies that include a significant role for nuclear power, including Canada, China, France, India, Japan, Korea, Poland, United Kingdom and United States.

"At the start of 2023, nuclear reactors totalling 64 GW were under construction in 18 countries around the world. In the longer term, more than 30 countries which accept nuclear power today increase their use of nuclear power in the NZE Scenario."

It notes that in order to achieve this doubling of nuclear capacity by 2050, an average of 26 GW of new capacity will need to be brought online annually from 2023 to 2050 in the NZE scenario, some of which is needed to offset retirements. This calls for average annual investment of over USD100 billion, which is triple the level in recent years.

China will account for one-third of all new nuclear generating capacity to 2050 in the NZE Scenario, the IEA said, with other emerging market and developing economies accounting for almost another one-third.

"While the biggest opportunity for nuclear power is in the electricity sector, new nuclear power in this scenario helps to decarbonise heat and to supply low-emissions hydrogen," it added.

"Keeping alive the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C requires the world to come together quickly," Birol said. "The good news is we know what we need to do - and how to do it. Our 2023 Net Zero Roadmap, based on the latest data and analysis, shows a path forward. But we also have a very clear message: strong international cooperation is crucial to success. Governments need to separate climate from geopolitics, given the scale of the challenge at hand."

• The launch of the Net Zero Nuclear campaign
• Publication of World Nuclear Association's Nuclear Fuel Report
• Recruitment and expanding the nuclear workforce
• How nuclear can decarbonise different industries
• Optimising plant life performance
• Investing in and financing of nuclear

We hear from, in order of appearance:

• Sama Bilbao y León, Director General of World Nuclear Association
• Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director General, International Atomic Energy Agency
• Mohamed Al Hammadi, CEO, Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation
• Malcolm Critchley, President and CEO ConverDyn
• Chris Frankland, Director of Sales and Marketing, Nuclear Fuels Corporation
• Jeanne Tortorelli, Director of Nuclear Fuel Supply at Constellation Energy Generation
• Tamer Albishawi, Chief Nuclear Officer at Hinkley Point C
• Callum Thomas, Chairman of Thomas Thor
• Grace Stanke, Nuclear Engineering Student, Nuclear Advocate and Miss America
• Charlotte Griffiths, Sustainable Energy Division of the UN Economic Commission for Europe
• Todd Noe, Director of Nuclear Technologies Strategy at Microsoft
• Mikal Bøe, Chairman and CEO Core Power
• Naoki Chigusa, CEO of World Association of Nuclear Operators
• Vinod Kumar, Station Director of Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited's Kaiga 3 and 4
• Catherine Cornand, Senior Executive Vice President Framatome
• Chris Cunningham, Vice President Nuclear Projects at Ontario Power Generation
• Wolfgang Denk, Managing Director, Swissnuclear
• Keisuke Sadamori, Director Energy Markets and Security, International Energy Agency
• Iain Smedley, Global Chairman of Banking, Barclays
• Kevin Kelly, CFO Bruce Power
• Julien Bocobza, Partner, White & Case LLC
• Sophie Macfarlane-Smith, Head of Customer Engagement Rolls-Royce SMR
• Thomas Branche, Senior Vice President for Engineering, Assystem
• Rumina Velshi, President and CEO of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission
• Erick van Egeraat, Architect
• Tim Gitzel, President and CEO Cameco

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Contact info:
alex.hunt@world-nuclear.org

Episode credit: Presenter Alex Hunt. Reports from Claire Maden and Warwick Pipe. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production.

The IAEA defines a denial of shipment as "an explicit or implicit refusal to carry a shipment of radioactive material although it conforms to all the applicable regulations". It also says that delays and denials can happen during the planning stage of a shipment, increasing the time and resources needed to organise a shipment.

It says that delays add journey time which "reduces the effectiveness of the material or renders the material unusable when delivered". Denials can either occur during the transport process, or can be a policy decision that means a certain transport route is unavailable.

The issue has been in focus for the past two decades, having been highlighted at the 2003 IAEA Transport Conference, with an International Steering Committee on Denial of Shipments established - creating national focal points, regional workshops, regional networks and coordinators - and meeting eight times before it ended in 2013.

Following a resolution on the issue at the IAEA General Conference in 2020 and technical meetings, an IAEA Denial of Shipment Working Group has now been established for 2023-2026. Its objectives include considering the options for addressing delays and denial of shipments, and considering a code of conduct on facilitation of transport. It will also have three sub-working groups to evaluate the extent of the problem, consider potential solutions and "develop awareness, training and communication strategies".

Paolo Alvano, chairman of the IAEA's Denial of Shipment Working Group, reported back on the group's first two meetings, saying that at its second meeting it had agreed that "the international framework for safety and security of nuclear and radioactive material provides an appropriate level of safety and security, however, denial of shipment may have safety and security consequences".

He added that the working group said the main causes of denial and delay include perception about risks, complexity in national and local policies related to transport of radioactive material "particularly transit/transhipment, deviations/variations in national regulations related to import/export, insurance, routes, carrier's policies and the cost of compliance relative to the profitability of transporting Class 7 that leads carriers to make policies deciding not to accept the shipments of radioactive materials".

The working group noted that national focal points and regional networks had helped reduce problems in the past and has prepared and reviewed a draft code of conduct on the facilitation of safe and secure transport of radioactive material, which could help alleviate a primary cause of the issue - Member States' policies, laws and regulations.

The working group said that the outcome of its work, presented to the current General Conference, was a recommendation that "Member States harmonise national regulations with an international legal and regulatory framework for safe and secure transport of radioactive material and where regulatory variations exist, report these to the" IAEA and encourages the agency "to establish and maintain a publicly accessible list of these regulatory variations reported by Member States in cooperation with the International Civil Aviation Organization and the International Maritime Organization". The IAEA is also to maintain a list of national focal points for the issue and also a webpage on denial and delay of shipment of radioactive material.

There are also plans to formulate proposals to increase the number of routes and carriers available for Class 7 shipments and the working group suggests involving other UN organisations, such as the International Labor Organization and World Custom Organization.

Panellist at the event, World Nuclear Association Director General Sama Bilbao y León, said: "The most effective way to immediately address delay/denial of shipment is for member states to name a National Focal Point for Denial of Shipment. It is also essential for member states to support the work of the IAEA Denial of Shipment Working Group."

Australia's Ambassador to the UN in Vienna, Ian Biggs, said the average Australian benefits from two nuclear medicine procedures during their lifetime. He said that as well as nuclear medicine, radioactive material such as radioactive sources were used for medical sterilisation and in numerous industrial and safety applications.

Given all the benefits, "we need to be able to transport radioactive material, safely, securely, predictably and reliably. Australia's unique geographical position as an island nation gives us a particular interest" as the country is "reliant on transport by air and sea". He said that of "most obvious and notable concern is that denials and delays in shipments can leave patients waiting longer for appropriate cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment, which can be detrimental for patients and their families".

Canada's Ambassador to Austria and Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna, Troy Lulashnyk, said that although there were contracts in business, "you can't compel a private company to do something it does not want to do", so "what we really need to do is to focus on the public benefit and the cost of not doing this properly - in Canada's case Mo-99 (molybdenum-99) - 75% of medical diagnostic services globally use Mo-99 so its absolutely fundamental. The very, very short half-life is significant - a 24-hour delay and you can lose a portion of the shipment" and, while there are financial consequences, "think about the patient delays and the people not getting the diagnosis and treatment" they vitally need.

Likewise, he said, cobalt-60 is used for sterilisation of single use medical products, such as surgical gloves, and if there are shortages or delays "this means people's lives, and I think that's what we really need to drive home".

The component - 12 metres in height, 4.5 metres wide and weighing more than 330 tonnes - will be moved to the factory pier by special road transport before being loaded onto a barge for the 3000 km journey by water to the Akkuyu construction site.

"With Rosatom entering serial construction of nuclear power plants in Russia and abroad, our machine-building division has increased the volume of work manifold," said Rosatom General Director Alexey Likhachev. "Nuclear machine builders are successfully coping with this task and even reaching new records. Our project portfolio today amounts to 33 power units in 11 countries, so we still have work to do. The reliable and rhythmic work of Atommash gives us confidence that all these projects will be implemented successfully and on time, which means that we will maintain our leading position in the global nuclear market."

Workers mark the shipment of the RPV for Akkuyu 3 (Image: Rosatom)

Atomenergomash JSC Director General Igor Kotov noted this achievement of the Volgodonsk manufacturing facility is a result of ten years of modernisation and optimisation of the production processes, as well as the introduction of digital technologies. "Today, Rosatom's engineering division is a vivid example of the actual technological potential of our country and a reliable basis for further industry development," he said.

The Akkuyu plant, in the southern Mersin province, is Turkey's first nuclear power plant. Rosatom is building four VVER-1200 reactors, under a so-called BOO (build-own-operate) model. Construction of the first unit began in 2018. The 4800 MWe plant is expected to meet about 10% of Turkey's electricity needs, with the aim that all four units will be operational by the end of 2028.

The RPVs of units 1 and 2 were installed in June 2021 and September 2022, respectively.

"We owe much of the fast pace of the Akkuyu NPP project implementation to the leading companies of the Russian nuclear industry, including in particular Atommash," said Anastasia Zoteeva, director general of Akkuyu Nuclear JSC. "The production of five modern reactors in a year is an outstanding achievement, and we should give great credit to every employee of the manufacturing facility, to its management, and to Rosatom. I am sure that there is more to come after these five reactors, because Atommash's employees, like the employees of all Russian nuclear companies, are talented, enthusiastic, and dedicated specialists."

This discussion yielded several key takeaways that emphasise the critical factors influencing the success of nuclear energy programmes:

1. The Three Pillars of Success: Nigel Cann, managing director of Sizewell C in the UK, explained that the foundation of a prosperous nuclear programme rests on three pillars: the stability of design, the stability of the supply chain, and the stability of the people involved and continuity of knowledge. This holistic approach is essential to ensure the seamless and efficient construction and operation of nuclear facilities.

2. Success Stories Matter: Success begets success. To inspire and motivate progress within the nuclear industry, it is crucial to highlight and celebrate success stories. As highlighted by Dejan Paravan, CEO of GEN energija in Slovenia, these achievements not only demonstrate the feasibility of nuclear energy but also serve as benchmarks for future endeavours.

3. The 'Invisible Man' of Risk: Risk plays a pivotal role in decision-making within the nuclear industry. It often explains why the discussions are long, and decisions slow. Vakis Ramany, Senior VP of EDF for International Nuclear Development, emphasised the importance of properly evaluating, allocating and managing risk among stakeholders in order to overcome hurdles and ensure efficient development of nuclear projects.

4. Government Support and Investment: We can all agree that clear and unwavering government support is essential for the advancement of nuclear energy. However, Sama Bilbao y Léon, Director General of World Nuclear Association, called for an embodiment of this support into concrete investments in nuclear projects. Government commitment in the form of financial backing and regulatory support is crucial to driving progress in the sector.

5. Supply Chain Stability: Developing a stabilised and robust supply chain is of paramount importance for the success of nuclear programmes. This should be a shared objective by all stakeholders of nuclear projects, from operators to governments, and obviously suppliers. A reliable supply chain is essential to meet the stringent demands of nuclear projects, from construction to operation and maintenance. The panellists all agreed that urgent efforts need to be put in place, starting today, in order to provide visibility to the supply chain and therefore be ready to deliver the hundreds of projects in the 2030s.

6. European Fleet is the Way Forward: Building a European fleet of reactors emerges as the most feasible strategy to address the challenges of new nuclear capacities in Europe. This collaborative approach allows for the optimisation of resources, knowledge sharing, and, most importantly, harnessing the benefits of the "fleet effect" - a concept where the collective strength of a fleet enhances the performance and safety of individual reactors.

These insights underscore the complex and multifaceted landscape of nuclear energy development. Collaboration, thoughtful risk management, and unwavering government commitment emerge as vital components in shaping the future of nuclear energy, not only in Europe but also on a global scale.

As we move forward, it is imperative that we continue these critical discussions and work collectively to shape the future of nuclear energy. The challenges are significant, but the potential benefits for our energy security, climate goals, and economic growth are equally substantial. I am fully convinced that, by building upon the lessons learned from this side-event, we can pave the way for a sustainable and prosperous nuclear energy future.

Moltex and ARC have prioritised engagement with and including First Nation companies since establishing their businesses in New Brunswick. NSMTC, with the help of Saa Dene, a company focused on Indigenous inclusion through economic and social participation in the global economy, conducted "thorough due diligence" to ensure that Moltex and ARC's technologies and values harmonised with Indigenous teachings of honouring and respecting the Earth and its resources.

"As Indigenous people, we believe that the decisions we make today should result in a sustainable world seven generations into the future," said NSMTC General Manager Jim Ward. "With this investment, we are building a legacy for our youth, as well as our communities and the environment. We are laying the groundwork for a prosperous future and opportunities that can be passed down for years to come."

Arlene Dunn, New Brunswick Minister of Aboriginal Affairs, said: "We are pleased to see another energy development opportunity embraced by First Nations here in New Brunswick. Creating these kinds of partnerships is essential to the economic development and increased employment for Indigenous communities, and to building a sustainable energy path for the province."

ARC is developing the ARC-100 sodium-cooled fast reactor which been selected by New Brunswick Power for implementation at the Point Lepreau site with completion targeted by the end of the decade. Moltex is developing three complimentary technologies: the Stable Salt Reactor - Wasteburner (SSR-W) molten salt reactor, the WAste To Stable Salt (WATSS) facility for recycling nuclear waste to produce SSR-W fuel, and a thermal energy storage system called GridReserve which the company says would enable the SSR-W to act as a peaking plant to back up intermittent renewables such as wind and solar. The company aims to deploy the first SSR-W unit at the Point Lepreau site by the early 2030s.

It was in 2003 that World Nuclear University (WNU) was founded by World Nuclear Association, the International Atomic Energy Agency, World Association of Nuclear Operators and the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency, with a mission to provide comprehensive leadership, communications and technical training to support the next generation of nuclear leaders.

As it marks its 20th birthday, WNU director Leslie talks about how it goes about fulfilling those goals and explains what the Summer Institute, and the rest of its wide range of events, involve. She also outlines some of the new initiatives in the pipeline. We also hear first-hand what the WNU experience is like from Estiner Katengeza, one of the fellows at this year's Summer Institute, which was held in Japan.

In the World Nuclear News round-up host Alex Hunt is joined by Claire Maden who reports on developments in Niger and considers the impact on the uranium sector, Warwick Pipe reports on the start of the discharge of treated water from Fukushima and there is also a report on the good news out of the USA from Vogtle.

Listen and subscribe on all major podcast platforms

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China General Nuclear (CGN) announced that hot functional testing of the 1180 MWe (gross) pressurised water reactor began at 9.00am on 25 September.

Fangchenggang unit 4 (Image: CGN)

Cold functional tests - which are carried out to confirm whether components and systems important to safety are properly installed and ready to operate in a cold condition - have already been completed at Fangchenggang 4. The main purpose of those tests was to verify the leak-tightness of the primary circuit.

First concrete was poured for the nuclear island of unit 3 - 39% owned by Guangxi Investment Group and 61% by CGN - in December 2015, while that for unit 4 was poured a year later. Unit 3 was originally expected to start up in 2019, with unit 4 scheduled to start up in 2020. Both their start-ups were subsequently postponed until 2022.

In January 2022, CGN announced that the start-up of Fangchenggang 3 and 4 had been put back again due to delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. It said the start of operation of unit 3 had been put back to the second half of 2022, with that of unit 4 expected in the first half of 2024. However, in December, CGN announced Fangchenggang 3 would not begin operation until the first half of 2023.

Unit 3 achieved first criticality - a sustained chain reaction - on 27 December 2022 and was synchronised with the grid on 10 January this year. It entered commercial operation on 25 March.

The Fangchenggang site (Image: CGN)

The Fangchenggang plant is planned to house six 1000 MWe reactors. The first phase comprises two CPR-1000 units which were put into commercial operation in 2016.

The first two units of China National Nuclear Corporation's version of the Hualong One design at the Fuqing plant in Fujian province have both already started up. Unit 5 entered commercial operation on 30 January 2021, with unit 6 following on 25 March 2022.

The company now said it completed all the power escalation tests at levels up to 90% in early September. A report on the tests was prepared and submitted to the Slovak Nuclear Regulatory Authority, which confirmed it had fulfilled the conditions to increase reactor output to 100%. Slovenské elektrárne will now perform the final power escalation tests at this power level, followed by a 144-hour trial run.

"After the demanding tests required to prove the safe operation of unit 3, we have reached the final stage," said Peter Farkaš, operations manager at the Mochovce plant. "Full-scale tests are planned for the end of September and the beginning of October, including the 144-hour trial run. All tests so far have confirmed the readiness of the new unit for long-term safe and CO2-free power generation."

Slovenské elektrárne Chairman and General Director Branislav Strýček added: "This is a historic moment for Slovenské elektrárne and Slovakia. Congratulations and thanks to all colleagues, suppliers, regulatory, controlling and partner institutions, who have worked hard towards achieving this important milestone and ensuring that electricity production in Slovakia will be even cleaner and greener for today's and future generations - for at least the next 60 years."

Construction of the first two VVER-440 units at the four-unit Mochovce plant started in 1982. Work began on units 3 and 4 in 1986, but stalled in 1992. The first two reactors were completed and came into operation in 1998 and 1999, respectively, with a project to complete units 3 and 4 beginning ten years later. Unit 4's schedule has been to follow about one or two years behind unit 3. Each of the units will be able to provide 13% of Slovakia's electricity needs when operating at full capacity.

Slovenské elektrárne noted that since being connected to the grid on 31 January this year, Mochovce 3 has, during tests, gradually supplied over 1000 GWh of electricity, sufficient to cover the average annual consumption of about 400,000 Slovak households. It said that at full power, the unit can cover the consumption of up to 1.3 million households per year.

"In terms of electricity production, the country is becoming energy self-sufficient already this year," the company said. Slovakia expects to become a net exporter of energy once the two new units at Mochovce are both up and running.

The main objectives of the multilateral review were to identify key issues towards the hypothetical licensing of a Nuward SMR in the three countries, and to identify divergences and convergences between the regulatory frameworks in these countries - it was not intended to replace any future licensing review of any participating regulator.

Crassous said the process had been a positive one for Nuward, allowing early feedback for its designers, and allowing discussion of the differences in regulations. He noted there were three levels in differences in regulations, saying that on international principles "the regulators converged quite easily". The second layer was the history of regulation in a country and how they had interpreted and built a national approach and implemented the global principles "and this was a precise lesson learned from this project", he said.

"And there was also the underlying layer of all the national regulations concerning things that are not nuclear at all, such as fire regulation, or the size of doors, which looks quite simple when we talk about it but which is very difficult to change when we have a full design of a plant at the end and we move to another country - that is not a part we have discussed in this process but it will be of some significance," he told the session.

"And we know that, because of this underlying layer, it is still a dream to have a unique design that will fit another country - but, still, the progress we made on the second layer and to understand the different approaches to safety, the safety case and approaches in the countries we worked with have reassured us that many of the choices we have made have been validated by the discussion and we are confident we can keep it on track," he added.

He said there was still work to be done to "be on the edge between the different regulators" and added that the Nuward team also felt it was a success and was helping produce a new process with wider benefits to the wider international nuclear sector.

The joint early review does not approve the design of the SMR but it allows discussion between different countries' regulators and the reactor designer in an effort to try to smooth the process as much as possible through future regulatory and licensing processes as part of the goal of getting as close as possible to a design that can be standardised across national borders.

The three national regulators taking part came from countries where there is interest in deploying a Nuward SMR - whose pilot plant's first concrete target date is 2030. Session chair, Luc Chanial, from ASN, said the first phase had been successful enough to create interest from other regulators and in phase two three more regulators are set to be joining - Poland's National Atomic Energy Agency (Państwowa Agencja Atomistyki, PAA), the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority (SSM) and Netherlands' Authority for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection (ANVS).

Early review reports

Also on Tuesday, the three regulators published their report on the first phase of the review - the NUWARD SMR Joint Early Review Pilot Phase Closure Report - and Nuward also published its NUWARD SMR Joint Early Review Summary Report.

In their report, the regulators said "this initiative provided room for sharing of knowledge, experience and detailed national practices on topics which present high stakes for safety and which are crucial in the licensing process. It also enabled regulators to acquaint with an SMR design, and thus to anticipate the main regulatory and technical challenges. For the vendor, it enabled it to receive timely feedback from the regulators on topics of the highest importance for its design, when modifications are still relatively easy to be made with the objective to develop a standardised design with a level of safety consistent with regulators’ expectations, and thus more likely to be accepted by several countries in the future. This exercise also showed that differences in regulatory frameworks don’t always need to be addressed through design changes."

"This kind of cooperation appears to be an effective and efficient way to move towards an increased standardisation of reactor designs, and also facilitates harmonisation of regulatory requirements, regulators’ expectations and practices on a voluntary basis, which preserves national sovereignty and independence."

In its "lessons learned" section it says: "The initiative preserves each regulator’s independence and sovereignty, as the joint synthesis enables to carry both common and individual views. The fact that the review was based on national regulatory frameworks, instead of a list of common acceptance criteria did not constrain the review and contributed to the independence and sovereignty of each regulator. As the joint early review initiative does not lead to regulatory binding decisions, it enables more open discussions between the regulators and the vendor. Also, it enables to provide timelier feedback to the vendor through the joint synthesis compared to official processes in each country."

It said that those taking part gained "useful insights on each other's regulatory approaches" and therefore had "the opportunity to consider evolutions of their national regulatory framework".

The report also set out some insights into what views the regulators had taken of the reactor's design. and areas where the three regulators diverged and suggested that could feed it into the design. It noted that "the cooling of the reactor pools and spent fuel pool is different from the one currently used in the French fleet of nuclear power plants and recommended by ASN for the design of these reactors. The discussions held with the working group and Nuward SMR will pave the way for further assessment of this strategy in the framework of the safety options file assessment".

In its report on the joint early review, Nuward said its intention is "to develop a standardised design, suitable and licensable in multiple countries" and the review was one of a number of measures to try to embed international regulatory requirements within the design.

The six areas covered during the year-long review were:

• The general safety objectives.
• The list of design basis conditions and design extension conditions
• The use of passive cooling systems
• The development plan for computer codes
• The integration of two reactor units in a single facility
• The Probabilistic Safety Assessment approach

It said: "The insights for the Nuward team have been numerous, relevant and useful for the Nuward SMR development. They will feed the rationale for decisions on some topics as part of the on-going Basic Design phase of the project, in order to see if a more holistic and centralised approach to certain aspects can be built into the Nuward SMR model. Examples of topics include dose limits and radiological consequences limitation objectives with respect to severe accident, DEC-A definition and selection, consideration of DBC in combination with loss of offsite power, and the classification approach for systems/structures/components."

The timing of such reviews was a point included in both the regulators' and the Nuward reports, with a need for the design to be advanced enough to be able to be usefully assessed by the regulators, but also at a stage where changes can feed into the detailed design process.

Nuward said "the process and its output have challenged the ways of thinking and working within the Nuward team. It has encouraged increased agility and a growth mindset in anticipating how some of its design approach and assumptions may be viewed in different regulatory contexts". It also said that, among the lessons, "there was a need to agree on standard terms and definitions, and some explanation on exact meaning was frequently required throughout the process. The IAEA safety glossary was generally acknowledged as a shared basis".

It says that while the joint early review "further convinced Nuward and EDF that it would not be desirable, or even possible in some cases, to consider inclusion of all the highlighted specific requirements in such design", it believes the review is "a key step to help designers and regulators move towards a wide harmonised set of expectations in the future, identified as a success factor for the emergence of the SMR market ... through a better understanding of the variety of expectations and sharing the designer’s set of constraints, Nuward wishes to provide the market with an SMR solution that will ensure a very high level of safety while maintaining design simplicity and cost-efficiency.".

The hope of many developers of small modular reactors are to be able build a fleet of them in a variety of countries. In an effort to try to help that to happen there have been initiatives established to encourage regulatory convergence of requirements in different countries. These include the IAEA's Nuclear Harmonization and Standardization Initiative.

Last week a joint report produced by World Nuclear Association's Cooperation in Reactor Design Evaluation and Licensing (CORDEL) working group in cooperation with the Canadian Nuclear Association and the Nuclear Energy Institute, was published proposing a "stepwise" process and set out the regulatory steps which can be taken to minimise the time and cost for large-scale deployment of a fleet of standardised reactor designs that are acceptable in multiple countries around the world.

Speaking after the publication of the Nuward SMR joint early review report, CORDEL working group staff director Allan Carson said: "This joint early review is a clear example of the benefits of groups of regulators working together on the review of specific designs, it provides some clear building blocks identifying areas of commonality and some challenges. Long term commitment to and support of these types of initiatives will be critical to the widespread deployment of nuclear power."

OSART missions aim to improve operational safety by objectively assessing safety performance using the IAEA's Safety Standards and proposing recommendations for improvement where appropriate.

"We observed that the plant’s senior leadership team held safety as a priority and pushed for improvement in all areas," said team leader John Duguid, Senior Nuclear Safety Officer at the IAEA. "The team also proposed areas in which improvements can be made to further elevate the plant’s safety performance."

The team identified good practices to be shared with the nuclear industry globally, including: the updated plant information project (CONNECT) installed at the plant provides real time access to information and effective support to different function groups; this assists in operator monitoring, remote requests for technical assistance and management of emergent work; the plant installed a remote monitoring capability on safety critical seawater piping that helps in avoiding biofouling through optimising chemical treatment; and the plant developed and installed a system for monitoring sedimentation in the cooling water intake channel.

The mission also provided recommendations and suggestions to further improve operational safety, including that: the plant should improve the implementation of processes related to the testing of the plants installed systems; the plant should improve its preparation, control and implementation of maintenance activities to ensure equipment reliability and personnel safety; and the plant should consider improving the quality and planning of its periodic testing.

The team provided a draft report of the mission to the plant management, which will have the opportunity to make factual comments. These comments will be reviewed by the IAEA and the final report will be submitted to the French government within three months.

"The OSART mission enabled an in-depth assessment of the site and an enriching sharing of the best global practices thanks to the team's combined expertise," said François Valmage, Executive Site Manager of Unit 1 and 2 of the Penly plant. "The recommendations and suggestions will help us ensure a continuous improvement of the plant's operational safety."

Unit 1 of the Penly plant started commercial operation in 1990, and unit 2 in 1992. The two 1300 MWe pressurised water reactors are amongst 56 operating nuclear power reactors in France. Nuclear power currently contributes about 68% of the country's electricity. This figure is expected to rise as France is constructing an additional reactor and plans to construct at least six more.

In June, EDF announced its board of directors had decided to proceed with the planned construction of the first pair of EPR2 reactors at Penly "in response to the expectations expressed" during a national public debate, which took place between 27 October 2022 and 27 February 2023 under the aegis of the National Commission for Public Debate. The company aims to start preparatory work for the new reactors at Penly in mid-2024.

"Four years ago, nuclear power was struggling to gain a place at the table in major global conversations and events on energy and climate change. Today, nuclear power not only has a place at the table but is increasingly recognised as part of the solution."

Speaking 70 years after the then US President Dwight D Eisenhower's Atoms for Peace speech to the United Nations which paved the way for the creation of the IAEA, he said that it continues to implement its safeguards and security work. He said that there was an "ever-learning mindset when it comes to building a culture of nuclear safety and security - nuclear energy is safer than it has ever been, safer than almost any other source of energy".

And he said: "In the past few years we have not been vocal enough about the benefits of nuclear power, but that page has been turned. Even as public opinion polls around the world show the tide turning in favour of nuclear energy, countries still need to engage stakeholders openly, and proactively, in their nuclear power programmes. Concerted effort and action are warranted."

Representatives of the IAEA's 177 Member States are attending the event, at which delegates will discuss a range of topics, from the 2024 budget to strengthening activities related to nuclear science, technology and applications, as well as the IAEA’s nuclear safety and security activities and strengthening the effectiveness and improving the efficiency of Agency safeguards. They will also specifically discuss nuclear safety, security and safeguards in Ukraine and safeguards in the Middle East and in North Korea. Thailand’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Vilawan Mangklatanakul, was elected as the president of the General Conference.

The opening session saw Grossi taking the oath of office for a second four-year term as director general. He said that since taking the job there had been the COVID-19 pandemic and then war in Europe: "These two events are tragic in and of themselves, but they also make it more difficult - and urgent - to tackle the ever-more-present calamity of climate change and the very serious challenges of poverty, disease, hunger and food, water and energy insecurity. I feel humbled and privileged to lead an institution with a unique mandate that allows us - everyone in this building today - to play a role in tackling these challenges."

The director general highlighted the work of the agency's staff in Ukraine, where experts are stationed at all the country's nuclear power plants, and there have been 10 rotations of staff at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which has been under the control of the Russian military since early March 2022.

Grossi said the situation there remains "fragile". In an update published on Friday, the IAEA reported that there had now been 10 groundwater wells drilled "bringing the plant close to having a longer-term solution for the provision of cooling water" since the destruction of the Kakhovka dam in June. It said that an 11th well is due to be drilled after which the plant's operators hope they will have "the approximately 250 cubic metres of water per hour to maintain the cooling of the reactors and spent fuel pools in the current shutdown state".

The agency also said that staffing levels at the plant "continue to be a concern with a significant number of staff having left the ZNPP since the start of the armed conflict, including licensed operators from the main control rooms". The IAEA experts at the site, which is on the frontline between Russian and Ukrainian forces, also reported hearing "numerous explosions some distance away".

The upper part of the dome structure, having a weight of 129 tonnes and diameter of 34.5 metres, has now been installed in the design position at a height of 57.1 metres. Now the construction height is 63.9 metres and it will reach 65.4 metres after concreting of the dome.

"Specialists of the Engineering Division have set a record - they installed the outer containment dome in two days," Rosatom said. "This is the shortest time period for performance of such operation."

The structure following its assembly at ground level (Image: Rosatom)

"We have successfully completed the installation of the outer containment dome and will start its concreting soon," said Rooppur plant construction project director Alexey Deriy. "After that we will be able to proceed with the installation of passive heat removal systems."

Russia's VVER-1200 reactor design features a double containment system. The main function of the double-layered containment building is to ensure the integrity and leak tightness of the reactor building, and it plays a key role in the containment of radioactive substances.

The inner containment around the reactor building of Rooppur 2 was installed in June 2022 and concreted in May 2023.

Rosatom in February 2011 signed an agreement for two reactors to be built at Rooppur for the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission. The initial contract for the project, worth USD12.65 billion, was signed in December 2015. The Rooppur plant, 160 kilometres from the capital Dhaka, features two Russian VVER-1200 reactors. Construction of the first unit began in November 2017 and it is scheduled to be commissioned in 2024. Construction of the second unit at Rooppur began in July 2018.

However, he noted: "While increasing year-on-year at the rate of nearly 15% from about USD37 billion in 2019 - before COVID - to USD65 billion in 2023, nuclear investments remain a small part of overall clean energy investments, around a 4% share."

Speaking during a session on Investing in Nuclear on 8 September, Sadamori said the IEA released its Nuclear Power and the Secure Energy Transitions report more than a year ago. Under the report's net-zero scenario, nuclear power needs to double from around 400 GW now to more than 800 GW in 2050. "Less nuclear power would make the net-zero transition harder, more expensive and riskier," he added.

"The resurgence of nuclear power in the net-zero scenario entails a massive increase in investments in the coming decades," Sadamori said. "Global investments in nuclear surges over USD100 billion in the first half of the 2030s in the net-zero scenario, and that's over three times the average of the 2010s."

Innovative funding models

Nuclear projects have for many years relied on state ownership or the regulated monopoly structure to guarantee revenues and reduce risks to investors, Sadamori noted. However, there are private sector investors willing to finance such projects but innovative financing mechanisms are needed to secure this funding.

"The key concern that investors see is the duration that it takes to put a project up to connection, up to operation," said Julien Bocobza, partner in the Japan office of White & Case LLC. "You've got naturally the development phase, the planning stage, which is borne by investors, by equity providers, by developers. But even once the project is approved and starts construction, the typical duration, because everything has to be customised, is around seven years.

"The impact on the financing is tremendous, in particular because it means you need to have the amount of cash available to pay interest during construction. So you are really paying lenders for seven years before you start getting any revenue, which creates issues. But also given that scale, you need a very long period to repay that loan, which then is often an issue with commercial lenders who cannot go beyond 15, 18 years typically for repayment periods."

Details about the UK's Regulated Assets Base (RAB) funding model, which is being used for financing the Sizewell C project, were outlined by Iain Smedley, chairman of power and utilities banking at Barclays. Under this model, a company receives a licence from an economic regulator to charge a regulated price to consumers in exchange for providing the infrastructure in question. He said the model "from an investor perspective, is structured to produce attractive, stable, low-risk and inflation-linked returns at scale".

Smedley added: "The RAB model is designed to set up a structure that provides a high level of certainty and confidence and predictability for investors, whilst also making sure that there are appropriate incentives in place."

Showcasing successful projects

All the speakers on the panel agreed on the need for the nuclear industry to deliver projects on time and on budget in order to attract funding from investors.

"What the financial sector sees ... is delays and cost overruns," Bocobza said. "And how will each project deal with that? Clearly for lenders, it is what they are going to look at in the first instance. They will not take that risk or they will be very reluctant to take that risk until it's clearly mitigated."

He added: "Having very successful stories about being on time and on budget will really, really help. And that's why I agree it was fantastic to hear those stories because it gives confidence. Lessons learned I think is absolutely key in the construction space, of course, but also for governments to make sure that if you're putting together a new programme you understand what worked, what didn't work, and you actually implement gateways to ensure that you make it work."

"The key here is being able to showcase to the world that we can deliver large-scale projects on time and on budget," added Kevin Kelly, executive VP, finance and CFO, Bruce Power. "And, you know, whether it's a multiple billion dollar refurbishment or new build, you got to stick to the basic principles of having your engineering done, getting your long-lead parts, having an established supply chain."

Sadamori said it should not just come down to the industry to attract the necessary finance for nuclear projects. "Governments need to have a very strong policy to ensure public awareness of the possible important contributions from nuclear for both energy security and climate change mitigation, and also, as presented, the needed financial mechanisms to ensure the needed investments in nuclear, because the current competitive unbundled electricity power systems in mostly the advanced economies are not good enough to ensure the necessary investments into assets like nuclear."

CAT will provide data on temperatures and coolant flow to ensure the MARVEL reactor will perform as expected. The first phases of testing at PCAT will initially focus on demonstrating natural circulation, a critical heat removal mechanism within the system, DOE said.

The PCAT demonstration is an "important step in that process and will help validate and benchmark tools we use to accurately predict how the reactor will perform," Yasir Arafat, chief designer and project lead for MARVEL, said.

MARVEL - a liquid-metal cooled microreactor equipped with Stirling engines - is expected to produce 85 MW (thermal) using small amounts of high-assay, low-enriched uranium (HALEU) fuel. It is to be constructed at INL's Transient Reactor Test Facility - using off-the-shelf components, which will allow for faster construction - where it will be used to test microreactor applications, evaluate systems for remote monitoring, and develop autonomous control technologies. DOE has said it plans to connect the reactor to the lab's first nuclear microgrid.

The DOE said it is close to finalising the MARVEL design and is in discussion to procure key long-lead components for fabrication. The reactor could be operational as soon as the end of next year.

We are constantly looking at how we can support people joining and developing their careers in the nuclear sector, and there are many examples of successful mentoring programmes within organisations and countries. To complement these programmes we felt that there was an opportunity to elevate this idea to the global level. We enjoy the benefits of being a truly global sector, so this is perfectly aligned with the culture of international collaboration. The sector is growing at an unprecedented rate and we see this mentoring programme as key to attracting, developing and retaining the workforce.

I would like to start by saying that the mentoring programme is open to everyone in the sector, not just women. Mentoring can add value in so many ways. From a mentee perspective, you could be new to the sector and looking to benefit from the experience of others, you could be moving to a new job role or geography, moving into a new discipline or developing as a leader. From a mentor perspective, you may be motivated by helping others and giving something back to the sector. In the spirit of continuous development, we can always learn from others and individuals can switch between being a mentor or mentee as their career evolves.

What an inclusive approach. So, how will it work in practice?

It's really straight forward. The platform we are using, MentorCity, allows mentors and mentees to register and set up a profile. As part of the registration, individuals can choose to be a mentee, mentor, or both. They can also indicate what their areas of experience are and their objectives for a mentoring relationship. The platform then matches mentors and mentees. Short videos embedded on the platform will help mentors and mentees understand how to establish and maintain successful mentoring relationships and provide practical tips and guidance.

That sounds very straight forward. Are there any costs involved?

No, the mentoring programme is free to join for mentors and mentees. We ask that anyone joining is thorough in completing the registration so that the mentor/mentee matching is optimised, and then invests the time and effort required to develop effective mentoring relationships.

What are the benefits to joining this global mentoring programme?

Benefits for mentees include supporting professional and career development goals, seeking advice and guidance from industry peers and leaders, and expanding networks in the sector to gain a broader perspective.

Benefits for mentors include the opportunity to develop future talent in the industry, an opportunity to give back and a way of developing and refining mentoring, coaching and leadership skills. Similar to the benefits of mentees, mentors can also expand networks in the industry and gain broader industry perspective.

What are the next steps for anyone interested?

You must be a member of WiN Global to enroll. If you are not already a WiN Global member, no worries, it is open to all genders and membership is free. You can sign up and register to participate in the mentoring programme here.

It proposes a step-by-step approach "given the complexity of the differences in regulations and standards, including technical, human and cultural challenges and how difficult this makes convergence" of regulatory requirements in different countries.

Its model is for "gradually increasing collaboration between key stakeholders that is supported by multilateral agreements between technology vendors, regulators, and operators", and proposes to "build upon the efforts of small groups of regulators and industry jointly working on the review of specific reactor designs to increase efficiency in the design reviews to facilitate the ability of one regulator to leverage all, or part, of the outcomes from reviews undertaken by other regulators to support their own regulatory process".

Its three key recommendations for action are:  

• Increased support from governments, regulators and industry "to facilitate collaborative regulatory design review activities, including the enabling of groups of regulators working on specific designs"
• Stakeholders to facilitate "increased collaborative regulatory design reviews" through a stepwise phased approach, which would allow near-term benefits through “low risk activities" while building a foundation for greater benefits that need a longer timeframe
• Increased coordination of existing harmonisation activities "to accelerate progress through the stepwise phased approach and make most effective use of the resources available".

The report, produced by World Nuclear Association's Cooperation in Reactor Design Evaluation and Licensing (CORDEL) working group in cooperation with the Canadian Nuclear Association (CNA) and the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), builds on existing work such as the Multinational Design Evaluation Programme and the International Atomic Energy Agency's Nuclear Harmonization and Standardization Initiative which was launched last year.

"These initiatives and others, including from other industries, have demonstrated that there is much that can be, and has been, achieved through collaborative efforts between different regulators and with industry. What is clear from other industries and ongoing harmonisation activities is that support from governments and early alignment among key stakeholders are important prerequisites for success," the report says.

It also says that "working with large groups of stakeholders makes alignment of requirements increasingly difficult, and that working generically on design safety issues makes it difficult to identify the real challenges to joint design reviews".

It concludes that to meet the targets for new nuclear by 2050, there needs to be an "innovative approach" and says "the collaboration efforts will require additional resources above and beyond what each national regulator already needs to support short-term regulatory activities in their own countries".

"The aim of committing resources and efforts to these international collaborative efforts now is to support increased export markets and facilitate national regulators being able in future to carry out more reviews more efficiently."

World Nuclear Association Director General Sama Bilbao y León said the report "highlights how increased government support for multi-lateral regulatory review activities, and greater coordination between international organisations are essential to accelerate the global deployment of fleets of standardised reactor designs. To be successful, we must come together as a nuclear sector, set common goals, define ambitious yet realistic targets, and collaborate to deliver the benefits of nuclear energy for all".

John Gorman, President and CEO of the CNA, said: "This report paves the way for the nuclear industry and regulators across the world as a blueprint towards a common objective and will prove to be a building block of initiatives such as the recently launched Net Zero Nuclear."

Maria Korsnick, President and CEO at NEI, said: "The demand for new nuclear is real, and there's a clear consensus on the world stage that nuclear plays a crucial role in our global clean energy transition. We cannot tackle the climate threat and bolster energy security without the versatility, reliability, and affordability that clean nuclear power ensures. But the challenge before us isn’t demand - it is meeting demand. Now is the time to rise to the occasion. Together, with our global allies, we can face the challenge before us through modernised and globally streamlined regulatory approaches, while maintaining our high standards of safety."

The EIA report examined the environmental impact of constructing and operating a plant with a generating capacity of up to 3750 MWe in the area of ​​the municipalities of Choczewo, Gniewino and Korkowa in the province of Pomerania. PEJ said the final EIA report complied with the provisions of the decision of GDOŚ, which in 2016 defined the scope of the environmental report in relation to the considered location variants and their technical sub-options, as well as in relation to the infrastructure accompanying the power plant.

The draft decision was reviewed by the Director of the Maritime Office in Gdynia, the State Sanitary Inspector for the Pomorskie Voivodeship, the Director of the Regional Board of Water Management in Gdańsk of the State Water Holding Wody Polskie, the President of the Polish National Atomic Energy Agency, and the Minister of Climate and Environment.

GDOŚ has now issued its final decision, which PEJ said is "a key permit obtained in the investment process, as subsequent administrative approvals, including the location decision and the construction permit, must be consistent with the terms and conditions contained in the decision on environmental conditions".

The obtained decision on environmental conditions determines the site variant for the first nuclear power plant in Poland, at the Lubiatowo-Kopalino site in the Choczewo municipality. It also defines the conditions of using the environment at the stage of development and operation of the facility, requirements concerning the environment protection necessary to be included in the design documentation, requirements for counteracting the effects of industrial accidents, and it also imposes an obligation of the reassessment of environmental impact, as part of the procedure for issuing the construction permit.

The decision was preceded by national and transboundary consultations with 14 countries that applied for participation in this procedure. The national consultations, held from 20 July to 18 August 2023, included all residents of Poland, who could review the documentation and submit their comments and conclusions. The transboundary consultations were held from September 2022 until July 2023. As part of the procedure, relevant protocols were signed with all the countries involved, including four protocols signed after intergovernmental expert meetings held under Article 5 of the Espoo Convention, which contributed to closing the process within the assumed timeframe.

"The issued decision on environmental conditions is one of the most important stages in the permitting process and brings us significantly closer to the start of the construction of the first nuclear power plant in Poland," said PEJ President Mateusz Berger. "It defines the conditions that must be met in order to execute a nuclear investment project in compliance with environmental regulations and requirements on both the national and international level."

PEJ - a special-purpose vehicle 100% owned by the State Treasury - has already obtained a decision-in-principle issued by the Ministry of Climate and Environment confirming that the company's investment is in line with the energy policy implemented by the state. In August, it applied to the head of the Pomeranian Voivodeship for a location decision for the plant.

The Polish government selected the Westinghouse AP1000 reactor technology for construction at Lubiatowo-Kopalino in Pomerania in November 2022.

Westinghouse and Bechtel have just signed a formal agreement to partner on the design and construction of the plant. They expect to sign an engineering services contract with PEJ within the next week.

The concept envisions a 378-foot (115 metre) ship drawing on the logistics and marine capabilities of Crowley, with in-house vessel design Crowley Engineering Services, and the nuclear capabilities of BWXT, which has supplied nuclear components, fuel and services to the US government for more than 60 years. The vessel would use traditional propulsion. Its modular reactor - of between 5 and 50 MW - would be activated upon arrival at the destination and be deactivated and transported after the power supply is discontinued. Buoyed power delivery cables would enable the ships to deploy energy connections to shore. Shallow draft hulls allow vessels to manoeuvre to deliver power strategically if harbour access is limited, for example by military activities or by natural disaster.

Shiju Zacharia, senior vice president and general manager of Crowley Government Solutions, said the cooperation with BWXT will be the privately held company's first move into the nuclear energy sector, and is a key part of its commitment to sustainable, alternative energy sources. "This concept supports the US Department of Energy's goal of maintaining US leadership in nuclear energy technology as well as many the US Department of Defense's strategic goals for operational energy," he said.

BWXT Advanced Technologies LLC President Joe Miller said: "We are excited to work alongside Crowley to leverage our ongoing reactor development and demonstration programs to expand nuclear technology into new and novel markets to deliver zero carbon emissions energy generation to strategic locations."

BWXT was selected in 2022 by the US Department of Defense Strategic Capabilities Office to build and demonstrate a TRISO-fuelled prototype mobile microreactor as part of Project Pele. The company's (BWXT Advanced Nuclear Reactor) transportable microreactor - a 50 MW (thermal) high-temperature gas microreactor - was one of five selected in December 2020 by the Department of Energy to receive a share of USD30 million in initial funding for risk reduction projects under its Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program.

The companies have not yet provided details of the microreactor technology envisaged for their new ship concept other than saying it would feature "the latest technology available".

Bertholt Leeftink, CEO of NRG-Pallas, said: "This decision is confirmation that the Pallas reactor is of strategic importance for the Netherlands and Europe. It will strengthen the security of medical isotopes supply for nuclear medicine. For patients, it means faster access to innovative (cancer) treatments."

He said it would help the Netherlands to expand its position in the world market for medical isotopes and nuclear technological research and "will preserve high-quality knowledge and employment in the North Holland headland".

Peter Dijk, Pallas programme director, called it "tremendous news ... with this decision we can proceed with the preparatory works and attract a contractor for realisation of the new build".

The Pallas research reactor is to be built at Petten to replace the existing High Flux Reactor (HFR). The 45 MW HFR started operating in September 1960, since when its use has largely been shifted from nuclear materials testing to fundamental research and the production of medical radioisotopes. The reactor - operated by NRG on behalf of the European Union's Joint Research Centre - has for a long time supplied about 60% of Europe's and 30% of the world's use of medical radioactive sources.

Pallas will be of the "tank-in-pool" type, with a thermal power of around 55 MW, and able to deploy its neutron flux more efficiently and effectively than the HFR.

In May this year work began on the foundations after the Authority for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection  granted a construction licence for the reactor in February.

NRG-Pallas say the reactor "will guarantee large-scale diagnostic and therapeutic isotopes for millions of patients worldwide over the next 60 years". It says that around 200,000 patient treatments with therapeutic isotopes take place annually in Europe and this number is expected to increase by 8% a year and says "targeted and personalised therapies are very promising because they can be used much more precisely than traditional treatments - this innovative approach has fewer harmful side effects, is more effective and less stressful for the patient".

Construction of the reactor, which will be located at the Energy & Health Campus in Petten, will be able to go ahead if the country's parliament does not object to the creation of a new state-owned company and if the European Commission approves the public investment.