Nuclear Energy

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/UK-completes-transfer-of-Winfrith-waste-drums

A project to transfer more than 1000 drums of radioactive waste from the Winfrith site in Dorset, in southern England, to the Low Level Waste Repository site in Cumbria, in northwest England, has been completed earlier than expected.

The project was an accumulation of eight years' work and has seen 11 consignments of drums transported by rail from Winfrith to the LLW Repository site.

A total of 1068 drums of waste from the Winfrith Steam Generating Heavy Water Reactor (SGHWR) - which ceased operations in 1990 - were placed in the Treated Radwaste Store at the Dorset site, awaiting transfer to the intermediate-level waste storage facility at the Harwell site in Oxfordshire. However, the period of radioactive decay means the drums are now classed as low-level, rather than intermediate-level, waste, allowing early disposal at the LLW Repository, the UK's primary LLW disposal facility.

The drums have been disposed of utilising void space in Vault 8, optimising the use of the LLW Repository, and freeing up the Winfrith facility for alternative use or decommissioning, the UK's Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) said. Final disposal of this waste has also removed the requirement for long-term storage, saving money for the UK taxpayer.

The initiative was a collaboration with Nuclear Waste Services (NWS), Nuclear Restoration Services (NRS) and Nuclear Transport Solutions (NTS), which are all part of the NDA group.

"The retrieval operation of the drums from the store went really well," said Laura Street, NRS's head of waste at Winfrith and Harwell. "We managed to improve our timings on each retrieval, meaning that the final drum was retrieved well ahead of schedule. The shipment of the drums by rail provided significant savings to the taxpayer and also saved 7502 kg of carbon emissions for each rail shipment compared to transporting these drums by road.

"This achievement takes us another step closer to completing our decommissioning mission and returning the site to heathland with public access."

Howard Falconer, Head of Waste Services at NWS, added: "Seeing the final train arrive at the LLW Repository was a proud moment and significant milestone for this successful project. It is the result of years of collaborative planning and preparation by Nuclear Waste Services, Nuclear Restoration Services, Nuclear Transport Solutions and our extensive supply chain partners involved.

"Planning and preparation were key to the success of this project with NWS staff working with Winfrith Site to explore alternatives to manage the waste more effectively. This work is integral to our mission, to make the UK’s nuclear waste permanently safe, sooner."

SGHWR was a 100 MWe prototype reactor which operated from 1968 until 1990, supplying electricity to the grid as well as performing its prime function of supporting research into water-cooled reactor technology. It is one of only two remaining reactors - both of which are being decommissioned - at Winfrith. The 84-hectare site was a centre for nuclear research and development to enable vital research into reactor design and was home to nine experimental reactors at various times from the 1950s to the 1990s.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/IAEA-governors-resolution-on-Zaporizhzhia-rejected

The board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency passed a resolution calling for the immediate return of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to Ukrainian control - however Russia says the vote "went beyond the mandate of the board and the entire agency".

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) board of governors resolution notes that the six-unit Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP) has been under Russian military control for more than two years and "expresses serious concern about the unstable state of nuclear safety and security at the ZNPP, especially the lack of adequately qualified personnel at the site, gaps in planning and prevention work, the lack of reliable supply chains, the vulnerable state of water and electricity supply outside the site, as well as the installation of anti-personnel mines in the buffer zone between the internal and external perimeter of the installation".

It also supports the work of the IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi "to address the nuclear safety, security, and safeguards implications of the current situation in Ukraine, including through the continued physical presence of Agency technical experts at the ZNPP and other nuclear facilities in Ukraine".

Ukraine is one of 35 countries represented on the IAEA board of governors. Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said: "The vote for this resolution demonstrates the commitment of the IAEA and the need to return safety to Europe's largest nuclear power plant."

Russia's Tass news agency quoted Russia’s Permanent Representative to the Vienna-based international organizations Mikhail Ulyanov as saying the 20 members who voted for the resolution "obviously went beyond the mandate of the board and the entire agency", noting that 12 countries had abstained, while Russia and China had voted against.

On Wednesday the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement about Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, thanking IAEA Director General Grossi for his efforts to promote nuclear safety and his visits to Russia and to the plant itself, as well as the stationing of IAEA experts there.

It added: "Russia makes every possible effort to improve the reliability of security at the plant and to reinforce its nuclear and physical safety ... Russia emphasises that it views any resolutions and statements by officials and international organisations calling for the Zaporizhzhia NPP to be returned Ukraine, or placed under international control, as an infringement on Russia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity."

The foreign ministry statement added that "we remain committed to improving the protection and safety" of the plant and the linked city of Energodar "to prevent Kiev" and the "collective West from compromising them".

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/El-Dabaa-Installation-of-first-unit-s%C2%A0inner-contai

Work has begun on the first tier of the inner containment building for the first unit of the El Dabaa nuclear power plant in Egypt.

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 first tier of the inner containment consists of 12 segments, each weighing between 60 and 80 tonnes. The first three of the segments were successfully installed by Rosatom's ASE engineering division on 8 March.

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.

Mohammed Dwiddar, Project Manager of the El Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant Project, said the start of installation work was "part of the continuous progress of the construction work being implemented ... through continuous cooperation between the Egyptian work team, represented by the Nuclear Power Plants Authority - the owner - and the EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) contractor. We look forward to the successful achievement of subsequent milestones scheduled to take place later this year".

Alexey Kononenko, ASE JSC's Director for the El Dabaa NPP construction project, said: "Commencement of the inner containment installation is one of the milestones scheduled in 2024 for the El Dabaa NPP construction project and clear evidence of the rapid progress of the construction works in our first nuclear power plant project in Africa. Implementation of these important works are a result of the coordinated teamwork between ASE and the Nulcear Power Plants Authority."

The El Dabaa nuclear power plant project is based on contracts that entered into force on 11 December 2017. The contracts stipulate that 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.

All four units are now under construction at the site - first concrete for unit 1 was poured in July 2022, unit 2 in November 2022, unit 3 in May 2023 and unit 4 in January 2024. The aim is to have all four units in operation by 2031. Egypt's goal is for nuclear power to represent 9% of its electricity by 2030, which would be achieved through the commercial operation of the first two units by that time, directly displacing oil and gas.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Refinancing-of-Barakah-classed-as-green-loan

The AED8.89 billion (USD2.42 billion) refinancing of the Barakah nuclear power plant project, announced last year, has now been recognised as a Green Loan Facility, the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation has announced.

The Barakah One Company PJSC - a joint-venture between the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) and Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) - successfully completed the refinancing of the project in July 2023. Barakah One refinanced the full outstanding balance under the loan facilities extended by the Export-Import Bank of Korea (KEXIM), the export credit agency of South Korea. Such facilities were originally committed in 2016 in connection with the construction and development of the Barakah plant. The KEXIM loan facilities were refinanced through a competitive market process resulting in the selection of two leading UAE banks, First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) and Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB).

An independent, globally recognised Second Party Opinion provider has now confirmed that Barakah's refinancing is aligned with Green Loan principles by assessing three core elements. These include Barakah's sustainability credentials, its positive contribution to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and the credit facility's alignment with Barakah's overall environmental, social, and governance (ESG) profile.

The refinancing being recognised as a Green Loan Facility "underscores nuclear energy's major contribution to powering the UAE's green economy and energy transition strategy through clean, carbon emissions-free electricity", ENEC said.

"The Barakah plant project's green loan status makes it the first in the MENA region and Asia, and the second nuclear project globally, to successfully complete the evaluation process following the EUR1 billion (USD1.1 billion) green loan awarded to EDF for the maintenance of its nuclear fleet in 2022," it noted. "Previously, ESG-labelled nuclear sector finance deals have focused on Green Bonds, with the first of these issued to Canada's Bruce Power in 2021."

Once the last of the four units at Barakah are in full operation - expected later this year - the plant will generate 40 TWh of electricity per year while simultaneously preventing the release of 22.4 million tonnes of carbon emissions.

ENEC said the role of the Barakah plant in generating clean electricity has a cascading impact, unlocking ESG funds for local Abu Dhabi companies through the Clean Energy Certificates programme, thereby enhancing their competitive advantage and ability to command a green premium for products and services.

"The recognition of the Barakah refinancing as meeting Green Loan status requirements firmly establishes nuclear energy’s role in the clean energy transition," ENEC Managing Director and CEO Mohamed Al Hammadi said. "We are breaking new ground as one of the first nuclear plants globally to be backed by green loan funding, as we sustainably power the UAE through constant and abundant clean electricity.

"Through Barakah, we are advancing the research and development for clean energy solutions such as clean molecules, clean hydrogen production and small modular reactors, further highlighting the potential and broad range of applications of nuclear energy in decarbonising heavy and energy intensive industries."

Barakah One CEO Nasser Al Nasseri added: "Barakah One Company has continuously strived to use innovative and collaborative routes to financing the Barakah project, back from the start of the programme, through the joint venture created in 2016 and onwards to today, where we have four units operating and close to full fleet commercial operations.

"The Barakah plant project demonstrates that nuclear energy is not only green, but is a proven, bankable technology. Today's announcement demonstrates that banks and finance houses are seeing the benefit of nuclear energy as financially sound projects for financing, with a steady stream of revenue generated for decades, and sets the foundations for the financing of the many nuclear projects set to come online in the coming decades."

The UAE embarked on its plan to implement a nuclear energy programme in 2008 when its government made the decision to build and operate a nuclear power plant to provide 25% of the country's electricity needs, diversifying its energy sources and supporting its long-term energy vision and net-zero goals.

Construction of the four Korean-designed APR-1400 units at Barakah, in the Al Dhafra region of Abu Dhabi, began in 2012, under a USD20 billion order signed in December 2009. Unit 1 began commercial operation in April 2021, unit 2 in March 2022 and unit 3 in February 2023. Unit 4 achieved first criticality on 1 March and is soon expected to be connected to the grid.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/IAEA-project-considers-implications-of-counterfeit

Trade in counterfeit and fraudulent items accounts for an estimated 2.5% of world trade, according to a 2021 study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. A major research project aims to assess the implications for the nuclear sector.

The trade in counterfeit, fraudulent and suspect items (CFSI) is believed to have been exacerbated by supply chain interruptions such as those caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), further globalisation "complicates the supply chain, and diminishes or completely prevents the transparency and traceability of items as they change hands on their way to the final customer ... this lack of transparency in production practices or traceability of item integrity allows for the pervasive issue of CFSI infiltration to take place on a grand scale".

Such items do not undergo the rigorous quality assurance procedures that legitimate items do and may also deviate from prescribed specifications and can be found in a range of industries and commercial sectors, including the nuclear industry, the IAEA says.

The inadvertent or malicious insertion of counterfeit or fraudulent items can diminish the integrity of equipment, systems, structures, components or devices, posing a significant risk to nuclear operations, and associated security and safety systems, it warns.

A one-year Coordinated Research Project is taking place to "identify lessons learned and best practices and develop strategies and tools for the prevention and mitigation of the nuclear security implications of CFSIs within the nuclear supply chain".

A number of individual projects are taking place as part of the overall research project, which when combined "will represent a holistic approach for minimising the likelihood that CFSI could initiate a nuclear security event".

One of the projects under way is by researchers at King’s College London who are carrying out a survey of nuclear professionals aimed at identifying approaches, lessons and best practices for combating counterfeit and fraudulent items. Participation in the survey is anonymous and full details can be found here. The survey closes on 30 April.

The IAEA lists the specific objectives for the Coordinated Research Project as to:

• Define legislation considerations that allow counterfeiters and fraudsters to be held accountable through criminal prosecution, financial penalties, or other means
• Understand strategies for requiring suppliers and sub-suppliers to engage in practices to mitigate the existence of CFSIs through contractual agreements and other regulations.
• Develop techniques, tools, and technologies to non-destructively identify CFSIs within the supply chain, or during in-service inspections.
• Promote methods for greater cooperation between law enforcement and other nuclear supply chain stakeholders (such as operators from other countries).
• Establish channels for efficient and effective information sharing.

Company’s reactor on government shortlist for deployment.

The British arm of US nuclear company Holtec International has launched a competition to find a site for a £600m (€702m, $767m) factory in Britain to build small modular reactors, Reuters reported.

According to Reuters, local authorities and businesses will be invited to submit expressions of interest to host the factory, outlining which sites could be available and how ready they would be for work to start on the factory.

Holtec said it expects exports from the factory to be worth £4bn a year to the UK in 2030, adding that 400 highly-skilled jobs could be created in the next three to five years.

Holtec Britain leads a consortium, including South Korea’s Hyundai, whose SMR-300 technology is one of six that have been shortlisted in the government competition run by the Great British Nuclear body.

The other five shortlisted companies for the competition are Rolls Royce SMR, EDF, GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy International, NuScale Power and Westinghouse Electric Company UK.

The Reuters report follows the recent signing of a memorandum of understanding by Holtec and Balfour Beatty, an international infrastructure group based in the UK.

In December 2022, Balfour Beatty agreed to work with Holtec on early plans for SMRs in the UK – but last week signed a new, more comprehensive deal with the US nuclear giant to draw up designs for a new nuclear plant.

Holtec was awarded £30m (€35m, $38m) from the government’s Future Nuclear Enabling Fund in December to complete a generic design assessment of its SMR technology, known as SMR-300. The company is also backed by an $116m grant awarded by the US Department of Energy in 2020.

Holtec is one of six companies shortlisted by government-owned Great British Nuclear in a competition to establish the most viable SMR designs.

UK chancellor Jeremy Hunt said in his budget that the companies would be asked to return tenders by June.

Engineering consultancy Mott MacDonald and South Korean manufacturer Hyundai also signed the MOU with Holtec.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/UK-Polish-partnership-for-SMR-deployment-in-Poland

Polish industrial group Industria has signed a letter of intent with UK-based zero emissions energy and technology developer Chiltern Vital Group to collaborate on the deployment of Rolls-Royce small modular reactors in Poland.

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.

With its partners - including Western Gateway, SGSC, University of Bristol, Vital Energi and Rolls-Royce SMR - Chiltern Vital Group (CVG) intends to create a world-first net-zero and nuclear technologies campus at a site next to the former Berkeley Magnox nuclear power plant in in Gloucestershire, southwest England. This will be the first step towards a 'net-zero super cluster' investment zone, encouraging the roll out of Rolls-Royce SMRs alongside an array of net-zero technologies.

On 11 March, at IDA's headquarters in Warsaw, Industria and CVG signed a letter of intent to cooperate.

The main provisions of the agreement include cooperation in: training and development of skills of Polish students and specialists; exchange of know-how to accelerate the licensing process of components dedicated to the nuclear industry; joint development of related technologies to create large low-carbon regional technology parks; and creating private financing models to ensure the viability of small modular reactor (SMR) projects.

"Chiltern Vital Group is a very important partner for us due to the group's experience in industrial cluster projects that will support the development of the Central Hydrogen Valley and the deployment of Rolls-Royce SMR units within the valley," said Industria President Szczepan Ruman. "The small modular reactors will produce stable, affordable, low-emission energy that will power the region's industry and households for at least 60 years.

"However, to achieve this goal, we need to provide significant financial resources. Therefore, we are glad that an experienced British institution - CVG - is starting cooperation with us aimed at building RR SMR units and related technologies that will provide future opportunities for employment development in Poland, Great Britain and internationally."

CVG CEO Chris Turner added: "CVG is excited about the prospects that may result from signing a strategically important cooperation agreement with Industria in Poland today. SMR technology can only be implemented on the required scale through long-term public-private and international partnerships. We are very pleased to have leading public and private sector partners on our major projects in the UK, such as the Western Gateway and the Rolls-Royce SMR in the planned Berkeley/Oldbury 'Severn Edge' development zone, and to be a significant partner in the Yorkshire Energy Park Freeport.

"Today we have significantly expanded our international SMR-related technology cooperation through an agreement with Industria."

Alan Woods, Rolls-Royce SMR's Director of Strategy and Business Development, welcomed the signing of the agreement between Industria and CVG, saying the company is "delighted to see two of our close partners agree to collaborate on their efforts to bring our technology to fruition".

He added: "Both CVG and Industria are highly capable organisations, able to deliver low-carbon energy projects powered by Rolls-Royce SMRs."

In July last year, 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.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Darlington-New-Nuclear-Project-reaches-early-miles

Early-phase site preparation works at Ontario Power Generation's project have been completed on time and on budget, clearing the way for the main site preparation work to begin.

The early phase works began in September 2022, and have been led by Ontario Power Generation (OPG)'s project partner ES Fox. The civil works completed in this phase include site grading, construction of temporary roads and construction laydown areas, installation of stormwater features, and establishment of on-site utilities, including power, domestic and fire water, and IT infrastructure.

The site has now transitioned into the care of constructor partner, Aecon, to allow for the main site preparation work to begin. This will include construction work for site establishment activities, including the shoring wall required for reactor building excavation; excavation for the first unit's power block; and clearing and grubbing and early works for units 2, 3, and 4. These programmes are required to be completed over the course of this year under OPG's site preparation licence. The project will then be ready for nuclear construction work to begin in early 2025, pending regulatory approval.

OPG submitted an application to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) for a licence to construct the first BWRX-300 small modular reactor at the Darlington site in October 2022. The Ontario government and OPG last year announced plans to begin the licensing process for three additional BWRX-300 units at the site.

The CNSC is expected to hold its second regulatory hearing to review OPG’s application for the Unit 1 SMR Licence to Construct in October 2024.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Paks-II-aims-for-first-concrete-in-2024,-work-on-r

Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto and Rosatom Director General Alexei Likhachev say that work on the new Paks II nuclear power plant is progressing well, with production of the melt trap completed in Russia and work on the reactor vessel set to start.

In an update on progress on the Russian nuclear power plant project in Hungary, Szijjarto said "work on the Paks investment is progressing at a good pace and continuously, and we can keep to our plan to connect the two new blocks to the grid by the beginning of the next decade".

He said that as well as Russia as the main contractor, and around 100 Hungarian companies already involved, there were also German, French, Austrian, Swedish and US companies among the subcontractors. Soil consolidation works were taking place over an area of 17-hectares, with 800 of about 75,000 piles drilled - in total, he said, "there will be about one and a half million metres of holes in the ground".

Likhachev said: "The current pace allows us to expect that all preparatory work at the site will be completed by the end of this year, which will provide the opportunity to proceed directly to pouring the first concrete. Therefore, I believe that this year will be especially significant for the entire project. It is also important that we have made significant progress in terms of optimising and updating the EPC contract, working together with the Hungarian side."

He said that production of the melt trap - which weighs about 700 tonnes, or roughly the same as 15 Airbus A320 planes - had been completed and it would be delivered in the autumn. He added that production of the reactor vessel would begin in Russia in April.

The core melt trap is a key bit of safety equipment - it is a container in the form of a steel cone which in the event of an emergency will securely hold the melt of the core and not allow radioactive substances to leave the containment of the reactor. It is expected to be transported by barge across the Black See and then along the Danube - its scale means specialist updates to the port facilities at Paks will be needed.

The Paks II project was launched in early 2014 by an intergovernmental agreement between Hungary and Russia for two VVER-1200 reactors to be supplied by Rosatom, with the contract supported by a Russian state loan to finance the majority of the project. The construction licence application was submitted in July 2020 to build Paks II alongside the existing Paks plant, 100 kilometres southwest of Budapest on the banks of the Danube river. The construction licence was issued in August 2022 and a construction timetable agreed last year which set out plans to connect the new units to the grid at the beginning of the 2030s.

The 2014 goal of the project was for 40% of the project to go to domestic companies, and the Russian side undertook to select 55% of suppliers in accordance with European Commission regulations.

The existing four units at Paks are VVER-440 reactors that started up between 1982 and 1987 and they produce about half of the country's electricity. Their design lifetime was for 30 years but that was extended in 2005 by 20 years to between 2032 and 2037. In December 2022, the Hungarian Parliament approved a proposal to further extend their lifespan, which means the plant could keep operating into the 2050s.

Paks II is the first Russian nuclear power plant construction project in the European Union, with Hungary deciding to press ahead with the project despite wider European Union sanctions imposed on Russia.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Italian-firms-assess-advanced-reactor-deployment

Italy's Enel and Ansaldo Nucleare have agreed to jointly examine and evaluate new technologies and business models for the generation of nuclear energy - such as small modular reactors and advanced modular reactors - and their industrial applicability.

The two companies have signed a collaboration agreement under which they will explore the prospects for small modular reactors (SMRs) and advanced modular reactors (AMRs), analysing in particular their opportunities from an industrial point of view.

"These are state-of-the-art innovative reactors, some of which are still under development, which will potentially enable the generation of electricity from nuclear sources in a sustainable and economical way, ensuring a high degree of versatility and flexibility during operation," they said in a joint statement.

Specifically, in addition to progressively assessing the degree of maturity of the new SMR and AMR reactors and of related operational areas, the agreement foresees that the two companies "will build a common path in which the analysis, monitoring and possible evaluation of joint initiatives contribute to verifying the effective applicability of the two technologies, with special focus on the involvement of the Italian supply chain".

Enel and Ansaldo Nucleare noted: "The goal is therefore to use innovative technologies as a development lever for a future competitive advantage of the country in terms of new generation nuclear power."

Italy operated a total of four nuclear power plants starting in the early 1960s but decided to phase out nuclear power in a referendum that followed the 1986 Chernobyl accident. It closed its last two operating plants, Caorso and Trino Vercellese, in 1990.

In late March 2011, following the Fukushima Daiichi accident, the Italian government approved a moratorium of at least one year on construction of nuclear power plants in the country, which had been looking to restart its long-abandoned nuclear programme. In a poll held in June of that year, 94% of voters rejected the construction of any new nuclear reactors in Italy. However, a poll conducted in June 2021 showed that one-third of Italians were in favour of reconsidering the use of nuclear energy in the country, with more than half of respondents saying they would not exclude the future use of new advanced nuclear technologies.

In May last year, the Italian Parliament approved a motion to urge the government to consider incorporating nuclear power into the country's energy mix. In September, the first meeting was held of the National Platform for Sustainable Nuclear Power, set up by the government to define a time frame for the possible resumption of nuclear energy in Italy and identify opportunities for the country's industrial chain already operating in the sector. It is expected to develop guidelines by mid-2024.

Enel and Ansaldo Nucleare have been operating in the nuclear sector outside of Italy for several years. They are both part of the National Platform for Sustainable Nuclear Power.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/NWMO-reports-reinforce-confidence-in-potential-rep

The organisation responsible for the safe, long-term management of Canada's intermediate and high-level radioactive waste said the latest annual reports reinforce its confidence that a deep geologic repository for used nuclear fuel can be constructed at either of the two sites that remain under consideration.

The updated Confidence in Safety reports provide a comprehensive summary of the Nuclear Waste Management Organization's (NWMO) understanding of the two potential siting areas based on years of research.

"The release of these Confidence in Safety reports is a key moment in the NWMO’s site selection process because they underscore that either of the sites under consideration can safely host this project," NWMO President and CEO Laurie Swami said. "Safety is at the core of everything we do. It has driven our project design, engineering, environmental research, and community engagement. These reports are the culmination of years of meticulous study by our science and engineering teams, and they represent a major milestone as we prepare to select a site later this year."

The proposed deep geological repository will be constructed roughly 650-800 metres below ground level and encased in a natural shield of solid rock. A series of engineered barriers will ensure the fuel can be isolated safely for many thousands of years.

The process to select a site with "willing and informed" hosts began in 2010. Following years of technical assessment and community engagement, two of the original 22 communities that expressed an interest in learning about the project and exploring their potential two host it remain under consideration. These are the Revell Site, some 43 km northwest of the town of Ignace, and 21 km southeast of the Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation; and the South Bruce Site, about 5 km northwest of Teeswater in the Municipality of South Bruce.

Both potential sites are situated in stable, seismically quiet settings with rock formations of the necessary depth, breadth and volume to host the repository, the NWMO said. Studies have found no economically viable resources within the rock, such as minerals, salt, or gas, reducing the possibility of human intrusion in the future.

The latest reports will be used to support continuing dialogue and inform the potential host communities as they make their willingness decisions. A site is expected to be selected later this year. Further technical studies and a regulatory review will then be carried out to confirm the safety of the site and the repository design and safety case. The regulatory and licensing process is expected to take around 10 years to complete.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/SHINE-chooses-Deep-Isolation-waste-disposal-techno

Fusion technology company SHINE Technologies has selected Deep Isolation's technology as its preferred solution for storage and disposal of the high-level waste that will remain as a residue after deployment of SHINE's technology for recycling used nuclear fuel.

The two companies have entered into a memorandum of understanding to "jointly drive forward spent fuel recycling supported by a safe and scalable solution for the resulting waste streams".

Under the MoU, SHINE and Deep Isolation will collaborate and exchange critical information for the use of Deep Isolation's Universal Canister System (UCS) and patented directional drilling solution for deep borehole disposal for isolation and management of high-level waste.

Wisconsin-based SHINE is working to deploy fusion technology through a "purpose-driven and phased approach" which includes eventually applying its technology to recycling nuclear waste. And ultimately generating power from nuclear fusion.

Last month, Deep Isolation and SHINE announced the findings of a study into pairing a used nuclear fuel recycling facility with deep borehole disposal technology. It found the technology could reduce the total volume of waste requiring disposal in a deep geologic repository by greater than 90%. The study also identified areas where further technical work could optimise Deep Isolation's technology for the remaining waste, reducing disposal costs even further.

The study was an initial scoping assessment of the costs of disposing the byproducts of a pilot recycling facility that would extract and enable reuse of valuable components from used nuclear fuel while separating fission products that require geologic disposal, the companies said.

"Our partnership with Deep Isolation marks an important step in achieving our mission," said SHINE founder and CEO Greg Piefer. "Climate change appears to be happening and accelerating, and nuclear energy is one of the best tools currently available to address carbon emissions. The approximately 90,000 tons of civilian spent nuclear fuel across the United States represent an untapped and arguably renewable resource that if recycled will reduce emissions and accelerate the deployment of carbon free fission energy. The result of this work will be a reduction in waste volumes and ultimately a half-life that allows for simpler, safer disposal."

"This agreement gives the two companies a clear framework to commercialise our respective innovations in an integrated way," added Deep Isolation CEO Liz Muller. "Clean nuclear power can only take off if the industry can show society that there are safe, practical, and permanent means of disposing the highly radioactive materials that result. Integrating Deep Isolation's disposal technology with SHINE's recycling technology offers a powerful solution."

In late February, SHINE and Orano USA signed an MoU to cooperate on the development of a US pilot plant with commercial-scale technology for recycling used nuclear fuel from light water reactors. Site selection for the pilot facility is expected by the end of this year. The pilot plant concept - expected to recycle 100 tonnes per year of used nuclear fuel, extracting 99% of usable uranium and plutonium - will validate commercial-scale aqueous recycling with integrated non-proliferation measures.

The system is based on SHINE's proven critical separation technology and Orano's methods in operation at its La Hague facility in France, where more than 40,000 tonnes of used nuclear fuel have been reprocessed.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Canadian-study-looks-at-nuclear-s-potential-to-dec

Thermal networks should be recognised as part of Canada’s energy critical infrastructure as it works towards its decarbonisation goals, a joint study by McMaster University’s Institute for Energy Studies, the Boltzmann Institute and the Canadian Nuclear Association has found - and such networks could leverage Canada's strategic investment in new nuclear capacity.

The energy used to heat buildings in Canada is roughly equivalent to the country's entire electricity generation. But current plans to achieve net-zero buildings through electrification of heating systems and retrofitting millions of existing buildings to reduce energy demand may not prove "feasible or affordable" at the required scale by 2050 - the date set by the Canadian government to achieve net-zero.

Thermal Networks (TNs) offer an "alternative and complementary" pathway, the study finds. Thermal networks are district energy systems that harvest, produce, store and distribute heat through a network of insulated, buried water pipes. More than 200 existing district energy systems currently meet about 3% of Canada's total heat demand, but up to 70% of the Canadian population could be serviced by such networks, the study suggests. Thermal networks already supply more than 50% of the heating needs in some European "cold-climate" countries, and Canada can learn from these experiences.

Sharing non-emitting combined heat and power (CHP) generators offers synergies for electricity grids and thermal networks with strategic benefits such as reducing demand for additional clean heat generation. It can also help to support grid modernisation, by using large thermal storage to accept variable heat at the convenience of shared CHP generators. "As such, thermal network infrastructure can be viewed as an enabler of the electrification of other sectors," the report notes.

Nuclear is "among the largest of clean CHP generators", the paper says, and Canada is already intending to significantly increase its nuclear energy capacity by 2050 as part of its net zero transition. The primary focus for new nuclear capacity has up to now been on its ability to produce clean baseload electricity, but harnessing the CHP capabilities of nuclear energy to also service thermal networks could leverage Canada's strategic investment to help reduce the need for additional clean heat.

Nuclear energy, in CHP mode, could service thermal networks in two ways. Firstly, nuclear power plants built to provide baseload electricity could be configured for CHP operations, providing heat that can be stored and transported via so-called thermal corridors at distances "upwards of" 100 km to suitable thermal networks. Secondly, small or micro modular reactors, operating in CHP mode, could be constructed as integral elements of thermal networks, with "perhaps hundreds" of such reactors providing CHP for thermal networks across Canada. Analysis suggests that nuclear energy could provide upwards of 25-50% of the nation’s total thermal network heat supply, the report finds.

The paper proposes that Canadian governments collaborate to develop a Thermal Network Strategy aimed at identifying and supporting thermal network infrastructure investments, and recommends measures including, amongst other things, the recognition of heat as a strategically important form of energy; the formal recognition of thermal networks as part of Canada’s energy critical infrastructure; and an assessment of the business case to configure nuclear power plants, at all scales, for CHP where they can provide economic heat to thermal networks.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Turkey-continuing-negotiations-over-two-new-nucler

Turkey's Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar says it hopes to launch the first unit at Akkuyu by the end of the year - while negotiations continue with Russia, China and South Korea about two more nuclear power plants.

According to a report in Takvim following a briefing, Bayraktar said that there were some issues relating to sanctions to overcome, but the aim was still to produce the first electricity from the Akkuyu nuclear power plant during 2024, with all four units scheduled to be completed by 2028.

That would meet 10% of the country's electricity needs, but he said that with the country's need for 20 GWe of installed nuclear capacity by 2050, it was also continuing to talk with Russia and South Korea about the second planned nuclear power plant in Turkey, in Sinop. He is reported to have said Russia's Rosatom "already have serious experience from the Akkuyu project, so we want to carry it on to Sinop, as well. Our negotiations continue with both sides".

The 4800 MWe Akkuyu plant, in the southern Mersin province, is Turkey's first nuclear power plant. Rosatom is building four VVER-1200 reactors, under a so-called BOO (build-own-operate) model. Construction of the first unit began in 2018. As well as plans for the second nuclear power plant, in Sinop, there are also plans for a third plant in the Thrace region, in the country's northwest.

On the Thrace project, Bayraktar is reported to have said that negotiations with China - which last September he had described as being at an "important point" - were now at a "very serious" stage.

Rosatom Director General Alexei Likhachev has not ruled out the possibility of Russia bidding for the third plant as well as Sinop - "it may well be so that several vendors will compete for it - we are not afraid of competition," he was quoted as saying by the Tass news agency last month. It reported him as saying that, on Sinop, Rosatom and Turkey were discussing technical designs and the "economic parameters of the project".

Turkey is also developing plans for small modular reactors, with the aim of adding 5 GWe of capacity by 2050 - which would mean a total of at least 16 individual SMRs.

Nuclearelectrica planning to extend lifetime to about 60 years.

Long term operations at the Cernavodă-1 nuclear power plant in a timely manner and the staff at the plant are professional, open and receptive to suggestions for improvement, an International Atomic Energy Agency pre-Salto (safety aspects of long-term operation review concluded.

The review said Nuclearelectrica should develop and complete the ageing management review process for mechanical, electrical, and instrumentation and control components and civil structures.

The plant should also improve programmes designed to confirm the resistance of components to harsh conditions, a so-called equipment qualification programme.

Cernavodă-1, a 650-MW Candu 6 unit, began commercial operation in 1996. A second unit at the site, the identical Cernavodă-2, began commercial operation in 2007. Cernavodă is Romania’s only commercial nuclear station.

In 2017 Nuclearelectrica began a refurbishment project of Cernavodă-1 worth an estimated €1.85bn ($2.02bn) with the aim of extending its lifespan by 30 years for a total of approximately 60 years.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Fluor-to-design-laser-fusion-power-plant

California-based Longview Fusion Energy Systems has contracted US engineering and construction firm Fluor Corporation to design the world's first commercial laser fusion power plant.

"Fluor will leverage its global experience in developing and constructing complex, large-scale facilities to provide preliminary design and engineering to support the development of Longview's fusion-powered plant," Longview said.

The company noted that, unlike other approaches, it does not need to build a physics demonstration facility, and, with its partner Fluor, "can focus on designing and building the world's first laser fusion energy plant to power communities and businesses".

This is enabled, it says, by the historic breakthroughs in fusion energy gain at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's National Ignition Facility (NIF).

Nuclear fusion is the process by which two light nuclei combine to form a single heavier nucleus, releasing a large amount of energy. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has been pursuing the use of lasers to induce fusion in a laboratory setting since the 1960s, building a series of increasingly powerful laser systems at the California lab and leading to the creation of National Ignition Facility, described as the world's largest and most energetic laser system. The facility uses powerful laser beams to create temperatures and pressures similar to those found in the cores of stars and giant planets - and inside nuclear explosions.

On 5 December 2022, the National Ignition Facility achieved the first ever controlled experiment to produce more energy from fusion than the laser energy used to drive it. The experiment used 192 laser beams to deliver more than 2 million joules (MJ) of ultraviolet energy to a deuterium-tritium fuel pellet to create so-called fusion ignition - also referred to as scientific energy breakeven. In achieving an output of 3.15 MJ of fusion energy from the delivery of 2.05 MJ to the fuel target, the experiment demonstrated the fundamental science basis for inertial confinement fusion energy - or IFE - for the first time.

Longview says it is the only fusion energy company using this proven approach. Its power plant designs incorporate commercially available technologies from the semiconductor and other industries to ensure the delivery of carbon-free, safe, and economical laser fusion energy to the marketplace within a decade.

"We are building on the success of the NIF, but the Longview plant will use today's far more efficient and powerful lasers and utilise additive manufacturing and optimization through AI," said Valerie Roberts, Longview's Chief Operating Officer and former National Ignition Facility construction/project manager.

Edward Moses, Longview's CEO and former director of the National Ignition Facility, added: "Laser fusion energy gain has been demonstrated many times over the last 15 months, and the scientific community has verified these successes. Now is the time to focus on making this new carbon-free, safe, and abundant energy source available to the nation as soon as possible."

In April last year, Fluor signed a memorandum of understanding with Longview to be its engineering and construction partner in designing and planning laser fusion energy commercialisation.

Longview's plan is for laser fusion power plants, with capacity of up to 1600 MW to provide electricity or industrial production of hydrogen fuel and other materials that can help to decarbonise heavy industry.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/France-confirms-long-term-recycling-plans

Minister for the Economy, Finance, Industrial and Digital Sovereignty Bruno Le Maire announced the decision to continue with France's treatment-recycling strategy for used nuclear fuel beyond 2040, with plans to extend the life of existing recycling plants and to launch studies for a new MOX fuel fabrication plant and a new used fuel processing plant.

The announcement was made during a visit by Le Maire and Minister Delegate for Industry and Energy Roland Lescure to Orano's La Hague recycling site, days after France's Nuclear Policy Council (Conseil de Politique Nucléaire) said on 26 February that the country would continue with its closed nuclear fuel cycle strategy.

Le Maire announced three measures that will be taken towards this goal: a sustainability/resilience programme extending the life of the La Hague and Melox recycling plants beyond 2040; the launch of studies for a new MOX fuel fabrication plant at the La Hague site; and the launch of studies for a new used fuel processing plant, also at La Hague, by 2045-2050.

"A new page in French nuclear history is about to open. The time for large-scale national projects has returned and the nuclear energy sector has a central role to play," Le Maire said during his visit to La Hague.

In a post on X, Le Maire said the visit to La Hague by the two ministers sends a strong signal. "Thanks to this strategy, we will ultimately reduce the volume of nuclear waste by 75%," he said. "Our message is clear: nuclear power occupies a central place in the decarbonisation of our economy, the strengthening of our energy sovereignty and the reindustrialisation of our country."

Orano CEO Nicolas Maes said the announcements provide for major investments for the La Hague site. "Processing-recycling is one of the French industry's centres of excellence, representing know-how that has been mastered for some 50 years in our plants and of which all the group's employees can be proud," he said.

From the very beginning of its nuclear programme France has chosen to pursue a closed fuel cycle, reprocessing used nuclear fuel to recover uranium and plutonium for re-use. Reprocessing and recycling fuel in this way also significantly reduces the activity and volume of radioactive waste material requiring final disposal.

In the French model, the reusable materials which make up some 96% of used fuel are separated at La Hague. The plutonium recovered from this processing is reused in MOX (mixed-oxide) fuels manufactured by Orano at the Melox plant. Some 10% of nuclear electricity in France today is generated by recycling materials in the form of MOX fuel, Orano said, and this can rise to 25% and to almost 40% if used MOX fuel is further recycled.

Only the plutonium recovered from processed fuel is currently used in MOX. Reprocessed uranium - or RepU - can be re-enriched for use as fuel in existing light-water reactors. Four of France's reactors - at the Cruas-Meysse plant in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes - are certified to use such uranium. In February, Cruas 2 became the first of those units to operate with a full core of fuel made from recycled uranium.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/IAEA-steps-up-efforts-for-gender-balance-in-nuclea

The International Atomic Energy Agency's Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi has said that gender equality "is not just right - it is imperative for net zero, battling cancer, and ending global hunger".

He was speaking as more than 400 women who have taken part in the IAEA's Marie Sklodowska Curie Fellowship Programme and Lise Meitner Programme gathered at the agency's headquarters in Vienna for an event coinciding with International Women's Day. Grossi posted a message on social media calling them "trailblazers ... reshaping the nuclear field, embodying our goal to open doors & break down barriers. The world needs nuclear and #NuclearNeedsWomen".

According to the IAEA, only a fifth of the global nuclear workforce are women and it "aims to change this by attracting a new generation of women to the nuclear field and inspiring them to stay and become leaders".

The Marie Sklodowska Curie Fellowship Programme was launched in 2020 and provides scholarships to help with tuition for master's programmes and living costs and provides internship opportunities. The Lisa Meitner Programme was launched in 2023, aimed at early- and mid-career women professionals "in a multiweek visiting professional programme to advance technical and soft skills at host institutions located around the world".

During the event World Nuclear Association signed an agreement with the IAEA to jointly promote professional development opportunities for women by providing opportunities within the nuclear industry for those taking part in the two programmes.

Speaking from the event in Vienna, World Nuclear Association Director General Sama Bilbao y León said: "International Women’s Day is an opportunity to celebrate women, whilst also highlighting the ongoing challenges women face everywhere. I am thrilled to join IAEA Director General Grossi, along with dozens of other global nuclear leaders and more than four hundred Marie Sklodowska Curie and Lise Meitner fellows from all over the world, to promote increased participation of women in all aspects of the nuclear sector. We need talented women everywhere to join the nuclear industry, not just to triple global nuclear capacity, but also because including and promoting women leads to a more inclusive and empowered world."

In a joint statement issued on behalf of those attending the IAEA event, they said: "We believe it is crucial to champion and empower women in nuclear science and technology. We are convinced that encouraging women to study science and technology is one of the main drivers for progress in societies, everywhere in the world. Women constitute a global talent pool to meet the technological challenges of today, to drive economic growth and diffuse knowledge. Closing the gender gap and breaking stereotypes in STEM not only promotes fairness and equality but also maximises human potential to tackle global challenges. The world is in need of more women role models to inspire future generations of girls to rise up to the role they are expected to play in the future.

"We, participants of the IAEA Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship and the Lise Meitner Programmes, pledge to support, advocate, promote and practice policies that empower women, ensure gender equality, and enable women to reach their full potential in the nuclear field ... Gender should never determine ambitions, dreams and goals. We hope girls and women around the world will keep on breaking the barriers, taking up high impact responsibilities, discovering and creating, while empowering each other."

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Australian-synchrotron-goes-solar

Nearly 6600 square metres of solar panels installed across the rooftops of the ANSTO's Australian Synchrotron will save ANSTO more than two million kWh per year while also reducing its carbon footprint by more than 1680 tonnes of CO2 per year.

The Australian Synchrotron is a major research facility located in Clayton, southeast Melbourne. The particle accelerator is one of Australia's most significant pieces of scientific infrastructure.

The installation of more than 3200 solar panels covering the rooftops of the main Australian Synchrotron building which houses the particle accelerator, the Australian Synchrotron Guesthouse, and the Environmentally Controlled Storage Facility was carried out over five months. The 1668 kWh system and inverter will supply part of the Australian Synchrotron’s total energy requirements and is expected to deliver savings of about AUD2 million (USD1.3 million) over the next five years.

"Going solar was a no-brainer," Australian Synchrotron Director Michael James said. "The size of our rooftops, paired with the ample, uninterrupted exposure to sunlight at our location within the Monash precinct, was a major incentive for us to become more energy efficient." The saved running costs will be used to support operations as well as the expansion of research capabilities and facilities.

ANSTO is the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Reflector-tank-lifted-for-installation-in-Argentin

The RA-10 reflector tank was manufactured by INVAP over 32 months at the Bariloche Atomic Centre. It is made of zirconium alloy and weighs 2540 kilograms, is 2 metres in diameter and 1.4 metres tall.

It was lifted up by crane to the level of the RA-10 reactor pool ready for its installation, with the moment witnessed by visitors including Treasury Minister Carlos Guberman, together with the president of Argentina's National Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA) Adriana Serquis, staff who are working on the project and representatives of various domestic companies participating in the construction of the reactor.

RA-10 Project Manager Herman Blaumann said: "The reflector tank is a critical component ... and after its installation the stage of assembly of pool internals begins ... so we are getting closer to the start-up, which we hope can begin next year."

Once the reactor pool internals are assembled, the pool will be filled, with a target of January 2025 for pre-operational tests with the commissioning process continuing and the aim of it becoming operational in 2026.

Serquis paid tribute to the long history of nuclear expertise in Argentina, saying that knowledge, qualifications and experience had been built up over many years, adding: "That capacity that we have as a country is unique and we must not lose it."

CNEA says the RA-10 - a 30 MWt open-pool research reactor - will be used for the production of medical radioisotopes, including the capacity to cover 20% of the world demand for molybdenum: "Technetium is obtained from molybdenum, and widely used in nuclear medicine ... it will also be possible to produce other radioisotopes that are not made in the country today and that are widely used in the world, such as lutetium, which is applied to treat prostate cancer and other pathologies, as well as others for use in agriculture and the industry".

The RA-10 project was approved by the government and was officially started by CNEA in June 2010. Argentina's Nuclear Regulatory Authority granted a construction licence for RA-10 in November 2014. The civil works for the reactor began in 2016. Nuclear technology firm INVAP is involved in the design and construction of the reactor facility and related installations, playing the role of main contractor. The assembly of the RA-10 pool - which will house the core of the reactor - was completed in August 2018.

The RA-10 will replace the RA-3 reactor on the same site, a 10 MWt pool-type reactor which began operations in 1967. As well as producing radioisotopes the RA-10 will also provide new research and training opportunities and will have associated facilities such as the Argentine Neutron Beam Laboratory (LAHN) and the Laboratory for the Study of Irradiated Materials (LEMI).

Review continues comprehensive agency evaluation of unit in recent years.

An International Atomic Energy Agency review team has praised preparations for long-term operation (LTO) at the Atucha-1 nuclear power plant in Argentina, noting many of the ageing management and LTO activities are already in alignment with agency safety standards.

The safety aspects of long-term operation (Salto) mission was requested by state-owned plant owner and operator Nucleoelectrica Argentina. It continues a comprehensive IAEA evaluation of the unit in recent years.

Two IAEA pre-Salto missions in 2016 and 2018, followed by a pre-Salto follow-up in 2021, were conducted to review the long-term safety of the unit.

Nucleoelectrica Argentina is preparing to submit a licence renewal application to the Argentinian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (ARN) to extend the operating lifetime of the 340-MW pressurised heavy water reactor unit by 20 years.

The plant, 100 km northwest of Buenos Aires, went into commercial operation in 1974 and its current operating licence expires in 2024. The 693-MW Atucha-2 began commercial operation in 2016 and was not part of the review.

The Salto team identified good practices and good performances that will be shared with the nuclear industry globally, including the qualification of coatings designed to ensure integrity of the containment building and comprehensive condition assessment reports for safety related structures, systems and components.

The team called for Nucleoelectrica Argentina to provide a systematic safety assessment to identify reasonable safety improvements for the operation period beyond 2024.

It said the plant should complete and implement the qualification programme for electrical components inside the containment and improve the implementation of ageing management of civil structures.

Argentina has three operating commercial power reactors – a Candu unit at the Embalse nuclear station and two Siemens KWU-designed PHWR units at Atucha.

In 2022, the three units produced about 5.5% of Argentina’s generated electricity.

Argentina is planning to build a third unit at Atucha with China in the running to provide the plant technology. Progress on the nuclear deal between the two key trading partners stalled since it was first negotiated by the administration of former president Cristina Fernandez, a left-wing populist who left office in 2015 after striking a number of deals with China.

Argentina is also building a domestically designed and developed 25-MW Carem small modular pressurised water reactor unit at the Atucha site.

An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team of experts today completed a review of long term operational safety at the Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) Unit 1 in Romania.

The Pre-SALTO (Safety Aspects of Long Term Operation) review mission that took place from 27 February to 7 March was requested by the plant’s operator, SN Nuclearelectrica.

Unit 1 at the Cernavoda NPP, Romania’s only nuclear power plant, went into commercial operation in 1996. It is one of two 700 megawatt electrical (MW(e)) pressurized heavy water reactors of the CANDU (CANadian Deuterium Uranium) 6 design at the NPP. The operator is planning to refurbish the reactor and extend the total operating lifetime to approximately 60 years.

The Pre-SALTO team assessed the strategy and key elements for safe long term operation of nuclear power plants based on the IAEA safety standards. During the ten-day mission from 27 February to 7 March, the team reviewed the plant’s preparedness, organization and programmes for safe LTO. The mission was conducted by a ten-person team comprising experts from Argentina, Ireland, Pakistan, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and United States of America as well as two observers from India and the Republic of Korea and two IAEA staff members. The team had in depth discussions with staff from the Cernavoda NPP and conducted a plant walkdown during the review.

“The team observed that SN Nuclearelectrica is implementing preparations for safe LTO in a timely manner and the staff at the plant are professional, open and receptive to suggestions for improvement,” said team leader and IAEA Nuclear Safety Officer Martin Marchena. “Some ageing management and LTO activities already meet IAEA safety standards. We encourage the plant to address the review findings and implement all remaining activities for safe LTO as planned.”

The team identified good practices and good performances that will be shared with the nuclear industry globally, including:

• The plant has established partnerships with high schools, trade schools and universities including knowledge and skill development for high school students as well as internships and scholarships. The plant has utilized these approaches to proactively support future staffing needs.

• The plant implemented a sound programme for managing the ageing of steam generators, including design modifications for improved access and assessment of their condition.

• The plant implemented a well-established database for cable management. This database facilitates the configuration management and safety assessments that affect cable systems.

The team also provided recommendations to further improve the preparations for LTO safety:

• The plant should fully develop and complete the Ageing Management Review process for mechanical, electrical, and Instrumentation and Control (I&C) components and civil structures.

• The plant should improve the programmes designed to confirm the resistance of components to harsh conditions, a so-called equipment qualification programme.

The plant management expressed a determination to address the areas identified for improvement and to continue its cooperation with the IAEA.

"The senior management at the Nuclear Power Plant believes that the Pre-SALTO review is instilling confidence among all staff members in our commitment to safe and reliable operations over the long term," said Valentin Ovidiu Nae, the NPPs Site Vice President. "The findings from this review will enable our team to pursue further improvements and excellence. The Cernavoda team extends its gratitude to the organization for its unwavering dedication and ongoing support,"

The team provided a draft report to the plant management and to the Romanian National Commission for Nuclear Activities Control (CNCAN) at the end of the mission. The plant management and CNCAN will have an opportunity to make factual comments on the draft. A final report will be submitted to the plant management, CNCAN and the Romanian Government within three months.

Background

A SALTO peer review is a comprehensive safety review addressing strategy and key elements for the safe long term operation of nuclear power plants. They complement OSART missions, which are designed as a review of programmes and activities essential to operational safety. Neither SALTO nor OSART reviews are regulatory inspections, nor are they design reviews or substitutes for an exhaustive assessment of a plant's overall safety status.

LTO of nuclear power plants is defined as operation beyond an established time frame determined by the license term, the original plant design, relevant standards, or national regulations. As stated in IAEA safety standards, to maintain a plant’s fitness for service, consideration should be given to life limiting processes and features of systems, structures, and components (SSC), as well as to reasonably practicable safety upgrades to enhance the safety of the plant to a level approaching that of modern plants.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/UK-nuclear-regulator-assesses-preparedness-for-cli

The UK's Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) has selected five nuclear sites where it will carry out inspections to assess arrangements for and resilience to climate change effects. It recently hosted a meeting with fellow international regulators to discuss the implications of climate change on the nuclear sector.

The Chief Nuclear Inspector's (CNI's) themed inspections were introduced by the ONR in 2017 and are designed to examine regulatory matters that are strategic or broader in nature than its more routine regulatory inspection activities. They also raise awareness of important issues and highlight ONR's regulatory activities and expectations to a wider audience, in addition to the nuclear industry.

Last year, the ONR asked site operators to complete a self-assessment questionnaire on their arrangements and resilience in relation to climate change effects. This stage aimed to understand the approach currently adopted by licensees for consideration of climate change in safety cases, including climate change projections used to define the design basis for external hazards affected by climate change.

It has now selected five sites - Heysham 2, Sizewell B, Sellafield, Dounreay and the Atomic Weapons Establishment (Aldermaston and Burghfield) - to be taken forward to the inspection stage.

"These five sites provide a cross-section of the industry and selections have been based on factors including site lifetimes, safety significance and opportunities for learning," the ONR noted.

The inspections will take place between April and December.

The ONR said the focus will be on how sites are considering climate change in their hazard definitions and arrangements, the types of external hazards affected by climate change that pose the biggest challenge to nuclear facilities, and longer-term considerations of climate change in view of potential uncertainties with climate science evolution.

Once the site-based regulatory inspections are completed, the CNI themed inspection report on climate change will be published, detailing the conclusions and findings.

"It is essential that nuclear licensed sites remain safe and secure against the effects of climate change and that all reasonably-foreseeable impacts of climate change over the lifetime of a facility should be taken into account," said Nuclear Safety Inspector Alexandra Edey. "We look forward to entering this next important stage of the CNI themed inspection to gain first-hand insight of the industry's ongoing plans to adapt and mitigate for future climate change challenges."

International discussions

Last month, the ONR hosted a meeting with the French Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN), the Dutch Authority for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection (ANVS), and Belgium's Federal Agency for Nuclear Control (FANC) to discuss the implications of climate change on the nuclear sector.

The meeting provided opportunities to share learning and discuss how each regulator considers climate change when regulating their industries.

"Given the environmental similarities between the four nations, it is considered that there is significant benefit in sharing expectations and regulatory approaches, and comparing the maturity of the respective countries' preparedness to withstand the potential consequences of climate change," the ONR said. "Aligning with national and international guidance, standards and good practice is vital for the effective regulation of climate change at each stage of a nuclear site's lifecycle."

ONR's Executive Director of Regulation, Donald Urquhart, said: "This was an important meeting with our counterparts in France, Belgium and the Netherlands for progressive discussions about regulating effectively in the face of climate change and protecting the nuclear industry from its potentially adverse effects.

"Sharing experiences and growing our international networks to collaborate on this global issue is essential in preparing the nuclear industry for the effects of climate change."

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/First-Light-Fusion-hails-success-of-initial-test-i

The UK's First Light Fusion has become the first private fusion company to conduct an experiment on the Sandia National Laboratories 'Z Machine' in New Mexico USA. The experiment set a new pressure record for quartz.

Nuclear fusion is the process by which two light nuclei combine to form a single heavier nucleus, releasing a large amount of energy. First Light is pursuing a form of inertial confinement fusion called projectile fusion, which creates the extreme temperatures and pressures required to achieve fusion by compressing a target containing fusion fuel using a projectile travelling at a tremendous speed. This differs from approaches pursued by other mainstream fusion companies in that it does not involve using complex, energy-intensive, expensive lasers, or magnets.

Oxford-based First Light leveraged the vast power of Sandia's Z Machine for the first time last month to fire a projectile at its unique amplifier technology.

The Z Machine is the most powerful pulsed power facility in the world. With a peak power of 80 trillion watts, it electromagnetically launches projectiles to higher velocities than any other facility in the world. These are used to impact samples of material, testing their properties at extreme pressures.

Funded by the US Department of Energy, Sandia allows the Z Machine to be used for multiple high-energy density research fields in stockpile stewardship science and other forms of energy generation. It fires around 200 shots per year.

First Light - which has been granted three 'shots' on the Z Machine - is focusing on exploring the limits of its unique amplifier technology. Access to the Z Machine allows First Light access to pressure regimes that simply are not possible anywhere else in the world, including on its own pulsed power machine, Machine 3, one the largest machines of its kind in Europe.

First Light's successful first experiment set a new pressure record for quartz at Sandia's facility, raising it from 1.5 terapascal (TPa) to 1.85 TPa, while also maintaining the sample conditions required for high precision measurements.

The company said the test proved its target technology works across driver platforms and specifically on the most powerful pulsed power machine in the world. This, it said, validates that the core technology scales in line with simulations and highlights the experimental capability of First Light's team.

It plans to fire its next shot on the Z Machine at the end of this year.

"We are delighted to report that our first shot on the Z Machine was a resounding success - breaking the pressure record for the facility and further validating the value of First Light's unique amplifier technology," said Nick Hawker, founder and CEO of First Light Fusion. "Our ongoing partnership with Sandia and access to its state-of-the-art Z Machine enables us to test our unique amplifier technology at pressures we can't access anywhere else in the world.

"Testing at higher pressures is incredibly important as we seek to push the limits of what our amplifiers can do. We look forward to breaking the pressure record again later this year."

Daniel Sinars, director Sandia's Pulsed Power Sciences Center, added: "These joint experiments were conducted as part of Sandia's Z Fundamental Science Program, which permits potential academic and industry collaborators to propose basic science experiments on the Z Machine. Proposals undergo a competitive review process involving non-Sandia referees and we typically award about 14 shots annually.

"This proposal was intended to advance our knowledge of the response of quartz at high pressures, which is important because quartz is a standard window material used on many materials experiments on Z, NIF, and Omega. Getting a successful result on this first-ever experiment is a testament to the joint team's excellent experimental design and careful attention to its execution. Continued success along these lines could lead to new platforms for stockpile stewardship materials experiments on Z."

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/BN-600-reactor-at-Beloyarsk-aims-to-get-new-life-e

Rosenergoatom is to seek approval to extend the life of the BN-600 fast neutron reactor following an inspection of the condition of the reactor vessel, heat exchanger supports and other equipment.

Russian nuclear regulator Rostekhnadzor extended the operating licence for the fast reactor - unit 3 of the Beloyarsk nuclear power plant in the Sverdlovsk district - by a further five years in 2020. The unit began operating in 1981 and a large-scale modernisation programme had been under way from 2009 before the first extension. At the time, in 2020, Rosenergoatom said further investment work would be completed by 2024 to allow for a licence extension to 2040.

It has since completed a number of important upgrades to the safety of buildings, structures, and systems, including replacement of steam generator modules and pumping units and the aim is to submit documents to Rostekhnadzor this month, with an expectation of them being checked within a year and a decision made about a new licence.

Rosenergoatom Director General Alexander Shutikov said: "Power unit No.3 is strategically important for us. It tests technical solutions for future fast reactors - we irradiate fuel elements there both for the BREST-OD-300 reactor plant (a fast reactor with lead coolant, which is currently being built in Seversk), and for the BN-1200, which is planned to be introduced at the Beloyarsk nuclear power plant."

Director of the Beloyarsk plant, Ivan Sidorov, said that in the next two scheduled maintenance rounds "we will replace the remaining steam generator modules and feed pumps, and modernise the diesel generator sets. This work will allow us to safely and efficiently generate electricity for the residents of the Sverdlovsk region for many years".

Rosenergoatom, which is part of Rosatom, says that extending the life of the unit could allow the generation of an additional 60 billion kWh of electricity. The sodium-cooled BN-series fast reactors are part of Rosatom's Proryv, or 'Breakthrough', 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, 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 being planned for the same plant.