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Shin Hanul 2 begins commercial operation
Unit 2 of South Korea’s Shin Hanul NPP has begun commercial operation, according to Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP). The 1,350 MWe APR-1400 pressurised water reactor reached first criticality and was connected to the grid in December 2023. First concrete for the first two units at the Shin Hanul (formerly Shin Ulchin) took place in 2012 and 2013. Shin Hanul 1 achieved first criticality in 2022 and was connected to the grid in June 2023.
Funding secured to accelerate Xe-100 deployment in the UK
X-Energy UK Holdings, a wholly-owned subsidiary of US-based X-energy Reactor Company and Cavendish Nuclear, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Babcock International have been awarded funding from the UK Government’s Future Nuclear Enabling Fund (FNEF) to further the development of their plans to deploy Xe-100 advanced modular reactors (AMRs) in the UK. The government’s £3.34m ($4.23m) will be matched by X-energy for a total programme of £6.68m. The funds will be used to develop UK-specific deployment plans including an assessment of domestic manufacturing and supply chain opportunities, constructability, modularisation studies, and fuel management.
Energoatom receives public approval for new nuclear fuel facility
Ukrainian nuclear utility Energoatom has won approval from the local community or its plans to build a nuclear fuel fabrication plant near the city of Yuzhnoukrainsk (South Ukraine) following a day of public hearings. The facility will use Westinghouse technology for the assembling of nuclear fuel for VVER-1000 reactors, using ready-made components, some of which are already manufactured at Energoatom sites. Construction of the plant will result in the creation of about 110 jobs.
Norsk Kjernekraft to assess more potential SMR sites in Norway
Norway’s Norsk Kjernekraft has decided to initiate an impact assessment for a site in the municipality of Oygarden in Vestland County as the possible location for a NPP comprising up to five small modular reactors (SMRs).
Meeting net zero needs nuclear policy
A survey of global energy executives reveals widespread pessimism that interim 2030 net zero targets can be met and a lack of supportive policy and regulation is seen as a key culprit. Can anything be done to effect change?
Nuclear authorities seek justification for use of Newcleo reactor in the UK
UK nuclear trade association, the Nuclear Industry Association (NIA) has applied for a justification decision for newcleo’s lead-cooled fast reactor design, the LFR-AS-200. The application makes the case that the benefits of clean, firm, flexible power from the LFR-AS-200 would far outweigh any potential risks. NIA says these are” rigorously controlled by robust safety features, including passive safety systems, built into the design and incorporated into the operating arrangements, in line with the UK’s regulatory requirements”.
Indian report concludes nuclear power is needed to achieve net-zero
A new report, “Synchronizing energy transitions towards possible Net-Zero for India: Affordable and clean energy for all”, has been launched by Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India. The report was prepared by the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) under a project agreed in November 2021 by the PSA Office. The aims of the project were to carry out a comprehensive study looking at methods for minimising the cost of power at the consumer end and to work out an optimum mix for all sources of power to reach net-zero emissions.
Lithuania develops concept for geological disposal facility
Lithuania’s State Enterprise Ignalina NPP (INPP) has developed a general concept for the construction of a geological disposal facility (GDF) with assistance from Finnish waste management company Posiva Solutions Oy, a subsidiary of Posiva, under a one-year contract signed in January 2022. Posiva has developed Finland’s GDF at Olkiluoto, which is expected to begin operations in the mid-2020s – the world’s first such facility.
Hydrogen production considered after successful test of Japan’s HTTR
The Japanese government plans to start field testing clean hydrogen production using nuclear power by 2028, Nikkei reported, noting that this followed successful safety tests of the High Temperature Engineering Test Reactor (HTTR). The test was carried out by the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) at the Oarai Research and Development Institute in Ibaraki prefecture as an international joint research project under the OECD/NEA (Organisation for Economic Co-operation & Development/Nuclear Energy Agency).
IAEA publishes review of operational safety at Heysham 2
EDF Energy said the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had published its review of Heysham 2 power station’s operational safety following a visit by an Operational Safety Review Team (OSART) to the station in October 2023.