Nuclear Energy

Workers at the Flamanville EPR have begun the process required for achieving the first nuclear reaction in the reactor following approval from the French nuclear regulator. The reactor is expected to be connected to the grid in the coming months.

The Autorité de Sûreté Nucléaire (ASN) on 7 May authorised the commissioning of the Flamanville EPR reactor, clearing the way for EDF to begin loading the 241 fuel assemblies into the reactor and to carry out start-up tests and subsequent operation of the reactor. The loading of fuel was completed on 22 May.

"After loading the reactor last May, Flamanville EPR teams carried out numerous technical tests and put the facilities into the required conditions to initiate nuclear fission," EDF said today.

On 30 August, EDF sent ASN the information required to issue an agreement for the first nuclear reaction - referred to as 'divergence' - to proceed, in particular the results of the installation tests carried out since the commissioning authorisation.

In a resolution of 2 September, ASN authorised the launch of divergence operations at the Flamanville EPR reactor. "The examination of EDF's request and the checks carried out by ASN did not reveal any factor likely to call into question EDF's ability to diverge the reactor," ASN said.

EDF said divergence involves creating a stable nuclear reaction at very low power. It is achieved by reducing the boron concentration in the primary system's water, then gradually raising the reactor core's control rods. When neutron production is higher than absorption, divergence will be achieved and the chain reaction will start. The chain reaction's intensity and thus the reactor's power will be controlled by the control rods and the boron concentration. Once divergence is completed, the reactor will be at 0.2% of its rated power.

A test programme to achieve a power level of 25% will then be implemented, EDF said. Once at this level, the Flamanville EPR will be connected to the national electricity grid for the first time and will generate electricity. "This first connection is scheduled before the end of autumn 2024," the company noted. "Testing will continue throughout reactor ramp-up, which will be carried out in successive stages over several months."

ASN said it will monitor the subsequent stages of the reactor's start-up, until it reaches its rated power. "In particular, EDF will have to seek the agreement of ASN to go through certain stages of the reactor's ramp-up," it said.

Construction work began in December 2007 on the third unit at the Flamanville site in Normandy in northern France - where two reactors have been operating since 1986 and 1987. The dome of the reactor building was put in place in July 2013 and the reactor vessel was installed in January 2014. The reactor was originally expected to start commercial operation in 2013 but has faced a series of delays.

The first EPR units came online at Taishan in China, where unit 1 became the first EPR to enter commercial operation in 2018 followed by Taishan 2 in September 2019. In Europe, Olkiluoto 3 in Finland entered commercial operation in 2023 and two units are under construction at Hinkley Point C in the UK.

EDF also announced that it has raised its estimate for nuclear power generation in France in 2024. Initially estimated between 315-345 TWh, nuclear power generation is now estimated between 340-360 TWh.

Is said this higher estimate is based on "improved performance of outages and industrial control of stress corrosion inspections and repair work, and the absence of major climatic event during summer".

EDF noted that since early 2024, eleven reactors have been reconnected to the grid before the scheduled date.

The USA's nuclear workforce continued to grow in 2023 - but with over 60% of nuclear employees aged between 30 and 60, employers across the industry are reporting at least some difficulty in hiring workers, according to a newly released annual report from the Department of Energy.

The 2024 U.S. Energy & Employment Report (USEER) report is a comprehensive study of employment trends across the energy sector, based on survey responses from 42,000 businesses. Energy sector employment increased by over 250,000 jobs during 2023, the study found - and over half of these new jobs were in clean energy, including nuclear.

Nuclear electric power generation (EPG) businesses employed 58,517 workers in 2023, 2.8% more than in 2022. The largest number of new jobs - 1079 - were in professional and business services, which was also the second largest sector within nuclear EPG (10,819 workers), after utilities (41,241) and followed by wholesale trade (2,499), construction (2,150), manufacturing (1,726), and other services (82). But employers also reported the greatest difficulty in finding qualified workers in the professional and business services sector, with 93% saying they encountered at least some difficulty in hiring.

The nuclear workforce in the USA is highly diverse, with women and non-white workers above the average for the overall energy workforce. But the nuclear EPG workforce "trends older than the energy workforce average", the report found, with 60% of workers aged 30 to 54 - higher than both the wider energy workforce and the national employment average, and a lower percentage of workers under the age of 30 than in the overall energy workforce.

This gap between early-career and late-career employment statistics means that "a significant chunk of the nuclear workforce is likely to retire over the next decade, creating plentiful job opportunities for younger workers who possess the necessary skills and training", the DOE Office of Nuclear Energy said. "A pipeline of young talent will be essential as the US nuclear industry seeks to commercialise and deploy next-generation advanced reactors in the coming decades," it added.

The USEER study was launched in 2016 to track and understand employment within key energy sectors, based on a customised energy employer survey and data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. The study combines surveys of businesses with public labor market data to produce estimates of employment and workforce characteristics.

The first batch of VVER-440 fuel assemblies supplied by Westinghouse has been loaded into unit 2 of Finland's Loviisa nuclear power plant.

In November 2022, Finnish utility Fortum signed an agreement with Westinghouse for the design, approval and delivery of a new type of fuel to the Loviisa plant. The agreement built on the successful collaboration supplying fuel to Loviisa from 2001 to 2007, during which Westinghouse delivered nearly 750 VVER-440 fuel assemblies.

During the annual maintenance in 2023, one experimental element manufactured by Westinghouse, which did not contain actual uranium pellets, was loaded into Loviisa unit 2. During this year's annual maintenance, it was found that the test element worked as expected and fuel assemblies of the new design were subsequently loaded into the unit's core.

"The loading of the new fuel is a key diversification milestone for Fortum that guarantees a dependable Western alternative for fuel supply in Finland," Westinghouse said.

In February 2023, the Finnish government granted Fortum an extension to the operating licence for the two-unit Loviisa nuclear power plant, allowing the plant to continue generating power until the end of 2050.

The fuel contract with Rosatom's TVEL fuel company is valid until the end of the current licences, in 2027 and 2030.

Fortum said the contract with Westinghouse and the fresh fuel in stock ensure Loviisa's fuel supply until the procurement of fuels is put out to tender as part of the plant's life extension. The prerequisite for competition is the availability of alternative fuel suppliers, it noted.

"The safe and reliable operation of the Loviisa nuclear power plant is crucial for Finland's security of supply," said Petra Lundström, Fortum's head of nuclear power operations. "Our customers also depend on the stable and clean electricity that we produce in Loviisa with high availability. Diversifying the power plant's fuel supplies has indeed been a key project for us over the past two years, and we are happy that we have achieved this a significant milestone together with Westinghouse."

"We are very proud of our more than 50-year partnership in the Nordic countries, where we have worked together to produce clean electricity with nuclear power," said Tarik Choho, director of Westinghouse's nuclear fuel business. "Our solid experience as the only western supplier of VVER fuel, combined with our strong presence in the region thanks to Swedish production, supports Fortum's long-term operational goals."

The Loviisa plant - comprising two VVER-440 type pressurised water reactors - was the first nuclear power plant in Finland and currently provides more than 10% of the country's electricity. Loviisa unit 1 began commercial operation in 1977, with unit 2 following in 1981.

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

Finland is one of a number of countries in the EU who are in the process of switching away from Russian-supplied fuel for their nuclear reactors.

Brazil's Eletronuclear says the first phase of the second campaign to move used fuel from Angra 2 to its on-site used fuel dry storage facility has been successfully completed, with 480 used fuel elements transferred.

Under a turnkey contract signed in 2017, Holtec of the USA supplied Eletronuclear with HI-STORM FW systems and related equipment for dry storage of used fuel from Angra units 1 and 2. Angra 1 is a Westinghouse-designed 609 MWe pressurised water reactor (PWR), while Angra 2 is a Siemens-designed 1275 MWe PWR. The units have different architectures and licensing bases, adding to the complexity of the project. Holtec modified their respective cask handling cranes and equipment for loading the fuel into the multi-purpose canisters and for moving the canisters to the dry storage facility.

The first campaign, which ran in 2021 and 2022, covered 15 of the Hi-Storm containers. Eletronuclear says the latest transfers to the Complementary Dry Storage Unit for Spent Fuel (UAS), which began in April, were completed last week, also with 15 Hi-Storm containers. The second phase of the current campaign is due to take place next year and will focus on Angra 1. By the end of that phase the aim is for 48 Hi-Storms to be stored.

The UAS is designed to receive fuel elements after the cooling process in pools at the plants. They are stored in canisters made of steel and concrete to guarantee safety. It is a system which is used in the USA and is designed to withstand extreme events such as earthquakes and floods.

The UAS includes physical security, radiation and temperature monitoring, an armoured access control centre and a storage warehouse with a technical workshop, designed and constructed by Holtec. The facility was constructed because the storage pools of both units were reaching full capacity. It is designed to hold up to 72 modules, with the capacity to receive used fuel until 2045.

Eletronuclear said in a statement announcing the progress update: "The process was carried out in full compliance with the most stringent safety standards, ensuring the protection of workers, the local population and the environment. Eletronuclear emphasises that used fuels are not considered radioactive waste, as they still contain significant energy potential that can be reused in the future. Countries such as Russia, France and Japan already have recycling techniques for this material.

The Sizewell C nuclear power plant project is set to benefit from up to GBP5.5 billion (USD7.2 billion) in subsidies from a new development expenditure subsidy scheme announced by the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ).

The department said the Sizewell C Development Expenditure (Devex) Scheme will "enable continued support to the development of the proposed new nuclear power plant Sizewell C (SZC) to the point of a Final Investment Decision (FID)".

It added: "More specifically, this Devex Scheme will provide the government with greater flexibility to cover development expenditure costs up to and including FID."

DESNZ said funding for the Devex Scheme will be provided "subject to relevant approvals, including the upcoming Spending Review". It noted that the Devex Scheme is in addition to, and separate from, the existing SZC Investment Funding Scheme which was created at the point of the government's first investment in SZC in November 2022.

"Any funding provided under the Devex Scheme will only be made available to fund SZC's costs pre-FID, including in the event FID is not taken by the current projected date," the department said. "Such costs are subject to detailed assessment and provision of support under the Devex Scheme is subject to appropriate proportionality and value for money assessments. The value of subsidies granted under the Devex Scheme will be calculated accordingly."

The Devex Scheme has an overall budget of GBP5.5 billion, which DESNZ said is "the current best estimate of development costs to be incurred in getting to the current projected FID date, with a contingency in case of delay allowing the project to be funded until FID."

Support granted under the Devex Scheme will mainly be comprised of equity injections by the UK government. However, the Devex Scheme also provides for additional support through other mechanisms "where appropriate and proportionate", such as letters of credit, indemnities and guarantees.

DESNZ said the UK government has "developed a targeted financial intervention intended to deliver the SZC project". The exact scope of the package of measures, it noted, will be determined by the timing of the FID on the project, as well as market feedback received in the course of the ongoing equity raise process.

"As such, the measures are split into two parts: (a) pre-FID measures designed to fund development and some initial construction works expenditure up to a FID (the Devex Scheme); and (b) other measures which are predominantly focussed on plant construction and operation, designed to take effect at FID (a future FID Scheme)."

The Devex Scheme was referred to the Subsidy Advice Unit (SAU) of the UK's Competition and Markets Authority, which on 17 June provided its report on DESNZ's Assessment of Compliance of the Devex Scheme with the requirements set out in the Subsidy Control Act 2022.

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 for at least 60 years. It would be a similar design to the two-unit plant being built at Hinkley Point C in Somerset, with the aim of building it more quickly and at lower cost as a result of the experience gained from what is the first new nuclear construction project in the UK for about three decades.

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. In March 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.

British multinational telecommunications company Vodafone has launched a 5G mobile private network (MPN) at the Temelín nuclear power station in the Czech Republic in what it says is the first deployment of its kind in Europe.

Vodafone said the new 5G connectivity will enable a transition away from “walkie-talkie” communications in the station and pave the way for augmented reality glasses to support the work of technicians.

As part of a pilot phase for the power generation conglomerate ČEZ, Vodafone’s 5G MPN covers the power station’s outdoor space and selected areas of a production unit.

Vodafone said the results of the pilot project, and subsequent evaluation conducted by ČEZ, will inform the deployments of 5G MPNs at further sites.

Violeta Luca, chief executive officer of Vodafone Czechia said the MPN is entirely independent from the public network and ensures that all user data and infrastructure are securely managed within the power station’s own systems, which is vital for maintaining the highest standards of safety and reliability.

“This technology is a key enabler in advancing the secure digitalisation of such critical infrastructure,” Luca said.

Bohdan Zronek, director of ČEZ’s nuclear division said a selected part of the nuclear power plant’s communication network, as an element of critical infrastructure, must be completely separated from the external network.

“That is why we always maintain an alternative in the event of an outage, and the management system of course remains completely separate from the outside world.

“We are the first nuclear power plant in Europe to actually test a private 5G network, while other European operators work mostly with 4G.”

Temelín has two VVER-1000 V-320 nuclear power plants that began commercial operation in 2002 and 2003.

Finnish waste management company Posiva announced it has begun a trial run of placing disposal cannisters in the Onkalo used nuclear fuel repository. No actual nuclear fuel is being used in the trial run.

At the repository, used fuel will be placed in the bedrock, at a depth of about 430 metres. The disposal system consists of a tightly sealed iron-copper canister, a bentonite buffer enclosing the canister, a tunnel backfilling material made of swellable clay, the seal structures of the tunnels and premises, and the enclosing rock.

In the trial run - expected to take several months - the operation of the final disposal facility will be tested comprehensively, albeit still without the used fuel. Four cannisters will be deposited in holes which are eight metres deep and located in a 70-metres long final disposal tunnel. The final disposal tunnel will then be filled with bentonite clay and sealed with a concrete plug. The trial run also covers the retrieval of a damaged cannister back above ground.

Posiva noted that the equipment and systems of the final disposal facility will be tested together for the first time in accordance with planned processes during the trial run stage. It said the purpose of the trial run is to "verify safe final disposal before the start of the actual final disposal operation". The company added that the trial run can be described as "a joint functional test of all the systems and equipment".

"Posiva has come a long way to reach this point," the company's Production Director Karri Osara said. "The trial run of final disposal is not only an excellent opportunity for learning and development, but also an extremely demanding showcase of the capabilities of our organisation."

Posiva President and CEO Ilkka Poikolainen added: "Posiva's operation now takes a significant step toward the start of the actual final disposal operation. This is a momentous occasion also to our employees and cooperation partners."

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

Posiva submitted its application, together with related information, to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment on 30 December 2021 for an operating licence for the used fuel encapsulation plant and final disposal facility. The repository is expected to begin operations in the mid-2020s. Posiva has applied for an operating licence for a period from March 2024 to the end of 2070.

The government will make the final decision on Posiva's application, but a positive opinion by Finland's Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) is required beforehand. The regulator began its review in May 2022 after concluding Posiva had provided sufficient material. The ministry had requested STUK's opinion on the application by the end of 2023.

However, in January this year, STUK requested the deadline for its opinion on Posiva's operating licence application be extended until the end of 2024.

Japan Nuclear Fuel Limited (JNFL) now expects the reprocessing plant and mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel plant under construction at Rokkasho in Japan's Aomori Prefecture to be completed during fiscal years 2026 and 2027, respectively.

Speaking at a press conference, JNFL President Naohiro Masuda said: "We have been working on the review of the construction approval, construction and inspection, aiming to complete the reprocessing plant 'as early as possible in the first half of fiscal year 2024' and the MOX fuel plant 'in the first half of fiscal year 2024'. However, because the review is taking time, we have set the new completion target as 'during fiscal year 2026' for the reprocessing plant and 'during fiscal year 2027' for the MOX fuel plant."

He noted that the governor of Aomori Prefecture and the mayor of Rokkasho Village had been informed of the new completion dates and had both expressed concerns about further delays to the plants.

"We sincerely apologise for causing concern and inconvenience to the people of Aomori Prefecture and Rokkasho Village due to the repeated review of the completion target," Masuda said. "We will take the governor and mayor's words to heart and work hard toward the new completion target."

He added: "Going forward, we will continue to work steadily toward [meeting the] new completion targets at both the reprocessing plant and the MOX fuel plant."

Kingo Hayashi, chairman of the Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan, said: "We believe that the new completion target has been set as a result of clarifying the issues in the construction approval review and uncovering problems including construction and inspection, with the cooperation of supporters from the electric power companies.

"Considering Japan's resource-poor energy situation and the goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, nuclear power generation will need to continue to be an important source of power, and the nuclear fuel cycle is extremely important from the perspective of making effective use of uranium resources, reducing the volume and harmfulness of waste, etc."

Construction of the Rokkasho reprocessing plant began in 1993 and was originally expected to be completed by 1997. However, its construction and commissioning have faced several delays. The facility is based on the same technology as Orano's La Hague plant in France. Once operational, the maximum reprocessing capacity of the Rokkasho plant will be 800 tonnes per year, according to JNFL.

Construction of the MOX plant began in late 2010. Construction of the 130 tonne per year plant had been delayed by three years from the planned 2007 start by the revision of seismic criteria following on from the powerful Niigata-Chuetsu-Oki earthquake.

Completion of both the reprocessing plant and the MOX fuel fabrication plant has faced several delays.

Following the March 2011 accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, new safety standards for nuclear fuel cycle facilities came into force in December 2013. The requirements vary from facility to facility, but generally include reinforcement measures against natural threats such as earthquakes and tsunamis, and in some cases tornadoes, volcanoes and forest fires. Reprocessing plants need to demonstrate these as well as countermeasures specifically against terrorist attacks, hydrogen explosions, fires resulting from solvent leaks and vaporisation of liquid waste.

According to the Japan Atomic Industrial Forum, the review process for the reprocessing and MOX fuel plants "is being prolonged due to the fact that, unlike nuclear power plants, there is no precedent for it and the extremely large number of pieces of equipment (approximately 20,000 items) are involved".

Ghana nuclear power plant company Nuclear Power Ghana and US nuclear technology project developer Regnum Technology Group have reached an agreement to deploy a single NuScale Voygr-12 small modular reactor plant in the West African country.

The two companies plan to form a subsidiary company in the near future to own and operate Africa’s first commercial advanced light-water SMR plant.

The US Department of Energy (DOE) said the agreement was signed at the US-Africa Nuclear Energy Summit in Nairobi, Kenya.

Regnum provides expertise and planning for the development of large-scale infrastructure projects. It has partnerships with a number of private entities, including Portland, Oregon-based NuScale.

The DOE said it has provided more than $579m (€522m) since 2014 to support the design and licensing of NuScale’s Voygr SMR power plant.

It said the Voygr is the only SMR design currently certified by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The certified plant has a capacity of 50 MW per module, but NuScale is seeking to increase the power for each module to 77 MW, a move which is under review with the NRC.

If the Ghana plant has 12 modules of 77 MW each, its total capacity will be 924 MW.

Following the November 2023 cancellation of the Carbon Free Power Project in Idaho, NuScale’s most advanced project is an effort to build a 462-MW nuclear generation facility with six 77 MW modules on the site of a former coal-fired power plant in Romania, chief executive officer John Hopkins said earlier this month.

The Carbon Free Power Project was for the construction of a 462-MW demonstration NuScale Voygr SMR power plant at the Idaho National Laboratory that was scheduled to be online in 2029.

The DOE said SMRs can help meet the needs of communities around the world, offering flexibility in power, size, and operations in urban and remote settings. They have relatively small physical footprints, can adjust their electricity output to match demand, are flexible enough to pair with renewable generation, and can benefit markets beyond electricity.

The US and Ghana recently Africa’s first regional clean energy training centre to support the development of civil nuclear energy programmes as countries across the continent consider deploying nuclear power reactors for their low emissions and energy security

The DOE said the centre will serve as a regional training hub for Ghana and other like-minded African countries considering nuclear energy as part of their economic development, energy security, and decarbonisation goals.

Earlier this year, Stephen Yamoah, executive director of state-owned project company Nuclear Power Ghana, told NucNet Ghana was aiming to choose a technology provider for a proposed first nuclear power station in 2024 and was already carrying out a series of studies at a preferred site, although financing remained a “major challenge”. He said plants might be large-scale units or SMRs.

Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (PEJ) has applied to the head of Pomorskie Voivodeship for a permit to start preparatory works required for the construction of Poland's first nuclear power plant.

The application concerns preparatory works, including surveying works and fencing the preparatory works area.

Preparatory works are to be carried out on an area of about 300 hectares in two phases, first on about 45% of the site. One of the necessary actions at the site of the future power plant will be the removal of vegetation preceded by mitigation measures - including metaplantation and the installation of bird and bat boxes. These activities have been planned in accordance with the conditions set forth in the environmental impact assessment (EIA) decision for the nuclear power plant.

"We have divided the preparatory works into several stages, thus minimising the potential nuisance associated with such activities," said PEJ President Leszek Juchniewicz. "We have in mind especially the local communities of Choczewo and neighbouring communes."

PEJ - a special-purpose vehicle 100% owned by the State Treasury - has also submitted a report on the project's environmental impact reassessment for the first phase of the planned preparatory works. The company said it has thereby fulfilled the condition of the General Director for Environmental Protection's environmental decision of 19 September 2023 for the construction and operation of a nuclear power plant in the Choczewo commune. The report, as an output of PEJ's cooperation with Energopomiar Gliwice - a company specialising in comprehensive studies for energy projects - analysed the impact of preparatory works on the environment. Similarly, separate reports on the project's environmental impact reassessment will be developed for subsequent phases of work as part of the nuclear power plant construction.

"Until the actual civil works begin, PEJ plans to obtain, among other things, a construction licence (issued by the National Atomic Energy Agency, PAA) and a construction permit (issued by the Head of Pomorskie Voivodeship)," the company said.

In November 2022, the then Polish government selected the Westinghouse AP1000 reactor technology for construction at the Lubiatowo-Kopalino site in the Choczewo municipality in Pomerania in northern Poland. An agreement setting a plan for the delivery of the plant was signed in May last year by Westinghouse, Bechtel and PEJ. The Ministry of Climate and Environment in July issued a decision-in-principle for PEJ to construct the plant. The aim is for Poland's first AP1000 reactor to enter commercial operation in 2033.

Under an engineering services signed in September last year, in cooperation with PEJ, Westinghouse and Bechtel will finalise a site-specific design for a plant featuring three AP1000 reactors. The design/engineering documentation includes the main components of the power plant: the nuclear island, the turbine island and the associated installations and auxiliary equipment, as well as administrative buildings and infrastructure related to the safety of the facility. The contract also involves supporting the investment process and bringing it in line with current legal regulations in cooperation with the PAA and the Office of Technical Inspection.

Reports on flood safety, nuclear fuel supplies, radioactive waste disposal and also an overview of small modular reactors as an option have been published by GEN energija as part of public information measures ahead of Slovenia's referendum on planned new nuclear.

Slovenia's JEK2 project is for a new one or two-unit nuclear power plant, 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.

Prime Minister Robert Golob has committed to holding a referendum on the project before it goes ahead, and has suggested the vote could be held later in 2024, with eight key studies and documents to be published beforehand to "enable citizens to make an informed decision". The current timetable for the project is for a final investment decision to be taken in 2028, with construction beginning in 2032.

A report published on Thursday on the JEK2 project website praises the potential of small modular reactors (SMRs) but estimates that "in order to compensate for the lack of economies of scale, SMR plants will need to fully exploit the potential benefits of series production in the future. We estimate the time needed to establish serial production and supply chains to be at least 20 years".

It adds: "The analysis of the comparison of the projected timeline of the JEK2 project with the projected development of SMR reactor technology showed that at the time of the expected signing of the contract with the supplier (2028), only three land-based SMR reactors will be in commercial operation, and an additional three will be under construction. All these reactors are FOAK (first of a kind) projects ... although the use of SMR technology for the JEK2 project is not suitable in the desired time frames, the GEN Group will continue to intensively monitor the development of SMR reactor technology."

In its latest broader update to reporters the company said the flood safety study showed that floods lower than the maximum possible level would not threaten the planned location of the JEK2 plant, but a further study taking into account a 10,000-year flood and the measures proposed to ensure flood safety of the heart of the site is being commissioned.

The report on the financial and safety aspects of the import of nuclear fuel concluded that "nuclear fuel represents a relatively small share of the cost price of electricity compared to power plants powered by liquid, gaseous or solid fossil fuels" and "Slovenia's reliable supply of nuclear fuel is ensured by its membership in the Euratom community. One of the fundamental objectives of the community is to ensure a regular and equal supply of nuclear fuel and other nuclear materials to all users in the EU, which also includes the control of the materials".

It adds that "Based on current annual uranium requirements, the identified resources are sufficient for more than 130 years. If all conventional and non-conventional resources were exploited, the time for which known reserves are sufficient would be extended to over 300 years."

The assessment on dealing with radioactive waste and used nuclear fuel notes that the country can build on its existing processes and adds that by the time the JEK2 project is completed, facilities for the disposal of such materials will already be built and established, "but their disposal capacities will have to be increased accordingly".

The company also covered the proposed cost of the project, noting that although Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power's 1000 MWe reactor in the Czech Republic had a projected cost of EUR7.9 billion (USD8.8 billion), the assessment in Slovenia was that the same sized reactor would cost about EUR9.3 billion. It added: "An international review is under way, which will check all calculations and used economic assumptions."

GEN energija is also conducting an information roadshow across the country to present information and answer questions about the proposed project. There is also a dedicated jek2.si website, where the various reports are published.

The Swiss government has said it will seek to lift the country's ban on the construction of new nuclear power plants, which has been in place since 1 January 2018. It said all clean energy sources will be needed to meet expected electricity demand while also meeting climate targets.

Switzerland currently has four nuclear reactors generating about one-third of its electricity. They all have an unlimited operating licence and can be operated as long as they are safe.

A new Swiss energy policy was sought in response to the March 2011 accident at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in Japan. Two months later, both the Swiss parliament and government decided to exit nuclear power production. The Energy Strategy 2050 initiative drawn up by the Federal Council came into force in 2018 and calls for a gradual withdrawal from nuclear energy. It also foresees expanded use of renewables and hydro power but anticipates increased reliance on fossil fuels and electricity imports as an interim measure.

The Federal Council notes that "in recent years, the situation on the electricity market and in energy policy has changed fundamentally" due to: climate targets and electricity demand; new gas-fired power plants no longer being an option; and geopolitical uncertainties.

On 19 March this year, the federal popular initiative Electricity For Everyone At All Times (Stop Blackouts) was passed. The federal constitution now stipulates that the electricity supply must be guaranteed at all times and that the federal government should determine the necessary responsibilities for this. Furthermore, electricity production should be environmentally and climate-friendly and all climate-friendly types of electricity generation should be permitted. Acceptance of the initiative would mean a new division of tasks between the federal government and the cantons and the lifting of the ban on the construction of new nuclear power plants.

The Federal Act on a Secure Electricity Supply with Renewable Energies was adopted on 9 June. The Federal Council said it "shares the initiative committee's position that technological openness is a prerequisite for being able to meet the increasing electricity demand in a climate-friendly, safe and reliable manner in the long term".

It added: "If the nuclear power plants are shut down at some point, the lost electricity will have to be compensated for by other domestic production plants. It is unclear whether the expansion of renewable energies will be rapid enough to cover the lost capacity and the increasing electricity demand in a timely manner.

"In the interests of responsible planning of electricity supply security, the Federal Council is therefore striving for technological openness. The existing ban on building new nuclear power plants is incompatible with the goal of technological openness and also entails risks for the dismantling of existing plants."

It notes that Switzerland's Federal Constitution already stipulates a broad energy supply. "Therefore, lifting the ban on building new nuclear power plants does not require a constitutional amendment. An adjustment at the legislative level is sufficient."

The Federal Department of Energy and Communications will submit an amendment to the Nuclear Energy Act to the Federal Council by the end of 2024, and the consultation will last until the end of March 2025. Parliament will then discuss the initiative and the counter-proposal.

"We are not saying that in 10 years there will be a new power plant," Energy Minister Albert Rosti told a press conference, AFP reported. "But we are responsible for leaving the door open to all possible technologies." He stressed that if the process was not initiated now, it will "perhaps be too late in 20 years".

"The lifting of the ban on new construction is long overdue and a step towards greater technological openness," said Swiss Nuclear Forum President Hans-Ulrich Bigler. "It gives Switzerland more room for maneuver in terms of security of supply and climate protection."

However, the organisation said the lifting of the ban alone "is not enough". It said the licensing regime for nuclear power plants must also be simplified as the current multi-stage process creates legal uncertainty and high additional costs. "Simplifying the licensing regime would make nuclear power plants much more attractive in this country."

It added: "Lifting the ban on new construction also supports the long-term operation of existing nuclear power plants, as intact supply chains are maintained and investments in training and research continue."

US microreactor developer Last Energy announced it has raised USD40 million for its Series B round of funding, bringing total capital raised to USD64 million since the company's founding in 2019. It also said it has now reached commercial agreements for 80 of its microreactors.

Last Energy is a spin-off of the Energy Impact Center, a research institute devoted to accelerating the clean energy transition through innovation. Its small modular reactor (SMR) technology is based on a pressurised water reactor with a capacity of 20 MWe or 60 MWt. Power plant modules would be built off-site and assembled in modules.

The company said its Series B will enable it to continue expanding its team and invest in project development as it works to deploy its first plant, targeting a 2026 online date. Investors for the round include Gigafund, the Autodesk Foundation, and a series of family offices.

"2024 has been a monumental year for Last Energy so far," said Last Energy founder and CEO Bret Kugelmass. "In the last eight months we released a new prototype, demonstrated our fabrication and transport capabilities, nearly doubled our headcount, and accelerated commercial growth. Closing our Series B was the next step to unlocking key milestones as we continue down the path toward commercial operations."

"We are excited to support Last Energy as they trailblaze a new era in clean and reliable energy," said Ryan Macpherson, Director of Climate Innovation & Investment at the Autodesk Foundation. "By drastically simplifying the design-construction-operations process, leveraging technology and talent from Autodesk, Last Energy's approach to micro-modular nuclear power has the potential to fundamentally change how we think about energy production - offering a rapid, scalable, and economically viable solution to decarbonise heavy industry."

A Last Energy plant, referred to as the PWR-20, is comprised of a few dozen modules that, it says, "snap together like a Lego kit". The PWR-20 is designed to be fabricated, transported, and assembled within 24 months, and is sized to serve private industrial customers. Under its development model, Last Energy owns and operates its plug-and-play power plant on the customer's site, bypassing the decade-long development timelines of electric transmission grid upgrade requirements.

Commercial agreements

The company has also announced that it has now reached commercial agreements for 80 units. Last Energy announced agreements for 34 units in 2023 and began 2024 with agreements for 50 units. Of the agreements, 39 of the 80 units will be built to serve data centre developers.

"Due to the uniquely intensive energy needs of services like AI and cloud computing, data centres have increasingly invested in nuclear development to ensure they have access to 24/7 clean baseload power," Last Energy said. "Microreactors offer a significantly higher energy capacity than renewables at a lower cost, with minimal land requirements, and without any of the necessary investments in storage capabilities."

The company says its goal is to build 10,000 units in the next 15 years.

"Data centres and heavy industry are trying to grapple with a very complex set of energy challenges, and Last Energy has seen them realise that micro-nuclear is the only capable solution," Kugelmass said. "More than ever, data centres need technologies that can simultaneously provide energy abundance, ensure energy security, and enable decarbonisation.

"Nuclear power is the only resource that can check all of those boxes on paper, but it will only be feasible if nuclear development becomes faster and more affordable in practice. Last Energy is doing that by miniaturising, modularising, and productising nuclear plants, which is critical to unlock nuclear energy at scale."

In April, Last Energy showcased a prototype of its nuclear reactor module at Data Center World and hosted a demonstration event for industry executives and US policymakers. The showcase marked the first time a microreactor prototype was ever displayed in Washington, DC, even passing in front of the US Capitol. The company has plans for two new prototypes, which will be revealed in 2025.

California-based nuclear startup company Deep Fission, which is proposing to place microreactors deep underground, announced its emergence from stealth mode and a USD4 million pre-seed investment round.

Deep Fission aims to locate 15 MWe pressurised water reactors (PWRs) about one mile (1.6 km) underground in a 30-inch borehole. The reactor operates at the same pressure (160 atmospheres) as a standard PWR, and at the same core temperatures (about 315°C). As with a standard PWR, the heat is transferred to a steam generator at depth to boil water, and the non-radioactive steam rises rapidly to the surface where a standard steam turbine converts the energy to its electricity.

The company says its concept eliminates the need for large pressure vessels and containment structures, significantly reducing costs while enhancing safety, sustainability, and operational efficiency. It says this can be done using conventional low-enriched uranium fuel and an existing supply chain, "sidestepping a significant source of delay and concern for other advanced reactor designs".

"I am thrilled to introduce Deep Fission and present our groundbreaking approach to affordable nuclear power," said Deep Fission co-founder and CEO Elizabeth Muller. "Climate change has accelerated the need for clean energy, and nuclear must be cheaper in order to compete with coal and natural gas.

"We’ve innovated beyond other reactor designs and engaged early and often with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to make atomic energy a viable option to power AI, industrial applications, as well as remote communities. We cannot wait to share our findings with the world and do our part to help with the clean energy transition."

The company said it has already met several important milestones, including completing a conceptual design, submitting a regulatory engagement plan, a conceptual design white paper, and a conceptual design review meeting with the NRC.

The infusion of capital - led by technology and bio-sciences investment firm 8VC - will accelerate efforts in hiring, regulatory approval, and the commercialisation of the company's reactor technology, Deep Fission said.

"Cheap energy fuels our prosperity and all of our technology," said 8VC Managing Partner Joe Lonsdale. "With global demand escalating, we need more options. We invested in Deep Fission because they are engineering a way for nuclear power to be exceptionally safe, cost-effective, and reliable - and far enough underground that hopefully neither war nor regulators can turn it off!"

Deep Fission was founded in 2023 by father-daughter team Elizabeth and Richard Muller, who also co-founded Deep Isolation in 2016 to develop the concept of placing canisters of radioactive waste hundreds of metres underground via a borehole.

Pilot fuel elements for the Generation IV MBIR multipurpose fast neutron research reactor under construction in Russia have passed acceptance tests, allowing state nuclear corporation Rosatom researchers to move on to production of fuel for the initial loading of the reactor core.

Rosatom said the pilot fuel elements had been manufactured by researchers in the fuel technology department of the Research Institute of Atomic Reactors (NIIAR), part of its scientific division.

The MBIR is being built at NIIAR, in Dimitrovgrad, southwest Russia, as part of a Russian government programme to develop nuclear science and technology. It is scheduled for completion in 2026 and physical startup for 2027.

The MBIR will primarily use sodium as a coolant and vibro-packed mixed-oxide (VMOX) fuel. VMOX is a Russian variant of MOX fuel in which blended uranium-plutonium oxide powders and fresh uranium-oxide powder are loaded directly into the cladding tube of the fuel assembly instead of first being manufactured into pellets.

The reactor will be used for the development of materials for Generation IV fast neutron reactors.

Scientists will use it for experiments on the operating parameters of core components under normal and emergency conditions when using sodium, lead, lead-bismuth, gaseous and molten salt coolants.

According to earlier reports, the total cost of the project could be up to $1.5bn (€1.35bn), but no recent figures have been made public.

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has awarded a 20-year licence renewal for the two commercial nuclear reactor units operating at the North Anna site in Virginia.

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

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

The NRC said the subsequent 20-year licence renewal means the North Anna units can now operate unit April 2058 and August 2060.

Earlier this month, the NRC issued a final environmental impact report for the proposed lifetime extension of the two units.

The regulator said there were no adverse environmental impacts to bar the renewal of North Anna’s operating licences for an additional 20 years.

According to the NRC, with the renewal of the North Anna licences, eight commercial nuclear power reactors have received subsequent renewed licences which authorise operation extensions from 60 to 80 years.

Applications are under review for subsequent licence renewals at seven nuclear stations, the NRC said.

These are for: Point Beach-1 and -2 in Wisconsin; Oconee-1, -2, -3 in South Carolina; St. Lucie-1 and -2 in Florida; Monticello-1 in Minnesota; VC Summer-1 in South Carolina; Browns Ferry-1, -2, -3 in Alabama; Dresden-2 and -3 in Illinois.

BWX Technologies Inc (BWXT) has been awarded a contract by the US Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) to develop a centrifuge pilot plant to ensure a domestic supply of enriched uranium for defence purposes.

Under the contract - awarded to BWXT subsidiary Nuclear Fuel Services Inc (NFS) - BWXT will complete a year-long engineering study to evaluate options for deploying the pilot plant, which should be able to be repurposed for highly-enriched uranium (HEU) production.

BWXT said the contract represents the next phase of NNSA's Domestic Uranium Enrichment Centrifuge Experiment (DUECE) project, intended to preserve and advance uranium enrichment expertise and technology for current and future US national security needs. The project was developed and managed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).

According to NNSA, the US government currently lacks the ability to enrich uranium to support defence missions. The Domestic Uranium Enrichment (DUE) programme's mission is to ensure a reliable supply of enriched uranium for national security missions including low-enriched uranium (LEU) to support tritium production and HEU to fuel naval nuclear propulsion. The DUECE programme is working to establish a new capability in time to meet national security needs using centrifuge technologies.

NNSA said there is a need to develop and demonstrate centrifuge technologies to better characterise performance, reliability, and life-cycle costs prior to selecting a path forward for a production-scale capability.

Since 2016, the DUE programme has funded the research and development of small centrifuge technology under the DUECE project at ORNL. ORNL is planning to demonstrate the DUECE technology in an engineering-scale cascade testbed at a facility located on its campus in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

The objective of the engineering study is to "inform the acquisition approach" for a pilot plant that will demonstrate the DUE centrifuge performance, reliability and life-cycle costs for the NNSA.

US engineering and construction firm Fluor Corporation will be the engineering, procurement and construction service provider for the activity.

NFS - part of its BWXT Nuclear Operations Group - processes highly-enriched uranium to manufacture fuel material for all naval nuclear reactors used in US submarines and aircraft carriers. It also provides uranium downblending services to support commercial power needs and national security missions.

"BWXT's entry into the domestic uranium enrichment market is driven by our unwavering commitment to national security, and we look forward to working with NNSA and ORNL to advance the DUECE programme," said BWXT Government Operations President Kevin McCoy. "Given BWXT's unique nuclear operations infrastructure and US Nuclear Regulatory Commission Category 1 uranium handling and processing licences, this venture aligns well with BWXT's long-standing strategy to expand its role in the national security nuclear fuel cycle."

The Czech Republic's nuclear power plant operator ČEZ has concluded a security agreement with the government allowing the next steps in selecting a future supplier for its planned small modular reactors (SMRs).

The contract is designed to ensure that the security interests of the state will be secured in the selection of the SMR suppliers. A similar process was included in the recent process of selecting a supplier for the new large units planned in the country.

Minister of Trade and Industry Jozef Síkela said: "Our efforts to develop nuclear energy in the Czech Republic are not limited to the successful tender for new units in Dukovany and the preparation of new sources for the Temelín location. Small and medium-sized reactors can be an integral part of the Czech Republic's future energy mix. They can provide citizens and companies not only with electricity, but also with heat, so they can replace ageing coal-fired facilities.

"The SMR construction programme also means a great opportunity for the Czech economy - the production of nuclear facilities is offered as well as substantial involvement into the supply chain, similar to large blocks. The contract we concluded with ČEZ will guarantee compliance with the security interests of the state during their development."

Daniel Beneš, Chairman and CEO of ČEZ, said: "The core represents a safe, stable, reliable and clean source of energy. Small and medium-sized modular reactors can suitably complement large ones in order to maintain the energy security and self-sufficiency of the Czech Republic."

ČEZ plans its first SMR to be sited near the Temelin nuclear power plant site in South Bohemia, and is also looking at second and third sites for SMRs, including, the company said, "the power plants in Dětmarovice and Tušimice, which are now undergoing a series of intensive survey and monitoring works before it becomes definitively clear whether they are suitable for the location of a nuclear source".

The Czech Republic currently gets about one-third of its electricity from four VVER-440 units at Dukovany, which began operating between 1985 and 1987, and the two VVER-1000 units in operation at Temelín, which came into operation in 2000 and 2002. Last month Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) was named the preferred bidder for up to four new units at the two existing nuclear power plants, with the target of the first unit entering commercial operation in 2038. On Tuesday, Westinghouse and EDF, fellow bidders, asked the Czech competition authority to review the tender decision.

The Czech SMR roadmap was published and approved last year setting out options for technology suppliers and identifying a range of potential sites - 45 in total - as well as investor models. Its vision is for "SMRs to complement large nuclear untis from 2030s-40s onwards".

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced he will hold a ministerial meeting next week to discuss measures needed to gain local consent for the restart of reactors at Tokyo Electric Power Company's (Tepco's) Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Niigata Prefecture.

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, respectively, 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, the company 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.

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.

Speaking at a GX (Green Transformation) Executive Council meeting on 27 August, Kishida - who will step down next month - said: "I will do my best to advance GX one step at a time during the remaining time of my term. One of these is preparations for the restart of nuclear power plants in eastern Japan."

He noted that since the March 2011 accident at Tepco's Fukushima Daiichi plant, "eastern Japan has relied on nearly 70% of its electricity from thermal power plants concentrated in Tokyo Bay and along the Pacific coast, making it vulnerable to disaster risks". In addition, he said "a disparity in electricity rates has also emerged between the east and west of Japan, where nuclear power generation is progressing".

Kishida continued: "With the primary premise of ensuring safety, we will respond to the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, which complies with the new regulatory standards, in accordance with our policy of restarting the plant only after gaining the understanding of the local community.

"In order to achieve restart with the understanding of the local community, the operator and the government must respond together, taking into account the requests from the local community. For this reason, we will hold a nuclear power-related ministerial meeting next week, attended by all the ministers involved in the restart of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, to confirm and give instructions for concrete measures to be taken."

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 (USD692 million) per year.

Ukraine's Energoatom says it has had land transferred to it as part of steps which could lead to a new four-unit nuclear power plant at the Chyhyryn site - and the development of the largely abandoned Soviet-era satellite town of Orbita nearby.

The country's nuclear power operator said that as part of Ukraine's plans to increase its nuclear energy capacity there has been a search for suitable sites for new nuclear, with the Chyhyryn site in the Cherkasy region the most promising. It was the site chosen in the 1970s and 1980s for a new power plant, but work on the nuclear power project was halted post-Chernobyl, in 1989. As a result, the newly constructed satellite town of Orbita, built for construction workers and future staff of a power plant at the site and with a proposed population of 20,000, has been largely abandoned.

Energoatom Chairman Petro Kotin said: "Energoatom intends to revive Orbita, making it one of the most modern towns like Netishyn, Yuzhnoukrainsk or Varash. The successful implementation of the plans is, of course, a significant investment in the post-war recovery and maintenance of the country’s energy security. The introduction of innovative nuclear technologies will make Ukraine a leader in power industry with unique experience and its own process engineering solutions."

The company said that the first step in implementing the plan was the decision by Chyhyryn City Council to issue a permit for the development of a land management project for permanent use of the land by Energoatom and the transfer to the company of land plots with a total area of 38.1493 hectares.

Ukraine has 15 reactors generating half its electricity at four existing nuclear power plants, including the six-unit Zaporizhzhia plant which has been under Russian military control since early March 2022. The country has plans for nine Westinghouse AP1000 units, including at the existing nuclear plants of Khmelnitsky, Rivne and South Ukraine.

Norsk Kjernekraft has signed a memorandum of understanding with South Korea's DL Energy and DL E&C to study the feasibility of constructing a nuclear power plant at the Mongstad oil refinery in Norway.

The agreement was signed on 21 August in Seoul by Norsk Kjernekraft CEO Jonny Hesthammer, DL Energy CEO Hoonchul Ha and DL E&C Executive Vice President Jaeho Yoo.

Norsk Kjernekraft - which aims to build, own and operate small modular reactor (SMR) power plants in Norway in collaboration with power-intensive industry - said DL Energy previously visited the Mongstad oil refinery in Austrheim and Alver municipality. The refinery, it said, is Norway's "largest emission point", and that nuclear power "has the potential to become a central contributor when the region is to reach its zero emissions target".

It added: "The recipe is the same that Norway used to build up its, today, world-leading oil industry. By bringing in foreign expertise, the process can be accelerated. The collaboration agreement also opens the way for the DL group to contribute its knowledge and expertise in other Norwegian municipalities as well."

DL Energy and DL E&C are both part of the DL Group, which has built a number of nuclear power plants with an annual production equivalent to more than half of Norway's total power production, Norsk Kjernekraft noted. "South Korea has extensive experience in the efficient construction and operation of nuclear power plants, and their expertise is now being used in Europe for the construction of new nuclear power plants."

A nuclear power plant could be built in Austrheim by the mid-30s, "given political will", the Norwegian firm said. "The nuclear power plant will deliver clean electricity and heat and will be able to help cover the enormous power needs registered in the region, without this coming at the expense of vulnerable nature."

"Without nuclear power, Norway is unable to comply with its international obligations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and at the same time protect our wonderful nature," Hesthammer said. "Since we started this company a couple of years ago, this message has reached more and more people, and a number of district municipalities are now stepping forward to have nuclear power investigated with us.

"We keep hearing the argument that Norway lacks nuclear power expertise. It is therefore very gratifying that foreign expertise is on hand and will help us. The South Koreans are world champions in building nuclear power plants to the agreed time and cost. They showed that, among other things, with the construction of four reactors at Barakah in the UAE."

Earlier this month, Norsk Kjernekraft submitted a proposal to Norway's Ministry of Energy for an assessment of the construction of a power plant based on multiple SMRs in the municipality of Øygarden, west of Bergen. That proposal followed proposals submitted for SMR power plants in Aure and Heim municipalities, as well as Vardø municipality.

In June, the Norwegian government announced the appointment of a committee to conduct a broad review and assessment of various aspects of a possible future establishment of nuclear power in the country. It must deliver its report by 1 April 2026.

International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, speaking after visiting Russia's Kursk nuclear power plant, said military action near the plant was a cause for concern.

According to Reuters, he told a news conference "the danger or possibility of a nuclear accident has emerged near here", adding that one of the factors increasing the risk of a "nuclear incident" was that the four RBMK-1000 reactors (two are permanently shut and one is currently in a regular scheduled shutdown) do not have an extra protective shell.

According to Russia's Tass news agency, Grossi also said: "I’ve had a possibility to visit it, to look at all the most important parts of the nuclear power plant: the reactor hall, the turbine hall, the control room, and every other essential part of the station, and the storage of the spent fuel as well." It added that he had said that it was operating "very close to normal conditions".

Russia's Rosatom said that during the visit the IAEA delegation visited both the Kursk nuclear power plant (KNPP) and the Kursk II NPP, which is under construction. It said Grossi saw KNPP unit 3 continues to operate at its installed capacity, and the design features of RBMK reactors were demonstrated. They said the results of the visit will be discussed by Grossi and Rosatom Director General Alexei Likhachev "in the established interdepartmental format in Kaliningrad in the near future".

Ahead of travelling Grossi said that he had been following the situation in the region closely in the light of "increased levels of military activity in the vicinity" and "when the Agency is called upon to fulfil its mandate to ensure that nuclear is used in a peaceful manner, we are present".

In that statement, issued on Monday, he added: "I reiterate that the safety and security of nuclear facilities must, under no circumstances, be endangered." One of the issues discussed during his visit was what measures can be taken to help in terms of boosting nuclear safety and security.

Grossi has visited the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant - the Ukrainian nuclear power plant which has been under Russian military control since early March 2022 - a number of times during the on-going conflict. The Kursk nuclear power plant, and the Kursk II plant under construction, are situated in Russia about 60 kilometres from the border. On 9 August, the IAEA said it was monitoring the situation after Ukrainian forces advanced 30 kilometres into Russia's Kursk region, bordering Ukraine. They had reportedly advanced within 50 kilometres of the Kursk nuclear power plant.

Grossi and the IAEA - and the United Nations Security Council - have set out the seven indispensable pillars of nuclear safety during an armed conflict and the five concrete principles established to protect Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant - such as not firing from, or at, a nuclear power plant or using a nuclear power plant as a military base. Grossi said ahead of his visit to Kursk that the principles were applicable to any nuclear power plant.

All four units at the existing Kursk nuclear power plant are scheduled to shut by 2031. The first unit was shut down after 45 years of operation in December 2021. The original design life for the four RBMK-1000 reactors at the plant was for 30 years but had been extended by 15 years following life extension programmes. Kursk II is a new nuclear power plant nearby that will feature two VVER-TOI reactors.

According to Reuters, Grossi also told the news conference after the visit to KNPP: "I was informed about the impact of drones. I was shown some of the remnants of those and signs of the impact they had," without saying who was responsible.

Ukraine and Russia each accuse the other side of putting nuclear safety at risk and breaching the IAEA's central safety principles for nuclear facilities. Grossi explained at the United Nations in April that the IAEA would not attribute blame without "indisputable proof" and said the agency aims to "keep the information as accurate as we can and we do not trade into speculating".

The Czech Republic's competition authority says Westinghouse and EDF have asked for a review of the tender process for new nuclear units in the country. Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) was selected last month as the preferred bidder.

The competition office, UOHS, has not yet given details of the grounds for the two companies' objections, and said it was "currently familiarising itself with the content of both proposals".

Westinghouse issued a statement saying it had filed an appeal on the basis that "the tender required vendors to certify they possess the right to transfer and sub-license the nuclear technology offered in their bids to CEZ and local suppliers. KHNP’s APR1000 and APR1400 plant designs utilise Westinghouse-licensed Generation II System 80 technology. KHNP neither owns the underlying technology nor has the right to sub-license it to a third party without Westinghouse consent. Further, only Westinghouse has the legal right to obtain the required approval from the US government to export its technology".

There has been an on-going dispute between Westinghouse and KHNP over the issue of intellectual property rights, which is the subject of international arbitration, a process which Westinghouse says is not expected to conclude before the second half of 2025.

Reuters reported KHNP as saying it would "respond sufficiently to the dispute with Westinghouse to avoid negative impacts on the Czech nuclear project". There has not yet been a comment EDF on the situation.

The background

In October last year, Westinghouse, EDF and KHNP submitted binding bids for a fifth unit at the Dukovany nuclear power plant, and non-binding offers for up to three more units - another one at Dukovany and two at the Temelin nuclear power plant. Westinghouse was proposing its AP1000, EDF was proposing its EPR1200 reactor, KHNP was proposing its APR1000. But in February the Czech government announced it was changing the tender to be binding offers for four new units, with Westinghouse not included because it "did not meet the necessary conditions".

Prime Minister Petr Fiala explained at the time that the decision to switch to binding offers for all four units was the result of the original tender suggesting that contracting for four units, rather than having separate processes, could have a 25% benefit in terms of costs.

In July, he announced KHNP as the preferred bidder, with contract negotiations to begin with the aim of signing contracts for the initial unit by the end of March 2025 - the target for test operation of the first new unit is 2036 with commercial operation in 2038. He said the winning tender "based on the evaluation of experts, offered better conditions in most of the evaluated criteria, including the price". The KHNP bid was for a cost of around CZK200 billion per unit (USD8.6 billion), if two units were contracted.

The Czech Republic currently gets about one-third of its electricity from the four VVER-440 units at Dukovany, which began operating between 1985 and 1987, and the two VVER-1000 units in operation at Temelín, which came into operation in 2000 and 2002. As well as the planned new units at Dukovany and Temelin, the country is also planning for the introduction of small modular reactors in the future.

Equipment including two steam generators, the reactor pressure vessel and the pressuriser for unit 8 of the Tianwan nuclear power plant have arrived at the construction site in China's Jiangsu province.

The components were all produced at the Atommash production site in Volgodonsk in southern Russia and travelled thousands of miles - including two months at sea - to the end location on the Chinese coast.

The parts left Russia on 12 June and arrived at Yingkou Port in China after 62 days of ocean voyage for transshipment to the construction site. The shipment was transported to the Tianwan site's wharf by two deep-deck ships, arriving on 19 and 21 August.

"On the day of arrival, the Tianwan Project Department organised all participating units to work together efficiently and successfully completed a series of tasks such as unloading and hoisting, short-distance transportation, equipment self-unloading, and temporary storage," China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) subsidiary China Nuclear Power Engineering Company Ltd said.

Last year the reactor vessel and four steam generators for Tianwan unit 7 were shipped, as well as two of the four steam generators for unit 8.

"The comprehensive entry of the main equipment of unit 8, such as steam generators, pressure vessels, and stabilisers, laid a solid foundation for the construction of the key path of the installation of the main equipment of unit 8, marking another solid step forward in the construction of Tianwan units 7 and 8," it added.

The Tianwan nuclear power plant is owned and operated by Jiangsu Nuclear Power Company, a joint venture between CNNC (50%), China Power Investment Corporation (30%) and Jiangsu Guoxin Group (20%).

In June 2018, Russia and China signed four agreements, including for the construction of two VVER-1200 reactors as units 7 and 8 of the Tianwan plant. Construction of unit 7 began in May 2021, with that of unit 8 starting in February 2022. The units are scheduled to be commissioned in 2026-2027.

The United Kingdom’s Department of Energy Security and Net Zero have signed off on Westinghouse’s AP300 small modular reactor earlier this month.

The approval is the first step in the generic design assessment (GDA) licensing process to bring new nuclear technology to the nation. It’s part of the larger Great British Nuclear program, launched in 2023, to support the U.K.’s goal of expanding nuclear energy capacity to 24 gigawatts by 2050—which would be the nation’s largest expansion of nuclear in 70 years.

The U.K. government outlined the planned buildout in its Civil Nuclear Roadmap. The report, which was released in January, lays out goals and actions for building nuclear capacity, including the need to double its 64,500 workers in the industry over the next 20 years.

Quotable: “The U.K.’s familiarity with the AP300’s underpinning technology and our strong track record of licensing success in the U.K. and globally give us confidence that we will move through the GDA process at pace,” said Dan Lipman, president of Westinghouse Energy Systems, in a press release.

A closer look: Westinghouse’s AP300 SMR was previously selected for the current phase of Great British Nuclear in October 2023. Community Nuclear Power Ltd. also selected Westinghouse to build four AP300 SMRs in northeastern England. These projects leverage Westinghouse’s 75-year history of nuclear manufacturing operations in the U.K. at its facility in Springfields, Lancashire.

The AP300 SMR is based on an advanced, large Generation III+ reactor that is in operation globally—Westinghouse’s AP1000, which is already licensed in the U.K.

By leveraging existing technology, Westinghouse is aiming for its AP300 SMR to be available in the early 2030s.

The unit is also under consideration by customers in Europe and North America. The United Kingdom signed a trilateral agreement with the U.S. and Canada in March to collaborate on getting advanced nuclear technology licensed and developed.

At the time of the agreement signing, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission chair Christopher Hanson said it “shows the great progress we’ve made without international counterparts to ensure advanced reactor technology can be safely and efficiently deployed.”