Nuclear Energy

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Preparatory-work-stepped-up-for-Russia-s-first-lan

Construction of worker camps and a new road to the site is under way for the Yakutia small modular reactor project, with Rosenergoatom officially designated as the operating organisation by parent company Rosatom.

The small modular reactor (SMR) is a water-cooled RITM-200N 55 MW reactor that has been adapted from the RITM-200 series used to power Russia's latest fleet of nuclear-powered icebreakers. It will be built near Ust-Kuyga in Yakutia (also known as Sakha) in Russia's Arctic north, with the aim of commissioning in 2028.

Nuclear regulator Rostekhnadzor granted the construction licence in April 2023. In an update on progress Rosatom said "preparatory work ... is proceeding at full tilt: the building of the first construction camp for 250 persons has been completed; the first stage construction of the second camp for 683 persons has commenced and is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2024". Construction of a new 12 kilometre stretch of road linking Ust-Kuyga and the SMR site has started, it added, as well as other construction base facilities, and 9,500 tonnes of cargo is scheduled to be delivered om the next few months.

The aim of the plant is "to provide a clean, cost-effective and stable source of energy to the remote Arctic territories of Yakutia with a decentralised energy supply. The electric power of the station will be at least 55 MW, the service life of non-replaceable equipment will be up to 60 years".

Although it is planned to be the first land-based SMR in Russia, the country has plans for a widespread roll-out of small reactors in the year ahead - it says its goal is to have up to 20% of the global market for small and micro modular reactors. Its estimate is that they will number in the hundreds in the coming years.

Within Rosatom's structure, with the SMR, Rosenergoatom acts as the technical customer and operating organisation, and Rusatom Overseas as the developer.

Four reactors planned for northeast England with commercial operation in early 2030s.

Westinghouse Electric Company has signed an agreement with Community Nuclear Power (CNP) that could lead to the deployment of the UK’s first privately financed small modular reactor (SMR) fleet using Westinghouse’s AP300 reactor technology.

Commercial operation is expected by the early 2030s, the companies said.

Westinghouse said the agreement puts it on track to deploy the UK’s first privately-financed SMR fleet and is a significant step in making this new energy sector a reality.

The company said on social media it had d also “secured an agreement” for the site. “This means the component parts and agreements needed to make this ground-breaking proposition happen – land, capability, technology, private capital funding, and community demand – are in place,” it said.

The agreement is to build four AP300 SMRs in the North Teesside region of northeast England. The region is experiencing industrial and economic development, which the companies say is driving increasing demand for carbon-free electricity.

CNP, which says it is the UK’s only independent SMR development company, is also working with partners, including Jacobs and Interpath Advisory, to develop a fully licensed site for the project, with a target of 2027.

If completed, the project could become the first SMR deployment in the UK. It could also mark Westinghouse’s first deployment of the AP300, an SMR model it launched in May 2023. In addition, the project is “the first privately funded project deploying SMRs anywhere in Europe”, CNP noted. “And our goal is to be generating clean energy within 10 years’ time.”

‘Proven Technology And Mature Supply Chain’

Westinghouse said the project is in accordance with the UK government’s consultation on new nuclear projects and complementary to the company’s participation in Great British Nuclear’s (GBN) SMR technology selection process. In October the AP300 was selected for the next phase of that process along with five other technologies.

“This project brings together Westinghouse’s proven technology and mature supply chain with our depth of expertise in nuclear program delivery, in a region that is transforming its industrial landscape,” said Paul Foster, Community Nuclear Power’s chief executive officer. “We are delighted to be working with Westinghouse in support of private deployment in North Teesside.”

The AP300 SMR is based on Westinghouse’s existing AP1000 large-scale unit. There are four AP1000 units in commercial operation in China and one, Vogtle-3, in the US. A second Vogtle unit is approaching operation.

The company said that unlike every other SMR under development with first-of-a-kind technologies and risks, Westinghouse’s AP300 SMR uses the AP1000 engineering, components, and supply chain. The AP300 is the only SMR based on a licensed, operating nuclear reactor, Westinghouse said.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Cameco-looks-to-increase-production-as-net-earning

The Canadian company said it is strategically positioned to increase tier-one production and plans to begin work to extend the life of the Cigar Lake mine to 2036 as well as looking into expanding production capacity at McArthur River/Key Lake.

Net earnings, adjusted net earnings, and cash from operations all more than doubled compared with 2022, the company said in its announcement of results for the fourth quarter and year ended 31 December 2023.

Cameco's 2023 financial performance benefited from higher sales volumes and realised prices in the company's uranium and fuel services segments, President and CEO Tim Gitzel said, and the company expects "strong financial performance" in 2024 as it begins to "realise the benefits" from its 2023 acquisition, with Brookfield Asset Management, of Westinghouse.

"With ongoing improvements in the market, the new long-term contracts we have put in place and our pipeline of contracting discussions, we are planning to produce 18 million pounds (100% basis) at each of McArthur River/Key Lake and Cigar Lake in 2024," Gitzel said. "We have also converted 73.4 million pounds (100% basis) (40 million pounds our share) of resources to reserves at Cigar Lake, and plan to begin the work necessary to extend the estimated mine life to 2036. At McArthur River/Key Lake, we will undertake an evaluation of the work and investment necessary to expand production up to its annual licensed capacity of 25 million pounds (100% basis), which we expect will allow us to take advantage of this opportunity when the time is right."

Cameco's attributed 2023 production from McArthur River/Key Lake was 9.4 million pounds U3O8 (3616 tU; 13.5 million pounds on 100% basis), with 8.2 million pounds from Cigar Lake (15.1 million pounds on 100% basis). The company's total 2023 attributed uranium production of 17.6 million pounds U3O8 from its Canadian operations was 69% up on 2022 production but 1.1 million pounds below the revised production plans announced by the company in September.

Kazakhstan operations

Production from JV Inkai in Kazakhstan, in which Cameco owns 40% and Kazatomprom owns 60%, continued to be impacted by a 20% supply reduction enacted by the Kazakh atomic company across all its uranium mines in Kazakhstan and continued supply chain challenges, Cameco said. It expects production to remain at similar levels to 2023 following Kazatomprom's recent announcement of the anticipated effects of shortages of sulphuric acid, an essential reagent for its in-situ leach uranium operations.

The geopolitical situation continues to cause transportation risks in the region, Cameco noted, but said it has inventory, long-term purchase agreements and loan arrangements it can draw on to mitigate these risks.

The two shipments containing Cameco's share of Inkai's 2023 production arrived in Canada. "We continue to work closely with JV Inkai and our joint venture partner, KAP, to receive our share of production via the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, which does not rely on Russian rail lines or ports," Cameco said.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Agreement-signed-for-planned%C2%A0UK-fleet-of-AP300-rea

Westinghouse has signed an agreement with Community Nuclear Power Limited (CNP) for the construction of four AP300 small modular reactors (SMRs) in the North Teesside region of northeast England. It would be the UK's first privately-financed SMR fleet.

CNP - formed in September 2022 - is working with strategic partners, including Jacobs and Interpath Advisory, to develop a fully licensed site for the project, with a target of 2027. The project is being privately funded.

"The component parts and agreements needed to make this ground-breaking proposition happen - land, capability, technology, private capital funding, and community demand - are in place," CNP said. "This is the first privately funded project deploying SMRs anywhere in Europe, and our goal is to be generating clean energy with in ten years' time.

"There is mature market-led demand in Teesside for clean, reliable energy - in this instance a programme to build a specialised site that provides green sustainable power for the region and supports the development of a Green Energy and Chemical Hub on the North Tees Group Estate, with the ambition of producing power to liquids (e-fuels and e-chemicals) through an offtake ecosystem on the north bank of the River Tees, near Stockton-on-Tees.

"The North Tees Group Estate is reclaimed and regenerated industrial land, and the provision of clean, always-on energy from at least four AP300s will help attract inward investment and high-value jobs."

Westinghouse said the collaboration "will further expand scale for workforce, training and supply chain localisation via multiple deployment projects", adding that it is a "significant step in making this new energy sector a reality with commercial operation expected by the early 2030s".

The project is in accordance with the recently published UK Government Alternative Routes to Market for New Nuclear Projects consultation and complementary to and supportive of Westinghouse's participation in Great British Nuclear's (GBN's) SMR technology selection process, Westinghouse noted.

"This project brings together Westinghouse's proven technology and mature supply chain with our depth of expertise in nuclear programme delivery, in a region that is transforming its industrial landscape," said CNP CEO Paul Foster. "We are delighted to be working with Westinghouse in support of private deployment in North Teesside."

Westinghouse launched its AP300 SMR in May last year. It is a single-loop pressurised water reactor based on the AP1000 technology and the company hopes to get design certification by 2027, with construction of a first unit beginning in 2030, with operation slated for 2033.

"We want to thank Community Nuclear Power for this tremendous opportunity to deliver our advanced, proven AP300 SMR technology to the UK market," said David Durham, Westinghouse President, Energy Systems. "Our AP300 SMR is ideally suited not just to support grid generation, but also for industrial sites for generating clean and secure energy and the ability to produce hydrogen, e-fuels, desalination and district heating."

Tom Greatrex, chief executive of the Nuclear Industry Association, welcomed the agreement, saying: "Nuclear is an essential part of our journey to energy security and net-zero and this project shows that there is real appetite for new nuclear in the UK. A fleet of SMRs has the potential to bring significant investment and jobs to regions across the country, as well as providing clean energy for homes and industrial sites.

"Nuclear has already played a vital role in powering the North East, helping to give it some of the cleanest power anywhere in the UK and creating good jobs for people. We look forward to seeing how this project develops alongside others in the pipeline."

The UK government has plans to expand nuclear energy capacity to 24 GW by 2050, with a fleet of SMRs a key part of that strategy. Last year, the government and the new GBN arms-length body set up to help deliver that extra capacity began the selection process for which SMR technology to use. In October, EDF, GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, Holtec, NuScale Power, Rolls Royce SMR and Westinghouse were invited to bid for UK government contracts in the next stage of the process.

"We are at the final stages now of preparing and getting the approvals for the invitation to submit an initial tender document," GBN chairman Simon Bowen told WNN last month. "This is the next stage where all six companies will engage with our contractual documentation in terms of how we think it should be structured. They'll submit the responses in their initial tender, we will then go through a process to down-select to around about four with the aim to be placing contracts later in the year."

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/USA-s-Project-Phoenix-to-support-Slovenia-SMR-stud

The US State Department's Project Phoenix aims to help countries transition from coal to small modular reactors (SMRs). Slovenia had applied to take part, and has now been selected to receive advisory and technical services as part of the programme.

Project Phoenix was announced by US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry (pictured above) at the COP27 climate conference in 2022 and aims to support energy security and climate goals by creating pathways for coal-to-SMR power plant conversions while retaining local jobs through workforce retraining. The first recipients, announced in September last year, were the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia.

In a letter announcing the award to Slovenia, State Department assistant secretary C S Eliot Kang, said there had been many "excellent applications" and Slovenia's selection "is testament to the high quality of the proposal". Sargent & Lundy are the implementing partner for the programme, and they will be working with Slovenian stakeholders to identify priority project areas.

He added: "Based on discussions between your government and Sargent & Lundy it is understood that you desire to use the services provided under Project Phoenix to facilitate your government's completion of a pre-feasibility study for potential future SMR deployment ... the result of this assessment will be a comparison of vendor technology capabilities to the goals and priorities" agreed. It could also include compiling information to aid assessment of costs and economic benefits of SMR facility construction and operations in the country.

Tina Seršen, Slovenia's Minister of Environment, Climate and Energy, said: "Participation in the Phoenix project gives Slovenia the opportunity to fulfill the commitments of the National Energy and Climate Plan, which, among other things, foresees that we will study the possibilities of introducing new nuclear technologies. The new nuclear technologies mainly include the technologies of small and advanced modular reactors which are the subject of the consulting and technical assistance of the Phoenix project. Recently, this technology has been intensively developed all over the world, and we are definitely interested in the possibilities of its use in Slovenia as well."

The application was prepared with the Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Energy as coordinator. It said that the aim was to complete the project within a year.

Slovenia already has plans to build a new nuclear power plant - the JEK2 project - with up to 2400 MW capacity next to its existing nuclear power plant, Krško, a 696 MWe pressurised water reactor which generates about one-third of the country's electricity and which is co-owned by neighbouring Croatia. A referendum has been pledged to take place, probably later this year, to ensure public backing for that plan, and more new nuclear in general.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Rosatom-boss-optimistic-about-expanding-nuclear-co

A new protocol to the intergovernmental agreement on the construction of the Kudankulam nuclear power plant was signed during a two-day visit by Rosatom Director General Alexei Likhachev to the Indian plant.

Rosatom described the protocol as an "important document" finalised following negotiations which took place during the visit by Likhachev and Ajit Kumar Mohanty, Chairman of India's Atomic Energy Commission and Secretary of its Department of Atomic Energy.

The department said of the visit that the two men "held a bilateral meeting to review the progress of the construction of Kudankulam units 3 to 6. They expressed satisfaction on the operating performance of units 1 and 2. They also discussed ways and means to expedite the ongoing construction of units 3 to 6. Both the delegations also discussed strengthening ties in other areas of civil nuclear cooperation". It added that on 8 February, the two "signed the amendment to the Intergovernmental Agreement of 2008".

In a statement published by the Russian nuclear corporation, Likhachev said: "India is our strategic partner. Russian-Indian cooperation in the nuclear field has deep roots; the first intergovernmental documents on Indian nuclear power plants of Russian design were signed back in the 1980s. At the end of last year, we celebrated a wonderful joint anniversary - 10 years since the first power unit of the Kudankulam NPP was connected to the power grid of the Republic of India. We continue to work on joint projects in various areas of the use of nuclear energy and are optimistic about the further expansion of cooperation."

Kudankulam, about 100 kilometres from the port city of Tuticorin in the state of Tamil Nadu at the southern tip of India, is already home to two operating Russian-VVER 1000 pressurised water reactors: Kudankulam 1 has been in commercial operation since 2014 and Kudankulam 2 since 2017. Four more VVER units are currently under construction in two phases: construction of units 3 and 4 began in 2017, with work on units 5 and 6 beginning in 2021. Two further units - Kudankulam 7 and 8, AES-2006 units with VVER-1200 reactors - have been proposed as the fourth phase of the plant. The general contractor for the project is Rosatom subsidiary Atomstroyexport.

In December, India's Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov signed three agreements relating to Kudankulam as well as a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in pharmaceuticals and healthcare.

India has large-scale expansion plans for nuclear energy. On Wednesday, in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian parliament, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said it planned to increase its installed nuclear generating capacity from the current 7480 MWe to 22,800 MWe by 2031-32. He said in order to increase nuclear's share of India's electricity generation the government has approved the construction of ten indigenous 700 MWe pressurised heavy water reactors, created the Indian Nuclear Insurance Pool, amended the Atomic Energy Act to enable joint ventures of public sector companies to set up nuclear power projects, and entered into agreements with foreign countries for nuclear power cooperation, including supply of fuel.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/SMRs-economically-feasible-in-Puerto-Rico,-study-f

The Caribbean island of Puerto Rico is favourably positioned for the introduction of advanced micro and small modular reactors, according to an economic study conducted by Puerto Rican-led not-for-profit organisation the Nuclear Alternative Project (NAP).

Puerto Rico - officially, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico - is an unincorporated territory of the USA and is located in the northeastern Caribbean. Puerto Rico currently generates 98% of its electricity from imported fossil fuels, and its power plants, built in the late 1960s, experience outage rates 12 times higher than the US average. Within the next decade, Puerto Rico proposes a transition from a centralised system dependent on fossil fuels to a distributed system centred on clean energy. Its legislature in 2018 passed a bill calling for an investigation into the possibility of building nuclear power plants on the island, which suffered widespread outages following Hurricane Maria in 2017.

Announcing the publication of its latest report - titled Advanced Small Nuclear in Puerto Rico - Economic Study - NAP said: "This report encompasses a wide array of aspects surrounding Puerto Rico's economy and energy sector. We explore market conditions and their performance based on key energy-economic indicators, and socio-economic implications to construct a holistic understanding of the energy landscape associated with potential developments of advanced small nuclear power plants in Puerto Rico."

NAP said the key findings of the study "encompass various facets, including national energy demand, micro and small modular reactor (SMR) energy demand, energy supply, physical infrastructure, climate change, and financial and economic sufficiency".

The study found that real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita in Puerto Rico is about USD32,000 per year, ranking it 19th among the 65 countries compared, "surpassing 17 countries with robust nuclear energy developments or policy support, such as the Slovak Republic, Turkey, Romania, Russia, Bulgaria, and Argentina".

With regards to Puerto Rico's energy consumption per capita, over the past 10 years there has been a 1.8% decline in the annual average growth. However, the report notes that the current level is higher than countries with strong support for nuclear, like Ukraine, Turkey, Argentina, Romania, Brazil and Mexico.

The island also has aging energy infrastructure, with an average lifetime of around 43 years. Four of its power plants, with a combined capacity of 3600 MWe, were scheduled to be retired in 2023 but this did not happen.

"When analysing the economic conditions of Puerto Rico, it becomes evident that a strong industrial sector, accounting for 51% of the total GDP, coupled with a high level of real GDP per capita, approximately USD32,000 per year, positions the country favourably for the introduction of advanced micro and small nuclear reactors," the report says.

"The significant dependency on fuel imports, amounting to around USD1.5 billion in 2021, presents a considerable challenge for Puerto Rico. By developing renewable energy sources, which currently represent 7% of the energy infrastructure and generate around 10% of the total electricity, advanced nuclear reactors could play a pivotal role in diversifying the energy mix.

"In conclusion, while micro and small nuclear reactors may not always appear as the most cost-effective solution in the short term, a value-based approach prompts us to consider their broader benefits. By focusing on the flexibility, reliability and environmental advantages they bring, we recognise that their worth extends far beyond initial construction costs. Embracing a value-based perspective allows to see these reactors not as expensive burdens, but as valuable assets in the transition to a more sustainable and resilient energy future."

NAP was founded in 2016 by Puerto Rican engineers in the US nuclear industry to inform and advocate for SMRs and microreactors in Puerto Rico.

A preliminary feasibility study published by NAP in May 2020 concluded that advanced nuclear reactors can meet Puerto Rico's unique energy needs by complementing renewable sources with zero-emission electricity resilient to extreme natural events. The study was funded by the US Department of Energy (DOE).

In November 2021, DOE awarded USD1.6 million in funding to NAP to study the potential siting of small reactors in Puerto Rico. NAP has identified two potential sites on the island, based on US Nuclear Regulatory Commission criteria.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/TRIGA-International-begins-fabricating-MARVEL-fuel

The Framatome-General Atomics joint venture has begun fabricating the fuel for the US Department of Energy's (DOE) MARVEL microreactor, with delivery of the first shipment of fuel expected in spring 2025.

MARVEL - a sodium-potassium-cooled microreactor designed to generate 85 kW of thermal energy - is to be built inside the Transient Reactor Test Facility at Idaho National Laboratory where it will be used to advance new reactor technologies. It will be one of the first new reactors to be built at the lab in more than four decades, and is expected to be online in 2027, with future plans to connect it to a microgrid.

The fuel the reactor will use is similar to the uranium-zirconium hydride fuel used in the TRIGA pool-type research reactors that are in operation at various universities around the world. TRIGA International is the only supplier of fuel for those reactors.

John Jackson, the national technical director for DOE's microreactor programme, said securing the fuel for the MARVEL project addressed a primary technical challenge. "The initiation of fuel fabrication represents another tangible step toward making this exciting test platform a reality," he said.

TRIGA International was awarded a contract worth about USD8.4 million late last year to produce 37 fuel elements for the MARVEL project. It started the fabrication process at its facility in Romans, France, late last month, the DOE said.

"Securing the fuel for the MARVEL microreactor project addresses a primary technical challenge,” said John Jackson, the national technical director for DOE's microreactor programme. "The initiation of fuel fabrication represents another tangible step toward making this exciting test platform a reality."

A preliminary safety analysis report for MARVEL will be submitted for review later this year as part of the DOE authorisation process, and tests are also under way on a full-scale, non-electric prototype of the reactor - the primary coolant apparatus test, or PCAT - to provide data on the system’s coolant flow and power generation to ensure the reactor will perform as expected. PCAT has been installed at Creative Engineers Inc's manufacturing facility in Pennsylvania.

Source: https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/pressreleases/japan-informs-iaea-about-incident-at-fukushima-daiichi-nuclear-power-station

Japan’s Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS) operator, today informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that water containing radioactive materials was found to have leaked from a caesium absorption tower at the plant. The estimated 5,5 cubic metres (m3) of water was assessed to have leaked from a valve left open during cleaning work at the absorption tower.

The leaked water was from the system filtering water as part of the ongoing decommissioning activities at the site. The event is not related to the discharge of the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) treated water.

TEPCO has confirmed that there was no significant fluctuation in radiation measurements recorded at the site. The event does not pose any risk to the public and there is no environmental impact off-site.

The IAEA was informed that at around 8:53 AM today a contractor at the FDNPS noted that water had leaked from a caesium absorption tower within the High Temperature Incinerator Building, a facility used to remove caesium and strontium from contaminated water collected at the site. Water being used to flush the valves in preparation for valve inspection leaked through an open valve. Workers at the site closed the valve at 9:10 AM and the water stopped leaking at 9:16 AM.

TEPCO conducted an assessment and confirmed to the IAEA that the leaked water is a mix of contaminated water from the absorption system and filtered water used for cleaning. TEPCO calculated that the leakage totalled around 5,5 m3 of water containing an estimated 0,022 Terabecquerel (TBq) of radioactive substances.

TEPCO assessed that the water may have resulted in minor contamination to the soil surrounding the absorption tower and has taken precautionary measures. It has restricted access to the area and has collected soil for analysis.

Japan’s Nuclear Regulatory Authority has been informed and inspectors at the plant are conducting an on-site investigation.

The IAEA remains in contact with authorities in Japan.

Source: https://www.neimagazine.com/news/newsnasa-completes-initial-phase-of-lunar-nuclear-reactor-project-11494315

NASA has completed the initial phase of its Fission Surface Power Project, which sought to develop concept designs for a small, electricity-generating nuclear fission reactor that could be used during a future demonstration on the Moon and to inform future designs for Mars.

NASA awarded three $5m contracts in 2022, tasking each commercial partner with developing an initial design that included the reactor; its power conversion, heat rejection, and power management and distribution systems; estimated costs; and a development schedule that could pave the way for powering a sustained human presence on the lunar surface for at least 10 years.

“A demonstration of a nuclear power source on the Moon is required to show that it is a safe, clean, reliable option,” said Trudy Kortes, programme director at Technology Demonstration Missions within NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate. While solar power systems have limitations on the Moon, a nuclear reactor could be placed in permanently shadowed areas (where there may be water ice) or generate power continuously during lunar nights, which are 14-and-a-half Earth days long.

NASA designed the requirements for this initial reactor to be open and flexible to maintain the commercial partners’ ability to bring creative approaches for technical review. “There was a healthy variety of approaches; they were all very unique from each other,” said Lindsay Kaldon, Fission Surface Power project manager at NASA’s Glenn Research Centre in Cleveland. “We didn’t give them a lot of requirements on purpose because we wanted them to think outside the box.”

NASA specified that the reactor should stay under six tonnes and be able to produce 40 kilowatts (kW) of electrical power, ensuring enough for demonstration purposes and additional power for running lunar habitats, rovers, backup grids, or science experiments. NASA also set a goal that the reactor should be capable of operating for a decade without human intervention. Safety, especially concerning radiation dose and shielding, was another key driver for the design.

Beyond these set requirements, the partnerships envisioned how the reactor would be remotely powered on and controlled. They identified potential faults and considered different types of fuels and configurations. Having terrestrial nuclear companies paired with companies with expertise in space made for a wide range of ideas.

NASA plans to extend the three Phase 1 contracts to gather more information before Phase 2, when industry will be solicited to design the final reactor to demonstrate on the Moon. This additional knowledge will help the agency set the Phase 2 requirements, Kaldon said.

After Phase 2, the target date for delivering a reactor to the launch pad is in the early 2030s. On the Moon, the reactor will complete a one-year demonstration followed by nine operational years. If all goes well, the reactor design may be updated for potential use on Mars.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/IAEA-s-Grossi-visits-Zaporizhzhia-nuclear-power-pl

International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi has travelled across the military frontline to visit the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant for a fourth time.

The director general arrived at the plant on Wednesday alongside the four International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors who will be the 16th rotation of experts to be stationed at the plant.

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which has six units and is Ukraine and Europe's largest, has been under Russian military control since early March 2022 and is located very close to the frontline of Russian and Ukrainian forces. During his visit, Grossi was briefed on the current state of the plant by director Yuri Chernichuk.

According to the Russian operators of the plant "Chernichuk noted that the station has enough qualified personnel to ensure safe operation of the station", as well as outlining steps taken, such as the drilling of 11 new wells to ensure a sustainable water supply following the damage to the Kakhovka reservoir last June. During his walk around the site, Grossi inspected some of the new wells.

Speaking as he prepared to leave the plant, Grossi said it had been an "important visit where, we were able to look into important aspects related to the safety and the security situation at the plant at this moment".

He said that the "physical integrity of the plant has been relatively stable - there have been less episodes of direct attacks or shelling around it, which is a positive development, although we take it with enormous caution, we have always indicated that this is an ongoing effort".

Ahead of the visit, including during talks with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday, Grossi had raised concerns about staffing at the plant - not just the stress that people are working under, but also the decline in licensed workers, and the decision to exclude any existing staff who had refused to sign a new work contract with the Russian operating company.

Grossi said: "The issues related to the staff and the necessity to ensure sufficient availability of licensed and, authorised staff, has also been part of the discussions we've had here at Zaporizhzhia."

He added that the visit "confirms the importance, the indispensable activity that the IAEA is displaying here and our commitment to continue, because, until the conflict ends without a nuclear accident with radiological consequences, we will not be able to say that our job is complete".

Grossi is expected to travel to Moscow for more talks relating to safety and security issues at the plant in the next two weeks.

During their meeting on Tuesday, President Zelensky emphasised that his view was that the only way to prevent a nuclear accident at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was its full demilitarisation, de-occupation and restoration of control over the plant by Ukraine.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Contaminated-water-leak-at-Fukushima-Daiichi

A leak of contaminated water has been discovered from a pipe connected to a caesium adsorption device at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan. The leak has been stopped and Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) said it will check soil beneath the pipe for contamination.

Tepco said that at about 8.52am on 7 February a worker from a contracted company found that water was leaking from the vent opening of the second cesium adsorption device installed on the east wall of the high-temperature and high-pressure incinerator building. The vent is for discharging hydrogen generated within the adsorption device. The second cesium adsorption device was currently out of service and was undergoing flushing work with filtered water for valve inspections.

At around 9.10am, the main valve for filtered water was closed, and at around 9.16am, Tepco confirmed that the water had stopped leaking.

The water had leaked onto metal plates located below the leaking pipe.

Tepco estimates that about 5.5 tonnes of water leaked from the pipe, which may contain 22 billion becquerels of radioactive materials, such as caesium and strontium.

"There is a possibility that water leaked into the soil through the gaps between the metal plates under the leakage point," Tepco said, adding that as an emergency measure it will restrict access to the area and will collect the soil in the future.

Although the indicated value of the nearby continuous dust monitor on the premises temporarily rose slightly within the normal fluctuation range, it has now returned to its original value, Tepco noted. In addition, there were no significant changes in the indicated values ​​of the monitoring post, site boundary continuous dust monitor, and drainage channel monitor closest to the leak point.

"The cause of this incident is currently under investigation, but we will continue to appropriately investigate the cause and take measures to prevent recurrence," Tepco said.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Korean-shipbuilder-joins-maritime-SMR-project

South Korea's HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (KSOE) plans to develop a small modular reactor (SMR) for use in shipping in cooperation with the UK's Core Power and the USA's Southern Company and TerraPower.

The plans were announced following a joint research and technology exchange meeting in Washington, DC, between KSOE - a subsidiary of South Korea's HD Hyundai - and TerraPower and Core Power. In November 2022, KSOE invested USD30 million in TerraPower.

The reactor to be jointly developed centres around TerraPower's Molten Chloride Fast Reactor (MCFR) design. The technology uses molten chloride salt as both reactor coolant and fuel, allowing for so-called fast spectrum operation which the company says makes the fission reaction more efficient. It operates at higher temperatures than conventional reactors, generating electricity more efficiently, and also offers potential for process heat applications and thermal storage. An iteration of the MCFR - known as the m-MSR - intended for marine use is being developed by TerraPower.

KSOE plans to send an R&D team to TerraPower in March to continue cooperation with all the joint research companies from various fields including marine nuclear power plants and new nuclear applications. In addition, KSOE plans to join the establishment of a system for the application of marine reactors with the International Atomic Energy Agency and classification societies ABS and Lloyd's Register.

The shipping industry consumes some 350 million tonnes of fossil fuel annually and accounts for about 3% of total worldwide carbon emissions. In July last year, the shipping industry, via the International Maritime Organization, approved new targets for greenhouse gas emission reductions, aiming to reach net-zero emissions by or around 2050.

Core Power President and CEO Mikal Bøe welcomed KSOE's involvement in the project, saying: "Adding their world-class expertise in shipbuilding and process engineering and Core Power's 60+ shareholders from the maritime and energy industries illustrates how a broader understanding that there is no net-zero without nuclear, is now being established."

In January this year, a memorandum of understanding was signed between Lloyd's Register, Zodiac Maritime, KSOE and Kepco Engineering & Construction for the development of nuclear-propelled ship designs, including bulk carriers and container ships. Under the joint development project, KSOE and Kepco E&C will provide designs for future vessels and reactors while Lloyd's Register will assess rule requirements for safe operation and regulatory compliance models.

The partners will work to address the challenges involved with nuclear propulsion, such as applying existing terrestrial nuclear technology to ships, and the project will enable shipping company Zodiac to evaluate ship specifications and voyage considerations around nuclear technology.

In November 2020, a multinational team including Core Power, Southern Company, TerraPower and Orano USA applied to take part in cost-share risk reduction awards under the US Department of Energy's Advanced Reactor Demonstration Programme to build a proof-of-concept for a medium-scale commercial-grade marine reactor based on molten salt reactor technology.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Outer-dome-installed-on-Chinese-small-modular-nucl

The outer containment dome has been successfully hoisted into place at the ACP100 small modular reactor demonstration project at the Changjiang site on China's island province of Hainan, China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) has announced.

The reactor building for the ACP100 - also referred to as the Linglong One - consists of three parts: the internal structure, the steel containment shell and the outer concrete shielding shell. The inner steel containment dome was installed in November.

The operation to lift and place in position the outer shell, which weighs about 550 tonnes, took one hour and thirty eight minutes on 6 February, in time for Chinese New Year and the Spring Festival holidays. CNNC said that 6000 workers at the Linglong One project site will stay at their jobs "and go all out to ensure that the project is completed on time".

Chen Weimin, deputy director of the Hainan Nuclear Power Engineering Management Office, said: "The hoisting of the outer dome into place means the main structure of the reactor building has been completed and laid the foundation for the subsequent capping of the reactor building." He said that there had been valuable experience for subsequent modular development of new nuclear.

CNNC announced in July 2019 the launch of a project to construct an ACP100 reactor at Changjiang in Hainan Province. The site is already home to two operating CNP600 PWRs, while the construction of the two Hualong One units began in March and December 2021. Both those units are due to enter commercial operation by the end of 2026.

First concrete for the ACP100 was poured on 13 July 2021, with a planned total construction period of 58 months. Equipment installation work commenced in December 2022 and the main internal structure of the reactor building was completed in March 2023.

Under development since 2010, the 125 MWe ACP100 integrated pressurised water reactor's (PWR's) preliminary design was completed in 2014. In 2016, the design became the first SMR to pass a safety review by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Once completed, the Changjiang ACP100 reactor - which CNNC describes as "the world's first commercial land-based small modular PWR" - will be capable of producing 1 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, enough to meet the needs of 526,000 households. The reactor is designed for electricity production, heating, steam production or seawater desalination.

The project at Changjiang involves a joint venture of three main companies: CNNC subsidiary China National Nuclear Power as owner and operator; the Nuclear Power Institute of China as the reactor designer; and China Nuclear Power Engineering Group being responsible for plant construction. For the demonstration plant, the reactor vessel is being supplied by Shanghai Boiler Works Limited, the steam generators by a CNNC subsidiary and other reactor internals by Dongfang Electric Corporation.

Brussels recognises ‘potential role’ for small reactors in decarbonisation efforts.

The European Commission (EC) has given formal start of a European Industrial Alliance on Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) along with non-binding recommendations to further cut greenhouse gas emissions by 2040 with the ultimate goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2050.

The Commission said in a statement on Tuesday 6 February that based on a conducted impact assessment it recommends a 90% net emissions reduction by 2040 compared to 1990 levels. A legislative proposal is expected to be made by the next Commission, after the European elections in June 2024.

The EC said it recognises the potential contribution of SMRs to achieving the bloc’s green energy and climate objectives.

The establishment of an SMR industrial alliance aims to improve industrial competitiveness and ensure a strong EU supply chain and a skilled workforce, said the Commission.

According to EC, the European energy sector is to achieve full decarbonisation shortly after 2040, based on all zero and low carbon energy solutions, including renewables, nuclear, energy efficiency, carbon capture and storage, carbon removals, geothermal and hydro.

“An important benefit of these efforts [decarbonisation] is a lower dependence on fossil fuels thanks to an 80% fall in their consumption for energy from 2021 to 2040,” the EC said.

“The post-2030 policy framework will be an opportunity to develop these policies further and complement them with social and industrial policies to ensure a smooth transition away from fossil fuels.”

European Industrial Alliance On SMRs

Yves Desbazeille, director-general of Brussels-based nuclear industry group nucleareurope, welcomed the formation of the SMR industrial alliance and said the European nuclear industry “has been at the forefront of innovation and industrial excellence for decades.”

However, he said there are challenges which need to be addressed to ensure the smooth deployment of SMRs and the Commissions initiative can help overcome those challenges.

“The deployment of SMRs will bring significant benefits to Europe, including greater energy sovereignty, lower CO2 emissions, new jobs and economic growth,” said Desbazeille.

The SMR industrial alliance – which will bring together industry, policymakers, regulators and the public – will focus on accelerating the deployment of SMR technologies in the early 2030s.

In June 2021, the Commission organised its first workshop on SMR reactor technology in response to calls from the nuclear industry, led by nucleareurope.

The event resulted in a proposal to set up a European SMR partnership involving industrial stakeholders, research organisations, potential customers, utilities, member states and European policymakers and regulators. The aim would be to create “enabling conditions” for the first European SMRs to start operating early next decade.

Under the partnership proposal, five work streams were established to focus on aspects relevant to SMR deployment: potential market for SMRs, licencing issues, financing, supply chain adaptation and R&D. A working group was assigned to each stream.

In November 2023, the Commission proposed the formation of an SMR industrial alliance at a nuclear conference in Bratislava.

Nucleareurope said an EC action plan will identify a list of technically mature and commercially viable SMRs that could be supported under the industrial alliance, as well as potential gaps in the European supply chain for SMRs, including fuel and raw materials.

The plan should also identify investment barriers, funding opportunities and new financing options to support SMR development, while future needs for research on SMRs and existing skills gaps are to be addressed under the Euratom research and training programme, and at national level.

Yves Desbazeille previously said an SMR industrial alliance would also ensure cooperation on licensing issues across EU member state regulators.

The Commission is expected to open a call for members to join the SMR alliance shortly.

In December 2023, nuclear power was added to the EU’s list of “strategic” technologies as part of a draft net-zero industry bill which means it would benefit from improved investment conditions and streamlined licensing procedures. Nuclear energy, including SMRs, made it to a provisional deal announced 6 February and expected to be adopted later this year.

EU Green Policies Aim For Climate Neutrality By 2050

According to the EC, setting a 90% emission reduction target by 2040 will help European industry, investors, citizens and governments to make decisions in this decade that will keep the EU on track to meet its climate neutrality objective in 2050.

Such a policy will send “important signals” on how to invest and plan effectively for the longer term, said the Commission, adding it will boost Europe's resilience against future crises, strengthening the EU's energy independence from fossil fuel imports.

The European Climate Law, effective since July 2021, commits the EU to achieve climate neutrality by 2050 and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030.

To meet these goals, the EU introduced the Fit for 55 legislative package. If the new 90% emission reduction proposal will be made binding by the next Commission, the intention would be to build on the pervious 55% target for 2030.

EU climate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra told the European Parliament yesterday that the EC has intended to start “a dialogue on the pathway to 2040”, referring to the fact that concrete proposals will need to be made by the next group of policy makers in Brussels.

According to Politico, as of 2022, the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions are 32.5% lower than in 1990.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/MoltexFLEX-publishes-research-on-graphite-interact

MoltexFLEX scientists worked with the University of Manchester's Nuclear Graphite Research Group to use X-ray micro CT scanners to investigate how molten salt infiltrates pores within standard industrial grades of graphite.

The research was conducted at MoltexFLEX's laboratory in Warrington and at Manchester University, which are both in northwest England. It involved immersing standard industrial grades of graphite in the molten salt, within stainless steel containers for 30 days at temperatures above 750 degrees Celsius.

The company's FLEX molten salt reactor is designed to operate at that temperature and the aim is to use commercially available graphite, which would make mass production of FLEX reactors easier, while keeping costs lower.

The research paper says: "For thermal spectrum Molten Salt Reactors (MSRs), graphite is typically utilised as moderator, reflector, and part of the core support structures. The inherent porosity within the graphite means that it is prone to infiltration by the molten salt, resulting in changes in its properties. Such property changes must be taken into consideration during reactor design and a good understanding of interaction between molten salt and the graphite microstructure is therefore important in selecting graphite grades for applications in MSRs.

"The graphite/molten salt interaction has traditionally been investigated using the weight gain after salt infiltration, followed by mercury intrusion porosimetry and post-mortem microstructure characterisations using, for example, Scanning Electron Microscopy. The results provided an overall description to the infiltration of molten salt into the graphite porosity. However, a more fundamental understanding of the graphite/molten salt interaction is still needed. How the pore size, shape, connectivity, and location with respect to the molten salt affect the detailed salt infiltration process remains to be understood."

It adds that the system used in the research, a non-destructive 3D microstructure characterisation technique, "can potentially deliver more detailed information for understanding the graphite/molten salt interaction" with the work aiming to observe the microstructure change due to the salt infiltration.

It says that the research was able to provide "a direct comparison of the graphite's microstructure before and after molten salt infiltration, enabling the relative volume of pores that have been filled by the salt to be quantified ... [and] delivered detailed information about the spatial distribution of the infiltrated salt and the 3D structures of the infiltrated salt. All of this provides valuable information for the understanding of the kinetics that control the molten salt infiltration into the porous graphite."

Ciara Fox, MoltexFLEX senior metallurgist, said: "The results were very much as we predicted. This research is a very promising first stage on the path to predicting and controlling the behaviour of molten salt infiltration within the graphite. It’s an important stepping stone in developing a technique that will allow us to do that."

MoltexFLEX has been working with the Nuclear Graphite Research Group team led by Professor Abbie Jones on graphite-related research for three years.

MoltexFLEX, a subsidiary of Moltex Energy Limited, is developing the FLEX reactor - the thermal neutron (moderated) version of Moltex Energy's stable salt reactor technology. The aim for the 60 MWt/24 MWe reactors is for them to be small and modular, passively safe, have no moving parts and, using 5% low-enriched uranium, have a five-year refuelling cycle. The target is to have the first reactor operational by 2029.

In May 2021, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission completed the first phase of the pre-licensing vendor design review for Moltex Energy's 300 MWe Stable Salt Reactor - Wasteburner (SSR-W 300) small modular reactor. The SSR-W is a molten salt reactor that uses nuclear waste as fuel. The company aims to deploy its first such reactor at the Point Lepreau site in New Brunswick by the early 2030s.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/First-European-made-ITER-vessel-sector-awaits-ship

The first of five vacuum vessel sectors under the responsibility of Fusion for Energy (F4E) - the Iter Organisation's European domestic agency - is undergoing factory acceptance tests. The component has already passed leak testing and its dimensions will now be checked.

ITER's plasma chamber, or vacuum vessel, houses the fusion reactions and acts as a first safety containment barrier. With an interior volume of 1400 cubic metres, it will be formed from nine wedge-shaped steel sectors that measure more than 14 metres in height and weigh 440 tonnes. The ITER vacuum vessel, once assembled, will have an outer diameter of 19.4 metres, a height of 11.4 metres, and weigh approximately 5200 tonnes. With the subsequent installation of in-vessel components such as the blanket and the divertor, the vacuum vessel will weigh 8500 tonnes.

The fabrication of the vacuum vessel sectors is shared between Europe (5 sectors) and Korea (4 sectors). Vacuum vessel sector No.6, at the centre of the assembly, and associated thermal shielding has already been manufactured and delivered by the Korean Domestic Agency.

The first sector, No 5, being supplied by Europe has now been manufactured at the Westinghouse/Mangiarotti facility in Monfalcone, Italy, and is undergoing factory acceptance tests prior to being shipped to the construction site.

"Years of teamwork in developing the procurement strategy, agreeing on the design, the technical specifications, and following up its manufacturing, have come down to this make-or-break moment in the lifecycle of the component," F4E said. "The valuable lessons learnt from sectors delivered by Korea, and the knowledge accumulated from the collaboration between F4E and the AMW consortium (Ansaldo Nucleare, Mangiarotti and Walter Tosto) have fed into this exercise."

The factory acceptance tests consist of hydraulic and dimensional checks.

The hydraulic testing of sector No 5 was successfully completed on 16 January. These tests - using nitrogen and helium - examined how the component responds to pressure and vacuum. Their objective is to make sure that there are no leaks in the structure. "Checking these parameters is of paramount importance because the fusion reaction requires an environment which is completely tight," F4E noted. "Furthermore, the vacuum vessel is classified as a nuclear component that needs to comply with the strict prerequisites set by the French Nuclear Safety Authority." It said the results were "solid proof that the welding, assembly and manufacturing met the highest standards".

"The successful outcome of these operations results from years of cooperation between F4E, ITER Organisation and AMW," said Joan Caixas, F4E Assembly Project Manager. "The results give us a lot of confidence for the next tests and ultimately for the delivery of Europe's first sector."

The dimensional tests - which will require more time given the volume of the component - essentially measure with accuracy the component using sophisticated probes, lasers, and other tooling to scan the surface, spot any deformations, etc.

Once the factory acceptance tests are completed, the component will be transported to the ITER construction site. According to the current schedule, the component is expected to depart from Mangiarotti later in the year. It will leave on a boat and be shipped to the port of Marseille. From there, it will be loaded onto a large track, and by applying the protocol of a heavy exceptional convoy, it will be transported to the ITER site.

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

Thirty-five nations are collaborating to build ITER - the European Union is contributing almost half of the cost of its construction, while the other six members (China, India, Japan, South Korea, Russia and the USA) are contributing equally to the rest. Construction began in 2010 and the original 2018 first plasma target date was put back to 2025 by the ITER council in 2016. In June last year, the ITER Organisation was expected to reveal a revised timeline for the project but instead put back by a year an announcement on an updated timeline.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/ODIN

Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has completed a pre-conceptual design review of NANO Nuclear Energy Inc's ODIN low-pressure coolant microreactor design. The company's ZEUS microreactor design is also to be reviewed by the lab.

The microreactor company announced its Strategic Partnership Project Agreement with INL in April 2023, and requested the review to provide an external audit of the technical work completed to date on the ODIN design. "The review served to ensure that NANO Nuclear has thoroughly considered the necessary aspects of its design and the applicable regulations for advancing the technology towards a commercial product," the company said.

NANO Nuclear founder and Executive Chairman Jay Jiang Yu said the laboratory's evaluation of ODIN had provided "enormously useful and valuable insights" to assist the company's technological development. "This collaboration has equipped our world-class team with essential guidance and utilised national laboratory expertise to maintain our progress in the field of advanced nuclear reactors," he said.

According to company information, ODIN will use "conventional" uranium fuel with up to 20% enrichment, with a low-pressure coolant to minimise the stress on structural components and improve their reliability and service life. It will also use a unique reactivity control system design, aiming to have high reliability and robustness by minimising the number of moving parts. The reactor will operate at higher than conventional water-cooled reactor temperatures, and take maximum advantage of natural convection of coolant for heat transfer to the power conversion cycle at full power and for decay heat removal during reactor shutdown, operational transients, and off-normal conditions.

INL reviewed the technical information provided by NANO Nuclear on the reactor design, siting, fuel and decommissioning strategy, culminating in a panel review workshop to discuss every applicable area of the design and the future work required to successfully deliver an optimised and market-driven product. "The review panel provided recommendations and outlined a path forward for NANO Nuclear to advance and build on the work completed by its world-class scientific team to date," the company said.

INL is to carry out a similar review of NANO Nuclear's ZEUS microreactor, which features a fully solid core and is designed to fit within a standard ISO shipping container. Heat removal is through thermal conduction, eliminating the need for coolant and pumps.

"Idaho National Laboratory is a great resource to help the development and evolution of our advanced nuclear reactors," said James Walker, NANO Nuclear's CEO and head of nuclear reactor development. "Their recommendations will serve to both optimise our reactor designs, and ensure these developments simultaneously align with national standards and licensing requirements."

"The panel delivered tremendous value to us and our ODIN project," he added. "The planned review of the ZEUS reactor design is expected to provide that project with the same external input and direction which has so significantly benefitted ODIN."

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Construction-starts-on-French-lead-212-production

Orano subsidiary Orano Med has laid the foundation stone for its Alpha Therapy Laboratory (ATLab) in Onnaing in northern France. This will be Europe's first industrial-scale pharmaceutical facility dedicated to the production of lead-212 (Pb-212) based radioligand therapies.

The isotope is used in an emerging medical treatment called targeted alpha therapy, in which an alpha-emitting isotope is combined with a protein or antibody that specifically targets and destroy cancer cells while minimising damage to healthy tissue. However the use of these therapies has been constrained by global radioisotope supply shortages.

Orano said the construction of ATLab Valenciennes is a step towards making these promising new treatments available to cancer patients with high unmet needs.

ATLab Valenciennes, with more than 3000 square-metres of floor space, will represent an investment of EUR29 million (USD31 million) and will create 25 direct jobs. It will focus on the production of Pb-212 therapies developed by Orano Med and their distribution in Europe. Orano Med is due to inaugurate a similar facility this year in Indianapolis to serve the US market.

This combined capacity will enable Orano Med to manufacture 10,000 doses a year as of 2025, with the aim of producing ten times that number by the end of the decade. Given the short half-life of Pb-212 (10.6 hours), the drugs need to be produced close to hospitals. The construction of further ATLabs is therefore envisaged to meet patients' needs worldwide.

"The ATLab in Onnaing is a very important step in our development strategy and is situated at the very heart of the industrial fabric of the Valenciennes metropolitan area and the Hauts-de-France region," said Guillaume Dureau, the Orano Group's Senior Executive Vice-President Projects & Innovation R&D and Nuclear Medicine. "The expansion of our production capacity in the radiopharmaceutical field is part of a drive to revitalise our country's industrial and economic fabric."

"We are convinced that radioligand therapies will soon become an essential tool in the fight against cancer," said Orano Med CEO Julien Dodet. "As the Phase II clinical trial of our most advanced drug AlphaMedix nears completion, we are building a global industrial platform to ensure the large-scale production and distribution of these potential treatments."

The construction of ATLab Valenciennes is supported by the Hauts de France region and the Valenciennes metropolitan area. The project has also been selected under the France 2030 plan following the call for "Industrialisation and health capacities 2030" projects and will receive public support of almost EUR3.8 million.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Oklo-reports-progress-in-Idaho,-Ohio

A land rights agreement signed with the Southern Ohio Diversification Initiative (SODI) gives Oklo Inc the option and right of first refusal to purchase land in Southern Ohio where Oklo envisages deploying two of its Aurora 'powerhouses'. Meanwhile, the safety design strategy for a planned fuel facility in Idaho to support the deployment of its reactors has been approved by the US Department of Energy (DOE).

The agreement with SODI - the DOE-designated community reuse organisation for the former Portsmouth gaseous diffusion uranium enrichment plant - builds on a non-binding memorandum of understanding between Oklo and SODI from May 2023, and signifies progress toward siting development and implementation, the company said. Procurement of land at SODI will be a "major next step" for deployment of the two powerhouses, it added.

"We see incredible potential in the Piketon region, both in its talent and infrastructure, and we deeply value partnering with SODI and collaborating with the local community," said Oklo co-founder and CEO Jacob DeWitte. "We are also greatly appreciative to the efforts of the DOE Office of Environmental Management in making these public-private partnerships possible."

"Oklo's land purchase agreement further brings into focus the potential for transformative impact the redevelopment of this site can have on our energy infrastructure and the reinvigoration of our community," SODI Executive Director Steven Shepherd said.

Oklo's Aurora design is a compact fast neutron reactor that uses heat pipes to transport heat from the reactor core to a supercritical carbon dioxide power conversion system to generate electricity. The Aurora 'powerhouse' uses metallic high-assay low-enriched uranium, or HALEU, fuel to produce about 15 MWe as well as producing usable heat.

Idaho fuel facility

In March 2020, Oklo submitted an application to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission to build and operate an Aurora reactor at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) site. The company announced on 31 January that the DOE has now reviewed and approved the safety design strategy (SDS) for the fuel facility it plans to build at INL to demonstrate the reuse of recovered nuclear material to support its advanced fission power plant demonstration there.

Oklo was previously selected through a competitive DOE-supported process to provide access to material recovered from used nuclear fuel from INL's now-decommissioned Experimental Breeder Reactor-II to produce high-assay low-enriched uranium for advanced reactors.

"The SDS approval is a major step towards a DOE approval of the Aurora Fuel Fabrication Facility as we continue towards our goal of producing fuel for our planned Aurora commercial power plant," DeWitte said.

The SDS is the first stage in DOE's approval process for the fuel facility. Oklo said it is working with INL operator Battelle Energy Alliance on the next phase, focusing on the conceptual safety design report which will summarise the hazard analysis efforts and safety-in-design decisions incorporated into the conceptual design, along with any identified project risks associated with the selected strategies.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Five-express-interest-in-Kozlody-new-nuclear-const

The deadline to express an interest in the construction of the proposed two new units at the Kozloduy nuclear power plant in Bulgaria has passed, with five companies submitting applications.

In a statement issued on the Kozloduy plant's website the new build project company said that the applications will now be considered, following the passing of Friday afternoon's deadline. The new units are to be Westinghouse AP1000 reactors.

The initial part of the selection process will be to check that those expressing an interest meet the qualifying criteria. These include demonstrating construction experience and the commissioning of at least two nuclear units as well as "to have solid experience in the nuclear and turbine island of at least two units or have supplied and installed equipment for two units within the last 15 years - applicants must also demonstrate at least USD6 billion in turnover and profit for the five years period from 2018 to 2022". Candidates from the Russian Federation have been specifically excluded.

Bulgaria is aiming to have two new Westinghouse AP1000 units at Kozloduy nuclear power plant. Deputy Energy Minister Nikolay Nikolov told Bulgaria's official BTA news agency in December that the aim was to achieve a price of about EUR6 billion (USD6.5 billion) for each of the units.

Kozloduy units 1-4 were VVER-440 models which the European Commission had classified as non-upgradeable and Bulgaria agreed to close them during negotiations to join the European Union in 2007. Units 5 and 6 feature VVER-1000 reactors that were connected to the grid in 1987 and 1991, respectively. Both units have been through refurbishment and life extension programmes to enable extension of operation from 30 to 60 years.

When the decision to move ahead with AP1000 units at Kozloduy was given approval by the country's council of ministers in October, the target date for the completion of the first unit was 2033, with the second unit to follow "two or three years after the first one". The 2300 MWe capacity of the two new units would exceed the 1760 MWe capacity of the closed first four units. The Bulgarian government has also said that further units will be needed to replace units 5 and 6 by 2050.

Westinghouse will hold overall Design Authority responsibility for the AP1000 plant, the expression of interest document said, adding: "The responsibilities for the design of individual AP1000 plant systems and buildings shall be delegated by Westinghouse. The responsibility for the design of Modules, Constructions Assemblies and Platforms is aligned with the party that is responsible for the design of the building in which the item is located."

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Pressure-vessel-in-place-at-Indian-plant

The reactor vessel for Kudankulam unit 4 has been lifted into its design position at the construction site in Tamil Nadu, Rosatom announced.

The company said the installation was carried out on 24 January using the "open top" method, first used at Kudankulam 3. This involves installing the component while the reactor dome is still open, which can significantly cut the time taken to carry out the installation. On the day of the installation, the equipment was moved to a vertical position, then lifted by crane to a height of 50 metres and lowered into the reactor shaft of the reactor building.

The pressure vessel, weighing in at over 317 tonnes, was delivered from Volgodonsk in Russia to the Kudankulam construction site in 2023 as part of an "unprecedentedly complex and large-scale" simultaneous shipment of two reactor vessels and eight steam generators for plants under construction in India and China, according to Rosatom.

After installation of the reactor vessel, installation of components for the nuclear steam system including steam generators, housings of the main circulation pump units and a pressure compensator will begin.

Kudankulam is home to two operating Russian-supplied VVER-1000 pressurised water reactors which are owned and operated by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL). Four further VVERs are under construction: work started on units 3 and 4 in 2017, and on units 5 and 6 in 2021. A fourth phase comprising two VVER-1200 reactors - Kudankulam 7 and 8 - has been proposed.

The general contractor is for the project is Rosatom subsidiary Atomstroyexport, the general designer is Atomenergoproekt and the general designer is OKB Gidropress.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Environmental-permitting-of-Polish-SMR-plant-progr

Orlen Synthos Green Energy (OSGE) can now begin environmental and siting research for its planned small modular reactor (SMR) project in Stawy Monowskie, in Małopolska, Poland, after the country's General Director for Environmental Protection (GDOŚ) issued the scope of the environmental report for the project.

In mid-April 2023, OSGE announced it had shortlisted seven locations in Poland for further geological surveys to host SMR plants based on GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy's BWRX-300, for which it holds the exclusive right in Poland. The locations were: Ostrołęka, Włocławek, Stawy Monowskie, Dąbrowa Górnicza, Nowa Huta, Tarnobrzeg Special Economic Zone and Warsaw.

OSGE submitted applications in late-April to the Ministry of Climate and Environment for decisions-in-principle on the construction of power plants at six locations, omitting Warsaw from the list. The ministry issued decisions-in-principle for the six plants on 7 December. The decision-in-principle is the first decision in the process of administrative permits for investments in nuclear power facilities in Poland that an investor may apply for. Obtaining it entitles OSGE to apply for a number of further administrative arrangements, such as a siting decision or construction licence.

OSGE submitted an application to GDOŚ in May 2023 to determine the scope of the report on the environmental impact of the construction of the Stawy Monowskie plant. Last year it also submitted applications for the planned plants in Ostrołęka and Włocławek.

GDOŚ has now issued a decision specifying the requirements for the project in Stawy Monowskie. It indicated the main areas that the report will cover, including: conducting a natural inventory, identifying possible sources of cooling water, technological solutions that affect nuclear safety and radiological protection, and indicating how the power plant will be integrated with the energy transmission network.

"This is the first such decision in the entire European Union and another important step in the process of building BWRX-300 reactors in Poland," OSGE said. "The scope of such a document is determined for individual projects, taking into account the specificity of the location. The issuance of the decision by GDOŚ enables the company to commence environmental and location tests in the Stawy Monowskie location to the full extent necessary to prepare the Environmental Impact Assessment report. The time needed to prepare the report is estimated at up to two years."

"Preparing a report on the environmental impact of a nuclear investment is one of the most important elements of the investment process," said Rafał Kasprów, President of the Management Board of OSGE. "And also one of the most difficult. We are even more pleased with the good cooperation with the General Directorate for Environmental Protection and the regulator's professional approach to the first environmental proceedings in the entire EU regarding the construction of an SMR power plant.

"Today's decision of GDOŚ allows us to maintain the assumed project implementation schedules and gives us a chance to complete the investment when the Polish economy will be most in need of zero-emission and stable energy sources."

The BWRX-300 is a 300 MWe water-cooled, natural circulation SMR with passive safety systems that leverages the design and licensing basis of GEH's US Nuclear Regulatory Commission-certified ESBWR boiling water reactor design and its existing, licensed GNF2 fuel design, a unique combination that GEH says positions it to deliver an "innovative, carbon-free baseload power generation source" this decade.

In December 2021, GE Hitachi, BWXT Canada and Synthos Green Energy (SGE) signed a Letter of Intent to cooperate in deploying BWRX-300 SMRs in Poland. OSGE - a joint venture between chemical producers SGE and PKN Orlen - submitted an application to Poland's National Atomic Energy Agency (PAA) on 8 July 2022 for the assessment of the reactor design. PAA announced in May last year that the BWRX-300 is compliant with Polish nuclear safety and radiological protection standards.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Preliminary-design-developed-for-Russian-molten-sa

The Mining and Chemical Combine (MCC), part of Rosatom, says that research and development work on the molten salt research reactor project has been completed, with a preliminary design developed.

The MCC said the creation of the preliminary design was the "next step" towards creating the molten salt research reactor (IZhSR), which is intended to "allow us to develop key technological solutions for the transmutation of minor actinides, master molten salt technology and subsequently create a full-scale molten salt reactor, which will allow us to utilise minor actinides - the most dangerous component of nuclear waste from used fuel reprocessing, as they are highly radioactive and toxic, emit a large amount of heat and have a long half-life".

It added: "If you learn how to burn them (minor actinides), the period of danger will be significantly shortened and will provide a multiple reduction in waste to be buried in deep geological formations, and in the medium term will make it possible to implement the option of a less complex near-surface disposal of waste that no longer contains minor actinides."

The project, which involves a range of different organisations within Rosatom, is targeting a licence for construction in 2027 and a launch in 2031. The research and development work is due to be reviewed at a meeting within the first three months of this year.

The IZhSR project plans to use circulating molten salt fuel. It is part of the wider Russian federal project to develop "new materials and technologies for advanced energy systems" and part of the country's goal of closing the fuel cycle. Rosatom says that the period of potential danger from minor actinides can be reduced from 10,000 years to 300 as a result of the process.

Evgeniy Vlasenko, chief specialist of the development project management group, said: "With every problem solved our level of competence grows. A large amount of research work has been carried out and continues to be carried out, to justify all the decisions included in the preliminary design. MCC performs many of them on its own. The MCC's International Center for Engineering Competence develops technologies for the preparation of fluoride salts and fuel additives, verifies and certifies analytical methods for controlling their quality, and studies the physicochemical properties of salts. In the chief mechanic’s department, they are developing technologies for welding structural material - chromium-nickel alloy, which has not yet been used in the manufacture of reactors in Russia."

Final design to be chosen in 2025, says agency.

US Space agency Nasa said it is extending contracts under Phase 1 of an ambitious project to develop a small, power-generating nuclear fission reactor that could potentially be deployed as a demonstrator on the Moon.

Under its Fission Surface Power Project, Nasa awarded in 2022 three $5m (€4.65m) contracts tasking partners with developing an initial design that included a reactor with an output of up to 40 kW and weight of maximum six tonnes, its power conversion, heat rejection, power management and distribution systems. The contracts also included cost estimations, and a development schedule that could pave the way for powering a sustained human presence on the Moon for at least 10 years.

Nasa said at the time that the projects also had to show envisioned how the reactor would be remotely powered on and controlled, including a decade of operation without human intervention.

The agency said the projects identified potential faults and considered different types of fuels and configurations.

“Having terrestrial nuclear companies paired with companies with expertise in space made for a wide range of ideas,” said Nasa last week.

Nasa said it decided to extend the three Phase 1 contracts in order to collect more information before the start of Phase 2 of its project when industry will be contracted to design the final reactor to demonstrate on the Moon.

This additional knowledge will help the agency set the Phase 2 requirements, said Lindsay Kaldon, Fission Surface Power project manager at Nasa’s Glenn research centre in Cleveland.

“We’re getting a lot of information from the three partners,” Kaldon said. “We’ll have to take some time to process it all and see what makes sense going into Phase 2 and levy the best out of Phase 1 to set requirements to design a lower-risk system moving forward.”

Nasa has scheduled the start of Phase 2 of its Fission Surface Power Project for 2025, with an actual deployment for the demonstrator earmarked for the early 2030s.

According to the agency, the reactor will complete a one-year demonstration followed by nine operational years and if successful, the design may be updated for potential use on Mars.

The three companies which received Phase 1 contracts in 2022 were: Pennsylvania-based Westinghouse Electric Company; Maryland-based Lockheed Martin; and Texas-based X, a joint venture of Intuitive Machines and X-Energy.

According to Nasa, fission systems, which are relatively small and lightweight compared to other power systems, could enable continuous power regardless of location, available sunlight, and other environmental conditions.