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France authorises commissioning of Flamanville EPR reactor
09 May, 2024
French nuclear regulator, the Autorité de Sûreté Nucléaire (ASN), has authorised the commissioning of the Flamanville EPR reactor, paving the way for its connection to the grid in summer 2024. The authorisation allows EDF to load nuclear fuel into the reactor and carry out start-up tests, followed by operation of the reactor.

UK seeks industry partners to build prototype fusion plant
09 May, 2024
The UK government has launched a major competition to find engineering and construction partners to design and build the country's prototype fusion energy plant, known as STEP (Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production).

NANO becomes first nuclear microreactor company to be listed publicly in USA
09 May, 2024
NANO Nuclear Energy Inc, a US developer of advanced microreactors, has gone public on the Nasdaq Capital Market through a $10.25 million initial public offering.

UK to build Europe's first HALEU facility
09 May, 2024
The UK government is awarding £196 million ($245 million) to Urenco to build a new uranium enrichment facility at its Capenhurst site in northwest England. The plant will have the capacity to produce up to 10 tonnes per year of high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) by 2031.

Iran outlines ambitious nuclear plans at international conference
09 May, 2024
The 1st International Conference on Nuclear Science & Technology (ICNST) as well as the 30th National Nuclear Conference have been held in Isfahan. The Atomic Energy Organisation if Iran (AEOI) said more than 500 scientific articles were submitted to the conference, which included 16 specialised panels, round-table meetings, and an exhibition. Around 100 academic speakers, including over 50 foreigners, took part in the conference in person or via video. The conferences were preceded by panels of experts AEOI Deputy head Mohammad Ghannadi-Maragheh began the specialised meetings by highlighting the AEOI’s past achievements and services. He said that the organisation has made great achievements in fuel cycle, nuclear electricity generation, radiopharmaceuticals, and radioisotopes used in industry and agriculture, among other things. He added that the organisation intends to make further progress in accordance with a strategic comprehensive document that sets goals for the next 17 years.

Sizewell C granted nuclear site licence
09 May, 2024
The Sizewell C nuclear power project in Suffolk, England has been granted a nuclear site licence by the UK's Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR), marking a significant milestone for the £20 billion project. This is the first time the ONR has issued a site licence since 2012, when it approved the Hinkley Point C plant.

Preparations underway for decommissioning of Kursk 1&2
08 May, 2024
Specialists from ODITs-RBMK and Kursk NPP continue to prepare for the decommissioning units 1&2 at Russia’s Kursk NPP. The NPP comprises four ageing RBMK-1000 units, two of which are now closed down. The station's units were connected to the grid in 1976, 1979, 1983 and 1985. In 1994-2009, all units underwent thorough technical modernisation. Unit 1 was closed in 2021 and unit 2 in January 2024.

Tomsk Polytechnic develops new method to obtain ceramic composites for nuclear energy
08 May, 2024
A new way to synthesise high-strength composites based on MAX phases for the aerospace industry and nuclear energy has been developed by scientists from the Engineering School of Nuclear Technologies at the Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU). MAX phases are a large family of materials with more than 150 different compositions that have been extensively investigated during the last 25 years. They present a layered structure and a unique combination of properties, bridging the gap between metallic and ceramic properties. However, despite their excellent oxidation resistance up to 1400°C under corrosive environment, good damage and radiation tolerance, thermal shock resistance, and self-crack healing, their application has been limited by three main factors: the complexity of this large family of materials; unavailability of highly pure commercial powders; and the extensive time needed to license products in strategic fields such as nuclear or aviation.

ALFRED advanced reactor analysis
08 May, 2024
A thermal-hydraulic model of the hot fuel assembly of the advanced ALFRED reactor has been explored to reveal the impact how changing parameters such as fuel temperatures, cooling and cooling fluid density affect neutronic parameters such as power distribution and critical reactor conditions.

UKAEA signs agreement with CVŘ to test STEP components
08 May, 2024
The UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) and Czech Republic research organisation Centrum výzkumu Řež (CVŘ), have signed a multi-year use of facility agreement. This will enable unique testing of High Temperature Superconducting (HTS) tapes, critical for the development of the UK’s prototype fusion energy powerplant, the Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP). These tapes are intended to confine STEP’s fusion plasma, a superheated gas of hydrogen isotopes, in a tokamak. Under intense heat – 150m degrees celsius, ten times hotter than the core of the sun – and pressure, the isotopes fuse into helium, releasing energy as neutrons.

South Bruce signs hosting agreement with NWMO
08 May, 2024
Canada’s Municipality of South Bruce Council has endorsed the Hosting Agreement between the Municipality and the Nuclear Waste Management Organisation (NWMO). Mayor Mark Goetz and CAO Leanne Martin signed the agreement on behalf of the Municipality following a vote in the Council. The area is one of two potential host sites for a deep geologic repository selected in a process launched by the NWMO in 2010. The Township of Ignace signed a hosting agreement with the NWMO in March.

Painting of cooling tower completed at Kursk-II NPP
08 May, 2024
Painting of the inside of the cooling tower at unit 1 of Russia’s Kursk-II NPP, which began in September 2023 and has now been completed. Inside, the coating serves as additional protection for hydrophobic concrete from excessive moisture and has a uniform light colour.

Kazatomprom releases quarterly update
08 May, 2024
Kazakhstan’s national atomic company Kazatomprom has reported a slight year-on-year increase in its first quarter uranium production. Production for the quarter was 5077 tU (100% basis), up from 4744 tU for the same period in 2023, a year-on-year increase of 7%. However, Kazatomprom emphasised that its production guidance for 2024 of 21,000-22,500 tU (100% basis) remains unchanged while noting that "sanctions pressure due to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and limited access to some key materials are not known". As a result, “annual production volumes may differ from internal expectations".

Italy looks to end nuclear phase-out policy
07 May, 2024
Italy’s Environment & Energy Security Minister Gilberto Pichetto says the government aims to pass the necessary legislation to make Italy's return to nuclear power possible by the end of the current parliamentary term.

Holtec establishes maintenance and modification subsidiary
07 May, 2024
US company Holtec International has established a wholly-owned subsidiary, Holtec Maintenance & Modification International (HMI), with the initial focus being the restart of the Palisades NPP.

Doosan Enerbility to supply feeder pipes for Cernavoda NPP
07 May, 2024
South Korea’s Doosan Enerbility has signed a contract with Canada’s Candu Energy to produce and supply feeder pipes for unit 1 of Romania’s Cernavoda NPP. This is the fifth order for feeder pipes, following those for NPPs in China and Canada. Feeder pipes are an important part of a pressurised heavy water reactor (PHWR). They are pipes through which coolant flows to control reactor temperature. Under this contract, Doosan Enerbility will supply a total of 1,520 feeder pipes to Candu Energy by 2027.

Moving HALEU
07 May, 2024
As Nuclear Transport Solutions looks at developing a next generation transport package for advanced nuclear fuels, Sean Perry, an NTS Lead Design Engineer, talks to NEI about the engineering inspiration behind nuclear innovation.

Canadian provinces sign MOU on nuclear development
07 May, 2024
The Saskatchewan and Alberta governments have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) is to support collaboration and information sharing in key areas of nuclear power generation. It supports policies of both provinces aimed at achieving net zero by 2050.

KHNP to collaborate with Canadian firms on SMR deployment
07 May, 2024
Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP), Canada-based ARC Clean Technology and New Brunswick Power (NB Power) have signed a non-binding trilateral Collaboration Agreement to further cooperation with the goal of establishing teaming agreements for global small modular reactor (SMR) fleet deployment. The agreement was signed at the Reuters SMR and Advanced Reactor 2024 Conference in Atlanta, Georgia.

Gunfire continues in vicinity of the Zaporizhia NPP
07 May, 2024
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) experts reported hearing over 100 rounds of gunfire in the vicinity of the Zaporizhia NPP (ZNPP), allegedly in response to drones flying near the plant’s training centre, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said.