Nuclear Energy

JSC Atomenergoproekt and Rosenergoatom - Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom's engineering and power plant operating divisions, respectively - have signed a contract to develop design documentation for the construction of the BN-1200 fast sodium reactor.

The contract includes a full cycle of design and survey work necessary for the development of design documentation and materials to justify the construction licence for the reactor, which will be built as unit 5 of the Beloyarsk nuclear power plant in Russia's Sverdlovsk region.

Currently, comprehensive engineering surveys have begun, which is one of the first stages of design. The aim of these surveys is to study natural conditions and man-made impact factors to develop design documentation for the construction of the power unit and to assess the impact of the designed facility on the environment. Engineering surveys will be carried out on a site with an area of ​​620,000 square metres.

By the end of 2024, the general designer will have developed design documentation for the first stage of construction, the preparatory period works, which will allow the general contractor, JSC Atomstroyexport, to begin the preparatory period of construction as early as 2025.

The design documentation for the main stage of construction of the power unit will be submitted by the end of 2025 to the Beloyarsk nuclear power plant for approval.

In 2026, it is planned to conduct a state examination of the design documentation and submit an application to Russian nuclear regulator to obtain a licence for the construction for Beloyarsk unit 5.

Rosenergoatom has scheduled the pouring of the first concrete for the reactor in June 2027.

The sodium-cooled BN-series fast reactor plans are part of Rosatom's project to develop fast reactors with a closed fuel cycle whose mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel will be reprocessed and recycled. In addition to the BN-600 reactor at Beloyarsk unit 3, which began operation in 1980, the 789 MWe BN-800 fast at Beloyarsk unit 4 entered commercial operation in October 2016. This is essentially a demonstration unit for fuel and design features for the larger BN-1200, which will be unit 5 at Beloyarsk.

Rosatom said the service life of the BN-1200 power unit will be at least 60 years. Its design uses technical solutions that have proven themselves in the operation of the BN-600 and BN-800 reactors. The justification of structural materials and fuel for the BN-1200 is carried out using the operation of the BN-600.

Rosatom noted the BN-1200 also features innovations. For example, the BN-1200 will have four instead of three loops for the circulation of liquid sodium, like its predecessors; the volume of the in-reactor storage facility will be increased to allow the unloading of fuel assemblies from the reactor directly into the used fuel pool, eliminating the intermediate drum for used assemblies; and the turbine condensers will be cooled using a chimney-type evaporative cooling tower.

"As part of the work in the Generation IV direction, the Rosatom State Corporation is creating a new technological platform for the deployment of nuclear energy of the future, based on fast reactors operating in a closed nuclear fuel cycle," said Beloyarsk NPP Director Ivan Sidorov. "The lead model of such a serial power unit, BN-1200, will be located at the Beloyarsk NPP. Rosatom has moved from individual unique projects, such as BN-600 and BN-800, to serial, conveyor production at BN-1200. New technological solutions allow for the full use of the energy potential of uranium raw materials, and also have a new level of safety."

Alexander Yashkin, director for the Design of Advanced NPPs and Special Facilities - Head of the Breakthrough Responsibility Center of JSC Atomenergoproekt, added: "Rosatom is the world leader in fast reactor NPP technology. Many years of experience in the development, construction and subsequent support of BN-600 and BN-800 reactors led us to the creation of Generation IV projects - the BN-1200 power unit and the project to close the nuclear fuel cycle."

If nuclear waste is such a concern, why aren't breeder reactors more common, they aren't a new technology.

Members of the Navajo Nation are challenging the legality of uranium ore transport from a mine in Arizona across tribal lands to a processing facility in Utah.

A 2012 law bans uranium transport on the vast Navajo Nation land, which covers portions of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. Navajo Nation president Buu Nygren issued an executive order on Wednesday saying that there must be an agreement before uranium is transported through the reservation.

“We’re taking this stance of interpreting and executing the law to ensure the safety of our people and respect for Navajo sovereignty,” Nygren said in statement. “If you’re going to smuggle uranium into our borders and across our Nation and outside, that’s pretty much illegal. I’m very disappointed that this is happening in this day and age.”

A closer look: Energy Fuels is the largest uranium producer in the U.S. and recently began mining at the Pinyon Plain Mine south of the Grand Canyon to help meet demand for the nuclear fuel. The United States has issued a ban on uranium imports from Russia, historically a major supplier, in response to the invasion in Ukraine.

Chief executive Mark Chalmers said that Energy Fuels has gone “above and beyond” to engage with stakeholders in the area, holding a meeting as recently as July 19 with federal, state, county, and tribal officials in attendance.

“These ore shipments advance the overwhelmingly bipartisan efforts to rebuild domestic nuclear fuel supply chains that have been offshored to adversarial nations like Russia over the past several decades,” Chalmers said.

“Simply a rock”: Uranium ore is natural rock mined from the ground. In the case of the Pinyon Plain Mine, it contains just 1 percent uranium. It is transported in tightly covered, labeled, and placarded vehicles driven by specially licensed and trained operators, all in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. The shipments have been thoroughly reviewed and permitted by state and federal regulators.

“Tens of thousands of trucks have safely transported uranium ore across northern Arizona since the 1980s with no adverse health or environmental effects,” Chalmers said. “Materials with far greater danger are transported every day on every road in the county. Ore is simply natural rock. It won’t explode, ignite, burn, or glow, contrary to what opponents claim.”

Steve Brown, a certified health physicist and Fellow with the Health Physics Society, has studied safety of uranium transport. “The ore contained in these shipments has low levels of natural radiation and, when transported in accordance with applicable laws and regulations, does not represent a threat to the health and safety of the people or environment along the haul route, and there should be no cause for concern.”

Energy Fuels went above and beyond what is required by law to inform and engage communities along the route, including tribal leaders, on safety measures and emergency response, said Chalmers.

Nygren said Energy Fuels drove an estimated 50 tons of uranium ore across the tribe’s land on Tuesday—without giving notice to the Navajo Nation.

Tribal police intended to stop the trucks and send the contents back to the mine but could not catch up. Nygren said he intends to set up roadblocks and stop additional uranium transport until the Navajo Nation establishes regulations.

Energy Fuels began hauling the ore as planned on Tuesday and had informed federal, state, county, and tribal officials more than 10 days earlier about the legal requirements, safety, emergency response, and the imminent shipping of uranium ore, though it didn’t give a specific date. Company spokesperson Curtis Moore said that no one told Energy Fuels that it wasn’t sufficient.

Legal standing: Nygren pointed to Navajo laws regarding the transportation of radioactive materials that have been in place for well over a decade: The Navajo Nation Natural Resources Protection Act of 2005 and the Navajo Nation’s 2012 legislation Radioactive and Related Substances, Equipment, Vehicles, Persons and Materials Transportation Act, he said.

However, the 2012 law exempts state and federal highways that Energy Fuels plans to use as its hauling route. Arizona attorney general Kris Mayes issued a statement on the transport issue, noting that Energy Fuels had vowed to give stakeholders two-week notice ahead of these moves and to provide an emergency plan.

“My office is currently researching our options, but I remain deeply committed to doing everything in my power to protect the health and safety of all Arizonans,” Mayes said. “Hauling radioactive materials through rural Arizona, including across the Navajo Nation, without providing notice or transparency and without providing an emergency plan is unacceptable.”

Navajo Nation attorney general Ethel Branch said that anyone who comes into Navajo territory must act responsibly and comply with tribal laws, “particularly with something as sensitive as uranium, where there is a long legacy of contamination and disproportionate impact to the Navajo people,” she said.

In its statement, Energy Fuels said previous uranium mining practices “unacceptably continue to impact many Navajo people today,” but the company looks forward to open, good-faith discussions.

“Fortunately, today’s industry is substantially improved from the industry of decades past, as we are heavily regulated and today’s legal framework is fully protective of human health and environment,” the statement reads. “It is imperative that we work together for a safe and secure clean energy future.”

Japan has a "robust nuclear security regime", an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team of experts has concluded. The latest International Physical Protection Advisory Service (IPPAS) mission followed a previous mission in 2015 and a follow-up mission in 2018.

IPPAS missions are intended to assist IAEA member states in strengthening their national nuclear security regime, providing advice from peers on implementing international instruments and IAEA guidance on the protection of nuclear and other radioactive materials and facilities. They can be conducted on both a nationwide and facility-specific basis.

The latest mission - conducted at the request of the Japanese government - took place from 22 July to 2 August and was hosted by the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA). The ten-person review team, led by Joseph Sandoval of Sandia National Laboratories in the USA, included experts from Canada, Belgium, Hungary, Finland, Spain, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, and the USA, as well as one IAEA staff member.

The mission team reviewed Japan's nuclear security regime for nuclear material and nuclear facilities, security of radioactive material, associated facilities, and activities, as well as computer security. As part of the review, the IPPAS team visited Kansai Electric Power Company's (Kepco's) Mihama nuclear power plant in Fukui prefecture.

The team held discussions with officials from the NRA, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the National Police Agency, the Japan Coast Guard, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, Kepco and Tokyo Electric Power Company.

At the end of the mission, the team presented a draft report summarising its conclusions and commended Japan for its robust nuclear security regime. They provided recommendations and suggestions to help Japan further enhance its nuclear security procedures and practices. Additionally, the team identified several good practices that could serve as valuable examples for other IAEA Member States, contributing to long-term improvements in global nuclear security.

The NRA said it will "examine and consider the recommendations and advice contained in the final official report, in consultation with relevant ministries and agencies as necessary, and will take appropriate measures as part of the continuous improvement of existing initiatives."

NRA Chairman Shinsuke Yamanaka said: "The recommendations and suggestions provided through the IPPAS mission need to be fully taken into account, scrutinised and acted upon. We believe that the results of the IPPAS mission review will be very useful in enhancing and strengthening Japan's nuclear security regime. Based on the IPPAS mission's review results, Japan will continue to improve its nuclear security measures in cooperation with the relevant ministries and agencies."

"A third IPPAS mission within nine years indicates Japan's willingness to enhance national nuclear security, as well as the country's commitment to global nuclear security," said Elena Buglova, director of the IAEA Division of Nuclear Security. "This commitment is also reflected in the country's support for the IAEA's nuclear security programme."

The change in costs for the company's 100%-owned project in Saskatchewan reflects both inflationary changes over recent years and the advancement of engineering and procurement, optimised constructability, and enhanced environmental performance.

The updated estimated pre-production capital costs - or CapEx - are CAD2.2 billion (USD1.58 billion). The estimated average cash operating cost (OpEx) over the life of mine (LOM) of CAD13.86 per pound U3O8 (USD9.98 per pound) is described by the company as "industry leading".

Previously - in a feasibility study published in 2021 - the project's CapEx had been estimated at CAD1.3 billion, with average OpEx over the LOM at CAD7.58 per pound U3O8. The updated CapEx reflects some CAD310 million in direct and attributable inflationary increases since 2020, and around CAD590 million in increased CapEx from enhancements identified through advanced engineering and procurement activity since March 2021, the company said. The updated OpEx estimate reflects an increase of CAD2.65 per pound U3O8 due to inflationary adjustments and CAD3.63 per pound due to advanced design developments, advancement of procurement, and operational and ongoing elite environmental enhancements.

The design of the mine incorporates an underground tailings management facility, and most of the mine's reclamation will take place concurrently with production. As well as enhancing environmental performance during operation, this will reduce the risk of ongoing reclamation, costly decommissioning at the end of the production period, and the post-closure risk to the local environment and communities. Some CAD900 million of costs associated with the progressive reclamation over the LOM have already been incorporated into the CapEx, OpEx and sustaining capital costs, meaning that full closure costs at the end of the mine's life - expected to be around CAD70 million - will be "materially lower than other uranium mines in Canada".

NexGen is currently working to secure the federal and provincial approvals needed to move forward with the project, and says it is ready for major construction activities to begin immediately when the final federal environmental assessment approval is received: it has already received provincial environmental assessment approval. The project is now about 45% complete, and the company said it is "advancing well with the significant build out of the project development team that includes industry experts in shaft sinking, underground mining and development, and surface operations."

CEO Leigh Curyer said the updated capital cost is an "all-encompassing spend" to bring the project into production, with a payback period of 12 months. "It is a very exciting time at NexGen as the Company advances the finalisation of the Federal Environmental Assessment, readies for immediate commencement of construction on final Federal Approval, and in parallel continue to test the recently discovered Patterson Corridor East mineralisation 3.5kms east of the Arrow deposit," he said.

The Arrow uranium deposit at Rook I has measured and indicated mineral resources of 256.7 million pounds U3O8, supporting an 11-year LOM.

Sweden and the USA have signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at pursuing cooperation in industrial collaboration, technology development, and research and innovation in technologies related to nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.

The MoU was signed by Sweden's Minister for Energy, Business and Industry Ebba Busch and US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm in Washington, DC, on 1 August.

The partners said the agreement will "provide a framework for the participants to enhance overall cooperation between their respective government bodies, enterprises, and research institutions in policies and research and development activities relating to civil nuclear energy".

The MoU means that Sweden and the USA will exchange experience on issues related to policy, research and innovation related to supply chains, financing models, skills supply and development of advanced nuclear fuel.

Specific technological areas for cooperation include: nuclear power reactors, including advanced reactors such as small modular reactors; advanced nuclear fuel development; nuclear waste management; and nuclear safety and security.

The partners plan to exchange publicly available scientific and technical information, as well as share information and experiences on policies and regulations, and share and develop best practices on security of energy supply and demand for nuclear energy technologies. They will facilitate contacts between relevant public and private sector entities in both countries and encourage and promote dialogue, networking, and cooperation at all levels among government representatives, government bodies, enterprises along the value chain and research institutions through visits, workshops, meetings and other activities.

"Sweden and the United States will now cooperate on nuclear power," Busch said. "This is good for Sweden, the United States, the labour market and competitiveness. Our countries enjoy longstanding and good relations and I look forward to strengthening our cooperation and knowledge exchange in the area of nuclear power."

"Today's agreement further strengthens US cooperation with Sweden to diversify our supply chains and nuclear fuel supply, deploy new reactors, and find solutions to the management of our spent nuclear fuel," Granholm said in a post on X.

In October 2022, Sweden's incoming centre-right coalition government adopted a positive stance towards nuclear energy. In November last year, it unveiled a roadmap which envisages the construction of new nuclear generating capacity equivalent to at least two large-scale reactors by 2035, with up to ten new large-scale reactors coming online by 2045.

The Nuclear Company aims to redefine how large-scale nuclear infrastructure projects are delivered in the USA using proven, licensed technology in a fleet-scale model - and is taking to the road in a campaign bus to build support for its vision.

The company, which emerged from "stealth mode" in July, says its mission is "to address surging energy demand driven by AI (artificial intelligence) data computing, onshoring manufacturing, and the electrification of everything." Global electricity demand is projected to increase nearly 30% by 2030, and nuclear can provide the reliable, around-the-clock, zero-carbon power required to meet it. But the biggest challenge facing the industry is that one-off nuclear projects almost always are over budget and behind schedule, the company said.

The Nuclear Company's fleet-scale model combines using proven, licensed technology and a design-once, build-many approach, developing coalitions across communities, regulators and financial stakeholders to catalyse rapid development. It will do this by developing standardised processes and scheduling in order to sequence work and minimise delays, including moving construction expertise from one site to the next immediately to improve efficiency.

"The Nuclear Company is working towards solving America's surging energy demand by redefining how large-scale, nuclear infrastructure projects are delivered," said Chief Development Officer Juliann Edwards. "We recognise the challenges facing our industry, where one-off nuclear projects historically go over budget and run behind schedule. Our unique approach integrates proven technology with unparalleled collaboration among diverse organisations, ensuring that fleet-scale projects are executed on-time and on-budget. The time is now given a sea change in public opinion that’s overwhelmingly supportive of nuclear power, recent bipartisan legislative action, and our business model that drives down upfront costs."

Early investors in the company include investment firm CIV, True Ventures, Wonder Ventures, Goldcrest Capital, and MCJ Collective.

Nulcear Frontier

The Nuclear Frontier bus tour began on 23 July in Pittsburgh at the annual conference held by US Women in Nuclear - Edwards is chair of the organisation. With stops in six states and Washington DC, the tour aims to engage with government and industry leaders, as well as skilled tradespeople who will rebuild America’s nuclear leadership. "The Nuclear Company’s consortium of utilities and independent power producers, hyperscalers, nuclear technology suppliers, and private equity help mitigate risk and make nuclear power an attractive investment," the company said.

Joe Klecha has recently been announced as the company's chief nuclear officer.

The first large nuclear island system has been delivered for Unit 1 of the Paks II nuclear power station project in central Hungary, construction of which is expected to start early next year.

Project Developer Paks II Ltd said in a statement that the core catcher components were delivered via the Black Sea and the Danube River from Russia on 1 August.

“The Paks II project has reached a new milestone with the arrival of one of the most important long-lead items,” said Hungarian foreign minister Péter Szijjártó.

The core catcher – also known as a core melt localisation device or core trap – is designed to catch the molten core material, or corium, of a nuclear reactor in the event of a nuclear meltdown and to prevent it from escaping the containment.

The device is among the largest in a nuclear reactor system, with the steel casing weighing about 170 tonnes and having a height and diameter around six metres.

The total weight of an installed core catcher device under the reactor core exceeds 700 tonnes and has a diameter of about 11 metres and a height of 15 metres.

Atomstroyesxport, the export wing of Russia’s state-owned nuclear corporation Rosatom, said it delivered the core catcher components from a factory in Volgodonsk on the Volga River in southern Russia. The transporting vessels covered a total of 3,200 km in 48 days, a statement said.

Russia is supplying two Generation III+ VVER-1200 pressurised water reactor units for Paks II, at the existing Paks nuclear site, near the town of Paks in central Hungary.

There are already four earlier-generation Russia supplied VVER units at the site. In 2023 they supplied 48.8% of the country’s electricity production, according to International Atomic Energy Agency data.

Preparatory works including pit excavations and the construction of a stabilisation groundwater cutoff wall began at Paks II in the summer of 2023.

Gergely Jákli, chief executive of Paks II, was quoted as saying that the 2.7 km long cutoff wall has been completed and work has begun on soil stabilisation and excavations to bring the pit in line with design requirements.

The main construction licence for Paks 2 was issued by the Hungarian regulator in August 2022.

However, first concrete pouring, traditionally considered the official start of nuclear island construction, has not yet been announced. Earlier reports have said it is scheduled for early 2025.

Company celebrates Browns Ferry’s 50 years in service.

The Tennessee Valley Authority this week discussed the potential for new nuclear technology at its sites during its second-quarter earnings call.

TVA and GE Hitachi signed an agreement in 2022 to develop and deploy a BWRC-300 small modular reactor at the Clinch River site near Oak Ridge, Tenn.

“That effort continues [with] good progress,” said Jeff Lyash, TVA’s president and chief executive. “The partnership between Ontario Power, Synthos Green Energy, TVA and GE Hitachi around developing the standard design is progressing on pace. We expect to complete that standard design work sometime in 2025. We’re also continuing with development of the license application for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and we will be discussing that with our board in the coming weeks and months. We expect to be prepared to submit that license application, if we decide to proceed, likely in the first half of next year.”

“We’re taking this as a very deliberate, gaited process to make sure that if we decide to build this plant, we’re ready to build it and we’re ready to execute it on a predictable cost and schedule,” he added.

Lyash said the company is optimistic about new federal funding available for SMR demonstration. Energy secretary Jennifer Granholm visited Clinch River in 2023 to lend support for TVA’s advanced nuclear technology plans for the site.

New energy opportunities: TVA is also looking at its Bellefonte site in Alabama as another potential place for SMRs.

Lyash said TVA considers Bellefonte “an important site for TVA’s future.” He explained, “It is potentially a site where we could locate new nuclear, if we expand the program, and we’re continuing to look at that site and consider all generation alternatives for it.”

Despite receiving a pair of licenses for the site in the 1970s, the units never came to fruition. When construction ceased at Bellefonte in 1988, Unit 1 was about 88 percent complete and Unit 2 was about 58 percent complete.

In 2021, TVA finally decided against renewing construction permits for the site after spending more than $5 billion on the project.

Existing nuclear: TVA executives said the company is committed to extending operations for its existing nuclear fleet. It has submitted its first nuclear license renewal application to the NRC for the three units at Browns Ferry in Alabama.

Browns Ferry is celebrating 50 years of safe operations today. At the time Unit 1 started commercial operation in 1974, the plant’s boiling water reactors were the first in the world capable of producing more than 1,000 MWe.

TVA’s first and largest nuclear plant, Browns Ferry provides nearly 4,000 MW of carbon-free energy and accounts for about 20 percent of the company’s total generation. It is the third largest nuclear facility in the U.S. and employs 1,500 people.

“As we experience growth in the valley, our customers depend on our ability to meet demand and we are continuing to invest heavily in the plant’s assets to meet this commitment,” said Daniel Komm, Browns Ferry’s site vice president. “The complexity of our work at Browns Ferry and the value we place on safe, reliable operation requires teamwork. There are so many individuals who’ve helped us get to this point, and we have an opportunity to create a new legacy for the next 50 years.”

A plan to build up a high-assay low-enriched uranium fuel cycle in the United Kingdom to support the deployment of advanced reactors is still in place after the Labour party was voted to power on July 4, bringing 14 years of conservative government to an end. A competitive solicitation for grant funding to build a commercial-scale HALEU deconversion facility opened days before the election, and the support of the new government was confirmed by a set of updates on July 19. But what does the U.K. HALEU program entail, and how does it differ from the U.S. HALEU Availability Program?

Money for HALEU: The U.K. Department for Energy Security and Net Zero announced an investment of £300 million (about $383 million) in HALEU infrastructure in January, making the U.K. the first European country to move forward on HALEU enrichment and fulfilling in part a pledge made in December 2023 at COP28 with four other nations—the United States, Canada, France, and Japan—to collectively mobilize more than $4.2 billion in public and private funds for fuel security over the next three years.

On May 4, the government got more specific, announcing that £196 million (about $245 million) would go to Urenco, which is part-owned by the U.K. government, to build a facility that could produce enriched HALEU at the rate of 10 tons per year by 2031. That facility will be cited in Capenhurst, Cheshire, in the northwest of England, where the company already operates three enrichment plants that produce low-enriched uranium.

With enrichment funds allotted, the government next announced funding of up to £70 million (part of the £300 million announced in January) through a HALEU deconversion competition, seeking applicants to support the design and build of a commercial-scale oxide HALEU deconversion facility (and the design of a commercial-scale metal HALEU deconversion line that could be deployed within the same facility “in the event of market growth”). That competition opened to applicants on July 1 and will close September 9.

First comes oxide: Applicants who want to build a deconversion plant in the U.K. under the scheme must include a proposal to design, build, and commission a commercial-scale oxide HALEU deconversion facility that would be operational by 2031 with an initial processing capacity of at least 10,000 kgU (or 10 metric tons of uranium [MTU]) per year, and that can “allow for future expansion of production up to at least 30,000 kgU per year.”

The facility should be designed to support a future deconversion line that could produce HALEU fuel feedstock in metal form. (Some advanced reactors, notably sodium fast reactors, would require metallic HALEU fuel.)

While the deconversion solicitation makes it clear that the U.K. anticipates more need for oxide than metallic fuel, the application must include “at a minimum” a proposal for the detailed design of a commercial-scale metal HALEU deconversion facility, with a minimum capacity of 5,000 kgU per year. “Within the budget and time limits of the project, applications will be assessed on how far along the design process they will be able to progress, with additional scoring awarded to any bids that are able to go beyond detailed design,” according to the scheme guidance. The applicant must include a detailed plan for how deconverted HALEU in both oxide and metal forms would be packaged and stored.

Common ground: The United States issued requests for proposals for HALEU deconversion and enrichment in November 2023 and January 2024, respectively. Both the U.K. and U.S. programs divide the front-end fuel cycle tasks of enrichment and deconversion into separate funding arrangements, and both spell out plans for deconverting uranium hexafluoride into both oxide and metal fuel. Here are a few more similarities between the two programs.

Domestic focus—Each nation will only support enrichment and deconversion that takes place within its borders but is to some extent open to participation from allies. According to a set of clarification questions updated on July 19, deconversion applicants in the United Kingdom “must provide evidence of access to a U.K. site which has a license that covers the deconversion of HALEU and associated processes or provide a detailed plan for securing a U.K. site and/or obtaining the relevant planning permissions and site license, with specific timelines and qualified resource requirements identified for each step.” Grant awards can only be made to a U.K.-registered company, and proof of registration must be submitted as part of the application process.

Scale—The two plans are not that far apart on scale either. While a draft U.S. enrichment RFP released in June 2023 suggested would-be enrichers could provide quotes for a range of potential production quantities between 5 and 145 MTU of HALEU UF6 enriched to 19.75 percent U-235 during the 10-year contract period, the final RFP settled on 10 MTU of HALEU UF6 for its ask. (Importantly, awards may be offered to more than one enricher; the total contract ceiling for enrichment services is $2.7 billion for all task orders cumulatively awarded.)

Where they differ: While the United States is prepared to award “one or more” contracts for both enrichment and deconversion, U.K. plans to date only include support for one enrichment facility and one deconversion facility. Here are some more differences between the two programs.

Funding—Financial details of the U.K. government’s funds to support HALEU enrichment through Urenco were not released, but for its competitively awarded deconversion contract the U.K. will require “cofunding” for deconversion “at a minimum rate of 70:30 (government: industry)” and will not pursue any offtakes.

The United States, in contrast, eyed an offtake arrangement back in 2022 as it was setting up the HALEU Availability Program in a quest to spur demand and private investment in a sustainable commercial HALEU fuel infrastructure. The final U.S. RFPs for enrichment and deconversion call for indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contracts that will last up to 10 years, during which time multiple individual task orders could be issued.

U.S. metal parity?—While under the United Kingdom’s plan for deconversion HALEU oxide production would precede metal production (which is dependent on market signals), the U.S. deconversion RFP does not emphasize either oxide or metal. A “sample task order” included in the RFP “for evaluation purposes only” calls for equal production of oxide and metal: “The contractor’s receiving, transportation, deconversion and storage capacity shall accommodate the processing of up to 6 MTU of UF6 per year into 3 MTU of metal and 3 MTU of oxide.”

Schedule—The U.K. specifies when enrichment and deconversion operations are to begin (both by 2031), while the U.S. leaves the specific schedules for enrichment and deconversion up to the contractor. In the case of enrichment, “the schedule for completing this HALEU enrichment [task order] shall be defined in the offeror’s proposal. . . . HALEU UF6 product deliverables will be in accordance with the contractor-provided delivery schedule.”

The front of the front end—The U.S. enrichment RFP covers mining and milling, conversion, enrichment, and storage of UF6, while the U.K.’s announced award of enrichment funds to Urenco included no mention of mining, milling, and conversion.

A waiting game: In the United States, responses to the RFPs for HALEU deconversion and enrichment were due February 13 and March 22, respectively. Awardees have not been announced.

On June 27, the U.S. Department of Energy opened another RFP—this time for low-enriched uranium that “will meet the specifications for LEU fuel feedstock that is utilized by commercial light water reactors.” LWRs are typically licensed to use LEU enriched up to 5 percent, but some are testing fuel with slightly higher enrichments. the DOE plans to award two or more contracts for up to 10 years to buy LEU generated by new sources of domestic uranium enrichment capacity, which can include new enrichment facilities or projects to expand the capacity of existing facilities. Responses to that RFP are due August 26.

The Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board (NWTRB) announced it will hold a public meeting on August 29 to review information on the Department of Energy’s management and plans for disposing of its spent nuclear fuel. The hybrid (in-person/virtual) meeting will begin at 8:00 a.m. EDT and is scheduled to adjourn at approximately 5:00 p.m. EDT.

The NWTRB is an independent federal agency that provides ongoing, objective evaluation of the technical and scientific validity of activities undertaken by the DOE related to implementing the Nuclear Waste Policy Act.

The agenda: The meeting is to begin with a program update from the DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy on its reprioritization of storage, transportation, and disposal research and development activities. DOE-NE will also provide an update on its efforts siting a federal consolidated interim storage facility for commercial SNF and its consent-based siting initiative.

Speakers from the DOE will also provide an overview of the department’s SNF storage, transportation, and plans for disposal. Other speakers will describe SNF technology development activities within the DOE’s Office of Environmental Management.

A report will be provided on SNF management activities at the Savannah River Site, including current SNF storage, the accelerated basin de-inventory project, and management alternatives for stored SNF after completion of the de-inventory project. Speakers will describe SNF management activities at the Idaho National Laboratory, including the Idaho Road-Ready SNF Demonstration.

A detailed meeting agenda, along with details for joining and viewing the meeting, will be available on the NWTRB website at approximately one week before the meeting.

Details: The NWTRB meeting will be held at the Crowne Plaza North Augusta hotel at 1060 Center Street in North Augusta, S.C.

The meeting will be open to the public, and there will be an opportunity for public comment at the end. Written comments of any length may be submitted to the board staff by mail or email. Comments received in writing will be included in the meeting record, which will be posted on the NWTRB website. An archived recording of the meeting will be available on the website following the meeting, and a transcript will be available on the website by November 1, 2024.

At the mid-year point, Canadian uranium producer Cameco said its expectation for uranium deliveries for the year remains unchanged, but Kazakh producer NAC Kazatomprom is increasing its 2024 full year production guidance to reflect the half-year results.

Kazatomprom's results for the quarter and half-year show production of 10,857 tU on a 100% basis (5797 tU on an attributable basis) for the year to date, a year-on-year increase of 6% for 100% production (7% attributable).

Cameco's share of production from its Canadian operations totalled 12.9 million pounds U3O8 (4962 tU). This is a year-on-year increase of 47%, but the company pointed out that in 2023 the Key Lake mill had not yet achieved its 18 million pound per year run rate, while Cigar Lake productivity was impacted by a transition to a new mining area.

When making year-on-year comparisons, both companies pointed out in their announcements that sales and delivery volumes can be affected by the timing of contractual deliveries.

Kazatomprom eyes production increase

Kazatomprom said it is increasing its 2024 full year production guidance on both a 100% and attributable basis "as the half year results show that the production rates with which the mining entities are now progressing will result in a higher than initially expected volumes." Previously, production guidance had been 21,000-22,500 tU on a 100% basis (10,900-11,900 tU attributable); this has now been increased to 22,500-23,500 tU on a 100% basis (11,600-12,600 tU attributable).

Sales guidance remains unchanged, and the company said the increased uranium production "will be used for replenishing the Company’s inventories." It reiterated that limited access to sulphuric acid and delays in the construction schedule at newly developed deposits could "unfavourably influence" its production plans for 2025. Any adjustments to the 2025 production plans are expected to be announced in its financial results later this month, the company said.

Cameco remains on track

Cameco CEO Tim Gitzel said the company's second quarter operational performance was strong, driving financial results that remain in line with the company's full-year outlook. The company's overall results continue to be impacted by the purchase accounting and other non-operational costs related to its 2023 acquisition of Westinghouse, he said.

Cameco also has interests in Kazakhstan, through its Inkai joint venture with Kazatomprom. "Production at our JV in Kazakhstan was lower for the quarter and the first half of 2024 due to challenges with sulphuric acid supply in the early part of the year," Gitzel said, adding that the joint venture "continues to experience procurement and supply chain issues". 2024 production expectation of 8.3 million pounds U3O8 (100% basis) for Inkai is "tentative and contingent upon receipt of sufficient volumes of sulfuric acid", he said.

Other procurement and supply chain issues, transportation challenges, construction delays and inflationary pressures on production costs are ongoing risks that will need to be successfully managed at JV Inkai, with the geopolitical situation continuing to cause transportation risks in the region, Cameco said. It continues to work closely with Kazatomprom to receive its share of production via the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, which does not rely on Russian rail lines or ports, but warned that "further delays to our expected Inkai deliveries" could occur if transportation using this shipping route takes longer than anticipated. The company said it has inventory, long-term purchase agreements and loan arrangements in place that it can draw on to mitigate the risk of production shortfalls or transport delays.

The fourth and final steel ring forming the walls of the main containment shell has been hoisted into place at unit 3 of the Sanmen nuclear power plant in China's Zhejiang province.

The steel containment shell consists of six modules, namely the bottom head, four ring cylinder modules and the top head.

On 28 July, the fourth ring of the containment shell - with an inner diameter of about 40 metres, a height of about 8 metres and weighing about 749 tonnes - was hoisted into place in an operation lasting two hours.

China National Nuclear Corporation subsidiary Sanmen Nuclear Powder Company said the installation of the fourth ring "lays a solid foundation for the milestone of the top head of the containment shell of unit 3".

The construction of two new reactors at each of the Sanmen, Haiyang and Lufeng sites in China was approved by China's State Council in April 2021. The approvals were for Sanmen units 3 and 4, Haiyang 3 and 4 and units 5 and 6 of the Lufeng plant. The Sanmen and Haiyang plants are already home to two Westinghouse AP1000 units each, and two CAP1000 units were approved for Phase II (units 3 and 4) of each plant.

The CAP1000 reactor design - the Chinese version of the AP1000 - uses modular construction techniques, enabling large structural modules to be built at factories and then installed at the site. This means that more construction activities can take place at the same time, reducing the time taken to build a plant as well as offering economic and quality control benefits.

The first safety-related concrete was poured for the nuclear island of Sanmen 3 on 28 June 2022, marking the official start of its construction. The first concrete for that of unit 4 was poured on 22 March last year. The units are expected to be connected to the grid in 2027 and 2028, respectively.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Japan's National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST) have completed the production of a prototype outer vertical target, one of the key components of the divertor to be used in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor. MHI said it is now ready for series production.

The divertor is one of the core components of the fusion reactor used in the tokamak. It removes the helium ashes in the core plasma produced by the fusion reaction, unburned fuel and other impurities, as well as removing high heat load and particle loading, which are necessary for stable confinement of the plasma. The divertor comprises four parts: the outer vertical target being procured by Japan, the cassette body and inner vertical target being manufactured in the EU, and the dome being made in Russia.

The heat load on the divertor reaches a maximum of 20 MWt per square metre. Since the outer vertical target - which directly faces the plasma due to its structure - is used in an extreme environment where it is exposed to the heat load and high energy particle loading from the plasma, and its structure has an extremely complex shape, high-precision fabrication and processing technology is required.

MHI and QST said they will utilise the technology acquired through the production of this prototype - the manufacture of which began in June 2020 - and apply their full efforts toward manufacturing the units, contributing to the advancement of the ITER project.

In May this year, MHI was awarded a contract by QST to supply a further 12 outer vertical targets for the divertor to be used in ITER. The contract followed the initial production order for the manufacture of six units (Unit 1 - Unit 6) received in 2021. With the additional 12 units (Unit 7 - Unit 18), MHI will manufacture 18 of the total 54 outer vertical targets. The remainder will be manufactured by QST. MHI said production of these units will be completed successively, with delivery to QST expected to begin in 2026.

ITER is a major international project to build a tokamak fusion device in Cadarache, France, designed to prove the feasibility of fusion as a large-scale and carbon-free source of energy. The goal of ITER is to operate at 500 MW (for at least 400 seconds continuously) with 50 MW of plasma heating power input. It appears that an additional 300 MWe of electricity input may be required in operation. No electricity will be generated at ITER.

Thirty-five nations are collaborating to build ITER - the European Union is contributing almost half of the cost of its construction, while the other six members (China, India, Japan, South Korea, Russia and the USA) are contributing equally to the rest. Construction began in 2010 and the original 2018 first plasma target date was put back to 2025 by the ITER council in 2016. However, in June this year, a revamped project plan was announced which aims for "a scientifically and technically robust initial phase of operations, including deuterium-deuterium fusion operation in 2035 followed by full magnetic energy and plasma current operation".

India's Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) has officially granted permission for the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) at Kalpakkam to move to the next stage of the commissioning process, the First Approach to Criticality. This will include the loading of fuel into the reactor core and the start of low power physics experiments.

Phased core loading activities began earlier this year, with the insertion of control sub-assemblies and blanket sub-assemblies under AERB oversight. The regulator said its approval of the First Approach to Criticality follows a review process which included those activities, execution of a thorough multi-tier safety review, regular inspections and oversight by a resident site observer team.

"Following extensive evaluation of the detailed safety submissions, review outcomes, and a site visit, the Board has affirmed the systematic regulatory oversight and granted the necessary permissions," the AERB said in a statement dated 27 July and published on 30 July.

Now that permission has been granted for the First Approach to Criticality, fuel sub-assemblies will be introduced into the reactor core. Once a sustained nuclear fission chain reaction is achieved, marking the reactor's criticality, a series of low power physics experiments will be conducted to further assess and understand reactor behaviour, the AERB said.

Fast breeder reactors form the second stage of India's three-stage nuclear programme, using plutonium recovered from the reprocessing of used fuel from the pressurised heavy waters and light water reactors that form the first stage of the programme. The third stage envisages using advanced heavy water reactors (AHWRs) to burn thorium-plutonium fuels and breed fissile uranium-233, achieving a thorium-based closed nuclear fuel cycle.

The PFBR has been developed by BHAVINI (Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited), a government enterprise under the Department of Atomic Energy. Construction began in 2004, with an original expected completion date of 2010. It will initially use a core of uranium-plutonium mixed oxide (MOX) fuel, surrounded by a uranium-238 'blanket', with plans to use a blanket of uranium and thorium to breed plutonium and uranium-233 for use as driver fuels for AHWRs.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi witnessed the start of the phased core loading activities at the reactor, which is in Tamil Nadu, in March.

Holtec International’s SMR-300 small modular reactor design has completed Step 1 of the UK’s generic design assessment (GDA) process and will now progress to Step 2, which is expected to last for 14 months.

The Environment Agency, the Office for Nuclear Regulation, and Natural Resources Wales announced on 1 August that they are progressing to the next phase of their assessment of the design.

The GDA process is a way to allow regulators to begin assessing the safety, security, safeguarding and environmental aspects of new reactor designs before site-specific proposals are brought forward.

This ensures that nuclear projects meet high standards of safety, environmental protection and waste management, while providing the company with the certainty needed to move ahead with their designs.

The GDA process focuses on the design of a generic nuclear power station and is not site-specific.

According to the Environment Agency it is a voluntary, non-mandatory process aimed at providing early confidence that a proposed reactor design is capable of being built, operated and decommissioned in accordance with high standards of safety, security, environmental protection and waste management.

Holtec has now launched a comments process, enabling anyone to submit comments and questions about the reactor design to the company for its response.

“Relevant issues raised during the comments process, and Holtec’s responses to these issues, will be used to help inform the regulators’ assessments throughout the rest of the GDA process,” an Environment Agency statement said.

Six SMR Designs On Government Shortlist

The SMR-300 is a pressurised water reactor producing around 300 MW of electrical power or 1,050 MW of thermal power for process applications.

It is one of six SMR designs shortlisted in October by Great British Nuclear for the UK’s SMR selection competition.

That shortlist was drawn up by the previous Conservative government, which said at the time it hoped to announce in spring 2024 which of the six companies it will support, with contracts awarded by summer 2024.

Earlier this week UK-based SMR developer Rolls-Royce SMR said it had completed Step 2 of the GDA and will move immediately into the third and final step.

Rolls-Royce SMR said in a statement on 30 July that the announcement confirms its position ahead of any other SMR in Europe.

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued a final environmental impact report for the proposed lifetime extension of the two-unit North Anna nuclear power station in Virginia.

The commission said in a statement that there are no adverse environmental impacts to bar the renewal of North Anna’s operating licences for an additional 20 years.

There are two Westinghouse-made 948-MW and 944-MW pressurised water reactor units at North Anna. Unit 1 began commercial operation in 1978, followed by Unit 2 in 1980.

US utility Dominion Energy, which owns the station near Richmond, Virginia, wants to extend the operation term of the two reactor units at the site from 60 to 80 years. An application was filed with the NRC in 2020.

North Anna-1 and -2 already received initial 20-year licence renewals after the expiry of their 40-year design lifetime and can operate until April 2038 and August 2040.

According to public NRC scheduled, a final decision on Dominion Energy’s licence renewal application is due in August 2024.

If a second lifetime extension is granted, North Anna-1 will be operational until 2058 and North Anna-2 until 2060.

Earlier this month, reports said that Dominion Energy had issued a request for proposals from leading small modular reactor nuclear technology developers to evaluate the feasibility of deploying an SMR at the North Anna site.

A 2020 state law set a target for 100% of Virginia’s electricity to come from carbon-free sources by 2050.

Dominion chief executive officer Robert Blue told a news conference at North Anna that nuclear power already makes up 90% of Virginia’s carbon-free electricity.

Work has begun to assess changes in the properties of the metal of the reactor vessel of unit 2 at the Metsamor nuclear power plant in Armenia. The work is being carried out as part of preparations for extending operation of the VVER-440 unit for a further ten years.

Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom said its JSC Rosatom Service subsidiary has installed material samples in the reactor vessel of the unit during its current ongoing scheduled maintenance outage. The samples are installed in the reactor vessel in special containers.

The data obtained will be used to decide on the possible extension of the unit's operation until 2036.

Monitoring changes in the actual characteristics of the metal (such as strength, brittleness, etc) is carried out using special samples made of metal identical to the reactor vessel, Rosatom noted. As the nuclear power plant operates, these samples are removed so that they can be analysed in laboratory conditions. The unloading of samples installed at the Metsamor plant for research purposes will begin in 2025 and will be carried out annually.

"Rosatom has started the second extension of the country's only nuclear power plant," said Evgeny Salkov, director general of Rosatom Service JSC. "We scrupulously follow safety priorities; starting in 2025, Rosatom specialists will annually extract samples from the reactor vessel of the Armenian NPP and monitor the properties of the metal and changes in its structure. In this way, we ensure reliable control and detailed monitoring of one of the most important devices of the nuclear power plant."

In November 2021, it was announced that the service life of Metsamor unit 2 had been extended to 2026 after collaboration with Rosatom which saw the unit's emergency cooling system, engine room, turbines and steam generators modernised, and a unique operation was carried out to anneal the reactor pressure vessel. This restored the properties of the vessel metal by 85%, ensuring the possibility of its further operation.

In December last year, a corresponding agreement was signed between Rosatom Service JSC and Armenian NPP within the framework of the next intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation between Russia and Armenia. In preparation for the repeated extension of service life in 2023-2024, JSC Rosatom Service, JSC OKB Gidropress and other industry enterprises have developed research programmes and developed and manufactured material samples from metals and alloys specially selected for the Armenian plant.

Rosatom signed an agreement with the management of the Armenian nuclear power plant in January 2022 to look into the possible building of new Russia-designed units on the site of the current plant at Metsamor. Armenia has long been in discussions with Russia about replacing Metsamor, which comprises two Russian-built 376 MWe VVER reactors which started operating in 1976 and 1980, respectively. Both units were taken offline in 1988 due to safety concerns regarding seismic vulnerability. Unit 2 was restarted in 1995, and accounts for some 39% of total electricity generation in the country. Unit 1 is now being decommissioned.

Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) looks set to rule that unit 2 of the Tsuruga nuclear power plant in Fukui prefecture does not comply with regulatory safety standards after a review team concluded that seismic activity beneath the unit cannot be ruled out. Owner Japan Atomic Power Company (JAPC) insists that further investigations are required.

New regulatory standards announced in June 2013 prohibit reactor buildings and other important facilities being located above any active fault.

On two occasions - in May 2013 and March 2015 - an NRA panel of experts concluded that an active fault lies under the Tsuruga 2 reactor building. However, JAPC has maintained that its own analysis has shown that the fault is not active and does not extend under the unit. In November 2015 it applied to the NRA for a review to restart the operation of Tsuruga 2.

An NRA review team presented the results of their confirmation of the activity of the fault at a meeting on 31 May, and the continuity of the fault at a meeting on 26 July.

The team concluded that the possibility of an active fault running directly underneath the reactor building "cannot be denied."

JAPC said in a 26 July statement to the NRA that it is "examining the basis for the review team's judgment ... and considering additional investigation to obtain new data".

It added: "Regarding continuity, we will carefully examine the results of today's discussions, organise the operator's views, etc., and consider additional investigations. At that time, we will also consider contents beyond those described in the current amendment (logical structure, evaluation criteria, etc.). We would like to ask you to review the application once these considerations have been completed and the results of the investigation have been compiled. In addition, if necessary, we would like to re-amend the amendment from August last year."

In response, the NRA said today: "We would like to ask President Muramatsu of Japan Atomic Power Company to confirm the purpose of the request at the Nuclear Regulation Authority and then discuss the handling of this application."

If the NRA denies JAPC's application to restart the reactor - which would mark the first instance that such a decision has been made under the new regulations - the company may have no option but to decommission Tsuruga 2.

However, JAPC President Mamoru Muramatsu said after the panel meeting: "We will conduct an additional investigation. We are not considering decommissioning the plant." Muramatsu's words were reported by Kyodo News Agency.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has renewed the operating licenses of Comanche Peak Units 1 and 2 for an additional 20 years.

Unit 1’s operating license now expires on February 8, 2050, and Unit 2’s on February 2, 2053.

The two-unit Comanche Peak nuclear power plant in Glen Rose, Texas, is operated by Luminant. Units 1 and 2 are pressurized-water reactors.

Unit 1’s initial license was issued on April 17, 1990, and was set to expire on February 8, 2030. Unit 2 was first licensed on April 6, 1993, with an expiration date of February 2, 2033.

The review: The review of Comanche Peak's license renewal application proceeded on two tracks, according to the NRC. A safety evaluation report was issued in March, and a final supplemental environmental impact statement was issued in April.

These documents, as well as other information regarding the renewal application, are available on the NRC website, which also contains information about the license renewal process.

Work crews have started retrieval of radioactive and chemical waste from a third set of underground storage tanks at the Hanford Site, according to the Department of Energy's Office of Environmental Management. Contractor Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS) is retrieving and transferring more than 325,000 gallons of waste from the single-shell Tank A-101 at the site's A Tank Farm. The waste is being sent to a newer double-shell tank for continued safe storage.

Retrieval activities began one month after workers emptied the site’s 21st single-shell tank. Waste removed from the 21 tanks totals about 3 million gallons.

“Despite this work being some of the most challenging and complex in EM’s mission to clean up sites across the country, Hanford teams have proven proficient in safely retrieving waste while preparing for future retrieval,” said Delmar Noyes, Hanford assistant manager for Tank Waste Operations.

Some history: The six tanks in the A Tank Farm were built in the mid-1950s with a carbon-steel liner surrounded by a layer of thick, steel-reinforced concrete. The tanks were used to store the radioactive and chemical byproducts of plutonium processing for the country’s nuclear weapons program.

The waste in Tank A-101 is primarily salt-based, solid waste, which will be broken down using pressurized water directed through robotic equipment then pumped out and transferred to a newer tank.

Getting ready: Initiating retrieval in Tank A-101 culminates years of preparation that have included removing outdated equipment and installing a retrieval system and associated infrastructure, according to the DOE.

The work: During retrieval, workers are operating the equipment remotely from a nearby control trailer.

“Our retrievals team has extensive waste-removal experience from previous projects,” said Peggy Hamilton, WRPS retrievals manager. “The A Tank Farm will bring new challenges, but I know the team will handle them well as they continue to advance the Hanford cleanup mission.”

Tank A-101 retrieval operations could take approximately 1.5 years due to the volume of waste to be retrieved and the need to integrate with other operating facilities, the DOE noted.

Natura Resources, LLC has joined the Texas Produced Water Consortium (TXPWC) to evaluate the deployment of Natura’s liquid-fuelled molten salt reactor (LF-MSR) technology to meet energy and water needs in the Permian Basin in a partnership dubbed Fortifying the Future.

TXPWC was established by the Texas legislature in 2021 to focus on the potential for beneficial uses of treated produced water outside the oil and gas industry of the Permian basin (produced water is water that is produced as a byproduct of oil and gas extraction, and is typically salty or brackish as well as containing hydrocarbon residues). With administrative oversight from Texas Tech University, in coordination with the Government Agency Advisory Council and the Stakeholder Advisory Council, the consortium is specifically tasked with providing the legislature and state agencies guidance and recommendations on policies that could encourage a system of beneficial use that is both environmentally safe and economically viable.

Affordable, reliable energy is a critical component of the economics of any water treatment process, so having access to a commercialised molten salt reactor in remote areas of the state could be a "major breakthrough" in making the treatment of new sources of water economically feasible, as well as supplying Texans with additional electric generation capacity at a crucial time in the state’s history, Natura said.

Natura is working to commercialise the LF-MSR. Its first reactor - a 1 MWt molten salt research reactor (MSRR) - is to be built at Abilene Christian University's (ACU) campus in Abilene, Texas, as part of the Nuclear Energy eXperimental Testing (NEXT) laboratory. The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission is currently reviewing the university's application for a construction permit, which was submitted in August 2022. In June, the regulator told ACU that it expects to complete the safety assessment and issue the construction permit for the reactor by 30 September.

The reactor is the first liquid-fuelled molten salt reactor design ever reviewed by the NRC.

"We are proud to partner with the Texas Produced Water Consortium and excited for the opportunities that this Fortifying the Future partnership presents," said Doug Robison, Founder and President of Natura Resources. “Natura has deep-seated roots in the Permian Basin oil and gas industry, and we are thrilled at the opportunity to bring our molten salt reactor technology to the Permian to meet the critical needs for both energy and water."

Rolls-Royce SMR Limited's 470 MWe small modular reactor design has successfully completed Step 2 of the UK's Generic Design Assessment (GDA) process and progressed to the third and final phase.

GDA is a three-step process carried out by the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR), the Environment Agency (EA) and Natural Resources Wales (NRW) to assess the safety, security, and environmental protection aspects of a nuclear power plant design that is intended to be deployed in Great Britain. Successful completion of the GDA culminates in the issue of a Design Acceptance Confirmation from the ONR and a Statement of Design Acceptability from the EA.

In May 2021, the UK's Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) opened the GDA process to advanced nuclear technologies, including SMRs.

In November 2021, Rolls-Royce SMR Limited submitted a Notice of Intention to apply for GDA Entry for its SMR design, which is based on a small pressurised water reactor. The design was accepted for review in March 2022.

Step 1 of the GDA began in April 2022 and involved agreeing the scope of the GDA based on information supplied by Rolls-Royce SMR Ltd to the ONR, the Environment Agency and NRW.

Step 2 - the first substantive technical assessment step of GDA, building upon the work to agree the scope and project arrangements undertaken during Step 1 - has now been successfully completed.

ONR said this followed "significant work by Rolls-Royce SMR Ltd and the regulators, leading to the granting, for the first time since the modernised GDA process was launched, of Step 2 GDA statements". It added: "Today also marks the start of Step 3 for the Rolls-Royce SMR Ltd GDA."

"The Rolls-Royce SMR GDA is one of firsts," said ONR's Head of Generic Design Assessment Rob Exley. "We are the first regulators to assess this reactor design, determining whether it meets our robust safety, security, safeguards and environmental protection standards in Great Britain. It is also the first time we have followed the modernised GDA process, looking at an SMR design.

"ONR is satisfied that Rolls-Royce SMR Ltd are progressing and as regulators, we can now continue into Step 3 assessing in more detail the evidence that supports the claims made about the design in the Step 2 submissions."

Helena Perry, Rolls-Royce SMR's Safety and Regulatory Affairs Director, said: "The completion of Step 2 of the GDA is the most important milestone to date in advancing deployment of Rolls-Royce SMRs in the UK. We have built fantastic momentum, and the team will move directly into Step 3 of this rigorous independent assessment of our technology – ideally positioning us to deliver low-carbon nuclear power and support the UK transition to net-zero."

The overall duration for the Rolls-Royce SMR GDA is expected to be 53 months, completing in August 2026.

The Rolls-Royce SMR is one of six SMR designs selected in October by Great British Nuclear on a shortlist for the UK's SMR selection competition and one of the five vendors to submit a bid by the 8 July deadline. The aim is for a final investment decision on two or three of the designs to be taken in 2029.

Earlier this month, the Nuclear Industry Association applied to the UK government for a justification decision for Rolls-Royce SMR's small modular reactor, a decision required for the operation of a new nuclear technology in the country. It marks the first ever application for justification of a UK reactor design.

Kairos Power has started construction on one of the first advanced reactors in the US in what the California-based company called a “critical milestone” on its path to commercialising advanced reactor technology.

Kairos Power said in a statement that the Hermes Low-Power Demonstration Reactor, which could be operational in 2027, is the first and only Generation IV* reactor to be approved for construction by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the first non-light-water reactor to be permitted in the US in over 50 years.

Hermes is a non-power version of Kairos Power’s fluoride salt-cooled high temperature reactor, the KP-HFR.

Kairos Power said it had recently started excavation and groundwork at the Hermes site in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, through a contract with Montana-based Barnard Construction Company.

The US Department of Energy (DOE) said in a statement that the reactor is being used to inform the development of a commercial reactor that could be deployed “next decade”.

It said Hermes is one of several projects being supported through the DOE’s advanced reactor demonstration programme, which is designed to help the domestic nuclear industry demonstrate its advanced reactor designs and ultimately help the US build a competitive portfolio of new US reactors that offer significant improvements over today’s technology.

Kairos Power has committed to invest at least $100m (€92m) to support Hermes’ construction and operation. The DOE will invest up to $303m in the project through a performance-based milestone contract funded by advanced reactor demonstration programme to support Hermes’ design, construction, and commissioning.

Hermes will use a Triso fuel pebble bed design with a molten fluoride salt coolant to demonstrate “affordable clean heat production”, the DOE said.

Kairos Power said the reactor’s novel combination of Triso coated particle fuel and Flibe molten fluoride salt coolant yields robust inherent safety while simplifying the reactor’s design.

Triso – or “tristructural-isotropic” – fuel particles contain a spherical kernel of enriched uranium oxycarbide surrounded by layers of carbon and silicon carbide, which contains fission products.

According to the DOE, Triso is essentially a “robust, microencapsulated fuel form” developed originally in the 1950s.

Perhaps Triso’s biggest benefit is that each particle acts “as its own containment system thanks to its triple-coated layers,” the DOE said. This allows them to retain fission products under all reactor conditions.

Triso particles are especially robust. “Simply put, Triso particles cannot melt in a reactor and can withstand extreme temperatures that are well beyond the threshold of current nuclear fuels,” the DOE said.

Transforming Conventional Nuclear Construction

The Hermes project was cleared for construction by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission in December.

Kairos Power has also applied for a construction permit for the electricity-generating Hermes 2 test reactor, which will also be built at Oak Ridge and will feature two 35 MWt units similar to the Hermes plant.

Barnard and Kairos Power have also started collaborating to build the third engineering test unit (ETU 3.0) – a non-nuclear demonstration at Oak Ridge that will generate supply chain, construction and operational experience for the Hermes project.

Both Hermes and ETU 3.0 will be built using modular construction techniques piloted at Kairos Power’s testing and manufacturing campus in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Reactor modules will be fabricated in Albuquerque and shipped to Oak Ridge for assembly, demonstrating the potential of a factory-built small modular reactor design to transform conventional nuclear construction.

In December 2023 China’s National Energy Administration said China had begun commercial operation of the first Generation IV plant in the world, the HTR-PM (high-temperature reactor-pebble-bed modules) plant at Shidao Bay.

• No precise definition of a Generation IV reactor exists, but the term is used to refer to nuclear reactor technologies under development including gas-cooled fast reactors, lead-cooled fast reactors, molten salt reactors, sodium-cooled fast reactors, supercritical-water-cooled reactors and very high-temperature reactors. An international task force, the Generation IV International Forum (GIF), is sharing R&D to develop six Generation IV nuclear reactor technologies. GIF said goals of Generation IV reactor design include lower cost and financial risk, minimising nuclear waste and high levels of safety and reliability.

Italy’s state-owned nuclear decommissioning company Sogin has completed the first phase of reactor pressure vessel (RPV) dismantling at the Garigliano nuclear power plant in southern Italy.

The company said it has removed contaminated metal components placed on the deflector in the upper part of the RPV.

Sogin said the operation is “the most complex activity from an engineering and operational point of view” during the decommissioning process at a nuclear power plant.

The process began at the end of 2023 and involved the flooding of the RPV and reactor channel, a step required to guarantee maximum safety as water acts as a shield against radiation, said Sogin.

The next step in the dismantling process, which will include removal of RPV internals before the vessel itself can be approached.

Sogin had previously said RPV decommissioning at Garigliano is expected to be completed in 2027.

In 2023, the company launched a €36m ($39m) tender for the segmentation and extraction of the RPV and related components.

Garigliano was a 150-MW boiling water reactor plant which operated between 1964 and 1982.

Italy was a pioneer of nuclear power and had four commercial nuclear plants – Caorso, Enrico Fermi, Garigliano and Latina – providing almost 5% of the country’s electricity production share at their peak in 1986-1987.

Italy shut down the last of the plants, Caorso and Enrico Fermi, in July 1990 following a referendum in the wake of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.

The Italian government of prime minister Giorgia Meloni is seeking to restore nuclear power in the country to reduce carbon dioxide emissions with the first new reactors potentially in operation within 10 years, recent reports have said.

In May 2023, the Italian parliament backed the government’s plan to include nuclear in the country’s energy mix as part of its decarbonisation efforts.