Nuclear Energy

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/First-tier-of-El-Dabaa-unit-1-s-inner-containment

The completion of the first tier of the inner containment structure for the first unit at the El Dabaa nuclear power plant in Egypt is one of the key events expected this year at the construction site where more than 20,000 people are working.

El Dabaa will be Egypt's first nuclear power plant, and the first in Africa since South Africa's Koeberg was built nearly 40 years ago. The Rosatom-led project is about 320 kilometres north-west of Cairo and will comprise four VVER-1200 units, like those already in operation at the Leningrad and Novovoronezh nuclear power plants in Russia, and the Ostrovets plant in Belarus.

The inner containment is a cylindrical reinforced concrete structure, which will house the nuclear reactor and equipment of the primary circuit. It has a dome on top and, together with the outer containment structure, is a key element of the designed safety measures. The first tier of the inner containment consists of 12 segments, each weighing between 60 and 80 tonnes.

Chairman of the Egyptian Nuclear Power Plants Authority (NPPA) Amged El-Wakeel and the First Deputy Director General of Rosatom, Andrey Petrov, were among those who visited the site on Thursday to mark the moment and to discuss progress on the project.

El-Wakeel said: "We regularly come to the construction site of the El-Dabaa nuclear power plant to check the progress of work ... many other key events are planned for the current year, which started with the pouring of first concrete for unit 4 in January."

Petrov said there had been good progress at the site with work taking place at 130 different locations and "by the end of 2024, we plan to reach a project completion rate of 30%". He also praised the close working relationship of the Russian and Egyptian sides - "without this component it is difficult to talk about the successful implementation of the project and there is no doubt that with such a high level of cooperation we will be able to fulfill Egypt’s long-standing dream - to build the most modern and safe nuclear power plant in the world".

Under the 2017 contracts, Rosatom will not only build the plant, but will also supply Russian nuclear fuel for its entire life cycle. It will also assist Egyptian partners in training personnel and plant maintenance for the first 10 years of its operation. Rosatom is also contracted to build a special storage facility and supply containers for storing used nuclear fuel. Construction of the nuclear power plant began in July 2022.

Gov’t says deep geological repository will not be ready until 2050s.

A deep geological disposal facility for spent nuclear fuel and other highly radioactive waste is not expected to be ready in the UK until the 2050s, but a shallower disposal facility could be available within 10 years allowing for quicker decommissioning which will save around £500m (€584m, $634m) in storage costs, the government has said.

It said the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), a government body, will explore using a facility closer to the surface – up to 200 metres below ground – for less hazardous radioactive waste as part of an updated policy for handling nuclear waste and radioactive substances.

Other changes will encourage innovation in waste treatment techniques – from greater recycling to research into extracting radioisotopes from nuclear materials for use in diagnosis and treatment of cancers, with the option of disposal made the last resort.

“This will minimise impact on the environment and help reduce the amount of waste for disposal,” the government said in a statement.

The new policy will also make clear that lightly contaminated rubble and substructures can be disposed of onsite if safe to do so. The government said this will avoid tonnes of waste being bagged up and transported for heavy-duty disposal elsewhere, reducing impact on the environment, with the potential to save a further £500m over the next 20 years.

Following the example of Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C, new nuclear stations which have plans to manage spent fuel on site, new nuclear projects will need to ensure they have a robust plan for decommissioning and managing waste.

The changes come after the UK government recently announced the biggest of expansion of nuclear power for 70 years and is exploring building a major new power station as well as rolling out a fleet of small modular reactors in England and Wales.

The most hazardous nuclear waste in England and Wales will ultimately be disposed of deep underground in a facility which isolates and contains the waste within rock and protective barriers.

Less hazardous waste does not need this hyper-secure isolation and can be more quickly and safely disposed of in near-surface disposal facilities, the government said. Like a geological disposal facility, this kind of waste facility never needs people to manage it once it has been sealed and closed.

John Corderoy, technical director of state-owned Nuclear Waste Services, which is owned by the NDA, said earlier this year that construction of the planned deep geological repository would begin in the 2040s. He said it would be “operational and disposing waste in the early 2050s”.

NSW has said finding a suitable site and a willing community, along with securing the necessary consents and permits, could take about 15 years.

Three potential sites being assessed are Mid-Copeland and South-Copeland in Cumbria, northwest England, and Theddlethorpe in Lincolnshire, eastern England.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Oklo,-Atomic-Alchemy-team-up-for-future-isotope-pr

Days after beginning trading on the New York Stock Exchange, US-based fast fission plant developer Oklo Inc has announced it is forming a strategic partnership with Atomic Alchemy to produce radioisotopes from Oklo's recycling process and through fast reactor production of isotopes.

The partnership will aim to combine Oklo's work to build and operate fast reactors and fuel recycling expertise with Atomic Alchemy's expertise in isotope production to meet increasing demands for isotopes. Isotopes are vital for many promising medical, energy, industry, and science applications, Oklo said.

Oklo has more than USD300 million of cash on hand following its business combination with AltC Acquisition Corp ahead of its public listing. It said it will use its "robust funding position to execute on the strong customer interest in its Aurora powerhouse", adding that the deployment of Aurora powerhouses to customer sites "not only provides Oklo with consistent, recurring revenue but also enables exciting new business opportunities in fuel recycling and radioisotopes production, which is supported by the partnership with Atomic Alchemy".

"Industrial and medical isotopes are indispensable to many sectors of the economy, from treating diseases like cancer to fuelling clean energy technologies like radioisotope thermoelectric generators, fission power plants, and even fusion research. The domestic and global demands for these crucial elements are growing at an accelerated pace," said Jacob DeWitte, co-founder and CEO of Oklo. "Our partnership with Atomic Alchemy will enable us to diversify our product offerings with radioisotopes produced from our fuel recycling process."

"The world is facing a shortage of vital isotopes. We are witnessing many promising cancer therapies stuck in clinical trials, unable to secure sufficient quantities of isotopes in a timely manner. I'm proud to be partnering with Oklo to help expand our domestic supplies of isotopes and tritium," said Atomic Alchemy founder and CEO Thomas Eiden. The company is working to solve shortages of radioisotopes by building the world's first fully vertically-integrated, scalable radioisotope production facility, and is described by Eiden as "the SpaceX of nuclear medicine".

Oklo, founded in 2013, plans to commercialise its liquid metal fast reactor technology in the Aurora 'powerhouse', a fast neutron reactor using heat pipes to transport heat from the reactor core to a supercritical carbon dioxide power conversion system to generate electricity. The company has received a site use permit from the US Department of Energy for a prototype unit to be built at the Idaho National Laboratory. It began trading on the NYSE on 10 May following the completion of its business combination with AltC Acquisition Corp the day before.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Life-extensions-vital-to-underpin-future-expansion

Expanding capacity with uprates and new build at existing nuclear plant sites are part of Constellation Energy's plans to meet growing needs for clean energy in the USA - even a restart of Three Mile Island is not ruled out - but extending the operating lives of existing nuclear plants will be vital, CEO Joe Dominguez has told investors.

Constellation lays claim to be the USA's largest producer carbon-free energy, with a fleet of nuclear, hydro, wind, and solar generation facilities that powers more than 16 million homes and businesses and provides 10% of all clean power on the US grid.

The data economy and Constellation's nuclear generating capacity "go together like peanut butter and jelly", Dominguez said in the company's Q1 results call on 9 May. Constellation is having "conversations" with multiple "large, well-known companies" about meeting their future energy needs, although such "large and complicated transactions" will take time to finalise.

"I think the interest is like nothing else we've seen in 20 years in terms of the number of clients that are coming to us and size and scale of the opportunity," he said in answer to investor questions about the potential growth and timing of demand to power new data centres. The size and complexity of the contracts involved, however, mean that such contracts are not likely to come into effect until the second half of this decade, as data centres begin to ramp up.

The "role and importance" of nuclear will only grow as such demand increases, he said, and Constellation intends to be a leader in adding "new, clean, reliable megawatts".

The company intends to do this in three ways: extending the operating lives of its existing sites through licence extensions; increasing output through uprates; and building new capacity. The first of these measures - continuing to run existing plants through licence extensions - "is quite simply the most important thing we can do for America's clean energy future", he said.

The company is already adding megawatts through uprates at current plants, he said, citing already announced plans for uprates at the Byron and Braidwood plants that will add some 160 MWe over the next few years, while it believes that uprate opportunities at other plants "will add up to 1000 megawatts or perhaps more of clean firm power to the grid".

Thirdly, he said, Constellation is "looking to partner with others to locate new technologies including new nuclear" at its existing sites. He outlined how that could look, referencing Constellation's response to a Request for Information issued earlier this year by Google, Microsoft and Nucor Corporation. These companies are looking for "power today, but also some role in building new clean power supply in the future", he said. Constellation has proposed a "multi-tiered structure" providing power today from existing power plants under a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) while working together with the customer to begin to evaluate opportunities to add new capacity through licence renewals, uprates and other "organic" opportunities to add additional megawatts "and then finally to investigate different technologies or SMRs" sited at its existing locations.

Over time, he said, Constellation would anticipate working with the customer to select the technology, with the customer - through increases in the PPA - funding site development work and construction, and Constellation operating the unit on behalf of the customer. "I can tell you it's of great interest to a number of clients in this space that not only want to have immediate access to power today, but want to have more clean power in the future."

Rolls Royce technology, in which Constellation has a small equity position, would be one that would be considered "but we would also look at other competing SMR technologies and we'd work with the owner to figure out which technology best meets their future need at the cost that's appropriate", he said, but emphasised that "the most important thing right now" for customers in this space is to "make sure the existing fleet we have right now is ready and funded for subsequent licence renewals".

Questioned on whether Constellation was considering restarting Three Mile Island unit 1, which was shut down for economic reasons in 2019 after more than 45 years of generation, Dominguez said that "seeing what happened with Palisades" - a shut-down plant in Michigan which Holtec is planning to repower, with federal government support - was "brilliant".

"We're not unaware that that opportunity exists for us … we're doing a good bit of thinking about a number of different opportunities, and that would probably be certainly one of those that we would think about."

Nuclear recognition

The financial community has also "embraced" nuclear energy, understanding its importance to US success, Dominguez said, and with the strong demand from investors for the nuclear green bond issued by Constellation earlier this year providing "recognition that clean, reliable nuclear energy is critical to meeting the sustainability goals of the nation".

In addition, more and more customers are acknowledging that nuclear should be part of meeting their own clean energy goals, he said, highlighting two recently signed deals for hourly matched carbon-free power from existing plants.

"In each case we converted these customers from a renewable-only product to a product that now uses nuclear energy to fill in the gaps when renewables don't operate. Each will ensure that our customers have full time power - clean power - each and every hour that they're consuming."

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/IAEA-officials-observe-emergency-drill-at-Zaporizh

The International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) Rafael Mariano Grossi says that regular drills and exercises at Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant "are especially important in view of the extraordinary risks it is currently facing".

In his latest update on the situation at the six-unit plant, which has been under Russian military control since early March 2022, IAEA Director General Grossi said: "The IAEA will remain present at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) for as long as it is needed. The nuclear safety and security situation at the plant remains extremely precarious and challenging. Thanks to our experts at the site, we can inform the world about developments there. We will continue to do everything in our power to keep this major nuclear facility safe and secure."

Each team of IAEA staff spend roughly a month at a time there. The latest changeover - the 19th since the first team arrived in September 2022 - took place on Thursday, with the journey for those arriving and leaving involving crossing the frontline of Russian and Ukrainian forces.

Grossi said that over recent days the members of the team performed walks within the perimeter of the plant and other buildings to monitor adherence to the UN-backed principles that nuclear power plants should not be fired at, or from, or be used as a base for heavy military weaponry and equipment.

The update said: "They did not observe any heavy weapons or indications that drones could have been launched from the ZNPP. However, the IAEA experts are still not permitted to access all areas of the ZNPP."

On Wednesday, the IAEA experts at the plant observed an emergency drill take place, based on the scenario of damage to a pipe connected to one of the sprinkler ponds providing cooling water to cool unit 1 and its safety systems. The exercise involved plant staff pumping water into the sprinkler pond and repairing the damaged pipe while also ensuring safety systems and back up generators remained operational. "The IAEA team’s opinion was that the exercise was well organised and that the personnel responded effectively," the update said.

Grossi added: "It is essential for all nuclear facilities to have effective emergency preparedness and response arrangements. For this purpose, regular drills and exercises are necessary. Clearly, for the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, they are especially important in view of the extraordinary risks it is currently facing."

IAEA teams at the other nuclear power plants in Ukraine reported nuclear safety and security being maintained, although the team at Rivne NPP reported that attacks on the energy infrastructure elsewhere in Ukraine "had resulted in instability in the back-up power lines connected to the plant".

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Norsk-Kjernekraft-focuses-on-off-grid-SMR-projects

Under a new business plan, Norwegian nuclear project developer Norsk Kjernekraft says it plans to construct off-grid small modular reactors in industrial areas where both reliable power and access to heat are needed.

The company noted that estimates of future energy demand in Norway vary from 50 TWh to 233 TWh. However, it says the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) makes existing forecasts about power requirements invalid. "Basically, the need for data processing and data storage, unlike everything else, is unlimited. Artificial intelligence accelerates this need exponentially ... in reality, this means that there is no longer a limitation in power demand."

Norsk Kjernekraft said that when hydropower was developed in Norway, industry was established where the hydropower plants were. However, with small modular reactors (SMRs), power production can now take place where the industry is located. "Because nuclear power, like hydropower, lasts for 100 years (with two upgrades after 60 and 80 years respectively), it gives the opportunity to recreate what hydropower has done for Norway. After the power plants have been paid off, they supply cheap electricity for a further 70-80 years - as hydropower has done."

In addition to generating electricity, nuclear power produces a lot of heat. High-temperature steam can be used for heat-intensive industries, such as for the production of steel and aluminium. It can also be also for carbon capture, as well as the production of hydrogen, ammonia and e-fuels. The residual heat can be used for district heating. According to Norsk Kjernekraft, all this reduces the need for electricity, and thereby also the need for grid development.

Building SMR power plants off-grid increases the value of the electricity because the rental of grid capacity is avoided, the company says. "In this way, the project economy for the nuclear power plants is improved, which is particularly important for the first power plants, which will be more expensive than the next ones. At the same time, the industry will receive guaranteed power supplies, which is of great value to a number of industry players."

By building the SMR power plant off-grid and in connection with heat-intensive industry, Norsk Kjernekraft says this ensures good project economics, while municipalities can build industry and jobs and ensure economic growth for future generations. Renewable power production can then be channeled towards other needs in Norway.

As an example, the company says Norway is attractive for data centers because it has a cool climate and is considered a 'safe' country. However, it says there will be no will to build many data centers if the power is to be supplied from land-intensive renewables. "With nuclear power, this problem is avoided. In addition, the nuclear power plant creates many jobs, both directly for the operation of the power plant, and indirectly for the industry that is being built."

Earlier this year, Google began construction of a data centre in the municipality of Skien - its first data centre in Norway - which is scheduled to begin operating in 2026. Google has said it wants 840 MW of electricity for the data centre over the next two decades. Norway's Energy Minister Terje Aasland has stated that Skien municipality must provide the power itself. The acting mayor has said the municipality will consider nuclear power.

Norsk Kjernekraft says it could build three or four SMRs of 300 MWe capacity each in connection with the data centre to deliver 900-1200 MWe of electricity (7.5-10 TWh annually). This, it says, is sufficient to meet the needs of the data centre as well as, for example, a green electrolysis factory for hydrogen as well as providing heat to industry in the area.

"Off-grid SMR will be used where it makes sense from a holistic point of view," the company said. "Regular connection to the network will still be considered where it makes sense, for example where extensive network infrastructure already exists or is planned. Hybrid solutions are also relevant."

Norsk Kjernekraft aims to build, own and operate SMR power plants in Norway in collaboration with power-intensive industry. It says it will prepare licence applications in accordance with national regulations and international standards. It will follow the International Atomic Energy Agency's approach for milestones, and focus on what creates value in the early phase. Financing will take place in collaboration with capital-strong industry and solid financial players.

The company entered into an agreement of intent last year on the investigation of nuclear power with several municipalities. In November, it submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Oil and Energy for an assessment into the construction of a power plant based on multiple SMRs in the municipalities of Aure and Heim. A corresponding report is in the process of being finalised for Vardø municipality. It is also investigating the construction of an SMR power plant at Halden. Last month, Norsk Kjernekraft said it had decided to initiate 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.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/BN-1200-plans-for-Beloyarsk-clear-environmental-hu

The Russian environmental regulator Rosprirodnadzor has approved the plans for a BN-1200M fast sodium reactor at the Beloyarsk nuclear power plant.

According to Rosatom, Rosprirodnadzor said that its investigations showed that "there is no significant impact on the environment" and the project meets the requirements of environmental legislation. The response will be included in documents submitted to Russia's nuclear regulator Rostechnadzor, who will decide on issuing a licence for the proposed new nuclear power unit.

Ivan Sidorov, director of the Beloyarsk nuclear power plant, said that as part of the development of next generation - Generation IV - reactors, Rosatom "is creating a new technological platform for the deployment of nuclear energy of the future, based on fast reactors operating in a closed nuclear fuel cycle". It will be the prototype of a serial power unit, he said, as they seek to move from "single unique projects, such as BN-600 and BN-800", to serial production of the BN-1200. "New technological solutions make it possible to fully utilise the energy potential of uranium raw materials, and also have a new level of safety," he added.

The sodium-cooled BN-series fast reactor plans are part of Rosatom's project to develop fast reactors with a closed fuel cycle whose mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel will be reprocessed and recycled. In addition to the BN-600 reactor, which began operation in 1980, the 789 MWe BN-800 fast neutron reactor - constructed as Beloyarsk unit 4 - entered commercial operation in October 2016. This is essentially a demonstration unit for fuel and design features for the larger BN-1200, which will be unit 5 at Beloyarsk.

Rosatom says the projects at Beloyarsk nuclear power plant, in the Sverdlovsk region, are aimed at "solving the strategic task of the nuclear industry to develop a closed nuclear fuel cycle, which will provide fuel for the nuclear power industry for hundreds of years, allow for the reuse of used nuclear fuel and minimise radioactive waste".

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/SMRs-cost-effective-in-hydrogen-production,-study

Hydrogen can be produced for less than EUR3.50 (USD3.80) per kilogram using a combination of solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOEC) and small modular reactors (SMRs), significantly cheaper than alternative methods, a new study led by Dutch nuclear energy development company ULC-Energy BV has concluded.

In November last year, ULC-Energy announced it had signed an agreement with Denmark's Topsoe, the UK's Rolls-Royce SMR and Dutch energy market consultancy KYOS to jointly investigate the production of hydrogen using Topsoe's Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cell (SOEC) technology with both electricity and heat produced by a Rolls-Royce SMR nuclear power plant.

The joint investigation was to include a valuation of the operational flexibility of the Rolls-Royce SMR in combination with Topsoe's proprietary SOEC technology in the future energy market.

ULC-Energy has now announced the results of the study, saying the study had revealed significant advantages of the SMR-SOEC combination: a Rolls-Royce SMR power plant can operate 24/7, with 95% availability; SOEC electrolysis can produce more hydrogen per total power input when compared with conventional electrolyser technologies; steam can be supplied directly from the nuclear power plant heat exchangers; and hydrogen production can take place off-grid.

The results revealed that hydrogen can be produced this way for less than EUR3.50 per kilogram and that this cost can be driven down to less than EUR2.00 per kilogram by 2050 "by taking into account the value of the flexibility to curtail hydrogen production and deliver electricity to an increasingly intermittent grid".

The study also demonstrated that the SMR–SOEC combination produces the highest annual quantity of hydrogen as a result of higher process efficiency and a high availability.

"The large-scale production of clean hydrogen is an extremely important driver of decarbonisation," said ULC-Energy CEO Dirk Rabelink. "At ULC-Energy we believe strongly that nuclear can and will play a major role to produce clean hydrogen and derivative clean fuels.

"The study that is now completed clearly demonstrates the capability of nuclear to deliver low-cost, clean hydrogen at an industrial scale. Importantly, it also shows the additional value associated with the flexibility to switch between energy markets such as electricity, heat and, in this case, hydrogen. Topsoe SOEC and Rolls-Royce SMR are both highly modularised solutions that are factory manufactured and can be scaled rapidly."

Rolls-Royce SMR's Director of Strategy and Business Development Alan Woods added: "Rolls-Royce SMR believes one of its powerful advantages is that it can produce clean energy cheaply and extremely reliably, but can also direct its output to meet demand. This operational flexibility will be increasingly valuable as intermittent energy sources, such as wind and solar, expand. We are excited by the results of ULC-Energy's study and look forward to taking next steps."

In August 2022, Rolls-Royce SMR signed an exclusive agreement with ULC-Energy to collaborate on the deployment of Rolls-Royce SMR power plants in the Netherlands. ULC-Energy - established in 2021 and based in Amsterdam - aims to accelerate decarbonisation in the Netherlands by developing nuclear energy projects that efficiently integrate with residential and industrial energy networks in the country.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Nuclear-research-to-benefit-from-US-supercomputer

Atomic Canyon has announced a new project with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to use the Frontiers supercomputer to build a safe, efficient, open-source artificial intelligence (AI) model for the nuclear sector - and the Aurora supercomputer at the Argonne National Laboratory is confirmed to have surpassed the exascale threshold.

AI nuclear search company Atomic Canyon said it will work with the Department of Energy laboratory to build a safe, efficient open-source AI model for the nuclear sector, using ORNL's Frontier supercomputer to train the company's AI model to understand complex nuclear terminology. This collaboration is a "significant milestone" marking the development of the first AI model tailored for nuclear data and content, the company said.

The company aims to open-source nuclear sector terminologies, helping to develop a nuclear AI infrastructure to build upon and to provide a powerful tool for efficient data navigation, document indexing, performance improvement and cost savings. Its technology has been trained on millions of publicly available documents from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Agency-wide Documents Access and Management System - known as ADAMS - and will use sentence-embedding models, algorithms which convert written sentences into numerical representations to allow AI to grasp nuclear terminology and accurately discern information. This deeper understanding makes the AI more effective and helps prevent AI "hallucinations" and biases during search and data analysis, according to Atomic Canyon.

Atomic Canyon's technology is tailored to the nuclear sector, CEO and founder Trey Lauderdale said. "Collaborating with ORNL's premier supercomputing facilities such as Frontier will help our platform understand complex nuclear concepts, removing a major barrier to AI implementation in the nuclear sector. Moreover, our open-source approach will encourage transparency and collaboration among nuclear stakeholders and innovators focused on safety and security. Our goal is to help the world's best and brightest have the information and technology they need to help navigate the climate and energy crisis."

Aurora goes exascale

ORNL's Frontier, which will play a pivotal role in the collaboration between Atomic Canyon and ORNL, was the first computer in the world to achieve exascale computing performance. Argonne National Laboratory's Aurora supercomputer has now become the second computer in the world to pass the exascale threshold, measuring over a quintillion calculations per second in the Top500 list announced on 13 May at the ISC High Performance 2024 conference in Hamburg, Germany.

Aurora debuted in the Top500 list, which is published twice a year, in November 2023. The computer has now registered 1.012 exaflops using 87% of the system's 10,624 nodes, retaining its spot as the second fastest supercomputer in the world after Frontier. Aurora also earned the top spot in a measure of AI performance, achieving 10.6 exaflops on the HPL-MxP benchmark.

Aurora's speed and artificial intelligence capabilities will transform scientific research and enable breakthroughs in some of the world's most pressing challenges, from climate and materials science to energy storage and fusion energy, the lab said.

"Hitting exascale is a huge milestone but enabling groundbreaking science is the ultimate goal," said Susan Coghlan, project director for Aurora at the Argonne Leadership Computing Facility. "The new performance numbers, along with some promising runs from our early science teams, give us a glimpse of what will be possible with Aurora."

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Uganda-looks-to-potential-uranium-production

The Government of Uganda is hosting an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Integrated Uranium Production Cycle Review mission as it reviews its potential to produce uranium to support its plans for 24,000 MWe of nuclear capacity.

IAEA Integrated Uranium Production Cycle Review (IUPCR) missions are designed to assist IAEA member countries in the development of infrastructure for national uranium production programmes, through all phases of the uranium production cycle. Carried out at the request of the country in question, the missions provide independent reviews based on IAEA safety standards, technical guidance, and international good practices, and also give representatives of the requesting country the opportunity for in-depth discussions with international experts about experiences and best practices in legal, regulatory and operational aspects specific to the uranium production cycle. The reviews enable countries to identify areas that require more focus or additional resources or to confirm their readiness to move forward with their uranium production cycle.

"This morning I welcomed experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for the Integrated Uranium Production Cycle Review (IUPCR) Mission for Uganda," Minister of State for Energy and Mineral Development (Minerals) Phiona Nyamutoro said on X.

"Uganda's plans to develop nuclear power plants with a total output of 24,000 MW will require nuclear fuel. To this effect, Uranium exploration is ongoing in the country with the aim of discovering uranium deposits for sustainable nuclear fuel supply," she continued that the government "also plans to establish a centre for Nuclear Science and Technology for nuclear education, training, research and this … will require Uranium for Production of radioisotopes for industrial and medical applications".

Irene Bateebe, permanent secretary at Uganda's Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, said the exploration and evaluation of uranium resources, supported by the IAEA, were vital to ensuring a sustainable supply of nuclear fuel for Uganda's planned nuclear power plants and research reactors.

Uganda's Vision 2040 roadmap, issued in 2013, incorporates the development of nuclear capacity as part of the country's future energy mix. In May 2022 it was reported that the government had acquired land on which to site a nuclear power plant, and in August last year, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni announced that Russia and South Korea had been selected to build two nuclear power plants with a combined capacity of 15 GWe. Uganda launched its uranium exploration initiative in the district of Buhweju in November.

The IUPCR mission is taking place from 14-22 May in Munyonyo.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Swedish-project-to-develop-Gen-IV-nuclear-power-sy

The Swedish Energy Agency has granted SEK50 million (USD4.7 million) for a project led by researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg for the development of an entire Generation IV nuclear power system. The project also aims to rebuild national expertise in nuclear technology science.

Gen IV nuclear technology holds the promise of revolutionising the energy sector by significantly reducing long-lived radioactive waste and minimising the need for new uranium mining. By reusing used nuclear fuel, Gen IV systems could provide sustainable and abundant energy with a reduced environmental footprint.

The MUST (Multidisciplinary Commitments for Sweden's Gen IV Technology and Expertise) project includes researchers from Chalmers University of Technology, the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Uppsala University and Lund University. It will strengthen the already existing research centres in nuclear science in Sweden - ANItA (Academic-industrial Nuclear technology Initiative to Achieve a sustainable energy future) at Uppsala University and SUNRISE (Sustainable Nuclear Energy Research In Sweden) at KTH - with a clear focus on sustainable electricity production and resource use in the Gen IV system.

Technologies for fuel recovery and new manufacturing, radiation protection strategies and monitoring of reactors are being developed. Unlike previous initiatives, this project will include an entire Gen IV nuclear power system.

"The fact that we in Sweden now dare to invest in the nuclear technology of the future is very gratifying," said Christian Ekberg, coordinator of the project, Professor of Nuclear Chemistry and Industrial Materials Recycling at Chalmers University of Technology. "When fully developed, a system like this could have the potential to produce nuclear power to the same extent as we did in Sweden when we had 12 reactors running, without mining any more uranium a few thousand years."

The funding in the MUST projects by the Swedish Energy Agency marks one of its largest investments to date in the future of nuclear energy.

The results of the will provide valuable input for a case study for Gen IV implementation by Swedish small modular reactor (SMR) project development company Kärnfull Next AB.

As the commercial partner in the MUST project, Kärnfull Next - a fully-owned subsidiary of Kärnfull Future AB - said it brings a commercial perspective and expertise that "bridges cutting-edge research and practical, scalable solutions for the energy market".

Kärnfull Next Chief Strategy Officer John Ahlberg said: "Our participation in this project aligns perfectly with Kärnfull Next's mission to foster technological advancements and ensure the long-term viability of nuclear power. We believe in the transformative potential of Gen-IV technology to deliver clean, safe, and reliable energy, and we are excited to contribute to this pioneering effort."

In addition to developing Gen IV technology, the project also addresses the need for education and know-how development in nuclear and radiation sciences. By engaging younger researchers and allocating significant resources for the education and mentorship of doctoral students, the initiative aims to help rejuvenate Sweden's expertise in nuclear technology. A system for mentorship, both scientific and in leadership, has been launched as part of the project.

"Unfortunately, education in general radiation science is scarce in Sweden," Ekberg said. "KTH and Uppsala University have higher education programmes that are mainly focused on nuclear reactors. A broader approach is needed and this project fits in well with the need to take a more holistic approach to the competence issue."

"We are thrilled to be part of a project that not only advances nuclear technology but also nurtures the next generation of leaders in this field," Ahlberg added. "Kärnfull Next is dedicated to supporting the transition to a sustainable energy future, and our involvement in this Gen-IV initiative is a testament to our long-term vision and complements our day-to-day activities of prospecting for new Swedish SMR campuses."

Kärnfull Next aims to have the first commercial SMR operational at a new nuclear site in Sweden by the early 2030s.

Addressing skills gap vital for new build plans.

The UK has unveiled a roadmap for developing a skilled workforce for its nuclear energy sector which aims to increase the industry’s available workforce by almost 50%, including recruiting 40,000 new jobs by 2030.

The National Nuclear Strategic Plan for Skills, which is backed by the UK government, aims at attracting new talent to the UK nuclear energy industry, and upskilling current industry professionals to boost retention in the sector.

Addressing the nuclear skills gap will be pivotal as the UK strives to become a global leader in the nuclear sector, the government said in a statement.

The plan aims to double the number of apprentices in the nuclear sector, focusing on trades such as welding, electrical work, and engineering, by 2025-26.

Additionally, it aims to double the number of graduates entering the nuclear workforce within the same timeframe.

The plan also includes initiatives to improve the skills of individuals joining the nuclear sector mid-career.

Tom Greatrex, chief Executive of the UK-based Nuclear Industry Association, welcomed the news. He said: “Re-establishing ourselves as world leaders in nuclear energy gives us an incredible opportunity to supercharge the nuclear skills sector and this roadmap sets out how we achieve that.”

Earlier this year, the UK government announced the biggest expansion of nuclear power for 70 years, with a nuclear roadmap setting out how the country will quadruple nuclear power generation to up to 24 GW by 2050, up from about 5.8 GW today.

TVO says annual service took twice as long as planned.

The Olkiluoto-3 nuclear power plant in Finland returned to electricity production on 16 May after a first annual service outage that lasted twice as long as originally planned.

Teollisuuden Voima Oyj (TVO), owner and operator of the 1,575-MW EPR unit, said the plant was synchronised to the national grid and was “technically ready for a power increase”.

The outage was scheduled to take 37 days, but lasted for 74 days and 9 hours. TVO said delays were due to the shutdown process and preparations for refuelling taking longer than expected, and because of technical problems identified during maintenance activities.

TVO also detected indications of a risk of foreign material in the fuel elements during the outage, which meant inspections of the elements were took significantly longer than expected.

“It was anticipated that the service outage after the first operating cycle would be very laborious,” TVO said in a statement. “As OL3 is the largest nuclear power plant unit in Europe, the amount of equipment and components is extremely high. All in all, about 7,500 work phases were carried out during the OL3 outage.”

In addition to refuelling, the most important activities carried out during the annual outage included preventive maintenance on the protection system, washing of steam generators, generator maintenance, pressure equipment inspections, leak-tightness tests on containment isolation valves and servicing of pressuriser safety relief valves.

The plant also underwent a significant number of different periodic tests and maintenance activities during the outage.

Olkiluoto-3, the first EPR plant in Europe, began commercial operation in May 2023. TVO said Olkiluoto-3 is by far the most efficient electricity production plant in Finland and produces about 14% of the country’s electricity.

Finland has five commercial nuclear reactors – two at Loviisa, owned and operated by Fortum, and three at Olkiluoto.

The Generation III EPR was designed in France, where an EPR is nearing operation at Flamanville-3, a project that has seen delays and cost overruns.

Two other EPR units in China have begun commercial operation. Taishan-1 in China was the first EPR unit to begin commercial operation, in December 2018. A second EPR at Taishan began commercial operation in September 2019.

In the UK there are two EPRs under construction at Hinkley Point C, where there have also been delays and significant cost overruns.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Dutch-regulator-issues-permit-for-Urenco-waste-sto

The Authority for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection (ANVS) has granted the final permit to Urenco for the construction and operation of a new radioactive waste storage facility at its Almelo site. The uranium enrichment company was last year granted permission to build the facility prior to the permit being issued.

In the autumn of 2022, Urenco received a warning from the ANVS after an inspection, because radioactive material (activated carbon and waste oils) was being stored in a room that was not sufficiently fire-resistant.

Although there was no immediate danger to people and the environment, ANVS in April 2023 issued a 'tolerance decision', allowing the construction of a new storage facility, without the required permit having been granted in advance, so that Urenco could meet the safety requirements as quickly as possible.

At the time of issuing its decision, ANVS said it "only tolerates [permit] violations either in the event of force majeure or in a transitional situation and if the situation does not lead to major environmental or safety risks. We have assessed that there is force majeure for the storage of the radioactive material at Urenco. The company may therefore create and use a new storage facility without a permit until 1 July 2024."

"Now that the final permit has been obtained, the tolerance situation has formally come to an end," ANVS has now noted.

Waste from Urenco's uranium enrichment activities at Almelo cannot immediately be sent for storage at the Central Organisation for Radioactive Waste (Covra). It must first be processed by the company. It can then be transported to Covra - the only storage for radioactive waste in the Netherlands. The material must therefore remain stored at Urenco until that processing has taken place.

In addition to granting the final permit for the waste storage facility, ANVS has also made three amendments to Urenco's licence for the Almelo plant. The company may also adapt the floor plan of its buildings to the new situation. Urenco is also allowed to use a higher tube voltage for its X-ray equipment. It uses these devices to screen its centrifuges during assembly. For a new type of centrifuge, Urenco needs equipment with a higher tube voltage (250 kV) than it is currently allowed to use (200 kV) according to the permit. In addition, the company may install two additional tipping autoclaves in the Central Services Building. These are used to take samples. Urenco will be able to take more samples at the same time by installing these additional tipping autoclaves.

Urenco announced plans in December last year to increase capacity at its Almelo plant by 15% in response to new commitments from customers. The project will see multiple new centrifuge cascades added to an existing plant at the site, adding about 750 tonnes of SWU per year. The first new cascades are scheduled to come online around 2027.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Holtec-outlines-progress-towards-Palisades-restart

The return of some former staff, the revamping of training facilities including the control room simulator, the submission of regulatory documents and the ordering of new fuel are all highlighted as part of steps taken towards the repowering of the shuttered Palisades nuclear power plant in the USA.

Holtec agreed to purchase the 800 MWe pressurised water reactor for decommissioning from then-owner and operator Entergy in 2018. The acquisition was completed in June 2022, shortly after the reactor's closure, with Holtec, at the time, planning to complete the dismantling, decontamination, and remediation of the plant by 2041. But the company then announced plans to apply for federal funding to enable it to reopen the plant.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer was among those supporting the move and the State 2024 budget provides USD150 million in funding towards the plant's restart. In March this year the US Department of Energy Loan Programs Office conditionally committed up to USD1.52 billion for a loan guarantee - Holtec has to satisfy certain technical, legal, environmental, and financial conditions before DOE enters into definitive financing documents and funds the loan.

Palisades would be the first nuclear power plant in the USA to return to commercial operations after being closed down. Under the plans, it would provide baseload clean power until at least 2051, avoiding some 4.47 million tonnes of CO2 emissions per year, for a total of 111 million tonnes over 25 years.

In a project update Holtec said there were now 360 staff at the site, up 150 since the restart programme began, including "new talent as well as the return of former plant employees, contributing to the preservation and creation of hundreds of high-paying jobs in Michigan".

Holtec added: "The reconstitution of the plant’s control room simulator and restoration of the operator training programme are both complete and the training building, which had been mothballed for future demolition, is now a bustling hub of industry veterans and talented new associates."

Work is also under way on the off-sIte refurbishment of the generator exciter "and restoration of the reactor vessel’s operational integrity in preparation for a deep chemical cleaning of the plant’s reactor cooling system" with future plans including "inspection of the reactor vessel internals and steam generators ... along with long-term investments in preventive maintenance, equipment repairs, replacements, upgrades, and modifications ... other critical activities, such as the ordering of new fuel for the reactor and long-lead part procurement, are also under way"

The company adds that: "In the regulatory space, we have made significant progress towards reauthorisation of extended operations, submitting five of the major licensing submittals to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission and actively engaging in public meetings as a part of that process."

There are also plans for Holtec to site two of its 300 MWe small modular reactors alongside the existing plant, and it said preliminary siting activities were under way with the target of filing a construction permit application in 2026.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/t-(1)

The reactor vessel and two steam generators, with a combined weight of more than 1000 tonnes, will travel by road, river and sea from Russia to the Tianwan site in China's Jiangsu province.

Last year the VVER-1200 reactor vessel and four steam generators for Tianwan 7 were shipped, as well as two of the four steam generators for unit 8.

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

Igor Kotov, head of Rosatom’s mechanical engineering division, said: "For Russian mechanical engineers, cooperation with Chinese colleagues is one of the key elements of the development strategy. Today it is a partner truly interested in the high-quality and mutually beneficial implementation of joint projects. This approach undoubtedly serves as a guarantee of strict compliance with work deadlines and ensuring high product quality parameters. This is a reliable basis for expanding cooperation and identifying new directions."

The Tianwan nuclear power plant is owned and operated by Jiangsu Nuclear Power Company, a joint venture between China National Nuclear Corporation (50%), China Power Investment Corporation (30%) and Jiangsu Guoxin Group (20%). In June 2018, Russia and China signed four agreements, including for the construction of two VVER-1200 reactors as units 7 and 8 of the Tianwan plant. They are scheduled to be commissioned in 2026-2027.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Polish-ministry-approves-plans-for-Rolls-Royce-SMR

Polish industrial group Industria's plan to construct a power plant based on Rolls-Royce's small modular reactor (SMR) has been approved by the Ministry of Climate and Environment.

Industria submitted its application for a decision-in-principle in December last year to Polish Climate and Environment Minister Paulina Hennig-Kloska. The application concerns the construction of a nuclear power plant using Rolls-Royce SMR technology - a 470 MWe design based on a small pressurised water reactor - and a used nuclear fuel storage facility as an integral part of the power plant.

On 10 May, Hennig-Kloska issued the ministry's decision-in-principle, saying that she believes the investment would be in the public interest and in line with Poland's energy and climate policies. The application was positively assessed by the Head of the Internal Security Agency and the Minister of State Assets.

The decision-in-principle represents official state approval for the planned investment in accordance with the assumptions and concept presented by the company. It is the first decision in the process of administrative permits for investments in nuclear power facilities in Poland that an investor may apply for. Obtaining it entitles Industria to apply for a number of further administrative arrangements, such as a siting decision or construction licence.

"Today's decision-in-principle by Poland's Environment Minister is extremely positive news and allows us to advance our commercial and technical discussions on the deployment of Rolls-Royce SMR power plants in Poland," said Rolls-Royce SMR's Director of Strategy and Business Development Alan Woods. "Poland is one of a number of key export opportunities for Rolls-Royce SMR as we look to build on our progress in the UK and exploit the important competitive advantage our SMR design has over its competitors."

Last year, state-owned Industria - part of Industrial Development Agency JSC (IDA) - selected Rolls-Royce SMR technology to fulfil the zero-emission energy goals of the Central Hydrogen Cluster in Poland and as part of their plans to produce 50,000 tonnes of low-carbon hydrogen every year.

In July 2023, Industria signed a letter of intent with the Kostrzyn-Słubicka Special Economic Zone SA (KSSSE) regarding cooperation on the location of a modular power plant based on Rolls-Royce SMR technology in the areas covered by the KSSSE.

Poland's Ministry of Climate and Environment issued a decision-in-principle in July last year on copper and silver producer KGHM Polska Miedź SA's plan to construct a NuScale VOYGR modular nuclear power plant with a capacity of 462 MWe consisting of six modules, each with a capacity of 77 MWe.

In December, the ministry issued decisions-in-principle to Orlen Synthos Green Energy for the construction of power plants based on GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy's BWRX-300 SMR at six locations. A total of 24 BWRX-300 reactors are planned at the sites.

The ministry has also issued decisions-in-principle for the construction of two large nuclear power plants: one for a 3750 MWe plant in Pomerania using Westinghouse's AP1000 technology, the other for a plant comprising two South Korean-supplied APR1400 reactors in the Patnów-Konin region.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Canadian-firms-team-up-for-heavy-water-production

Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, Atomic Energy of Canada Limited and AtkinsRéalis have signed a memorandum of understanding to explore opportunities to collaborate on the production of heavy water for use in new Candu reactors in Canada.

Heavy water - a form of water in which the normal hydrogen is replaced by a heavier form of hydrogen called deuterium - is used as both the moderator and as the reactor coolant in pressurised heavy water reactors, such as Candus. However, it has not been produced in Canada for more than 25 years.

The MoU brings together AtkinsRéalis' nuclear and industrial capabilities in Canada as the licensee of Candu technology, as well as Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL), owner of Candu intellectual property and other heavy water production technologies, and Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL), a world leader in the industry with extensive experience in heavy water technologies.

The objective of the MoU is to evaluate options and select cost efficient, environmentally responsible, and viable heavy water production technologies, which could include the establishment of industrial scale heavy water production facilities to support the deployment of a new fleet of Candu reactors.

"This collaboration among important stakeholders in the Canadian nuclear sector sets the stage for Canada to lead the global heavy water market, solidifying its role as a key player in the energy transition," said AtkinsRéalis President and CEO Ian Edwards. "With Candu reactors operating across four continents, a global nuclear new build market with expected demand in excess of 1000 new reactors, a strong Candu reactor refurbishment market, and the introduction of the new Candu Monark 1000 MW reactor in addition to the existing Enhanced Candu 6, this memorandum of understanding could not have come at a better time."

AECL President and CEO Fred Dermarkar added: "I am pleased that AECL, CNL and AtkinsRéalis are collaborating and working together to advance heavy water production for Candu reactor technology. Candu technology is uniquely positioned to contribute to important national objectives such as decarbonisation, energy security, economic growth and maintaining Canada's Tier-1 nuclear nation status."

"The deployment of large-scale nuclear power in Canada is an enormous undertaking, and will require extensive alignment and coordination between organisations, industries, public officials and regulators from across the country," said CNL President and CEO Jack Craig. "Heavy water is one key piece of the larger puzzle, and CNL is working hard to play a leadership role in this process, ensuring that the broader industry is working towards a shared vision, and that the necessary inventory and production capabilities are in place to supply these reactors."

The Bruce Heavy Water Plant, which operated from 1973 until 1998, was built by AECL and located within the boundaries of the Bruce nuclear power plant, but was owned and operated by Ontario Power Generation. The plant was built to supply the heavy water needed for Canada's nuclear power programme. Candus are very efficient in their use of heavy water, which is recycled, meaning that the Bruce Heavy Water Plant's output was no longer needed after sufficient stockpiles were produced. Decommissioning of the plant began in 2004, with demolition work completed in 2006.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/US-Q1-uranium-production-highest-since-2018

US production of 82,533 pounds U3O8 (32.1 tU) in the first quarter of 2024 was the highest Q1 production since 2018 and almost 80% more than production for the whole of 2023.

According to the US Energy Information Administration's (EIA) latest Domestic Uranium Production Report, US uranium production in the first three months of the year was from five facilities, all using in-situ leach methods rather than conventional mining and milling. Four of these - Nichols Ranch, Ross, Lost Creek and Smith Ranch-Highland - are in Wyoming.

The fifth facility, Rosita, in Texas, resumed operations in November, having last produced uranium in 2008. EnCore Energy Corp announced the first shipment of uranium from the plant, which has an annual capacity of 800,000 pounds U3O8, in March.

The EIA listed three US uranium mills as "on standby" in Q1: Shootaring Canyon and White Mesa, both of which are in Utah, and Sweetwater in Wyoming. Anfield Energy Inc has recently said that it is targeting a restart of the Shootaring Canyon mill in 2026 - it has been on standby since 1982. The Vancouver-based company has submitted its plans for reactivating the mill, which it acquired in 2015, to Utah state regulators for approval.

Minister quoted as saying Russia will be excluded from bid.

The Slovak government is set to approve the development of an additional 1,200 MW nuclear power unit, according to prime minister Robert Fico.

Speaking at a recent news conference, Fico revealed that the government could make a decision on laying the groundwork for the project at a meeting scheduled for 15 May.

“We have an agreement that Slovakia – the state – has an interest in building, under state ownership, one massive nuclear unit with an output of up to 1,200 MW,” he said. He did not say where then new unit would be built.

Economy minister Denisa Sakova was quoted in local press reports as saying that while Slovakia has adopted a more pro-Russian stance under Fico's administration, the supplier for the new nuclear unit would be chosen through a competitive tendering process, explicitly excluding Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom from participation.

Slovakia has five commercial nuclear reactor units – three at Mochovce in southwest Slovakia and two at Bohunice in the west of the country – all of the Russia-designed VVER-440 pressurised water reactor type.

The country’s latest unit, Mochovce-3, completed commissioning at the end of 2023. An identical unit, Mochovce-4, remains under construction.

The fleet has been generating about 59% of the country’s electricity. Mochovce-3 will bring the share of nuclear in the country’s electricity generation to about 65%, putting it second behind only France.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/US-President-signs-uranium-import-prohibition

The act prohibiting the importation into the USA of unirradiated, low-enriched uranium (LEU) that is produced in the Russian Federation or by a Russian entity has been signed into law by President Joe Biden.

The president signed HR 1042, the Prohibiting Russian Uranium Imports Act, on 13 May - two weeks after the bill was passed unanimously by the US Senate. The legislation bans the import of Russian-produced unirradiated LEU as well as the import of unirradiated LEU that has been swapped for banned uranium.

The prohibition on imports of LEU comes into effect 90 days after the date of the enactment of the bill, and will last until the end of 2040. Waivers may be granted to allow the import of limited amounts of LEU, under certain circumstances, until 1 January 2028.

"Today, President Biden signed into law a historic series of actions that will strengthen our nation's energy and economic security by reducing - and ultimately eliminating - our reliance on Russia for civilian nuclear power," US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said.

"This new law re-establishes America's leadership in the nuclear sector. It will help secure our energy sector for generations to come. And - building off the unprecedented USD2.72 billion in federal funding that Congress recently appropriated at the President's request - it will jumpstart new enrichment capacity in the United States and send a clear message to industry that we are committed to long-term growth in our nuclear sector."

He added that the law also delivers on multilateral goals, including last year's announcement by the USA with Canada, France, Japan and the UK of plans to collectively invest USD4.2 billion to expand their enrichment and conversion capacity. "I am proud to say that with these funds from Congress, we have well-exceeded that pledge and are working with industry to realise this ambition," he added.

HR 1042 complements the Nuclear Fuel Security Act, legislation aimed at revitalising the US nuclear fuel industry, which was included as part of the National Defense Authorisation Act for fiscal 2024, which was signed into law in March.

According to a December 2023 US House Report on HR 1042, the USA currently imports more than 20% of its enriched uranium from Russian state-owned nuclear company Rosatom and its subsidiary Tenex.

In response to the measure, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was reported by the Russian Tass news agency to have told a news briefing "it’s hard for the Americans to compete with us on the international market", adding that the ban was "nothing more than unfair competition" and not critical for the Russian nuclear industry: "Our nuclear industry is one of the most advanced in the world. We will continue to develop this industry."

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Viewpoint-Modernising-the-regulatory-ecosystem-for

The maritime industry stands on the brink of a new era, writes Mikal Bøe. With the rise of new nuclear technologies, the sector can finally address the dual challenge of meeting global climate goals and improving energy efficiency.

More than 80% of all goods traded worldwide are transported at sea. Shipping is the backbone of global trade. Globalisation of trade, prosperity of nations and economic progress is highly dependent on an efficient and safe maritime sector. Now, the industry must dramatically reduce and eventually eliminate its emissions, and only nuclear power can achieve those goals.

We know nuclear at sea works well. Over 700 reactors have operated at sea, enduring the harsh environments of the world's choppy oceans. But there are no nuclear-powered commercial ships in service today because the reactor technologies available are unsuited for civilian maritime transportation.

We must therefore build new technologies and we must modernise the regulatory ecosystem to allow those new technologies to do their important work.

The ecosystem of rules which apply to nuclear-powered ships require solutions to three main challenges:

1. The International Maritime Organization's (IMO) Safety of Life at Sea Convention (SOLAS) Chapter VIII contains the Code of Safety for Nuclear Merchant Ships, which was adopted by the IMO Assembly through Resolution A.491.XII in 1981. The Code is based solely on pressurised water reactors (PWRs), or naval reactors. Because emergency planning around a mobile high-pressure reactor cannot be achieved in nearshore environments, these cannot be commercially insured which prevents ships from calling in ports. Without port calls, ships are redundant. Hence, the IMO standards need revision to allow for new nuclear technologies which can.

2. Strict export control restrictions for naval nuclear propulsion in countries with nuclear navies (UK, USA, Russia, China, etc), referencing the same naval reactor technology as set out in A.491.XII, are assumed to apply to all maritime nuclear propulsion solutions, until a clear distinction can be shown between military and civil applications. National export control rules must therefore be modernised to allow for maritime civil nuclear propulsion, whilst still providing adequate security and safeguards provisions. Modernised rules will spur changes in ship building and vessel ownership.

3. Nuclear liability conventions (Vienna and Paris Conventions) both exclude nuclear propelled ships, again based on the same foundations as set out above. We therefore need a modern liability convention that allows commercial insurability of nuclear-powered ships. This was attempted with the Brussels Convention of 1962, but it was never ratified, again for the same reasons. With new nuclear technologies that are commercially insurable, and a clear separation in export control rules between naval and civil nuclear propulsion, a revised and modern liability convention will be adopted.

For all this to be possible, these new nuclear technologies must satisfy three main criteria to be fit-for-purpose in nuclear-powered ships.

• The Emergency Planning Zone (EPZ) around the reactor must be minimal, preferably contained entirely within the confines of the ship's hull. This will facilitate the development of commercial insurance and open the door for port calls.

• There must be no need for refuelling of reactors in commercial ports. Handling the front and back ends of the nuclear fuel cycle in busy ports is a showstopper, at least for now.

• The nuclear power system must be passively safe under all conditions and meet or exceed the highest standards set for security and safeguards by design.

New nuclear technologies which meet these criteria open the possibility of nuclear propulsion for large, ocean-going ships. The Fourth IMO GHG Study (2020) identifies over 12,500 ships (container, tanker, bulk carrier, cruise, reefer) where the case could be made for using nuclear propulsion.

Shipowners, shipyards, trading houses and banks which control almost 5000 ships have to date made financial investments in companies building these new nuclear technologies and the industry now has nuclear-powered ships on the radar for commercial launch in the 2030s.

Modular construction in shipyard production is a key strategy for scaling nuclear deployment. Both nuclear-powered ships and floating nuclear power plants (FNPPs) can be centrally manufactured using common parts and components. This allows complete predictability of both cost and delivery times, an unusual feature in the nuclear industry.

The newly formed Nuclear Energy Maritime Organization (NEMO), of which Core Power is a founding member, is spearheading the essential work to assist governments and international organisations with the modernisation of the entire regulatory ecosystem for nuclear-powered ships and FNPPs.

Modernising A.491.Xii is now on the agenda at the IMO. Members of US Congress are pressing for export control rules to be modernised, and both insurers and re-insurers are engaging to establish commercial insurability of nuclear-powered ships. Our aim is to have a fit-for-purpose ecosystem of rules and regulations established by 2030.--

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/EDF-secures-green-financing-for-extended-operation

French utility EDF has signed green bank loans for a total amount of about EUR5.8 billion (USD6.3 billion), which will be used to finance the life extension of its existing nuclear power plant fleet in France.

The loans - which have maturities of between 3 and 5 years - have been arranged with major international banks, including BNP Paribas, Bank of America, Crédit Agricole CIB, ING, Natixis CIB, Société Générale and Wells Fargo.

EDF announced its Grand Carénage life extension programme for the existing fleet in France in 2011. Under this investment programme, the company planned to spend around EUR55 billion by 2025 on upgrading its plants to improve their performance and enable their continued operation beyond 40 years. The programme also includes safety upgrades in response to the Fukushima Daiichi accident in Japan.

The investment was optimised and revised to EUR45 billion in 2018, and in 2020 EDF adjusted the programme's cost to EUR49.4 billion.

A green bilateral loan worth EUR1 billion was announced by EDF and Credit Agricole CIB in November 2022.

EDF noted that the investments in the extension of the operation of its reactors "are aligned with the European taxonomy".

In July 2022, the European Parliament voted to include certain nuclear and gas activities within the European Union's list of officially approved "green" investments.

In February 2021, the country's nuclear safety regulator, the Autorité de Sûreté Nucléaire (ASN), set the conditions for the continued operation of EDF's 900 MWe reactors beyond 40 years. The regulator said it considered the measures planned by EDF combined with those prescribed by ASN will ensure the safety of the units for a further 10 years of operation.

In August 2023, unit 1 of the Tricastin nuclear power plant in southern France became the first French power reactor licensed to operate beyond 40 years.

EDF operates three pressurised water reactor designs, known as the 900 MWe, the 1300 MWe and the 1450 MWe N4. Its 32 operating 900 MWe reactors came into commercial operation between 1977 and 1988, and include the oldest of the country's current nuclear fleet. Such reactors are in operation at EDF's Blayais, Bugey, Chinon, Cruas-Meysse, Dampierre, Gravelines, Saint-Laurent and Tricastin nuclear power plants.

ASN said the improvements and measures will be applied to each reactor individually during their fourth periodic safety reviews, scheduled to run until 2031. These reviews will take the particularities of each facility into account, it said. The measures planned by EDF for each reactor will be subject to a public inquiry.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/KHNP-deploys-four-legged-robot-in-Kori-decommissio

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power's (KHNP) radiation-measuring robot is being used for the first time in the dismantling and decontamination of the 576 MWe pressurised water reactor.

The four-legged autonomous robot is one of two specialised robots for use in a nuclear power plant environment that KHNP has been developing since 2021: the other one is an indoor autonomous flying robot. The robots are equipped with multiple cameras and radiation sensors, and the ground robot also has temperature and humidity sensors. Together with 3D Lidar technology - a laser-based method of imaging shapes using reflected light - these sensors can be used to "visualise" radiation dose information and monitor dangerous areas to ensure the safety of workers.

KHNP said it started using "systematic decontamination to dismantle" Kori 1 on 7 May. It plans to use robots to minimise radiation exposure to workers and increase the efficiency of decontamination work.

Kori 1 started commercial operation in 1978 and was permanently shut down in 2017, when it became the first South Korean reactor to enter decommissioning.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Eletronuclear-updates-Angra-1-lifetime-extension-p

Brazilian nuclear power plant operator Eletrobras Eletronuclear says it is on track to complete all the steps required to get approval for extended operation of the Angra 1 unit.

Angra 1, Brazil's first nuclear power unit, is a 609 MWe pressurised water reactor that was first connected to the grid in 1982. Eletronuclear is seeking a lifetime extension from 40 to 60 years.

Getting a lifetime extension is a long and complex process and years of preparation had already gone into it even before the initial request for renewal of its operating licence was submitted to the Brazilian Nuclear Energy Commission (CNEN) in 2019. Eletrobras said that during 2023 it submitted 16 reports to the regulatory body, including assessments of safety factors as defined by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

It said it had also responded to 166 follow-up questions from CNEN by the end of last month. And it had also carried out the third and final Periodic Safety Reassessment, a document produced every 10 years looking at things such as safety performance, emergency planning, equipment qualification and management systems.

The company also uses the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission's License Renewal Application process and is preparing next month for a fourth visit by the IAEA for a Safety Aspects of Long Term Operation (SALTO) mission - the previous ones were held in 2013, 2018 and 2022.

José Augusto do Amaral, superintendent of Operational Support Engineering and responsible for the LTO, said: "The negotiation process with [CNEN] should last until the end of this year to finalise the steps. But the company is prepared and continues to have constant dialogue ... we are managing to demonstrate that Angra 1 will be able to continue operating efficiently and safely."

Measures already taken to extend the service life for a further 20 years include new steam generators, changing the reactor pressure vessel cover and replacing the main transformers, the company says, as well as implementing ageing/obsolescence management systems. It estimates safety and modernisation spending of around BRL3 billion (USD585 million) between 2024 and 2028. it will get short term financing from its main shareholders, ENBPar and Eletrobras, while negotiations are completed with the US Export-Import Bank for the full modernisation programme.

Angra 1 reached criticality in 1982 and entered commercial operation in 1985. The pressurised water reactor (PWR) has a design capacity of 640 MWe (net capacity 609 MWe). Eletrobras Eletronuclear also operates Angra 2, a 1275 MWe (net) PWR which began commercial operation in 2001. Together with Angra 2 it generates about 3% of Brazil’s electricity. Work on the Angra 3 project - to feature a Siemens/KWU 1405 MW pressurised water reactor - began in 1984 but was suspended two years later, before construction began. The scheme was resurrected in 2006, with first concrete in 2010. But, amid a corruption probe into government contracts, construction of the unit was halted for a second time in 2015, when it was 65% complete. It resumed again in November 2022 - at the time of the project’s revitalisation, Eletronuclear’s aim was to start operations by the end of 2026. However, work has again faced interruptions pending agreement with local authorities on "socio-environmental" compensation payments.

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