Minister elaborates on India's plan for ten new PHWRs

21 July 2017

Further details have been given about India's planned construction of ten indigenously designed pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWRs), which the cabinet approved in May. The reactors are to be built at four plant locations - including two new sites - by 2031.

On 17 May, the cabinet - chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi - approved the construction of ten 700 MWe units in a "significant decision to fast-track India's domestic nuclear power program". The cabinet's announcement did not give any timeline or locations for the new reactors, but said the project would result in a "significant augmentation" of the country's nuclear generation capacity.

In response to a question in India's lower house, the Lok Sabha, Atomic Energy Minister Jitendra Singh confirmed that the government had "accorded administrative approval and financial sanction" for the construction of the ten PHWRs.

Tepco study of unit 3 containment vessel under way

21 July 2017

Fukushima Daiichi 3 PCV investigation - July 2017 - 48Tokyo Electric Power Company has confirmed the presence of what could be molten fuel within the flooded primary containment vessel of unit 3 at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan. Similar surveys using robots have already been carried out at units 1 and 2 of the plant.

Ghanaian research reactor now set to run on LEU

20 July 2017

GHARR-1 fuel conversion - 48The conversion of Ghana's research reactor to run on low-enriched uranium (LEU) instead of highly-enriched uranium (HEU) has been completed. It is the first of five such Chinese-supplied reactors outside of China to be converted.

TVO gains further award in Olkiluoto arbitration

20 July 2017

Olkiluoto 3 - August 2016 - 48Finnish utility Teollisuuden Voima Oyj has been awarded a second final and binding partial award in the ongoing arbitration proceedings related to delays in the construction of the first-of-a-kind EPR unit at Olkiluoto. It follows the granting of a partial award to TVO last November.

India-Japan nuclear agreement enters into force

21 July 2017

Japan-India agreement enters into force - 48The nuclear cooperation agreement signed between India and Japan last November entered into force yesterday with the exchange of diplomatic notes. The agreement opens the door for India to import Japanese nuclear technology.

UK sees steady income from decommissioning work

20 July 2017

The UK's Nuclear Decommissioning Authority received more than GBP1.0 billion ($1.3 billion) of commercial income in the 2016/2017 financial year, which it says reduced the "net impact on the public purse" to GBP2.2 billion. According to its annual report and accounts, published yesterday, the exact figure was GBP1.025 billion, which was down from GBP1.094 billion in 2015/2016. Around 85% of its income, GBP612 million, came from the reprocessing and management of used fuel and waste.

Nuclear an 'unconditional part' of green energy balance

19 July 2017

Nuclear power has an essential role to play in achieving a 'carbon free' future, Rosatom deputy director-general Kirill Komarov said yesterday during the Expo-2017 conference in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Environmentalists appeal to Macron for nuclear

An open letter to French president Emmanuel Macron warned him that closing nuclear power plants would be a step backward for France.

The letter was signed by 45 activists, writers and academics spearheaded by eminent climate scientist James Hansen as well as Kerry Emanuel and Francois-Marie Breon, the lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fifth Assessment report.

"If France is to make investments in solar and wind similar to those of Germany, they should add to France's share of clean energy, not inadvertently reduce it," they wrote.

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World Nuclear Association Symposium 2017