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Even oil-rich companies of Middle East are eying reactors, as more nations announce plans for SMRs Russian troops occupied the Zaporizhzhia nuclear station, which was damaged by shelling. File photo courtesy IAEA. 2022 was a year of mega milestones for nuclear energy.

Countries around the world turned to nuclear as a reliable low-carbon energy source as they looked for ways to wean themselves off Russian imports and lower carbon emissions.

New plants began operating, deals for small modular reactors were signed and countries announced ambitious plans for new-build.

On the political front, US president Joe Biden signed into law new legislation that will help to finance struggling nuclear reactors and could save dozens from being shut down early. In Europe, the nuclear industry celebrated when members of the European parliament decided to “follow the science” and support legislation which includes nuclear in the bloc’s sustainable finance taxonomy for green investment.

Date: Tuesday, 10 January 2023
Original article: nucnet.org/news/five-major-developments-that-are-setting-the-stage-for-2023-and-beyond-1-1-2023

Global optimism ‘rising’ about potential of reactors to help achieve net zero emissions Fatih Birol (left) and Rafael Grossi at the International Atomic Energy Agency discussion on nuclear power at Cop27 in Egypt. Courtesy IAEA. Nuclear power is making “a strong comeback”, but the international financial community has so far “failed” to provide the level playing field needed for nuclear to help the world tackle its most pressing challenges, from climate change to sustainable development, International Energy Agency (IEA) executive director Fatih Birol told the Cop27 United Nations climate conference in in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.

Birol told an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) discussion on nuclear power: “I don’t give them a passing grade.”

“Countries that were saying goodbye to nuclear power, they are rethinking their plans,” Birol said, adding that the IEA had been engaged in talks with both Belgium and Germany.

“We are very happy that both governments are now in the process of postponing their nuclear phaseout plans, understanding the role that nuclear plays in addressing this energy security challenge,” he said.

In addition, another group of countries is now considering extending the lifetime of their existing nuclear power reactors to respond to this challenge, which is one of the cheapest forms of low carbon power, Birol said. Still another group of countries are rolling out plans to build new reactors, including seemingly “surprising” ones such as the Netherlands and Poland as well as Japan and South Korea.

Date: Friday, 11 November 2022
Original article: nucnet.org/news/nuclear-making-strong-comeback-but-financial-community-has-failed-to-provide-level-playing-field-11-4-2022

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi called on world leaders to deliver on commitments made during a ministerial conference on nuclear power hosted by the agency and the US Department of Energy.

Date: Tuesday, 01 November 2022
Original article: world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Global-appeal-for-nuclear-power-as-ministerial-con

Midwest can be ‘powerhouse for low-carbon fuel production’ The aim is to produce clean hydrogen from the Davis-Besse nuclear power station. Courtesy Wikipedia. Energy Harbor has joined forces with the University of Toledo and several industrial companies and US Department of Energy national laboratories to launch the Great Lakes Clean Hydrogen coalition, which aims to produce clean hydrogen using nuclear power from the Davis-Besse nuclear power station in Ohio.

The coalition envisions transforming the Midwest into a powerhouse for low-carbon fuel production. It said it will use nuclear power generated by Energy Harbor’s Davis-Besse nuclear station to produce carbon-free hydrogen through electrolysis.

The coalition said the focus on clean hydrogen production through electrolysis avoids the challenge of capturing and sequestering carbon dioxide. Nuclear reactors can produce clean hydrogen by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen. Methods are being explored to use nuclear energy to produce hydrogen from water by electrolysis, thermochemical, and hybrid processes.

In October 2021, Energy Harbor and the DOE agreed to develop a hydrogen production demonstration project at Davis-Besse in collaboration with Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Xcel Energy, and Arizona Public Service. The plant was chosen due to its proximity to key hydrogen consumers in the manufacturing and transportation sectors of the market.

Date: Friday, 16 September 2022
Original article: nucnet.org/news/us-initiative-aims-for-productions-with-nuclear-energy-from-davis-besse-9-4-2022

Fatih Birol, head of the International Energy Agency (IEA) told the US-sponsored Partnership for Transatlantic Energy and Climate Cooperation’s (P-TECC’s) third ministerial conference in Warsaw, that nuclear power is important to support an emerging new global clean energy economy. However, global reactor capacity would need to increase threefold by 2050 to meet global net-zero emission targets.

Date: Tuesday, 05 October 2021
Original article: neimagazine.com/news/newsiea-head-tells-us-sponsored-conference-that-nuclear-is-important-for-climate-mitigation-9128635

Nuclear power, the largest source of carbon-free electricity generation today, should continue to be a pillar in the energy transition to a carbon-free future and in helping countries achieve energy security, GE says in a newly published 'positioning paper'. It says two parallel paths are needed: maximizing the lifetime output of the existing installed fleet and building new nuclear plants with best-in-class technology.

Date: Friday, 25 June 2021
Original article: world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/GE-outlines-nuclear-s-role-as-a-pillar-of-a-low-ca

The US-led Leaders’ Summit on Climate, held on 22 and 23 April as a video conference, attracted 40 world leaders (presidents and prime ministers) including Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Also taking part were some 24 other speakers at ministerial level (environment, defence, economy) in addition to Pope Francis and United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, as well as almost 40 heads of environmental organisations, indigenous communities and leading businessmen, including Bill Gates. The event coincided with Earth Day, an annual event first held in 1970.

Date: Tuesday, 27 April 2021
Original article: neimagazine.com/news/newsleaders-summit-on-climate-attracts-world-leaders-businessmen-and-environmentalists-8699323

Policymakers who ignore nuclear energy are not serious about meeting climate goals, delegates said at an Atlantic Council webinar last week. The first in the Raising Ambitions series, the event highlighted the attributes of this clean source of electricity and heat ahead of the Leaders’ Climate Summit, which the US Administration is hosting on 22-23 April.

Date: Tuesday, 13 April 2021
Original article: world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Nuclear-power-can-help-raise-climate-ambitions

Innovation has always been at the heart of the nuclear power industry and its future depends on this commitment to technological advancement in both large and small reactor designs. This was the message of the International Framework for Nuclear Energy Cooperation (IFNEC) General Ministerial Conference held in Washington DC last week.

Date: Tuesday, 19 November 2019
Original article: world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Conference-Advancing-the-rebirth-of-nuclear-power

The world must learn to value nuclear energy for its energy security and reliability attributes, but most of all for its contribution to reducing carbon emissions before it is too late, the International Energy Agency's (IEA) Fatih Birol has told a US-EU high-level forum.

Date: Thursday, 24 October 2019
Original article: world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/World-must-value-nuclear-says-IEA-chief