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Issued by the World Nuclear Association
Nuclear energy can play a key role in the post-COVID strategic recovery by boosting economic growth. It supports - in a cost-effective manner - the development of a low-carbon, resilient electricity infrastructure and creates jobs and economic development in the long-term.
World Nuclear Association Director General Agneta Rising said, “The IEA report is right to conclude that a coordinated policy effort will be needed to harvest opportunities including moving towards a more modern, cleaner and resilient energy sector for all.”
Barakah unit 1has received its operating license, giving the go-ahead for 60 years of operations. Agneta Rising, Director General, World Nuclear Association commented, “This is a big step towards the start-up of Barakah, which will soon supply clean and reliable electricity to the UAE for generations to come.”
The increase in nuclear generation globally seen in 2019 helped avoid an additional 50 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions (50 MtCO2), according to data released yesterday by the IEA. "The challenge of climate change is so immense that we cannot afford to exclude low-carbon technologies" according to International Energy Agency (IEA) Executive Director, Fatih Birol.
The two barge-mounted reactors onboard Akademik Lomonosov have started providing electricity to the coastal town of Pevek in Russia. This marks the official start of operations for the world’s first small modular reactors and makes today a historic one for the global nuclear industry.
Background information on topical issues
Agneta Rising's speech at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) International Conference on Climate Change and the Role of Nuclear Power, in Vienna on October 2019, highlighted the need for governments to take action to create the conditions needed to allow nuclear energy to deliver its potential.
Agneta Rising's speech looking back on progress made by the nuclear industry, and looking ahead to future opportunities. The speech was to mark the NEA's 60th anniversary.
Full text of speech made by Agneta Rising to the Energy Commission Members of the Bulgarian Parliament on 25 January 2018.
Germany is projected to miss its 2020 emissions reduction target because it has prioritised closing nuclear plants ahead of closing coal plants.
Although peak generation from solar briefly exceeded generation from nuclear energy on 26 May 2017 in the UK, over the whole day nuclear generated considerably more low carbon electricity. Expanding nuclear offers greater potential for emissions savings.
World Nuclear Association
Published: Fri, 29 May 2020 15:07:59 GMT
Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš told reporters in Prague yesterday that the government will provide a loan to ČEZ to cover 70% of the cost of building a new unit at the Dukovany nuclear power plant, with the majority state-owned utility funding the remaining 30%. The project cost is estimated to be about EUR6.0 billion (USD6.7 billion), ČEZ CEO Daniel Beneš told the ČTK news agency, following the press conference.
Published: Fri, 29 May 2020 13:21:30 GMT
The 1250-tonne steel base of the cryostat - which will insulate the magnetic system at cryogenic temperature from the outside environment - has been installed at the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) at Cadarache in south-eastern France. The milestone marks the installation of the first and heaviest component of the ITER fusion machine.
Published: Thu, 28 May 2020 14:02:35 GMT
The Canadian Radioactive Waste Management Organisation will focus its activities in South Bruce, Ontario on safety and protecting the environment, the organisation said last week in an update to local stakeholders. The NWMO is planning to begin field studies later this year at the potential repository site to determine whether it meets the project's safety requirements.
Published: Thu, 28 May 2020 13:56:45 GMT
The International Atomic Energy Agency has provided Belarus with a mobile laboratory for assessing radiological threats associated with forest fires in the Polessie State Radio-Ecological Reserve, adjacent to the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. Recent fires in the exclusion zone did not lead to a hazardous increase in air-borne radioactive particles.
Published: Thu, 28 May 2020 11:27:42 GMT
The Ministry of Energy of Uzbekistan has announced the development of a national Low-Carbon Energy Strategy with assistance from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and international consulting company Corporate Solutions. Uzbekistan plans to develop alternative energy sources, including solar, hydro and wind, to produce electricity with low-carbon emissions. Uzbekistan also plans to build Central Asia’s first nuclear power plant, to provide the country with "uninterrupted and high-quality electricity on an industrial scale", the ministry said.
Published: Wed, 27 May 2020 15:38:22 GMT
Foratom said today it "regrets" that the European Commission has ignored the need for nuclear power as a clean, dispatchable and European source of energy in its green recovery plan published today. These three elements are essential, it says, if the EU really wants to decarbonise its economy, create jobs and ensure that citizens, hospitals and businesses have access to the energy they need when they need it.
Published: Wed, 27 May 2020 13:42:22 GMT
EDF Energy announced today it has applied to the Planning Inspectorate for a Development Consent Order to build the Sizewell C nuclear power plant on the Suffolk coast of England. The application, which follows four rounds of public consultation that began in 2012, was deferred for two months "in recognition of the extraordinary circumstances created by the Coronavirus", the French-owned company said.
Published: Wed, 27 May 2020 14:24:52 GMT
The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has for the first time accepted a single dry run inspection of multi-purpose canister (MPC) lid welding representing used fuel loading at multiple nuclear power plant sites. The welding dry run was conducted by Holtec International and Exelon Generation in support of Exelon's implementation of Holtec's dry cask storage systems at its Peach Bottom nuclear power plant. The systems are also planned for use at its Limerick, Ginna, Nine Mile Point and Calvert Cliffs plants.
Published: Wed, 27 May 2020 13:12:24 GMT
Kairos Power of the USA has entered into a strategic collaboration with advanced materials supplier Materion Corporation to develop a reliable and cost-effective supply of coolant for its fluoride salt-cooled, high-temperature reactor (KP-FHR). Materion will supply beryllium fluoride, technical consultation, key interfaces and support services.
Published: Tue, 26 May 2020 15:13:30 GMT
Slovenia will make a decision by 2027 at the latest on whether to build a second nuclear power plant at its existing Krško site, Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec has said during a visit to the plant site on 22 May. The minister also called for an immediate start on the construction of a storage facility for low and intermediate level radioactive waste and for changes to legislation to speed up infrastructure projects.
Published: Tue, 26 May 2020 13:20:32 GMT
The final module - a 750,000 gallon (2.8 million litre) water tank - has been installed at Georgia Power's Vogtle unit 3. The CB-20 module is a major part of the AP1000 reactor's advanced passive safety system.
Published: Tue, 26 May 2020 14:33:56 GMT
Spanish decommissioning firm Enresa has submitted an application to the Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge for the transfer of ownership of the Garoña nuclear power plant and the first phase of its dismantling. The single-unit plant was shut down in mid-December 2012.
Published: Fri, 22 May 2020 14:28:46 GMT
The floating nuclear power plant Akademik Lomonosov has been fully commissioned in Pevek, which is in the Chukotka region of Russia's Far East. The milestone was made official following the approval of Rosenergoatom General Director Andrey Petrov. Rosenergoatom is the operator subsidiary of the state nuclear corporation Rosatom.
Published: Fri, 22 May 2020 15:41:03 GMT
Energy Fuels Inc is continuing work on a programme to investigate using the USA's only currently operational conventional uranium mill, White Mesa, to process uranium and thorium-bearing rare earth element (REE) ores and recover uranium while producing REE concentrates.
Published: Fri, 22 May 2020 15:18:41 GMT
Atommash, part of the Atomenergomash engineering division of Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom, has completed the core barrel, or shroud, of the reactor vessel for unit 1 of the Rooppur nuclear power plant in Bangladesh.
Published: Fri, 22 May 2020 14:37:23 GMT
Bruce Power will be carrying out a second harvest of cobalt-60, which is used to sterilise medical equipment, as part of the company's COVID-19 response, CEO Mike Rencheck said yesterday. An initiative launched three weeks ago to leverage Ontario's nuclear supply chain in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic is already delivering results, he said.
Published: Thu, 21 May 2020 14:36:32 GMT
A bipartisan group of US Senators has called for the Department of Commerce to extend the Russian Suspension Agreement, as recommended by the Nuclear Fuel Working Group.
Published: Thu, 21 May 2020 14:06:19 GMT
Advanced nuclear reactors can meet Puerto Rico's unique energy needs by complementing renewable sources with zero-emission electricity resilient to extreme natural events, a preliminary feasibility study has concluded. The study - conducted by Puerto Rican-led not-for-profit organisation the Nuclear Alternative Project - was funded by the US Department of Energy.
Published: Thu, 21 May 2020 12:57:03 GMT
All construction and installation works at the construction site of the Central Spent Fuel Storage Facility at the site of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine is expected to be completed by the end of September. The country’s nuclear power plant operator, Energoatom, announced the new target date following a meeting at the site by its acting president, Petr Kotin, on 15 May in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone.
Published: Wed, 20 May 2020 11:41:22 GMT
The nuclear sector has reacted quickly and effectively to the unprecedented challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic without compromising safety, security or non-proliferation, panellists in a webinar hosted by the UAE Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation said yesterday. They also considered how to apply lessons learned in the post-pandemic era.
Published: Wed, 20 May 2020 13:37:08 GMT
The Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s upper house of parliament, has adopted a draft law on nuclear safety that enables state-run nuclear power plant operator Energoatom to secure a EUR200 million (USD220 million) loan from Euratom. The parliament said yesterday it had approved "in the second reading and as a whole" draft law №2373 On Amendments to Certain Laws of Ukraine on the Safety of Nuclear Energy Use.
Published: Tue, 19 May 2020 13:51:46 GMT
Cold hydrostatic testing has been completed at Barakah unit 4, the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation has announced. The testing incorporated lessons learned from the previous three Barakah units and is a crucial step towards the completion of unit 4.
Published: Tue, 19 May 2020 15:05:51 GMT
The USA produced a total of 0.17 million pounds U3O8 (65.4 tU) of uranium concentrate from all domestic sources in 2019, according to a newly published annual report from the US Energy Information Administration. This was 89% less than in 2018.
Published: Tue, 19 May 2020 13:51:01 GMT
Rosatom has applied to delay by two months the commissioning of unit 2 of the Leningrad II nuclear power plant in western Russian owing to the departure from the country of foreign workers installing diesel generators at the site. According to a report by Russian newspaper Kommersant yesterday, Rosatom considers their exit - owing to safety considerations amid the coronavirus pandemic - to be force majeure and has requested to be released from any fine for not being able to meet its obligations to add the unit's generating capacity to the wholesale market.
Published: Tue, 19 May 2020 13:27:40 GMT
The International Atomic Energy Agency has released the final report from its January 2018 mission to France to review radioactive waste management and decommissioning in the country. The review team said it had been "impressed with the nature and implementation of the French national programme".
Published: Mon, 18 May 2020 15:01:57 GMT
The Nuclear Industry Association of South Africa has outlined six potential options for financing new nuclear power plants in the country. Last week, Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe told a parliamentary committee he would be willing to look at innovative funding options as his department begins the process to develop 2500 MWe of new nuclear capacity.
Published: Mon, 18 May 2020 15:24:23 GMT
Russian regulator Rostechnadzor has verified load following mode at unit 1 of the Novovoronezh II plant - Russia's first VVER-1200 reactor.
Published: Mon, 18 May 2020 13:43:32 GMT
The decommissioning of Norway's shut down research reactors at Halden and Kjeller will cost around NOK20 billion (USD1.96 billion) and take 20-25 years, according to a report commissioned by the Ministry of Trade and Industry.
Published: Fri, 15 May 2020 15:42:41 GMT
Making a commitment to build six new EPRs in France would be an "effective stimulus" for the country's economy as it recovers in the years ahead from the shock of COVID-19, the French nuclear energy society wrote in a position paper published this week. Nuclear energy "ticks all three boxes" highlighted in the debate about the recovery - that investments should be in low-carbon, resilient and sovereign industries, it said.
Published: Fri, 15 May 2020 14:27:59 GMT
X-energy's TRISO-X fuel is to be irradiated at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Nuclear Reactor Laboratory's research reactor, the company has announced. Data from the irradiation testing will be used to support licensing of X-energy's Xe-100 and other TRISO-based reactors.
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