Nuclear Energy

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Granholm-calls-for-tripling-of-US-nuclear-fleet

It is time for the USA to cash in on the experience of nuclear new-build at Vogtle, US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said at an event held to mark the completion of the two units in Georgia. Restarting recently retired nuclear plants could also play a part in meeting the need for new capacity.

The two AP1000 units built as units 3 and 4 at the Vogtle site near Waynesboro, Georgia, entered commercial operation in July 2023 and April 2024, respectively. Granholm acknowledged the commitment, vision, cooperation and collaboration that went into the project to construct the first US nuclear units in a generation to be built "from scratch".

"This project is a prime example of how first-of-a-kind challenges can become 'nth-of-a-kind' successes, thanks to the work of those who came before and public-private partnerships," she said. First-mover projects of this size are too big and too financially risky for the private sector to do by itself, but are too important for the nation to fail to act, she said.

"To reach our goal of net-zero by 2050, we have to at least triple our current nuclear capacity in this country. That means we’ve got to add 200 more gigawatts by 2050," she said.

"And so it’s time to cash in on our investments by building more these facilities," she added,

In a later interview with Reuters, Granholm said building new reactors at nuclear power plant sites could be a cost-effective way of expanding US nuclear capacity - and also said some recently retired plants could restart. "I do think they can come back," she said, adding that she would be "surprised" if the Department of Energy's Loan Programs Office (LPO) - which recently conditionally committed up to USD1.52 billion for a loan guarantee to Holtec Palisades for its project to bring the Palisades plant back online - was not talking to operators of other shuttered plants about reopening as well. She said she was not involved in LPO's talks. The LPO does not reveal the status of loan applications.

About 30 US nuclear power plant sites have already been licensed or permitted for the construction of more reactors, she said, which would be a cost-effective way of expanding nuclear generation: "So you don't have to go through the whole rigamarole again, you can just use the existing footprint to be able to increase generation capacity."

She also told Reuters that, with the rise in energy demand driven by technologies such as artificial intelligence requiring power-hungry data centres, the US Administration is asking big technology companies to invest in clean energy generation, suggesting that such companies could work together to make use of small modular reactors. Placing orders simultaneously could reduce costs.

"We've been talking with data companies. The large ones have commitments to net-zero and would like to see clean baseload power," Granholm said. "If the tech companies are coming in and are going to pull clean power from the grid, they should bring the power with them," she said.

Georgia Power announced the start of commercial operations at Vogtle 4 in April, joining Vogtle 3 which entered commercial operation in July 2023. Operated by Southern Nuclear on behalf of co-owners Georgia Power, Oglethorpe Power, MEAG Power and Dalton Utilities, the plant is now the largest generator of clean energy in the USA. Georgia Power is a subsidiary of Southern Company.

"Today is a momentous occasion as we celebrate this accomplishment," Southern Company President and CEO Chris Womack said during the celebration to mark the opening of the units. "We have proven in the United States that we can do hard things. We can build big things. We can build new nuclear in the United States."

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/US-microreactor-clears-initial-stage-of-pre-testin

Microreactor startup Radiant Industries has announced that the US Department of Energy has reviewed and approved the Safety Design Strategy for its Kaleidos microreactor in the National Reactor Innovation Center's Demonstration of Microreactor Experiments (DOME) test bed at Idaho National Laboratory.

California-based Radiant is developing the 1 MWe Kaleidos high-temperature gas-cooled portable microreactor, which will use a graphite core and TRISO (tri-structural isotropic) fuel. It was one of three microreactor developers selected in October last year to receive a share of USD3.9 million Department of Energy (DOE) funding to develop and test their designs in the new DOME test bed facility at Idaho National Laboratory (INL). Testing is scheduled to begin in 2026.

Radiant said the Safety Design Strategy (SDS) - which describes the accepted safety analysis approach for the Kaleidos reactor - marks the initial stage in a comprehensive safety review process each microreactor developer will undertake prior to a fueled test at DOME.

The company said testing in DOME will allow it to gather critical safety and performance data to support the future commercial licensing process with the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).

Radiant is currently working with INL on the next phase of the safety review, focusing on the Conceptual Safety Design Report (CSDR). The purpose of the CSDR is to summarise the hazard analysis efforts and safety-in-design decisions incorporated into the conceptual design, along with any identified project risks associated with the selected strategies.

Following its successful completion of reactor testing in the DOME facility, Radiant expects to deliver a limited number of pre-ordered Kaleidos units as soon as 2028, after obtaining NRC licences.

"The SDS is the cornerstone of the safety roadmap we're building as we approach commercialisation of a fueled reactor in a few years' time," said Radiant CEO Doug Bernauer. "We're grateful for DOE Idaho's review and approval as we take this important step forward and for INL's continued thorough support throughout this critical process."

"The approval of the SDS is an important step towards enabling a microreactor developer to perform a test in our DOME facility," said Brad Tomer, acting director and chief operating officer of the National Reactor Innovation Center. "As the nation's nuclear energy research laboratory, we are committed to working with private companies to help further develop advanced nuclear technologies that will provide clean energy solutions for the US."

The DOME test bed will repurpose the Experimental-Breeder Reactor-II containment structure at INL. EBR-II operated from 1964 to 1994, and was originally built to demonstrate a complete sodium-cooled breeder reactor power plant. It was later modified to test other reactor designs and to test materials and fuels for fast reactors, as well as generating power and heat for the site. While the reactor and much of its supporting equipment has been dismantled, the remaining 70-foot diameter, 80-foot high containment structure is particularly suited to host reactor demonstration and other nuclear projects.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Grossi-suggests-Zaporizhzhia-will-not-be-restarted

International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi says there "was an understanding" that Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant's units "would not be restarted as long as nuclear safety and security remained in jeopardy due to the conflict".

Grossi, whose comments followed talks held with Rosatom Director General Alexei Likhachev in Kaliningrad last week, added: "In these circumstances (of conflict), operating this major nuclear plant would not be advisable."

The six-unit Zaporizhzhia plant has been under the control of Russian military forces since early March 2022, and all its units are in cold shutdown. It is situated on the frontline of the war and, as well as parts of the site suffering some direct damage, it has had to rely on emergency diesel generators for short periods on a number of occasions when it lost access to off-site power. Power is required for some essential safety functions.

Grossi's latest update on the situation in Ukraine came after a meeting on Thursday with Ukraine's Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko, Energoatom boss Petro Kotin and the head of the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine, Oleg Korikov, where they discussed issues including the situation at Zaporizhzhia and also the impact of attacks on the energy infrastructure in Ukraine.

Grossi said the impact was wider than on just the Zaporizhzhia plant, saying "it is also a wider concern in the current circumstances, where a loss of off-site power event has the potential to be even more serious given the higher nuclear fuel temperatures for reactors in operation in Ukraine. We are continuing to follow the situation very closely in this regard, as I also informed Minister Halushchenko in today’s meeting".

He said that a year after the destruction of the Kakhovka dam, which had helped supply cooling water for the plant, the IAEA teams at Zaporizhzhia had visited the cooling pond and "observed that its height was almost 1.5 metres below the level before the dam was destroyed". The plant now gets the cooling water it needs for the units, while they are shut down, from 11 newly built groundwater wells.

The operators of the plant told the IAEA team that all four on-site radiation monitoring stations are operational, but three of the 14 off-site stations remain damaged as a result of military activity in 2022, and that manual radiation monitoring measurements are also carried out with "plans to purchase new radiation monitoring stations consistent with the regulations of the Russian Federation, and a mobile radiation measurement laboratory for use in case of a nuclear or radiological emergency".

In its report on the meeting, Ukraine's Energy Ministry said Halushchenko had outlined the situation in the country's energy system as a result of Russian targeting of the infrastructure including substations and reported that about 9 GW of capacity had been lost. "Planned repairs are currently under way at power units of nuclear power plants in order to start up all available nuclear generation capacities in winter. This is a matter of our survival, therefore it is very important to ensure the safety of their operation," Halushchenko said.

The IAEA said that its teams at Ukraine's other nuclear power plants - Rivne, Khmelnitsky and South Ukraine - had reported safety and security was being maintained "despite the effects of the ongoing conflict, including air raid alarms on several days over the past week".

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Guinea-and-Russia-sign-MoU-for-floating-nuclear-po

The Republic of Guinea and Rosatom have signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate on the development of floating power units to supply electricity to the African country.

The signing took place during the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, with the cooperation set to include the two sides exploring how the implementation of the sea-based units would work and the terms and conditions.

Vladimir Aptekarev, Deputy Head of Rosatom's Mechanical Engineering Division, said: "The cooperation involves joint work on developing a power supply solution both to industrial and domestic consumers in the Republic of Guinea, by deploying floating nuclear power units with RITM-200 reactors, which have already proven efficient ... The power supply issue in the African region is urgent, and our main task is to provide a fast, reliable and environmentally-friendly solution for our partners."

He added that the agreement "demonstrates the high global interest in our technology".

The floating power units developed by Rosatom are based on the RITM-200 reactors which have been used for the latest generation of nuclear-powered icebreakers. The first floating power plant, the Akademik Lomonosov, in the Chukotka region, was launched in 2020 and provides 70 MWe, plus heat, to the nearby coastal areas.

Under a contract signed in 2021, Rosatom's Machine Engineering Division is supplying four floating power units (FPUs), each with a capacity of up to 106 MW of electric power, for the Baimsky Mining and Processing Plant. Three of the FPUs will be primary units, while the fourth will serve as a backup and the project is designed to be the first "serial" reference for floating power units and the world’s first experience in electrification using a floating power unit for mineral extraction projects.

In a question and answer interview for World Nuclear News last month. Aptekarev said 100 MW floating power units were being developed for export "with enhanced technical and economic performance suited for relatively warm climates" adding that negotiations were "in progress with several countries across different regions of the world, with some negotiations already resulting in signed agreements". He explained that the business model is not to sell the floating power units, but instead to sell the electricity generated from them, with Power Purchase Agreements of up to 60 years. The refuelling interval is expected to be between 7 and 10 years.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/USA-sets-roadmap-for-fusion-commercialisation

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has released a strategy aimed at accelerating the viability of commercial fusion energy in partnership with the private sector. The department also announced USD180 million to support fusion research at an event in Washington, DC.

In March 2022, the US government announced the US Bold Decadal Vision for Commercial Fusion Energy and launched a department-wide initiative to develop a strategy for accelerating the viability of commercial fusion energy in partnership with the private sector.

The newly released DOE Fusion Energy Strategy 2024 is organised around three pillars: closing the science and technology gaps to a commercially relevant fusion pilot plant; preparing the path to sustainable, equitable commercial fusion deployment; and building and leveraging external partnerships.

In support of DOE's fusion energy strategy, the department has also announced a USD180 million funding opportunity for Fusion Innovative Research Engine (FIRE) Collaboratives. These collaboratives are aimed at supporting the further creation of a fusion innovation ecosystem by forming teams that will have a collective goal of bridging the Department's Fusion Energy Sciences (FES) programme's foundational and enabling science research with the needs of the growing fusion industry, including the technology roadmaps of the awardees of the Milestone-Based Fusion Development Program. It said these collaboratives are envisioned as "dynamic hubs of innovation" to help bolster US-based manufacturing and supply chains, driving advancements in fusion energy research in collaboration with both public and private entities.

The FIRE Collaboratives Funding Opportunity Announcement, sponsored by the FES programme within the DOE's Office of Science, is open to accredited US colleges and universities, national laboratories, non-profit organisations, and private companies.

The DOE has also made a number of other announcements in moving toward implementation in support of the US Bold Decadal Vision. It has released a new FES vision entitled Building Bridges, through which FES will develop a national fusion science and technology (S&T) roadmap "to address the 'how' and 'when' of closing critical S&T gaps to commercially relevant fusion pilot plants".

The department has also announced that all eight selectees signed agreements to be participants in the Milestone-Based Fusion Development Program, which is designed to catalyse further private investments into fusion commercialisation and helps companies resolve critical-path scientific, technological, and commercialisation challenges on the path toward a pilot-scale demonstration of fusion energy.

In addition, DOE released a Request for Information on a proposed Fusion Energy Public-Private Consortium Framework (PPCF). The PPCF aims to complement the Milestone Program and FIRE Collaboratives by catalysing and bringing together state/local government, private, philanthropic funding, as well as new partnerships, to accelerate fusion commercialisation.

"With today's announcements, DOE has shown once again that we are ambitiously implementing our US Bold Decadal Vision for Commercial Fusion Energy," said DOE Deputy Secretary David Turk. "We will leverage the opportunities enabled by our world-leading public and private fusion leadership, including humanity's first-ever demonstration of fusion ignition at our National Ignition Facility as well as major new advances in technologies such as high-temperature superconductors, advanced materials, and artificial intelligence to accelerate fusion energy. The development of fusion energy as a clean, safe, abundant energy source has become a global race, and the US will stay in the lead."

Many want Doel-4 and Tihange-3 to operate for 20 more years.

Most Belgians are in favour of maintaining the operation of existing nuclear reactors for as long possible while also calling for the construction of new plants, in particular small modular reactors, a poll by the Brussels-based Belgian Nuclear Forum has shown.

At the end of 2023, the government and the nuclear power station operator Engie-Electrabel reached an agreement on operating extensions of 10 years for the country’s two newest reactors, Doel-4 and Tihange-3.

The poll, carried out for the forum by market research company AQ Rate, shows that 70% would prefer more reactors to be granted lifetime extensions – provided it can be done safely.

The poll also shows that 70% would prefer Doel-4 and Tihange-3 to get extensions of 20 years instead of the 10 years provided for in the current agreement.

The forum said a majority of voters from most political parties want Doel-4 and Tihange-3 to get extensions of 20 years. The exceptions are voters for the Green and Ecolo parties, where two out of three said they were opposed to further extensions. Ecolo is a French-speaking political party with green policies.

“This shows that Groen and Ecolo voters are isolated in their anti-nuclear stance when it comes to extending the life of existing nuclear reactors,” the forum said.

“But even at Groen and Ecolo, more than half of their voters are in favour of SMRs and want to modify or remove the law on the nuclear phaseout.”

The construction of new nuclear reactors in Belgium is prevented by a phaseout law dating from 2003, but the poll shows that only a small minority of 16% want to maintain the law as it stands.

The forum said 84% believe the law should no longer exist as it stands, 53% want to change the law to allow the construction of SMRs and 31% want to abolish the law completely, making any form of new nuclear reactor construction possible.

Belgium’s five nuclear plants are Doel-1, Doel-2, Doel-4, Tihange-1 and Tihange-3. In 2022 the nuclear fleet provided about 46% of the country’s electricity generation, although at the time two further plants were operational. Doel-3 was shut down in September 2022 and Tihange-2 in February 2023.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/IAEA-calls-for-Iran-s-unambiguous-cooperation

The board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has adopted a resolution calling on Iran to fully cooperate with the agency, including giving it access to locations and material for nuclear safeguards verification activities.

The resolution - drafted by France, Germany and the UK (referred to as the E3) - was adopted by the 35-country board of governors on 5 June with 20 represented countries in favour, two against (China and Russia), and 12 abstentions.

The resolution calls on Iran to "provide sufficient cooperation with the agency and take the essential and urgent actions as decided by the board in its November 2022 resolution, to resolve safeguards issues which remain outstanding despite numerous interactions with the Agency since 2019".

It also calls on Iran to "reverse its withdrawal of the designations of several experienced agency inspectors which is essential to fully allow the agency to conduct its verification activities in Iran effectively".

The resolution says that a continued failure by Iran to provide "the necessary, full and unambiguous cooperation" with the IAEA to resolve all outstanding safeguards issues, "may necessitate the production, by the Director General, of a comprehensive and updated assessment on the possible presence or use of undeclared nuclear material in connection with past and present outstanding issues regarding Iran's nuclear programme, based on the information available".

In his opening statement to the IAEA board of governors on 3 June, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi presented his latest report on verification and monitoring in Iran.

"You will note that Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium continues to increase, including that enriched up to 60%," he told the board. "The agency has lost continuity of knowledge in relation to the production and inventory of centrifuges, rotors and bellows, heavy water and uranium ore concentrate. It has been more than three years since Iran stopped provisionally applying its Additional Protocol and therefore it is also over three years since the agency was able to conduct complementary access in Iran."

Grossi said there has been no progress in resolving the outstanding safeguards issues. Iran, he said, has not provided the IAEA with "technically credible explanations" for the presence of uranium particles of anthropogenic origin at the Varamin and Turquzabad sites. In addition, it had not informed the agency of the current location(s) of the nuclear material and/or of contaminated equipment.

"These outstanding safeguards issues stem from Iran's obligations under its Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement and need to be resolved for the agency to be in a position to provide assurance that Iran's nuclear programme is exclusively peaceful," Grossi said. "Further public statements made in Iran regarding its technical capabilities to produce nuclear weapons and possible changes to Iran's nuclear doctrine only increase my concerns about the correctness and completeness of Iran's safeguards declarations."

In a statement, Iran's Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Vienna said: "The Islamic Republic of Iran has so far rendered its full cooperation under the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement to the agency. It has to be re-emphasised that all Iran's nuclear material and activities have been completely declared and verified by the agency.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran rightfully expects that the agency conducts its reporting on verification activities in Iran based on the principles of impartiality, professionalism and objectivity."

The E3 welcomed the adoption of the resolution by the IAEA board of governors. In a joint statement, they said the resolution "responds to Iran's persistent refusal to cooperate in good faith with the IAEA to clarify outstanding issues relating to undeclared nuclear material detected at multiple locations in Iran.

"If Iran meaningfully cooperates with the agency, and the Director General is able to report that the unresolved safeguards issues are no longer outstanding, the board could then close its consideration of this matter. We hope Iran takes this opportunity to resolve these outstanding matters so that no further board action is necessary."

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/National-poll-shows-shift-in-Australian-nuclear-op

Australian attitudes towards energy sources have shifted markedly, the 20th edition of the Lowy Institute's annual poll has found, with six in ten now supportive of Australia using nuclear power to generate electricity.

Asked the question "Do you support or oppose Australia using nuclear power to generate electricity, alongside other sources of energy?", 61% of respondents said they were "somewhat" or "strongly" supportive of Australia using nuclear power to generate electricity, while 37% said they opposed this. Only 2% said they didn't know.

This is the first time the question has been included in the survey, but contrasts with a related question in the 2011 poll when more than six in ten Australians (62%) said they were either "strongly against" or "somewhat against" Australia building nuclear power plants as part of its plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Australia’s federal opposition has announced that, if elected, it would look to introduce nuclear power generation into Australia's energy mix, alongside renewables and other sources of energy, as part of its plan to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, but this would involve first overturning a moratorium on nuclear energy generation in Australia, the report's authors note.

The poll found "slim to strong majority support" for a range of potential federal government climate-related policies although support has "softened mildly" for options including a more ambitious national emissions reduction target, hosting a UN climate conference, reducing coal exports, and banning new coal mines, and introducing an emissions trading scheme. About six in ten support the idea of reducing Australian coal exports and banning new coal mines from opening in Australia.

Support remained steady for subsidising renewable technologies, and increasing the use of gas, although opinion on renewables is divided. The poll found that 41% think the current federal government's national target for 82% of Australia's electricity to be generated from renewables by 2030 is "about right", 33% think this target is too ambitious, and 25% say it is not ambitious enough.

The poll also asked - for the third consecutive year - about public attitudes to Australia's acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines under the 2021 trilateral AUKUS partnership between Australia, the UK and the USA. Public debate about this has grown in Australia, highlighting questions around its strategic merits, future US political commitment to the deal, industrial and workforce capacity, and costs, but the poll found majority public support for the acquisition has "held relatively firm" with almost two-thirds of Australians (65%) remaining in favour. This is similar to the findings of last year's poll, although down from 70% in 2022's poll, shortly after the deal was announced.

The Sydney-headquartered independent, nonpartisan international policy think-tank describes its annual poll as the leading tracking survey on Australian foreign policy, providing a reliable vehicle for understanding Australian attitudes towards a wide range of foreign policy issues, while being independent and methodologically rigorous. The 2024 poll reports the results of a national survey of 2028 adults across Australia between 4 and 17 March. It was conducted by the Social Research Centre, using the Life in Australia probability-based online panel, and has a margin of error of 2.2%. The probability basis of the Life in Australia sampling method means results are generalisable to the national population.

The latest report, and the archive of past issues, are available on the Lowy Institute's website.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/EBRD-Chernobyl-funding-plan-ratified-by-Ukraine-s

Members of Ukraine's parliament have backed a law approving the framework agreement between Ukraine and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development for funding aimed at projects to boost safety measures at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant site and exclusion zone.

The ratification of the framework agreement allows for the creation of a mechanism for managing the activities of the International Chernobyl Cooperation Account (ICCA), which include the work on making safe and dismantling the unstable structures of the original shelter built at pace after the 1986 accident. The operator of the Chernobyl site (SSE ChNPP) added: "It is also important that these projects will be aimed at eliminating the damage caused by the invasion of the armed forces of the Russian Federation, in particular, at restoring safe conditions at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, in the exclusion zone, as well as at other nuclear installations and radioactive waste management facilities in Ukraine."

Speaking in the Verkhovna Rada (the Ukrainian parliament) Ukraine's Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources, Ruslan Strilets, said that following the start of the war, Ukraine had asked for the structure of the fund to be changed and already 18 countries had contributed EUR14 million (USD15.2 million), with an expectation that the amount would double once the law was ratified. The funds will be used "to restore equipment lost during the occupation ... improve conditions for employees who work in difficult conditions today, and purchase the necessary fire-fighting equipment to ensure the preservation of valuable ecosystems".

The ICCA was established in November 2020 by the EBRD at the Ukrainian government's request to support a comprehensive plan for Chernobyl. The EBRD said its remit has been widened since the start of the war in 2022 "to support the restoration of nuclear safety, security and decommissioning abilities" within the exclusion zone and also "permits activities across the nuclear sector in Ukraine in support of nuclear safety". The first grant agreement was signed in March 2023 to support the restoration of fire safety within the exclusion zone, as well as work to support a safety analysis of the shelter, and to support restoration of the transport infrastructure and New Safe Confinement operations.

A second grant agreement was signed in February and provides for, among other things, the completion of pre-design activities of the New Safe Confinement and the on-going dismantling of the unstable structures within it, as well as the procurement of vehicles and equipment for "reliable and safe operation of the New Safe Confinement shelter facility ... there will also be inspection of the deaerator stage and engine room protruding beyond the boundaries of the fence contour of the New Safe Confinement".

The original shelter over the destroyed unit 4 at Chernobyl was constructed in a matter of just months, and the international Shelter Implementation Plan in the 1990s had three phases - firstly to stabilise it and secondly to build a larger secure construction to enclose it - the New Safe Confinement (NSC) which was completed in 2017 to pave the way for the dismantling and decommissioning stage.

According to World Nuclear Association, the hermetically sealed NSC "will allow engineers to remotely dismantle the 1986 structure that has shielded the remains of the reactor from the weather since the weeks after the accident. It will enable the eventual removal of the fuel-containing materials in the bottom of the reactor building and accommodate their characterisation, compaction, and packing for disposal. This task represents the most important step in eliminating nuclear hazard at the site - and the real start of dismantling."

EBRD adds that "over the longer term ICCA will focus on support for sustainable site infrastructure and longer term safe operation of decommissioning infrastructure within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, in particular those facilities which were supported through long term international collaboration. The impact of the Russian war against Ukraine will need to be assessed on an ongoing basis, but it is clear that the capacity for stable site operations has been severely undermined, and the challenges for Ukraine to continue safe decommissioning of one of the world’s most challenging nuclear facilities will be immense".

The New Safe Confinement is the largest moveable land-based structure ever built - with a span of 257 metres, a length of 162 metres, a height of 108 metres and a total weight of 36,000 tonnes equipped - and with a lifetime of 100 years has been designed to allow for the eventual dismantling of the ageing makeshift shelter from 1986 and the management of radioactive waste. It has also been designed to withstand temperatures ranging from -43°C to +45°C, a class-three tornado, and an earthquake with a magnitude of 6 on the Richter scale.

The EBRD is owned by 73 countries from five continents, and the European Union and the European Investment Bank. It was created in 1991 "to create a new post-Cold War era in central and eastern Europe".

First unit could be operational in 2030.

Finnish nuclear startup Steady Energy is set to start construction of its first LDR-50 district heating small modular nuclear (SMR) pilot plant in Finland next year.

The company said potential sites include the Finnish capital Helsinki and two other cities.

The construction of the first operational plant is projected to begin by 2028, with the first unit expected to be operational by 2030.

The pilot plant – the first of its kind in Finland and one of only a few close to deployment globally – will serve as a full-scale, operational model of the Finnish-designed SMR unit.

Unlike the actual power plant, the pilot unit will use an electric element to produce heat inside the reactor capsule instead of nuclear fuel.

Steady Energy said the main purpose is to test operational features and to establish the supply chains needed to build actual plants.

Site Decision Expected By End Of Summer

The pilot investment is estimated to be around €15m-€20m ($16m-$22m). Steady Energy said final evaluations of potential sites are underway, with a decision expected by the end of summer.

Following this, detailed planning and tendering for construction will begin. After the testing phase, the facility will be used for training and research purposes.

Proposed locations for the pilot plant include the Salmisaari caves near Helsinki, the Huuhanmäki caves in the eastern Finnish regional centre of Kuopio, and power plant sites at Kymijärvi and Teivaanmäki in Lahti, a regional capital in southern Finland.

Steady Energy’s unit, comparable in size to an upright shipping container, can be built entirely underground or on an existing industrial site.

The company has already signed letters of intent for the delivery of up to 15 reactors for district heating with Helsinki’s local utility Helen and Kuopio Energy in Eastern Finland.

Finland is largely heated by district heating, mostly from fossil fuels, peat and wood. District heating systems take energy released as heat from a range of energy sources – in this case an SMR – and connect it to energy consumers through a system of highly insulated pipes. One advantage of SMRs would be their low emissions.

“Finland is taking significant strides towards a carbon-neutral future,” said Steady Energy chief executive officer Tommi Nyman.

“Our emission targets are transitioning from mere plans to practical actions. These actions will also soon result in cleaner air in our cities.”

The LDR-50, which has a thermal output of 50 MW, has been under development at Finland’s VTT technical research centre since 2020. Steady Energy was spun out from VTT in 2023.

Steady Energy says the plant’s operating conditions are less demanding compared with those of traditional reactors and affordable enough for municipal utilities to invest in independently.

Technology could be used in advanced power reactors.

Kyoto Fusioneering, a privately owned fusion energy startup based in Japan, has formed a joint venture company with Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) to support the development of deuterium-tritium fusion fuel cycle technologies.

The new company, Fusion Fuel Cycles, will focus on engineering and delivering large-scale fuel cycle systems for global fusion development programmes, a statement said.

The development follows a September 2023 alliance between Kyoto Fusioneering and CNL.

The initial project under the latest collaboration is Unity-2, a fuel cycle test facility at CNL’s Chalk River Laboratories, the statement said.

Unity-2, which is expected to be commissioned by the end of 2025 and operational by mid-2026, will aim to demonstrate the entire deuterium-tritium fuel cycle from fuel discharge to purification and supply.

Deuterium and tritium are promising fuels for producing energy in future power plants based on fusion energy.

The facility is designed to pioneer efficient tritium processing technology that could be used in a fusion pilot plant, CNL said.

Unity-2 is the first in what could be a series of projects aimed at supporting experimental and power plant-scale fusion machines worldwide, according to CNL.

Founded in 2019, Kyoto Fusioneering specialises in developing advanced technologies for commercial fusion power plants such as gyrotron systems, tritium fuel cycle technologies,and breeding blankets for tritium production and power generation. CNL is Canada’s foremost nuclear science and technology organisation.

In 2022, Kyoto Fusioneering said it had completed preliminary design for its Unity (Unique Integrated Testing Facility) project, integrating several facilities dedicated to advancing engineering technologies critical for fusion energy commercialisation.

The test facility, now named Unity-1, would be built in Japan but would not use any radioactive materials or achieve any fusion reaction.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Burkina-Faso-signs-fresh-nuclear-energy-MoUs-with

Memorandums of understanding (MoUs) covering education and training, infrastructure development and public opinion have been signed in the next stage of Burkina Faso and Russia's cooperation on peaceful uses of nuclear technology.

The MoUs were signed by Rosatom Director General Alexei Likhachev and Burkina Faso's Minister of Energy, Mines and Quarries, Yacouba Zabre Guba, on the sidelines of the St Petersburg International Economic Forum.

They set out a framework for interaction covering education and training in the field of nuclear energy, the assessment and development of nuclear infrastructure and also cooperation concerning the forming of positive public opinion on nuclear energy.

Rosatom said that as part of the agreements there would be links between educational institutions, training of teachers and student exchange programmes. On public opinion there would be activities aimed at raising public awareness of the benefits of non-energy applications of nuclear technology in areas such as medicine and agriculture.

The MoUs build on those signed in October 2023 and in March this year which set out a roadmap for the development of cooperation between the two countries with the aim of implementing both nuclear energy projects and using nuclear technology to benefit medicine and agriculture in Burkina Faso.

The signing took place on the same day that Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was visiting Burkina Faso for talks. Burkina Faso's Foreign Minister Karamoko Jean-Marie Traore said at a press conference after their discussions that the cooperation "is a positive factor that will allow us to further develop infrastructure in this direction", and said that developing the energy sector was a top priority for the country, the Russian Tass news agency reported.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/GLE-agrees-to-acquire-land-for-Paducah-facility

Global Laser Enrichment (GLE) has entered into a set of agreements that provides it with an option to purchase a plot of land for the planned Paducah Laser Enrichment Facility in Kentucky.

GLE is the exclusive global licensee of the SILEX laser-based uranium enrichment technology which was originally developed by Australian company Silex Systems Limited. It is 49%-owned by Canadian company Cameco, which is the commercial lead for the GLE project and holds an option to attain a majority interest of 75%.

GLE is working towards demonstration of the SILEX technology at its Test Loop pilot facility in Wilmington, North Carolina. It is also progressing activities to commercial-scale deployment at the Paducah Laser Enrichment Facility (PLEF).

The plot of land that GLE is to acquire is strategically located adjacent to the US Department of Energy's former first-generation Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant (PGDP), which was shut down in 2013 after decades of operations. As a result of these operations, significant quantities of legacy depleted tails inventories were generated and remain in storage at the PGDP site.

GLE's PLEF project is underpinned by a 2016 agreement for the sale to GLE of some 200,000 tonnes of depleted uranium hexafluoride (UF6) from the DOE. GLE plans to use this material as feedstock for the production of natural UF6 over three decades.

Silex Systems noted the land purchase option expires in late 2024, "at which time it is anticipated that several pre-conditions will have been met in order to proceed with the purchase of the land".

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/DOE-designed-railcar-cleared-for-use

The Atlas railcar - developed by the US Department of Energy to transport used nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste - has been certified by the Association of American Railroads (AAR) to operate on all major freight railroads in the USA.

The 12-axle railcar comes fully equipped with high-tech sensors and monitoring systems. It was designed to safely and securely transport shipments of commercial used nuclear fuel weighing up to 480,000 pounds (218 tonnes). DOE said the railcar project took ten years to complete and cost about USD33 million.

It noted the certification was the highest safety standard set by the AAR for transporting high-level radioactive material.

The entire railcar system includes the Atlas railcar, two buffer railcars and a rail escort vehicle that was developed in partnership with the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program.

Final testing of the railcars was marked by the completion of a 1680-mile round-trip journey from Pueblo, Colorado, to Scoville, Idaho. They are the first DOE railcars to meet the rigorous testing requirements of AAR's S-2043 standard for transporting high-level radioactive material.

"The certification of the Atlas railcar by the AAR is a significant step forward as we develop the infrastructure to safely manage and store the nation's nuclear waste," said DOE Deputy Assistant Secretary for Spent Fuel and High-Level Waste Disposition Paul Murray. "The capability for DOE to safely and securely transport spent nuclear fuel is a key component of DOE's vision for an integrated waste management system that includes transportation, and government-owned storage and permanent disposal identified through a consent-based siting process."

Atlas is one of two railcars DOE is developing to provide flexibility in transporting used nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste to future federal interim storage facilities and disposal sites.

The eight-axle Fortis railcar - designed to carry lighter loads - is expected to begin single car testing no earlier than 2025 and could be operational before the end of the decade.

The management of civilian used nuclear fuel in the USA is a federal responsibility, but the planned permanent repository at Yucca Mountain in Nevada, which in 1987 was designated as the sole initial repository for 70,000 tonnes of high-level wastes, has not been built. This means used fuel from more than 70 shutdown, decommissioned and operating nuclear energy facilities is currently in storage at sites across the nation.

Subject to appropriations, DOE is moving forward on a government-owned consolidated interim storage facility project that includes rail transportation. Commercial used nuclear fuel is packaged in containers weighing between 80 and 210 tonnes, which is beyond legal weight limits for truck transport in the USA. Rail is therefore the preferred mode to move these containers.

DOE intends to eventually transport more than 140,000 tonnes of commercial used nuclear fuel that it is estimated will have been generated in the USA by 2060.

The location of the consolidated interim storage facility would be selected through DOE's consent-based siting process that puts communities at the forefront and would ultimately reduce the number of locations where commercial used nuclear fuel is stored in the USA.

Construction and operation of the storage facility will require amendments to the Nuclear Waste Policy Act to move those phases of the project forward.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Regulator-stresses-benefits-of-Atucha-Long-Term-Op

Argentina's Nuclear Regulatory Authority (Autoridad Regulatoria Nuclear, ARN) says that planned upgrades and improvements to allow a 20-year extension to the Atucha I nuclear power unit will "raise the design basis of the facility to a higher level of safety than that with which it was originally licenced".

Operator Nucleoelectrica is to embark on an extended reconditioning shutdown of the unit, beginning this year, which is expected to last two or three years in total. The ARN said, in an update on the Long-Term Operation (LTO) project, that the improvements "will result in a nuclear power plant with safety characteristics superior to the original design. The selection of these improvements was defined based on extensive evaluations required and reviewed by the ARN, taking into account the impact on safety, their applicability and their justification in relation to the design of the plant".

Atucha I, a 362 MWe pressurised heavy water reactor, entered commercial operation in 1974 and had a design life in its operating licence of 32 equivalent years of full power. The first extension, with an amendment to the operating licence, began in 2018 when that 32-year mark was reached.

ARN said during this first extension phase that Nucleoelectrica "had to carry out studies and establish programmes that would ensure ... that the systems and components adequately preserve the functionalities for which they were designed, thus guaranteeing operation under the safety conditions with which the plant was licensed. The studies and maintenance tasks necessary to meet this requirement had to obtain approval from the ARN".

The duration of the amended operating licence was for the equivalent of 5 years operation at full power, or 10 years from 2014, whichever came first, although both are now set to fall within months of each other. The ARN says that Nucleoelectrica has asked to be able to operate Atucha I until the 10-year limit, which would be 29 September this year, and the regulator says in its update that it is currently considering the request.

The next stage of the LTO will be the extended shutdown during which it will "verify in detail the implementation of the updates and improvements required ... to raise the design bases of the facility to a higher level of security than that with which it was originally licensed", the ARN says.

Atucha I was designed and built by KWU, which was a joint venture of Germany's Siemens and AEG. Over time, KWU was fully owned by Siemens, before being sold to the reactor business of France's Areva which is now owned by EDF and trading as Framatome. However, Argentina now has an experienced supply chain of its own for pressurised heavy water reactors, having completed and brought into operation the similar Atucha 2 reactor in 2016.

It has become increasingly common for pressurised heavy water reactors like Atucha I to undergo refurbishment, which typically involves replacing pressure tubes and fuel channels, to enable another two decades of operation. Nucleoeléctrica Argentina says that 2000 jobs would be created during the extension project as it modernised "all the processes and systems of the plant". It has put the refurbishment programme's cost at USD463 million and held fundraising rounds last year to cover the cost of both the life extension project and construction of a dry storage facility for used fuel. Argentina has three nuclear power reactors - the two at Atucha plus the Embalse nuclear power plant - which generate about 5% of its electricity. It also has its own pilot small modular reactor - CAREM - under construction.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Dutch-state-could-buy-share-in-Borssele-plant

The government of the Netherlands has said it will consider acquiring a stake in the Borssele nuclear power plant should a decision be made to extend the operation of the single-unit plant beyond 2033.

In December 2021, the Netherlands' coalition government placed nuclear power at the heart of its climate and energy policy. Some EUR500 million (USD529 million) was earmarked to support new nuclear build in the period to 2025. It anticipated that cumulative support for new nuclear would reach EUR5 billion by 2030, while not assuming any new power plants would be online by that time.

In December 2022, the Dutch Council of Ministers designated the existing Borssele site as the preferred location for two new reactors. It has also called for a feasibility study into extending the operation of the existing Borssele plant beyond 2033.

The new coalition government - elected in November last year - has now said it is investigating with the operator and shareholders of the plant what is needed to make its extended operation possible. The government said it has made a subsidy available "to investigate whether it is technically feasible and safe to keep the nuclear power plant in production for longer".

It noted that in addition to the various feasibility studies, the Nuclear Energy Act, among other things, must be amended. To this end, the government will first conduct research into the environmental effects of the extension of the operating life. In addition, the owner must apply for a permit to keep the plant open for longer from the independent supervisory authority, the Authority for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection.

Currently, the Borssele plant is 70% owned by the Zeeuwse Energie Houdstermaatschappij (ZEH), which is owned by decentralised authorities such as the province of Zeeland and various municipalities in Zeeland. The remaining 30% is owned by German utility RWE.

The cabinet has decided that the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy will start exploratory discussions about a possible share transfer, "under certain conditions".

"The central government only sees the purchase of the shares as an option if it gives it decisive control over keeping the nuclear power plant open for longer, provided that this can be done safely," the government said.

"The authorities involved will not yet make a final decision on a possible takeover of the shares by the state. The exploratory discussions are aimed at investigating the potential for reaching an agreement. After completion of the exploratory discussions, the government will inform the House of Representatives about the next steps to be taken."

The 482 MWe (net) pressurised water reactor at Borssele - operated by EPZ - has been in operation since 1973 and is scheduled to close in 2033. It accounts for about 3% of the country's total electricity generation.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Inaugural-ISL-tests-completed-at-third-Canadian-ur

A test programme at the Midwest uranium project in Saskatchewan has validated that the Midwest Main deposit possesses the characteristics necessary for an in-situ leach operation, Denison Mines Corp has announced.

The in-situ leach - or ISL - technique recovers minerals from ore in the ground by dissolving them in situ, using a mining solution injected into the orebody. The solution is then pumped to the surface, where the minerals are recovered from the uranium-bearing solution. More than half of the world's uranium production is now produced by ISL, but the technique - which requires a geologically suitable orebody - has not so far been used in Canada. It is sometimes referred to as in-situ recovery, or ISR.

Midwest Main is one of two high-grade unconformity-hosted uranium deposits at the Midwest joint venture, co-owned by Denison (25.17%) and Orano Canada Inc (74.83%).

Denison's inaugural programme involved drilling ten small diameter boreholes within the Midwest Main deposit, primarily to evaluate site-specific conditions for ISL mining. A series of tests were successfully performed on each borehole, the company said, creating an extensive database of geological, hydrogeological, geotechnical, and metallurgical data and validating certain key assumptions in the previously completed internal conceptual mining study evaluating the potential use of ISL mining at Midwest, released in April 2023.

Denison President and CEO David Cates said the joint venture had been able to assemble a strong team to carry out the test programme, thanks to Orano's significant global expertise in ISL mining and Denison's industry leadership in the advancement of the technique in the Athabasca Basin region: Denison is looking to use ISL at the Phoenix deposit at the Wheeler River project, and completed a first ISL field test programme on the Tthe Heldeth Túé uranium deposit at Waterbury Lake last year.

"The programme achieved its planned objectives, and the results provide preliminary validation that the Midwest Main deposit possesses the characteristics necessary for an ISR operation," Cates said. "Accordingly, further evaluation is warranted and, building on the Concept Study and incorporating the data acquired in the test programme, we are proceeding with a Preliminary Economic Assessment for ISR mining."

Midwest is about 25 kilometres by road from the McClean Lake Operation, owned by Denison-Orano Canada.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Public-and-private-commitment-needed-for-US-advanc

Factors including project cost uncertainties and the long and expensive development process for nuclear energy projects have meant that financial commitments to US advanced nuclear power projects have been slow in coming - but the private and public sector can work together to overcome this, according to a new report from a US think-tank.

Several advanced nuclear energy projects are currently under development in the USA with the support of Department of Energy (DOE) funding programmes such as the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP), but to date there have been no commitments to construct commercial advanced nuclear energy projects, and little funding committed to developing advanced nuclear energy projects beyond those that have been co-funded by DOE, the Nuclear Innovation Alliance report, Catalyzing Commitments to Advanced Nuclear Energy Projects, notes.

The report summarises the findings from a series of workshops conducted under Chatham House rules in 2023 and early 2024 to identify the factors inhibiting commitments to advanced nuclear energy projects and potential steps to accelerate such commitments. (Chatham House rules mean comments are not for attribution.)

Uncertainty in the ultimate cost of projects, resulting from a variety of factors including the lack of experience in developing advanced nuclear energy projects and the immature supply chain supporting them, and a long, expensive development process for nuclear energy projects, including industry-specific permitting and licensing requirements - that may be more significant than for other sources of energy production - were identified as key factors holding back commitments.

Both the public and private sector can take action to address this, the report says. The most impactful private-sector action would be for offtakers to make capital commitments to provide a "backstop" for project completion cost and improve access to financing, it finds. The most impactful public sector actions would be legislation to share completion-cost risk for early-mover advanced nuclear energy projects combined with cost-sharing and incentives to keep costs down, and potentially providing funding for advanced nuclear energy projects in addition to those covered by the ARDP, until there is more experience building such projects and the supply chain is more mature.

“Advanced nuclear energy has the potential to be a key source of firm clean energy to support the transition to a decarbonised energy system. But potential project developers and investors have been hesitant to announce specific early mover projects or to make significant funding commitments to them," said Judi Greenwald, executive director of the Nuclear Innovation Alliance.

"We hope these conclusions will be useful to the broad range of organisations and entities considering deployment of advanced nuclear energy technologies," she added. "We have no time to waste in deploying advanced nuclear energy if we are to ensure we meet mid-century climate commitments."

The workshops focused on the deployment of small modular reactors, but the conclusions may also be relevant to larger and smaller reactors, the report notes. "As with most energy innovation in the United States, the most likely successful path to successful early mover projects will be a combination of public and private partnerships and actions," it says.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Rosatom-announces-novel-used-fuel-processing-techn

Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom announced it has developed an innovative crystallisation refining technology for the purification and separation of nuclear materials from used nuclear fuel.

Rosatom said that scientists from its Fuel Division and the Proryv, or Breakthrough, project area have developed the new technology, which will be implemented at the facility for reprocessing irradiated uranium-plutonium (SNUP) fuel as part of the pilot energy complex (ODEK) being built at the Siberian Chemical Combine's site in Seversk, Tomsk Region.

Rosatom's Proryv project aims to enable a closed nuclear fuel cycle, ultimately eliminating production of radioactive waste from nuclear power generation. The ODEK complex comprises a fuel production/refabrication module for production of dense uranium plutonium (nitride) fuel for fast reactors; a nuclear power plant with a BREST-OD-300 lead-cooled fast-neutron reactor; and a used fuel retreatment module.

The crystallisation technology is expected to become the final technological stage in the process of purification of nuclear materials isolated from irradiated SNUP fuel - uranium, plutonium and neptunium, the company said.

"Crystallisation refining technology will ensure a high level of safety during used nuclear fuel reprocessing," Rosatom said. "The technological process will make it possible to jointly purify and isolate uranium, plutonium and neptunium, eliminating the possibility of isolating plutonium as a separate product. Thus, the technology fully complies with the nuclear non-proliferation regime."

It noted that, unlike extraction technologies for purification of nuclear materials, crystallisation is accompanied by the production of a smaller volume of secondary waste, including due to the use of only nitric acid solutions as reagents. "This technology will improve the environmental safety of the used fuel reprocessing process," Rosatom said.

Technologies for reprocessing irradiated fuel are of particular importance for closing the nuclear fuel cycle at ODEK, the company noted. Materials separated from used fuel, after reprocessing, will be sent for fabrication of fresh fuel. "Thus, this system will gradually become practically autonomous and independent of external energy supplies," Rosatom said.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/CNNC-extends-cooperation-with-ENEC,-EDF

China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) on strategic cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy. CNNC has also signed a comprehensive cooperation agreement with France's EDF on nuclear energy.

Under the MoU - signed by ENEC Managing Director and CEO Mohamed Al Hammadi and CNNC Chairman Yu Jianfeng in Beijing on 30 May - the two companies will explore opportunities to collaborate and ensure best practice in the development and operation of nuclear power plants. It followed the signing of a bilateral cooperation agreement on the peaceful use of nuclear energy witnessed and signed by Chinese President Xi Jinping and UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan earlier that day.

ENEC said the MoU provides a framework for collaboration in short and long-term fuel cycle procurement, developing best practices in operation and maintenance of civil nuclear energy facilities, nuclear environmental protection and other areas of mutual interest - including the development of new nuclear energy plants, research and development and exploring future areas of cooperation for benchmarking and knowledge sharing.

Areas of collaboration in research and development include exploring the development of a nuclear technology centre, cooperation on Generation IV reactors and hydrogen production technology and the use of nuclear energy for desalination.

"The cooperation between China and Arab countries in the peaceful use of nuclear energy will benefit the whole world," Yu said. He said hopes that the two sides will work together to accelerate the pace of development in the fields of nuclear power, nuclear fuel and the comprehensive utilisation of nuclear energy.

Al Hammadi added that the signing of the bilateral cooperation document on the peaceful use of nuclear energy by the two governments is an important milestone, providing institutional guarantees for business cooperation between enterprises of the two countries.

The latest agreement builds on previous cooperation initiatives between ENEC and CNNC, including an MoU signed in December last year at COP28, which outlined collaboration on new nuclear energy plants in third countries and the deployment of advanced reactor technologies. Also, at COP28, ENEC and CNNC signed an MoU to explore cooperation opportunities for the development of high-temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGRs) to set out the pathway for HTGR technology development and the potential to deploy the technology in other countries.

Enhance cooperation with EDF

Also on 30 May, during a meeting between CNNC's Yu and EDF Chairman and CEO Luc Rémont, a comprehensive cooperation agreement on nuclear energy was signed.

Afterwards, CNNC Deputy Chief Engineer and chairman of China Nuclear Engineering Chen Baozhi, EDF Senior Executive Vice President Thierry Mouhet and EDF China President Joseph Fu Kaide signed a special cooperation agreement on advanced nuclear power construction.

Under the cooperation agreement, the partners will further strengthen cooperation in various fields related to nuclear power, work together to help the two countries achieve their carbon neutrality goals, and inject strong momentum into improving global nuclear energy governance, promoting economic and social development in China and France.

CNNC noted that this year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France, and the 40th anniversary of the entry of EDF into the Chinese market. "Nuclear energy cooperation has become one of the most stable areas of cooperation between China and France," it said, adding that the latest agreement marks "the opening of a new chapter of all-round, multi-field and in-depth cooperation between the two sides".

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Saskatchewan-SMR-to-be-located-in-Estevan

SaskPower has identified two potential sites for Saskatchewan's first small modular reactor (SMR) to begin detailed site analysis ahead of a final site selection in 2025. Both sites are in the Estevan area in the south-east of the province.

Two "high-potential sites" - one at Boundary Dam Reservoir and one on the Rafferty Reservoir - were identified for further study following analysis of the Elbow and Estevan study areas, coupled with public feedback and Indigenous engagement which SaskPower said will continue throughout the project. Detailed site assessment of each potential site will now begin, including the collection of ground water and geotechnical data and the conducting of detailed land and water analyses to collect data to help identify a final site while protecting the natural environment by minimising impacts to sensitive lands and habitats, the utility said. It aims to select a final host site in early 2025, with a final investment decision expected in 2029.

The Elbow study area remains an attractive option for the development of nuclear power. SaskPower will continue to seek land options in the region and work with Rightsholders, Indigenous and municipal leaders and community members. The utility continues to explore this area for potential future nuclear development.

"In addition to the technical suitability of the sites, the Estevan region offers many benefits, including proximity to the City of Estevan to access existing services, a skilled workforce, accommodations and emergency services, as well as infrastructure, roads and transmission," SaskPower President and CEO Rupen Pandya said. "Selecting a site for the first SMR facility will allow us to proceed with the many regulatory processes which are site-specific and critical to the project moving forward."

Canada was the world's largest producer of uranium until 2020 - and is still the second largest producer after Kazakshtan. Although it is responsible for all of Canada's current uranium production, Saskatchewan does not currently use nuclear power. However, SMR technology has been included in its growth plans since the publication of a provincial roadmap in 2019, and utility SaskPower is in year four of an eight-year planning phase for the development of nuclear power from SMRs and envisages building its first 315 MWe reactor by 2034, with another to potentially follow shortly after at the same facility. It has selected the GE Hitachi BWRX-300 SMR for potential deployment.

Ahead of SaskPower's announcement, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe told reporters that reasons for the choice of Estevan rather than Elbow included the region's existing transmission capacity and workforce continuity. Estevan is home to two of SaskPower's three coal-fired power plants, totalling over 800 MWe of capacity, but a federal ruling means all conventional coal units are to be phased out by 2030, by when they must either retire or convert to carbon capture and storage. Only one of SaskPower's coal-fired units - 120 MWe unit at the three-unit Boundary Dam Power station - has been equipped with such technology.

"I think this is fantastic news for Estevan, it will help give us some more certainty on what our future might look like here," said Lori Carr, Member of the Legislative Assembly for Estevan. "Being able to have that certainty that we're going to have power protection for years to come is just nothing but absolutely great news," she said.

"Having continuity in the workforce is paramount. Being able to, I guess, have them look at a future, and be able to transition and train as they’re still working in existing facilities, is going to be really important to ensure success in the future. And we have all those trained people here already. We just need to retool them a little bit."

Moe and Carr's words were reported by Saskatchewan energy news service Pipeline Online.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Last-Energy-to-advise-NATO-on-microreactors

US microreactor developer Last Energy has formed a partnership with the NATO Energy Security Centre of Excellence (ENSEC COE) to jointly research military applications for micro-nuclear power technologies and explore opportunities for future deployment on NATO military installations.

The partnership agreement was signed by Last Energy CEO Bret Kugelmass and ENSEC COE Director Colonel Darius Uzkuraitis. It constitutes the first ever agreement between ENSEC COE and a nuclear energy company.

A Last Energy spokesperson told World Nuclear News that under the partnership agreement the company will produce joint research with ENSEC COE around microreactor applications for NATO military bases and installations, adding that the scope of research is currently being refined. Last Energy will also serve as an industry advisor to ENSEC COE for the remainder of its nuclear work more broadly. In addition, it will identify and engage in other joint projects, including exploring opportunities to actually deploy microreactors on NATO bases.

"Nuclear energy is unequivocally the most reliable, abundant form of power mankind has ever discovered, and it must become the default solution for NATO militaries as they navigate a new era of great power competition," said Kugelmass. "No other resource is capable of providing the kind of 24/7 energy security that's mission critical on military bases, but we will only realise that potential if we miniaturise, modularise, and productise nuclear development.

"We're honoured to partner with the NATO Energy Security Centre of Excellence, and look forward to creating a roadmap for the adoption of micro-scale nuclear power across NATO installations."

Last Energy is a spin-off of the Energy Impact Center, a research institute devoted to accelerating the clean energy transition through innovation. Its SMR technology, the PWR-20, 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. Thanks to the use of ready-made modular components, a reactor is expected to be assembled within 24 months of the final investment decision. The assumed lifetime of the power plant is 42 years.

The NATO Energy Security Centre of Excellence - located in Vilnius, Lithuania - is one of 28 NATO-accredited expert bodies that advise member militaries on strategy and technologies in particular fields. Founded in 2012, the centre works with partners in industry, academia and government to research and develop solutions for NATO militaries in order to ensure energy resilience and efficiency as well as critical energy infrastructure safety.

Under the terms of their partnership, Last Energy and ENSEC COE agree to work on joint projects around nuclear energy applications for NATO military installations and operations.

"The centre's partnership with Last Energy is part of a broader pivot by NATO toward prioritising energy security," Last Energy said. "In addition to dramatically reducing the cost and timeline of construction, micro-nuclear plants have minimal water requirements and can be sited nearly anywhere, allowing for a direct power connection and, by extension, enabling the offtaker to circumvent the traditional bandwidth restraints and price volatility of the grid."

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Laser-hardening-of-steel-used-for-nuclear-plant-eq

Russian state corporation Rosatom says that for the first time it has used its own technology for laser strengthening of steel in the manufacturing of rotor parts of turbine pumps for nuclear power plants.

The St Petersburg-based Central Design Bureau of Mechanical Engineering developed the technology with experts from Vladimir State University, with the aim of improving the strength and wear resistance of the manufactured products.

Alexey Kuzmin, First Deputy Head of the Bureau, said the laser strengthening increased the surface hardness of steel by 1.5 to 2 times, helping prevent damage and avoiding the need to remanufacture parts, which can take up to nine months.

Rector of Vladimir State University Anzor Saralidze said a technical specification for the supply of laser equipment to the Central Design Bureau of Mechanical Engineering was currently being put together.

The Central Design Bureau of Mechanical Engineering, which is part of the mechanical engineering division of Rosatom, plans to purchase a special machine to use at its own sites, which would allow an increase in production volumes and reduce costs, Rosatom said.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Construction-of-containment-completed-of-Taipingli

The concreting has been completed of the outer dome of the containment building of unit 1 at the Taipingling nuclear power plant. China General Nuclear (CGN) said it marks the completion of the main structure of unit 1, the first of six Hualong One units planned at the site in China's Guangdong province.

The Hualong One design features a double-layered containment structure. The main function of the containment building is to ensure the integrity and leak tightness of the reactor building, and it plays a key role in the containment of radioactive substances.

The inner steel safety dome - measuring 45 metres in diameter and almost 14 metres in height, and weighing about 225 tonnes - was installed at Taipingling 1 in December 2021.

CGN noted the outer containment of Taipingling unit 1 comprises three parts: the cylinder structure, the external water tank and the hemispherical dome structure.

The outer dome - measuring 55 metres in diameter, 13 metres in height and weighing about 420 tonnes - was subsequently installed over the inner one.

The company has now announced that the concreting of the outer dome was completed on May 30. "This pouring is to cap the hemispherical dome structure, which will further improve the safety and sealing of the unit after completion," it said.

"At present, the construction of the Taipingling nuclear power project is progressing steadily," CGN said, adding that unit 1 was in the critical stage before the hot functional test, and unit 2 at the peak of installation. The two units of the first phase of the project are expected to be put into operation and generate electricity in 2025.

The Taipingling plant will eventually have six Hualong One reactors. The construction of the first and second units began in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Construction of the second phase of the plant - units 3 and 4 - was approved by China's State Council on 29 December 2023.

CGN has constructed two demonstration Hualong One units as units 3 and 4 of its Fangchenggang plant in the Guangxi Autonomous Region. Unit 3 entered commercial operation on 25 March last year, whilst unit 4 started commercial operation last month.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/USA-announces-new-cooperation-to-support-Ghana-SMR

The signature of two key arrangements facilitated by the US Foundational Infrastructure for the Responsible Use of Small Modular Reactor Technology (FIRST) Program to advance deployment of a small modular reactor (SMR) in Ghana and establish the country as a regional SMR hub were announced at the Africa Nuclear Business Platform meeting in Accra on May 28.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) and contractual arrangements for the provision of a NuScale Energy Exploration (E2) Centre and related services at the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) were signed by GAEC, Kazakhstan-based intergovernmental science organisation the International Science and Technology Center and NuScale.

NuScale's E2 Centres use computer modelling within a control room simulator for a VOYGR-12 SMR power plant to give users a hands-on opportunity to apply nuclear science and engineering principles through simulated, real-world nuclear power plant operation scenarios. Four E2 Centres have opened in the USA, and international E2 Centres have been opened in Bucharest in Romania and Seoul in South Korea.

The deployment of an E2 Centre in Ghana would be a first for the African continent and would provide a key tool for preparing the workforce for SMR deployment in Ghana and beyond, according to the US Embassy in Ghana. It will also establish Ghana as a regional educational and training hub for the next stage of safe and secure civil nuclear deployments in Africa, consistent with International Atomic Energy Agency’s Milestones Approach and nonproliferation standards, the embassy said.

A MoU for a regional welding certification programme between GAEC and the International Science and Technology Center will provide essential training and a unique skillset to enable Ghanaian technicians to qualify for construction jobs in the nuclear energy sector. Funded by the FIRST Program, this certification programme will help to establish Ghana as part of a safe and secure SMR supply chain in the region.

The Government of Ghana, through Nuclear Power Ghana, is also working on a cooperation agreement with project developer Regnum Technology Group LLC to develop an "industrial enclave" using a NuScale SMR nuclear power plant as its main source of energy, the embassy said. "The US government strongly supports the deployment of NuScale's technology through Regnum Technology Group as a project developer in Ghana and looks forward to seeing the conclusion of this agreement," it added.

"The United States is also currently in negotiations with Ghana for a peaceful nuclear cooperation agreement (or 123 agreement) and looks forward to concluding negotiations to enable closer cooperation in this important field."

A cooperation agreement is needed before the USA can trade nuclear goods and services with Ghana: these are known as 123 Agreements after the paragraph of the USA's 1954 Atomic Energy Act under which they are required.

The announcements build on a 2022 strategic collaboration between the USA, Japan and Ghana to support the deployment of SMRs in Ghana and build jobs through workforce development to support future SMR supply chain needs.