Latest News

Filters

Swedish company LeadCold has launched a feasibility study to investigate the conditions for building and operating a nuclear research reactor at Studsvik with associated fuel fabrication infrastructure. The project would be based on LeadCold’s SEALER (Swedish Advanced Lead Reactor) – a small modular lead cooled fast breeder reactor originally intended for deployment in remote arctic regions in Northern Canada.

Date: Thursday, 16 March 2023
Original article: neimagazine.com/news/newsleadcold-investigates-construction-of-research-reactor-in-sweden-10677153

Read more …

TRIGA International, a joint venture between France’s Framatome and US General Atomics, has manufactured its first fuel element in more than 10 years. The fuel was fabricated at Framatome’s recently restored manufacturing facility at Romans-sur-Isère in France. The company completed a three-year $80m renovation project in 2021 funded by the US Department of Energy (DOE) and TRIGA International to restart its fuel production. During the renovation, DOE provided 76 lightly used TRIGA fuel elements to US research reactors to help meet immediate needs.

Date: Thursday, 16 March 2023
Original article: neimagazine.com/news/newsframatome-fabricates-fuel-element-for-us-triga-research-reactors-10677166

Read more …

First unit could be built at Darlington nuclear site by 2028 The BWRX-300 nuclear plant has also been seleced for potential deployment in Estonia. Courtesy Fermi Energia. GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) announced that its BWRX-300 small modular reactor has achieved a significant pre-licensing milestone in Canada with the completion of phases one and two of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission’s (CNSC) vendor design review process.

GEH said the BWRX-300 is the first SMR technology to have completed two phases of the CNSC’s vendor design review process.

Sean Sexstone, the company’s executive vice-president of advanced nuclear, said: “The successful completion of these phases and the feedback that we have received on our SMR design are important steps in the deployment of this technology.”

In 2020, GEH made its first submittal to the CNSC for its review of the BWRX-300 design. Since then, GEH has made submittals addressing 19 vendor design review areas that included general plant description, control system and facilities, research and development, and design process.

After a detailed assessment of reactor designs, in 2021 Ontario Power Generation (OPG) selected the GEH BWRX-300 as the technology to be deployed at its Darlington nuclear power station site.

Date: Thursday, 16 March 2023
Original article: nucnet.org/news/geh-s-bwrx-300-completes-first-two-phases-of-design-review-3-3-2023

Read more …

Chancellor also confirms establishment of Great British Nuclear The UK has two plants under construction at Hinkley Point C and another two in the pipeline at Sizewell C (pictured). Nuclear power is to be classed as “environmentally sustainable” in the UK’s green taxonomy, giving it access to the same investment incentives as renewable energy, chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced in his spring budget 2023 speech on Wednesday (15 March).

Hunt also announced the launch of Great British Nuclear, a government-backed agency which will he said will bring down costs and provide opportunities across the nuclear supply chain to help provide up to 25% of the country’s electricity by 2050, up from around 15% today.

The government said when it first proposed Great British Nuclear last year that it will be tasked with helping projects through every stage of the development process and developing “a resilient pipeline of new builds”.

The UK nuclear industry welcomed the chancellor’s announcement, saying Great British Nuclear could deliver a fleet of large and sizewell-scale nuclear power stations.

Date: Thursday, 16 March 2023
Original article: nucnet.org/news/government-announces-plans-to-include-nuclear-energy-in-green-taxonomy-3-3-2023

Read more …

A coated particle fuel for nuclear thermal propulsion applications, fabricated by TRISO-X LLC, has undergone testing in extreme conditions representing those experienced in space.

Date: Thursday, 16 March 2023
Original article: world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Space-propulsion-fuel-particle-in-TRISO-testing-fi

Read more …

Nuclearelectrica has welcomed the adoption of the law approving a support agreement with Romania's government for the proposed units 3 and 4 at the Cernavoda nuclear power plant. The firm said it allows the start of the next phase of the project.

Date: Thursday, 16 March 2023
Original article: world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Romania-adopts-support-agreement-law-for-Cernavoda

Read more …

The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) and the US Department of Energy's (DOE's) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have entered a strategic research partnership to better understand the performance and behaviour of materials required for use in future commercial fusion power plants.

Date: Thursday, 16 March 2023
Original article: world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/UK,-US-scientists-to-collaborate-on-fusion-materia

Read more …

The UK's Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has announced that nuclear will "subject to consultation, be classed as environmentally sustainable in our green taxonomy" - he also launched a competition, to be completed by the end of the year, which could lead to co-funding for small modular reactors (SMRs).

Date: Thursday, 16 March 2023
Original article: world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/UK-to-class-nuclear-as-environmentally-sustainable

Read more …

France's nuclear safety regulator, the Autorité de Sûreté Nucléaire (ASN), has made a draft decision to allow EDF to use the current reactor vessel head of the Flamanville 3 EPR until the end of the reactor's first operating cycle. The regulator earlier ruled that the utility must replace the vessel head by the end of 2024.

Date: Thursday, 16 March 2023
Original article: world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/ASN-allows-longer-use-of-Flamanville-EPR-vessel-he

Read more …

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) has completed a combined Phases 1 and 2 vendor design review (VDR) of GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy's BWRX-300 small modular reactor. The regulator said that no fundamental barriers to licensing were identified during the review.

Date: Thursday, 16 March 2023
Original article: world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/BWRX-300-completes-Phases-1-2-of-Canadian-pre-lice

Read more …