Nuclear

As leaders around the world take steps to decarbonize energy supplies, many people have focused their attention specifically on wind and solar power. What they may fail to recognize is that nuclear power provides more electricity in the U.S. than all other carbon-free sources combined. This is true in some other countries, such as France, […]

NuScale Power and Prodigy Clean Energy, a Canadian designer of small modular reactor (SMR) marine power stations, have completed the conceptual design and economic assessment phases of a potential “marine-deployed” NuScale Power module (NPM) nuclear power plant. Building on an August 2018 memorandum of understanding (MoU) in which the companies set out to investigate the […]

May 18, 2021 – Framatome today announced the completion of a key milestone in the development of a robotic-assisted handling system to support decommissioning and waste management for the nuclear industry. Testing confirmed the operation of robotic systems for handling and sorting high-dose waste components, paving the way for increasing automation. The Virtual Remote Robotics […]

May 07, 2021 06:52 AM Eastern Daylight Time IRVING, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Fluor Corporation (NYSE: FLR) announced today that NuScale Power, in which Fluor is the majority investor, has retained Guggenheim Securities, LLC, a leading financial advisory and capital markets firm, to explore financing options to accelerate the commercialization of NuScale’s groundbreaking small modular reactor (SMR) technology. Fluor […]

In a notable, dedicated effort by a major U.S. utility to boost the development of an advanced reactor technology, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and Kairos Power, developer of a novel fluoride salt-cooled, high-temperature nuclear reactor, on May 6 said they will team to demonstrate Kairos’ Hermes test reactor at the East Tennessee Technology Park […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has approved 20-year subsequent renewed licenses (SRLs) for Dominion Energy Virginia’s Surry Power Station Units 1 and 2 near Newport News, Virginia, making them only the fifth and sixth reactors in the U.S. cleared to operate for 60 to 80 years. But the number of operating U.S. nuclear reactors fell […]

Argonne National Laboratory is at the forefront of research into the design of portable nuclear reactors, working to make the technology viable for use at places such as military bases and remote communities. Micro-reactor concepts are being developed that could fit power generation into a small area, such as in the back of a truck, […]

Incorporating new technology and solutions being used by others could help nuclear power plant staff improve operations and maintenance practices. Nuclear power plants face many challenges. Monitoring heat

In the decade following World War II, the U.S. government took a keen interest in helping to create a commercial nuclear power industry. Although there were military leaders and members of Congress who

Uzbekistan Wind Farm Project Expanding. Masdar, a global renewable energy company, has signed an agreement with Uzbekistan’s government to extend the capacity of its utility-scale wind farm project in the

Georgia Power has announced more milestones for its Vogtle nuclear power plant expansion project, including the start of hot functional testing for Unit 3 at the facility in Waynesboro, Georgia. The utility also said it could bring the reactor online as soon as December of this year, despite continued construction delays due in part to […]

An innovative second-generation steel-composite modular construction system that is planned for use in GE Hitachi’s (GEH’s) BWRX-300 small modular reactor (SMR) plant could dramatically reduce the amount of labor required during nuclear island construction. Brian Johnson, vice president and BWRX-300 product director with GEH, explained various details about the company’s SMR design as part of […]

The European Union’s (EU’s) much-watched Taxonomy Climate Delegated Act—the world’s first “green list”—unveiled by the European Commission (EC) on April 21 qualifies several power-producing sectors in its technical screening criteria for sustainable investment decisions. However, it delays controversial decisions on gas and nuclear.  The EC adopted the Delegated Act as part of an ambitious package […]

JANESVILLE and FITCHBURG, Wis., April 20, 2021 – SHINE Medical Technologies LLC and Phoenix LLC today announced that the companies have completed a merger under which Phoenix has become a wholly owned subsidiary of SHINE. SHINE is a next-generation nuclear technology company focused on unlocking the power of fusion technologies to benefit the planet and […]

Emirates Nuclear Energy Corp. (ENEC) said Unit 1 of the Barakah nuclear facility has entered commercial operation, nine years after construction of the Arab world’s first nuclear power plant began. ENEC made the announcement April 6. Unit 1, operated by Nawah Energy Co., has been providing electricity to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) since reaching […]

A major chunk of President Joe Biden’s $2.25 trillion transformational plan to overhaul the nation’s infrastructure is dedicated to re-energizing America’s power infrastructure. The initiatives garnered the industry’s approval—with notable exceptions. The “American Jobs Plan,” released on March 31, strives to jumpstart the U.S. economy, which drooped under burdens posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. But […]

Scientists at the DIII-D National Fusion Facility have released a new design for a compact fusion reactor that can generate electricity and help define the technology necessary for commercial fusion power. General Atomics, which operates the DIII-D facility in San Diego, California, for the U.S. Department of Energy, says the approach is based on the […]

The nuclear power industry is brimming with technological innovation, particularly when it comes to small reactors that can provide power for several different applications. This is especially true in Canada

New Mexico has sued the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), challenging the legality of the agency’s proceedings involving separate proposals to build and operate two consolidated interim storage facilities (CISFs) for spent nuclear fuel (SNF) in New Mexico and Texas.  In a complaint filed on March 29 against the NRC and the U.S. government, New Mexico […]

The global push for carbon neutral and zero-emissions power generation has brought renewed interest in nuclear power, particularly for smaller units that are scalable and in some cases mobile, able to provide power in remote areas. Analysts say smaller nuclear reactors are more cost-effective, as they’re considered a more manageable investment for power generators as […]

Centrus Energy, a firm under contract with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to demonstrate production of high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) with domestic technology, says it expects to begin producing the advanced nuclear fuel material by June 2022 at the American Centrifuge Plant in Piketon, Ohio. Centrus President and CEO Daniel Poneman said on March […]

If you were alive and living in the U.S. during the 1970s, you probably remember waiting in long lines to fill your car with fuel. Yet, gasoline wasn’t the only item in short supply during the “Me Decade”—natural gas was seemingly running out and electricity demand was growing so much that new power plants were […]

The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) has kicked off a five-year partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to educate state public service commissioners and commission staff about barriers and possibilities related to the U.S. nuclear fleet.  The non-profit organization whose members include state regulatory agencies in all 50 states said on March […]

Southern Co. has announced another delay in hot functional testing for the first unit of its two-unit expansion at the Vogtle nuclear plant in Georgia. The utility in a March 19 filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said its subsidiary Georgia Power “now expects the start of hot functional testing for Unit 3 […]

Saint John, New Brunswick (March 18, 2021) – Moltex Energy is thrilled to receive $50.5 million from the Government of Canada’s Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) and Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) to advance its project to design and commercialize a molten salt reactor and spent fuel recycling facility. “Our government supports the use of this […]

COMMENTARY Throughout my career—and also POWER magazine’s long history—thermal power generation has been the greatest source of dispatchable electricity generation. In my view, policymakers have run a very good and smooth evolution of power generation diversity off the rails. The Biden Administration and Democrat Congress policies constitute an anti-American war on carbon. These policies, if […]

Michell Bearings has successfully completed station blackout (SBO) tests on a thrust and guide bearing used within the reactor coolant pump at a new build nuclear power plant. In what is thought to be one of the world’s first successful bearing run downs, the test demonstrated the bearing’s ability to survive a station blackout condition […]

When evaluating resource adequacy requirements, many power companies and grid operators have used a methodology that originated more than 70 years ago. This probabilistic reliability approach has generally performed adequately through the years. It has generally evaluated loss-of-load events occurring at frequencies of one-day-in-10-years (1-in-10) to be acceptable in terms of system reliability. However, it’s […]

The Arab world’s first nuclear power plant has received an operating license for its second unit, and the facility’s timeline still calls for commercial start-up of the first unit later this year. The Barakah nuclear power station, in the Al Dhafrah region of Abu Dhabi, will include four units with 5,600 MW of generating capacity […]