Nuclear Energy

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Committee-to-evaluate-nuclear-power-option-for-Nor

The Norwegian government has appointed a committee to conduct a broad review and assessment of various aspects of a possible future establishment of nuclear power in the country. It must deliver its report by 1 April 2026.

"The need for emission-free and stable energy sources that can help deal with the natural and climate crisis and meet an increasing need for power, technological development, as well as plans for the establishment of nuclear power production by private actors in collaboration with municipalities, have contributed to the question of nuclear power being brought up to date again," said Energy Minister Terje Aasland. "Nuclear power is a complex energy source that affects a number of areas of society. There is therefore a need to obtain an updated and solid knowledge base on nuclear power as a possible energy source in the Norwegian power system."

The 12-person committee will be headed by Kristin Halvorsen, director of the Centre for International Climate and Environmental Research - Oslo (Cicero).

The Ministry of Energy said it has drawn up the mandate for the committee in consultation with several other ministries. The mandate "calls for a broad assessment of complex questions, and the selection is therefore put together by people with expertise and experience from various fields," the government said.

"An important topic the committee should shed light on is nuclear power's suitability for the Norwegian power system, research and technology development within various concepts for nuclear power (including fusion), costs and other significant consequences for authorities (including the municipal sector) and private actors, area and environmental effects, waste issues, nuclear safety, safeguarding and non-proliferation, preparedness and competence," the government said. "The committee shall discuss advantages and disadvantages of nuclear power, describe the current regulations and point out the need for regulatory development and other prerequisites that must be in place for any future establishment of commercial and industry-driven nuclear power.

"The committee shall provide an updated knowledge base on various types of nuclear power technology, technological maturity, assumed time perspective for scale-up and commercial availability, and costs. An account must also be given of relevant investment factors and requirements for infrastructure, including the need for network connection and what requirements must be made for a suitable location."

The Ministry of Energy has been given the authority to make small changes to the committee's mandate and to appoint a secretariat for the committee. "It is not realistic for the committee to possess all the necessary knowledge within the various areas of the themes," it said. "A resource group must therefore be established, consisting of professionals, who can assist and give input to the committee in important subject areas, and ensure the involvement of central specialist communities. The committee can engage external expertise if necessary."

Between 1951 and 2019, Norway operated four research reactors at the Kjeller and Halden sites, but these were not for power production. "As a starting point, Norway therefore has no experience with development, commercial operation, regulation and licence processing of this form of power production," the government said.

However, the government noted that nuclear power "has become part of the energy debate and plans for its development are being promoted".

In November 2023, the Ministry of Energy received notification of proposals for a study programme from Norsk Kjernekraft. This is the initial step in the licensing process, and triggers administrative law requirements for a proper case management. Norsk Kjernekraft wants to construct a nuclear power plant consisting of small modular reactors (SMRs) with a total output of 1500 MW in Taftøy Næringspark in Aure and Heim municipalities. The company has also announced ongoing work with several similar projects. In addition, several other municipalities and county councils have expressed an interest in nuclear power.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Manufacture-of-Onkalo-buffer-installation-system-c

The system that will be used to transport and install the bentonite filling between disposal capsules and the bedrock within Finland's planned underground used nuclear fuel repository has completed factory tests.

At the Onkalo repository near the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant, used fuel will be placed in the bedrock, at a depth of about 450 metres. The disposal system consists of a tightly sealed iron-copper canister, a bentonite buffer enclosing the canister, a tunnel backfilling material made of swellable clay, the seal structures of the tunnels and premises, and the enclosing rock.

Finnish radioactive waste management company Posiva Oy said it has been developing the buffer installation system (BIS) for several years. It consists of several devices: an installation device, a transfer device and a transport container.

The transfer device transports the bentonite blocks and granule from the container to the installation device in the disposal tunnel, which ensures that there is a bentonite filling between the capsule and the rock.

The transfer device was designed by Comatec and the installation device by Etteplan. The installation and transfer device were manufactured by Supersteel in Parkano. Comatec has also designed the transport container and it was manufactured by IS Works.

Factory tests of the BIS system's installation and transfer equipment were successfully completed in Parkano in early June, Posiva announced. The tests showed that the system works manually.

The approximately 14-metre-long devices have now been transported by two special transports to the Pori testing station, where the automation of the system and its connection to the disposal facility's control system will be implemented. At Pori's testing station, there is a simulation environment where the remote operation of the BIS system can be tested.

"BIS installation and transfer devices move on top of autonomous guided vehicles platforms," explained Eero Väisänen, Posiva's equipment integration project manager. "The devices navigate the disposal facilities independently and have plenty of technology enabling remote operation and automation, such as machine vision, laser sensors and cameras. The devices are autonomous due to the radiation hazard and occupational safety. Building automation and remote operation systems naturally requires a lot of expertise and testing."

When the implementation of the automation at the Pori testing station has been successfully completed, the BIS system will be transferred to Onkalo.

In the repository, bentonite will isolate the disposal capsules from the surrounding rock. It swells when it gets wet, prevents the movement of water around the capsule and acts as a buffer if there is movement in the rock over a long period of time. The bentonite filling around the capsule is part of the multi-barrier principle of used nuclear fuel disposal. Each capsule will be surrounded by more than 20,000 kilograms of bentonite.

The site for Posiva's repository at Eurajoki, near the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant, was selected in 2000. The Finnish parliament approved the decision-in-principle on the repository project the following year. Posiva - jointly owned by Finnish nuclear utilities Fortum and TVO - submitted its construction licence application to the Ministry of Employment and the Economy in December 2013. Posiva studied the rock at Olkiluoto and prepared its licence application using results from the Onkalo underground laboratory, which would be expanded to form the basis of the repository. The government granted a construction licence for the project in November 2015 and construction work on the repository started a year later. The repository is expected to begin operations in the mid-2020s.

AtkinsRéalis aiming to deploy first reactor around 2034-2035.

The construction of a four-unit Candu Monark nuclear power station In Canada would create thousands of jobs while adding CAD29.1 billion (€19.8bn, $21.2bn) in additional tax revenue across municipal, provincial and federal governments over the life of the project, AtkinsRéalis has said.

The company said a study had shown that the manufacturing, engineering, and construction phase of four Candu Monark units would generate more than CAD40.9bn of GDP impact for Canada and equivalent to over 20,000 full time, well-paying jobs and over 324,000 person-years of employment, as well as an additional CAD49.5bn of GDP impact during the operation phase.

The four-unit power station will sustain 3,500 full-time equivalent jobs per year over its 70-plus year operating life, the company said.

AtkinsRéalis, a Montreal-based nuclear technology and engineering company that is part of Canada’s SNC-Lavalin Group, told NucNet it is aiming to deploy its first Monark nuclear plant in Canada by about 2034-2035 and is already ramping up human capacity and eyeing markets as far afield as South America, Asia and Australia.

Candu reactor technology was developed in Canada in the 1950s and 1960s by a partnership that included AECL. According to the Canadian Nuclear Association’s website, there are 34 Candu plants globally, 30 of which are operable. Nineteen of those plants are in Canada with the rest in Argentina, China, India, Pakistan, Romania and South Korea.

AtkinsRéalis announced the new Candu Monark nuclear reactor design last year saying it meets the dual demands of net zero and energy security while ensuring Candu technology remains “front and centre” amid growing interest in nuclear energy around the world as part of the clean energy transition.

The company said large-scale nuclear reactors are increasingly sought-after by utilities and governments as they look to decarbonise power grids, produce stable baseload power that is not weather-dependent and increase energy security.

Southeast Asian country abandoned earlier Moscow-backed plans in 2016.

Russia offered to help Vietnam develop nuclear power plants during president Vladimir Putin’s trip to Hanoi, Alexei Likhachev, head of the Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom told the state-owned RIA Novosti news agency in remarks published on Monday (24 June).

Likhachev, who was part of Putin’s entourage during his visit to Vietnam last week, said that he had made the offer to Vietnam prime minister Pham Minh Chinh.

“We offered all possible options for co-operation​​​... in my conversation with the prime minister of Vietnam,” RIA cited Likhachev as saying.

“Rosatom offers foreign partners not only high-power, but also low-power nuclear power plants, both in land-based and floating versions,” Likhachev said.

The comments came as the two countries signed a memorandum relating to the potential construction of a centre for nuclear science and technology in Vietnam and discussions over the options for small modular reactors in the country.

In 2009 Vietnam had planned to build two nuclear power stations with a combined capacity of about 4,000 MW in the south-central province of Ninh Thuan, but the National Assembly rejected the proposal in 2016 on cost grounds.

The government chose Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom and Japan Atomic Power Company to build the stations, and signed a deal to borrow $8bn (€7.4bn) from Russia for building the first facility. Construction was initially scheduled to begin in 2014.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Vietnam-and-Russia-develop-next-steps-in-nuclear-c

A memorandum has been signed relating to the construction project for a Centre for Nuclear Science and Technology in Vietnam - with discussions also held over the future options of large-scale and small modular reactors in the country.

Rosatom Director General Alexei Likhachev met with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to discuss the proposed centre - which was the subject of an intergovernmental agreement in 2011 - as well as potential cooperation in the field of nuclear energy. The meeting happened ahead of the bilateral summit during President Vladimir Putin's visit to the country.

Likhachev also met Vietnam's Science and Technology Minister Huynh Thanh Dat, with the two signing an interdepartmental memorandum about the plans for the centre, with Likhachev describing the agreement as "a programme document that contains a clear schedule of activities for the development of the project for the period until 2027".

Later, on Friday, Russia's Tass news agency quoted Likhachev as saying he had outlined nuclear energy options to the Vietnamese prime minister - "the entire range of our export supplies, large units, small and medium-capacity plants, and small modular reactors both in onshore and floating versions". All would be accompanied by localisation of suppliers and workforce he said, adding that "we will wait for their decision".

In the leaders' statements to the media after the summit, President Putin said that "a promising area for expanding bilateral cooperation is nuclear energy", while Vietnamese President To Lam said "we also agreed to explore opportunities for stepping up our cooperation on new energy sources and clean energy, as well as facilitate the green transition and sustainable development".

Earlier in the week President Putin visited North Korea, where the two countries agreed a comprehensive strategic partnership which, among other things, included agreeing "to develop cooperation in the area of space exploration, peaceful use of nuclear energy, AI, and IT".

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/William-Anders-The-astronaut-who-led-the-NRC

As an Apollo 8 astronaut, Bill Anders took the first colour photograph of the Earth as seen from the Moon - a photo credited with helping inspire the modern environmental movement. But his career went far beyond that: Anders went on to become the first ever chairman of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) was among the many voices that have paid tribute to Anders following his death on 7 June when the vintage plane he was flying crashed into the San Juan Channel near Jones Island, north of Seattle.

Willam A Anders - Bill - was born on 17 October 1933 in Hong Kong. He was commissioned in the US Air Force after graduating from the Naval Academy with a Bachelor Of Science degree and served as a fighter pilot before joining NASA. He was also responsible for technical management of nuclear power reactor shielding and radiation effects programmes while at the Air Force Weapons Laboratory in New Mexico.

In 1964, Anders was selected by Nasa as an astronaut with responsibilities for dosimetry, radiation effects and environmental controls. He was the backup pilot for the Gemini XI, Apollo 11 flights, and was lunar module pilot for Apollo 8 which became the first crewed mission to orbit the moon in December 1968.

It was during the Apollo 8 mission that Anders took the first colour photograph of the Earth as seen from the Moon.

After Apollo 8, Anders served as Executive Secretary for the National Aeronautics and Space Council until 1973, when he was appointed to the five-member US Atomic Energy Commission. There, he was lead commissioner for all nuclear and non-nuclear power R&D. He was also the US chairman of the joint US/USSR technology exchange programme for nuclear fission and fusion power.

In January 1975, following the reorganisation of the US nuclear regulatory sector, he became the first chairman of the newly established NRC. He completed his term as NRC chairman in 1976, after which he became the US Ambassador to Norway.

"Chairman Anders had an illustrious career far beyond taking one of the most widely seen photos from space," NRC Chair Christopher Hanson said. "He was the only person to serve as Commissioner on both the Atomic Energy Commission and NRC and he served as the new agency's first Chairman, providing institutional continuity while unambiguously committing the agency to serve as an unbiased, independent, and open regulator. We are saddened by his death and extend our condolences to his family."

Earthrise legacy

"In 1968, as a member of the Apollo 8 crew, as one of the first three people to travel beyond the reach of our Earth and orbit the Moon, Bill Anders gave to humanity among the deepest of gifts an explorer and an astronaut can give," NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said. "Along with the Apollo 8 crew, Bill was the first to show us, through looking back at the Earth from the threshold of the Moon, that stunning image - the first of its kind - of the Earth suspended in space, illuminated in light and hidden in darkness: the Earthrise.

"As Bill put it so well after the conclusion of the Apollo 8 mission, 'We came all this way to explore the Moon, and the most important thing is that we discovered the Earth'."

Earthrise was named one of the top photographs of the 20th century by Life Magazine. But according to NASA, Earthrise - and other photographs of Earth taken during the Apollo missions - helped spark the idea for a dedicated Earth-observing satellite programme leading to the Landsat programme of earth-observing satellite missions which has provided the longest continuous space-based record of Earth’s land in existence. Landsat data is used worldwide for research, business, education, and other activities.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Construction-of-Pallas-foundation-pit-progresses

The installation of 380 foundation piles - each 33 metres in length - has been completed in the construction pit for the Pallas research reactor in Petten, the Netherlands. Pallas is planned to replace the existing High Flux Reactor.

The Foundation Preparation Pallas-reactor applied in June 2022 to the Authority for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection (ANVS) for a permit to construct and operate the Pallas reactor. ANVS granted a construction licence in mid-February last year. Preparatory work on the foundation began in May 2023. This work is being carried out by Belgian construction firm BESIX, which was awarded a contract in November 2022.

To create the construction pit, a hole of about 50 metres by 50 metres and 21 metres deep is being dug in several phases. To do this, 30 trenches measuring one-and-a-half metres wide have been dug, into which concrete has been poured to create the so-called "diaphragm walls". The diaphragm walls are anchored with 380 bored piles placed within them. A ring beam has been placed around the top part of the walls to connect the walls together.

Activities have started in the construction pit itself, such as reinforcing the diaphragm walls with 162 drilled steel pipes with 15 anchor cords. The anchors are between 48 and 64 meters long and are attached to the ground using a grout mixture.

The construction pit has been filled with water up to groundwater level to balance groundwater pressure.

In the next step, a layer of gravel will be applied at the bottom of the excavated pit to allow for a good quality concrete pour for the foundation of the reactor.

In a final step, 48,000 cubic metres of water will be pumped out of the construction pit.

"So far, the works have progressed smoothly thanks to the successful collaboration of NRG-Pallas, ICHOS (the main designer) and BESIX (the contractor for Pit & Foundation phase)," the Foundation Preparation Pallas-reactor said.

The work is expected to be completed by the end of 2024 and the cofferdam will be ready for the next phase, the actual construction of the reactor.

Although funding has been allocated in the coming years for the construction of the Pallas reactor, the Dutch government has yet to make a final decision on its construction. Construction will be able to go ahead if the Dutch parliament does not object to the creation of a new state-owned company and if the European Commission approves the public investment.

Former Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport Ernst Kuipers instructed the Pallas foundation not to take any irreversible steps, but to continue with the preparations for the project in the meantime to avoid unnecessary delays.

In January 2023, Pallas launched a tender procedure for the construction of the Pallas reactor and surrounding buildings under EU public procurement rules. Three pre-qualified candidates were selected to submit offers. In December, Spanish construction firm FCC Construcción was contracted to build Pallas.

The Pallas research reactor is to be built at Petten to replace the existing High Flux Reactor (HFR). The 45 MW HFR started operating in September 1960, since when its use has largely been shifted from nuclear materials testing to fundamental research and the production of medical radioisotopes. The reactor - operated by NRG on behalf of the European Union's Joint Research Centre - has for a long time supplied about 60% of Europe's and 30% of the world's use of medical radioactive sources.

Pallas will be of the "tank-in-pool" type, with a thermal power of around 55 MW, and able to deploy its neutron flux more efficiently and effectively than the HFR.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Niger-revokes-mining-permit-for-Imouraren-project

France's Orano has announced that Nigerien authorities have withdrawn the operating permit for the Imouraren uranium mine, which was issued to its subsidiary Imouraren SA in 2009.

Imouraren is about 80 kilometres south of Arlit and about 160 km north of Agadez. First discovered in 1966, it has mineral reserves of over 200,000 tU and is described by Orano as containing one of the largest uranium reserves in the world. Operating company Imouraren SA - owned 66.65% by Orano Expansion and 33.35% by Sopamin and the State of Niger - began excavations in 2012, but development was suspended in 2015 pending more favourable market conditions.

According to recent media reports, Niger's Ministry of Mines did not consider Orano's plans for development of the deposit to meet with the authorities' expectations. It issued a letter to Orano on 11 June saying a notice period will end on 19 June "after which date the company's operating permit will be revoked".

Orano said: "Current market conditions, with a favourable rise in the price of uranium, make it once again possible to consider bringing Imouraren into production. This being the case, and at the authorities' request, Orano had submitted a concrete technical proposal to the State of Niger, enabling this development to take place as quickly as possible. To this end, the infrastructures have already been reopened since 4 June, 2024, to accommodate the construction teams and move the work forward."

However, the ministry has now decided to withdraw the operating permit for Imouraren.

Orano said the decision to withdraw the mining permit could have "a negative impact on the economic, social and societal development of the region".

The company said it "remains willing to keep all channels of communication open with the Niger authorities on this subject, while reserving the right to challenge the decision to withdraw the mining permit before the competent national or international jurisdictions".

Orano currently produces uranium in Niger - which saw a coup take place in July last year - from open-pit operations at SOMAÏR (Société des Mines de l'Aïr), near the town of Arlit. SOMAÏR is 63.4% owned by Orano and 36.66% owned by Sopamin (Sopamin manages Niger's state participation in mining ventures). It is also carrying out remediation of the former COMINAK underground uranium mine, where over 40 years of production came to an end in 2021.

"Engaged in Niger for more than 50 years, Orano together with its partners, through its subsidiaries, contributes to the development of the country's uranium potential and to the development of the regions of Northern Niger," Orano said. "Orano has always been committed to a responsible approach based on partnership and transparency, acting in continuous consultation with the State of Niger and local stakeholders, notably under the ambitious, long-term roadmap defined in the global partnership agreement signed in May 2023."

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/EU-funding-Framatome%C2%A0VVER-440-fuel-development

The EUR10 million (USD10.7 million) contribution from the European Union under the Euratom Research and Training Programme targets the "swift and secure development and deployment of a European fuel solution" for VVER reactors.

The SAVE project for VVER-440 fuel led by France's Framatome brings together 17 stakeholders, including utilities which operate VVER reactors in the European Union (EU) - the Czech Republic's ČEZ, Finland's Fortum, Hungary's MVM Paks and Slovakia's Slovenské Electrárne. The aim is to boost energy security and mitigate fuel supply chain risks.

Nineteen VVER reactors - developed during the time of the Soviet Union and historically reliant on Russian fuel supplies - are currently in operation in the EU, including four VVER-1000 reactors in Bulgaria and the Czech Republic, and 15 VVER-440 reactors in the Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary and Slovakia.

Lionel Gaiffe, senior executive vice president of the Fuel Business Unit at Framatome, said: "Framatome welcomes this EU funding, recognising our efforts and supporting the acceleration of our development to contribute to the diversification and security of fuel supply for VVER reactors. Framatome is the only fuel supplier able to guarantee a 100% sovereign European technology, with a fully European design & product, and manufacturing facilities and a fuel component supply chain located and operated in the EU."

EU Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, Iliana Ivanova, said: "Research and innovation are essential for the strategic autonomy of the EU. Nuclear fuel is a case in point. The Euratom Research and Training Programme is providing crucial support to our industry in the quest for reliable alternative fuel for reactors in EU Member States and Ukraine that until now needed fuel from Russia to operate."

The new SAVE (Safe and Alternative VVER European) project follows the Westinghouse-led Accelerated Program for Implementation of Secure VVER Fuel Supply (APIS) project launched in July 2023 to develop safe fuel designs for VVER-440 and next generation fuel designs for VVER-1000 reactors. Many of the EU's VVER reactors - and Ukraine's 15 reactors - have been switching from Russian nuclear fuel to the US/Canadian company's VVER fuels and the aim is to have more diversification of supply.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/South-Korea-plans-SMR-industrial-complex

President Yoon Suk Yeol has announced plans to create a small modular reactor (SMR) industrial hub in the city of Gyeongju in the southeastern corner of South Korea's North Gyeongsang Province. The government also aims to establish a hub for the hydrogen industry in the province.

Speaking at the 26th people's livelihood debate meeting, held at Yeungnam University's Gyeongsan Campus, Yoon described the city as "the high-tech manufacturing innovation hub of Northeast Asia". He added: "Based on the potential that led to the country's modernisation, the central government will provide active support so that Gyeongbuk can take a greater leap forward and open a successful regional era.

"For Gyeongbuk to take a leap forward, innovation in industrial structure is more important than anything else. Gyeongbuk previously led South Korea's exports through its steel and textile industries. Currently, we are discovering and promoting new growth engines, such as hydrogen and bio. The government will firmly support Gyeongbuk’s industrial innovation."

Yoon announced the government will support the creation of an SMR national industrial complex worth KRW300 billion (USD216 million) in Gyeongju "so that we can preemptively secure the small module reactor and SMR manufacturing technology that is being competitively developed around the world".

He said the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy will create a fund worth KRW80 billion by next year to support the growth of the country's nuclear power sector.

"We will actively support the construction of infrastructure, including technology development and prototype production, so that Gyeongbuk can clearly grow its SMR manufacturing capabilities and grow into a global SMR manufacturing hub," Yoon stated.

He also confirmed that construction of units 3 and 4 of the Shin Hanul nuclear power plant in North Gyeongsang Province will "proceed without a hitch so that Gyeongbuk can play a leading role in restoring the nuclear power industry ecosystem and new industrialisation". Design work for the two APR1400 reactors was suspended in 2017 due to uncertainties about government policy on the construction of new reactors.

In addition, the president announced plans to "grow Gyeongbuk into a hub for the hydrogen industry by supporting the creation of an east coast hydrogen economy industrial belt worth approximately KRW800 billion, connecting Pohang and Uljin". He noted that a hydrogen fuel cell cluster is currently being built in the Pohang Blue Valley National Industrial Complex, where about 30 fuel cell companies are gathering to promote the local production of hydrogen fuel cells.

Yoon also noted that construction of the KRW400 billion (USD300 million) Uljin Nuclear Hydrogen National Industrial Complex in Ulchin began in 2022 as part of South Korea's efforts to promote hydrogen as a future energy source and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. He said the government had decided to exempt the project from preliminary tariffs to "further accelerate the pace of progress in the future".

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Chinese-industrial-nuclear-steam-project-commissio

China's first industrial-use nuclear energy steam supply project, at the Tianwan nuclear power plant in China's Jiangsu province, has entered operation following commissioning tests. The project will supply steam to a nearby petrochemical plant.

The project - known as Heqi-1 - was jointly developed by China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) subsidiary Jiangsu Nuclear Power Company and the Lianyungang Petrochemical Industry Base in the Xuwei New District of Lianyungang City.

In the project, steam will be extracted from the secondary circuits of units 3 and 4 of the Tianwan plant, two Russian-supplied VVER-1000 units. After passing through multi-stage heat exchange, the steam will be transported via an insulated above-ground pipeline to the Lianyungang Petrochemical Industrial Base for industrial production and utilisation.

The construction of the pile foundation for the project began in February 2022, with the pouring of first concrete for the industrial steam facility taking place in May 2022.

The Tianwan plant is equipped with four steam conversion devices. The industrial superheated steam transmitted out of the nuclear power plant has a pressure of 1.8 MPa and a rated flow rate of 600 tonnes per hour.

The total length of the long-distance steam supply main line of the Tianwan nuclear power steam energy supply project is about 23 kilometres. The pipeline network extends from the Tianwan nuclear power plant to the Xuwei Petrochemical Industrial Park.

The facility is expected to supply 4.8 million tonnes of steam annually, which will reduce the burning of standard coal by 400,000 tonnes per year, and the equivalent emission reduction of 1.07 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, 184 tonnes of sulphur dioxide and 263 tonnes of nitrogen oxides.

CNNC said the start of operation of the steam project "marks that China's comprehensive utilisation of nuclear energy has expanded from single power generation and meeting urban residents' heating needs to the field of industrial steam supply". It added that the Heqi-1 project "is a model of clean steam supply for the national petrochemical industry".

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/US-Senate-passes-ADVANCE-Act

The bipartisan Accelerating Deployment of Versatile, Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy (ADVANCE) Act aims to incentivise and support the development and deployment of new advanced nuclear technologies, including measures to streamline the regulatory approvals process.

The act was introduced in the Senate in March 2023 by Senators Shelley Moore Capito, Tom Carper and Sheldon Whitehouse, with co-sponsors including John Barrasso, Cory Booker, Mike Crapo, Lindsey Graham, Martin Heinrich, Mark Kelly and Jim Risch. It was passed by the Senate on 18 June as part of the Fire Grants and Safety Act (S. 870), by 88 votes to 2. The act was passed by the House earlier in May, by 393 votes to 13 and it now heads to the President for signature.

Carper, who is chair of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, described the passage of the act - with overwhelming bipartisan support - as a "major victory" for the climate and US energy security. "The ADVANCE Act will provide the Nuclear Regulatory Commission with the tools and workforce it needs to review new nuclear technologies efficiently, while maintaining the NRC’s critical safety mission and creating thousands of new jobs. With the president’s signature, the ADVANCE Act will become the law of the land and lay the foundation for the safe and successful deployment of the next generation of advanced reactors in the coming decades," he said.

"This bipartisan piece of legislation will encourage more innovation and investment in nuclear technologies right here on our shores," Capito - the committee's Ranking Member - said. "It also directs the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to more efficiently carry out its important regulatory mission and helps redevelop conventional energy sites for future nuclear energy projects."

The ADVANCE Act, among other things, directs the NRC to look for ways to speed up its licensing process for new nuclear technology. It will reduce regulatory costs for companies seeking to license advanced nuclear reactor technologies, as well as creating a "prize" to incentivise the successful deployment of next-generation reactor technologies. It will also direct the NRC to enhance its ability to qualify and license accident-tolerant fuels and advanced nuclear fuels.

The act will also support the development of advanced nuclear reactors in other countries, empowering the NRC to lead in international forums to develop regulations for advanced nuclear reactors, and directing the US Department of Energy to improve its process for approving the export of US technology to international markets, while maintaining strong standards for nuclear non-proliferation.

Streamlining the regulatory process, with international cooperation and collaboration between stakeholders, is widely seen as a key factor to the deployment of advanced nuclear technologies such as small modular reactors and advanced nuclear fuels at the scale required to tackle climate change and energy security concerns.

Company says country is only one in Europe currently producing material.

Finnish mining company Terrafame has begun recovering natural uranium as a by-product of zinc and nickel production in a step that it says makes Finland the only European Union member state that currently produces uranium.

Terrafame said the natural uranium, being produced at its Sotkamo mine in Talvivaara in the northeast of the country, will be transported abroad for further processing, after which it will be used in nuclear energy production.

France-based Orano and British-German-Dutch consortium Urenco offer uranium conversion and enrichment, but Terrafame said it is the only company carrying out actual uranium recovery – using a production process that enables the low concentration of natural uranium found in the ore to be used as a by-product.

EU countries, in particular France, have produced uranium from imported mineral or through enterprises overseas.

Terrafame said recovery had begun on 18 June 2024. Before it began, the Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (Stuk) conducted a commissioning inspection at the uranium recovery plant and found that the plant could be commissioned safely.

After a startup phase, the recovery plant is scheduled to operate at full capacity by 2026 when the company’s uranium output will total about 200 tonnes per year.

The production capacity corresponds to approximately nine months of consumption at the new Olkiluoto-3 EPR nuclear power plant in Finland.

“The plan is to continue uranium production alongside the production of other metals throughout the operating period, which covers at least the next 30 years,” Terrafame said.

“In total, the preparations required investments of approximately €20 million [$21.4m].”

After the startup phase, the recovery of uranium will increase Terrafame's annual net sales by approximately €30m-€40m, based on the current market price of uranium, accounting for a few percent of the company’s estimated net sales in the coming years.

The Sotkamo mine’s previous owner, Talvivaara Mining Company, had planned to produce uranium at the site and built a uranium extraction plant before being declared bankrupt in 2014.

The company was subsequently bought by Terrafame, which is 70%-owned by Finnish Minerals Group, a special-purpose company wholly owned by the State of Finland.

According to the Euratom Supply Agency, the body responsible for the supervision of uranium supply and demand in the EU, about 97% of natural uranium supplied to the EU in 2022 came from overseas with deliveries from Russia decreasing by 16% as the bloc implemented efforts to reduce its dependency on Moscow.

Kazakhstan, Niger and Canada were the top three countries delivering natural uranium, providing 74.19% of the total. Kazakhstan’s share was 26.82%, Niger’s 25.38% and Canada’s 21.99%. Russia followed, with a 16.89% share.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Uranium-recovery-starts-at-Finnish-mine

Finnish mining company Terrafame has begun recovering natural uranium as a by-product of zinc and nickel production at its Sotkamo mine in Talvivaara in the north-east of the country.

Following inspections at the uranium recovery plant and a review of written materials submitted by Terrafame, Finland's Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) issued a decision on 17 June stating that the safety requirements set for the use of the facility will be met if the documented procedures are followed. That decision cleared the way for Terrafame to commission the facility.

"With the start of operations, Finland is the only European Union member state that produces uranium," Terrafame noted.

The Sotkamo mine's previous owner, Talvivaara Mining Company, had planned to produce uranium at the site and constructed a uranium extraction plant before being declared bankrupt in 2014. The company was subsequently purchased by Terrafame, which is 70%-owned by Finnish Minerals Group, a special-purpose company wholly owned by the State of Finland.

Terrafame submitted its application for large-scale recovery of uranium to the Ministry of Employment and Economic Affairs in October 2017, already having the necessary chemicals permit and environmental permit. The government granted this permit in February 2020. The decision was deemed legally valid under a ruling made by the Supreme Administrative Court of Finland in June 2021.

In December 2017, STUK granted the company permission to recover a small quantity of uranium while experimenting with chemical processes it will use in an actual uranium recovery plant. Under that permit, the company could produce up to 600 litres of process solution containing a maximum of 6 kg of uranium.

Terrafame said its production process enables the low concentration of natural uranium found in the ore to be used as a by-product. The uranium recovered will be transported abroad for further processing, after which it will be used in nuclear fuel.

After the start-up phase, the recovery plant is estimated to operate at full capacity by 2026, when it is expected to produce about 200 tonnes of uranium per year. Terrafame noted that this production capacity corresponds to about nine months of consumption at Finland's Olkiluoto 3 EPR in Finland. It said the plan is to continue uranium production alongside the production of other metals throughout the operating period, which covers at least the next 30 years.

After the ramp-up phase, the recovery of uranium will increase Terrafame's annual net sales by approximately EUR30–40 million (USD32-43 million), based on the current market price of uranium, accounting for a few percent of the company's estimated net sales in the coming years.

"The utilisation of natural uranium in energy production helps in achieving climate goals and building Europe's energy self-sufficiency," said Terrafame CEO Seppo Voutilainen. "Thanks to our modern production process, we can recover even more metals cost-effectively."

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Australian-opposition-outlines-its-nuclear-plans

Leaders of the Australian opposition have confirmed that a future Australian Federal Coalition Government would introduce nuclear energy in the country, and announced seven locations where plants could be built.

Each of the locations announced by Peter Dutton, leader of the Liberal-National Coalition, its deputy leader David Littleproud and Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy Ted O'Brien is the site of a power station that has closed or is scheduled to close.

"The Coalition believes Australia must have a balanced energy mix to deliver cheaper, cleaner and consistent 24/7 electricity," they said. "Ninety per cent of baseload electricity, predominantly coal-fired power stations, is coming to the end of life over the next decade. Nuclear energy for Australia is an idea whose time has come. Today, we are announcing that a future Federal Coalition Government will introduce zero-emissions nuclear energy in Australia, which has proven to get electricity prices and emissions down all over the world, to work in partnership with renewable energy and gas as part of a balanced energy mix."

Their government would initially develop two projects using either small modular reactors (SMRs) or larger plants such as the AP1000 or APR1400, to be in operation by 2035 if SMR plants are built or 2037 for larger plants if these "are found to be the best option". These assets would be owned by the Australian government, but would be built and operated in partnership with "experienced nuclear companies".

The sites identified by the coalition are:

• Liddell Power Station (New South Wales)
• Mount Piper Power Station (New South Wales)
• Loy Yang Power Stations (Victoria)
• Tarong Power Station (Queensland)
• Callide Power Station (Queensland)
• Northern Power Station (South Australia)
• Muja Power Station (Western Australia)

The sites in South Australia and Western Australia are earmarked for SMRs only.

"Each of these locations offer important technical attributes needed for a zero-emissions nuclear plant, including cooling water capacity and transmission infrastructure, that is, we can use the existing poles and wires, along with a local community which has a skilled workforce," the leaders said. Replacing retired or retiring coal plants would avoid much of the spending that would be needed for a 'renewables-only' system, including new transmission poles and wires, and host communities would also benefit from high paying, multi-generational jobs and other regional economic benefits.

Australian national science agency CSIRO, in its annual GenCost report, recently estimated the capital cost for Australian deployment of a large-scale nuclear plant to be AUD8665 (USD5775) per kilowatt, and says it is not economically competitive with renewables. Dutton told journalists that the Coalition's plan would come in cheaper than what he said was the AUD1.2-1.5 trillion price of the current Labor Party-led government's renewable-based proposals. "Our proposal will cost a fraction of that cost. We’ll have more to say in relation to the cost in due course," he said.

Australia's Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen described the opposition's plan as "risky", with no detail, costs or modelling. "It's too slow, too expensive and too risky for Australia," he said on X.

Referring to earlier comments by Bowen, Dutton told journalists he would be happy for the next Australian election - which must take place before 27 September 2025 - to be "a referendum on energy, on nuclear, on power prices, on lights going out, on who has a sustainable pathway for our country going forward".

The Liberal-National Coalition, also known as the LNP, is a long-running alliance of the Liberal Party of Australia, led by Dutton, and the National Party, led by Littleproud.

Local benefits

Colin Boyce is the member of parliament for the electorate of Flynn in Queensland, where one of those sites - the Callide Power Station - is situated. He welcomed the announcement, saying such a project would provide jobs and opportunities to the local community while also providing 24/7 reliable baseload power for Central Queensland.

"Without transitioning to nuclear, the Callide Power Station is set to close in the future and some 250 jobs will leave that economy," he said.

"The Callide Power Station site offers important technical attributes needed for a zero-emissions nuclear plant, including cooling water capacity and transmission infrastructure, that is, we can use the existing poles and wires, along with a local community which has a skilled and experienced workforce," he added.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Finnish-research-reactor-decommissioned

Dismantling of the Finnish Reactor 1 (FiR1) research reactor at Aalto University's Otaniemi campus in Espoo has been completed, marking the first nuclear reactor to be decommissioned in Finland. The experience gained will serve as a model for decommissioning commercial nuclear reactors in the country.

The FiR1 water-cooled, pool-type TRIGA Mark II research reactor was commissioned by the Helsinki University of Technology in 1962. The reactor was originally built for research and education and later also for isotope production and radiotherapy. Operational responsibility for the reactor was transferred to VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland in 1971. Although licensed to operate until 2023, VTT decided in 2012 to stop the use of FiR1 for financial reasons. The reactor - with a thermal capacity of 250 kW - was run for the last time on 30 June 2015. In 2017, VTT submitted an application for permission from the Council of State to decommission the reactor. The decommissioning licence was issued in 2021.

In early 2020, a significant milestone was reached when the used fuel from FiR1 was transferred to the USA for further utilisation. A total of 103 used nuclear fuel rods, weighing approximately 300 kilograms, were removed from the reactor.

In April 2020, Finnish utility Fortum was awarded a contract by VTT to decommission FiR1. The contract followed the signing in December 2018 of a letter of intent by Fortum and VTT to cooperate in the decommissioning of the reactor.

Fortum began dismantling the reactor in June 2023 and concluded the work in April 2024. Fortum's works on the project will continue with the final disposal of waste in the Loviisa nuclear power plant's final repository for low and intermediate-level radioactive waste. A total of about 60 cubic metres of this waste, mainly concrete, was generated from the reactor's dismantling. A six-metre-high water tank and a two-metre-thick concrete shell surrounded the reactor.

"The dismantling phase was very swift, thanks to thorough planning and preparatory work," said Markus Airila, VTT's principal scientist, who led the project and served as the decommissioning manager. "Additionally, it was crucial that we could leverage the strong nuclear safety culture and expertise from Fortum's Loviisa nuclear power plant. Fortum handled everything safely, efficiently, and on schedule without significant delays."

Antti Ketolainen, Fortum's director in charge of the project, added: "We gained a lot of lessons and experience from the FiR1 project, which we can use to develop our operations and support our service business customers, for example, in preparing decommissioning plans and cost estimates."

According to VTT, despite the small size of the reactor, the FiR1 decommissioning project will "domestically serve as a model for decommissioning commercial nuclear reactors and created new expertise for the benefit of VTT's and Fortum's international customers".

It added: "The process of decommissioning a nuclear reactor has now been comprehensively tested in Finland for the first time, taking into account the perspectives of various stakeholders. Significant actions were taken during the process, such as establishing a national waste management mechanism. Administratively, the same measures were implemented as would be required for decommissioning a large reactor."

Alongside the FiR1 project, VTT, in collaboration with several Finnish partners, also executed the dECOmm development project funded by Business Finland. This project used the decommissioning project as a test platform for various applicable technologies and has successfully achieved its initial goal of exporting technology.

The total cost of decommissioning FiR1 is put at about EUR24 million (USD26 million), pre-funded by the Finnish Nuclear Waste Management Fund.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Containment-dome-installed-at-Xudabao-4

The dome has been hoisted into place on the reactor building of unit 4 at the Xudabao nuclear power plant in a single stage process, China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) announced. The process has only been used once before - at unit 3 of the same plant.

The hemispherical structure - with a diameter of 44 metres and a height of 22 metres - was put in place on top of the containment building in a process lasting just over three-and-a-half hours. The dome hoisting included the steel lining structure and support cage, all penetrations, reinforcement plates, internal steel structures, equipment supports and hangers, spray systems, lighting systems, hydrogen removal devices, heat exchanger equipment, detection equipment and other equipment, with a total weight of 655 tonnes.

"Unlike the traditional installation of the dome in two stages, the one-stage lifting technology significantly streamlines the process and reduces the time of this work," said Alexei Bannik, Vice President for Projects in China and Advanced Projects of JSC Atomstroyexport. "The dome pre-assembled on the ground was lifted by crane on the reactor building."

In June 2018, Russia and China signed four agreements, including for the construction of two VVER-1200 reactors at the new Xudabao (also known as Xudapu) site in Liaoning province. Agreements signed in June 2019 included a general contract for the construction of Xudabao units 3 and 4, as well as a contract for the supply of nuclear fuel. Rosatom is designing the nuclear island, supplying key equipment, as well as providing field supervision, installation supervision, and commissioning services for the supplied equipment. Turbine generators and balance of plant will be supplied by China.

Construction of Xudabao unit 3 began in July 2021, with that of unit 4 starting in May 2022. The dome of unit 3 was installed in July last year, using the one-stage lifting technique for the first time

Following the installation of the dome on unit 4, CNNC said: "Xudabao nuclear power units 3 and 4, a national key energy project, have all entered the equipment installation stage, laying the foundation for further high-quality and steady advancement of project construction."

The two units - scheduled to be commissioned in 2027 and 2028, respectively - are expected to generate more than 18 billion kWh of electricity per year, equivalent to saving about 6.4 million tonnes of coal and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by about 18.9 million tonnes per year.

Two CAP1000 reactors - the Chinese version of the Westinghouse AP1000 - are planned for units 1 and 2 of the Xudabao plant. Construction of unit 1 began in November 2023.

The Xudabao plant is owned by Liaoning Nuclear Power Company Limited, a joint venture between CNNC (70%), Datang International Power Generation Company (20%) and State Development and Investment Corporation (10%).

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/First-fuel-delivered-for-new-Kursk-nuclear-power-p

The first of the freshly delivered fuel assemblies is expected to be loaded into Kursk II's unit 1 later this year.

Kursk II is a new nuclear power plant in western Russia, about 60 kilometres (37.5 miles) from the Ukraine border, that will feature two VVER-TOI reactors, the latest version of Russia's large light-water designs. They have upgraded pressure vessels and a higher power rating of 3300 MWt that enables them to generate 1300 MWe gross.

Construction of the first unit began in 2018, its polar crane was installed in October 2021 and the reactor vessel was put in place in June 2022. Concreting of the outer dome of the first unit was completed in August 2023.

Alexander Uvakin, director of the Kursk NPP, said: "The delivery of fuel shows that the VVER-TOI project has reached a key stage of construction and shows a high degree of readiness of the first power unit."

He said that cold and hot tests would start in the near future - which would then be followed by the beginning of the physical start-up stage.

The six fuel assemblies were delivered to the site by specialised rail transport - the arrival of the first nuclear fuel to a site is always a significant moment in the construction of a nuclear power plant.

Rosatom said the TVS VVER-TOI nuclear fuel has been developed based on that for VVER-1000 and VVER-1200 reactors, with the design of the fuel cassettes providing "increased fuel loading, increased thermal reliability and more effective control of the reactor core during operation to improve the technical and economic characteristics of the nuclear power plant". There will be 163 fuel assemblies when fully loaded, and 313 fuel elements in each fuel assembly. The fuel cycle during operation will be 18 months.

All four units at the existing Kursk nuclear power plant are scheduled to have shut by 2031. The first unit was shut down after 45 years of operation in December 2021. The original design life for the four RBMK-1000 reactors at the plant was for 30 years but had been extended by 15 years following life extension programmes.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Saskatchewan-to-evaluate-Westinghouse-reactor-tech

Saskatchewan Power Corporation, Westinghouse Electric Company and Cameco Corporation will evaluate the potential deployment of Westinghouse nuclear reactor technology - and a Saskatchewan-based nuclear supply chain - for Saskatchewan’s future clean power needs.

A new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the three companies will see them explore technical and commercial pathways to deploy Westinghouse’s reactor technology, including the advanced AP1000 reactor and AP300 small modular reactor (SMR) for long-term electricity supply planning. It also includes the evaluation of a nuclear supply chain to support nuclear energy projects, including fuel, and identifies opportunities to collaborate on nuclear research, development and workforce training in partnership with Saskatchewan's post-secondary institutions.

Saskatchewan's government identified development of SMR technology as a goal for growth in its 2019 development roadmap, and in August 2023 the Canadian government approved up to CAD74 million (USD55 million) in federal funding for SMR development in the province, to be led by electric utility Saskatchewan Power Corporation (SaskPower). SaskPower expects to make a final investment decision in 2029, and intends to use Saskatchewan-produced uranium in any reactor constructed in the province.

In 2022, SaskPower announced it had selected GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy's BWRX-300 SMR for potential deployment in the province in the mid-2030s after an evaluation of three SMR technologies: the BWRX-300, X-energy’s Xe-100 and Terrestrial Energy’s IMSR. At the time, SaskPower said its selection of the same technology already selected by Ontario Power Generation for deployment at its Darlington New Nuclear Project in Ontario would help enable a pan-Canadian, fleet-based approach to SMR deployment, as well as lowering risk for regulatory, construction and operating costs.

"Leveraging knowledge from organisations that have significant expertise in the nuclear industry is critical to ensure we make responsible, informed decisions around our power future," SaskPower President and CEO Rupen Pandya said on the announcement of the new MoU. Collaboration on nuclear fuel supply and evaluating various technologies "will only serve to enhance" the company's SMR development work and future planning, Pandya added.

Westinghouse reactor technology was not included in SaskPower's earlier evaluation exercise, which took place before the May 2023 launch of the AP300 SMR. The design is based on the licensed and operating AP1000 pressurised light water technology. Westinghouse is one of six SMR suppliers shortlisted in October 2023 to bid for support from the UK government, and the company has also signed an agreement with Community Nuclear Power Limited for the construction of four AP300 units in what would be the UK's first privately-financed SMR fleet.

"Our globally deployed advanced AP1000 reactor provides demonstrated superior economic performance and availability, and our AP300 small modular reactor is based on this proven and licensed technology," said Patrick Fragman, Westinghouse president and CEO. "We look forward to helping SaskPower bring carbon-free electricity to Saskatchewan for generations to come."

Tim Gitzel, president and CEO of Saskatoon-based Cameco, said decarbonising Saskatchewan's power grid is an "ambitious and important" future goal for the province. "Cameco has a proud history and a significant presence in Saskatchewan, from our world-class uranium operations to our large and growing provincial workforce to our long-standing partnerships with northern Indigenous communities," he said.

Cameco, one of world's largest providers of nuclear fuel, acquired Westinghouse in 2023 in a strategic partnership with Brookfield Asset Management and its affiliate Brookfield Renewable Partners and institutional partners.

SaskPower has identified two potential sites for an SMR plant to begin detailed site analysis ahead of a final site selection in 2025. Both sites are in the Estevan area in the south-east of the province.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/South-Korea-seeks-site-for-underground-research-fa

A call for proposals has been released by South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) and the Korea Radioactive Waste Agency (KORAD) for candidate sites to host an underground laboratory for research into high-level radioactive waste disposal.

The underground research facilities will be used for conducting studies on rock mass properties and disposal system performance 500 metres underground - a depth similar to that of disposal repositories. MOTIE and KORAD noted the research facility will be built at a site entirely separate from high-level radioactive waste disposal facilities, with no radioactive waste or used nuclear fuel being taken inside the area, and is for research purposes only.

The underground facilities will focus on specialised manpower training and development of disposal technologies suitable for the domestic geological environment, while also providing the public with the opportunity to experience an environment similar to that of an actual high-level waste disposal facility. Technologies developed in the facility will be used in the process of site selection, construction, and management of the high-level waste repository.

The call for site proposals was issued in accordance with the radioactive waste management technology development measures specified in the Korean government's second high-level radioactive waste management basic plan (released in December 2021) and the High-Level Radioactive Waste R&D Roadmap (published in February 2024), MOTIE and KORAD noted.

They will be holding a briefing on 25 June to explain the site selection process to interested local government bodies. Letters of intent and site proposals, respectively, must be submitted by 19 July and 2 August, to KORAD.

A site evaluation committee under KORAD will evaluate the site proposals submitted by local governments in terms of geological suitability and against eight criteria with the aim of completing the selection process by the end of the year.

Construction is to start in 2026 with completion scheduled for 2032. The operation period will be about 20 years, starting from 2030.

MOTIE and KORAD noted that the USA, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Canada, Belgium, France, and Japan have in the past operated or are currently operating such underground laboratories.

In Korea, used fuel is currently stored on each nuclear power plant site pending construction of a centralised interim storage facility, which is planned to be operational by 2035. A final repository is expected to be operational by the mid-2050s.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/SMR-partnership-targets-Swedish-district-heating

Swedish small modular reactor (SMR) project development company Kärnfull Next has formed a strategic partnership with Finnish SMR developer Steady Energy to introduce SMRs for district heating in Sweden.

The partners said the collaboration "leverages Kärnfull's innovative financing structures and delivery models to bring Steady Energy's world-leading district heating reactors to Sweden".

Steady Energy - which was spun out in May 2023 from the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland - has previously signed letters of intent for the delivery of up to 15 LDR-50 reactors with Helsinki's local utility Helen and Kuopio Energy in eastern Finland. The construction of the first commercial plant is projected to begin in 2028, with the first unit anticipated to be operational by 2030. Construction of the first SMR pilot plant in Finland will begin next year with candidate sites in Helsinki, Kuopio and Lahti.

The LDR-50 district heating SMR - with a thermal output of 50 MW - has been under development at VTT since 2020. It is designed to operate at around 150°C and below 10 bar (145 psi). The LDR-50 reactor module is made of two nested pressure vessels, with their intermediate space partially filled with water. When heat removal through the primary heat exchangers is compromised, water in the intermediate space begins to boil, forming an efficient passive heat transfer route into the reactor pool, the company said. The system does not rely on electricity or any mechanical moving parts, which could fail and prevent the cooling function.

Kärnfull Next - a fully-owned subsidiary of Kärnfull Future AB - aims to have the first commercial SMR operational at a new nuclear site in Sweden by the early 2030s.

"We are delighted to collaborate with Steady Energy to bring their sleek, cost-effective solution to Sweden," said Kärnfull Next CEO Christian Sjölander. "With Steady's reactor in our portfolio, we complement our electricity-focused Re:Firm SMR programme with a new bespoke district heating programme called Re:Heat, targeting municipalities in need of sustainable heating solutions."

Steady Energy CEO Tommi Nyman added: "We are very proud to partner with trailblazers Kärnfull Next. Sweden’s electricity consumption is projected to increase significantly to meet net-zero targets, driven by the electrification of transport and industry. This necessitates corresponding clean heating energy to maintain Sweden's carbon commitments."

According to the partners, Sweden's district heating consumption totals some 50 TWh per year, two-thirds of which comes from biomass, with fuel costs rising sharply in recent years. Generally, the future of biomass within district heating is debated, not least since it is seen to have more valuable alternative uses. Additionally, the combustion of biomass leads to the emission of biogenic greenhouse gases.

"Heating a large city with biomass requires a pile of logs the size of a football field every single day, with a constant stream of trucks around the clock," Nyman said. "It's high time that our societies limit burning wood to heat our homes. By combining our expertise, Steady Energy and Kärnfull Next are poised to bring SMR district heating to Sweden, speeding up ambitious climate and sustainability goals."

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Eletronuclear-wins-appeal-over-Angra-3-works

Brazil's Eletronuclear has announced it has won its appeal in the Rio de Janeiro Court of Justice, removing an embargo on work to complete Angra 3.

The much interrupted works on the third unit at the Angra nuclear power plant in Brazil, have been halted after disputes with the municipality of the City of Angra dos Reis over agreements relating to "environmental compensation" payments and also changes relating to the granted planning permission.

The embargo was imposed on the work in April 2023. In a statement published on its website, state-owned Eletronuclear said that the court had agreed to lift the embargo and that it "reaffirms that it strictly follows all construction projects approved by the competent national and international bodies, guaranteeing the safety of the construction and future operation of the plant" and "reaffirms its commitment to maintaining an open dialogue with the City of Angra dos Reis to advance the company's priority projects, which generate positive consequences for the entire local population".

Angra 3 - a long story

Brazil has two reactors - Angra 1 and Angra 2 - which generate about 3% of the country’s electricity. Work on the Angra 3 project - to feature a Siemens/KWU 1405 MW pressurised water reactor - began in 1984 but was suspended two years later, before construction began. The scheme was resurrected in 2006, with first concrete in 2010. But, amid a corruption probe into government contracts, construction of the unit was halted for a second time in 2015, when it was 65% complete. It resumed again in November 2022 - at the time of the project’s revitalisation, Eletronuclear’s aim was to start operations by the end of 2026. However, work halted again in April 2023.

What next?

On the same day that Eletronuclear announced its success in the court, it also announced that it had unilaterally terminated its construction contract with the Ferreira Guedes, Matricial and ADtranz consortium that was signed in February 2022 for restarting Angra 3 civil works.

The scope of that work has been included as an option in Eletronuclear's recent month-long public consultation on the terms of a proposed tender to complete the works at Angra 3. This is planned to be an international, competitive process for "the execution of works and services aimed at completing the Angra 3 Project, which will cover the remaining services of engineering, procurement, construction, assembly, installation and support for the commissioning of the nuclear plant", run by Eletronuclear with support from the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES).

There is also a study being drawn up by BNDES which is expected to provide a suggested likely price of electricity for Angra 3 when completed - earlier this year a Federal Audit Court analysis suggested that "charges to consumers will be much higher if the construction of Angra 3 continues than if the project is abandoned". Eletronuclear rejected that analysis and said "the price of electrical energy produced by Angra 3 will certainly be competitive for a clean, non-polluting (not producing greenhouse gases), safe, reliable, constant" power source. It added that a recent study suggested that for every BRL1 billion (USD194 million) invested in the nuclear generation sector, BRL3.1 billion is generated in the production chain, generating 22,500 jobs in Brazil, 17,500 of which in the State of Rio de Janeiro.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Extended-operation-considered-for-Swedish-reactors

The owners of Sweden's Forsmark and Ringhals nuclear power plants are to assess the possibility of extending the operating lifetime of the plants' reactors from 60 to 80 years. This would enable their continued operation into the 2060s.

The Forsmark plant has three boiling water reactors which began supplying power between 1980 and 1985. The units have an annual production of about 25 TWh of electricity. Vattenfall owns 66% of Forsmarks Kraftgrupp. Mellansvensk Kraftgrupp owns 25.5%, with Fortum as the largest shareholder, and Uniper (Sydkraft Nuclear Power) owns 8.5%.

Ringhals has two pressurised water reactors that were connected to the grid in 1980 and 1982 and generate 17 TWh per year. Vattenfall owns 70.44% and Uniper (Sydkraft Nuclear Power) 29.56% of Ringhals AB.

The owners of the two plants have decided to launch an in-depth investigation into extending the operation of the five units for a further 20 years. The study will include more detailed cost calculations and an analysis of identified risks in terms of expertise and suppliers, among other things. After this, a final investment decision can be made. Most of the necessary investments are planned to take place in the 2030s, Vattenfall noted.

“The preliminary study that has been carried out shows that it is efficient to utilise investments that have already been made and that contribute to a low-carbon emissions electricity system," said Björn Linde, CEO of Forsmark Kraftgrupp AB and Ringhals AB. "Extending the operating time of existing reactors does not entail any complex licensing processes and we also believe that the additional nuclear waste can be accommodated within the system for nuclear waste from existing reactors."

To extend the operating time, investments of an estimated SEK40-50 billion (USD3.8-4.8 billion) are being made to replace or renovate systems and components. Technical needs include maintenance, refurbishment or replacement of components such as turbines, condensers, generators, as well as modernisation of control and monitoring systems. Investments are also required in switchyards and power lines, plant buildings and other infrastructure.

"Extending the operating life of the five reactors at Forsmark and Ringhals by 20 years could provide a total of more than 800 TWh of fossil-free electricity, which is roughly equivalent to today's Swedish electricity consumption for six years," Vattenfall said.

"Nuclear power will play an important role in Swedish fossil-free electricity production for many decades and it is therefore of the utmost importance to invest not only in new nuclear power, but also in our existing reactors," said Torbjörn Wahlborg, senior executive vice president of Generation in the Nordic region at Vattenfall. "After the extensive modernisations that have been carried out in the past, we see good prospects for extending the operating life up to 20 years."

Fortum said the decarbonisation of society and industry in accordance with climate goals "requires a reliable, competitive and fossil-free electricity system that can meet the sharp increase in electricity demand in the coming decades. Along with growing wind and solar power and the new flexibility required by the system, nuclear power plays an important role in this transition now and in the future."

Uniper said that, as a minority owner in the units, it supports the review into the possible extension of the Ringhals and Forsmark reactors. "It is probably the most cost-effective way to secure fossil-free power for a long time to come - and an enabler for new facilities," it said.

Generation III+ unit features passive containment cooling system.

The three steel rings forming the walls of the main containment vessel have been hoisted into place at Unit 3 of the Sanmen nuclear power station in Zhejiang province, eastern China.

Sanmen-3 is the first CAP1000 nuclear plant under construction in China. The CAP1000 is China’s version of the Westinghouse AP1000.

Generation II pressurised water reactor unit containment buildings had a double wall with a steel liner inside and the concrete protection structure outside. Containment buildings for the Generation III+ AP1000 and CAP1000 have seen some significant changes.

According to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, one of the main changes is that the liner is not attached to the concrete walls in the portion above 40 metres.

The space between the inner steel vessel – made of stainless steel with a wall thickness of about 4.5 centimetres in most sections – and the outer reinforced concrete protection wall is reserved for air flow in exchange with the outside environment and a water film flow that cools the steel containment through natural convection and evaporation in case of a severe accident.

This system, called the passive containment cooling system, is designed to work in a similar way as a wet cooling tower works. It was developed by Westinghouse for the AP1000.

Installation of the three rings was completed on 5 June, the Shanghai Nuclear Engineering Research and Design Institute announced. The total hoisting weight was about 826 tonnes.

The Sanmen station is already home to two commercially operational Westinghouse AP1000 units – Sanmen-1 and Sanmen-2. They began commercial operation in 2018.

First concrete was poured for Sanmen-3 in June 2022. In March 2023, first concrete was poured for the nuclear island of Sanmen-4, also a CAP1000 unit.

According to International Atomic Energy Agency data, China has 25 nuclear plants under construction. It has 56 plants in operation that generated a 4.9% share of electricity production in 2023.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/IAEA-assesses-long-term-safety-at-Angra-1

An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team of experts has completed a review of long-term operational safety at unit 1 of the Angra nuclear power plant in Brazil.

The Safety Aspects of Long-Term Operation (SALTO) mission was requested by Eletronuclear, the owner and operator of the Angra plant. Two IAEA pre-SALTO missions in 2013 and 2018, followed by a pre-SALTO follow-up in 2022, were previously conducted to review the long-term safety of the unit.

The 640 MWe pressurised water reactor was first connected to the grid in 1982. It entered commercial operation in 1985 and its current operating licence expires in December this year. Eletronuclear submitted a licence renewal application to the Brazilian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (CNEN) in 2019 to extend its operating lifetime from 40 to 60 years.

A SALTO peer review is a comprehensive safety review addressing strategy and key elements for the safe long-term operation of nuclear power plants. SALTO missions complement IAEA Operational Safety Review Team (OSART) missions which are designed as a review of programmes and activities essential to operational safety. SALTO peer reviews can be carried out at any time during the lifetime of a nuclear power plant, although according to the IAEA the most suitable time lies within the last ten years of the plant's originally foreseen operating period. SALTO and OSART reviews are carried out at the request of the IAEA member country in which the review is to take place.

During the ten-day SALTO mission from 4 to 13 June, the team reviewed the plant's preparedness, organisation and programmes for safe long-term operation. The mission was conducted by a twelve-person team comprising experts from Argentina, Bulgaria, Finland, Japan, South Korea, the Netherlands, Slovakia, and the USA, as well as two IAEA staff members.

"The team noted the progress in measures taken by the operator to ensure the safe LTO of the plant," said Gabor Petofi, team leader and IAEA Senior Nuclear Safety Officer. "The professionalism, openness and receptiveness for improvements to meet and move beyond the IAEA safety standards in operation are commendable."

He added that "most of the ageing management and LTO activities are already in alignment with IAEA Safety Standards. We encourage the plant to address the review findings and proceed with the implementation of all remaining activities for safe LTO".

The team provided recommendations to further enhance the preparations for safe LTO, including for the plant to consider: consistently addressing and implementing all ageing management programme attributes for civil structures; improving the process of temporary design modifications for LTO; and implementing a comprehensive equipment qualification programme.

"Eletronuclear is strongly committed to satisfy all regulatory requirements and implement all possible improvements that can be derived from international best practices and IAEA Safety Standards," said Abelardo da Cruz Viera, Angra Unit 1 plant manager. "The SALTO findings will help us ensure a safe and reliable completion of LTO activities and improve performance for the next cycle of operation of the plant."

The team provided a draft report to the plant management and CNEN at the end of the mission. A final report will be submitted to plant management, CNEN and the Brazilian government within three months.