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PEJ signs agreement with US consortium to design and build NPP in Pomerania
31 May, 2023
An agreement has been signed by state-owned Polish utility Polskie Elektrownie Jadrowe (PEJ) with a consortium of US Westinghouse and Bechtel, which is being set up to design and build a NPP in Pomerania. The agreement, which sets out the rules for cooperation between PEJ and the Westinghouse-Bechtel consortium, is the result of intensive negotiations in recent months. These rules will apply to subsequent commercial contracts for the construction of a nuclear power plant in Pomerania.

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.

Hungary confirms no changes in Paks II contract
09 May, 2023
Hungarian Foreign Affairs & Trade Minister Péter Szijjártó has confirmed that the modifications made to the contract for construction of the Paks II NPP in April represent only minor technical changes. He told a press conference that “In both the financing and construction contracts, we agreed with the Russian partner [Rosatom] on amendments to Paks II. These related to the structure of the investment and the executor but left the project company untouched.”

Upgrade at Brookhaven National Lab increases actinium-225 production
28 April, 2023
Following recent upgrades, the medical isotope facilities at the US Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) is now producing actinium-225 (Ac-225) and shipping it directly to customers. Ac-225 is considered to have great potential in the treatment of cancer. It emits alpha particles, which can kill cancerous cells at short range is attach to molecules that target tumours. Ac-225 can also be used to generate bismuth-213, another alpha-emitter.

First fuel delivered to Türkiye’s Akkuyu NPP
27 April, 2023
A ceremony marking the delivery of the first batch of nuclear fuel for Türkiye’s Akkuyu NPP has taken place at the construction site. This event officially signals the entry of the Republic of Türkiye into the community of countries developing nuclear generation technologies on their territory. Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended by video conference. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, Turkish Minister of Energy & Natural Resources Fatih Dönmez, and Rosatom Director General Alexei Likhachev addressed the ceremony directly.

Plotting a path to supply chain resilience
27 April, 2023
Growing concerns that a lack of supply chain resilience could curtail plans for nuclear new build is prompting action from multiple stakeholders, but the complexity of the global nuclear sector is such that no single solution could ever work.

Ukraine, Energoatom and Cameco finalise uranium agreement
18 April, 2023
Ukrainian nuclear utility Energoatom and Canada’s Cameco have signed an agreement finalising implementation of the programme to export all of Ukraine's uranium production for processing in Canada to produce fuel for Ukraine’s NPPs. This came during a visit to Canada by Energoatom President Petro Kotin, who had signed the original contracts in London in March.

Belarus and Hungary to co-operate on nuclear energy
18 April, 2023
Hungary is interested in using the experience and knowledge of Belarus in the field of nuclear energy, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó told reporters following a meeting of the Belarusian-Hungarian intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation in Budapest. He said a memorandum of understanding had been agreed on the development of cooperation in the field of nuclear energy, noting the importance of energy security for Hungary.

Divers help to clean up Sellafield legacy storage pond
18 April, 2023
Underwater Construction Corporation (UCC) UK Ltd (a subsidiary of US-based UCC) says it has achieved a significant decommissioning milestone at the UK Sellafield site. In December 2022, UCC diver Josh Everett became the first person in over 60 years to descend the ladder into Sellafield’s Pile Fuel Storage Pond (PFSP) to help complete clean-up work in the site’s oldest legacy pond.

Nuclear energy disputes: What can India learn from global trends?
18 April, 2023
As one of the world’s most active regions for nuclear development, India is pinning a lot of hope on nuclear power. How can the supply chain mitigate project risks within India’s legal framework?

The changing face of Canada’s nuclear industry
13 April, 2023
In the decade since the global recession and Fukushima slammed the nuclear sector, Canada has made significant advances in its capabilities. But in an era of multiple technologies and burgeoning markets for nuclear, Jacquie Hoornweg considers what defines “Canadian” in today’s nuclear sector.

US stalls South Korea’s NPP export plans
11 April, 2023
The US government has rejected Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power’s (KHNP’s) report on the tender for a nuclear power plant project in the Czech Republic. This has increased concerns that Korea’s plans to boost its nuclear reactor exports may continue to be stalled by ongoing litigation with Westinghouse Electric Company.

Using AI to spearhead Gen IV reactor tech
30 March, 2023
The vast complexities of molten salt reactors are being made simpler by a new machine learning model. Argonne National Laboratory scientists Jicheng Guo and Ganesh Sivaraman tell NEI how their solution learns without teaching.

More leaks shut down Monticello NPP
28 March, 2023
US power company Xcel Energy has shut down its Monticello NPP after an additional water leak was detected following previous reports about the leak of 400,000 gallons of water containing tritium. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) and Minnesota Department of Health MDOH) said in a statement they were “encouraged that Xcel Energy is taking immediate action to address the recurring issue”. Xcel Energy said the new leak, located near the spot of the earlier release, is still ongoing.

Unleashing industry potential
22 March, 2023
Developing both Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C will give the UK a significant boost building the skill sets needed for net zero, but for another key advantage is that the reactor design will allow replication between sites.

US Monticello NPP suffers tritium water leak
21 March, 2023
The authorities in the US state of Minnesota recently announced that the Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant near Minneapolis had suffered a radioactive water spill involving more than 1.5m litres of tritiated water. Plant owner Xcel Energy is working to clean up the spill and says there is no danger to the general public. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) said that the treated water had leaked from a broken pipe at the facility. The was first discovered on 21 November but not made public. The company said it notified the Nuclear Regulatory Commission NRC and the state the next day. The source of the leak was found on 19 December was plugged “soon after”.

Looking very deep for disposal
16 March, 2023
Conventional thinking suggests nuclear waste should be disposed of in deep geological repositories not much more than a few hundred metres below ground. Deep directional drilling techniques pioneered and now mastered by the oil and gas industry offer are alternative solution.

Problems continue at ZNPP and operators’ town of Energodar
14 March, 2023
Ukraine’s Zaporizhia NPP (ZNPP) suffered a complete loss of external power for 11 hours recently, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said in his latest update. This forced the plant to rely on emergency diesel generators for reactor cooling and other essential nuclear safety and security functions. ZNPP lost all off-site electricity at the site when its last remaining 750 kilovolt (kV) line was disconnected following reports of missile strikes across Ukraine. This was the sixth time the plant has been running on emergency diesel generators during the ongoing military conflict, he told the IAEA Board of Governors.