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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

Final bids due next year and contract with winning technology provider could be finalised in 2024 The Czech Republic is planning at least one new nuclear plant at the Dukovany site. Courtesy ČEZ. France’s EDF, South Korea’s Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) and US-based group Westinghouse Electric have made initial bids to build a new reactor unit at the Czech Republic’s Dukovany nuclear power station, Czech utility ČEZ said today.

ČEZ said Elektrárna Dukovany II, the wholly owned subsidiary set up to implement the new-build project, will now analyse the bids and negotiate with the three bidders. The bidders will then submit final bids by the end of September 2023.

Majority state-owned ČEZ, which launched the Dukovany expansion tender in March, said it expects the contracts to be finalised in 2024.

The initial bids are the basis for clarifying technical and commercial parameters, but not for the actual selection or exclusion of contractors, ČEZ said. 

EDF’s reactor technology is the EPR, KHNP’s the APR-1400 and Westinghouse’s the AP1000. All three reactor types have seen commercial operation or are under construction in different countries.

Two EPRs and four AP1000s are commercially operational in China, while the APR-1400 is operated commercially in South Korea and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). 

Additionally, EPR new build projects are near completion at Olkiluoto in Finland and Flamanville in France, while construction is under way of two EPR units at Hinkley Point C in England. Two APR-1400s are in the commissioning stage and two are operating commercially at Barakah in the UAE.

ČEZ said there has been progress on preparation for the project. In 2019, the environment ministry approved an environmental impact assessment. Last year, Elektrárna Dukovany II received a siting permit from the State Office for Nuclear Safety and a generating facility authorisation from the ministry of industry and trade. The zoning procedure has begun, with the company applying to the building authority in June 2021.

Date: Thursday, 01 December 2022
Original article: nucnet.org/news/three-companies-submit-bids-to-build-new-nuclear-at-dukovany-11-3-2022

Low-carbon technologies are more competitive than the fossil fuel options for electricity generation, which is good news for governments wanting to move towards low-carbon systems. But electricity is not the end of the story, says Dr Henri Paillere, head of the Planning and Economics Studies Section of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Date: Tuesday, 16 February 2021
Original article: world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Speech-Nuclear-beyond-electricity

Rick Perry: Bailing out nuclear plants is important to national security.

In the face of rising electricity demand, US energy secretary Rick Perry confirmed recently that work is underway on a plan to preserve some of the nation’s key nuclear power plants.

Date: Tuesday, 04 June 2019
Original article: nucnet.org/news/nuclear-is-vital-to-us-national-security-as-doe-works-on-rescue-proposals-6-2-2019