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China gives details of its nuclear space engine project
12 April, 2024
Design and R&D of a megawatt lithium-cooled space nuclear reactor was the subject of a recent detailed article in the scientific journal SCIENTIA SINICA Technologica (v.54, Issue 3, pp. 365-376) co-sponsored by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the National Natural Science Foundation of China.

Oklo and ANL complete second THETA testing campaign
19 March, 2024
US-based Oklo has completed the second phase of the Thermal Hydraulic Experimental Test Article (THETA) testing campaign in collaboration with the US Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). THETA is a sodium fixture with instrumentation installed at ANL’s Mechanisms Engineer Test Loop (METL) facility.

Korean shipbuilder joins nuclear shipping project
09 February, 2024
HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (KSOE), a subsidiary of South Korea's HD Hyundai, is to collaborate in a nuclear shipping project with UK start-up Core Power and US Southern Company and TerraPower. This followed a joint research and technology exchange meeting at Terrapower’s headquarters in Washington DC.

Sellafield repudiates Guardian articles on cyber attacks and leaks
07 December, 2023
The Guardian newspaper has recently published two articles about the UK Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s (NDA’s) Sellafield site, both of which have been strongly repudiated by Sellafield Ltd.

Advancing encapsulation
06 December, 2023
Initial trials of a proprietary geopolymer technology capable of encapsulating a broad range of problematic waste types demonstrate a 40% increase in sludge waste incorporation with the potential to make significant budget savings. What are the next steps?

Nuclear safety in time of crisis or war
16 November, 2023
Nuclear facilities can make tempting targets for combatants during periods of conflict and the on-going hostilities in Ukraine bring those fears to the fore. To date, reactor containments have not been deliberately targeted in Ukraine or Russia, but those nations with a nuclear development programme would be wise to consider the possibility.

Philippine nuclear reactor market to 2040
08 November, 2023
The Philippines is looking at developing substantially more nuclear capacity in a bid to curb rising energy costs and reduce carbon emissions. But how many and what type of reactors will ultimately emerge?

Radiation and microcontrollers
01 November, 2023
Microcontrollers are crucial microchips with a wide range of applications. They may be exposed to radiation, for instance, in power stations, while monitoring background radiation levels or in satellite systems where they can be exposed to cosmic radiation. What are the safe levels of gamma exposure for microcontrollers before they malfunction and how can they be shielded?

New consortium to support Cernavoda life extension
17 October, 2023
Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) has signed a consortium agreement with Romanian nuclear utility Societatea Nationala Nuclearelectrica (SNN), Canada’s Candu Energy and Italy’s Ansaldo Nucleare, to jointly support refurbishment of unit 1 at Romania’s Cernavoda NPP. The refurbishment will extend the operational life of the reactor, which was commissioned in 1996. The 700 MWe Candu-6 has a design life of 30 years and the current operating licence is set to expire by the end of 2026.

German-French disagreements block EU power market reforms
06 October, 2023
European Union (EU) countries may delete a key part of planned reforms to Europe's electricity market in the face of continued disagreements between France and Germany, Reuters has reported.

Poland receives positive environmental decision on planned NPP
26 September, 2023
Polish utility Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowy (PEJ) has received a decision from the General Director for Environmental Protection (GDOŚ - Generalnej Dyrekcji Ochrony Środowiska) on the environmental conditions for the construction of Poland’s first NPP in the province of Pomerania. PEJ submitted the environmental impact assessment (EIA) report for the first plant to GDOŚ in March 2022 and in August 2023 applied to the Pomeranian Voivode (Governor), Dariusz Drelich, for a siting decision.

Shin-Hanul 2 approved for operation
12 September, 2023
Unit 2 of South Korea’s Shin Hanul NPP in Uljin, North Gyeongsang Province, has received operational approval from the Nuclear Safety & Security Commission (NSSC). The review process began on 28 July. NSSC confirmed that the reactor had met the criteria for approval under Article 21 of the Nuclear Safety Act and would start a six-month trial operation later in September. Upon successful completion of the test, it will undergo pre-use inspections by the Commission before commercial operations. It will be South Korea’s 28th nuclear power unit and the first new nuclear reactor to begin operating under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration.

Caesium removal from waste water
17 August, 2023
Treating acidic wastewater containing radioactive 137Cs presents challenges in adsorption due to potential structural damage to adsorbents in acidic conditions and strong competition from protons. A novel layered calcium thiostannate (KCaSnS) that contains Ca2+ as a dopant opens a new way of designing high-performance adsorbents for caesium removal.

India’s Kakrapar 3 begins operation
04 July, 2023
India’s first indigenously developed 700 MWe pressurised heavy water reactor (PHWR) at unit 3 of the Kakrapar Atomic Power Project (KAPP) in south Gujarat, has begun commercial operations. The reactor is currently operating at 90% capacity, marking a major achievement for the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL). Kakrapar is already home to two existing 220 MWe units (1&2) and commissioning activities are currently underway at KAPP 4, also a 700 MWe PHWR.

Nuclearelectrica to develop Cernavoda 3&4
14 June, 2023
A Support Agreement has been signed between the Romanian State and nuclear utility Societatea Nationala Nuclearelectrica (SNN), for the development of the National Strategic Project to complete units 3&4 at the Cernavoda NPP.

Japanese investment supports UK floating NPP design
25 May, 2023
UK-based start-up Core Power has attracted Japanese investment for its floating NPP (FNPP) project. Some 13 companies, including Onomichi Dockyard and Imabari Shipbuilding, have invested about $80m in project, according to Nikkei Asia. Although Core released no statement on the development, it reproduced the Nikkei article on its website.

Missing seals detected at unit 3 of Finland’s Olkiluoto NPP
17 May, 2023
According to Finland’s Teollisuuden Voima (TVO), several cases of signal failures in safety-classified temperature measurements had been detected the EPR reactor at unit 3 of the Olkiluoto NPP (OL3) in 2022-2023. As a result, a decision was made to carry out more extensive inspections on the temperature measurements. In February, it was found that some connectors of temperature measurements were missing either one or both of the required seals, TVO said.

Innovative nuclear sludge retrieval technique trialled at Forth’s Deep Recovery Facility
16 May, 2023
A new technique to remove sludge from nuclear fuel ponds has been successfully trialled at the Deep Recovery Facility (DRF) operated by UK engineering firm Forth. The facility has been used by the UK-based Decommissioning Alliance (TDA), which is tasked with installing equipment to allow operators to safely retrieve debris from the bottom of fuel ponds at sites operated by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA).

Helion announces first fusion energy purchase agreement with Microsoft
16 May, 2023
US fusion energy tech startup Helion Energy has signed an agreement to provide Microsoft with electricity from its first fusion power plant. Constellation will serve as the power marketer and will manage transmission for the project. Helion said the plant is expected to be online by 2028 and will target power generation of 50 MW or more after a one-year ramp up period. The companies did not disclose financial or timing details of the power purchase agreement, or which Microsoft facilities would get fusion-generated electricity.

French government wins court approval for EDF nationalisation
09 May, 2023
The French government has won court approval for its plans to regain full ownership of Electricite de France (EDF). The National Assembly then passed a bill seeking to prevent the government from subsequently privatising the company.