Nuclear

  • Enduring Value: Entergy’s More Than 100-Year-Old Story

    One man’s ambition to electrify the Middle South and improve its economic outlook 110 years ago evolved from a handshake for steam from a boiler powered with waste sawdust into Entergy Corp., a

  • POWER Digest [May 2023]

    European Grid Operator Secures 22 GW of HVDC Projects. European transmission system operator (TSO) TenneT will lead a charge to install 11 2-GW high-voltage direct current (HVDC) systems by 2031. A long-term

  • Winter Demand for Coal, Gas Falls Across EU Despite Energy Concerns

    An analysis from an energy research group shows European Union (EU) countries burned less coal and natural gas for power generation than in prior years, despite an ongoing energy crisis driven by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. A study from Ember, a think-tank based in the UK, said coal-fired generation in the EU dropped 27 TWh […]

  • South Korean Companies Snap Up Opportunities to Advance Floating Nuclear, Nuclear Hydrogen, SMRs

    Days after Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) announced it would participate in a consortium to develop floating nuclear power plants, the owner and operator of South Korea’s 25 nuclear power plants joined forces with TerraPower to bolster the demonstration and commercialization of Natrium, TerraPower’s sodium-cooled fast reactor integrated energy system. The deals were announced […]

  • Framatome achieves critical NRC approval in development of advanced nuclear fuel technology

    April 25, 2023 – Framatome received approval from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to apply the company’s suite of Advanced Codes and Methods to operating conditions with uranium-235 enrichments above the industry standard of 5 weight percent (wt%). This approval is a critical step toward the company’s goal of reload readiness by 2027 for nuclear […]

  • Fluor to Bolster Commercialization of Laser Fusion Power

    Engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) giant Fluor Corp. will serve as an engineering and construction partner to design and plan laser fusion power plants developed by Longview Fusion Energy Systems—a company leveraging the recent fusion breakthrough at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). Fluor on April 18 announced it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with […]

  • The POWER Interview: How a Canadian Small Reactor Will Support Industrial Decarbonization

    The nuclear power industry is banking on development of small modular reactor (SMR) technology to support global growth. Canada is at the forefront of the SMR market, with at least four Canadian provinces involved in a joint strategic plan to advance the deployment of SMRs. ARC Clean Technology Canada recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding […]

  • Vogtle Unit 3 Generates Electricity, Connects to Power Grid

    Georgia Power has announced another milestone for the two-unit reactor expansion at the Plant Vogtle nuclear power site, as Unit 3 on April 1 successfully generated electricity for the first time. The utility said the unit has been synchronized and connected to the power grid. The announcement comes after Georgia Power two weeks ago said […]

  • India Eyes Major Expansion of Nuclear Power

    India’s government is pushing for construction of more nuclear power plants as the country looks to increase its supply of cleaner energy. Officials have made some ambitious pronouncements, calling for as

  • The Future Looks Bright for Nuclear Power—Dare We Use the ‘R’ Word Again?

    The term “nuclear renaissance” was very popular in the early 2000s. Nuclear power plant operators had substantially improved existing plant performance, and many new plants were being considered around the

  • POWER Digest [April 2023]

    New Natural Gas–Fired Plant Approved for Philippines. San Miguel Consolidated Power Corp. (SMCPC), a wholly owned subsidiary of SMC Global Power Holdings Corp., said it received environmental approval to

  • China Begins Operation of First CGN Hualong One Nuclear Reactor

    The first Hualong One unit, a 1,180-MWe nuclear reactor designed by China General Nuclear (CGN), is now operational at the company’s Guangxi Fangchenggang Nuclear Power Station in western China’s Guangxi Autonomous Region. Fangchenggang Nuclear Power Plant is 39% owned by Guangxi Investment Group and 61% by CGN. The plant plans to house six 1,000-MWe reactors, […]

  • Last Energy Secures PPAs for 34 SMR Nuclear Power Plants in Poland and the UK

    Last Energy, a U.S.-based micro modular nuclear technology firm and project developer, has secured power purchase agreements (PPAs) for 34 PWR-20 small modular reactor (SMR) units with four industrial partners in the UK and Poland. The deals, which represent a combined $18.9 in power sales, mark “the largest pipeline of new nuclear power plants under […]

  • Hot Functional Testing Begins on Unit 4 at Vogtle Nuclear Plant

    Georgia Power announced that hot functional testing for Unit 4 at the Vogtle nuclear power plant has begun, as the utility moves closer to bringing both reactors of the two-unit expansion at the facility online. Hot functional testing marks the last series of major tests for Unit 4 prior to the initial loading of fuel […]

  • El Salvador Sets Sights on Joining the ‘Nuclear Power Club’

    El Salvador is taking steps to add nuclear power to the country’s energy mix, as the nation of about 6.5 million people looks to diversify its electric power generation fleet. In support of that effort, the government of El Salvador and the Thorium Energy Alliance, a Harvard, Illinois–based non-profit advocacy group that endorses thorium-fueled reactors, […]

  • BWRX-300 Becomes First SMR to Clear Two Phases of Canadian Nuclear Design Review

    GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy’s (GEH’s) BWRX-300 design has cleared the first two phases of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission’s (CNSC) Vendor Design Review (VDR) process, marking a first for a small modular reactor (SMR). The Canadian nuclear regulator’s VDR process is an optional pre-licensing mechanism that allows CNSC staff to give applicants feedback early in the […]

  • GE Hitachi BWRX-300 Small Modular Reactor Achieves Pre-Licensing Milestone in Canada

    WILMINGTON, North Carolina—March 15, 2023—GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) today announced that its BWRX-300 small modular reactor (SMR) 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 (VDR) process. “The BWRX-300 is the first SMR technology to have […]

  • Enel and Newcleo Agree to Partner on New Gen-IV Small Modular Reactors

    The Enel Group and nuclear technology company newcleo signed an agreement under which they will work together on Generation-IV (Gen-IV) nuclear technology projects. Under the deal, Enel will collaborate with newcleo by providing “specialized expertise” through the sharing of “a number of the company’s qualified personnel.” newcleo, for its part, will secure an option for […]

  • SNC-Lavalin Continues to Advance Romanian Nuclear Refurbishment with $65 Million Contract

    MONTREAL, March 7, 2023 /CNW/ – Candu Energy Inc., a member of the SNC-Lavalin Group (TSX: SNC), has been selected by Nuclearelectrica S.A. (SNN), operator of the Cernavoda Nuclear Generating Station in Romania, to conduct further pre-project work for Cernavoda’s Unit 1 CANDU® reactor, ahead of its life-extension to support European energy security and Romania’s Net Zero goals. The win builds on […]

  • Vogtle 3 Reaches Initial Criticality, Marking Pivotal Nuclear Startup Milestone

    Vogtle 3, one of two 1,117-MW Westinghouse AP1000 nuclear reactors Southern Nuclear Operating Co. is building in Georgia, has reached initial criticality. The event marks a pivotal milestone for the Generation III+ pressurized water reactor (PWR)—the first of its kind built in the U.S. “Initial criticality is a key step during the startup testing sequence […]

  • Vistra Expands Nuclear Portfolio in $3.4 Billion Deal for Energy Harbor

    Texas-based energy company Vistra Corp. is adding to its nuclear power generation capacity. The group on March 6 announced it would buy Ohio-based Energy Harbor Corp. in a $3.4 billion deal that includes ownership of three nuclear power stations. The transaction includes $3 billion in cash, with Energy Harbor shareholders receiving a 15% stake in […]

  • Biden Administration Pledges $1.2 Billion to Keep U.S. Nuclear Reactors Online

    The Biden administration has pledged another $1.2 billion to help extend the operating life of older or distressed nuclear power plants, with Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm saying nuclear power is needed to support the nation’s clean energy goals. The funding, announced by the Dept. of Energy (DOE) on March 2, is the second tranche of […]

  • Novel UAMPS-NuScale SMR Nuclear Project Gains Participant Approval to Proceed to Next Phase

    Despite a steep hike in the project cost estimate for the proposed 462-MWe Carbon-Free Power Project (CFPP), 26 of 27 public power entities have voted to continue development of the first-of-its-kind six-module NuScale Power VOYGR-6 small modular nuclear (SMR) plant. The 26 project participants—subscribers who could eventually offtake portions of the project’s power—lodged financial commitments […]

  • Russia Ready to Bring Nuclear Power to Sri Lanka

    Government officials in Sri Lanka said they will work with Russia to bring nuclear power to the country as part of its effort to increase the supply of electricity for the island nation. Professor S.R.D. Rosa, chairman of the Sri Lanka Atomic Energy Board, told local media the country is looking at offshore and onshore […]

  • Is a Nuclear Reactor Headed to the Heart of Your City?

    It’s not uncommon for nuclear power plants to be sited relatively close to large metropolitan areas (within 50 miles, for example), after all, that is where the biggest loads are, but reactors are rarely placed near the center of large cities. This is mainly due to the risks associated with a meltdown, or even a […]

  • X-energy and Dow Will Deploy a 320-MWe Xe-100 Nuclear Facility at Gulf Coast Site

    X-energy will demonstrate its four-unit 320-MWe Xe-100 advanced nuclear reactor facility under the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP) at a Dow site in the U.S. Gulf Coast region by the end of the decade—not in Washington State as originally planned. The shakeup stems from a joint development agreement (JDA) the nuclear […]

  • A Complex Landscape for the Future of Combined Heat and Power

    Few power-generating resources present the combination of workhouse abilities that combined heat and power (CHP) does. But, powered predominantly by fossil fuels, will CHP find its unique footing within the

  • POWER Digest [March 2023]

    Pakistan Begins Commercial Operation of 1.3-GW Coal Plant. Pakistan on Feb. 7 began commercial operation of a 1.3-GW coal-fired power plant in the Thar Desert in Sindh province, southern Pakistan. The project

  • America—and the World—Needs More Nuclear Power

    Nuclear energy is making a comeback—at home in America and worldwide. The 118th Congress presents new opportunities to make sure America leads the world on this crucial clean energy technology. The drumbeat

  • THE BIG PICTURE: U.S. Combined Heat and Power and Microgrids

    As of December 2022, the Department of Energy (DOE) CHP Installation Database recorded 4,674 combined heat and power (CHP) installations in the U.S., with a combined capacity of 80.4 GW. Installations were all sizes, from large industrial systems that are hundreds of megawatts to small commercial microturbine and fuel cell systems that are tens of […]