World Nuclear News

TVO seeks go-ahead for Olkiluoto EPR fuel loading

Thu, 09 Apr 2020 11:51:02 GMT

Teollisuuden Voima Oyj yesterday applied to the Finnish nuclear regulator for permission to load fuel into the reactor of the Olkiluoto 3 EPR. This process, which had been scheduled for June, is likely to be delayed however because of measures put in place at the plant to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

KHNP to support Canadian decommissioning projects

Thu, 09 Apr 2020 14:07:47 GMT

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power has signed a contract with Canadian nuclear engineering firm Kinectrics to provide decommissioning engineering support, building on a memorandum of understanding on the dismantling of nuclear power plants they signed in August 2019. The contract will see Korean nuclear power plant decommissioning personnel dispatched overseas for the first time.

TVA and University of Tennessee agree SMR collaboration

Thu, 09 Apr 2020 14:04:26 GMT

The Tennessee Valley Authority is to collaborate with the University of Tennessee, Knoxville to evaluate the development of a new generation of advanced nuclear reactors at TVA's Clinch River site. TVA has an early site permit from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission for two or more small modular reactors at the site but has not yet taken a decision to build.

Magwood outlines Nuclear Energy Agency's response to pandemic

Thu, 09 Apr 2020 11:37:26 GMT

The OECD Nuclear Energy Agency is supporting its members as they adjust to the environment created by the COVID-19 crisis and establishing a means for rapid exchange of ideas and best practices, the Paris-based intergovernmental organisation's director general, William Magwood, said yesterday.

IAEA helps share operator experience during COVID-19 crisis

Wed, 08 Apr 2020 15:02:36 GMT

The International Atomic Energy Agency says it is accelerating its efforts to support nuclear facility operators through the exchange of knowledge via the International Reporting System for Operating Experience and the newly-established COVID-19 Operational Experience Network.

Cameco assesses Inkai and Ontario operations

Wed, 08 Apr 2020 15:58:37 GMT

Canadian uranium producer Cameco says Kazatomprom's decision to temporarily decrease operational activity at their Inkai joint venture is "an unplanned event that may lead to variability" in its 2020 outlook. Cameco has also announced that it is implementing a number of temporary operational changes at its fuel services division facilities in Ontario.

Rosatom uses new inspection device at Kalinin unit 1

Wed, 08 Apr 2020 15:00:20 GMT

Rosatom has for the first time used a new device that it says performs all types of non-destructive testing automatically and without the use of a polar crane and a reloading machine. The Kalinin plant is just over 200 miles north-west of Moscow, in the Tver region of Russia.

Dukovany project will help repair economic damage of pandemic, lobby group says

Wed, 08 Apr 2020 14:05:26 GMT

A group of local authorities near the Dukovany nuclear power plant in the Czech Republic said yesterday that plans to expand the facility must go ahead to help offset the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Czech utility ČEZ last month applied to the State Office for Nuclear Safety to construct two new reactors at its Dukovany plant, where four VVER-440 units are currently in operation at the site, which is in Vysočina Region.

Fortum to decommission Finnish research reactor

Wed, 08 Apr 2020 12:46:20 GMT

Finnish utility Fortum has been awarded a contract by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland to decommission the Finnish Reactor 1 research reactor in Espoo. It will be the first nuclear reactor to be decommissioned in Finland.

Kazatomprom updates operations under COVID-19 lockdown

Tue, 07 Apr 2020 14:20:39 GMT

Kazatomprom said today that it expects Kazakhstan's 2020 annual uranium production volume to decrease by up to 4,000 tU from previous expectations as the company introduces measures to comply with COVID-19 lockdown requirements. Measures that will result in a lower level of wellfield activity, and thus a reduction in production volume, are expected to remain in place for three months. Kazatomprom is the world's biggest uranium producer, accounting for 23% of global output of the metal in 2018.

Rosatom chief hopes for business-as-usual before May

Tue, 07 Apr 2020 13:31:33 GMT

Rosatom plans to resume normal working by the end of this month and sees no need to change the schedule of its new-build projects overseas, Director General Alexey Likhachov said in a video-address to the state nuclear corporation's employees.

Reactor internals installed at second Hualong One unit in Pakistan

Tue, 07 Apr 2020 13:11:56 GMT

Installation has been completed of the reactor internals of the Hualong One reactor under construction at unit 3 of the Karachi nuclear power plant in Pakistan. Those for unit 2 were installed in January 2019. The units are scheduled for commercial operation in 2021 and 2022, respectively.

Energy vital for coronavirus response and recovery, says IEA

Mon, 06 Apr 2020 14:15:53 GMT

The energy sector is uniquely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, but it is also critical to global and national response and recovery efforts, the International Energy Agency said today.

Russia's NCCP to supply Egyptian research reactor

Mon, 06 Apr 2020 14:19:29 GMT

Novosibirsk Chemical Concentrates Plant has signed a 10-year contract with the Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority for the supply of low-enriched nuclear fuel components, such as uranium and aluminium items, for the ETRR-2 research reactor. NCCP is a subsidiary of Russian nuclear fuel manufacturer TVEL.

Ukraine confirms no change to radiation levels from forest fire

Mon, 06 Apr 2020 14:37:23 GMT

A forest fire on the western tip of the exclusion zone of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine has not affected background radiation levels, state authorities said today.

Brazil's Angra plant receives first fuel store modules

Mon, 06 Apr 2020 13:23:39 GMT

Holtec International delivered the first five of 15 modules for an on-site used fuel dry storage facility to Brazil's Angra nuclear power plant last week. The new storage facility, set to be commissioned at the end of this year, will create space in the almost full storage pools of units 1 and 2, allowing their continued operation.

Outage management adapts to COVID-19

Fri, 03 Apr 2020 13:34:22 GMT

Electricity generation is vital in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but scheduled refuelling and maintenance outages at nuclear power plants around the world must still go ahead. Operators are introducing risk-minimising procedures so outages that have been planned years in advance can proceed, while some are being prompted to rethink or extend scheduled outages.

COVID impact on construction projects not yet clear

Fri, 03 Apr 2020 15:32:45 GMT

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and related government responses could disrupt or delay construction, testing, supervisory and support activities at the Vogtle 3 and 4 construction project, but it is too early to say what those effects will be, Southern Company has told the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Russia's Rosatom is looking into the possibility of returning part of the Russian personnel from overseas nuclear power plant construction sites.

IAEA supports discharge of Fukushima Daiichi water

Fri, 03 Apr 2020 12:09:44 GMT

A review of the management of treated water stored at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan has been carried out by the International Atomic Energy Agency. It says the two options under consideration for disposing of this water - discharge into the sea and via vapour release - are both technically feasible.

Hungarian minister highlights importance of nuclear energy

Thu, 02 Apr 2020 14:24:10 GMT

The coronavirus pandemic has underlined the importance of the existing Paks nuclear power plant, which accounts for about half of Hungary's electricity generation, noted János Süli. The minister responsible for the design, construction and commissioning of two new reactors at Paks said that project will maintain the country's energy security and help revive its economy in the coming years.

NRC approves Crystal River licence transfer

Thu, 02 Apr 2020 13:55:44 GMT

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved the transfer of the licence for Crystal River 3 from Duke Energy Florida to Accelerated Decommissioning Partners LLC subsidiary ADP CR3. The transfer will enable ADP CR3 to carry out active decommissioning of the former nuclear power plant.

IAEA dispatches COVID-19 detection equipment

Thu, 02 Apr 2020 12:48:03 GMT

The International Atomic Energy Agency is dispatching a first batch of equipment to more than 40 countries to enable them to use a nuclear-derived technique to rapidly detect the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. This emergency assistance is part of the IAEA's response to requests for support from around 90 Member States in controlling an increasing number of infections worldwide.

BN-600 licensed to operate until 2025

Wed, 01 Apr 2020 11:36:33 GMT

Russian nuclear regulator Rostekhnadzor has extended the operating licence for unit 3 of the Beloyarsk nuclear power plant in the Sverdlovsk district by a further five years. The licence for the BN-600 fast reactor, which began operating in 1981, was due to expire this year.

Russia drafts strategy for low-carbon development

Wed, 01 Apr 2020 12:00:57 GMT

Russia's Ministry for Economic Development last week published a draft strategy for low-carbon development to 2050. The strategy's basic scenario would see nuclear output grow from 203 TWh in 2017 to 225 TWh in 2030 and 260 TWh in 2050.

Pandemic adds to emergency exercise complexity

Wed, 01 Apr 2020 13:59:26 GMT

A planned emergency exercise coordinated by the International Atomic Energy Agency went ahead last week with the participation of 35 countries and two Regional Specialised Meteorological Centres of the World Meteorological Organization. The three-day exercise - from 24 to 26 March - was conducted while the responders in many Member States and in the IAEA's Incident and Emergency Centre worked remotely to support measures taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

ČEZ applies to build two new units at Dukovany

Tue, 31 Mar 2020 13:14:24 GMT

Czech utility ČEZ has applied to the State Office for Nuclear Safety to construct two new reactors at its Dukovany nuclear power plant. Four VVER-440 units are currently in operation at the site, in Vysočina Region.

Decree delays deadline for start-up of Flamanville EPR

Tue, 31 Mar 2020 14:21:08 GMT

The construction of the EPR unit at the Flamanville site in Normandy was authorised by the French government by a decree of 10 April 2007, which stated first fuel loading must be completed within thirteen years. With that date approaching, a new decree has extended the deadline by four years.

Global Atomic discusses plans for Niger uranium project

Tue, 31 Mar 2020 15:01:33 GMT

Canada-based Global Atomic Corporation said yesterday it is in discussions with Orano Mining to deliver uranium-bearing rock from its Dasa project in Niger to Orano's Somaïr facility for processing. The company has changed its plans for the mine which it now intends to develop as an underground-only operation, and expects to release a preliminary economic assessment for the project within the second quarter of this year.

Rössing operations suspended in Namibian lockdown

Mon, 30 Mar 2020 14:07:29 GMT

CNNC Rössing Uranium has announced the suspension of normal mining operations at the Rössing uranium mine in Namibia from 28 March because of a partial lockdown of the Erongo region in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. Elsewhere, uranium miners continue to address issues arising from the global pandemic.

Landmark lift completed at Vogtle project

Mon, 30 Mar 2020 15:09:25 GMT

The containment vessel top head for Georgia Power's Vogtle unit 4 has been lifted into place, marking the completion of all major lifts inside the containment vessels for Vogtle 3 and 4. The project to build two AP1000 reactors at the site near Waynesboro, Georgia is now about 84% complete.