First Hunterston B reactor enters retirement

Published: Mon, 29 Nov 2021 15:35:45 GMT

Hunterston B Reactor 3 - a 490 MWe advanced gas-cooled reactor - was taken offline for the final time at midday on 26 November, marking the end of 46 years of operation. Its twin - Hunterston B Reactor 4 - is scheduled to shut down in January, which will see the end of power generation for the site in North Ayrshire, Scotland.

South Australian site to host national radwaste facility

Published: Mon, 29 Nov 2021 12:54:39 GMT

Napandee near Kimba in South Australia has been formally selected as the location of a national low and medium-level radioactive waste facility. Under the relevant legislation, the declaration today by Australia's Minister for Resources and Water Keith Pitt has the effect of the Commonwealth acquiring about 211 hectares of land for the purpose of hosting the National Radioactive Waste Management Facility.

Spanish uranium project denied authorisation

Published: Mon, 29 Nov 2021 16:34:24 GMT

Spain's Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge has rejected Berkeley Energia's authorisation to build a uranium processing plant at the company's Salamanca project in western Spain. The company has questioned the legality of the decision.

Pressure vessel segmented at Bohunice

Published: Mon, 29 Nov 2021 15:56:51 GMT

A milestone was reached in the decommissioning of the Czech Republic's Bohunice V1 reactor when Javys completed cutting up its pressure vessel. Most of the component has been disposed of as low-level radioactive waste.

First contract signed for Cernavoda completion

Published: Fri, 26 Nov 2021 15:46:40 GMT

A year-long, CAD8.4 million (USD6.6 million) contract will see Canada's Candu Energy prepare the licensing basis for two new Candu pressurised heavy water reactors at Romania's Cernavoda nuclear power plant. The signing was celebrated by the governments of Romania and Canada, as well as the USA.

Calls for Diablo Canyon shut down to be reconsidered

Published: Fri, 26 Nov 2021 15:05:08 GMT

The premature shutdown of Diablo Canyon units 1 and 2 will "inflict grave harm to California's economy and environment," according to the American Nuclear Society. The closure of California's last remaining nuclear power plant will cause more grid instability and rolling blackouts for the state because Diablo Canyon reliably supplies about 10% of in-state power, it says. Former US energy secretaries Steven Chu and Ernest Moniz have also called for the decision to shut down the plant to be reassessed.

NNL and DNV team up for nuclear-derived hydrogen study

Published: Fri, 26 Nov 2021 15:23:07 GMT

The UK's National Nuclear Laboratory and Norwegian assurance and risk management provider DNV are partnering to explore the potential use of advanced nuclear technologies for the conversion of UK gas networks to hydrogen. The collaboration will enable both the nuclear and gas sectors to gain a deeper understanding of priorities and assess barriers and next steps on aspects including regulation, safety, siting and economics.

Tehran negotiations 'inconclusive': Grossi

Published: Thu, 25 Nov 2021 17:13:30 GMT

Negotiations to address outstanding nuclear verification issues in Iran have so far been inconclusive, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said yesterday. Negotiations among parties to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action - Iran and five world powers - are expected to resume in Vienna next week.

US study charts shifting nuclear attitudes

Published: Thu, 25 Nov 2021 16:46:01 GMT

Support for nuclear energy is on the rise in the USA, according to the latest study of US attitudes to energy carried out by environmental non-profit ecoAmerica. The American Climate Perspectives Survey found notable shifts in understanding and support for several energy sources, the group said, with strong support for clean energy coupled with the need for education on the energy-climate connection.

Package ready for Czech used fuel disposal

Published: Thu, 25 Nov 2021 15:21:17 GMT

Škoda announced it has completed development of a geological disposal package for the Czech Republic's used nuclear fuel. Made of corrosion resistant steel, it is a hermetically sealed container for the highly radioactive used fuel assemblies from its VVER reactors.

Holtec and Hyundai finalise SMR design and deployment agreement

Published: Wed, 24 Nov 2021 17:08:00 GMT

Holtec International has finalised an agreement with Hyundai Engineering & Construction of South Korea for the turnkey supply of Holtec's SMR-160 small modular reactor plant worldwide. Holtec is considering deploying the first SMR-160 at Oyster Creek in New Jersey, where it is currently in the process of decommissioning a former boiling water reactor.

Major components set in place at Rooppur

Published: Wed, 24 Nov 2021 16:55:30 GMT

All four of Rooppur 1's steam generators have been lifted into position, Russia's Rosatom has announced. Separately, Rosatom's export subsidiary Atomstroyexport is working with the Bangladesh Ministry of Health on a vaccination programme to protect workers at Rooppur from COVID-19. Bangladesh's first nuclear power reactor is slated to start up in 2023.

Puerto Rico study and advanced reactors receive US funding

Published: Wed, 24 Nov 2021 14:56:43 GMT

The US Department of Energy has awarded funding to the Nuclear Alternative Project to study the potential siting of small reactors in Puerto Rico. Funding also goes to address hurdles to the use of small reactors in commercial shipping and to support the development of advanced reactor designs. 

Components headed to Akkuyu

Published: Tue, 23 Nov 2021 16:34:01 GMT

Russian manufacturers are dispatching several components to Turkey's first nuclear power plant, Akkuyu, which is currently the largest nuclear construction site in the world with 13,000 people working on a daily basis on the site that will house four large reactors.

Contract for Romanian lead-cooled reactor research facility

Published: Tue, 23 Nov 2021 15:45:19 GMT

A consortium including Italy's Ansaldo Nucleare and Romania's Reinvent Energy has been awarded a contract worth about EUR20.0 million (USD22.5 million) for the design, procurement, installation and commissioning of a research facility for the development of lead-cooled reactors. The Advanced Thermo-Hydraulics Experiment for Nuclear Application facility will be built at the RATEN-ICN research centre near Pitesti in southern Romania.

NRC indicates acceptance of Kairos safety evaluation

Published: Tue, 23 Nov 2021 15:35:19 GMT

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued a draft safety evaluation report indicating its initial acceptance of Kairos Power's source term methodology for its Kairos Power fluoride salt-cooled high temperature reactor. The topical report, which Kairos submitted to the regulator in June 2020, is the first of its kind to be reviewed by the NRC.

Kazakhstan-based physical uranium fund begins operations

Published: Tue, 23 Nov 2021 14:40:25 GMT

Kazakh national nuclear company Kazatomprom has signed a framework agreement with Genchi Global to invest in the newly established ANU Energy OEIC Limited physical uranium fund, meaning the fund can begin operations. Meanwhile, Kazatomprom has exercised an option to buy back uranium previously sold to Yellow Cake plc.

Czech nuclear security regime is robust, says IAEA

Published: Tue, 23 Nov 2021 10:20:09 GMT

An International Atomic Energy Agency team of experts last week completed a follow-up nuclear security advisory mission to the Czech Republic. The two-week International Physical Protection Advisory Service mission included a review of the legislative and regulatory framework for the physical protection of nuclear material and associated facilities and activities, including transport.

Westinghouse signs initial contract for Ukrainian AP1000s

Published: Mon, 22 Nov 2021 16:04:57 GMT

A contract signed by the Ukrainian nuclear operator Energoatom and US vendor Westinghouse will trigger the engineering and procurement of components for the first of several AP1000s planned for Ukraine. The country is planning as much as 11 GWe of new build by 2040.

NASA seeks proposals for lunar reactor

Published: Mon, 22 Nov 2021 15:19:39 GMT

The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration is seeking proposals from nuclear and space industry leaders to develop innovative technologies for a fission surface power system for lunar power applications. It hopes to deploy such a system by 2030.

Hinkley Point C cleaner than renewables, study shows

Published: Mon, 22 Nov 2021 12:53:55 GMT

Carbon dioxide emissions from the electricity generated by the UK's newest nuclear power plants will be even lower than wind and solar power, a new analysis has confirmed. A detailed and independently verified study into lifetime emissions from Hinkley Point C was carried out for EDF by environmental specialists Ricardo Energy & Environment and verified by engineering consultants WSP.

Fast-spectrum salt reactor to be built at INL

Published: Fri, 19 Nov 2021 14:23:34 GMT

Southern Company and the US Department of Energy have signed an agreement to design, construct and operate the Molten Chloride Reactor Experiment - a proof-of-concept critical fast-spectrum salt reactor. Southern will lead a collaborative effort to build the MCRE - which it says will be the world's first fast-spectrum salt reactor to achieve criticality - at Idaho National Laboratory.

Ukrainian review of NuScale SMR safety assessment

Published: Fri, 19 Nov 2021 12:42:14 GMT

The US Department of Energy is funding an independent review by a technical advisory body to Ukraine's nuclear regulator of the NuScale Power Module Safety Analysis Report. This review will be made available to any utility in Ukraine interested in deploying NuScale Power's small modular reactor technology.

Nuclear-powered data campus makes progress

Published: Thu, 18 Nov 2021 23:41:10 GMT

GSE Solutions has been contracted by Talen Energy to support the development of the infrastructure needed to bring power from Talen's two-unit Susquehanna nuclear power station to the flagship Susquehanna Hyperscale Data Center Campus which is being developed by Talen subsidiary Cumulus Data. The Pennsylvania campus will be home to a carbon-free cryptocurrency mining facility as well as a data centre.

Message: The Nuclear Saves Partnership - an IAEA initiative for the private sector

Published: Wed, 24 Nov 2021 13:35:43 GMT

International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi talks about the Nuclear Saves Partnerships through which industry and others can partner with the Agency to expand its efforts to support development projects in low- and middle-income countries.

Nuclearelectrica cleared to take over CNU

Published: Fri, 19 Nov 2021 15:51:08 GMT

Romania's competition commission has said it will clear Nuclearelectrica's takeover of the country's National Uranium Company. CNU is a state company that manages Romania's uranium resources and reserves.

V4 countries reiterate support for nuclear

Published: Fri, 19 Nov 2021 16:09:06 GMT

Ministers from Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Poland (the Visegrad 4) met in Paks and agreed: "Without nuclear power it will not be possible to achieve the goals of climate neutrality." They called on the European Commission to approve its inclusion in the taxonomy of sustainable investments.

Oklo and Centrus team up for HALEU supply chain

Published: Thu, 18 Nov 2021 15:22:17 GMT

Oklo Inc and Centrus Energy Corp have signed a non-binding Letter of Intent to cooperate in the deployment of a production facility for high-assay low-enriched uranium to support the commercialisation of advanced fission plants, such as Oklo's Aurora. The companies say they are "committed" to working towards establishing domestic US HALEU production capabilities.

NuScale teams up with Prodigy and Kinectrics for MPS deployment

Published: Thu, 18 Nov 2021 12:39:33 GMT

NuScale Power, Prodigy Clean Energy and Kinectrics have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to explore and inform the development of a regulatory framework to address licensing and deployment of a Prodigy Marine Power Station. The MPS would integrate up to 12 NuScale Power Modules into a marine-based nuclear power plant system.

Vimy reviewing its options at Mulga Rock

Published: Thu, 18 Nov 2021 16:26:32 GMT

Vimy Resources has begun a strategic review process at Mulga Rock in Western Australia after receiving unsolicited approaches from "several parties" interested in becoming involved in the uranium project. Vimy will continue working on its development of the project, where an early works programme is under way, in parallel with the strategic review.