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Poland signs contract for design of first NPP
02 October, 2023
Polish utility Polskie Elektrownie Jadrowe (PEJ) has signed the Engineering Services Contract (ESC) with US-based companies Westinghouse and Bechtel for the design of Poland's first NPP. The contract scope includes finalising a site-specific design for three Westinghouse AP1000 nuclear islands; turbine Island and balance of plant design work; and support for PEJ to prepare licence application materials, training programmes, and operations and maintenance procedures. The work outlined in the 18-month contract will begin immediately.

Defuelling of first reactor complete at Hunterston B
21 September, 2023
The defuelling of the first reactor at the UK’s Hunterston B NPP has been completed, on time and on budget, EDF Energy reported. Reactor 3 was defuelled in 16 months and work is due to start shortly on Reactor 4.

Framatome expands nuclear co-operation with Hungary
15 September, 2023
Framatome has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Hungary’s Ministry of Energy for the development of a strategic relationship in the nuclear field. The MOU seeks to facilitate the extension of the cooperation between Framatome and Hungary in various domains of interest in nuclear such as education and competencies, R&D, the implementation of new technologies, fuel supply and related nuclear materials, as well as long-term operation.

Westinghouse VVER-440 fuel loaded at Ukraine’s Rivne NPP
12 September, 2023
The first VVER-440 fuel produced by US-based Westinghouse at its Swedish facility has been loaded into one of the reactors at Ukraine’s Rivne NPP. It was not clear which of the units – 1 or 2 – received the fuel, which reportedly will initially be mixed with the existing fuel supplied by Russia’s TVEL. Ukraine’s target, however, is to end the use of Russian-supplied fuel as soon as possible.

IAEA Director General Grossi visits Sweden’s Äspö Hard Rock Laboratory
05 September, 2023
IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, during an official visit to Sweden, travelled to the Äspö Hard Rock Laboratory, where research is underway 500 metres below ground. The laboratory is located on an island north of the town of Oskarshamn near the Oskarshamn NPP.

Rosatom opens builders camp for Yakutsk low-power NPP
01 September, 2023
A temporary camp has been opened near the village of Ust-Kuyga in the Ust-Yansky district of the Russian Autonomous Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) for builders participating in construction of a low-power NPP (ASMM – Atomnoi Stantsii Maloi Moshnosti).

Zaporizhia NPP Director discusses conditions at the plant
23 August, 2023
Yuriy Chernichuk, Director of the Zaporizhia NPP, in a long interview with Russia’s Kommersant, described conditions at the plant and its future prospects. Currently, five of the plant’s six units with VVER-1000 reactors are in a cold shutdown, while one is in a hot shutdown to generate steam for the plant’s own needs.

Solving the key nuclear challenge
16 August, 2023
With an aging workforce, extended reactor lifetimes and a swath of new nuclear development in the pipeline, the nuclear sector needs to get its house in order when it comes to workforce management. A new report from the IAEA explains how.

General Fusion to build new fusion demo machine
15 August, 2023
Canada’s General Fusion has announced plans to build a new Magnetised Target Fusion (MTF) machine at the company’s new Richmond headquarters. The MTF is designed to achieve fusion conditions of over 100m degrees Celsius by 2025, and to progress toward scientific breakeven by 2026. General Fusion has also completed the first round of its Series F raise for a combined $25m of funding. It was supported by existing investors, BDC Capital and GIC and also included new grant funding from the Government of British Columbia. This builds upon the Canadian government’s ongoing support through the Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF).

NRC authorizes fuel loading and operation at Vogtle 4
10 August, 2023
The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has authorized Southern Nuclear Operating Company to load fuel and begin operation of Vogtle Unit 4 in Georgia. This is the second reactor to reach this step in the NRC’s combined license process.

Ghana pursues nuclear co-operation with USA and Russia
28 July, 2023
Ghana’s Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NRA) on behalf of the Government of Ghana welcomed Christopher T Hanson, Chairman of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), and his team on a two-day working visit based on a bilateral arrangement for cooperation and the exchange of technical information signed in 2017.

UK launches nuclear revival
20 July, 2023
Great British Nuclear (GBN) is to drive rapid expansion of nuclear power in the UK at an unprecedented scale and pace as the government kickstarts a competition to encourage the development of small modular reactor (SMR) technology. A joint statement from the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero, GBN, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), Energy Security Secretary Grant Shapps, and Nuclear Minister Andrew Bowie announced “a massive revival of nuclear power”. This is intended to place the UK “at the forefront of a global race to develop cutting-edge technologies to rapidly deliver cleaner, cheaper, more secure energy”.

Norway to investigate deployment of Seaborg SMR
20 July, 2023
Norway’s Norsk Kjernekraft has signed a letter of intent with Denmark's Seaborg Technologies to investigate the possible deployment of Seaborg's compact molten salt reactor (CMSR) in Norway.

Howden to supply helium circulator system for Xe-100
19 July, 2023
US-based X-energy Reactor Company has selected UK-based Howden, a subsidiary of Chart Industries, as its preferred strategic supplier of the helium circulator system for its Xe-100 high temperature gas cooled advanced modular reactor intended for the UK market.

IAEA approves Japan’s plans to release treated water into the sea at Fukushima
07 July, 2023
An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safety review has concluded that Japan’s plans to release treated water stored at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station (FDNPS) into the sea are consistent with IAEA safety standards. In a report formally presented by Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during his recent visit to Tokyo the IAEA also said discharges of the treated water would have a negligible radiological impact on people or the environment.

Canada strengthens medical isotope production
04 July, 2023
Canada has announced the launch of the Canadian Medical Isotope Ecosystem (CMIE) with funding of up to CAD35m ($26.4m) over five years to develop initiatives focused on the production, advancement and distribution of medical isotopes and radiopharmaceuticals. The initiative was announced at the Bruce Power Visitors' Centre. CMIE will be under the oversight of the Centre for Probe Development and Commercialisation (CPDC) and TRIUMF Innovations and will support projects with Bruce Power, BWXT Medical, McMaster University and Canadian Nuclear Laboratories. The funding announcement was made possible through Innovation, Science & Economic Development’s Strategic Innovation Fund, which provides major investments in innovative projects.

Grossi reports on situation at Zaporizhia NPP
16 June, 2023
Following a day’s delay, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi final reached the Zaporizhia NPP (ZNPP) on 15 June, accompanying the eighth rotation of the Support & Assistance Mission to Zaporizhia (ISAMZ) which has been permanently stationed at the plant since September 2022. Grossi has strengthened the mission replacing two inspectors with four – specialists from Austria, France, South Korea, and Morocco.

More US DOE funding for commercial fusion
07 June, 2023
The US Department of Energy (DOE) has announced US$46M in funding for eight companies proposing designs and research & development for fusion power plants. This funding from the Milestone-Based Fusion Development Program aims to “solidify US leadership in fusion commercialisation”.

New value from fusion neutrons
07 June, 2023
Despite major breakthroughs, cost-effective energy from fusion reactors remains elusive. Nonetheless, commercial fusion is already here to stay. Greg Piefer, founder and CEO of SHINE Technologies, tells NEI about the business case.