Nuclear Energy

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

US-based Westinghouse Electric Company has filed an appeal with the Czech anti-monopoly office to protest the decision by state power company ČEZ to choose Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) as the preferred bidder for the construction of two new nuclear reactors at the Dukovany nuclear power station.

The Czech government announced in July that KHNP had won the lucrative public tender – said to be worth about $18bn (€16bn) – to build at least two nuclear reactors with the first unit scheduled to be online by 2036.

KHNP beat France’s state power company EDF in the tender, which was launched in 2022. The Prague government said in January that a bid by Westinghouse did not meet its conditions.

Russia’s Rosatom and China’s China General Nuclear were excluded from the tender on security grounds.

Westinghouse said in a statement on 26 August that the tender required vendors to certify they possess the right to transfer and sublicense the nuclear technology offered in their bids to CEZ and local suppliers.

“KHNP’s APR-1000 and APR-1400 plant designs utilize Westinghouse-licensed Generation II System 80 technology,” Westinghouse said.

“KHNP neither owns the underlying technology nor has the right to sublicense it to a third party without Westinghouse consent.

“Further, only Westinghouse has the legal right to obtain the required approval from the US government to export its technology.”

Westinghouse filed a lawsuit in a US court in October 2022, alleging that KHNP infringed on its technology and claiming that KHNP must obtain US government approval to export the reactors.

The court dismissed the suit in September 2023, but did not rule on the issue of intellectual property infringement.

Dispute ‘Crosses Multiple Jurisdictions’

David Durham, president of energy systems at Westinghouse, said at the time that Westinghouse’s dispute with Kepco/KHNP crosses multiple jurisdictions and covers two issues: compliance with US nuclear technology export control requirements and Kepco/KHNP’s longstanding obligations to comply with Westinghouse’s intellectual property rights that they agreed to contractually.

“The use of Westinghouse intellectual property outside of Korea is the principal dispute between the parties. The decision by the US District Court merely holds that export control enforcement resides with the US government.”

Westinghouse said it intended to appeal the decision.

Westinghouse said it will continue to vigorously defend its intellectual property rights and compliance with US export control laws via international arbitration and US litigation.

The Korea Herald reported that South Korea is looking for a solution to end the dispute.

“The government is discussing with the US government through various channels to support the amicable resolution of the corporate dispute,” the newspaper quoted an official of the presidential office as saying.

“We will maintain close coordination with our US counterparts on the foundation of the ironclad Korea-US alliance, so that the dispute does not harm Seoul's nuclear exports.”

The Czech Republic has six commercially operational reactor units: four Russia-designed VVER-440 units at Dukovany and two larger VVER-1000 units at Temelín.

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, in 2022 the six units provided 36.7% of the country’s electricity production.

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Board of Directors has approved a further USD150 million in additional advanced funding to support the development of potential small modular reactors (SMRs) at the Clinch River site near Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

"We believe nuclear energy has to be a part of our regional and national drive toward this clean energy future," TVA President and CEO Jeff Lyash said.

"We previously obtained the nation's first - and still only - early site permit for small modular reactors at Clinch River. That was in partnership with the Department of Energy. The Board has now approved the total of USD350 million, following from that, for the development of small modular reactors at our Clinch River site near Oak Ridge, Tennessee. SMRs are an energy innovation technology that America has to have for our energy security - which is really national security," he said.

This latest funding means brings TVA's investment since the launch of the launch of its New Nuclear Program in February 2022 to USD350 million.

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission awarded TVA an early site permit (ESP) for the construction of SMRs at Clinch River in 2019. An ESP certifies that a site is suitable for the construction of a nuclear power plant from the point of view of site safety, environmental impact and emergency planning, but does not specify the choice of technology. A separate licence would be required to construct and operate a plant.

Advanced reactor designs under evaluation for the Clinch River Site Advanced Nuclear Technology Park include both light-water and non-light-water cooled reactors, with more than a dozen vendors providing detailed information to support the Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement, but the authority says that light-water reactor technology is considered most ready for deployment in the near term. In August 2022, TVA entered an agreement with GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) to support planning and preliminary licensing for the potential deployment of a BWRX-300 SMR at the site.

The authority has also partnered with Ontario Power Generation - which has selected the BWRX-300 for deployment at its Darlington New Nuclear Project - to work together on the design, licensing, construction and operation of SMRs.

"We at OPG share TVA's conviction that nuclear power will play a crucial role in meeting increasing demand for low-carbon electricity and energy security. Our partnership with TVA and others on the standard design of the BWRX-300 will expedite the new nuclear generation necessary to help reliably power our growing, electrified economies," OPG President and CEO Ken Hartwick said in response to TVA's latest announcement.

TVA is also part of a consortium of North American utilities formed by Kairos Power to help further develop Kairos' advanced fluoride salt cooled high temperature reactor and, through an agreement from May 2021, is providing engineering, operations, and licensing support to help Kairos deploy its Hermes low-power demonstration reactor at the East Tennessee Technology Park, which is close to the Clinch River Nuclear Site.

But pursuing new nuclear technology must be a national effort in partnership with other utilities, research institutes, and state and federal governments, and will require government support, TVA said in a factsheet issued to accompany its announcement:

"Government and policy support is needed to realise the benefits of new nuclear. First-of-a-kind nuclear technology, like any innovative technology, carries financial and technical risks better shared by multiple partners. Key national, regional and industry leaders have partnered with TVA and are supportive of its plans for advanced nuclear technology. Federal government support is also essential to the advancement of first-of-a-kind technology deployment, due to the risks and additional costs that are inherent to the technology deployment process. In order to reach its long-term net-zero carbon emissions aspirations, TVA will need to consider multiple clean energy technologies, including SMRs, and government support will be critical to timely deployment of SMR technologies in the United States."

Maria Korsnick, president and CEO of the Nuclear Energy Institute, said the additional USD150 million committed by TVA to the development of SMRS is "critical to our industry's ongoing efforts to construct and deploy advanced nuclear technologies in the US, essential for achieving a clean, reliable and resilient energy future," adding that TVA's continued investment in next-generation nuclear "plays a vital role in fostering innovation and driving progress within our industry."

Kazatomprom has cut its uranium production guidance for 2025 by 5000 tU, citing uncertainties in sulphuric acid supply - but 2025 production is still expected to be higher than 2024.

Announcing its half-year financial results today, the national atomic company's CEO Meirzhan Yussupov said the company had demonstrated "robust financial results" for the six months to 30 June, with a 13% increase in revenue and a 27% growth in net profit to KZT283 billion (USD493 million). The company's recent receipt of a pilot production licence for Inkai 3 block and an exploration licence for the East Zhalpak block, as well as the extension of the exploration period at Inkai 2, demonstrate strategic moves aimed at addressing potential supply and demand imbalances.

"Amid our continued success in long-term contracting activity, Kazatomprom had initially intended to ramp up its 2025 production to 100% of Subsoil Use Agreement levels," Yussupov, said. "However, the uncertainty around the sulphuric acid supplies for 2025 needs and delays in the construction works at the newly developed deposits resulted in a need to re-evaluate our 2025 plans."

Kazatomprom now expects its 2025 production to be between 25,000 and 26,500 tU (on a 100% basis), down from its initial intentions for 2025 production volumes of 30,500-31,500 tU. This would represent a 12% growth from its 2024 guidance, Kazatomprom said.

Today's announcement follows on from the half-year trading update issued on 1 August, when the company increased its 2024 production guidance based on year-to-date production rates but warned that limited access to sulphuric acid and delays in the construction schedule at newly developed deposits could impact future production.

Delays in the construction of surface facilities and infrastructure, a consequence of the extended timelines required for the development and subsequent approval of project design documentation, have resulted in a "significant shift" in production schedules at newly developed projects, the company said. A "significant portion" of the adjusted 2025 production is attributed to construction delays at JV Budenovskoye LLP, where 2025 production is now expected to be 1300 tU instead of the previously approved 4000 tU.

Continuing uncertainty about supplies of sulphuric acid - a key reagent in Kazatomprom's in-situ leach operations - has significantly impacted 2025 production plans, with consequences of supply deficits over 2023-24 having a different degree of impact on uranium mining entities and their production rates depending on the geological structure of the deposits.

Kazatomprom said it has a "comfortable level of inventories" to fulfil its existing contractual commitments in 2025, and it also usually reserves a segment of its annual production as uncommitted. This strategic approach enables it to capitalise on emerging opportunities and adapt to market fluctuations to mitigate risks effectively and meet contractual obligations "even amidst production-related challenges".

"Taking into consideration high level of uncertainties related to the sulphuric acid supply and construction delay challenges, no decision has been taken regarding mine development activity and production volumes for 2026 and beyond," the company said, adding that it expects to announce its 2026 production plans "not earlier than a year from now".

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi intends to visit the Kursk nuclear power plant in Russia next week following reports that the remains of a drone were found within the territory of the plant.

Russian authorities informed the IAEA that the drone fragments were located roughly 100 metres from the plant's used nuclear fuel storage facility. The IAEA said it was told that the drone was "suppressed" in the early morning of 22 August.

Grossi has confirmed his intention to personally assess the situation at the site during his visit next week. During his visit, he will "discuss modalities for further activities as may be needed to evaluate the nuclear safety and security conditions of the Kursk nuclear power plant."

"Military activity in the vicinity of a nuclear power plant is a serious risk to nuclear safety and security," Grossi said. "My visit to KNPP next week will provide us with timely access to independently assess the situation."

On 9 August, the IAEA said it was monitoring the situation after Ukrainian forces advanced 30 kilometres into Russia's Kursk region, bordering Ukraine. They had reportedly advanced within 50 kilometres of the Kursk nuclear power plant.

The report of a drone at the Kursk plant comes just days after a drone struck on a road near the perimeter of the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine. On 17 August, an explosive carried by a drone detonated just outside the plant's protected area, close to the cooling water sprinkler ponds and about 100 metres from the Dniprovska power line, which is the only remaining 750 kilovolt line providing external power supply to the plant.

Recent days have seen a fire in one of the cooling towers at the Zaporizhzhia plant and damage to a power and water substation in nearby Energodar, where many of the nuclear power plant workers and their families live.

The six-unit Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant - or ZNPP - is Europe's largest nuclear power plant, has been under Russian military control since early March 2022. It is close to the frontline between Russian and Ukrainian forces.

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

Brazil's Eletronuclear has published the responses received from a public consultation on the proposed bidding contract for completing the Angra 3 nuclear power plant.

The public consultation was developed with technical support from the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES) and sought to obtain suggestions for improvements in documents related to Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) services, including the risk matrix and other contractual supplements. Contributions and questions were accepted between 25 March and 17 May this year.

In July, Eletronuclear announced it had extended by 45 days the deadline for publishing responses to the consultation due to "the quantity and nature of the contributions received".

The company has now published the responses to the consultation on its website. "In total, 287 contributions were sent by individuals and legal entities, both national and international," it said.

Eletronuclear noted: "As a next step, the completion of independent studies, being developed by BNDES, is awaited to assess the technical, economic and legal plausibility of the project."

Brazil has two operating reactors - Angra 1 and Angra 2 - which generate about 3% of the country’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. However, amid a corruption probe into government contracts, construction of the unit was halted for a second time in 2015, when it was 65% complete.

The project 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 halted again in April 2023 after disputes with the municipality of the City of Angra dos Reis over agreements relating to "environmental compensation" payments and also changes relating to the granted planning permission.

Eletronuclear noted that the unit's generating capacity will be sufficient to supply 4.5 million inhabitants. The project, it said, will also create around 7000 direct jobs at its peak, in addition to a much larger number of indirect jobs.

Uranium enricher Urenco welcomed representatives from the International Atomic Energy Agency to an August 19 event to mark the creation of an IAEA Centre of Excellence for Safeguards and Non-Proliferation at its Capenhurst, England, site. Representatives of the three nations with ownership stakes in Urenco—the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Germany—were joined by representatives from the United States, where Urenco also operates an enrichment plant. Urenco expects the new center to be fully operational in 2025.

Testing and training: The planned Urenco-owned facility will “establish a nuclear nonproliferation testing and training base for the benefit of IAEA safeguards and the international nonproliferation system.” It will be housed inside a decommissioned Urenco gas centrifuge enrichment plant brought back into active service specifically for safeguarding training.

Urenco describes the project as the only facility of its kind globally and says it will help the IAEA enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of safeguards implementation at other gas centrifuge enrichment facilities. The center will help the IAEA develop and test nuclear verification technologies.

“We are very proud to be able to contribute and collaborate with this international community to help grow expertise in nuclear safeguards by building a dedicated facility at our U.K. site,” said Urenco chief executive officer Boris Schucht. “We will continue to use our expertise and technologies to support nonproliferation and the safeguarding of civil nuclear operations.”

IAEA safeguards: IAEA director general Rafael Mariano Grossi was on hand to unveil a plaque commemorating the new center.

“Staying ahead of technology advances is a crucial part of the IAEA’s work as the world’s nuclear watchdog,” Grossi said. “The Centre of Excellence for Safeguards and Non-Proliferation at Capenhurst will strengthen IAEA safeguards inspectors’ training and enhance the research and development of safeguards equipment and techniques.

“I would like to commend the governments of Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States, and the executive team at Urenco for their understanding of the always-evolving demands of safeguards and nuclear nonproliferation, and their leadership in turning this facility from an idea into a valuable hands-on tool in the pursuit of international peace and security.”

Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) has suspended the first attempt to extract fuel debris from within the primary containment vessel of unit 2 at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant after an error in the setup of the debris retrieval device was identified.

On 19 August, Tepco announced that it planned to remove a few grams of melted fuel debris from unit 2 on August 22. The operation was expected to last about two weeks using a telescopic device equipped with a gripper tool. The device can extend up to 22 metres and access the debris through a penetration point in the primary containment vessel (PCV). The removal technique, which is being used for the first time in unit 2, will then be gradually extended to unit 3, where a large-scale recovery is expected in the early 2030s.

"Unit 2 was selected as the first block for the recovery of the fuel debris because we take into account the situation in terms of safety, reliability, speed and progress in the removal of the used fuel elements," Tepco said.

Workers at the plant today began inserting the guide pipe of the telescopic debris retrieval device into the PCV penetration point. The guide pipe was inserted to the front of the isolation valve and the first of five 1.5-metre-long push pipes to be used was prepared to be connected. The pipes are used to push the device inside the PCV and pull it back out when the operation is completed.

However, it was then noticed during the final checking process that the order of the first push pipe was different from the planned order. The workers had in fact prepared the second push pipe for insertion instead of the first one. It was confirmed the push pipe that should have been in the first position was in the fourth position. The incorrect order of the pipes meant they could not be connected correctly.

"Today's work will be limited to just before the isolation valve," Tepco said. "We are currently investigating the cause of the matter. We will confirm and organise the necessary work and procedures going forward. We will provide further information about the future actions."

"It is better to carry on with the work safely and steadily rather than rushing," Tepco President Tomoaki Kobayakawa was quoted as saying by the Kyodo news agency.

A pre-investigation of the area directly below the pressure vessel - known as the pedestal - was carried out in January 2017 at Fukushima Daiichi 2 using a remotely operated camera on a telescopic probe. Photos taken during that investigation showed a black mass and deposits near a grating in the pedestal area, possibly melted nuclear fuel.

The following month, Tepco sent a "scorpion-shaped" robot into the PCV of unit 2. Although the robot was unable to reach the part of the vessel directly under the reactor pressure vessel, the company said the information it gathered would help it determine how to decommission the unit.

In January 2018, an internal investigation of the PCV of unit 2 using a suspended pan-tilt camera attached to a telescopic guiding pipe identified deposits and fuel assembly components at the bottom of the pedestal area.

The utility carried out a survey in February 2019 of the debris - much of it resembling pebbles - that has accumulated in the bottom of the unit's PCV using a remotely-operated probe. The probe was able to pick up debris in five of the six areas surveyed. No samples were removed from the containment vessel during the survey.

In Fukushima Daiichi units 1 to 3, the fuel and the metal cladding that formed the outer jacket of the fuel rods melted, then re-solidified as fuel debris. To reduce the risk from this fuel debris, preparations are under way for retrieving it from the reactors. The current aim is to begin retrieval from unit 2 and to gradually enlarge the scale of the retrieval. The retrieved fuel debris will be stored in the new storage facility that will be constructed within the site.

The last in a series of public meetings on the construction of a nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan was held in the country's capital, Astana, ahead of a referendum expected to take place later this year.

Kazakhstan is the world's largest producer of uranium and has long been considering adding nuclear capacity to its generation mix. Last September, in his state-of-the-nation address, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced that a referendum on the proposal would take place this year. The date for the referendum is yet to be set by presidential decree, but Tokayev confirmed in June that it will take place this autumn.

Kazakhstan's nuclear energy law requires public discussions and local agreement on the construction of a nuclear power plant, and the event in Astana was the last in a series of such discussions which have been held in all regions of the country, the Ministry of Energy said.

The Astana event was moderated by the President of the Civil Alliance of Kazakhstan, Banu Nurgaziyeva, and the Chairman of the Public Council of Astana, Zulfukhar Gaipov, and attended by nuclear industry experts, representatives of government agencies and academia, as well as members of the public. Amongst other things, it focused on technological security, the socio-economic consequences of the project and Kazakhstan's future energy security.

As well as being a major uranium producer, Kazakhstan is not without nuclear energy experience. A Russian-designed BN-350 sodium-cooled fast reactor operated near Aktau for 26 years until 1999, generating electricity and desalinating water, with an active nuclear R&D sector and several research reactors. Timur Zhantikin, Director of Kazakhstan Nuclear Power Plants JSC (KNPP) - which has been designated as the owner/operator of the future plant - told the meeting that around 600 Kazakh "specialists" are currently involved in nuclear power plant construction in Turkey while a Kazakh team has also participated in the construction of the BN-800 nuclear reactor in Russia.

Although a positive referendum result will be needed for the project to go ahead, Kazakhstan has been preparing for a possible nuclear power programme to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels, diversify its energy mix and reduce CO2 emissions for some time. KNPP began preparing a feasibility study in 2018 to justify the need for nuclear power, the choice of the location for plant construction and to review the plant's projected power output. Last year, an International Atomic Energy Agency led team carried out a four-day Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review mission to review the status of Kazakhstan's nuclear infrastructure development in line with the agency's phased Milestones Approach to support countries that are preparing to embark on a nuclear power programme.

Some details of Kazakhstan's proposed nuclear programme have already been emerging, with the World Nuclear Spotlight event held in Almaty in April hearing that a site at Ulken, on the shores of Lake Balkhash, had been identified as the most suitable location, with Kurchatov as a backup region. The proposed first nuclear power plant would be a large reactor but there are also options for using small modular reactors to replace retiring coal plants in the years to come. The government's target is for nuclear to produce a 5% share of the national generation mix by 2035.

The installation in the design position of the lower part of the outer containment dome has been completed at unit 1 of Turkey's Akkuyu nuclear power plant.

The Akkuyu plant, in the southern Mersin province, will eventually comprise four Russian-supplied VVER-1200 reactors, which are equipped with a system of double (inner and outer) containments.

In June 2023, the concreting of the inner containment dome was completed at Akkuyu unit 1. In total, more than 3200 cubic metres was poured, with 422 tonnes of rebars installed and the completed walls are 1.2 metres thick. The inner containment ensures leak-tightness of the reactor building, and acts as a support for pipelines and the polar crane which will be used for nuclear reactor maintenance operations.

The steel lower part of the outer containment dome - measuring almost 51 metres in diameter and weighing 340 tonnes - has now been hoisted into position at a height of 63 metres in a process taking 10 hours, Akkuyu NPP announced.

"After the successful installation of the lower dome part of the outer containment, the builders of the Akkuyu NPP will install the outer containment dome in the next stage," said Akkuyu Nuclear JSC CEO Sergei Butckikh. "The assembled large-sized reinforced concrete structure will protect the reactor plant from external effects during the entire service life of the nuclear power plant."

Akkuyu is Turkey's first nuclear power plant. Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom is building the four VVER-1200 reactors under a so-called BOO (build-own-operate) model. According to the terms of the Intergovernmental Agreement between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Turkey, the commissioning of the first power unit of the nuclear power plant must take place within seven years from receipt of all permits for the construction of the unit.

The licence for the construction of the first unit was issued in 2018, with construction work beginning that year. Nuclear fuel was delivered to the site in April 2023, with the aim to carry out a physical start-up in 2024.

The 4800 MWe plant is expected to meet about 10% of Turkey's electricity needs, with the aim that all four units will be operational by the end of 2028.

Brazilian fuel cycle company Indústrias Nucleares do Brasil (INB) has announced it is to resume exploration for uranium in the country after a 40-year hiatus.

To this end, INB has launched the Uranium Prospecting and Mining Partnership Programme, seeking to work in partnership with companies in the mining sector. It said new research will be carried out in areas known for their "great mineral potential for this valuable substance".

INB President Adauto Seixas said: "This new round of research comes at an important time for the country, since national production is still lower than the domestic consumption of the Angra I and II nuclear plants, and taking into account the increase in demand with the completion of Angra III."

INB noted that the price of uranium has more than tripled in recent years, "bringing an avenue of opportunities for growth in the sector in the form of exporting concentrated uranium, and also with the possibility of offering nuclear fuel to the international market, adding value to the local production chain".

The company added: "According to a study conducted 40 years ago, Brazil had the eighth largest reserve in the world. However, considering that the second largest reserve is in Kazakhstan, which is the same size as the state of Rio de Janeiro, it is possible that the country could eventually take second place."

According to World Nuclear Association, exploration in the 1970s and 1980s showed that Brazil has reasonably assured resources of 210,000 tonnes of uranium. However, there has been little investment in exploration since the mid-1980s.

The country's three main deposits are: Pocos de Caldas in Minas Gerais state, where a uranium mine closed in 1997; Lagoa Real or Caetité in Bahia state, which has been operating since 1999; and Itataia, now called Santa Quitéria, in Ceará state, where the production of uranium as a co-product with phosphate is planned.

Uranium has been mined in Brazil since 1982, but the only operating mine is INB's Lagoa Real/Caetité mine, with a capacity of 340 tU per year. The mine has known resources of 10,000 tU at 0.3%U.

INB commenced developing the adjacent Engenho mine in January 2017, a 200-300 tU per year open pit operation. Production was initially planned from October 2017, but did not commence.

In January 2020, the country's energy minister reported that investment in INB would allow it to produce 150 tU annually from Caetité, starting in 2020, and expanding to 360 tU per year by 2023. The Santa Quitéria Consortium - a partnership between INB and privately owned fertiliser producer Galvani - expects to produce 2,300 tons of uranium concentrate annually from the Itataia deposit.

In 2022, Brazil produced 43 tU. All mined uranium is used domestically, after conversion and most enrichment abroad. The country's uranium requirements are currently about 339 tU per year.

In December 2022, INB signed a contract with Russia's Rosatom for the supply of 330 tU in the form of natural UF6 for the Angra nuclear power plant from 2023 to 2027. In May 2023, three contracts were signed with Westinghouse to cover the supply of advanced fuel assemblies for Angra 1 reloads.

The landlocked African country's Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources has marked the launch of an initiative to achieve sustainable development by harnessing the power of nuclear technology in areas such as agriculture, health and energy planning.

The Country Programme Framework (CPF), developed with the support of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), is a strategic document that outlines Eswatini's priorities for 2024-2029, with a particular focus on the application of nuclear technology for social and economic development through the effective integration of nuclear technology into the country’s existing development plans and initiatives.

Launching the CPF earlier this month, Eswatini Minister of Natural Resources and Energy Prince Lonkhokhela Dlamini said it aligns closely with the country’s National Development Plan and the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework, focusing on five key areas where nuclear technology can be leveraged to support national priorities. These are: nuclear and radiation safety; enhancing food security; improving healthcare services; optimising water resources; and energy planning, to support the development of an integrated energy strategy that utilises nuclear energy as a viable and sustainable energy source.

"The CPF provides a roadmap for the application of nuclear technology in a way that supports our national priorities and contributes to the social and economic development of our country. We are excited to work with the IAEA to bring these priorities to fruition," the minister said.

"These priority areas represent the key sectors where we believe nuclear technology can contribute to our development goals and build a stronger, more resilient Eswatini."

According to the IAEA, a CPF is the frame of reference for the medium-term planning of technical cooperation between a Member State and the IAEA, and identifies priority areas where the transfer of nuclear technology and technical cooperation resources will be directed to support national development goals. The CPF was signed earlier this year.

The Kingdom of Eswatini - formerly known as Swaziland - has been an IAEA Member State since 2016. According to data from the International Energy Agency, the country's largest source of domestic electricity generation is hydro, which accounted for just over half of the country's total generation in 2021. Eswatini relies heavily on imports of electricity from its neighbour, South Africa.

The adulterating of food products for financial gain, either through dilution, substitution, mislabeling, or other action, has become a lucrative industry. And because food fraud is designed to avoid detection, gauging its financial impacts can be difficult to determine. Experts estimate that food fraud affects 1 percent of the global food industry at a cost of about $10 billion to $15 billion a year, with some estimates putting the cost as high as $40 billion a year, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

One common form of food fraud is the mixing of inferior, lower-cost ingredients to a high-value product to reduce the concentration and lower the cost of production. For example, high-quality extra-virgin olive oil can be diluted with low-cost vegetable oil, or honey and maple syrup can be mixed with cheaper sweeteners such as corn syrup, rice syrup, or sugar beet syrup. The diluted products are then sold as pure at a higher cost.

While food fraud can lead to consumers paying a premium for substandard products, in some cases it can cause health issues, as toxic additives may be added or essential nutrients may be removed as part of the fraud process. This can lead to foodborne illnesses, allergic reactions, or even death.

In 2008, the FDA noted that manufacturers in China added synthetic melamine to infant formula to make it seem like their products had enough protein. Often used in plastics, melamine has a high nitrogen content, and nitrogen is used as an indicator of protein in formula. This fraud led to kidney failure in babies, and news reports indicated that it caused over 300,000 illnesses, 50,000 hospitalizations, and at least 6 deaths.

Isotopic signatures: According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, mitigating the risk of food fraud can be difficult, as it may happen at any stage of the supply chain, and in some cases it cannot be detected without special equipment. In developing countries, the problem is aggravated by the lack of technical capacity to detect food fraud.

While industry can use certification and labeling techniques to combat food fraud and improve food safety, vulnerabilities remain where there are no reliable methods of verification. Working with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the IAEA is seeking to provide that verification by developing analytical methods to measure the ratios of stable isotopes found in food samples. Those isotopic ratios will vary due to different factors, such as when, where, and under what environmental conditions the food was produced. Isotope ratio mass spectrometry is commonly used for high-precision measurements of isotopes.

According to the IAEA, “Stable isotope ratios are like nature’s ‘fingerprints’ or signatures on food. This hidden evidence can provide information on whether the foods we are buying consist of the authentic ingredients described on the label or have been falsified. By tracing these isotopic fingerprints, scientists can also track the geographical or botanical provenance of food.”

These methods can also be used to detect the adulteration—or complete substitution—of food with cheap ingredients that have identical chemical structures but different isotopic signatures.

Watch an IAEA YouTube video on using nuclear science to combat food fraud here.

IAEA’s role: To help improve food fraud detection techniques, the IAEA is involved in the following efforts:

• With the FAO, the IAEA supports its member states in the use of nuclear and complementary techniques for science-based solutions to improve food safety, authenticity, and security, as well as sustainable agricultural practices.
• The Joint FAO/IAEA Center of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture is working on nuclear technologies to improve the safety and quality of food products, tracking the origin of food products and checking their authenticity.
• The FAO/IAEA center supports its member states in improving their laboratory and regulatory capacity to trade safe and high-quality food products and verify their authenticity using stable isotope measurements.
• The FAO/IAEA center gathers best practices and provides guidance on the use of nuclear techniques for the verification of origin of food products, for example, dairy products.
• The FAO/IAEA center conducts various coordinated research projects focusing on the use of nuclear and complementary techniques, for instance, the identification of food fraud or products with high-value labeling claims.

The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) has awarded GBP30 million (USD39.1 million) to four-year projects to drive "new techniques to deliver safe, sustainable and cost-effective decommissioning".

Seven consortiums involving 60 organisations were involved in the successful bids for contracts covering three areas: supporting academic research to grow skills within the nuclear decommissioning sector; research into radioactive waste management and decommissioning techniques; and research relating to used fuel storage and disposal and plutonium and uranics strategy development.

The NDA Research Portfolio (NRP) competition is part of the UK government agency's annual GBP100 million investment in research and development.

Head of Research and Development at the NDA, Kate Canning, said: "It’s an exciting time for the nuclear industry and we believe the range of organisations involved in the frameworks will provide a diverse range of experience and knowledge to deliver innovative research supporting the delivery of the NDA mission."

Previous NRP research has included the development of a non-contact asbestos detection system utilising hyperspectral techniques.

Germany's Krümmel nuclear power plant has been given the regulatory go-ahead to move from post-operation to decommissioning, with dismantling work scheduled to take about 15 years.

The permit to begin the decommissioning and dismantling was issued by the head of the nuclear supervisory authority in Kiel, Andreas Wasielewski, to Ingo Neuhaus, managing director of Vattenfall's nuclear energy division in Germany, and Torsten Fricke, the head of the nuclear power plant.

Neuhaus said: "This is an important milestone on the way to the 'greenfield' site of the power plant. During the dismantling work, we can draw on the experience we gained at the Brunsbüttel nuclear power plant. We started dismantling there in 2019."

The Krümmel plant - comprising a single 1260 MWe boiling water reactor - is jointly owned by Vattenfall and EOn. The plant, operated by Vattenfall, was connected to the grid in 1983, but was out of service for several years. It suffered a transformer fire in 2007 and, following repairs, was restarted in June 2009 but taken offline again the following month due to a transformer fault.

Krümmel was one of eight older power reactors that had their operating licences withdrawn by the federal government shortly after the Fukushima accident in Japan in March 2011 as part of the political decision to phase out nuclear power in the country. Vattenfall submitted an application to decommission and dismantle the plant, in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, in 2015.

The total weight of the power plant to be dismantled is estimated at 540,000 tonnes and will cost around EUR1 billion (USD1.1 billion). The last fuel element was removed in 2017 and the last individual fuel rods in 2019. Around 99% of the radioactive inventory has already left the power plant.

The next phase of work will start with the reactor pressure vessel internals, which make up the vast majority of the remaining 1% of radioactive inventory. A consortium of specialist companies has put together a team to work on the reactor pressure vessel internals, starting towards the end of this year, with completion for that part of the work scheduled for 2027. Each part of the dismantling operation must be applied for individually.

Decommissioning and dismantling work is taking place at a number of Germany's nuclear power plants. Earlier this week the two cooling towers at the Grafenrheinfeld nuclear power plant were demolished in a controlled explosion.

A UK site that was formerly one of the first civil nuclear power stations in the world has been sold for £6.5m (€7.6m, $8.4m) with the new owners planning to redevelop it as a “super cluster” for nuclear energy research, training and AI.

South Gloucestershire and Stroud College (SGS) first agreed to sell its 40-acre (16-hectare) science park in Berkeley, southwest England, to Chiltern Vital Berkeley in January.

The park was set up in 2016 when SGS bought the redundant Berkeley nuclear power station site for £3m from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, a public body responsible for cleaning up the UK’s legacy nuclear sites.

The college put the site up for sale in 2023, reportedly soon after a site visit from Great British Nuclear (GBN), the government body formed to oversee the deployment of new nuclear capacity in the UK.

Berkeley was previously home to two Magnox plants that began operation in 1962 and were shut down in 1988 and 1989. The site was saved from demolition in 2016, with its laboratory turned into a science and technology park by SGS.

The buyer, Chiltern Vital Berkeley, a wholly owned subsidiary of project development company Chiltern Vital Group, said it would seek to transform the site into the UK’s R&D centre of excellence for the next generation of small modular and micro reactor technology.

An onsite university technical college for around 400 students is not being sold as part of the agreement and will continue to operate, according to BBC News.

Today’s announcement follows the acquisition of a nearby site at Oldbury earlier this year by GBN which Chiltern Vital Group said would made its new Berkeley site well positioned to support the UK’s nuclear energy training needs.

Oldbury has two gas-cooled Magnox plants that were permanently shut down in 2011 and 2012.

Chris Turner, chief executive of Chiltern Vital Group, said: “I look forward to being involved in turning Berkeley/Oldbury into a low carbon supercluster over the next decade and supporting the positive impact that this project will have on the local, regional and national economy.”

SGS said the government would soon announce a technology provider to develop SMRs at the site.

New Nuclear ‘A Step Closer’

Chiltern Vital Group has already said it is supporting Rolls-Royce SMR in the selection of UK sites for the rollout of its SMRs and in the creation of long-term offtake agreements to support the financial viability of their deployment.

Chris Cholerton, Chief Executive of Rolls-Royce SMR, said: “Today’s announcement that CVG has completed the purchase of Berkeley Science and Technology Park brings the possibility of new nuclear at Berkeley a step closer.

“We continue to urge Great British Nuclear to complete their SMR selection process this year, which will unlock the immediate deployment of SMR units and the long-term opportunity at sites like Berkeley.”

The previous Conservative government announced in October 2023 that six companies’ designs for SMRs had been selected to progress in a government competition supporting the development of SMRs for greater energy security.

The government said at the time it hoped to announce in spring 2024 which of the six companies it will support, with contracts awarded by summer 2024.

That was before a July general election which saw a new Labour government take power.

The new UK Labour minister in charge of energy recently underlined his “absolute support” for the SMR programme.

The California legislature has signaled its intent to cancel a $400 million loan payment intended to help finance a longer lifespan for the state’s last nuclear power plant, Diablo Canyon.

During state budget debates, the votes in the state senate and assembly last week on funding for the two-unit plant exposed a disagreement between lawmakers on one side and Gov. Gavin Newsom on the other. Newsom has said that the power generated by Diablo Canyon is critical to safeguarding energy supplies amid a warming climate, according to the Associated Press. The disagreement also set up a public friction point involving one of the governor’s signature proposals—Diablo Canyon—which he has championed alongside the state’s rapid push toward solar, wind, and other renewable sources.

A closer look: The dispute unfolded in Sacramento as environmentalists and antinuclear activists warned that the estimated price tag for keeping the seaside reactors running beyond a planned closing by 2025 had ballooned to nearly $12 billion, roughly doubling earlier projections. That also raised the prospect of higher fees for ratepayers.

Pacific Gas & Electric, operator of Diablo Canyon, called those figures inaccurate and inflated by billions of dollars.

Another view: In an opinion piece in the Sacramento Bee, Maureen Zawalick, vice president of business and technical services at Diablo Canyon, argues that the plant has been the backbone of California’s clean-energy ambitions for decades. And it remains a provider of 9 percent of the state’s electricity, all delivered clean and emissions free.

“I believe Californians deserve a full accounting of both the costs and financial benefits of operating California’s largest source of clean energy,” Zawalick wrote. “The math is clear that keeping Diablo Canyon open through 2030 will not only ensure that California can keep the lights on without backsliding on its climate goals, it will also save customers $200 million per year on average—or more than $1 billion—over the duration of the extended operations period.”

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission noted two low-level regulatory violations during a recent inspection of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, which is currently undergoing decommissioning in Southern California. The violations involved the shipment of two reactor pressurizers from San Onfre to EnergySolutions’s disposal facility in Clive, Utah.

The NRC assigned the violations as Severity Level IV, the lowest severity level for violations of minor significance. Because of the nature of the violations, plant owner Southern California Edison (SCE) was not cited for the incident.

According to the NRC’s August 9 inspection report, other than the two violations, SCE and its decommissioning contractor, SONGS Decommissioning Solutions (SDS), were “found to be conducting activities in accordance with site procedures, license requirements, and applicable NRC regulations.” The NRC’s routine on-site inspection was conducted June 24–27, and the inspection report was made public on August 16.

What happened: According to the NRC inspection report, the rail transport carrying the pressurizers, which were being shipped to Clive as Class A waste, made a temporary stop at a rail yard in San Bernadino, Calif. On July 1, SCE was notified that the Unit 2 pressurizer was observed to be leaking liquid while at the rail yard. The leak was later determined to be reactor coolant system liquid containing low levels of radioactive cobalt-60 and cesium-137.

The Orange County Register reported on August 15 that radiological surveys found no detectable radioactivity above background levels on or around the transport package. The package was reported to have leaked about one drop every two minutes. After being detected, the leak was stopped and sealed, and the deck of the railcar was cleaned.

The pressurizers were returned to San Onofre, where it was discovered that the Unit 2 pressurizer contained about 190 gallons of reactor coolant system liquid.

The violations: According to the NRC, San Onofre failed to meet Department of Transportation requirements by shipping a package that was not properly closed and sealed to prevent the release of radioactive content.

In addition, the pressurizers were mistakenly shipped as “surface contaminated object” packages. Because the Unit 2 pressurizer contained internal liquid, it did not meet the definition of “surface contaminated object.” SCE and SDS also failed to properly drain the pressurizer to ensure no liquid remained in the component.

“Since the licensee placed the deficiency into its corrective action program and the safety significance of the issue was determined to be low, and because the violation was not willful or repetitive; these violations were treated as non-cited violations,” the NRC report states.

TerraPower has announced its selection of industry experts Sargent & Lundy to design the Kemmerer Training Center for its Natrium reactor demonstration project in Wyoming.

Sargent & Lundy will begin design work immediately, with the hope of completing construction on the training center in the fall of 2025. The 30,000-square-foot training center in Kemmerer, Wyo., will host all Natrium operation training activities for both the demonstration project and future plants.

The center will also house the Natrium training simulator, training classrooms, an auditorium, laboratories for electrical and instrumentation & control, mechanical and scientific laboratories, and more. It will also support all operator-accredited programs.

Quotable: “When we announced Kemmerer as the location for the first Natrium plant, we promised long-term, high-paying jobs to the community. I am excited that not only will the Natrium project bring permanent positions to operate Kemmerer Unit 1 but that TerraPower will continue to bring future Natrium operators from around the country to this cutting-edge training facility,” said TerraPower president and chief executive Chris Levesque in an August 15 press release. “Sargent & Lundy has over 100 years of expertise in creating high-tech facilities, and I know they’ll design a world-class training center at our site in Wyoming.”

A closer look: Sargent & Lundy is a global leader in full-service architect engineering design for the power industry, with nuclear power leadership dating as far back as the 1950s, when the company designed the world’s first boiling water reactor installation at Argonne National Laboratory.

The firm has designed more than 30 nuclear units and continues to engage heavily in the nuclear power industry by supporting the operating fleet as well as advanced reactor projects. It aims to build cutting-edge facilities to support the training and development of Kemmerer Power Station control room operators and staff.

About TerraPower: The company broke ground in June at the site of its planned Natrium reactor demonstration project in Wyoming, though license approval from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is still being reviewed.

Natrium is a first-of-its-kind commercial advanced reactor that will use liquid sodium instead of water as a coolant. According to TerraPower, the reactor features improved fuel utilization, enhanced safety features, and a streamlined plant layout that will require fewer overall materials to construct.

Kemmerer Unit 1 would operate as a 345-MW sodium-cooled reactor in conjunction with molten salt–based energy storage. The plant’s storage technology would enable boosting of the system’s output to 500 MWe—enough energy to power 400,000 homes—for more than five-and-a-half hours when needed to meet additional demand.

TerraPower plans to expand rapidly across the country, installing several more Natrium facilities to meet growing energy demand with clean, reliable nuclear power and energy storage.

Newly released nuclear power data for 2023 collected by the IAEA, paint a picture of a clean energy technology at a crossroads amid the emergence of a new global consensus to accelerate its deployment.

Electricity production from nuclear power rose by 2.6 per cent last year compared to 2022, according to the operating data provided by IAEA Member States to the Power Reactor Information System (PRIS) — the IAEA’s comprehensive and publicly available database on nuclear power. Nuclear power continued to generate almost 10 percent of the world’s electricity and a quarter of all low carbon electricity last year, according to the data, which are featured in two newly released annual IAEA publications: Nuclear Power Reactors in the World (RDS-2) and Operating Experience with Nuclear Power Stations in Member States (OPEX).

The USA remained the world’s top producer of nuclear electricity, followed by China and France. China continued to lead in newbuilds, beginning construction on five reactors. Newcomer Egypt started building its second reactor, according to the data, which showed the global fleet operating at nearly full strength with a median capacity factor of 88 per cent. While new grid connections were made at nuclear power plants in Belarus, China, Republic of Korea, Slovakia and the United States of America, reactors were shut down in Belgium, China and Germany.

The 2023 data come against the backdrop of growing global ambitions for nuclear technology amid an aging reactor fleet. More than two-thirds of reactors are at least 30 years old. In December 2023, in the historic first Global Stocktake at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai, the 198 signatory countries to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change called for accelerating the deployment of low-emission energy technologies including nuclear power for deep and rapid decarbonization, particularly in hard-to-abate sectors such as industry. In addition, more than 20 countries at COP28 pledged to work towards tripling global nuclear power capacity to reach net zero by 2050.

“IAEA data shows the global fleet of nuclear reactors continues to be a large and indispensable source of low-carbon electricity,” said IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi. “But it’s also clear that we will need to extend the lives of existing reactors, replace retiring facilities with new ones, and add a lot of new capacity so that global climate change and energy security goals can be reached.”

As of the end of December 2023, global operational nuclear power capacity was 371.5 GW(e), provided by 413 reactors in 31 countries. However, only 403 reactors, with a combined capacity of 364.5 GW(e), reported their electricity production to the IAEA. Twenty-five reactors remained in suspended operations throughout the year, despite being licenced for operation. This includes four reactors in India with a combined net capacity of 639 MW(e) and 21 reactors in Japan with a combined net capacity of around 21 000 MW(e). Japan restarted two reactors in 2023, Takahama-1 and Takahama-2, which had been in suspended operation since 2011.

Nuclear power capacity has remained at a consistent level over the past decade, with an additional 69.8 GW(e) nuclear capacity connected to the grid since the beginning of 2013. Over 79 per cent of this capacity growth occurred in Asia. China is still the fastest expanding nuclear power producer of the world, the reports on nuclear power reactors and operating experience show.

China currently has 56 nuclear power reactors in operation and a further 27 reactors currently under construction.

Background

The annual OPEX report underscores the IAEA's long-standing commitment as the custodian of the only officially collected and maintained data relating to nuclear power operating experience. As in previous years, the 55th edition of the report includes annual performance data, outage information, and statistical information on electricity production and the overall performance of individual nuclear power plants that were operational in 2023.

Nuclear Power Reactors in the World (RDS-2) is one of the IAEA’s most popular annual publications. It contains a summary of recent specification and performance data on nuclear reactors in IAEA Member States and technical data on reactors that are either planned, under construction, operational or that were shut down or decommissioned.

Both publications are entirely based on data submitted to IAEA by officially nominated national data providers and maintained in the Power Reactor Information System (PRIS), the world’s only authoritative and most comprehensive database on nuclear power.

Information and data received by the IAEA through 21 June 2024 are included in the 2023 highlights and in the OPEX and RDS-2 publications. Any modifications received at a later date, although not included in these publications, are available in the PRIS Statistics (PRISTA) online application.

A new heat exchanger set designed to meet projected increases in the temperature of Lake Michigan will be installed within the next 12 months to support the repowering of the Michigan plant.

Palisades draws its cooling water from the lake, but global warming means that the lake's bulk temperature - like the rest of the world's water reservoirs - has been increasing, and is expected to continue rising in the coming decades during its projected service life, Holtec said.

To meet the projected water temperature increase, the new unit needed to be more than twice as large in heat transfer surface area as the existing unit, but had to fit in the same space, which presented challenges for the system's developers.

"It was like asking to put two gallons of milk in a one-gallon carton," said Edward Bell, Director of Holtec's Heat Transfer Division.

The innovative design means the cooling system upgrade will require very little civil/structural work, which may reduce the project cost by more than 50% compared with the initial projection, the company said. The heat exchanger system is being manufactured at Holtec's fabrication plant in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Palisades was shut down in 2022, and was to be decommissioned. Holtec is now working to bring the 800 MWe pressurised water reactor back into service, aiming to repower it by the end of 2025. It would be the first nuclear power plant in the USA to return to commercial operations after being closed down, and current plans would see it provide baseload clean power until at least 2051.

China's State Council has approved five nuclear power projects - Xuwei Phase I, Lufeng Phase I, Zhaoyuan Phase I, San'ao Phase II and Bailong Phase I - with a total of 11 reactors.

China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) said Phase I of its Xuwei plant in Jiangsu project will be "the world's first to couple a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor with a pressurised water reactor". The plant will mainly supply industrial heating in addition to electricity. The project plans to build two Hualong One pressurised water reactors and one high-temperature gas-cooled reactor. The project will be equipped with a steam heat exchange station, which will adopt the heat-to-electricity operation mode for the first time.

The desalinated water will be heated by the primary steam of the Hualong One units to prepare saturated steam, and the primary steam of the high-temperature gas-cooled reactor will be used to heat the saturated steam for the second time.

"After completion, it will have both high-quality steam supply and power generation capabilities under the designed operating conditions," CNNC said. "After the project is completed and put into operation, it will supply 32.5 million tonnes of industrial steam annually, with a maximum power generation of more than 11.5 billion kilowatt-hours, which can reduce the use of standard coal by 7.26 million tonnes and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 19.6 million tonnes each year.

China General Nuclear (CGN) controlled companies have received approval to construct two Hualong One reactors as units 1 and 2 of the Zhaoyuan plant in Shandong province; two CAP1000 reactors as units 1 and 2 of the Lufeng plant in Guangdong province; and two Hualong Ones as units 3 and 4 of the San'ao plant in Zhejiang province. The company noted that Zhaoyuan Phase I "is the group's first nuclear power project in Shandong and its tenth nuclear power base".

"Currently, the company is carrying out various preparatory work for the construction of the above-mentioned units in an orderly manner, the full construction of which will begin when the Permit for Nuclear Power Station Construction has been obtained from the National Nuclear Safety Administration," CGN said in a statement to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

In addition, State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC) has been given approval for the construction of two CAP1000 pressurised water reactors as the first phase of the Bailong nuclear power plant. An investment of about CNY40 billion (USD5.6 billion) is planned for the two units, which are expected to take 56 months to construct. The company noted it is the first nuclear power plant developed by SPIC in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Four CAP1400 reactors are also planned to be built at the site in later phases.

From 2019 to 2023, the number of new reactors approved in China was six, four, five, 10 and 10 respectively, "showing an overall positive, safe and orderly development momentum", state-run China Energy News reported.

At its 19 August meeting, the State Council said that safety is the "lifeline" of nuclear power development. "We must continuously improve the level of nuclear power safety technology and risk prevention capabilities, strengthen safety supervision throughout the entire chain and in all areas, ensure that nuclear power is absolutely safe, and promote the long-term and healthy development of the industry," it said.

According to World Nuclear Association figures, China currently has 56 operable reactors with a total capacity of 54.3 GW. A further 30 reactors, with a total capacity of 32.5 GW, are under construction.

With the groundbreaking for its first nuclear joint venture project expected within the next two months, India’s largest power company has confirmed it intends to set up a nuclear power subsidiary and is actively looking for locations for plants.

NTPC Chairman and Managing Director, Gurdeep Singh told a meeting for analysts and investors at the end of July that India's largest power utility sees nuclear capacity - including small modular reactors (SMRs) - as central to its plans. He said nuclear energy developments were the "most important" of two major developments announced in the budget presented to the Indian Parliament by Minister of Finance Nirmala Sitharaman earlier in July (the other being advanced ultra-supercritical thermal power generation, in which state-owned NTPC is also involved as a joint venture partner).

"We had been working on the nuclear," Singh said. "Our first nuclear power project in Mahi Banswara in Rajasthan is likely to take the activities of groundbreaking in next two months. That is, as you know, that is joint venture with NPCIL. NPCIL is the lead partner; 51(%), we are 49(%).

"But I'm happy to share with all of you that we have already decided to make NTPC Nuclear Power Company, which will be a 100% subsidiary of NTPC. And we are looking forward for different sites in different states."

That search includes Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Karnataka, Singh said in answer to questions. Any site would need Atomic Energy Regulatory Board approval.

NTPC already has a team in place and "would like to repeat the same kind of success story" it had experienced with coal or thermal power stations, he said, adding that the capacity involved will be in the "tens of" gigawatts.

Referring to the plans outlined in the Indian budget to partner with the private sector to set up a company called Bharat Small Reactors, Singh said SMRs provide a "bigger and wider scope" in which NTPC plans to be involved.

"But at this stage you can just take it for granted that already things have started happening. It has taken some time. But now, the things are in place," he said.

Under Indian legislation, only two companies - Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) and Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited (BHAVINI, set up to build and operate fast reactors) - are legally allowed to own and operate nuclear power plants in India, but a 2016 amendment to the 1962 Atomic Energy Act allows public sector joint ventures.

State-owned NTPC - short for National Thermal Power Corporation - agreed with NPCIL to form a joint venture for nuclear power plant construction as long ago as 2011, and last year signed a supplementary joint venture agreement for the development of six 700 MWe Indian-designed pressurised heavy water (PHWR) reactors including the four earmarked for construction at Mahi Banswara. These units are amongst a list of ten PHWRs already accorded administrative approval and financial sanction to be built in "fleet mode".

Global nuclear electricity generation increased in 2023, despite a 1 GWe drop in overall capacity, to 392 GWe, of operable nuclear power plants, according to a new report from World Nuclear Association. Average capacity factors also rose during the year.

The latest annual World Nuclear Performance Report - the ninth in the series - says nuclear generation supplied more than 2600 TWh last year, up 58 TWh from 2022, and accounted for 9% of the world's electricity production. This increase was partly due to the return to service of French reactors after extended outages, contributing an additional 42 TWh.

The average capacity factor of nuclear reactors increased by 1%, reaching 81.5% in 2023, "highlighting the reliability delivered by nuclear energy to the grid", the report notes. Nuclear reactors have consistently achieved more than 80% capacity factors for the past 20 years. Reactor performance remains high regardless of age.

"The increase in generation, despite a drop in capacity, highlights the excellent performance and value delivered by nuclear energy to the grid," World Nuclear Association said.

Nuclear reactors helped avoid 2.1 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions in 2023 from equivalent coal generation - "that's more than the annual emissions of almost every individual country, with only China, India, and the USA having higher national CO2 emissions", the report notes.

There were 437 reactors in operation at the end of 2023 - the same as at the end of 2022 - with five reactors shutting down (Belgium's Tihange 2, Taiwan's Kuosheng 2 and Germany's Emsland, Isar 2 and Neckarwestheim 2) and five being connected to the grid (China's Fangchenggang 3, Slovakia's Mochovce 3, USA's Vogtle 3, Belarus's Ostrovets 2 and South Korea's Shin-Hanul 2) during the year.

Six new construction projects started in 2023, five of which were in China (Sanmen 4, Haiyang 4, Lufeng 6, Lianjiang 1 and Xudabao 1) and the other in Egypt (El Dabaa 3). Of the total 64 reactors currently under construction, more than two-thirds are in Asia, with 30 reactors under construction in China alone. Eastern Europe and Russia are second to Asia in terms of the number of units under construction.

At the COP28 climate change conference in Dubai in December 2023, nuclear energy received high-level recognition for the first time. Leaders from 25 governments signed a ministerial declaration committing to the tripling of global nuclear energy capacity to achieve net-zero by 2050.

"The World Nuclear Performance Report 2023 data and case studies illustrate the work being done to improve operational performance and make the most of the current nuclear fleet," said World Nuclear Association Director General Sama Bilbao y León.

"At the same time, a significant increase in new nuclear construction is necessary if the tripling goal is to be achieved. This level of construction depends on the nuclear industry rising above the financing, supply chain and regulatory challenges faced by new projects, particularly in the Western world."

She added: "The global nuclear reactor fleet has a proven track record of excellent performance. It is now time to build on that track record and significantly accelerate the pace of new nuclear construction.

"The industry is set for a major expansion, and we can expect more governments and companies to sign the declaration to triple global nuclear energy capacity. Additionally, we anticipate increased collaboration with other industries. Now is the time for the nuclear industry to capitalise on this momentum and deliver the full potential of nuclear energy for people and planet."

Mohamed Al Hammadi, Managing Director of Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation and Chair of World Nuclear Association, said: "The Performance Report is the authoritative stock-take for the performance of over 439 reactors that form the global fleet. With both nuclear energy generation and capacity factor rising in 2023, it is clear that nuclear energy is a proven, reliable and substantial generator of clean electricity for 36 countries today. With many more reactors under development and a further 64 under construction, we look forward to this growth to continue as part of the momentum to triple global nuclear energy capacity by 2050 to not only meet net-zero targets and boost national energy security, but to satisfy the huge wave of demand coming from energy intensive industries such as AI, data centers and electric vehicles.

"Now, further optimising the performance of reactors, extending the safe, reliable, and long-term operation of all units, as well as deploying new units are crucial steps in the re-emergence of civil nuclear energy in the race to net-zero power."

The report features three case studies including: the planned restart of the Palisades nuclear power plant in Michigan, which was shut down in May 2022 after more than 50 years of operation; the planned long-term operation of South Korean reactors; and a power uprate at unit 3 of the Czech Republic's Dukovany plant.