Nuclear

  • U.S. Officials Set to Announce Fusion Energy Breakthrough

    U.S. scientists reportedly have carried out the first nuclear fusion experiment to achieve a net energy gain. The Department of Energy (DOE) is expected to announce the breakthrough on Dec. 13, according to news reports late Sunday. The nuclear power industry has pursued fusion technology for decades, with a renewed emphasis for those efforts in […]

  • Vogtle Unit 4 completes cold hydro testing

    ATLANTA, Dec. 7, 2022 — Georgia Power (GPW) today announced the completion of cold hydro testing for Vogtle Unit 4 at the nuclear expansion project near Waynesboro, Ga. The completion of cold hydro testing is required to support the last major test remaining for Unit 4, hot functional testing, which is projected to commence by the end […]

  • Jacobs Wins Contract to Support UK Nuclear Regulator

    Deep technical knowledge underpins country’s energy security and net-zero carbon ambitions DALLAS – Jacobs (NYSE:J) was selected to provide the U.K.’s nuclear regulator, the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR), with specialist engineering and technical support services. The four-year framework covers the ONR’s activities in new build, power generation, decommissioning and defense. Jacobs has supported the […]

  • Small Modular Reactors Aren’t Difficult Nuclear Waste Generators

    Many experts believe small modular reactors (SMRs), which are generally classified as nuclear power reactors with an electrical output of 300 MW or less, offer great promise for supplying the world with carbon-free energy. Several SMR designs are under development by companies around the world including NuScale Power, GE-Hitachi, Terrestrial Energy, TerraPower, Toshiba, X-energy, and […]

  • Framatome and NRG sign contracts for fuel supply and medical radioisotope targets

    December 7, 2022 – Framatome signed two contracts with NRG to supply enriched uranium targets and fuel elements for the High Flux Reactor (HFR) in the Netherlands. The HFR research reactor produces more than 60% of Europe’s medical isotopes, primarily for the use in diagnostic nuclear imaging scans. “We are pleased to continue our long […]

  • Iran Building New Nuclear Plant; Indonesia Seeks Investors for its First

    Two countries seeking to expand development of their nuclear power programs have announced new projects. Iranian officials on Dec. 3 said construction of what would be that country’s second nuclear power plant has begun. Meanwhile, Indonesia’s government on Dec. 4 said it is looking for investors to support development of what would be the country’s […]

  • NuScale Power Announces Fuel Handling and Storage Rack Contracts with Framatome

    Contracts include important design and future fabrication activities, critical to NuScale’s small modular reactor (SMR) technology delivery PORTLAND, Ore. – NuScale Power, LLC (NuScale) announced today it has awarded two new contracts to Framatome to design fuel handling equipment and fuel storage racks for NuScale’s VOYGR™ SMR power plant. This marks a critical supply chain […]

  • Three Nuclear Giants Will Vie for Czech Republic’s Dukovany Expansion

    Competition for a new unit of up to 1.2 GW at the Czech Republic’s Dukovany nuclear power plant site has stepped up, with France’s EDF, South Korea’s Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP), and a Westinghouse-Bechtel team submitting initial bids, Czech utility ČEZ, said on Nov. 30. Elektrárna Dukovany II, a. s. (EDU II), a […]

  • Nuclear Power Is Finally Poised to Ramp Up Again in Japan

    The Japanese have been hesitant to re-embrace nuclear power following the triple reactor meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in 2011, but there are indications that nuclear power could ramp up again in

  • War and Nuclear Power: Stakes Are High for People, Environment, and Industry

    John Stevens Cabot Abbott, the 19th century American historian perhaps best known for writing History of Napoleon Bonaparte and History of the Civil War in America , is attributed with the quote, “War is the

  • Large Hydro Station Wins POWER’s Highest Honor, 21 Additional Outstanding Projects Recognized in 2022

    It’s always difficult to select winners from the field of nominations submitted to POWER for its annual awards, and this year was no exception. The Wudongde Hydropower Station was the big winner, while

  • POWER Digest [December 2022]

    Qatar Inaugurates the Country’s First Utility-Scale Solar Photovoltaic Power Plant. With Essa bin Hilal Al-Kuwari, president of Qatar General Electricity & Water Corp. (Kahramaa); Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi

  • Exploring Innovative Solutions for Nuclear Waste

    Advanced nuclear energy can, and should, play a major role in meeting the societal goal of 100% clean energy by mid-century. Advanced nuclear energy would complement other energy sources like wind and solar

  • Reduce Plant Fuel Use, Emissions, and Operating Cost with Performance Models and Predictive Maintenance

    Thermal power generation has to adapt new methods to thrive as renewables transform dispatch. Now used more often as a bridge source of power rather than the main source of power, many fossil fuel plants

  • UK Government Steps Up as 50% Owner of 3.2-GW Sizewell C EPR Nuclear Project

    The UK government will bolster a proposal to build Sizewell C with a £679 million ($815 million) investment, giving the twin EPR nuclear power plant project—a combined 3.2 GW—new flexibility to proceed. The UK Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) on Nov. 29 said that with the final investment decision, it intends to […]

  • How Does Uranium Price Increase Affect Nuclear Power Plant Profitability?

    Uranium has been one of the best-performing asset classes in 2022, according to data supplied by HANetf’s Sprott Uranium Miners UCITS ETF (URNM). In fact, the uranium spot price has increased 24.12% during the year through Oct. 31, according to the fund. October was a particularly strong month for uranium oxide (U3O8), which is used […]

  • New Doosan Škoda Power turbines have upgraded the first two units of the Mochovce nuclear power plant in Slovakia

    (23th November 2022, Pilsen, Czech Republic) The Mochovce nuclear power plant is a key component of Slovakia’s energy infrastructure. In the first two units, which cover roughly one-quarter of total electricity consumption, Doosan Škoda Power recently completed an extensive modernization of the turbine set, helping to raise the gross power output of both units to […]

  • DOE Grants First-Round Civil Nuclear Credit Award—$1.1B—to Diablo Canyon 

    The Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) first round of funding from its $6 billion Civil Nuclear Credit (CNC) Program is poised to go to Diablo Canyon Power Plant, California’s only operational nuclear plant. Pacific Gas & Electric  (PG&E), Diablo Canyon’s owner, could receive up to $1.1 billion in credits to extend the 2.2-GW plant’s operation for […]

  • MHI Delivers First Pump for Hinkley Point C Nuclear Power Plant in UK

    TOKYO, Nov 22, 2022 – (JCN Newswire) – Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has delivered the first pump set of total 34 units consisting of five models for Units 1 and 2 at the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant in the United Kingdom to Trillium Flow Technologies (Trillium). The pump sets are important rotary […]

  • NRC Begins Construction Permit Review for Pioneering Nuclear Molten Salt Research Reactor 

    The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has accepted Abilene Christian University’s (ACU’s) construction permit application for a 1-MWth nuclear non-power Molten Salt Research Reactor (MSRR) facility planned for the university’s campus in Abilene, north-central Texas. The acceptance—which essentially marks the NRC “docketing” of the application—formally kicks off the regulatory agency’s review of ACU’s proposed Nuclear Energy […]

  • Russia Says Construction of Egypt’s First Nuclear Plant Ahead of Schedule

    Officials from Russia and Egypt marked another milestone in construction of the latter’s first nuclear power plant, with a ceremony Nov. 19 to announce pouring of the “first concrete” for Unit 2 of the El-Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant (NPP). Saturday’s event came three weeks after a construction permit was issued for that unit by the Egyptian […]

  • NERC Warns of Tight Generation Resources, Fuel Supply Issues This Winter

    Power shortfalls could be rife over the next three months across a large portion of the North American bulk power system (BPS), particularly during extreme and prolonged cold conditions, the North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC) has warned. The nation’s designated Electric Reliability Organization (ERO) in its latest Winter Reliability Assessment, issued on Nov. 17, said […]

  • How NRIC Is Helping Advance Technology for the Nuclear Power Industry

    The National Reactor Innovation Center (NRIC) is a national Department of Energy (DOE) program led by the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) that allows collaborators to harness the world-class capabilities of the U.S. National Laboratory System. NRIC supports the construction and demonstration of advanced reactor systems through a suite of services and capabilities. “Our vision is […]

  • NuScale Power Joins the United Nations 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy Compact

    NuScale joins energy buyers, energy suppliers, governments, investors and other organizations in committing to decarbonizing global electricity systems PORTLAND, Ore.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– NuScale Power Corporation (NYSE: SMR) has joined the United Nations (UN) 24/7 Carbon-free Energy Compact (CEC) to advance the UN’s goal of accelerating the decarbonization of the world’s electricity systems to mitigate climate change and ensure access […]

  • Advocates for Sound Climate and Energy Policy Praise New York for Proposing Nuclear Power

    Albany, NY – Today climate scientists, engineers, environmentalists, labor and community leaders applaud the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) for recognizing the importance of nuclear power in meeting state energy goals—now and in the future. “It’s a significant step in the right direction,” said Dr. James E. Hansen, renowned climate scientist […]

  • CNL and General Fusion Sign MOU to Advance Commercial Fusion Energy

    CHALK RIVER, Ontario, Nov. 10, 2022 — Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL), Canada’s premier nuclear science and technology organization, and General Fusion, an international leader in the development of commercial fusion energy, are pleased to announce that they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to pursue a series of joint projects to accelerate the deployment […]

  • Six Major Electric Utilities Join Forces to Pursue a Southeastern Hydrogen Hub

    Marking intent interest from the power sector in hydrogen’s decarbonization potential, six major utilities—Dominion Energy, Duke Energy, Louisville Gas & Electric Co. (LG&E), Kentucky Utilities Co. (KU), Southern Co., and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)—have announced they will jointly pursue federal financial support for a Southeast Hydrogen Hub. The utilities, along with Battelle, an independent […]

  • Potential Deal Brewing for Second Polish Nuclear Plant Based on South Korean Technology 

    Days after Poland chose Westinghouse to supply its AP1000 technology to the country’s first nuclear plant in Pomerania, northern Poland, the government and two Polish energy firms signed a letter of intent with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) to “push ahead” with development of a second nuclear plant based on APR1400 technology in Pątnów, […]

  • A Half-Century of Reliability: Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant

    Baltimore Gas & Electric set out to build the 1.8-GW Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant in 1967 because fossil energy was becoming expensive and controversial. Over its nearly 50 years of operation

  • New Units at Hongyanhe Further China’s Nuclear Ambition

    An innovative design, emphasizing safety and economic efficiency, is key to the reactor technology at China’s newest—and now largest—nuclear power plant. China’s nuclear power program has utilized