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Fortum begins pilot hydrogen production in Loviisa
14 May, 2024
Fortum plans to build a hydrogen production pilot plant in Loviisa. The plant will be located in the Källa area near Fortum's Loviisa NPP on land owned by Fortum. The construction of the plant will begin in summer 2024 and it is planned to be commissioned by the end of 2025.

First steam generator arrives at Hinkley Point C
14 May, 2024
The first of eight 520-tonne steam generators manufactured by Framatome has been delivered to the UK’s Hinkley Point construction site after arriving by sea and road. The steam generator travelled the final four miles by road transporter after arriving from Avonmouth at Combwich Wharf on the River Parrett in Somerset.

EDF secures 'green' financing for extended operation of reactors
14 May, 2024
EDF has signed green bank loans for a total some €5.8bn ($6.3bn), partly in dollars and partly in Japanese yen, with a maturity of 3-5 years. The funding, which will be used to finance the life extension of its existing nuclear fleet in France, is in line with EDF’s Green Financing Framework and is aligned with the European taxonomy. In July 2022, the European Parliament voted to include certain nuclear and gas activities within the European Union's list of officially approved "green" investments.

Angra 1 lifetime extension procedures progressing
14 May, 2024
Brazil’s nuclear utility Eletronuclear (part of Eletrobras) expects to complete all the steps required to get approval for extended operation of unit 1 at the Angra NPP. Eletronuclear's Long Term Operations (LTO) programme is designed to enable continued operations at Angra 1 until the end of 2044. The current operating licence is valid to December 2024.

Roof installed on turbine hall at Akkuyu 2
14 May, 2024
Installation of the roof on the turbine hall has been completed at unit 2 of the Akkuyu NPP under construction in Türkiye. The operation took just over three months. The roof of the turbine hall consists of nine enlarged truss blocks with a total weight of 1142 tonnes. Each assembly, weighing 95-175 tonnes and 61 meters long, was undertaken simultaneously on two specially made stocks, and a heavy Liebherr 13000 crawler crane was used for installation.

Hungary and China sign nuclear energy cooperation agreement
14 May, 2024
During Chinese President Xi Jinping's recent visit to Hungary – the third stop in his five-day visit to Europe after France and Serbia – a memorandum of understanding on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy was signed by the China Atomic Energy Authority and Hungary's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It was one of 18 agreements covering a range of subjects.

Fuel loading begins at Flamanville 3
14 May, 2024
EDF teams have begun loading fuel assemblies into the EPR reactor vessel of unit 3 at France’s Flamanville NPP, just a day after the Autorité de Sûreté Nucléaire (ASN) authorised commissioning of the unit. The loading of 241 fuel assemblies will last several days. EDF will then proceed with the start-up, control and testing operations, over several months, in close co-operation with and under the control of ASN. Grid connection is planned for the summer. ASN confirmed that it will continue to monitor Flamanville-3. This monitoring will look primarily at whether the safety circuits are operating correctly during the staged increase in operational power to 25% and then 80% of the unit’s total capacity.

TerraPower advanced reactor on schedule but fuel remains a concern
14 May, 2024
US TerraPower says it is confident its first Natrium advanced reactor will be built by 2030. Construction plans and licensing is proceeding as planned, but fuel supply remains a concern, the company said, according to a Reuters report.

UK launches consultation on National Policy Statement and siting proposals for fusion facilities
14 May, 2024
The UK Department for Energy Security & Net Zero (DESNZ)says it is seeking views on its proposed approach for siting fusion energy facilities as part of a new National Policy Statement. The consultation closes on 3 July. “The purpose of this consultation is to begin the process towards designating a new fusion energy National Policy Statement.”

Situation remains precarious at ZNPP as IAEA monitors staffing levels
14 May, 2024
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said nuclear safety and security remain precarious at the Zaporizhia NPP (ZNPP) in face of the ongoing military conflict. Over the past week, the IAEA team of experts stationed at the ZNPP have heard military activities on most days, including artillery and rocket fire some distance away, as well as small arms fire both near to and further away from the site.

Clean Core strengthens collaboration with CNL to advance ANEEL fuel technology
10 May, 2024
Chicago-based Clean Core Thorium Energy (CCTE) has extended its collaboration with Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) on its ANEEL fuel technology. CNL has approved a Clean Core submitted proposal, “Advanced Nuclear Energy for Enriched Life (ANEEL) CNSC Licensing Verification and Validation,” as a proposed project managed under the Canadian Nuclear Research Initiative (CNRI) Programme. CNL will work with Clean Core to further establish scope and timeline.

US Centrus first quarter results indicate concern over Russian uranium ban
10 May, 2024
US nuclear fuel company Centrus Energy is concerned over potential risks to its supply resulting from new legislation banning the import of Russian uranium. Centrus supplies of nuclear fuel components and services for the nuclear power industry. Centrus is also developing the next generation of centrifuge technologies with the aim of restoring US domestic uranium enrichment capability. However, primarily it acts as a broker of enriched uranium, sourcing foreign SWU (separative work units) and supplying SWU and uranium to US and international customers.

AltC Acquisition shareholders approve merger with Oklo
10 May, 2024
US-based special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) AltC Acquisition Corp stockholders have voted to approve the business combination between AltC and fission technology company Oklo. Almost 100% of the votes cast at the meeting, representing approximately 72.7% of AltC's outstanding shares, voted to approve the transaction. AltC stockholders also voted to elect seven directors to the post-closing board of directors, comprised of proven industry leaders with deep operational, technical, and financial expertise, as well as strong networks across important end-markets to Oklo.

High-level talks between IAEA and Iran considered positive
10 May, 2024
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi spent two days in Iran for talks with high level officials including Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, Iranian Top Nuclear Negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani and the head of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran (AEOI), Mohammad Eslami. His visit was at Eslami’s invitation, in order to also participate in the 1st International Conference on Nuclear Science & Technology (ICNST) as well as the 30th National Nuclear Conference in Isfahan (see related story).

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.