World Nuclear News

Unions repeat call for nuclear's inclusion in EU taxonomy

Tue, 27 Jul 2021 14:21:34 GMT

Nuclear energy must be included in a delegated act of the European taxonomy, 18 trade unions in the energy sector from 10 European Union countries have told Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission. In a joint letter, the unions called for "a dialogue with the purpose of nuclear energy to play its full potential and build an economically efficient and socially just carbon-free Europe by 2050".

Jordan declares uranium plant fully operational

Tue, 27 Jul 2021 14:51:34 GMT

Jordan has been operating a "pioneering" processing plant to recover yellowcake from uranium ores since the start of the year, the head of the country's Atomic Energy Commission has announced. Khaled Toukan's remarks were reported by state news agency Petra and shared by the Jordanian Uranium Mining Company, operator of the plant. JUMCO, which is the commercial arm of Jordanian Atomic Energy Commission, was established in 2013 to carry out radioactive elements exploration and development in Jordan.

First steam generator removed from Bruce 6

Tue, 27 Jul 2021 14:14:32 GMT

The first steam generator has been removed from Bruce unit 6, marking a significant milestone in the Major Component Replacement project. The unit is the first of six which are to be refurbished as part of a programme to secure the operation of the eight-unit site in Ontario until 2064.

Russia commits to further floating NPPs

Tue, 27 Jul 2021 12:49:46 GMT

Rosatom and a subsidiary of Kaz Minerals have signed for power supply to the new Baimskaya copper mining project in the Chukotka region of eastern Siberia. Rosatom proposes to use three floating nuclear power plants each employing a pair of the new 55 MWe RITM-200M reactors, a version of which is in service powering icebreakers. A fourth unit would be held in reserve for use during repair or refuelling. The first reactors are already under construction by Atomenergomash. The companies said that they would conclude a long-term take-or-pay contract for the electricity by April 2022.

Construction starts on Bolivian research reactor complex

Tue, 27 Jul 2021 11:58:15 GMT

Russia's Rosatom has launched construction works for a research reactor facility in Bolivia, which is part of a nuclear technology research and development centre in the city of El Alto. A ceremony held yesterday to mark the pouring of first concrete was attended by Bolivian President Luis Alberto Arce Catacora and Rosatom First Deputy Director General for Corporate Development and International Business Kirill Komarov.

Taipower applies to decommission Maanshan plant

Tue, 27 Jul 2021 11:41:06 GMT

Taiwan Power Company has submitted an application to the Atomic Energy Council to shut down the two-unit Maanshan nuclear power plant. Under Taiwan's nuclear phase-out policy, its power reactors will be decommissioned as their 40-year operating licences expire. The phase-out will be completed with the closure of Maanshan unit 2 in 2025.

Brazilian consortium wins Angra 3 tender with USD56.1 million bid

Tue, 27 Jul 2021 11:08:04 GMT

Eletronuclear has announced the winners of a tender to complete unit 3 of the Angra nuclear power plant in Rio de Janeiro. A Brazilian consortium comprising Ferreira Guedes, Matricial and ADtranz submitted the winning bid of Real 292 million (USD56.1 million), which Eletronuclear said is 16% lower than the reference value for the project. In total, two companies and five consortia participated in the opening session of the proposals, held on 29 June.

IAEA aims for easier transport of radioactive materials

Mon, 26 Jul 2021 14:43:54 GMT

International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi has called for more Member States to appoint a national focal point on denials of shipment of radioactive materials. Speaking during a webinar organised by the independent Transport Facilitation Working Group and hosted last week by World Nuclear Association, he said having more NFPs would result in the smoother transport of radioactive materials around the globe.

Lingen and Unterweser receive further dismantling permits

Mon, 26 Jul 2021 15:13:42 GMT

PreussenElektra has received the second and final permit needed for the dismantling of the Unterweser nuclear power plant, while RWE Nuclear has received approval for its so-called 'sub-project 2' for the dismantling of the Lingen nuclear power plant. Both approvals were issued by the Lower Saxony Ministry for the Environment, Energy, Building and Climate Protection.

Operator to decide on Taishan 1 outage, says EDF

Fri, 23 Jul 2021 13:14:19 GMT

The decision to take unit 1 of the Taishan nuclear power plant in China's Guangdong province offline to investigate a fuel failure issue lies with the plant operator, EDF said yesterday. However, it said under its own operating procedures for its French units, operation of the EPR would be temporarily halted to carry out such inspections and take corrective measures. It noted the chemical composition of the primary circuit water at Taishan 1 remains within regulatory threshold limits.

Second Korean investment in a week for NuScale SMR

Fri, 23 Jul 2021 15:25:55 GMT

Samsung C&T Corporation has committed to making an equity investment in NuScale to support deployment of its small modular reactor and is developing a business collaboration agreement with NuScale's engineering, construction and procurement partner Fluor Corporation. The announcement comes days after Doosan Heavy Industries and Construction increased its investment to support deployment of NuScale's SMR.

Zhangzhou 1 pressure vessel passes factory acceptance tests

Fri, 23 Jul 2021 14:41:51 GMT

The reactor pressure vessel for the first of two Hualong One reactors under construction at the Zhangzhou nuclear power plant in China's Fujian province has passed the factory acceptance inspection. Zhangzhou unit 1, construction of which began in September 2020, is scheduled to enter commercial operation in 2024.

Scaled down SMR pilot project remains on course

Fri, 23 Jul 2021 14:27:47 GMT

Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems now expects to build six 77 MWe NuScale Power Modules on a site at Idaho National Laboratory, rather than 12 units as previously planned. A 2030 start-up date for the plant - known as the Carbon Free Power Project - is still envisaged.

Rosatom confirms reliability of new VVER-440 fuel

Fri, 23 Jul 2021 11:53:45 GMT

Unit 4 of the Kola nuclear power plant in Murmansk, Russia has successfully completed the fifth cycle of irradiation using "third generation" RK-3 fuel designed for VVER-440 reactors. During the planned fuel loading, a televisual inspection of the irradiated fuel was performed with the help of specialised equipment, which showed that, after five irradiation cycles, all RK-3 assemblies had retained their original shape and all the fuel rods were sealed.

Framatome advanced fuel technology reaches regulatory milestone

Thu, 22 Jul 2021 15:47:11 GMT

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has accepted for review a topical report to apply Framatome's suite of Advanced Codes and Methods to operating conditions with uranium-235 enrichments above the industry standard of 5 weight percent. The report is a critical step towards implementing nuclear fuel at higher enrichments and burnups, the company said.

Tepco anticipates delay in Kashiwazaki-Kariwa restart

Thu, 22 Jul 2021 14:55:39 GMT

The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Japan's Niigata Prefecture will not be restarted until fiscal 2022 (ending March 2023) at the earliest, Tokyo Electric Power Company said in a revised business plan. The company submitted the plan yesterday to the government for approval. Tepco is awaiting regulatory approval to restart units 6 and 7 at the plant.

US study sees future markets for microreactors

Thu, 22 Jul 2021 13:40:57 GMT

The deployment of microreactors in the short-to-medium term could support energy markets not available to large nuclear plants, but some significant challenges must be overcome for them to capture new market shares. In the longer term, they will be able to contribute to decarbonisation efforts. These are amongst the findings of a recently published technical report from the US Department of Energy's Idaho National Laboratory.

Italians do not rule out future use of nuclear energy

Thu, 22 Jul 2021 12:52:01 GMT

One-third of Italians are in favour of reconsidering the use of nuclear energy in the country, according to the results of a public opinion poll conducted on behalf of Comitato Nucleare e Ragione. More than half of respondents said they would not exclude the future use of new advanced nuclear technologies.

US benchmarking study reflects decarbonisation efforts

Wed, 21 Jul 2021 13:50:00 GMT

Carbon dioxide emissions from the USA's 100 largest power producers fell 10% between 2019 and 2020, according to the latest in a series of benchmarking studies dating back to 1997. Nuclear accounted for over half of the zero-carbon resources which together generated about 38% of US electricity in 2020.

Integrity tests completed at Fuqing 6

Wed, 21 Jul 2021 12:42:04 GMT

Tests have been completed to evaluate the strength and leak tightness of the inner containment of unit 6 at the Fuqing nuclear power plant in China's Fujian province. The unit - the second of two demonstration Hualong One reactors at the site - is scheduled to begin operations by the end of this year.

New uranium fund begins trading

Tue, 20 Jul 2021 15:14:40 GMT

The newly created Sprott Physical Uranium Trust has begun trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange after Sprott Asset Management LP, a wholly owned subsidiary of precious metals and real assets investments company Sprott Inc, completed a previously announced transaction with Uranium Participation Corporation.

Illinois plants mark reliability milestone

Tue, 20 Jul 2021 14:47:48 GMT

Four Illinois nuclear plants at risk of permanent closure are between them approaching an uninterrupted "streak" of 15,000 days of continuous service at a time when the US energy grid is "increasingly challenged" by extreme heat and storms, Exelon said yesterday. With the first closures scheduled to take place in September, policymakers are continuing efforts to preserve the plants.

Sustainable recovery receiving 'inadequate attention', says IEA

Tue, 20 Jul 2021 14:35:55 GMT

The International Energy Agency today launched its Sustainable Recovery Tracker that monitors governments' fiscal responses to the COVID-19 crisis and estimates their impact on clean energy investments and global CO2 emissions. The new online tool is a contribution to the G20 Ministerial Meeting on Environment, Climate and Energy, which takes place in Naples on 22 and 23 July under the presidency of Italy.

Doosan makes additional investment in NuScale

Tue, 20 Jul 2021 14:23:59 GMT

South Korea's Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction has agreed to make an additional USD60 million investment in NuScale Power to continue to support deployment of its small modular reactor. Including the latest investment, DHIC and its financial investors have invested more than USD100 million in NuScale. DHIC and NuScale have also agreed to expand cooperation to the field of hydrogen production and desalination using SMRs.

Egyptian-Russian officials inspect El Dabaa plant site

Mon, 19 Jul 2021 15:20:18 GMT

A high-level Egyptian-Russian delegation last week paid a working visit to the construction site of the El Dabaa nuclear power plant. The delegation on 15 July was led by Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy of Egypt Mohamed Shaker and Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachov. It followed Rosatom's announcement on 1 July that the Nuclear Power Plants Authority of Egypt has applied to the Egyptian Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Authority for a construction permit for units 1 and 2 of what will be Egypt's first nuclear power plant. Rosatom said that once the permit has been granted full-scale construction work will start.

IAEA reviews long-term safety of Bulgarian plant

Mon, 19 Jul 2021 15:01:54 GMT

An International Atomic Energy Agency team of experts has completed a review of the long-term operational safety of units 5 and 6 of the Kozloduy nuclear power plant in Bulgaria. The team assessed the plant's preparedness, organisation and programmes related to long-term operation against IAEA safety standards.

Energy permit granted for second Slovenian reactor

Mon, 19 Jul 2021 13:59:51 GMT

Slovenia's Ministry of Infrastructure today issued an energy permit to GEN Energija for a proposed second reactor at the existing Krško nuclear power plant, referred to as the JEK2 project. The company noted that while a final decision on whether to construct the new unit has yet to be made, the granting of the permit allows licensing procedures to begin.

US infrastructure bill sends a positive signal for nuclear, says NIA

Mon, 19 Jul 2021 11:59:20 GMT

The Nuclear Innovation Alliance has welcomed the reintroduction of the American Nuclear Infrastructure Act last week by five US senators, three Republicans and two Democrats. This represents continued bipartisan support for advanced reactors, the non-profit "think and do" tank said.

Kairos Power plans Hermes demonstration reactor at Oak Ridge

Fri, 16 Jul 2021 13:49:29 GMT

Kairos Power is to establish a low-power demonstration reactor at the East Tennessee Technology Park in Oak Ridge, investing USD100 million in a project to demonstrate its capability to deliver low-cost nuclear heat. The Hermes reactor is a scaled version of Kairos Power’s Fluoride Salt-Cooled High Temperature Reactor, an advanced reactor technology that aims to be cost competitive with natural gas in the US electricity market. The Hermes reactor is scheduled to be operational in 2026.

Canadian firm enters US uranium sector with mine purchases

Fri, 16 Jul 2021 13:37:13 GMT

Vancouver-based International Consolidated Uranium has agreed to buy the Tony M, Daneros and Rim conventional uranium mines in Utah, as well as the Sage Plain property and eight Department of Energy leases in Colorado from Energy Fuels Inc. In addition, the companies have agreed to enter into toll-milling and operating agreements with respect to the projects. The transaction positions International Consolidated Uranium as a potential near-term US uranium producer.