World Nuclear News

Sizewell C could use recycled uranium

Mon, 06 Dec 2021 14:39:28 GMT

EDF Energy will 'get on with' work to construct two EPR units at Sizewell C in Suffolk, UK, as soon as it receives government permission, which could come within six months, said the project's director of financing, Julia Pyke. She added that the company is working to fuel the reactors with recycled uranium.

Barsebäck reactor vessel dismantled

Mon, 06 Dec 2021 14:27:49 GMT

Nukem Technologies has completed cutting up the pressure vessel of the Barsebäck 1 reactor in Sweden. The company said its two-stage thermal cutting technique would be refined and used on Barsebäck 2 as well as Oskarshamn 1 and 2.

Sheffield Forgemasters to supply Rolls-Royce SMR forgings

Mon, 06 Dec 2021 14:11:51 GMT

A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between Rolls-Royce SMR Limited and Sheffield Forgemasters to jointly explore commercial mechanisms for a long-term collaboration on the supply of forgings to the Rolls-Royce UK small modular reactor fleet. A Rolls-Royce-led UK SMR consortium aims to build up to 10 SMRs by 2035.

UK selects HTGR for advanced reactor demonstration

Fri, 03 Dec 2021 16:36:29 GMT

The UK will build a high-temperature gas reactor as the centrepiece of its Advanced Modular Reactor Research, Development & Demonstration Programme, energy minister Greg Hands has confirmed. "I'm pleased to announce that we will focus on HTGRs as the technology choice for the programme moving forward," he told the Nuclear2021 conference organised in London by the Nuclear Industry Association yesterday. His statement served as a confirmation of the technology, which had emerged as the UK government's preference after a round of consultations earlier this year.

Japanese reactor restarted following prolonged outage

Fri, 03 Dec 2021 14:19:44 GMT

Shikoku Electric Power Company restarted unit 3 of its Ikata nuclear power plant in Japan's Ehime Prefecture yesterday. The reactor - one of the few to have been restarted since the March 2011 accident at the Fukushima Daiichi plant - had been offline since December 2019 due to a periodic inspection and a subsequent court injunction.

Initial phase of Qinshan district heating project commissioned

Fri, 03 Dec 2021 12:33:01 GMT

The first phase of a district heating demonstration project at the Qinshan nuclear power plant in China's southern Zhejiang Province has today been commissioned, China National Nuclear Corporation announced. With a total investment of about CNY940 million (USD148 million), the project entered its trial operation phase on 15 November.

Assystem to cooperate with Naarea on micro-reactor

Fri, 03 Dec 2021 15:44:25 GMT

French engineering group Assystem has signed a cooperation agreement with newly-created French micro-reactor developer Naarea to build its ultra-compact eXtra Small Modular Reactor (XSMR). Dassault Systèmes is to supply Naarea with a cloud-based platform on which to virtually design the 1 to 40 MW molten salt reactor. Naarea expects the first units of XSMR to be produced by 2030.

NuScale SMR plants become VOYGR

Fri, 03 Dec 2021 14:49:29 GMT

NuScale Power's small modular reactor power plants are to be named VOYGR, the company has announced. The company is working towards commercialising the technology and aims to be ready to deliver the first VOYGR plant to public power consortium Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems' Carbon Free Power Project by the end of the decade.

OPG chooses BWRX-300 SMR for Darlington new build

Thu, 02 Dec 2021 16:25:47 GMT

Ontario Power Generation has selected the BWRX-300 small modular reactor for the Darlington new nuclear site, and will work with GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy to deploy the reactor. Canada's first commercial, grid-scale, SMR could be completed as early as 2028.

MoU aims to produce Co-60 in French PWRs

Thu, 02 Dec 2021 17:14:28 GMT

Westinghouse Electric Company and EDF have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to produce cobalt-60 in selected pressurised water reactors owned and operated by EDF in France. The agreement is the first step towards production in Europe of the radioisotope for medical uses, the companies said.

Framatome and Rosatom expand cooperation

Thu, 02 Dec 2021 15:15:36 GMT

France's Framatome and Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom have signed a new strategic cooperation agreement further expanding the companies' efforts to develop fuel fabrication and instrumentation and control technologies. The new agreement expands the companies' existing relationship, established through a 2017 Memorandum of Understanding, creating a framework for joint work in new areas.

IAEA finds commitment to safety at Belleville plant

Thu, 02 Dec 2021 13:24:57 GMT

EDF has demonstrated commitment to safety at its Belleville nuclear power plant in central France by introducing additional methods to prepare for accident management and using innovative approaches in the training of plant staff, an expert team from the International Atomic Energy Agency has concluded. The team also identified areas for further enhancement, for example in operation, maintenance and operating experience.

USA relaunches used fuel management programme

Wed, 01 Dec 2021 16:21:31 GMT

The US Department of Energy has issued a request for information to help it create a consent-based approach to siting an interim storage site for US used nuclear fuel. The move represents a re-start of the federal programme after plans for a repository at Yucca Mountain were dropped in 2009.

France may need to postpone reactor closures, says IEA

Wed, 01 Dec 2021 14:16:19 GMT

The French government will need to take important decisions to ensure the country gets on track to meet its 2050 net-zero emissions goal, particularly in terms of plans to modernise its nuclear power fleet, according to the International Energy Agency. It said the country may need to delay the planned closure of its 12 oldest reactors by 2035 in order to ensure sufficient supply due to the slow pace of growth in renewable energy.

Two 'firsts' for Canadian reactor refurbishments

Wed, 01 Dec 2021 15:31:17 GMT

The disassembly phase of Ontario Power Generation's refurbishment of Darlington unit 3 has now been completed and the reassembly phase has begun, the company said yesterday. The disassembly of the reactor included the world's first use of a combined pressure and calandria tube removal technique. Separately, an automated process to install and inspect calandria tubes is to be used in the refurbishment of Bruce Power's Bruce 3 in another industry 'first'.

Speech: UK is 'on a mission for fission'

Mon, 06 Dec 2021 11:34:47 GMT

Net-zero needs nuclear, UK minister for Energy, Clean Growth and Climate Change Greg Hands told the country's industry at the Nuclear Industry Association's Nuclear2021 conference in London last week in a strong message of support. The following is the text of his speech.

IAEA team reviews Kalinin safety

Tue, 30 Nov 2021 18:05:01 GMT

Russia's Kalinin nuclear power plant shows a commitment to safety, said a team assembled by the International Atomic Energy Agency, which took some new practices away to share with the global industry.

Joint venture to develop GeoMelt vitrification technology

Wed, 01 Dec 2021 15:52:56 GMT

France's EDF and water, waste and energy management company Veolia will early next year create a joint venture - to be known as Waste2Glass - to develop Veolia's GeoMelt vitrification technology. The partners hope to extend the application of the technology beyond high-level radioactive waste.

Game on for nuclear, declares Bilbao y León

Tue, 30 Nov 2021 16:13:35 GMT

Nuclear energy offers a "golden opportunity" to create a cleaner and more equitable world, World Nuclear Association Director General Sama Bilbao y León said today at the World Nuclear Exhibition in Paris. However, she noted there are three major challenges hindering the nuclear industry in making its full potential contribution towards sustainable development and combatting climate change: financing, perception and regulation.

Atucha 1 works towards long-term operation

Tue, 30 Nov 2021 17:15:52 GMT

Nucleoelectrica Argentina has been given feedback on its preparation of Atucha 1 for long-term operation by an International Atomic Energy Agency team. It is the third such mission at the request of the Argentinian government.

Drilling completed at first Canadian repository candidate site

Tue, 30 Nov 2021 15:46:13 GMT

Canada's Nuclear Waste Management Organization has completed borehole drilling work at Ignace, which is being studied as a possible host area for a deep geological repository for Canada's used nuclear fuel. Some 6 km of rock has been retrieved during the four-year drilling programme.

First Hunterston B reactor enters retirement

Mon, 29 Nov 2021 15:35:45 GMT

Hunterston B Reactor 3 - a 490 MWe advanced gas-cooled reactor - was taken offline for the final time at midday on 26 November, marking the end of 46 years of operation. Its twin - Hunterston B Reactor 4 - is scheduled to shut down in January, which will see the end of power generation for the site in North Ayrshire, Scotland.

South Australian site to host national radwaste facility

Mon, 29 Nov 2021 12:54:39 GMT

Napandee near Kimba in South Australia has been formally selected as the location of a national low and medium-level radioactive waste facility. Under the relevant legislation, the declaration today by Australia's Minister for Resources and Water Keith Pitt has the effect of the Commonwealth acquiring about 211 hectares of land for the purpose of hosting the National Radioactive Waste Management Facility.

Spanish uranium project denied authorisation

Mon, 29 Nov 2021 16:34:24 GMT

Spain's Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge has rejected Berkeley Energia's authorisation to build a uranium processing plant at the company's Salamanca project in western Spain. The company has questioned the legality of the decision.

Pressure vessel segmented at Bohunice

Mon, 29 Nov 2021 15:56:51 GMT

A milestone was reached in the decommissioning of Slovakia's Bohunice V1 reactor when Javys completed cutting up its pressure vessel. Most of the component has been disposed of as low-level radioactive waste.

First contract signed for Cernavoda completion

Fri, 26 Nov 2021 15:46:40 GMT

A year-long, CAD8.4 million (USD6.6 million) contract will see Canada's Candu Energy prepare the licensing basis for two new Candu pressurised heavy water reactors at Romania's Cernavoda nuclear power plant. The signing was celebrated by the governments of Romania and Canada, as well as the USA.

Calls for Diablo Canyon shut down to be reconsidered

Fri, 26 Nov 2021 15:05:08 GMT

The premature shutdown of Diablo Canyon units 1 and 2 will "inflict grave harm to California's economy and environment," according to the American Nuclear Society. The closure of California's last remaining nuclear power plant will cause more grid instability and rolling blackouts for the state because Diablo Canyon reliably supplies about 10% of in-state power, it says. Former US energy secretaries Steven Chu and Ernest Moniz have also called for the decision to shut down the plant to be reassessed.

NNL and DNV team up for nuclear-derived hydrogen study

Fri, 26 Nov 2021 15:23:07 GMT

The UK's National Nuclear Laboratory and Norwegian assurance and risk management provider DNV are partnering to explore the potential use of advanced nuclear technologies for the conversion of UK gas networks to hydrogen. The collaboration will enable both the nuclear and gas sectors to gain a deeper understanding of priorities and assess barriers and next steps on aspects including regulation, safety, siting and economics.

Tehran negotiations 'inconclusive': Grossi

Thu, 25 Nov 2021 17:13:30 GMT

Negotiations to address outstanding nuclear verification issues in Iran have so far been inconclusive, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said yesterday. Negotiations among parties to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action - Iran and five world powers - are expected to resume in Vienna next week.

US study charts shifting nuclear attitudes

Thu, 25 Nov 2021 16:46:01 GMT

Support for nuclear energy is on the rise in the USA, according to the latest study of US attitudes to energy carried out by environmental non-profit ecoAmerica. The American Climate Perspectives Survey found notable shifts in understanding and support for several energy sources, the group said, with strong support for clean energy coupled with the need for education on the energy-climate connection.