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Issued by the World Nuclear Association
Leaders of the G7 countries have committed accelerate deployment of ‘zero emissions energy’ to achieve a decarbonized power system.
World Nuclear Association has today published a new White Paper calling upon policymakers and regulators to adopt a science-based, all-hazards risk assessment and management system that holistically evaluates the contributions of different energy sources and sets a level playing field.
Nuclear energy makes a “significant contribution” to the IEA's Net Zero Emissions scenario, and will provide an “essential foundation” in the transition to a net-zero energy system.
Ahead of the forthcoming IEA report on Net Zero, national and regional associations joined World Nuclear Association in calling for acceleration of the scale and timeframe for investment in new nuclear capacity
The Unit 1 reactor at the Barakah plant in the United Arab Emirates has successfully transitioned to full commercial operations.
World Nuclear Association
Published: Thu, 17 Jun 2021 12:18:27 GMT
Unit 5 of the Hongyanhe nuclear power plant in China's Liaoning province has attained a sustained chain reaction for the first time. The 1080 MWe domestically-designed ACPR1000 pressurised water reactor is expected to be connected to the grid later this year, after which it will enter commercial operation.
Published: Thu, 17 Jun 2021 13:28:07 GMT
Canadian company General Fusion is to build and operate a plant to demonstrate its nuclear fusion technology at UKAEA's Culham Campus near Oxford in the UK. The Fusion Demonstration Plant will pave the way for a commercial pilot plant using Magnetised Target Fusion technology and is expected to begin operations in 2025.
Published: Thu, 17 Jun 2021 09:41:24 GMT
Preserving the existing fleet of nuclear plants, driving the development of advanced reactors and investing in nuclear R&D are all essential to the USA's clean energy transition, Jennifer Granholm, secretary of the US Department of Energy, stressed this week. Speaking at the annual general meeting of the American Nuclear Society, Granholm told nuclear industry workers and students watching the webinar: "We need you".
Published: Wed, 16 Jun 2021 13:52:03 GMT
One of Europe's largest battery energy storage systems is to be built at the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant in Finland under a contract signed by Teollisuuden Voima Oyj and Hitachi ABB Power Grids. The 90 MWe system will act as a fast-start backup power source to ensure the stability of the country's energy network in the event of an unplanned shutdown of the Olkiluoto 3 EPR unit, currently being commissioned at the site.
Published: Wed, 16 Jun 2021 12:56:24 GMT
An increase in the concentration of noble gases in the primary circuit of the Taishan 1 EPR is related to a few damaged fuel rods, China's National Nuclear Safety Administration confirmed today. It said the increase is "a common phenomenon" and is still in accordance with the requirements of the plant's operating technical specifications. Earlier this week, France's Framatome - which designed the EPR - said the unit was experiencing a "performance issue".
Published: Wed, 16 Jun 2021 11:49:07 GMT
The European Organisation for Nuclear Research has completed the acceptance testing of Russian-made niobium-tin superconductors made as part of the Future Circular Collider CERN Conductor Development Programme. TVEL, the nuclear fuel manufacturer subsidiary of Russia's Rosatom, said the high performance of the wire fully complies with the CERN specification.
Published: Wed, 16 Jun 2021 10:39:03 GMT
The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation has marked four years and more than 100 million safe man-hours without a Lost Time Injury at the Barakah nuclear power plant. ENEC says the milestone sets a new benchmark for industrial safety for nuclear new-build projects around the world.
Published: Tue, 15 Jun 2021 14:42:19 GMT
Europe must take action to maintain the current level of medical radioisotopes supply, according to a joint position paper from Foratom, the European nuclear trade body, and Nuclear Medicine Europe, which represents pharmaceutical and imaging equipment companies in the field of nuclear medicine. They say the European Union should promote new research reactor capacity along with innovation in the sector and the design modification of the current fleet.
Published: Tue, 15 Jun 2021 13:11:37 GMT
The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved a licence amendment that will allow Centrus Energy Corp to produce high-assay, low-enriched uranium at its Piketon enrichment facility. Centrus expects to begin demonstrating HALEU production at the facility in Ohio early next year.
Published: Tue, 15 Jun 2021 11:50:05 GMT
Nuclear experts at The University of Manchester have identified the eight actions required to assess objectively the role of nuclear in the UK's net-zero future. Their position paper Nuclear energy for net zero: a strategy for action determines what policymakers and industry need to explore in order to take an informed decision based on a 'best economics' basis. This includes the development of advisory bodies, non-partisan modelling of the economic path, and the optimisation of R&D programmes.
Published: Mon, 14 Jun 2021 14:18:22 GMT
Unit 1 of the Taishan nuclear power plant is operating at full power and there has been no release of radiation at the plant or in the surrounding area, China General Nuclear announced yesterday following media reports of a leak at the plant in China's Guangdong province. France's EDF, which holds a 30% stake in the two-unit plant, said it had been informed of an increase in the concentration of certain noble gases in the EPR reactor's primary circuit.
Published: Mon, 14 Jun 2021 11:59:06 GMT
The International Atomic Energy Agency has provided an update on Kenya's progress since its 2015 Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review mission. INIR missions enable IAEA member states to have in-depth discussions with international experts about the conditions and best international practices in the development of a nuclear power programme.
Published: Mon, 14 Jun 2021 10:44:03 GMT
The Group of Seven countries will lead a technology-driven transition to net zero, according to a joint statement at the end of their three-day summit in Cornwall, England. The G7 is an inter-governmental political forum consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the USA. As host of the first in-person G7 Summit in almost two years, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson asked the other leaders "to seize the opportunity to fight and build back better from coronavirus, uniting to make the future fairer, greener and more prosperous".
Published: Fri, 11 Jun 2021 15:11:08 GMT
A Canadian innovation organisation has launched a new study into the role of nuclear power in supporting a growing hydrogen economy. The Nuclear Innovation Institute study will be the first of its kind in Canada to evaluate the technical viability and business case for hydrogen production from emissions-free nuclear power.
Published: Fri, 11 Jun 2021 14:04:42 GMT
The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute and shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industries have announced plans to work together on the development of a molten salt reactor for marine propulsion and floating nuclear power plants. Samsung Heavy Industries is also carrying out R&D into using ammonia and hydrogen to power ships in efforts to find alternative, low-emission propulsion options.
Published: Fri, 11 Jun 2021 11:44:24 GMT
Westinghouse and Energoatom have signed a VVER-440 fuel supply contract fuel for the Rovno nuclear power plant in Ukraine. The contract - for the development and delivery of licensing documentation - was signed yesterday by Energoatom Acting President Petro Kotin and Westinghouse Vice President and Managing Director Northern and Eastern Europe Aziz Dag, at the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine, in the presence of Minister of Energy Herman Halushchenko.
Published: Fri, 11 Jun 2021 11:19:04 GMT
Rosatom will soon submit to the Russian government its plan to invest RUB506 billion (USD7 billion) in new nuclear technologies by 2030, according to Kommersant. Of this, RUB150 billion will be from the state budget. The plan, dubbed 'New Atomic Energy', was presented for assessment to the working group of the State Council on Energy. If approved, it would be included in the government's socio-economic development strategy for the next decade, the newspaper says.
Published: Thu, 10 Jun 2021 20:32:01 GMT
Canada's largest oil sands producers have formed an alliance that aims to work with federal and provincial government to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from their operations by 2050. The Oil Sands Pathways to Net Zero initiative will, amongst other things, evaluate and accelerate the application of emerging emissions-reducing technologies including small modular nuclear reactors.
Published: Thu, 10 Jun 2021 15:24:52 GMT
Annual investment in clean energy in emerging and developing economies will need to increase sevenfold by 2030 if the world is to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, according to a new report from the International Energy Agency. Financing Clean Energy Transitions in Emerging and Developing Economies is a collaboration between the IEA, the World Bank and World Economic Forum.
Published: Thu, 10 Jun 2021 14:54:09 GMT
Unit 1 of the first nuclear power plant to be built in Belarus was put into commercial operation today, Russia's Rosatom has announced. The milestone took place following the transfer of the 'acceptance certificate', signed by the general designer and general contractor of the project - Rosatom subsidiary AtomStroyExport - to the customer, Belarusian NPP. ASE. is responsible for the "operability" of the power unit equipment during the unit's warranty period, Rosatom said.
Published: Thu, 10 Jun 2021 14:29:55 GMT
Solar and wind power have the same share of low-carbon electricity globally that they did 20 years ago, proving that they need to work together with nuclear energy for net zero to be achievable, John Gorman, president & CEO of the Canadian Nuclear Association, told delegates at the Nuclear Energy Assembly yesterday. Gorman was speaking in the panel discussion Nuclear Energy: A Tool for Meeting Global Goals at the US Nuclear Energy Institute event. The panel was moderated by Carol Berrigan, NEI's executive director for Federal Programs and Supplier Relationships.
Published: Tue, 15 Jun 2021 12:05:24 GMT
The possible roles of advanced nuclear energy in meeting the UK’s legally binding net zero by 2050 target are not well understood and need to be clarified urgently, write Francis Livens, Gregg Butler, Juan Matthews and William Bodel of The University of Manchester’s Dalton Nuclear Institute.
Published: Thu, 10 Jun 2021 13:06:02 GMT
The Nuclear Saves Partnerships are an opportunity for companies to support the International Atomic Energy Agency in transferring nuclear science and technology to countries to improve the health and prosperity of millions of people around the world, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi told delegates at the Nuclear Energy Assembly yesterday. The three-day virtual event was hosted by the US Nuclear Energy Institute.
Published: Wed, 09 Jun 2021 15:48:34 GMT
New nuclear technologies will be needed alongside existing nuclear plants and renewables as the USA transitions to a carbon-free future, but they will continue to need legislative support at the federal and state level, utility leaders said during the opening session of the Nuclear Energy Institute's Nuclear Energy Assembly this week.
Published: Wed, 09 Jun 2021 14:21:00 GMT
The pace of the clean energy transition was debated last week during the St Petersburg International Economic Forum. Panellists in the session Energy Sector Transformations discussed how the rapid growth in energy consumption, together with increasingly pressing requirements to protect the environment, are creating new development scenarios at a time of transformation for the global fuel and energy sector.
Published: Tue, 08 Jun 2021 07:51:14 GMT
For small modular reactors to play their part in the clean energy transition, it is crucial that vendors and regulators engage early to clarify the degree of design maturity required to start the licensing process, according to a new report published today by World Nuclear Association. National regulators should collaborate through bilateral and multinational agreements on design and safety reviews, share technical reviews, establish common positions on safety criteria, and make appropriate use of existing reference SMR design reviews to streamline SMR licensing processes, it says.
Published: Tue, 08 Jun 2021 15:52:43 GMT
Canadian company Kinectrics has announced plans to design, build and operate a collaborative clean energy innovation campus, Helius, which will amongst other things provide infrastructure needed to support the development, testing and commercialisation of small modular reactors. The new campus is to be sited alongside Kinectrics’ existing laboratories in Toronto, Ontario.
Published: Tue, 08 Jun 2021 14:18:12 GMT
Japan's Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation announced today it has completed the manufacture of the first of four toroidal field coils it is supplying to the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor project. Nine of ITER's 18 toroidal field coils, plus a spare, are being fabricated in Europe with the other nine being made in Japan. Gigantic superconducting magnets, they will generate the magnetic cage to contain the ITER fusion reactor's plasma.
Published: Tue, 08 Jun 2021 12:54:31 GMT
NNL, the UK’s national laboratory for nuclear fission, has today launched its new Strategic Plan: This is NNL. With legally binding targets in the UK to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, and more than 120 other countries moving towards the same goal, it is "impossible to overestimate the scale of the challenge ahead", NNL said.
Published: Tue, 08 Jun 2021 12:07:34 GMT
Russian nuclear fuel manufacturer TVEL has announced the start of construction of a 300 MW nuclear power unit enabled with the innovative BREST-OD-300 lead-cooled fast reactor at the site of the Siberian Chemical Combine, in Seversk. The reactor will run on mixed uranium-plutonium nitride fuel, specially developed for this facility as the "optimal solution" for fast reactors.
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