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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

Pre-licensing discussions underway with UK nuclear regulator US-based nuclear company Westinghouse is nearing completion of a conceptual design for a lead-cooled fast reactor (LFR) with eight “state-of-the-art” testing facilities being established in the UK to demonstrate the plant’s features, a conference was told.

Rita Baranwal, chief technology officer at Westinghouse, told the Nuclear Innovation Conference in Amsterdam that LFR tests rigs are being erected at locations including Westinghouse’s own Springfields facility near Preston, reactor technology and engineering company Jacobs’ facility in Warrington and the University of Bangor in Wales. Fuel development is taking place at the National Nuclear Laboratory and the University of Manchester.

Ms Baranwal, a former assistant secretary for nuclear energy at US Department of Energy, said testing is scheduled to begin this summer and the company is engaged in pre-licensing discussions about the LFR with the UK nuclear regulator.

She said first unit of Westinghouse’s new-generation high-capacity nuclear plant could potentially be operating in 2027.

Date: Friday, 17 June 2022
Original article: nucnet.org/news/company-nearing-completion-of-conceptual-design-for-new-generation-high-capacity-reactor-6-4-2022

All realistic options that might contribute to global net-zero must be considered, the Generation IV International Forum (GIF) has said in an open letter to COP26 President Alok Sharma. Nuclear systems and advanced reactors - such as Generation IV systems - can contribute to a net-zero society alongside renewable energies, it says.

Date: Saturday, 30 October 2021
Original article: world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/GIF-calls-for-nuclear-s-inclusion-in-COP26-discuss

Nuclear energy, as an asset class, has the potential to report well against a wide range of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) data collection and accounting metrics, according to a new report from the Generation IV International Forum (GIF). This should allow nuclear energy to be considered as an investable asset class, thereby allowing nuclear companies and projects to access climate finance.

Date: Wednesday, 08 September 2021
Original article: world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/GIF-highlights-nuclear-s-ESG-attributes

A common misconception about advanced nuclear technologies is that they are largely conceptual and will not be commercialised in time to contribute to meeting near-term climate goals, but a comprehensive look at global efforts to develop advanced nuclear reveals rapid progress towards commercialisation and operation, write Clean Air Task Force, ClearPath, Nuclear Innovation Alliance, Pillsbury and Third Way.

Date: Saturday, 10 July 2021
Original article: world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Viewpoint-Advanced-reactor-development-makes-rapid

The Energy Impact Center (EIC) has announced the first major update to OPEN100 - the world's first open-source design and implementation platform for a small, standard nuclear power plant. Launched in February 2020, the project aims to offer developers everything from a web interface to visualise plant and component design, costs studies and construction plans.

Date: Saturday, 03 October 2020
Original article: world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/More-organisations-participate-in-OPEN100-project

In the early stages of the nuclear power industry, some oil & gas majors (OGMs) entered the uranium industry, but their interest in nuclear power projects is rare, with Total's bid for the Barakah project in 2009 one of the few recent examples. Are these instances historical footnotes, or might there be a role for OGMs in the nuclear power industry today, even considering the current pandemic and overall market conditions, write Amjad Ghori, Melissa Hersh, Edward Kee, Paul Murphy and Xavier Rollat.

Date: Saturday, 13 June 2020
Original article: world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/How-oil-gas-majors-could-turn-the-tide-against-glo

Half of the carbon emissions in the world today were produced in the last 30 years and it is up to governments and industry to cooperate as never before to ensure the next three decades lead to a clean energy future. This was the consensus of a debate on multilateral partnerships that took place yesterday at the International Conference on Climate Change and the Role of Nuclear Power at the International Atomic Energy Agency's headquarters in Vienna.

Date: Saturday, 12 October 2019
Original article: world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/A-low-carbon-future-needs-partnerships