New Nuclear

Taishan 2 steam generator ready

Warwick Pipe — Thu, 23 May 2013 09:10:40 GMT

The first Chinese-made steam generator for an EPR has been completed and is being transported to unit 2 of the Taishan plant in the country's Guangdong province.

Fast reactor developer licensed to build

Warwick Pipe — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:50:15 GMT

Russia's AKME-Engineering is now licensed to provide construction services for nuclear power plants, in preparation for the construction of a pilot heavy metal-cooled reactor.

Gift of salt for Czech research program

Warwick Pipe — Mon, 20 May 2013 15:04:30 GMT

A Czech nuclear research institute has received a shipment of fluoride salt from the US Department of Energy. The Řež research institute is conducting studies into the use of the salt as a coolant in high-temperature nuclear reactors.

Contract to lay out new Wylfa plant

Warwick Pipe — Thu, 16 May 2013 15:50:21 GMT

Work to develop the design of Horizon Nuclear Power's proposed new plant at Wylfa in the UK is set to start.

Building steam in Chinese nuclear

Jeremy Gordon — Fri, 10 May 2013 16:02:08 GMT

Steam generators have been installed at new nuclear power reactors in Ningde and Fangjiashan in Fujian and Zhejiang provinces respectively.

Kundankulam's public interest ruling

Jeremy Gordon — Wed, 08 May 2013 15:17:37 GMT

A panel of two judges at India's Supreme Court has concluded that the Kudankulam nuclear power plant is vital for the country's economic growth and dismissed widespread public apprehension at the project as having 'no basis'.

First selection of Atmea1 nuclear reactor

Jeremy Gordon — Fri, 03 May 2013 17:25:17 GMT

Turkey stands to be the first country to use the Atmea1 reactor design by Areva and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. An accord signed today could see four of the units deployed at Sinop in the early 2020s.

Harris expansion plans put on hold

Warwick Pipe — Fri, 03 May 2013 15:45:44 GMT

Duke Energy has suspended plans to construct two new reactors at its existing Shearon Harris plant in North Carolina due to slower growth in electricity demand than previously expected.

NINA falls foul of foreign ownership law

Warwick Pipe — Thu, 02 May 2013 15:06:29 GMT

Plans for two new reactors at the South Texas Project (STP) are facing a new hurdle after US regulators determined that licence applicant Nuclear Innovation North America (NINA) does not meet statutory requirements on foreign ownership.

ESBWR back as proposed North Anna unit

Warwick Pipe — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 15:47:00 GMT

Dominion has reverted to GE-Hitachi's Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (ESBWR) as the favoured technology for the proposed third unit at its North Anna plant in Virginia.

Kudankulam valve replacement

Jeremy Gordon — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 15:56:26 GMT

Commissioning work has been delayed at unit 1 of India's new Kudankulam nuclear power plant with the replacement of four valves in the passive core cooling system.

Ningde 1 goes commercial

Jeremy Gordon — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 15:52:15 GMT

The first unit at the Ningde nuclear power plant in China's Fujian province is now operating commercially. It is one of four Chinese-designed CPR-1000 pressurized water reactors that will operate at the site.

Butkevičius negotiates on Visaginas

Jeremy Gordon — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 14:44:32 GMT

Lithuania's optimal power mix would include nuclear along with a range of other sources, said new prime minister Algirdas Butkevičius, but the Visaginas project's economics are critical and need the buy-in of local partners.

AtomEnergoMash reactors for Ostrovets

Jeremy Gordon — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 15:48:06 GMT

Russia's AtomEnergoMash will supply the reactor pressure vessels, reactor internals, and core catchers for two VVER-1200 units that are to be built as part of Belarus's first nuclear power plant at Ostrovets.

SMR funding signed, sealed and delivered

Claire Maden — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 15:56:11 GMT

A formal agreement with the US Department of Energy (DoE) means that Babcock & Wilcox (B&W) mPower can access the first $79 million of federal funding under a government program to accelerate commercialization of small modular reactors (SMRs).

Chinese units get their steam generators

Warwick Pipe — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 15:30:57 GMT

The installation of steam generators is underway at two new nuclear power reactors in China: unit 3 of the Ningde plant and unit 2 of the Fangjiashan plant.

UK starts ABWR design assessment

Warwick Pipe — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 15:13:40 GMT

The generic design assessment for Hitachi-GE's Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (ABWR) has officially begun with the signature of agreements by the company and UK nuclear regulators.

Another option for Hanhikivi

Warwick Pipe — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 11:34:09 GMT

Fennovoima has invited Rosatom to participate in "direct negotiations" on the supply of a mid-sized AES-2006 reactor for its planned Hanhikivi plant in Finland. Toshiba's larger EU-ABWR is also under consideration.

Small fast reactor simulator commissioned

Warwick Pipe — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 16:58:09 GMT

A training simulator for the SVBR-100 metal-cooled integral fast reactor being developed in Russia has entered operation. A pilot unit is scheduled to start up in 2017.

Polar crane installed at Haiyang

Warwick Pipe — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 16:06:48 GMT

The bridge of the polar crane for unit 1 of the Haiyang nuclear power plant in China's Shandong province has been raised into position near the top of the AP1000 reactor building.

Barakah containment liner assembly starts

Warwick Pipe — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 13:26:54 GMT

Installation has started of the sections of the containment liner plate in the reactor building for unit 1 of the United Arab Emirates' Barakah nuclear power plant.

Chashma 3 gets its dome

David Hess — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 17:03:22 GMT

The first of two reactors being constructed in the Punjab region of Pakistan by Chinese companies has passed a significant milestone with the emplacement of its dome.

US watchdog issues MOX plant snapshot

Warwick Pipe — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 16:40:08 GMT

A mixed oxide (MOX) fuel plant under construction at Savannah River as part of the USA's plutonium disposition program is likely to start up three years later than originally planned, the US Government Accountability Office has suggested in published testimony.

Heavy components in at Haiyang

Jeremy Gordon — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 16:03:55 GMT

Heavy components have been installed at China's Haiyang 1 - both steam generators and the reactor vessel head - completing the main parts of the new AP1000 unit's primary circuit.

UK new nuclear 'ready to go'

Jeremy Gordon — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 16:37:55 GMT

Planning permission for two reactors to be built at Hinkley Point C was granted today. This is the last major consent EDF Energy needs to build Britain's first new nuclear power plant in 25 years.

Second new US reactor in a week under way

Jeremy Gordon — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 17:03:54 GMT

Construction has officially begun on a new reactor at the Vogtle power plant in Georgia. It is the second AP1000 construction to start in America this week. Westinghouse CEO Danny Roderick said it had been "a week of momentous progress."

Second round of SMR funding announced

Warwick Pipe — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 17:51:19 GMT

The US government has announced another funding opportunity to help industry design and certify small modular reactors (SMRs).

Regulator rejects Calvert Cliffs challenge

Warwick Pipe — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 16:49:03 GMT

Unistar's application to build a new reactor in Maryland remains on partial hold after US regulators upheld an earlier ruling that the company's foreign ownership precludes it from obtaining a nuclear licence in the USA.

Construction officially starts at Summer

Warwick Pipe — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 16:47:22 GMT

Safety-related concrete has been poured for the basemat of the first of two AP1000 units at the VC Summer plant in South Carolina. The milestone marks the official start of construction of the USA's first new reactor in 30 years.

Application in for next two Barakah units

Warwick Pipe — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 14:30:23 GMT

An application for the construction of units 3 and 4 at the new Barakah plant in the UAE has been submitted by the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation to the country's nuclear regulator.

Russian construction milestones

Warwick Pipe — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 16:19:06 GMT

Construction work continues at various new nuclear power plant projects in Russia, with several milestones - including the delivery of major pieces of equipment - having recently been achieved.

Fennovoima selects Toshiba but keeps options open

Warwick Pipe — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 17:48:15 GMT

Finland's Fennovoima has launched a study into the possibility of building a mid-sized nuclear reactor at Hanhikivi despite inviting Toshiba to take part in "direct negotiations" about proposals for a 1600 MWe boiling water reactor at the site.

Reactor vessel installed at Yangjiang 2

Warwick Pipe — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 16:38:50 GMT

The reactor pressure vessel has been lowered into place at unit 2 of the Yangjiang nuclear power plant, under construction in China's Guangdong province. The reactor is set to start operating next year.

Japan-Kazakhstan cooperation moves to next level

Warwick Pipe — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 16:11:20 GMT

A new memorandum of understanding signed by two Japanese companies and Kazakhstan's national nuclear centre will see technical cooperation towards the introduction of a nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan taken to the next level.

First Hongyanhe unit connected to the grid

Warwick Pipe — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 15:48:03 GMT

Unit 1 of the Hongyanhe plant in Liaoning province in northeast China has been connected to the electricity grid. The reactor is expected to enter commercial operation later this year.

TVO prepares for further Olkiluoto 3 delay

Warwick Pipe — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 16:21:32 GMT

Finnish utility Teollisuuden Voima Oyj (TVO) said that it is "preparing for the possibility" that the third unit at Olkiluoto may not start operating until 2016. Last year it said that the EPR had been delayed beyond 2014.

Turbine contract for heavy metal SMR

Warwick Pipe — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 17:38:57 GMT

Russian plans to build a metal-cooled small modular fast reactor have taken a step forward with the signing of contracts to develop, manufacture and supply steam turbines for both experimental and commercial units.

Five designs compete for next Olkiluoto build

Jeremy Gordon — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 16:57:17 GMT

All invited bidders have submitted proposals for a new reactor at the Olkiluoto power plant, said owner TVO. The competition is between Areva, GE-Hitachi, KHNP, Mitsubishi and Toshiba.

Dialogue on replacement Ringhals units

Warwick Pipe — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 16:28:02 GMT

Swedish utility Vattenfall will meet with officials from the municipality of Varberg, where the Ringhals nuclear power plant is located, for initial discussions on the potential construction of new reactors there.

Yangjiang steam generators arrive on site

Jeremy Gordon — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 16:17:10 GMT

A delivery this month completed the journey of three steam generators from the Lingang manufacturing plant near Shanghai to the Yangjiang nuclear power plant site.