Nuclear Energy

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Middle-tier-of-containment-installed-for-Brest-OD

The 184-tonnes tier - the second of three - has been lifted into place for the lead-cooled fast neutron reactor under construction at the Siberian Chemical Combine site in Russia.

The steel reactor base plate and lower tier of the containment were installed at the turn of the year, the third enlarged unit is planned to be installed in the reactor shaft in December 2024. The final height of the structure will be 17 metres.

According to ​Rosatom: "The containment structure is the outer part of the reactor vessel. It provides retention of heat-insulating concrete, forming an additional localising barrier of protection, which surrounds the boundary of the coolant circuit. On its surface, the temperature should not exceed 60 degrees Celsius, and the radiation background is actually equal to the natural background."

The BREST-OD-300 fast reactor is part of Rosatom's Proryv, or Breakthrough, project to enable a closed nuclear fuel cycle. The 300 MWe unit will be the main facility of the Pilot Demonstration Energy Complex at the Siberian Chemical Combine site. The complex will demonstrate an on-site closed nuclear fuel cycle with a facility for the fabrication/re-fabrication of mixed uranium-plutonium nitride nuclear fuel, as well as a used fuel reprocessing facility.

Last week, Russian nuclear regulator Rostechnadzor issued a licence which will allow the production of mock-ups of fuel assemblies with depleted uranium for the BREST-OD-300 reactor. The fuel fabrication/refabrication unit is the first of the PDEC facilities to be commissioned, with all the works scheduled to be completed by the end of 2024. TVEL said that "at the next stage, after obtaining the appropriate permission from Rostechnadzor to handle plutonium" the equipment will be used to directly produce fuel developed for the reactor - a mixed dense nitride uranium-plutonium fuel (MNUP) based on depleted uranium - a by-product of uranium enrichment for nuclear reactors - and plutonium extracted from irradiated nuclear fuel.

The target for the BREST-OD-300 reactor is to start operation in 2026.

According to the World Nuclear Association information paper on fast neutron reactors, "the BREST fast neutron reactor, of 700 MWt, 300 MWe has lead as the primary coolant, at 540°C, and supercritical steam generators. It is inherently safe and uses a mixed uranium and plutonium nitride fuel... no weapons-grade plutonium can be produced, since there is no uranium blanket - all the breeding occurs in the core ... fuel cycle is quoted at 5-6 years with partial refuelling at about 10 months. The initial cores can comprise plutonium and used fuel - hence loaded with fission products, and radiologically 'hot'. Subsequently, any surplus plutonium, which is not in pure form, can be used as the cores of new reactors. Used fuel can be recycled indefinitely, with onsite facilities. The nitride fuel has been successfully tested in the BN-600 reactor to a burn-up of 7.4%".

Initial operation of the demonstration unit will be focused on performance and after 10 years or so it will be commercially oriented. The plan has been that if it is successful as a 300 MWe unit, a 1200 MWe (2800 MWt) version will follow - the BR-1200.

UN agency calls for ‘extreme restraint’ from both sides.

The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed on Friday (19 April) there was no damage to Iran’s largest nuclear research complex in an alleged military attack by Israel.

The agency said in a post on social media platform X that it continues to monitor the situation very closely.

The agency called for extreme restraint from all sides, stressing that nuclear facilities should never be a target in military conflicts.

Reports started to emerge late on Thursday that Israel has launched a retaliatory attack against Iran and that multiple explosions were heard near the central Iranian city of Isfahan, which is home to a number of important military facilities, including the Isfahan Nuclear Technology Centre.

The Natanz uranium enrichment plant, Iran’s best known nuclear facility, is about 100 km north of Isfahan and was also said to be unaffected by the strikes.

The attack came days after Iran launched missiles and drones over Israeli territory.

Iranian officials said that its nuclear facilities “were secure”.

According to the Nuclear Threat Initiative, a nongovernmental organisation based in Washington DC, the Isfahan Nuclear Technology Centre was built with Chinese assistance and opened in 1984. It is Iran’s largest nuclear research complex and employs approximately 3,000 scientists.

Isfahan: A Multi-Puprose Nuclear Centre

Isfahan is a multi-purpose research centre suspected of being the centre of a secret Iranian nuclear weapons programme, the NTI said. It operates three small Chinese-supplied research reactors. It also operates a conversion facility, a fuel production plant, a zirconium cladding plant, and other facilities and laboratories.

The Isfahan Nuclear Technology Centre and the Natanz uranium enrichment plant are the target of US and UN sanctions.

In July 2022, Iran announced plans to build a new nuclear research reactor at the Isfahan site.

Iran also has one commercial nuclear plant in operation and a second under construction at Bushehr, more than 600 km south of Isfahan.

Tehran has also said it is planning to pour first concrete for a third unit at Bushehr.

In February, the official IRNA news agency reported that Iran had started construction of a four-unit nuclear power station with a capacity of about 5,000 MW in its southern coastal province of Hormozgan.

The agency said the station will be known as Iran-Hormoz and be near Sirik city, about 1,100 km south of the capital Tehran.

'Innovative' fuel will be key to continued operation.

French nuclear company Framatome and the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have signed a cooperation agreement to establish the industrial production of molybdenum-uranium (U-Mo) monolithic fuel for the TUM-operated Forschungs-Neutronenquelle Heinz Maier-Leibnitz (FRM II) research reactor near Munich in Germany.

Framatome said this low-enriched uranium fuel will benefit from the highest uranium fuel density ever realised in Europe for research reactor operations.

Framatome, in cooperation with TUM, developed the key steps of the manufacturing process for a high-quality U-Mo fuel, including the manufacturing of small-scale prototypes. The two organisations established a qualification procedure and installed a pilot line at Framatome’s research facility in Romans-sur-Isère, southeastern France.

“This innovative fuel will be key to the continued operation of the FRM II reactor in the long-term, a reactor essential for understanding and interpreting the structure of matter and supplying neutrons to industry and the scientific community,” Framatome said.

The FRM II research reactor currently uses highly enriched uranium fuel to generate a dense neutron flux for scientific experiments and the production of medical radioisotopes.

Several years ago, TUM began a programme to explore the feasibility of a fuel based on low-enriched uranium while maintaining the performance of the reactor.

Framatome said the high uranium fuel density of the monolithic U-Mo fuel allows the reactor to maintain its high level of performance with low enriched uranium. The first U-Mo foils were manufactured in 2022. Irradiation of the first monolithic U-Mo fuel plate prototype is scheduled for late 2024.

FRM II is a research reactor and neutron source. It is optimised for neutron scattering experiments that are fundamental to areas such as materials research. It also produces radioisotopes needed for medical diagnostics and cancer treatments.

Source: https://www.neimagazine.com/news/newsblykalla-closes-latest-funding-round-to-support-its-lead-cooled-smrs-11696302

Swedish company Blykalla, formerly called Leadcold, has announced the closure of its latest funding round to support its lead-cooled SMRs, raising a total of SEK80m ($7.3m). The round was led by Norrsken Launcher together with Nucleation Capital, with participation from Earth Venture Capital, Farvatn, and several private investors.

Norrsken Launcher is an investment fund that works to industrialise, commercialise, and scale innovations that can fundamentally transform the future. Nucleation Capital is a climate-centred venture fund investing promising clean energy and carbon-removal technologies. It primarily focuses on the advanced nuclear and deep decarbonisation sectors. Earth Venture Capital is a global venture capital firm dedicated to investing in early-stage climate-tech startups, pioneering in AI, robotics, satellite technology, and innovative new materials.

The funds will support Blykalla's industrialisation plans for its advanced nuclear reactor design, the SEALER (Swedish Advanced Lead-cooled Reactor), a lead-cooled fast compact reactor with passive safety. Each reactor will have a 55 MWe capacity, which can be increased by installing multiple units at the same location. The reactor designed with the smallest possible core that can achieve criticality in a fast spectrum using 19.9% enriched nitride fuel.

Blykalla says the SEALER is designed for commercial power production in a highly compact format, with unique safety features that are made possible by a number of proprietary innovations. These include corrosion-tolerant steel alloys, which enable the efficient cooling of reactors with liquid lead. “With this technological breakthrough, Blykalla can achieve effective serial production, leading to faster deployment and lower costs than conventional nuclear power.”

The SEALER “also enables nuclear power to be used for decarbonizing industrial applications through hydrogen, biochar, and biofuel production, in addition to providing local electricity production”. Blykalla says the technology helps realise a circular waste model. Compared with conventional nuclear power, the SEALER’s fuel cycle can extract up to 140 times more energy from uranium ore, “thereby producing only a fraction of the waste, which needs to be stored for just 1% of the deposit time”.

Preparatory work is currently underway to license the technology in Sweden. An important step to industrialise and qualify the technology is to build the electric test reactor in Oskarshamn, that is being developed together with OKG (Uniper’s Swedish subsidiary) and KTH (the Royal Institute of Technology). In parallel, the company is in discussions with industrial partners to support building nuclear reactors for off-grid heat and electricity production.

Blykalla says it has developed steel alloys that protect core components from corrosion. Key innovations are three aluminium alloyed steels: a aluminium oxide forming steel for protecting cladding tubes; an austenitic steel for protecting reactor vessels; and a martensitic steel suited for lead pump impellers.

The SEALER is a compact design (five metres by five metres). The fuel residence time is 25 years. It has no overpressure system, no exothermic reaction with structural materials or water, and passive decay heat is removed by natural convection. “The competitive advantage stems from the reactor’s overall compactness and forecasted production volumes, which results in components that are of a size that are more optimally conducive to scalability and repeatability in production.”

The reactor will use uranium nitride fuel, which features 40% more uranium per volume unit, resulting in a 40% longer life for the fuel. Blykalla says this also leads to better safety margins (operating at more than 1,500°C below its melting point), with seven times higher thermal conductivity. “While this fuel is difficult to manufacture using conventional methods, Blykalla has a solution that enables the direct conversion of enriched UF6 [uranium hexafluoride] in streaming NH3 [ammonia]. Using ‘Spark Plasma Sintering’… assisted hot pressing, pellets can be sintered in just three minutes at 1450°C. By comparison, this takes eight hours at 1900°C using conventional methods.”

According to the company website, the SEALER reactor is designed to maintain a maximum temperature of the lead coolant below 450°C, making corrosion of fuel cladding and structural materials a manageable phenomenon, even over a lifespan of several decades. While the website has details of the overall design, fuel and the safety features, it says nothing about the fast reactor technology.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/EDF-report-highlights-youth-skills-benefits-of-Hin

The nuclear power construction project in the UK has led to 8000 people being trained at specialist centres, and prompted a 25% increase in younger adults living in the area, according to the Hinkley Point C Socio-Economic Impact Report 2024.

According to the company's report, 1320 apprentices have been trained so far, in areas ranging from hospitality to accountancy and project management, while productivity for the nearby town of Bridgwater is now 10% higher than other surrounding towns.

It says that 7885 people have already trained at the Centres of Excellence for welding, mechanical, electrical and construction skills, with 1307 currently in training. The centres aim to train 30,000 people over their lifetimes. The report says that as well as its direct economic impact, with 900 permanent jobs for more than 60 years, Hinkley Point C is "a catalyst for long-term growth leaving a legacy of a more skilled and productive workforce, that gives Somerset’s economy a competitive edge".

The 25% increase in the numbers of adults aged 25-39 in the area has reversed outward migration of young people, says Hinkley Point C Managing Director Stuart Crooks in his foreword to the report, adding: "Our investment is a 100-year commitment to the area. I am pleased that we are making a difference and I am determined that our social impact will endure for many years to come."

The Socio-economic Impact Report 2024 says there are 3800 British companies in the supply chain, with GBP7.3 billion (USD9.1 billion) being spent with regionally-based businesses by the end of construction.

Tom Greatrex, CEO of the UK's Nuclear Industry Association, welcomed the report's findings and looked ahead to the plans for a 'replica' plant to be built at Sizewell C, saying: "We now need the government to get Sizewell C to a Final Investment Decision, so we can unlock these same benefits for the East of England and continue the revival of Britain’s industrial workforce.

"These stations are the most significant green energy projects in a generation, and we should use them as the springboard for a full programme of new nuclear plants, large and small, to create life-changing opportunities for people and businesses up and down the country."

Construction of Hinkley Point C - composed of two EPR reactors of 1630 MWe each - began in December 2018, with unit 1 of the plant originally scheduled to start up by the end of 2025, before that was revised to 2027 in May 2022. In January EDF announced that the "base case" was now for unit 1 being operational in 2030, with the cost revised from GBP26 billion to between GBP31-34 billion, in 2015 prices. When operational, the plant is expected to provide enough power for 6 million homes for at least 60 years.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Super-module-installed-at-first-Lianjiang-unit

The CA01 'super module' has been installed at unit 1 of the Lianjiang nuclear power plant in China's Guangdong province, the Shanghai Nuclear Engineering Research and Design Institute (SNERDI) announced. It is the first of two CAP1000 reactors planned for the first phase of the plant.

Weighing 1066 tonnes and measuring more than 27 metres long, 29 metres wide and 24 metres high, the concrete and steel CA01 module - composed of 47 sub-modules - sits inside the unit's containment module where it will house the plant's reactor pressure vessel, steam generators and other components. It is referred to as a super module because it is too large to be transported by road and rail, and was constructed on site.

The module was hoisted into place at Lianjiang 1 on 13 April in a process lasting 3 hours and 18 minutes.

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.

The largest and heaviest module - the cuboid-shaped CA20 - was installed at Lianjiang 1 in November.

The construction of the first two 1250 MWe CAP1000 reactors at the Lianjiang site was approved by China's State Council in September 2022. Excavation works for the units began in the same month, with the pouring of first concrete for the foundation of unit 1 completed at the end of September last year. Lianjiang unit 1 is expected to be completed and put into operation in 2028.

Once all six CAP1000 units at the site are completed, the annual power generation will be about 70.2 TWh, which will reduce standard coal consumption by more than 20 million tonnes, and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 52 million tonnes, sulphur dioxide by about 171,000 tonnes and nitrogen oxides by about 149,000 tonnes.

State Power Investment Corp says the Lianjiang plant will be the first nuclear power project in China to adopt seawater secondary circulation cooling technology as well as the first to use a super-large cooling tower.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Framatome,-KHNP-to-cooperate-on-medical-isotope-pr

Framatome and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) are to assess the feasibility of producing medical isotope lutetium-177 in the Candu pressurised heavy water reactors at the Wolsong nuclear power plant in South Korea.

Under a memorandum of understanding signed in Paris on 17 April, Framatome and KHNP will jointly perform a technical assessment at the plant using Framatome's isotope production technology. This technology has been successfully implemented on a commercial production level at the Bruce nuclear power plant in Ontario, Canada.

Lutetium-177 is a beta-emitting radioisotope used in targeted radionuclide therapy to treat prostate cancer by destroying cancer cells while leaving healthy cells unaffected.

"Framatome has been working with KHNP for decades to support the safe, reliable and sustainable operation of its nuclear fleet," said Catherine Cornand, Senior Executive Vice President of the Installed Base business unit at Framatome. "We are actively engaged in supporting the long-term operation of the Hanul 1 and 2 units for which Framatome is the Original Equipment Manufacturer. I am very happy to extend our cooperation through this new initiative at the Wolsong nuclear plant."

"We anticipate that commercial nuclear reactors will have an increasing role to play to backup and complement research reactors in the production of cancer-fighting radioisotopes," François Gauché, Director of Framatome Healthcare, said. "This cooperation will support the future supply chain readiness to make lutetium-177 treatments massively accessible across the world."

"With this initiative, KHNP stays consistent with its social responsibility commitment, by supporting the development of modern nuclear medicine treatments in South Korea while continuing its contribution to stable energy supply and carbon neutrality," said Chang Hee-Seung, Executive Vice-President, Quality and Technology Division at KHNP.

"We expect nuclear power to become a positive example of not only producing electricity but contributing to people's health and welfare," said KHNP CEO Hwang Joo-ho. "We will do our best to promote the project so that it can provide hope to many people fighting cancer."

In November last year, Framatome signed a similar cooperation agreement with Romania's Nuclearelectrica on exploring the production of the lutetium-177 at the Cernavoda nuclear power plant.

Framatome Healthcare, through its Isogen joint venture with Canada's Kinectrics, was involved in an international collaboration with Bruce Power and ITM Isotope Technologies Munic SE to produce lutetium-177 from a commercial nuclear power reactor for the first time in October in 2022 at Bruce unit 7. Like Wolsong and Cernavoda, Bruce 7 is a Candu pressurised heavy water reactor.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Constellation-applies-to-renew-Dresden-licence

US utility Constellation Energy Corporation has submitted a subsequent licence renewal application with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for its two-unit Dresden nuclear power plant in Illinois. The plant's operating licence was first renewed by the NRC in 2004.

Filing the licence renewal application with the NRC kicks off a comprehensive, multi-year regulatory review process which will proceed along two tracks, one for the review of safety issues and another for environmental issues. The process involves site inspections, environmental reviews and public participation.

US reactors are initially licensed for up to 40 years of operation. The Dresden units - two boiling water reactors (BWRs) which began commercial operation in 1970 (unit 2) and 1971 (unit 3) - have previously received a first licence renewal from the NRC and are currently licensed to operate until 2029 and 2031, respectively. With the subsequent licence renewal, the units could operate until 2049 and 2051.

The Dresden units had been slated for early permanent closure in November 2021 had Illinois not passed policy reforms to support their continued operation.

Illinois in September 2021 passed legislation recognising the zero-carbon benefits of nuclear, and the plants both receive credits under Illinois state laws that prevented their early retirement and preserved the clean energy they provide, Constellation said. In addition, the federal Inflation Reduction Act which was passed the following year will also help support continued operation of the US nuclear fleet for at least nine years.

Constellation President and CEO Joe Dominguez said: "Extending the operating licences of the nation's nuclear fleet for an additional 20 years will add more clean megawatts to the grid than all the renewables ever built in this country, and those nuclear plants will continue operating long after the wind and solar facilities under construction today are retired.

"Nuclear produces half of America's clean energy, but many still take it for granted and wrongly assume it will always be there. In reality, Constellation reinvests hundreds of millions of dollars each year in its industry-leading nuclear fleet to keep these massive economic engines running, providing thousands of family-sustaining jobs, preserving energy security and delivering the unmatched reliability we need to grow our economy while addressing the climate crisis."

In February, the company applied for a 20-year licence renewal for its Clinton nuclear power plant, also in Illinois. This would be this first licence renewal for the single-unit BWR unit, which entered commercial operation in 1987 and is currently licensed to operate until April 2027.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Canadian-budget-aims-to-streamline-nuclear-licensi

The Canadian government has announced measures in its latest budget "to help get nuclear projects built in a timely, predictable, and responsible fashion".

The 2024 Federal Budget was unveiled in the House of Commons by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland on 16 April.

It notes: "Nuclear energy will play a key role in achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. Canada is a Tier-1 nuclear nation with over 70 years of technological leadership, including our own national reactor technology, and a strong domestic supply chain that includes the world's largest deposit of high-grade natural uranium.

"Our government is taking action to support the growth of nuclear energy, including through the Clean Electricity investment tax credit, the Clean Technology Manufacturing investment tax credit, the Strategic Innovation Fund, the Canada Infrastructure Bank, and an updated Green Bond Framework that includes certain nuclear expenditures."

The budget announces measures to help clarify and reduce timelines for major projects, so they can get built faster. These include setting a three-year target for nuclear project reviews, by working with the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission and Impact Assessment Agency of Canada, and considering how the process can be better streamlined and duplications reduced between the two agencies.

The budget proposes to provide CAD3.1 billion (USD2.2 billion) over 11 years, starting in 2025-26, with CAD1.5 billion in remaining amortisation, to Atomic Energy of Canada Limited to support Canadian Nuclear Laboratories' ongoing nuclear science research, environmental protection, and site remediation work.

Commenting on the budget, the Canadian Nuclear Association said: "While there are few new commitments or announcements that impact the nuclear energy sector, the budget in many places reinforces the government's clear support for nuclear by confirming a series of announced policies and financial commitments intended to support a rapid build out of nuclear over the coming decades."

Around 15% of Canada's electricity comes from 19 Candu nuclear power reactors, mostly in Ontario. For many years the world's biggest producer of uranium - until it was overtaken by Kazakhstan - the country's 2022 output of 7351 tU ranks it as second in the list of the world's uranium suppliers.

Ontario Power Generation (OPG) plans to build Canada's first commercial, grid-scale small modular reactor (SMR) - GE Hitachi's BWRX-300 - at the Darlington site, eyeing commercial operation starting in 2029. In July last year, the Ontario government announced it is working with OPG to begin planning and licensing for three additional BWRX-300 SMRs, for a total of four, at the Darlington plant site.

The Ontario government has also started pre-development work to build up to 4800 MWe of new nuclear capacity at Bruce Power's existing site, in what would be Canada's first large-scale nuclear build in more than 30 years.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Energoatom-and-Holtec-sign-agreement-for-productio

The agreement provides for the creation in Ukraine of manufacturing capabilities for components for small modular reactors, plus storage and transportation systems for used nuclear fuel.

The online signing of the agreement, by Energoatom's Acting Chairman Petro Kotin (pictured above) and Holtec International's President and CEO Chris Singh, took place in the presence of Ukraine's Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko.

The agreement is intended to push ahead the deployment of Holtec's small modular reactors (SMRs) in Ukraine "and to support unimpeded reactor operations through a successfully deployed used fuel storage facility".

Halushchenko said: "It is very important that we sign this document at such a turbulent time, demonstrating to the enemy our stability and determination to deepen the Ukrainian-American partnership and develop the future of Ukrainian energy using leading technologies."

Kotin said: "This agreement is important not only for Energoatom, but also for the entire energy industry of Ukraine and the national economy. The creation of nuclear energy production facilities in the country will contribute not only to the strengthening of the country's energy security ... this Master Agreement will lead to a modern manufacturing and training facility which will spur economic development, create well-paying jobs, and pave the way for Ukraine’s emergence as the regional hub for Holtec’s SMR-300 and used fuel technology."

Shawn Anderson, the US Embassy’s Department of Energy Office Director and Energy Attaché, said: "The signing of the Master Agreement marks a significant milestone as it paves the way for the establishment of a cutting-edge manufacturing facility aimed at localising the production of equipment for Holtec SMRs, spent nuclear fuel storage and transport systems, and other nuclear energy-related necessities in Ukraine. This collaborative effort between Energoatom and Holtec International is not only a critical step but also an inspiring one that promises to enhance Ukraine’s national and energy security, thus bolstering its economy."

Holtec has been developing its SMR unit since 2011 and the company has even longer-established links with Ukraine - in April 2023 an agreement between Energoatom and Holtec sought to pave the way for up to 20 of its SMR-160 units to be deployed in the country. Holtec says its SMR has undergone several design evolutions, the most recent of which is the incorporation of forced flow capability overlayed on gravity-driven flow in the plant’s primary system for the SMR-300, which is a pressurised water reactor producing around 300 MW of electrical power or 1050 MW of thermal power for process applications, and which Holtec says, remains “walk-away safe”.

Holtec and Energoatom announced in November that they were planning to build a plant in Ukraine for the production of containers, which are currently made in the USA, for storage of used nuclear fuel. This followed on from the commissioning in 2022 of the Holtec International-built Centralised Spent Fuel Storage Facility in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, contracts for which were signed for its construction in 2005.

Russia supplying Generation III+ VVER technology for plant.

The upper section of the inner containment dome has been installed in the reactor building of the Tianwan-8 nuclear power plant under construction in Jiangsu province, eastern China.

Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom, which is supplying the VVER-1200 Generation III+ pressurised water reactor unit, said installation of the upper section follows installation of the lower section last month.

Specialists will now carry out welding work to connect the two sections.

The Tianwan nuclear station has six nuclear units in commercial operation and two under construction.

Russia supplied its VVER-1000 PWR reactor technology for Tianwan-1, -2, -3, and -4, while Tianwan-5 and -6 are domestic CNP-1000 PWR units.

Construction of Tianwan-7 began in May 2021 and of Tianwan-8 in February 2022.

According to International Atomic Energy Agency data, China has 56 nuclear plants in commercial operation and 24 under construction.

Localisation a key objective as plans progress for two AP1000 reactors.

US-based Westinghouse has signed memorandums of understanding with 17 Bulgarian suppliers to support forthcoming AP1000 nuclear projects at the Kozloduy nuclear power station site in northern Bulgaria, and other projects throughout the region.

The company said the MOUs were a result of engagement with local suppliers following the Westinghouse supplier symposium in February with Bulgarian companies.

Westinghouse said the agreements outline the potential for manufacturing of key components, including large structural modules, cranes, heat exchangers and pressure vessels, and the provision of various engineering, transportation, consulting and construction services.

Suppliers include nuclear maintenance, repair and modernisation enterprise Atomenergoremont, heavy equipment manufacturer Bulmachinery and certification provider Bureau Veritas Bulgaria,

Petyo Ivanov, executive director of state company Kozloduy NPP New Build, which was formed to manage the project to build two new plants, Kozloduy-7 and -8, said ensuring high localisation of work remains a crucial objective.

“We expect these Bulgarian companies to become a vital part of the Westinghouse worldwide supply chain, more specifically for all their European new built projects,” he said.

Lyuben Marinov, also an executive director at Kozloduy NPP New Build, said an adequate supply chain is a key requirement for a successful project.

In June 2023 Westinghouse was awarded a front-end engineering and design contract with Kozloduy NPP New Build for its AP1000 pressurised water reactor technology.

In October 2023, Westinghouse signed MOUs with five other Bulgarian suppliers for Kozloduy and other European projects, including for the manufacture of instrumentation and controls (I&C) systems, radiation monitoring systems and various services.

Bulgaria expects the first of the two new AP1000 reactors at Kozloduy to be ready by 2035 with a second one two years later.

Energy minister Rumen Radev said recently Bulgaria would like the cost of the two-unit project to not exceed $14bn (€13bn).

There are two 1,000-MW Russia-designed VVER units already in operation at Kozloduy – Bulgaria’s only commercial nuclear power station – and four older VVER units that have been permanently shut down. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Kozloduy’s two operating units provide about a third of the Bulgaria’s electricity generation.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Kazakhstan-shines-spotlight-on-nuclear-powered-fut

As the world's largest producer of uranium gears up for a referendum on the construction of a nuclear power plant, national policymakers and stakeholders have shared Kazakhstan's vision for a civilian nuclear programme at the World Nuclear Spotlight Kazakhstan event in Almaty.

Organised by World Nuclear Association in collaboration with the Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the 15 April event was held to provide support and insight ahead of the upcoming referendum. It brought high-level representatives from Kazakh government, industry and institutions together with international industry leaders to provide information and exchange views on Kazakhstan's requirements for deployment of nuclear power and opportunities for the country in driving forward its nuclear power plans. 

The event kicked off with introductory addresses from high-level speakers followed by a comprehensive overview of energy development in Kazakhstan and the country's progress towards potentially embarking on a nuclear programme, provided by speakers from government bodies, industry and institutions.

With three currently operating research reactors - and as the former home to a fast reactor - nuclear is already a critical component of Kazakhstan's identity, Vice-Minister of Energy Sungat Yessimkhanov told delegates. Citing the growing recognition of nuclear energy as a key tool in achieving net zero - underlined by the IAEA-led Nuclear Energy Summit in Brussels last month and the multinational ministerial declaration signed at COP28 last year which recognised the need for a tripling of nuclear energy capacity by 2050 - he said nuclear is becoming a key tool for achieving net-zero ambitions. "Kazakhstan is a uranium producing and exporting country, so we are obliged to use this advantage to the maximum," he said.

Yernat Berdigulov is managing director of Strategy and Asset Management at Samruk-Kazyna, Kazakhstan's sovereign wealth fund which is a major shareholder in national atomic company NAC Kazatomprom JSC. As well as recognising the need for nuclear as a low-carbon baseload energy source for Kazakhstan, he said, the fund is also "following the advancement" of small modular reactor (SMR) technology which he said offers a "versatile solution" especially for remote areas of the country.

"It's very obvious that uranium fuel is indispensable for our net-zero carbon objectives," he said.

Milestones to decarbonisation

Kazakhstan is a country rich in resources including coal - which is relied on by many regions - but is working hard to decarbonise, and is making rapid progress with the development of renewable energy as well as looking to nuclear, Gulmira Mursalova, deputy director of the Department of Atomic Energy and Industry at Kazakhstan's Ministry of Energy, said. The country is following the IAEA's Milestones approach - a progressive, phased method to support countries which are considering or planning their first nuclear power plant in establishing the infrastructure for a nuclear power programme.

Last year, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced plans for a referendum to be held on the construction of a nuclear power plant. The date for the referendum is not yet known - it will depend on a presidential decree which has not yet been issued, she said. A positive outcome from the referendum will be needed for Kazakhstan's nuclear project to proceed, but some actions already being taken include looking at technology options as well as capacity building to support nuclear projects and public outreach and information activities, Mursalova added. A site at Ulken, on the shores of Lake Balkhash, has already been identified as a suitable location for a nuclear power plant, but any nuclear power plant location will need the agreement of the local community.

Technology options

Kazakhstan's first nuclear power plant will be a large reactor, and coal will continue to play a major role in the country's energy mix over the next 10 years, Mursalova said. But beyond that, SMRs could be an option for replacing retiring coal plants and could provide a "perfect" solution for some regions, she added.

Financing a nuclear programme is another consideration, and Mursalova said the Department of Atomic Energy and Industry is talking to partners about possible options including loans. But "this is not a decision for now" she said.

Using nuclear plants for district heating and process heat needs could help reduce the commercial risk of future plants, Timur Zhantikin, director general of Samruk-Kazyna subsidiary Kazakhstan Nuclear Power Plants, told delegates. This is an area in which Kazakhstan already has experience: the former BN-350 fast reactor at Aktau operated commercially from 1973 until 1999, and provided steam for a desalination plant as well as generating electricity for the nearby town.

Capacity building

As well as being a reliable and responsible supplier of uranium to the global community for more than 25 years Kazatomprom wants to have an active role in producing uranium fuel for Kazakhstan's nuclear plant, the company's CEO Meirzhan Yussupov said. The company is also considering potential investment in nuclear fuel cycle services to further leverage Kazakshtan's uranium resources to accelerate the nuclear programme, particularly through uranium conversion and enrichment. But such investment decisions are also a "delicate balance" that will take into account market dynamics, Yussupov said.

Subject to the necessary investment being forthcoming, Kazatomprom is "ready and interested", he said.

Kazakhstan already has a degree of capacity to support a nuclear energy programme, from its experience with its current research reactors and the BN-350 fast reactor as well as its natural uranium industry, and already has a strong nuclear regulatory regime. Kazakh institutions are ready to develop the workforce that will be needed, said Erlan Batyrbekov, director general of the National Nuclear Centre of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The National Nuclear Centre is also providing support to efforts to provide information to the Kazakh public and the government ahead of the referendum, he said.

Supporting Kazakhstan

World Nuclear Spotlight is an international event held in a country considering starting or re-starting a civilian nuclear power programme. Kazakhstan is well placed to take advantage of the benefits that nuclear will provide, and the entire global nuclear community is ready to support it in its efforts, World Nuclear Association Director General Sama Bilbao y Léon said.

"Each country must take a serious, pragmatic assessment on what it will take for that country to reach net zero in a way that is both effective and equitable," she said.

"The next step is very, very important, which is achieving a national consensus … and here it is very, very important that whatever decision is made … is one that the country is going to be happy with," she said, adding that the global industry and international organisations including the International Atomic Energy Agency and World Nuclear Association stand ready to support Kazakhstan as it works towards a decision.

"Once Kazakhstan decides to become part of the global nuclear family, we will embrace you," she said.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/USNC-and-PTT-to-collaborate-on-advanced-energy-sys

Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation (USNC) is to collaborate with Peregrine Turbine Technologies (PTT) to integrate its Pylon microreactor with PTT's supercritical carbon dioxide energy conversion system and advanced heat exchanger technologies.

Seattle-based USNC's Pylon microreactor is a containerised system capable of producing 1-5 MWe for up to three years. It has a lower mass than the company's Micro Modular Reactor (known as MMR) high-temperature gas-cooled reactor system. The system is designed to be easily transportable to off-grid locations both on Earth and in space: for terrestrial use, the system comprises separate nuclear heat supply system and balance-of-plant modules, each individually fitting within a standard 20-foot (6-metre) container.

PTT, based in Wiscasset, Maine, was formed in April 2012 and is focused on the development and deployment of advanced supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) turbine power generation, energy storage and propulsion systems.

In July last year, the company announced it had established a new subsidiary, PTT Nuclear Energy Systems, after it had "identified significant potential and opportunity for its breakthrough energy conversion technologies in the accelerating VSMR (very small modular reactor) and MMR (micro modular reactor) programmes (350 kW – 10 MW), and a clear intermediate-term opportunity in the SMR (small modular reactor) 30 MW to 100 MW class range". At the time, PTT said it was "working to field a family of its proprietary modular sCO2 energy conversions systems with initial capabilities ranging from 350 kW to 10 MW".

PTT's energy conversion system - successfully developed and demonstrated in collaboration with Sandia National Laboratories' Brayton Laboratory - is tailored for advanced nuclear reactors. It offers enhanced efficiency compared with traditional steam and Air Brayton conversion systems, with a significantly reduced footprint. PTT's systems are 1.5 times the efficiency of steam with less than one-third the footprint, and over three times the efficiency of Air Brayton conversion systems.

"This collaboration represents a shared commitment to advancing nuclear technology and turbine systems for cleaner energy production," the partners said in a joint statement. "By combining USNC's innovative reactor design with PTT's world-record energy conversion efficiency, the partnership will result in a transformative reliable and scalable clean energy solutions."

In October last year, USNC was among three companies to be awarded US Department of Energy funding totalling USD3.9 million for front-end engineering and experiment design of their respective microreactor designs in a new test bed facility at Idaho National Laboratory (INL). The awards were made through the National Reactor Innovation Center, which has developed the front-end engineering and experiment design process to help industry partners progress more quickly toward first-of-a-kind testing of advanced reactors. The Pylon reactor is expected to be demonstrated at the Demonstration of Microreactor Experiments facility at INL by 2027.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Framatome-signs-multi-billion-euros-contracts-with

Framatome says it "has signed contracts worth multi-billion euros" with Sizewell C Ltd for key equipment for the two reactors from the design phase up to commissioning. It has also signed a long-term fuel supply agreement.

Framatome, which is 80.5% owned by France's EDF and 19.5% by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, said it would be responsible for the delivery of the two nuclear heat production systems and also the plant's safety instrumentation and control systems.

Longer term agreements cover fabrication of the fuel for the two reactors and for services and maintenance to support the operation of the plant.

The EDF-led plan is for Sizewell C to feature two EPRs producing 3.2 GW of electricity, enough to power the equivalent of around six million homes. It would be a similar design to the two unit plant being built at Hinkley Point C in Somerset.

Bernard Fontana, CEO of Framatome, said the company was "proud to continue supporting the UK’s Net Zero target by 2050", adding that the project "will benefit from the valuable experience garnered from Hinkley Point C and our teams are determined to make it a success".

EDF agreed in October 2016 with China General Nuclear (CGN) to develop the Sizewell C project to the point where a final investment decision could be made. EDF had an 80% stake and CGN a 20% stake. However, the so-called "golden era" of UK-China relations has ended in recent years with the UK government citing security concerns as it reviewed and blocked Chinese investments in UK infrastructure. In November 2022, the UK said it would invest GBP679 million (USD845 million) and become a 50% partner with EDF in the Sizewell C project. A further GBP511 million of funding was made available to the project in summer 2023, with the government funding designed to get the project to the final investment decision.

EDF said in November 2022 that it planned to "retain only a minority stake in the final investment decision - a maximum of 20%".

The UK government has been seeking investment in the Sizewell C project, launching a pre-qualification for potential investors as the first stage of an equity raise process last September. It has also taken legislation through Parliament allowing a new way of funding new large infrastructure projects - a Regulated Asset Base (RAB) funding model, which can see consumers contributing towards the cost of new nuclear power plants during the construction phase. Under the previous Contracts for Difference system developers finance the construction of a nuclear project and only begin receiving revenue when the station starts generating electricity.

In January, a further GBP1.3 billion of government funding was approved allowing for necessary infrastructure work such as roads and rail lines to continue pending a final investment decision being taken. Last month Sizewell C Ltd, a standalone company majority-owned by the UK government, signed a deal with EDF Energy to purchase the freehold of the land which will be used for the new power plant.

Warsaw has chosen Westinghouse to supply three AP1000 reactor units.

Poland will begin geological works next month at the site of the country’s first nuclear power station in the northern province of Pomerania.

Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (PEJ), the state-owned company responsible for the construction project of the first nuclear power station in Poland, said a permit for the works had been issued by the Ministry of Climate and Environment.

“This is another important task completed in the permitting process for the entire project,” PEJ said in a statement.

It said Bechtel, a member of the US consortium – along with reactor supplier Westinghouse – responsible for the project, will be responsible for the geological works, which will start in May on an area covering approximately 30 hectares in the commune of Choczewo in Pomerania.

The data obtained during geological tests will add detail to work already carried out on the area’s geological, engineering and hydrogeological conditions.

The research results will also be used in the work on a site report, which is needed for a construction permit.

PEJ said the first stage of research will be completed this year.

In November 2022, Warsaw chose Westinghouse to supply its AP1000 reactor technology for the three-unit facility.

In late 2023, Westinghouse formed a consortium with US partner Bechtel for the project.

Bloc needs to support investment in reactors and streamline construction process.

Annual construction of two new commercial nuclear power reactors a year is needed over the next 15 years in Europe with the need for an alliance of industrial partners and efforts to improve the supply chain, a conference was told.

European Commission executive vice-president Maroš Šefcovic, told ‘Powering Tomorrow, Inspiring Today: Nuclear Energy 2.0’ in Brussels that he recognised the need for EU support in investment, funding, and financing due to the high costs associated with nuclear projects.

In light of these challenges, he called for streamlining construction processes, highlighting nuclear energy’s cost-effectiveness and its consistent, clean power generation capabilities.

Šefcovic, who responsible for the Green Deal, the commission’s pivotal policy initiative aimed at making the bloc’s economy climate neutral and sustainable, said Europe operates more than 150 nuclear power plants, accounting for 22% of its electricity supply. He highlighted the potential of small modular reactors and nuclear fusion for Europe's energy landscape.

The conference was jointly hosted by power companies EDF, Fortum and Vattenfall, with Euractiv as media partner.

Thierry Breton, European commissioner for the internal market, praised the qualities of nuclear energy, saying it was “once again central in the debate”.

Breton said nuclear energy is a key element for safeguarding European autonomy and industrial leadership, especially when by 2050 energy demand will double and need to be carbon neutral.

He said the EU should allow companies and investors to speed up the permitting process for new nuclear and establish nuclear technology legislation that promotes an integrated approach to research, deployment and reinforcing the market.

Nuclear ‘Should Be Bloc’s Biggest Energy Source’

The conference heard that if the commission wants to reach its carbon neutral goals, nuclear should be its biggest energy source, and Europe should “wise up and turn away from its current trajectory, where the amount of nuclear electricity production has declined in recent decades”.

A panel was told that Europe has voluntary reduced its nuclear power capacity and given technological leadership to Russia and China while it now suffers from “resource poverty”.

The EU needs to focus on facilitating the large-scale nuclear construction Europe needs by making investment easier and more available, an area where the European Investment Bank has a role to play, panellists agreed.

The panel noted that significant investment is needed for new nuclear, but nuclear power plants are not “expensive per se” because a huge amount of energy is densely concentrated, guaranteeing a long term, stable supply.

‘Lack Of Competitiveness Growing In EU’

EDF chief executive officer Luc Rémont said consumer demand should be central and that “only nuclear and hydro can produce the required, constant base load, 24/7”.

Ann Mettler, vice-president at Breakthrough Energy, an organisation established by Bill Gates, said the lack of competitiveness is growing in the EU and the future demand of energy will be much larger, noting that AI is extremely energy intensive.

“No electricity, no progress,” Mettler warned, adding that policy decisions should be less ideological as “we can't regulate ourselves to net zero”.

The panellists said there is no silver bullet and a pragmatic energy mix is needed, with ample room to manoeuvre for member states. There is no “one size fits all” solution and Brussels should not dictate this, they said.

The panel stressed the need for a level playing field and a technology neutral taxonomy, together with risk-sharing instruments, so all financial institutions would be able to invest in nuclear energy and there is fair access for investment in all net-zero technologies.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Norwegian-town-initiates-nuclear-plant-zoning-work

The municipality of Heim in Trøndelag county, Norway, has announced the start of regulatory work for creating a zone for the construction of a nuclear power plant and the cancellation of previous plans for the zone.

Among the recipients of the notification are the Directorate for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety (DSA), the Norwegian Armed Forces, the Norwegian Water and Energy Directorate (NVE), grid operator Statnett and the Environment Agency.

"The regulatory plan will lay the foundation for the establishment of nuclear power plants, preferably in the form of small modular reactors (SMRs)," the municipality said.

The notification refers to a proposal submitted by Norsk Kjernekraft on 2 November last year to Norway's Ministry of Oil and Energy (OED) for an assessment into the construction of a power plant based on multiple SMRs in the municipalities of Aure and Heim.

According to the preliminary plan, the plant will be located in a common industrial area in the border area between Aure and Heim. Other areas in the municipalities may also be relevant, Norsk Kjernekraft noted. The plant is planned to consist of several SMRs, which together will produce around 12.5 TWh of electricity annually, if the plant is realised in its entirety. This corresponds to an increase in Norway's power production of about 8%.

"In accordance with Sections 12-8 and 12-14 of the Planning and Building Act, the commencement of work is notified at the same time as the cancellation of the current zoning plans in the area," the municipality said. "Taftøy industrial park is the name of an older development plan located on Taftøyan, northwest of Heim municipality. To the west, the planning area borders Aure municipality in Møre and Romsdal county. To the north, the planning area borders the former 680 [road]. About 300 metres east of the planning area is the zoning plan for the Taftøyan cottage area."

It added: "The older regulatory plans have not been realised and will be repealed when the area plan for the Taftøy nuclear power is adopted."

The deadline for any responses to Heim's notification is 15 May.

"Planned measures are covered by regulations on impact assessments and must have a planning programme and an impact assessment," the municipality noted. "The need for investigation for such a regulatory plan is currently uncertain, but will probably be clarified when the investigation programme that Norsk Kjernekraft sent to OED is confirmed. Proposals for the planning programme will be submitted for consultation and put out for public inspection when the need for a study for nuclear power plants is clear."

Norsk Kjernekraft aims to build, own and operate SMR power plants in Norway in collaboration with power-intensive industry. It says it will prepare licence applications in accordance with national regulations and international standards.

"Heim and Aure municipalities are leaning forward to provide enough reliable power for industry and residents," said Norsk Kjernekraft CEO Jonny Hesthammer. "They are stepping up to the plate to get nuclear power in place as part of the solution together with renewables. In this way, security of supply is ensured, while the need for natural interventions can be reduced.

"Together with the two municipalities, Norsk Kjernekraft has submitted a report on the study programme to the Ministry of Energy. Now the municipalities are showing with action that they are serious, and the government and the ministries must take this on board. What we need now is precisely action, and no more delays."

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Eletronuclear-responds-to-report-on-Angra-3-costs

Brazil's Eletronuclear has highlighted the economic benefits of investing in completing the Angra 3 nuclear unit, and stressed that an official study has yet to be completed into the likely final tariff paid by customers.

Last week the Federal Audit Court (TCU) published an analysis of aspects of the project to complete the nuclear power unit whose construction originally began in the 1980s before being halted.

According to the TCU analysis of tariff calculations, the price charged for its eventual output "will not respect the principle ... that the tariffs charged for public services are reasonable and accessible to the population". It adds that "regardless of potential positive externalities of the enterprise for national nuclear policy, the charges to consumers will be much higher if the construction of Angra 3 continues than if the project is abandoned".

The TCU said that when the National Energy Policy Council (CNPE) makes its choice "it must justify its full decision in detail" and also "consider the costs of eventual abandonment of the work".

The TCU describes itself as "the external control institution of the federal government that supports the National Congress with the mission of overseeing the budget and the financial execution of the country and contributing to the improvement of public administration for the benefit of society".

In response to the TCU statement, Eletronuclear has said that the estimate of the higher cost than other energy generation options was based on what was a preliminary presentation in the past by the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) and the actual suggested price of electricity for Angra 3 would not emerge until a full study by BNDES is completed.

"Only after the completion of the independent studies, carried out by BNDES," will it be possible to assess the impacts of the Angra 3 project on the national electrical system. "Eletronuclear informs everyone that it works day in and day out so that operational, financial and construction efficiencies are duly appropriated, always for the benefit of Brazilian consumers for low tariffs. Furthermore, tax aspects may contribute to the fall in the value of the final tariff for the consumer," the company said.

Eletronuclear's statement added "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.

Eletronuclear is currently holding a month-long public consultation on the tender to complete the works at Angra 3.

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 at that time was to start operations by the end of 2026. However, work has again faced interruptions pending agreement with local authorities on "socio-environmental" compensation payments.

Brazil also began a process to identify sites for new nuclear power plants in 2022 - its National Energy Plan to 2050 said the country aims to add 10 GW of nuclear capacity in the next 30 years.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Fuel-loading-to-start-at-Kashiwazaki-Kariwa-unit

Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) plans to begin loading fuel into unit 7 of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Niigata Prefecture following approval by Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority. It is not yet known when the reactor will be restarted.

"We received approval for the test use of safety equipment to confirm the soundness of the equipment," the utility said. "From now on, we will carry out fuel loading and subsequent pre-use operator inspections to confirm the integrity of the equipment."

Tepco said it was starting the fuel loading process from around 16:00 (local time) on Monday, ahead of the unit's potential restart.

Additional regulatory inspections will still be required before Kashiwazaki-Kariwa 7 - which has been offline since August 2011 - can resume operation. In addition, consent must also be sought from the local governor. Although the central government has been seeking Niigata Governor Hideyo Hanazumi's approval for the restart, he has yet to announce whether he will give his consent.

Tepco applied for Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) approval of its design and construction plan for Kashiwazaki-Kariwa units 6 and 7 in September 2013. It submitted information on safety upgrades across the site and at those two units. These 1356 MWe Advanced Boiling Water Reactors began commercial operation in 1996 and 1997 and were the first Japanese boiling water reactors to be put forward for restart.

In 2017, Tepco received permission from the NRA to restart units 6 and 7.

However, in early 2021, Tepco notified the NRA of malfunctions in intruder detection equipment on the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa site. In addition, it reported the unauthorised use of an ID card. In April 2021, the NRA issued an administrative order to Tepco prohibiting it from moving nuclear fuel at the plant until improvements in security measures there have been confirmed by additional inspections. This order was lifted in December last year after inspections confirmed that measures had been enhanced at the site.

Although it has completed work at the other idled units at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, Tepco is concentrating its resources on units 6 and 7 while it deals with the clean-up at Fukushima Daiichi. Restarting those two units - which have been offline for periodic inspections since March 2012 and August 2011, respectively - would increase the company's earnings by an estimated JPY100 billion (USD706 million) per year.

Nuclear industry ‘facing period of growth and innovation’.

Ramzi Jammal, head of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), has been elected as president of the eighth review meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s joint convention on the safety of spent fuel management and on the safety of radioactive waste management.

A CNSC statement said the appointment will provide Canada with the opportunity to lead the convention for the first time since it ratified the convention in 2001.

Jammal’s term will run from 2024 to 2027 during which he will focus on four priority areas: raising awareness of the importance of the convention to increase the number of signatories; increasing participation in the convention by underrepresented and emerging nuclear nations; introducing new and supporting current improvements to the national reporting and peer review processes; and facilitating participation, especially by convention parties with minimal resources.

“As we stand at the forefront of a period of growth and innovation in the nuclear sector to address climate change, we must rise to the occasion,” said Jammal.

“The world looks to us as stewards in addressing the urgent challenges of ensuring the safe management of spent fuel and radioactive waste.”

The IAEA joint convention on the safety of spent fuel management and on the safety of radioactive waste management represents the first international legal framework specifically aimed at improving the safety of managing spent fuel and radioactive waste. It was concluded in 1997 and entered into force in 2001.

It introduces key safety principles and implements a “peer review” mechanism similar to that of the convention on nuclear safety.

It applies to spent fuel originating from civilian nuclear reactors and radioactive waste produced by civilian activities. It also applies to spent fuel and radioactive waste from military or defense programmes under certain conditions.

The convention also encompasses the intentional and regulated release of radioactive liquid or gaseous materials into the environment from nuclear facilities under regulation.

According to the IAEA, the convention has been signed by 90 countries to date, but only 42 have ratified it.

Reactors will be first in country to use US-based Westinghouse AP1000 technology.

The first section of concrete has been laid as part of a ceremony to mark the official start of construction of Units 5 and 6 at the Khmelnitski nuclear power station in northwest Ukraine.

State nuclear operator Energoatom said in a statement that the two units would be the first to be built in the country using US-based Westinghouse’s AP1000 pressurised water reactor (PWR) nuclear plant technology.

In August 2021 Energoatom and Westinghouse signed a memorandum on the construction of five power units in Ukraine using AP1000 technology.

In June 2022 they signed further agreements related to increasing the number of units from five to nine, although not all would be at Khmelnitski.

Khmelnitski has two Russia-supplied PWR plants in commercial operation. Two more units, Khmelnitski-3 and -4 officially remain under construction, but both units were to be supplied by Russia and their status is unclear. Energoatom had said in 2021 that Khmelnitski-3 would be completed with VVER-1000 technology while Khmelnitski-4 would be an AP1000 unit.

Khmelnitski-3 and -4 have been under construction since the late 1980s, but construction stalled in 1990 with Unit 3 around 75% complete and Unit 4 about 28%.

Addressing the ceremony, Energoatom president Petro Kotin said: “Today we are talking about the future, we are talking about stability, we are talking about the development of nuclear energy.”

According to Kotin, the project is Ukraine’s most significant modernisation project since after World War II.

New Station ‘Will Be Largest In Europe’

Kotin said earlier this year that Ukraine was planning to build four new large reactors and “moving quickly towards increasing Ukraine’s nuclear capacity from today’s 13.8 GW to more than 20 GW”.

He said these plans included the construction of two Westinghouse AP1000 units at Khmelnitski, the completion of construction of Units 3 and 4 at the plant and the deployment of small modular reactors and microreactors.

With all six reactors online, Khmelnitski will become Europe’s largest commercial nuclear facility, taking over from the six-unit Zaporizhzhia, also in Ukraine.

Neither Energoatom nor Westinghouse have said exactly when the reactors will come online.

Financing Package Could Have Exim Bank Support

According to Energoatom, the construction of one reactor unit in peacetime takes five years and the estimated cost starts from $5bn (€4.6bn). The project will be partly financed by the US Export-Import (Exim) Bank. In July 2023 Westinghouse president of energy systems David Durham was reported as saying the company anticipated supporting Energoatom in developing a financing package with “substantial support” from the Exim Bank, Washington’s official credit agency.

Ukraine existing fleet of 15 commercial nuclear reactors are of Soviet design, but it has shifted most of them to fuel provided by Westinghouse as the country continues its efforts to break away from dependence on Moscow and convert all its reactors to non-Russian fuel.

Westinghouse has already supplied fuel for VVER-1000 plants at South Ukraine-2 and -3 and Zaporizhzhia-1, -3, -4 and -5. Westinghouse fuel was recently delivered to Khmelnitski-1 and -2 and another unit at Rivne has also received a Westinghouse fuel load.

This suggests that nine out of Ukraine’s 15 reactors have been loaded or are being loaded with Westinghouse fuel, although the exact status of fuel loads is unclear.

With regards to Rivne, for example, which has four units, Westinghouse suggested in a September 2023 statement that one core had been loaded with its fuel, but did not give details of fuel loads for other units at the site.

However, Westinghouse president and chief executive officer Patrick Fragman told the Khmelnitski ceremony that “all Ukrainian power units have gotten rid of dependence on the Russian Federation and can operate on American fuel”.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/NRC-should-assess-risks-from-climate-change,-repor

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission should address potential impacts of climate change–related hazards during the licensing process for nuclear power plants, the Government Accountability Office has recommended.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is an independent, nonpartisan agency that works for the US Congress and is responsible for investigating federal government expenditures. It was requested to review the climate resilience of energy infrastructure. Its report examines how climate change is expected to affect nuclear power plants and NRC actions to address risks to nuclear power plants from climate change.

"Climate change is expected to exacerbate natural hazards - including heat, drought, wildfires, flooding, hurricanes, and sea level rise," the GAO notes. "In addition, climate change may affect extreme cold weather events. Risks to nuclear power plants from these hazards include loss of offsite power, damage to systems and equipment, and diminished cooling capacity, potentially resulting in reduced operations or plant shutdowns."

In its new report, titled Nuclear power plants: NRC should take actions to fully consider the potential effects of climate change, the Government Accountability Office says that while the NRC addresses risks to the safety of nuclear power plants, including risks from natural hazards, in its licensing and oversight processes it does not fully consider potential climate change effects.

In compiling its report, the GAO looked at data and spoke to nuclear personnel from November 2022 to the present day. Sources included staff from the NRC, the Department of Energy, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the US Forest Service. It also visited the Palo Verde nuclear power plant in Arizona and Turkey Point plant in Florida - plants that were selected on the basis of their exposure to a variety of natural hazards exacerbated by climate change - and interviewed staff.

The GAO obtained NRC data on the location of all 54 operating US nuclear power plants, as well as the 21 shut-down plants that have used nuclear fuel stored in fuel pools or in dry storage.

The report concludes: "Commercial nuclear power plants in the United States were licensed and built an average of 42 years ago, and weather patterns and climate-related risks to their safety and operations have changed since their construction. NRC has the opportunity to consider climate risks more fully and, in doing so, to better fulfill its mission to protect public health and safety."

GAO makes three recommendations to the NRC. Firstly, it should assess whether its licensing and oversight processes adequately address the potential for increased risks to nuclear power plants from climate change. Secondly, it should develop, finalise and implement a plan to address any gaps identified in its assessment of existing processes. Thirdly, it should develop and finalise guidance on incorporating climate projections data into relevant processes, including what sources of climate projections data to use and when and how to use climate projections data.

The NRC was provided with a draft report and responded with written comments for the GAO to incorporate in the final publication. The NRC said it is already implementing or planning to implement additional climate change–related review data in its processes.

The commission noted that the "layers of conservatism and defence-in-depth incorporated into the NRC's processes provide reasonable assurance regarding any plausible natural hazard ... including those that could result from climate change".

Last year, the UK's Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) asked site operators to complete a self-assessment questionnaire on their arrangements and resilience in relation to climate change effects. This stage aimed to understand the approach currently adopted by licensees for consideration of climate change in safety cases, including climate change projections used to define the design basis for external hazards affected by climate change. In March, it selected five sites to be taken forward to the inspection stage.

In February, ONR hosted a meeting with the French Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN), the Dutch Authority for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection (ANVS), and Belgium's Federal Agency for Nuclear Control (FANC) to discuss the implications of climate change on the nuclear sector.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Licence-issued-to-test-BREST-OD-300-nuclear-fuel-m

Russian nuclear regulator Rostechnadzor has issued a licence which will allow the production of mock-ups of fuel assemblies with depleted uranium for the BREST-OD-300 fast neutron reactor.

The lead-cooled BREST-OD-300 reactor is part of Rosatom's Proryv, or Breakthrough, project to enable a closed nuclear fuel cycle. The 300 MWe unit will be the main facility of the Pilot Demonstration Energy Complex (PDEC) at the Siberian Chemical Combine site. The complex will demonstrate an on-site closed nuclear fuel cycle with a facility for the fabrication/re-fabrication of mixed uranium-plutonium nitride nuclear fuel, as well as a used fuel reprocessing facility.

Rosatom and its TVEL fuel division said that the licence gives the go-ahead for Siberian Chemical Combine to test the entire production process. It says that the fuel developed for the BREST-OD-300 reactor is a mixed dense nitride uranium-plutonium fuel (MNUP) based on depleted uranium - a by-product of uranium enrichment for nuclear reactors - and plutonium extracted from irradiated nuclear fuel.

The MNUP fuel cannot be produced using standard technology and equipment and the process needs to be as automated as possible because of the use of radioactive plutonium extracted from used nuclear fuel. According to Rosatom "four production lines will be used - a line for the carbothermal synthesis of mixed uranium and plutonium nitrides, a line for the production of fuel pellets, a fuel rod assembly line, as well as a production line for complete fuel cassettes. Currently, commissioning of installed equipment is under way on the production lines".

The fuel fabrication/refabrication unit is the first of the PDEC facilities to be commissioned, with all the works scheduled to be completed by the end of 2024. TVEL said that "at the next stage, after obtaining the appropriate permission from Rostechnadzor to handle plutonium" the equipment will be used to directly produce MNUP fuel.

At a ceremony to launch testing of equipment, held during the recent AtomExpo 2024 event, Rosatom Director General Alexei Likhachev said: "Everything at this facility is unique - the technology itself, each piece of equipment, its layout, and each production site is a solution to a technological problem that no one else in the world has ever taken on."

The plan is that the use of secondary products will expand the resource base of the nuclear power industry "multifold" and reduce the volumes of radioactive waste. In January the steel reactor base plate and the lower tier of the containment for the BEST-OD-300 was installed - the target is for it to start operation in 2026.

According to the World Nuclear Association information paper on fast neutron reactors, "the BREST fast neutron reactor, of 700 MWt, 300 MWe has lead as the primary coolant, at 540°C, and supercritical steam generators. It is inherently safe and uses a mixed uranium and plutonium nitride fuel... no weapons-grade plutonium can be produced, since there is no uranium blanket - all the breeding occurs in the core ... fuel cycle is quoted at 5-6 years with partial refuelling at about 10 months. The initial cores can comprise plutonium and used fuel - hence loaded with fission products, and radiologically 'hot'. Subsequently, any surplus plutonium, which is not in pure form, can be used as the cores of new reactors. Used fuel can be recycled indefinitely, with onsite facilities. The nitride fuel has been successfully tested in the BN-600 reactor to a burn-up of 7.4%".

Initial operation of the demonstration unit will be focused on performance and after 10 years or so it will be commercially oriented. The plan has been that if it is successful as a 300 MWe unit, a 1200 MWe (2800 MWt) version will follow - the BR-1200.

Hundreds of US sites could be converted to nuclear.

Building new nuclear power plants on coal sites would create additional higher paying jobs at the plant, hundreds of additional jobs locally and spur millions of dollars in increased revenues and economic activity in the host community, an information guide by the US Department of Energy says.

The guide, produced for communities considering hosting a nuclear plant on a retiring coal site, says that with planning and support for training, most workers at an existing coal plant should be able to transition to work at a replacement nuclear plant.

“Coal-to-nuclear transitions could dramatically increase the supply of reliable, clean electricity to the grid and make progress toward the nation’s goal of net-zero emissions by 2050,” the DOE said in a statement.

This guide builds on a 2022 DOE study that found hundreds of US coal power plant sites across the country could be converted to nuclear power plant sites.

The study said the coal-to-nuclear transition could help increase nuclear capacity in the US to more than 250 GW. The existing fleet currently has a combined capacity of 95 GW and supplies half of the nation’s emissions-free electricity, the DOE said.

TerraPower, the nuclear technology company founded by Bill Gates, recently submitted a construction permit application for a commercial advanced reactor that it plans to build at a coal site in Kemmerer, Wyoming.

In Europe, Slovenia became the fourth country after Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic to receive US Project Phoenix funding to assess the potential for small modular reactors in replacing coal-fired generation plants.

Project Phoenix was launched in November 2022 to help coal reliant countries reduce the impact of climate change.

The US-based Electric Power Research Institute said in a report last year that existing coal plants can provide key benefits and opportunities that make them “a compelling option” for the deployment of nuclear generation, but prominent issues around perceived risk and nuclear waste management need to be resolved.

The report said repurposing a coal plant’s infrastructure could be an option to help sustain coal communities while providing a carbon-free source of generation through nuclear power.