Nuclear Energy

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Preparatory-activities-begin-at-Imouraren

Orano has restarted preparatory work for the Imouraren uranium mine in Niger where the company has previously said it intends to carry out an in-situ leach pilot programme - but press reports suggest the Nigerien mining ministry might be about to revoke the operating permit for the project.

Imouraren is about 80km south of Arlit and about 160km north of Agadez. First discovered in 1966, it has mineral reserves of over 200,000 tU and is described by Orano as containing one of the largest uranium reserves in the world. Operating company Imouraren SA - owned 66.65% by Orano Expansion and 33.35% by Sopamin and the State of Niger - was awarded an operating permit to mine the deposit in 2009 and excavations began in 2012, but development was suspended in 2015 pending more favourable market conditions.

The joint venture is now looking into the possibility of using in-situ leach methods to bring it into production and Orano has previously said it would begin a pilot programme this year with a view to making an investment decision in 2028 if feasibility is confirmed.

An Orano spokesperson, quoted by AFP, has now said infrastructure at the site has been reopened to accommodate the construction teams and move the work forward.

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

But Bloomberg has reported Niger's mining ministry has now said Orano's plans for development of the deposit do not meet with the authorities' expectations, citing a letter which said a notice period will end on 19 June "after which date the company’s operating permit will be revoked". The letter, dated 11 June, has reportedly been confirmed by a spokesman for the military junta which has been in power in Niger since June 2023.

Earlier this month, Russian atomic company Rosatom and Orano both denied press reports alleging that the Russian company was planning to take over Orano's assets in Niger. "Rosatom has no plans to acquire uranium mining assets in Niger that are owned by Orano," Rosatom's press service told TASS in response to press reports, with Orano telling Bloomberg it was unaware of any discussions between Niger and Russian entities.

Orano said today it has no additional comment on reports about the Imouraren permit.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Verdict-on-EDF-and-KHNP-bids-being-considered-by-C

ČEZ has submitted to the Czech government its evaluation of the bids received from France's EDF and South Korea's Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power for the construction of a new nuclear power plant at Dukovany.

The evaluation, carried out by ČEZ's wholly-owned subsidiary Elektrárna Dukovany II, includes a suggested preferred supplier for new nuclear units, although the recommended choice has not been made public.

Minister of Industry and Trade Jozef Síkela said: "I can confirm that we have received the evaluation report from ČEZ Group. The government now has an opportunity to express its opinion on the report from the perspective of national security interests. We will announce the selection of the preferred contender in July and inform about how we will use the option for the construction of additional nuclear units in Dukovany and Temelín."

The head of ČEZ’s New Energy Division, Tomáš Pleskač, said that financial, commercial and technical aspects of the EDF and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) bids were scrutinised by more than 180 experts during an evaluation process which followed the steps recommended by the International Atomic Energy Agency: "All price inputs and risks have been quantified. Both offers were compared according to the same criterion, namely to the price per one megawatt hour generated, at which each contender’s new unit would generate electricity."

The aim is for the contracts to be finalised this year and signed by the end of March 2025. According to ČEZ the door is not necessarily closed on the bidder who is not selected, saying that if, during the contract being drawn up, the details "significantly diverge from the bid submitted, the bidder ranking second may be asked to enter negotiations".

The target for test operation of the first new unit is 2036.

Last month the European Commission approved the Czech Republic's proposed public support package for new nuclear - it plans to grant direct price support in the form of a power purchasing contract with a state-owned special purpose vehicle, ensuring stable revenues for 40 years, with a subsidised state loan to cover a majority of construction costs as well as a "protection mechanism against unforeseen events or policy changes" and with a clawback mechanism to ensure "additional gains generated by the project will be shared with the Czech state".

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.

The current tender for new nuclear was originally for a binding offer for one new unit at Dukovany and non-binding offers for up to three more - a sixth at Dukovany and two at Temelín. But in February the Czech government announced it was changing the tender to binding offers for up to four new units, citing the cost savings per unit if they were not procured on a unit-by-unit basis.

EDF is proposing its EPR1200 reactor, KHNP is proposing its APR1000 - both companies have stressed their agreements with Czech suppliers to localise work if selected.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/China-to-supply-Bangladesh-with-irradiation-plant

China Isotope & Radiation Corporation (CIRC) has won a contract to construct a gamma irradiation facility at the Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA).

CIRC - a subsidiary of China Baoyuan Investment Company Ltd, which is itself part of China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) - noted that it marks the "first such project commissioned by a foreign government institution to CIRC and the first overseas EPC project won by CIRC". The value of the contract was not disclosed.

The irradiation facility has a design capacity of more than one million curies and is mainly designed to disinfect and sterilise bacteria on foods, medical devices, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, conduct quarantine inspections and extend the shelf life of relevant products.

CIRC noted that irradiation is a mandatory requirement for the export of relevant products and "boasts tremendous market potential" in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) countries and regions.

"The successful bid for the irradiation station project in Bangladesh is the result of coordinated efforts taken by the CIRC and other subsidiaries of the CNNC to further strengthen their collaboration and complement each other in their overseas development," CNNC said. "It is expected to produce positive demonstration effects in the BRI countries of South Asia, help CNNC enhance its international influence, and advance the cooperation in all industrial chains for better results."

CIRC is the largest nuclear enterprise in the aspects of research and development, manufacture, distribution and service of nuclear products in China. It is mainly engaged in research and application of radioisotope and radiation technology, covering radioisotope preparation by nuclear reactor and cyclotron, radiopharmaceuticals, radioactive sources, radiation engineering and processing, etc. CIRC has three radiopharmaceutical manufacturing and research bases, located in Beijing, Chengdu and Shenzhen.

BINA was established in July 1972 and conducts research in the areas of: crop improvement through induced mutation; biotechnology; soil management and biofertil­isers; irrigation and water manage­ment; pest management; physiological aspects of crop productivity; crop management; improvement of horticultural crops; technology transfer and impact assessment; and socio-economic research.

BINA has so far succeeded in developing and releasing 125 modern varieties of 19 important crops by using nuclear techniques and these varieties are now making significant contributing to raise the agricultural productivity of Bangladesh. It has also been able to identify nine rhizobial inocula for fixing higher biological nitrogen in soils to increase the seed yield of bean, pulses and oil crops.

Russia is constructing Bangladesh's first nuclear power plant at Rooppur, 160 kilometres from the capital Dhaka. It features two Russian VVER-1200 reactors. Construction of the first unit began in November 2017, with the start of construction of the second unit following in July 2018. The first unit is scheduled to be commissioned later this year.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Nuclear-power-plant-proposed-for-north-eastern-Nor

Norsk Kjernekraft has submitted a proposal to Norway's Ministry of Energy for an assessment into the construction of a power plant based on multiple small modular reactors (SMRs) in the county of Finnmark. The company said it marks the first step in the formal process to establish a nuclear power plant there.

In April last year, the municipality of Vardø in Finnmark proposed nearby Svartnes as a possible site for a nuclear power plant to Norsk Kjernekraft, which aims to build, own and operate SMR power plants in Norway in collaboration with power-intensive industry. Vardø municipality and Norsk Kjernekraft entered into an agreement to prepare a report with proposals for a study programme in June 2023.

In collaboration with Vardø, Norsk Kjernekraft has mapped the energy situation in Finnmark, and considered the local conditions at Svartnes. Based on this, a nuclear power plant is proposed with a capacity of up to 600 MWe and an annual output of up to 5 TWh - "enough to triple the power supply in Finnmark".

Norsk Kjernekraft said the report it has now submitted to the Ministry of Energy "describes local conditions for the construction and operation of a nuclear power plant at Svartnes outside Vardø, and which topics will be described in a future impact assessment. The available information suggests that the location is suitable for the purpose."

The scope of the proposed study programme is limited to assessing what effects construction, operation and decommissioning of the power plant can have for society and the environment. Once the proposal has been approved by the ministry, an environmental impact assessment can start.

The report says Vardø is an urban community with "a good public service offer and varied working life", and that it is therefore possible to attract the high number of employees necessary for construction and operation of the plant. Other advantages at Vardø are that there are already power lines and a substation where, combined with good road connections, ports, large areas available for both the power plant and power-intensive industry, ample access to cooling water, stable ground conditions and local political support for nuclear power. "In addition, a nuclear power plant in the far east of the country will emphasise Norway's willingness to assert sovereignty," it adds.

Norsk Kjernekraft notes that, due to limited network capacity in Vardø, it will consider alternative locations in Finnmark before the impact assessment begins.

The report says that electricity is currently generated in Finnmark using hydro plants and wind turbines. "In periods of low wind, Finnmark is dependent on supply of power from other parts of Norway and from Finland," it says. "The nuclear power plant will produce electricity completely independently of the weather, thereby providing a significant improvement in the reliability of the power supply throughout north Scandinavia, as well as helping to cover the expected power demand."

"The purpose of this notice is to inform the relevant authorities and other stakeholders that the construction of a nuclear power plant in Vardø is considered, and to invite other municipalities to report their interest in investigating alternative locations in their municipalities," Norsk Kjernekraft said.

The company said it intends to utilise a significant part of the excess heat from the plant "as an input factor for industrial companies, food production, district heating and others". It said the power plant can enable the establishment of local industry, for example within data centres, hydrogen production, mineral extraction, green shipping and food production.

Norsk Kjernekraft CEO Jonny Hesthammer commented: "A nuclear power plant in Vardø will give Finnmark access to large amounts of stable power, create hundreds of jobs and provide light in the houses in a strategically important part of our country. In addition, it will help assert Norwegian sovereignty and ensure Norwegian presence. This report will be an important part of the knowledge base for the government's announced investigation into nuclear power in Norway."

"This is a right and important step to meet future energy needs," added Vardø mayor Tor-Erik Labahå. "A nuclear power plant in Vardø will build the community in the far north-east of Norway, and it will be able to supply new industry in the entire Eastern Finnmark region."

In November, Norsk Kjernekraft submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Energy for an assessment into the construction of an SMR power plant based in the municipalities of Aure and Heim in south-western Norway. In April this year, it initiated work on the impact assessment of a plot of land in Øygarden municipality, west of Bergen, to assess the possibility of establishing a nuclear power plant comprising up to five SMRs.

A new company, Halden Kjernekraft AS, has also been founded by Norsk Kjernekraft, Østfold Energi and the municipality of Halden to investigate the construction of a nuclear power plant based on SMRs at Halden, where a research reactor once operated.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Ontario-minister-marks-completion-of-first-phase-o

Newly appointed Minister of Energy and Electrification Stephen Lecce visited Ontario Power Generation's Darlington New Nuclear site to mark the completion of the first phase of site preparation for the province's first small modular reactor (SMR) and recent trade missions to Romania and France.

Ontario Power Generation (OPG) announced in March that early phase works for the Darlington New Nuclear Project to construct the first of up to four BWRX-300 SMRs had been completed on time and on budget, clearing the way for the main site preparation work to begin.

Yesterday, the government said that OPG "has now completed the early works for the first SMR in the G7 on time and on budget" and added that the site has now been transitioned into the care of the Darlington New Nuclear Project's construction partner, Aecon, to allow for main site preparation to begin. This work includes excavation, the construction of shoring walls, and land clearance for three additional units.

"We are today announcing the next phase of construction on the first small modular reactor of its kind in our country and across the G7 and part of the industrialised world," Lecce said during his visit to the site. "We're building four here. And we're expanding Bruce. We're extending the life of Pickering. These are massive investments to ensure we have the energy security to build our economy."

The new minister also marked the successful completion of trade missions to Romania and France, with "significant deals" worth over CAD360 million (USD261 million) including the signature of new agreements with Nuclearelectrica in Romania and Stellarex in France. Lecce and former Ontario Energy Minister Todd Smith - now the province's Minister of Education - also met with European government representatives and energy companies and hosted a Nuclear Education Roundtable to discuss workforce and talent gaps in Romania's nuclear sector and opportunities for future collaboration.

"With increasing geopolitical volatility, it is clear that countries around the world are looking for stable democratic energy partners that offer clean, reliable and affordable energy - and Ontario is once again answering that call," said Lecce. "Thanks to Ontario's domestic nuclear programme, we are landing major agreements abroad that are creating value-added jobs back home in Ontario as we deliver a major nuclear refurbishment in Romania that is going to support energy security for Europe."

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/IAEA-reports-mine-explosion-close-to-Zaporizhzhia

As the International Atomic Energy Agency completed the 20th rotation of its experts at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi says they continue to report hearing explosions nearby.

In his latest update on the situation at the six-unit nuclear power plant, which has been under Russian military control since early March 2022, Grossi said agency staff had "confirmed with the plant that one of the mines located next to the cooling pond area exploded on 11 June. There were no physical damage or casualties from the explosion and the cause of the explosion was not shared with the IAEA team".

"This latest explosion, so close to the plant, is of grave concern and is aggravating an already fragile situation ... nuclear safety and security of the ZNPP cannot be compromised," he said.

Ahead of a Swiss-hosted summit on Ukraine, Grossi met Switzerland's Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis to brief him on the work the IAEA is doing to try reduce the risk of a nuclear accident during the war and to urge the summit to "strengthen and support the unique, independent, and technical role of the IAEA".

Over the past week, the update says, IAEA staff visited an electrical substation in nearby Energodar which, according to those running the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, was damaged by shelling on 8 June. They also witnessed a successful test of safety systems at unit 2 and observed "the real-time monitoring system of the storage casks, containing spent fuel from all six reactors, at the ZNPP dry spent fuel storage facility".

An emergency drill was held on 15 May and the IAEA team has been told the drill achieved its goals and "identified several valuable lessons ... an action plan is being implemented to address the areas identified for improvement during the drill".

Since the destruction of the Kakhovka dam a year ago, the need to supply enough cooling water to the Zaporizhzhia plant has continued to be an issue. The IAEA team were informed that the operators of the plant have installed a submersible pump near the isolation gate of the discharge channel of the Zaporizhzhia Thermal Power Plant, which can pump water to the cooling pond, which is also being fed by 11 groundwater wells.

The IAEA teams at the three other Ukrainian nuclear power plants - Khmelnitsky, Rivne and South Ukraine - also rotated this week.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Uranium-production-resumes-at-Texas-project

The start-up of production at Alta Mesa - a joint venture of enCore Energy and Boss Energy - sees enCore become the only US uranium producer with multiple production facilities currently in operation and is the second start-up in eight weeks for Boss Energy. The first shipment of yellowcake is expected in 60-90 days' time.

The previously producing in-situ leach project comprises the fully licensed and constructed Alta Mesa Uranium Central Processing Plant (CPP) and wellfield, and was acquired by enCore from Energy Fuels Inc in February 2023 for USD120 million. In December, the company entered into an agreement with Australia's Boss Energy which saw Boss acquiring a 30% stake. It is operated by enCore.

EnCore CEO Paul Goranson said the company has advanced the project from acquisition to the completion of upgrades, wellfield installation and production within fifteen months. Alta Mesa is the company's second producing asset to come online: the Rosita CPP, also in South Texas, resumed production in late 2023 after being offline since 2008, and shipped its first uranium in March.

"Our strategy at Alta Mesa is to initiate phased ramp-up from the wellfield located in Production Authorisation Area 7 (PAA-7), increasing production progressively and consistently as additional injection and recovery wells are systematically tied into the production lines," Goranson said. "As we continue to increase production from PAA-7, work has commenced on the second new wellfield at Production Authorisation Area 8 with a goal of achieving full operational capacity by 2026. We are very pleased with our initial early production providing enCore with a second revenue source as we continue to build out the Alta Mesa Project."

The Alta Mesa CPP has a total processing capacity of 1.5 million pounds U3O8 (577 tU) per year with additional drying capacity of 0.5 million pounds. It produced nearly 5 million pounds U3O8 between 2005 and 2013, when production was curtailed due to low uranium prices.

Currently, oxygenated water - used to extract uranium from the orebody - is being circulated in the wellfield through injection or extraction wells plumbed directly into the primary pipelines feeding the CPP. Expansion of the wellfield will continue with production to steadily increase from the wellfield as expansion continues through 2024 and beyond, enCore said.

In April, Boss Energy's Honeymoon project in South Australia produced its first drum of uranium in more than a decade, and Managing Director Duncan Craib said the start of production at the Alta Mesa Project is another key milestone in the company's strategy to be a global uranium supplier with a diversified production base in tier-one locations.

“With operations now ramping up at both Honeymoon and Alta Mesa, we are on track to hit our combined nameplate production target of 3 million pounds of uranium per annum," he said. "Our timing could hardly be better given the increasingly tight supply and demand fundamentals in the uranium market."

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Nuclear-industry-sets-expectations-of-next-Europea

Leaders from across the European nuclear industry have published a manifesto outlining their priorities for the new European Commission. Nuclear energy, they note, plays a crucial role in providing the EU with secure and affordable energy.

Between 6 and 9 June, EU citizens voted to elect the 720 members of the next European Parliament. The new European Commission and its new President will shortly be elected.

The manifesto notes the Nuclear Alliance of the EU Member States who have committed to expanding their use of nuclear energy has recognised that nuclear could provide up to 150 GW of electricity capacity by 2050 in the EU, compared with about 100 GW currently. This commitment aligns with the Net Zero Nuclear initiative, launched in November last year during COP28, which aims to triple the world's nuclear energy capacity by 2050.

More recently, this support for the sector has also been echoed by the European Commission during the Nuclear Energy Summit in March, and with the launch of the European Industrial Alliance for Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), as well as by the European Parliament's adoption of an Own Initiative Report on SMRs.

"We have to build on this acknowledgement," the manifesto says. "For the EU to achieve a net-zero future for our society, it is imperative to fully support the pivotal role of nuclear energy alongside renewable energy sources.

"We encourage European institutions to develop an ambitious strategy to accelerate the decarbonisation and electrification of Europe's industry. This strategy should acknowledge the significant role that nuclear energy plays in enhancing the EU's strategic autonomy."

In the manifesto, nuclear industry leaders call on policymakers to: treat all net-zero technologies equally; implement consistent and coherent policies which facilitate the deployment of nuclear; allow nuclear to access EU funds and finance; include the nuclear fuel cycle as an enabling activity under the Sustainable Finance Taxonomy; ensure that low-carbon technologies are not discriminated against in taxation policies; enable innovative nuclear technologies to access EU funds beyond the Euratom programme and provide greater support for nuclear research; and support and invest in the development of a skilled nuclear workforce.

"The challenges are significant but not impossible to overcome if the European institutions, EU Member States' governments and the whole nuclear community collaborate closely to meet them," the manifesto says. "The European nuclear industry is fully committed to fulfil its role.

"It is time to turn words into actions. Together we can make a difference."

Yves Desbazeille, director general of nuclear trade body Nucleareurope, added: "Nuclear is a clean and sustainable technology which is why it essential the next Commission treat nuclear on an equal footing with other fossil free technologies. Our expectation is that future policy proposals will focus on goals - decarbonisation, competitiveness, energy sovereignty - rather than on specific technologies."

Nuclear energy generates electricity in 14 of the 27 EU Member States, and currently provides 25% of Europe's electricity and 50% of its low carbon electricity.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Kazatomprom-gets-go-ahead-for-Inkai-3-pilot

The national atomic company has signed a new subsoil use agreement with Kazakhstan's Minister of Energy and received approval for up to four years of pilot production of a total of 701 tU from the Inkai 3 deposit.

Inkai is a key uranium deposit, located in the Suzak district of Turkestan region. The Inkai 3 deposit contains uranium resources of 83,100 tU, Kazatomprom said.

"This licence is important to our sustainable development strategy. Launch of pilot production at Inkai 3 will contribute to social and economic development of the Turkestan region," Kazatomprom CEO Meirzhan Yussupov said. "Replenishment of the mineral resource base will further bolster our position as a uranium industry leader and help us to meet the rising demand for clean energy."

Kazatomprom said it expects to transfer the Inkai 3 subsoil use contract to its 100%-owned Kazatomprom-SaUran LLP subsidiary, which mines uranium from the Kanzhugan, South Moyynkum, Central Moyynkum, Uvanas and Mynkuduk deposits in the Turkestan region. Last year, it completed a major investment project to modernise its 1600 tonne per year uranium refinery in Turkestan.

The company announced its plans to start production from the new deposit in June last year, when it said it was negotiating subsoil rights based on project documents with a validity of 25 years, including the pilot production phase. At that time, it said planned to construct operating assets with an annual capacity of 4,000 tU.

All uranium production in Kazakshtan is by the in-situ leach method. JV Inkai LLP, a partnership of Canadian company Cameco (40%) and Kazatomprom (60%), produces uranium from the Inkai 1 deposit.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Sanmen-3-containment-walls-take-shape

The three steel rings forming the walls of the main containment shell have been hoisted into place at unit 3 of the Sanmen nuclear power plant in China's Zhejiang province.

Installation of the three rings - each with a wall thickness of almost 4.5 centimetres, an inner diameter of about 39.6 metres and an overall height of about 11.6 metres - was completed on 5 June, the Shanghai Nuclear Engineering Research and Design Institute (SNERDI) announced. The total hoisting weight was about 826 tonnes.

In addition to installing temporary stiffening ribs, accessory plates, air deflector brackets, guide devices, lifting ears and other items on the shell, pipelines, electrical, ventilation, steel structures and electric winches were also installed in advance to further save the installation time of items on the island, reduce the risk of cross-operation, and improve on-site work efficiency, SNERDI said.

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

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

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

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/US-support-for-nuclear-energy-at-record-high,-poll

Public support in the USA for nuclear energy is at a record high level, according to the latest survey by Bisconti Research Inc. The results show that for four years in a row, more than three-quarters of the US public said that they favoured the use of nuclear energy.

The National Nuclear Energy Public Opinion Survey - conducted between 30 April and 2 May - included 1000 nationally representative US adults, with a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points, and was conducted by Bisconti with the Quest Mindshare Online Panel. The company has conducted national surveys on attitudes towards nuclear energy since 1983.

The poll found that 77% of respondents said they strongly, or somewhat, favoured the use of nuclear energy as one of the ways to provide electricity in the USA, while 23% were opposed.

"That is a sea-change from four decades ago, when the public was about evenly divided between those who favoured nuclear energy and those who were opposed," Bisconti said.

Opinions about licence renewal and constructing new reactors were also found to be "overwhelmingly favourable" in 2024 and have remained at the same high level for the past four years.

The survey found that 88% of the public agrees that the licences of nuclear power plants that continue to meet federal safety standards should be renewed. Bisconti said: "On this measure, the public has always viewed nuclear power plant licence renewal as similar to renewing a driver's licence - if you can drive safely, the licence should be renewed."

Support for constructing more nuclear power plants has grown, especially since 2021. The latest poll found 71% of respondents in favour of new reactors and 29% opposed.

"Those strongly favourable to nuclear energy outnumber those strongly opposed by 5 to 1," the company noted. "However, the majority do not have strong opinions. Nearly two-thirds somewhat favour or somewhat oppose nuclear energy; they are fence-sitters and have not yet made up their minds."

The level of knowledge about nuclear energy was determined in the survey by answers to 10 questions. Bisconti said many respondents failed the knowledge test. Two-thirds of the sample had low or somewhat low knowledge, and only 7% had high knowledge. The results showed "that the more people know about nuclear energy, the more strongly they favour this energy source - with a range of 14% (low knowledge group) to 70% (high knowledge group) who are strongly in favour".

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Cyclotron-lifted-for-installation-at-Argentina-s-P

The 230-tonne cyclotron, which will produce proton beams for advanced cancer therapy, was lifted into the building in two stages this week.

The centre is being built in Buenos Aires, next to the Nuclear Diagnostic Center Foundation and is a joint project between Argentina's National Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA), the University of Buenos Aires and construction company INVAP.

Luis Rovere, vice president of the CNEA, called it a "very important milestone" with the cyclotron being the main machine for the Proton Therapy Centre, which is described as the first proton centre for the treatment of cancer in the southern hemisphere. He said: "We estimate that the first tests could begin in the second half of 2025."

The operation was carried out by Belgian company Ion Beam Applications, supplier of the equipment.

The C230 cyclotron, from the Proteus Plus system, is a circular particle accelerator that produces beams of protons. It is located in a secure space with concrete walls up to four metres wide, which meant that the lifting and placing of the lower and upper halfs of the cyclotron had to be a precision operation.

According to INVAP: "Unlike the photon beam used in conventional radiotherapy, proton therapy uses high-energy protons directing higher doses to the tumour area without increasing the doses in other areas. The large mass of these protons prevents them from undergoing changes in their path to the tumour, allowing them to be more precisely directed to the affected tissues thereby minimising adverse effects on healthy tissues or organs."

The precision of the treatment, says INVAP, makes it "ideal for treating tumours that are difficult to access or surrounded by vital structures such as brain, head and neck, or lung tumours. It is also a very safe option for treating paediatric tumours since the treatment produces fewer side effects in growing bodily structures".

The Proton Therapy Centre will also offer radiotherapy with high energy X-rays and will also feature a CyberKnife linear accelerator for radiosurgery, with a robotic arm that moves and irradiates while visualising the tumour through real-time radiographic images. There will also be a magnetic resonator and a dual energy tomograph. In addition, there will be a dedicated Research, Development and Innovation laboratory at the site, separate from the clinical areas.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Westinghouse-increases-its-presence-in-Canada

Westinghouse has opened a new global engineering hub in Kitchener, Ontario, to support its growing Candu and global new-build business. Canada is now the third largest engineering centre for the AP1000.

The new 13,000-square-foot (1208-square-metre) facility will be home to global design engineering teams dedicated to supporting the Candu operating fleet and international projects, as well as the global deployment of Westinghouse new-build technologies - including the AP1000 reactor, AP300 small modular reactor and eVinci microreactor. The site features high-tech training capabilities and a laboratory dedicated to further advancing the company's leading fire protection engineering services.

The Kitchener site is one of Westinghouse's five global engineering hubs that drive advancements in the delivery of nuclear energy technology. The location - chosen from a shortlist of 15 cities globally - was selected for its proximity to customers and supply chain, as well as to the University of Waterloo and other colleges and universities.

Westinghouse said the opening of the new facility "further demonstrates the company's ongoing commitment to Canada, its customers and its workforce".

"We are immensely proud to continue investing in Canada and to grow our presence in this dynamic energy market," said Westinghouse President and CEO Patrick Fragman. "Today, Westinghouse has more than 250 employees based in Canada across a diverse range of technical and professional roles. The new engineering hub in Kitchener will expand our employee base with approximately 100 additional engineers by 2025. This - coupled with our robust domestic supply chain and our proven technology offerings - uniquely positions Westinghouse to meet Canada’s clean energy needs for generations to come."

Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic said: "We're thrilled that Westinghouse has chosen to Kitchener, joining the many other global organisations that have seen so much potential in the City of Kitchener and our local ecosystem that they decided to make a home here.

"Establishing one of its five global engineering hubs in our community - and the only one in Canada - will bring new jobs and continue an exciting chapter in our long history of research and development, innovation, and collaboration."

In February, Westinghouse released a comprehensive, independent report from PricewaterhouseCoopers outlining the significant economic impact from deploying four AP1000 reactors in Ontario. Their deployment could have an impact of more than CAD28.7 billion (USD21.2 billion) on Canada's GDP during the manufacturing, engineering and construction phase alone, the study found.

In November last year, the provincial government of Saskatchewan announced it was providing CAD80 million (USD59 million) for the Saskatchewan Research Council to pursue the demonstration of a microreactor in Saskatchewan, with plans for a Westinghouse-designed eVinci microreactor to be operational in the province from 2029.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Cernavoda-1-refurbishment-project-Framework-agreem

Romania's Nuclearelectrica and Canadian Nuclear Partners have signed a long-term framework agreement to provide project management services for the refurbishment of Cernavoda nuclear power plant's unit 1.

The agreement has an estimated value of EUR240 million (USD260 million) and will see Canadian Nuclear Partners - a subsidiary of the state-owned Ontario Power Generation - provide project management services, technical assistance, consulting services, relevant training and "organisation and coordination of unit 1’s commissioning, up to its return to commercial operation".

Speaking at the event in Bucharest, Ontario Minister of Energy Stephen Lecce said: "We are proud to partner with Romania to deliver this major refurbishment that is going to support energy security in Europe while creating new economic opportunities for workers in both of our countries.” His predecessor in that role and current Ontario Education Minister, Todd Smith, said: "The world is watching as Ontario continues to deliver multi-billion-dollar Candu nuclear refurbishment projects on time and on budget."

Cosmin Ghita, Nuclearelectrica CEO, looked forward to "highly professional and robust project management, with combined Canadian and Romanian experience, enabling Romania to benefit from clean, safe, and reliable energy for another 30 years beyond 2029 ... Romania and Canada have been working together for more than 50 years in the nuclear industry and continue to do so by fostering strategic projects to advance energy security, decarbonisation and economic development".

Jason Van Wart, CEO of Canadian Nuclear Partners, said: "We are pleased to leverage our decades of experience with Canadian-made Candu technology to help deliver the unit 1 refurbishment project on time and on budget and demonstrate how Canadian nuclear experts can support clean energy projects in other parts of the world."

Cernavoda is the only nuclear power plant in Romania and consists of two 650 MWe Candu reactors. Unit 1 went into commercial operation in 1996 and unit 2 in 2007. Nuclearelectrica plans to extend the operating life of unit 1 to 60 years. Most of the work on units 3 and 4 - like units 1 and 2, Candu-6 reactors - was done in the 1980s prior to the fall of the government of Nicolae Ceausescu in 1989.

The unit 1 refurbishment project began in 2017 and is currently in the second of three phases. This phase, due to last from February 2022 to 2026, covers providing the financial resources, negotiating and granting engineering, procurement and construction contracts, assessing, preparing and scheduling the activities to be carried and obtaining all the authorisations and approvals necessary to start the project. The third phase, scheduled for 2027 to 2029, starts with the shutdown of unit 1 and includes all the work required on it and its recommissioning.

Candu units are pressurised heavy water reactors designed to operate for 30 years, with a further 30 years available subject to refurbishment. This includes the replacement of key reactor components such as steam generators, pressure tubes, calandria tubes and feeder tubes. It involves removing all the reactor's fuel and heavy water and isolating it from the rest of the power station before it is dismantled. Thousands of components, including those that are not accessible when the reactor is assembled, are inspected, and all 480 fuel channels and 960 feeder tubes are replaced during the high-precision rebuild.

A multinational consortium was formed in October 2023 for the work, involving Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, Canada's Candu Energy and Italy's Ansaldo Nucleare to jointly carry out the refurbishment.

Country takes step closer to setting up a regulatory authority.

Estonia's parliament passed a resolution on Wednesday (12 June) clearing the way for the creation of a Nuclear Energy and Safety Act, which will establish a regulatory body to oversee the safe implementation of nuclear technology in the Baltic country.

Public broadcaster ERR reported that the resolution, which is non-binding, received a majority vote with 41 members of the 101-strong national assembly in favour of laying the groundwork for the nuclear energy legislation.

Twenty-five members of parliament voted against the resolution and two abstained.

ERR said the resolution was based on December 2023 findings from a nuclear energy working group which had confirmed the feasibility of nuclear power in Estonia and outlined a comprehensive plan to integrate it into the national energy framework.

This plan includes a detailed assessment of national security, financial risks, and ownership concerns associated with nuclear energy.

In early May, 55 members of Estonian parliament submitted the draft nuclear energy resolution.

According to ERR, supporters of the resolution argue that nuclear power will complement renewable energy sources by providing a stable, continuous generation capacity, thereby reducing the variability in energy production.

Nuclear power is also expected to play a role in achieving Estonia's climate targets, securing long-term energy supply, and stabilising electricity prices.

Estonia’s climate strategy includes plans for up to four small modular reactors with the first to be operational around 2035.

Privately-owned Estonian company Fermi Energia plans to build at least two SMRs in Estonia using GE-Hitachi BWRX-300 reactor technology.

A spokesperson for Fermi Energia told NucNet in an email that the company welcomes the parliament’s resolution but “there is a lot of work ahead”.

Fermi Energia continues to prepare the application for the national designated spatial planning and various works for procurement preparation, training and recruitment of necessary personnel and cooperation with communities, the spokesperson said.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Bulgaria-s-Kozloduy-using-first-Westinghouse-fuel

Following its annual scheduled shutdown, Kozloduy unit 5 has been restarted with 43 Westinghouse-produced cartridges loaded into the reactor as part of its transition from Russian-supplied fuel.

Bulgaria is one of a number of countries in the European Union who are in the process of switching away from Russian-supplied fuel for their nuclear reactors. Westinghouse signed a 10-year supply contract in December 2022 and is supplying its RWFA VVER-1000 fuel design, which the American company has been supplying to several Ukrainian plants over the past decade.

The Kozloduy nuclear power plant is in the northwest of Bulgaria on the Danube River and provides about 34% of the country's electricity. It features two VVER-1000 units currently in operation, which have both been through refurbishment and life extension programmes to enable extension of operation from 30 to 60 years. Unit 5 was connected to the grid in 1987 and unit 6 in 1991.

As well as the fuel supply agreement with Westinghouse for unit 5, Kozloduy also signed an agreement with France's Framatome to supply fuel for unit 6.

The licence to use the new fuel was issued by the country's Nuclear Regulatory Agency in April, with the loading taking place during the month-long shutdown which also involved the usual safety maintenance and testing checks in accordance with licence obligations. Following an inspection from the Nuclear Regulatory Agency, the unit was reconnected to tthe national electricity system at 09:53 on Monday.

The full transition to the new fuel is expected to take four years.

Company examining large-scale unit deployment in parallel.

Swedish nuclear operating utility Vattenfall has shortlisted Rolls-Royce SMR and GE Hitachi’s BWRX-300 small modular reactor (SMR) designs in an ongoing evaluation to potentially deploy new reactors at its existing Ringhals nuclear site in southwest Sweden.

Vattenfall said in a statement the two shortlisted designs were selected among a competition including four other potential suppliers.

In early 2023, the company concluded an initial technical and commercial feasibility study on building at least two SMRs at Ringhals during the first half of the 2030s.

Vattenfall said next steps will include detailed analysis of the proposals made by the two shortlisted SMR suppliers and a joint timetable for the option of building the new units.

“Shortlisting two potential suppliers of SMRs is one of several steps in our continued work towards new nuclear power on the Värö Peninsula at Ringhals,” said Desirée Comstedt, gead of new nuclear power at Vattenfall.

“It is also a prerequisite for us to be able to continue to move forward at speed with the extensive work involved, which requires us - among other things - to submit applications for new nuclear reactors for examination by the responsible Swedish authorities, ” she said.

The company said it will continue in parallel to look at the conditions of building large-scale reactors at Ringhals, with potential technology supplied by US-based Westinghouse, France’s EDF and South Korea’s KHNP.

According to Comstedt, regardless of whether Vattenfall chooses SMRs or large-scale reactors, a future investment decision will require a “reasonable risk-sharing model with the state”.

“This is necessary to lower financing costs and thereby enable a reasonable cost for electricity production that customers are prepared to pay,” said Comstedt.

Late last year Sweden’s parliament approved a bill allowing more commercial nuclear power reactors to be built than previously planned, scrapping the previous cap of 10, as the country seeks to increase power generation and energy security.

By 2045 the government wants to have the equivalent of 10 new reactors, some of which are likely to be small modular reactors (SMRs).

Support for the use of nuclear power in Sweden remains at a high level with 59% wanting to keep existing plants online and build new nuclear power if needed, a recent poll has shown.

The country has six commercial nuclear power units in operation at three sites: Forsmark, Oskarshamn and Ringhals. According to International Atomic Energy Agency data, nuclear energy provided about a third of the country’s electricity generation in 2023.

Reactor construction needs to offer ‘good technology and a good business case’.

The increased participation of global investment banks, state development and state-owned export-import banks is leading to a funding transformation for the nuclear energy sector, a conference in Bulgaria has heard.

An international panel on financing nuclear power at the annual Bulgarian nuclear forum Bulatom’s conference on energy security in the Black Sea resort of Varna looked at the funding transformation for new nuclear plants in Bulgaria and internationally.

The panel highlighted the increased participation of global investment banks, state development and state-owned export-import banks.

“Money is available, but good projects are needed”, Milko Kovachev, Bulgaria’s energy minister from 2001-2005, and a former head of department at the International Atomic Energy Agency, told NucNet.

“This means that new projects have to offer good technology and a good business case with returns, a good project structure is always a good sign,” said Kovachev, who also was one of the panellists on the financing nuclear new build panel at the conference.

The Bulgarian energy minister Vladimir Malinov said at the conference that construction of new build nuclear plants such as Kozloduy-7 and -8, represents the most crucial project for the country’s economy, together with fuel diversification, as key mechanisms in Bulgaria’s ongoing transformation to low carbon and sustainable energy supply.

Sofia is planning to build two Westinghouse-supplied AP1000s at the Kozloduy site, on the Danube River in the northwest of the country.

Investment Banks ‘Watching The SMR Market’

Kovachev said investment banks such as Citibank and JP Morgan, both of which attended the Bulatom conference, are looking at nuclear power transactions and developing a deeper understanding of nuclear power as part of their decarbonisation portfolios, so they can increase their capacity for such deals.

He said “lately, in 2024, we have realised that nuclear plants could get a new financial deal through green bonds, which could help refinancing projects”.

As far as the role of the development banks is concerned, Kovachev said that the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) “is the only unique institution which is involved in supporting nuclear power, including a number of projects in central and eastern Europe”.

“At the end of 2023, however, the bank changed its energy strategy and is not now supporting new build projects, but is focusing on projects on decommissioning radiation safety in countries including Lithuania, Slovakia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan,” Kovachev added.

“The investment banks are also observing the SMR [small modular reactor] market,” said Kovachev, who is also a board member at the International Bank for Nuclear Infrastructure’s (INBI) strategic advisory group. The INBI is expected to be established between 2024 and 2026.

“IBNI is needed in the global efforts to triple existing nuclear power capacity from 400 GW to 1,200 GW by 2050, as agreed at Cop28 in Dubai, as well as to sustain the level of standardisation and harmonisation, and to support investment from private and public funds,” Kovachev said.

According to Kovachev, organisations like the European Investment Bank (EIB) can improve the financial environment for nuclear power plants, although the EIB does not currently support nuclear power.

However, commercial banks now have decarbonisation portfolios as priority which is “advantageous to nuclear power”, Kovachev added.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/US-uranium-purchases-show-year-on-year-increase-EI

US utilities purchased 27% more uranium in 2023 than 2022, according to the US Energy Information Administration's latest annual report. Most of this came from foreign suppliers - US-origin material accounted for 5% of total deliveries, the same percentage as 2022.

Owners and operators of US civilian nuclear power reactors purchased uranium deliveries equivalent to a total of 51.6 million pounds U3O8 (19,838 tU), at a weighted-average price of USD43.80 per pound U3O8, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said in its Uranium Marketing Annual Report, published on 6 June. This was 12% higher than the 2022 weighted-average price of USD39.08 per pound U3O8 and was the highest price since 2015.

Canada accounted for 27% of total deliveries, followed by Australia and Kazakhstan with 22% each. Russian-origin material accounted for 12% of total deliveries and Uzbekistan-origin material accounted for 10% of total deliveries. Deliveries also came from China and several countries in Africa. 15% of the uranium delivered was purchased under spot contracts at a weighted-average price of USD51.64 per pound, with the remaining 85% purchased under long-term contracts at a weighted-average price of USD42.42 per pound.

Based on reactor owner and operators' reports of deliveries under existing contracts from 2024-2033, together with unfilled uranium market requirements, the EIA anticipates market requirements of a maximum of 433 million pounds U3O8 over the next 10 years.

During the year, the owners and operators of US nuclear power plants delivered 34 million pounds U3O8 of natural uranium feed to enrichers, with 39% of this going to US enrichment suppliers and the rest to foreign suppliers.

The EIA also found that commercial US inventories of uranium - which represent ownership of uranium in different stages of the nuclear fuel cycle at domestic or foreign nuclear fuel facilities and include material owned by US brokers, converters, enrichers, fabricators, producers, and traders as well as plant owners and operators - were higher year-on-year, at 152 million pounds U3O8, a 6% increase on 2022's year-end figure.

The import of Russian-produced unirradiated LEU into the USA will be banned from August under the Prohibiting Russian Uranium Imports Act, although would-be importers can apply for waivers to allow the import of limited amounts of material up until 1 January 2028.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/UK-SMR-contest-deadline-pushed-back-beyond-electio

A fortnight's extension - until after the general election - has been given for the submission of documentation by the six contenders in the UK's small modular reactor selection process.

The date for the next stage of the selection process has changed from 24 June to 8 July, and it means the bids will be handed in after the election, on 4 July, of the next UK government.

The UK aims to grow nuclear energy capacity to 24 GW by 2050, with a mix of traditional large-scale power plants and small modular reactors (SMRs). Last year, the new Great British Nuclear (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.

The delay was reported by Energy Intelligence as being the result of a request from one of the bidding companies, and it is understood not to be to have been prompted by the election taking place.

In an interview earlier this year for the World Nuclear News podcast, GBN Chairman Simon Bowen, said the planned timeline was for the SMR selection shortlist to be cut to around four after the submission of responses to the tender, with the goal of placing contracts by the end of the year - this would be for co-funding the technology all the way through to completion of the design, regulatory, environmental and site-specific permissions process, and the potential to place a contract for the supply of equipment.

Bowen said he thought that two or three technology providers being selected would be the optimum number, with each one having an allocated site with the potential to host multiple SMRs. He said that GBN would also support private sector-led SMR projects separate to the SMR contest it is running.

The UK general election is due to take place on 4 July. At the moment the BBC's opinion poll tracker puts the opposition Labour Party on 44% compared with 23% for the Conservatives. Labour has yet to publish its manifesto but its energy programme supports new nuclear capacity and includes the aim to "get new nuclear projects at Hinkley and Sizewell over the line, extending the lifetime of existing plants, and backing new nuclear including small modular reactors".

The Conservative Party manifesto, published on Tuesday, says that if it was in power after the election "within the first 100 days of the next Parliament, we will approve two new fleets of small modular reactors" and "halve the time it takes for new nuclear reactors to be approved, by allowing regulators to assess projects while designs are being finalised, improving join-up with overseas regulators assessing the same technology and speeding up planning and environmental approvals".

According to the BBC poll figures Reform UK is running third with 14% support. Its policy pledges include more new nuclear, including SMRs. The Liberal Democrats are on 10% - their manifesto does not mention nuclear energy. The third largest party in the UK Parliament before the election - the Scottish National Party, which does not contest seats outside of the Scotland - is opposed to nuclear energy.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Works-begins-on-Romania-s-tritium-removal-facility

Nuclearelectrica and Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power (KHNP) have held a ceremony to mark the start of work on what will become Europe's first tritium removal facility, at Romania's Cernavoda nuclear power plant.

As a Candu pressurised heavy water reactor ages, tritium - an isotope of hydrogen - accumulates in its moderator and heat transport systems. Increased levels of tritium can significantly contribute to personnel dose rates and emissions levels in the environment. Tritium removal technology is designed to capture and process tritium so that it can be properly stored and recycled, thereby reducing environmental impact, personnel exposure levels and enhancing workplace safety.

The Cernavoda tritium removal facility - the world's third, and the first in Europe - will use technology developed by the Romanian National Research and Development Institute for Cryogenic and Isotopic Technologies, a scientific research and technological development unit under the coordination of the Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digitalisation.

The tritium removal facility will include several high-technology areas: liquid phase isotopic separation, cryogenic distillation and high-vacuum operation. The tritium extracted will be stored in secure and safe specialised containers ready for future uses - which could include fuel for future fusion reactors.

In June 2023 KHNP signed an engineering, procurement and construction contract worth KRW260 billion (USD200 million) with Nuclearelectrica for the new facility following a public procurement process. And in January 2024 Nuclearelectrica secured a loan agreement of EUR145 million (USD159 million) with the European Investment Bank towards the project, which has a completion timeline estimated to be 50 months.

Cosmin Ghiță, CEO of Nuclearelectrica, said: "We are pleased to implement an innovative Romanian technology together with KHNP, a leading nuclear expert, to achieve a safe and reliable project. The tritium removal facility demonstrates Nuclearelectrica’s commitment to safe operations and environmental protection. This project underlines Romania’s leading role in the nuclear industry and contributes to national energy security."

Jooho Whang, CEO of KHNP, said: "The groundbreaking ceremony ... is a very important milestone which signifies the execution of the project in earnest ... the facility will enhance environmental protection, while contributing to safe operation of the Cernavoda NPP and economic growth of the country as well. Going forward, I expect the nuclear industries between Romania and South Korea will have closer and stronger collaboration."

Cernavoda is the only nuclear power plant in Romania and consists of two 650 MWe Candu-6 reactors. Unit 1 went into commercial operation in 1996 and unit 2 in 2007. Nuclearelectrica plans to extend the operating life of unit 1 to 60 years. Tritium removal facilities are already in operation at Ontario Power Generation's Darlington plant and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power's Wolsong plant, both home to Candu reactors.

Inaugural dig underway at retiring coal site for facility where sodium coolant system will be tested.

TerraPower, the nuclear technology company founded by Bill Gates, has marked with a ceremony the start of construction for its demonstration Natrium advanced nuclear plant complex near a retiring coal plant at Kemmerer, Wyoming.

A spokesperson for TerraPower told NucNet that the inaugural dig, attended by Gates, who is also company chairman, chief executive Chris Levesque and Wyoming governor Mark Gordon, was for the non-nuclear part of the plant, the first part of which will be a sodium test and fill facility.

The Natrium demonstration plant includes three separate project parts: a sodium test and fill facility, a fuel fabrication facility, and the reactor itself. The test and fill facility and the reactor itself will be built in Kemmerer, while the fuel fabrication facility is planned for Wilmington, North Carolina, near existing fuel fabrication facilities of TerraPower’s Natrium design partner, GE Hitachi.

The test and fill facility is a standalone, non-nuclear building that will be next to the site of the Natrium plant and will operate independently. It will provide a testing site for the reactor’s sodium coolant system by receiving, sampling, processing, and storing liquid sodium which will ultimately be delivered to the Natrium reactor.

“Of course, other access roads etc. are required for operation. But the primary focus is on the test and fill structure,” said the spokesperson

The Natrium reactor is a 345-MW electric sodium-cooled fast reactor with a molten salt energy storage system that is being designed to flexibly operate with renewable power generators to help decarbonise the electric grid.

TerraPower applied for a rector construction permit to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in April 2024. Last month the NRC said it had accepted the application giving formal start of the licensing process.

Levesque has said that TerraPower is aiming to start nuclear-related works in 2026 subject to receiving a permit from the NRC. The plant is expected to be completed by 2029-2030.

US-based Bechtel has been selected for the construction of the plant and its infrastructure.

The Natrium demonstrator is co-funded by the US Department of Energy under its Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP) programme.

The DOE has a seven-year, $2bn (€1.86bn) agreement to fund the project, while TerraPower is matching this investment dollar-for-dollar for a total cost estimated at about $4bn.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/IAEA-mission-reviews-Sri-Lanka-siting-process

The seven-day Site and External Events Design Review Service (SEED) mission reviewed Sri Lanka's selection process to identify potential sites for the construction of its first nuclear power plant. The country has already identified six candidate sites from three different regions.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) SEED mission was carried out at the request of the Government of Sri Lanka and hosted by the Sri Lanka Atomic Energy Board (SLAEB) under the purview of the Ministry of Power and Energy by a team of experts from Canada, Pakistan and Turkey, as well as one IAEA staff member. As well as reviewing the site survey report, the siting process, siting criteria, data collection process and application of the management system for siting activities, the team also visited and observed one of the candidate sites in Pulmoddai, near the Trincomalee region.

Among its recommendations to optimise the site evaluation process to select the most favourable site, the team suggested that SLAEB should further align the siting process to the IAEA Safety Standard Series No SSG-35, Site Survey and Site Selection for Nuclear Installations. It also recommended that additional site-specific information should be collected and incorporates into the siting process.

The team noted as a good practice that SLAEB has been conducting collaborative siting studies "in an open and transparent manner with stakeholder organisations, such as the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau, Central Environmental Authority and the Department of Geology of University of Peradeniya".

"Sri Lanka is comprehensively screening site-specific external hazards in the site selection process, while following the IAEA safety standards and adopting best practices," mission team leader and IAEA Nuclear Safety Officer Ayhan Altinyollar said.

"Sri Lanka has identified nuclear as a clean and green energy source to fulfil the future electricity demand in Sri Lanka," said SLAEB Chairman Rexy Denzil Rosa. "In March 2024, the Cabinet of Ministers made a strategic and knowledgeable commitment towards the country's nuclear power planning programme. Interpretation and application of IAEA safety standards within the context of site selection for a nuclear power plant is crucial for a strong nuclear power programme in Sri Lanka."

SEED missions are expert review missions that assist countries going through different stages in the development of a nuclear power programme, with a choice of modules offering focused reviews on areas such as site selection, site assessment and design of structures, systems and components, taking into consideration site specific external and internal hazards. The final SEED mission report will be delivered to the Government of Sri Lanka within three months, the IAEA said.

In 2022, a team of IAEA experts carried out a review of Sri Lanka's readiness to commit to a nuclear power programme in an Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review which focused on the first stage of the IAEA's Milestones Approach for countries that are newcomers to nuclear energy.

The next stage of the siting process - which Sri Lanka has already begun - will include evaluation, comparison and ranking studies of the candidate sites.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Ukraine-France,-EDF-Energoatom-nuclear-cooperation

Ukraine's Energoatom and France's EDF sign a cooperation agreement, while the two countries have renewed their cooperation on the peaceful use of nuclear energy, which was originally signed in 1998.

Thursday's agreement between the two state-owned nuclear power giants covers the study of EDF's gigawatt-scale EPR and Nuward small modular reactor technologies as well as "exchange of experience in the operation of nuclear power plants, maintenance of safety, reliability and efficiency of reactors".

The exchange of experience will also include the supply of nuclear fuel for VVER reactors for countries wanting to diversify their supply away from Russia.

Energoatom's Chairman Petro Kotin said: "Ukraine, like France, has unique experience in the nuclear industry. Therefore, our active cooperation and joint efforts in increasing the role of nuclear energy on the European continent will contribute to the achievement of climate goals and ensuring the stable production of clean and safe electricity."

On the same day, the governments of the two countries exchanged letters putting into place a 20-year renewal of their 1998 agreement on the peaceful use of nuclear energy. The renewal, signed by Ukraine's Economy Minister Yulia Svyridenko and French Foreign Minister Stephane Séjournay, creates the legal framework for cooperation in the field of maintenance of nuclear facilities and renews the agreement which expired four years ago.

The ministers also signed agreements relating to French finance and support for Ukraine's critical infrastructure and wider backing for Ukrainian enterprises. The agreements came during a visit to France of Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Ukraine has 15 nuclear units which could generate about half of its electricity, including the six at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant which has been under Russian military control since early March 2022. The country has plans for nine new Westinghouse AP1000 units in the future, as well as exploring potential deployment of small modular reactors. France also has plans for a new era of nuclear energy construction. It already derives about 70% of its electricity from nuclear energy and has plans for as many as 14 new reactors.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/SMR-planned-for-Yakutia-may-become-two-unit-projec

The regional and federal ministries are "actively working" to change the existing plans for Russia's first land-based small modular reactor project in Yakutia into a two-reactor scheme, after assessing likely future energy demands.

Work is already under way on the project - in February it was announced that construction of worker camps and a new road to the site was taking place, and Rosenergoatom was 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 and the expected service life is 60 years with a five-year refuelling schedule.

On Thursday, on the sidelines of the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, an agreement on ensuring the appropriate electric power infrastructure as part of the project was signed by Rosatom's Deputy Director General Kirill Komarov and Chairman of the Government of the Republic of Sakha Kirill Bychkov.

The regional government and federal agencies will create the distribution networks, power transmission lines and substations required for the SMR to supply the existing power needs and the proposed mining expansion in the region.

Komarov said: "The Yakut SMR NPP will provide stable and low-carbon generation for large industrial consumers, thus becoming the regional power centre. Clearly, once the SMR is commissioned, it is necessary to ensure its capacity loading will become possible following the establishing of new industrial enterprises as well as social and transportation infrastructure. This, in turn, will lead to the growth of the regional population. Taking into account the development of the current and prospective deposits of Yakut Ust-Yansk and Verkhoyansk Districts, the consumption of the mining factories will exceed 90 MW of electric capacity."

Bychkov said: "We will put every effort to support the development of the Arctic territories of Yakutia that have huge potential for creating a mining cluster. As for the electric power consumption by the population and equivalent consumer categories, it is planned to increase power supply up to 5 MW in Ust-Kuyga and 7 MW in Deputatsky ... the estimations we have made with Rosatom show that 55 MW of capacity provided by one RITM-200N reactor unit will not be sufficient for the respected industrial cluster, that’s why we are working with federal ministries and agencies on the topic of transitioning to a two-unit design."

Rosatom says the SMR plant "will become the heart of one of the largest mineral resource centres in Russia" with the development of the Kyuchus, Deputatsky, and Tirekhtyakh deposits and broader infrastructure works to "create a developed area that is comfortable for work and life".