World Nuclear News

Barakah unit ready for operation, WANO finds

Tue, 28 Jan 2020 14:37:27 GMT

A team from the World Association of Nuclear Operators has concluded that unit 1 of the Barakah nuclear power plant in Abu Dhabi is ready to start up. The Pre-Start Up Review - a globally recognised nuclear industry assessment conducted in line with international industry standards set by WANO - took place in November.

US DOE funds compact particle accelerator development

Tue, 28 Jan 2020 16:08:05 GMT

The US Department of Energy has announced a plan to provide USD10 million over three years to advance particle accelerator technology for medical, security, energy, and industrial applications, with a focus on the development of novel "compact" accelerator technologies for cancer treatment and other uses.

Fortum, Tractebel to assist in Estonian SMR deployment

Tue, 28 Jan 2020 15:28:42 GMT

Estonia's Fermi Energia has signed Memoranda of Understanding with Finnish power company Fortum and Belgian engineering firm Tractebel to cooperate on studying the deployment of small modular reactors in the Baltic country.

First serial batch of MOX fuel loaded into BN-800

Tue, 28 Jan 2020 13:20:25 GMT

Unit 4 of the Beloyarsk nuclear power plant in Russia's Sverdlovsk district has been restarted after being loaded with the first serial batch of mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel. By 2021, the BN-800 fast neutron reactor should be operating with a full core of MOX fuel assemblies.

Ministers see progress at Hinkley Point C

Mon, 27 Jan 2020 15:02:07 GMT

Ministers from the UK's Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy visited Hinkley Point C on 23 January to see progress at the new nuclear power plant. HPC, under construction in Somerset, England, will be the first new nuclear power station to be built in the UK in almost 20 years and will provide about 7% of the country's electricity.

Land access agreed for Canadian repository studies

Mon, 27 Jan 2020 14:17:18 GMT

Canada's Nuclear Waste Management Organisation has signed agreements with landowners in South Bruce, Ontario to allow access to land for studies at a potential location for a deep geological repository.

India, Russia discuss cooperation in third countries

Mon, 27 Jan 2020 13:36:48 GMT

Russia and India are discussing the construction of power plants in Africa as the next stage in their cooperation in nuclear energy, the Indian ambassador to Moscow, Venkatesh Varma, told Russian news agency RIA Novosti last week. They could replicate the Rooppur project in Bangladesh, he reportedly said.

Heat exchangers in place at Jules Horowitz

Mon, 27 Jan 2020 12:27:09 GMT

Spanish manufacturer Equipos Nucleares SA has completed the installation of three heat exchangers for the primary circuit of the Jules Horowitz Reactor, under construction at Cadarache in southern France. Once in operation, the reactor will be used for testing of materials and fuels for current and future nuclear reactor designs.

San Onofre dismantlement starts next month

Fri, 24 Jan 2020 14:44:43 GMT

Dismantlement of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station is to begin in February, Southern California Edison has announced. This follows the receipt in October of the final permit required for the decommissioning and dismantlement of the plant which closed in 2013.

Rolls-Royce sees SMRs on UK grid by 2029

Fri, 24 Jan 2020 13:51:12 GMT

Paul Stein, chief technology officer for Rolls-Royce, told the BBC today the British engineering firm has a target of 2029 for commissioning small modular reactors in the UK. The ambition is part of the country's aim to achieve net zero by 2050, initially using former nuclear power sites in Cumbria and Wales.

Swedish parliament rejects Ringhals restart - by one vote

Thu, 23 Jan 2020 12:44:11 GMT

The Swedish Parliament - the Riksdag - yesterday narrowly rejected a proposal from the nationalist Sweden Democrats party to reverse the planned closure of the two oldest reactors at the Ringhals nuclear power plant. Unit 2 of the plant was shut down at the end of last year, with unit 1 set to close later this year.

Oak Ridge prepares for legacy waste processing

Thu, 23 Jan 2020 14:45:36 GMT

A facility at the US Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory site in Tennessee is being prepared to process an inventory of legacy high-dose uranium-233 from which materials will be extracted for medical research.

IAEA launches course on managing combined emergencies

Thu, 23 Jan 2020 14:25:53 GMT

The International Atomic Energy Agency recently held its first course on preparedness and response to a nuclear or radiological emergency combined with other emergencies, such as a natural disaster. The course - attended by more than 50 experts from 15 countries - was held in cooperation with Austria's Civil Protection School in Traiskirchen, near Vienna. The participants were mainly nuclear power plant operators, regulators and first responders.

US committee hears plea for Green Nuclear Deal

Tue, 21 Jan 2020 22:04:41 GMT

Environmental advocate Michael Shellenberger has called for the US administration to support the nation's nuclear energy industry in what he calls a Green Nuclear Deal. Speaking to the US House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space, and Technology last week, Shellenberger said people need not be passive victims of climate change and there is much that could be done to reduce the impacts of "climate-driven extremes".

Framatome contracted to support research at CERN

Wed, 22 Jan 2020 15:01:53 GMT

France's Framatome has been awarded a contract by the European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN) to support research that will inform the development of new materials to be used in the High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider, a major upgrade to the existing Large Hadron Collider.

Russia completes testing of latest fast reactor fuel

Wed, 22 Jan 2020 13:01:25 GMT

Siberian Chemical Combine has completed acceptance tests of its ETVS-22, ETVS-23 and ETVS-24 experimental fuel assemblies with mixed uranium-plutonium (nitride) nuclear fuel for fast neutron reactors. Based in Seversk, SCC is a subsidiary of TVEL, the nuclear fuel manufacturing subsidiary of Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom.

GEH and TerraPower team up for VTR development

Wed, 22 Jan 2020 12:49:48 GMT

GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy and TerraPower are to collaborate on pursuing a public private partnership to design and construct the Versatile Test Reactor for the US Department of Energy. Utility Energy Northwest will support the joint GEH-TerraPower effort, with other parties said to be interested in joining.

Romania awards contract for Cernavoda extension

Tue, 21 Jan 2020 16:11:57 GMT

Candu Energy, a member of Canada's SNC-Lavalin Group, has won a USD10.8 million contract from Societatea Nationala Nuclearelectrica for engineering analyses and assessments on unit 1 of the Cernavoda nuclear power plant in Romania. The work aims to extend the operation of the unit by an additional 35,000 hours.

Viewpoint: Financing nuclear projects in developing countries

Mon, 27 Jan 2020 14:02:08 GMT

Developing countries are unable to enjoy the benefits of nuclear power owing to a lack of involvement from development finance institutions, but small modular reactors may provide the key, write Elina Teplinsky and Sid Fowler of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP.

Over the next decade, the world faces two significant interrelated challenges. First, developing countries must increase electric generation to provide their citizens with access to affordable, reliable energy. Second, all nations face the urgent need to rapidly and dramatically reduce carbon emissions.

Boss Resources will be Australia's next uranium producer, says CEO

Tue, 21 Jan 2020 14:42:46 GMT

Boss Resources' Honeymoon uranium project is one of the world's most advanced uranium development projects that can be fast-tracked to resume production, according to a feasibility study. Boss says the study is the "final independent validation" for the South Australian in-situ leach (ISL) project's restart.

IAEA notes strengthened safety inspections in Japan

Tue, 21 Jan 2020 14:39:36 GMT

Japan has strengthened inspections as part of extensive efforts in recent years to improve its regulatory framework for nuclear and radiation safety, an International Atomic Energy Agency peer review mission has concluded. The team identified areas for further improvement, recommending measures on occupational radiation protection and transport safety.

Bruce 6 refurbishment begins

Tue, 21 Jan 2020 13:27:01 GMT

Bruce Power has formally begun the execution phase of its first Major Component Replacement project by taking Bruce 6 offline. Six Candu units at the Bruce site are to be upgraded between now and 2033, extending their operation to 2064.

Rosatom transfers Tianwan unit 3 to Chinese customer

Mon, 20 Jan 2020 16:45:48 GMT

Russia and China today signed the final acceptance protocol for the nuclear island of unit 3 of the Tianwan nuclear power plant, which transfers ownership to the Chinese customer for permanent operation. The protocol was signed by Alexey Bannik, vice president of ASE Group, Rosatom's engineering division, and Zhang Yi, deputy general director of Jiangsu Nuclear Power Corporation.

Lifting of Fukushima evacuation orders re-opens rail link

Mon, 20 Jan 2020 15:25:52 GMT

Evacuation orders in the towns of Futaba, Okuma and Tomioka - imposed after the March 2011 accident at the nearby Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant - are to be partially lifted in early-March. The areas include three train stations, allowing a full service to resume on the JR Joban Line.

Large-box cask transfers resume at WIPP

Mon, 20 Jan 2020 14:37:33 GMT

The US Department of Energy's Waste Isolation Pilot Plant has received its first large-box cask of transuranic waste since the facility's temporary closure in 2014. Re-entry into service of the TRUPACT-III cask will accelerate the pace of clean-up at DOE sites while reducing worker safety risks.

British PM promotes low-carbon economic growth for Africa

Mon, 20 Jan 2020 12:38:41 GMT

The UK will no longer fund coal projects overseas, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced today during his opening address at the UK-Africa Investment Summit in London. Instead, the government will "turbo-charge" its support for low-carbon energy sources, he said, noting that the UK has cut its CO2 emissions by 42% from the 1990 level. The country is the host of the next round of UN climate talks - COP26 - in November.

Austria fails to turn neighbours against nuclear power

Fri, 17 Jan 2020 13:05:41 GMT

Austria failed to dent the Visegrád Group of countries' enthusiasm for nuclear power as a solution to climate change during their meeting in Prague yesterday. This was evident during a press conference held after the V4 and Austria summit by Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and the Czech, Hungarian, Polish and Slovak prime ministers, Andrej Babiš, Viktor Orbán, Mateusz Morawiecki and Peter Pellegrini, respectively.

Second injunction keeps Ikata reactor offline

Fri, 17 Jan 2020 12:55:52 GMT

The Hiroshima High Court today imposed a temporary injunction on the operation of unit 3 of the Ikata nuclear power plant in Japan's Ehime Prefecture, currently in a maintenance outage. Operator Shikoku Electric Power Company said it will appeal the decision, the second injunction to be imposed on the unit since it was restarted in 2016.

Viewpoint: The strategic perspective of Barakah

Wed, 22 Jan 2020 13:55:46 GMT

As the United Arab Emirates' Permanent Representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency and the UAE Special Representative for International Nuclear Cooperation, I am proud to have been given the opportunity to engage with responsible nations around the world for the promotion of peaceful nuclear energy, writes Hamad Alkaabi.

IAEA chief highlights political commitment to nuclear security

Thu, 16 Jan 2020 15:05:36 GMT

Rafael Mariano Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, has pledged to build on the political impetus seen in international cooperation in nuclear security in recent years. "It is vital that we remain ahead of the curve in guarding against nuclear terrorism," he told delegates at an event in Vienna yesterday.