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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.

South Korea urges resolution of dispute with US over nuclear exports
02 May, 2023
Korea has called on the USA to co-operate in resolving the legal dispute between Korea's Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) and Westinghouse over Korea’s planned reactor exports to the Czech Republic and other nations. Industry Ministry Lee Chang-yang made the request during a meeting with his US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm in Washington on the sidelines of President Yoon Suk Yeol's state visit, according to Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry & Energy.

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 Times confirms Russian reports of attacks on Zaporizhia NPP
11 April, 2023
On 19 October 2022 Russia’s Defence Ministry said the Russian army had destroyed a Ukrainian landing force at Zaporizhia NPP (ZNPP), adding that Kiev had lost more than 90 military personnel and 14 boats. "Today, at about 4 am, Ukrainian forces of up to two companies made another attempt to land troops on the left bank of the Kakhovsky reservoir and seize the territory of the nuclear power plant," the MOD report said. The ministry noted that the Russian forces guarding the outer perimeter of the plant had destroyed the attacking troops. Vladimir Rogov, a member of the main (pro Russian) Council of the Zaporozhye region administration said the battle lasted more than three hours. In addition, Ukrainian Armed Forces had fired US-supplied Himars multiple launch rockets at the operators’ city of Energodar leaving it without electricity.

Restart of Ringhals 4 faces further delay
28 March, 2023
While the start-up of unit 4 of Sweden’s Ringhals NPP is ongoing, power generation from the unit is not now expected to start until 1 April, according to plant owner/operator Vattenfall. The plant was previously scheduled to begin operation on 26 March following an outage of more than seven months for repairs.

Cyberthreats need continual vigilance
23 March, 2023
Nuclear industry organisations should look to invest in cyber defence even if there appears to be a lull in attacks. They should also be prepared for the event of a successful attack given that preparation provides a paper trail for regulatory authorities.

Grossi sees positive results from Iran trip
07 March, 2023
During a two day visit to Iran, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi held high level talks with Iranian President, Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Affairs Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and Vice-President of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran (AEOI), Mohammad Eslami. The visit followed reports that particles of uranium enriched to 83.7% had been detected at Iran's underground Fordow plant when Iran had formally notified IAEA of enrichment only up to 60%. There was also an outstanding issue of uranium particles identified at three locations not normally subject to IAEA inspections.

French researchers use muons to model reactor
10 February, 2023
Researchers at France’s Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) have created a 3D image of the G2 reactor at Marcoule using muons. Such imaging will aid in dismantling the reactor, which is now undergoing decommissioning. The research has been published in the journal Science Advances.

US Professor Thane Gustafson: Russia’s nuclear industry is unique
18 January, 2023
As the Western nuclear industry flounders, Russia’s Rosatom is building nuclear power plants (NPPs) on time and under budget around the world, while selling uranium to the US, according to Professor Thane Gustafson. His article, on “The Devil’s Dance” substack blog, says Russia has world-beating nuclear power technology that is flourishing thanks to booming exports. The article, originally released in May, has now been reproduced in several other publications and a link provided on Gustafson’s Twitter page.

When does new nuclear become investable?
05 January, 2023
The UK is grappling with the problem of inviting the private sector to invest in new nuclear without interest driving up the price. Its solution cuts costs – but transfers the risk to consumers