Nuclear

Fusion research and development have been ongoing for decades, and many people probably believe a fusion power system will remain out of reach for decades longer. But the truth is that more than 100 tokamaks have been constructed and the science behind fusion is well-understood. What has been elusive is generating net energy from a […]

WILMINGTON, North Carolina—October 29, 2020—GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) announced today that Synthos Green Energy (SGE), a member of the Synthos Group S.A., has initiated discussions with Poland’s National Atomic Energy Agency (Państwowa Agencja Atomistyki – PAA) about a potential BWRX-300 small modular reactor project. Under the Polish Nuclear Act of 29 November 2000, before […]

Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS), a company commercializing fusion energy, recently announced a series of seven papers published and peer reviewed in a special edition of the Journal of Plasma Physics. The papers validate the company’s approach to commercial fusion energy. CFS said the papers, written in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT’s) Plasma […]

Georgia Power said it still expects to meet a state regulatory deadline for commercial operation of the first of two new reactors at its Vogtle nuclear plant expansion. The utility, though, on Oct. 22 acknowledged it has pushed back some aspects of the project, including delaying the loading of nuclear fuel for the first reactor […]

An expansion of New York’s Clean Energy Standard (CES) approved by the state’s Public Service Commission (PSC) adopts several measures that will help the state meet its new, more ambitious 70%-by-2030 renewable power target. In an Oct. 15 order, the PSC adopted several changes proposed by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority […]

Buoyed by two major developments last week for prospective customers, NuScale Power is maintaining “strong program momentum” toward commercialization of its small modular reactor (SMR) technology, the company told POWER.  On Oct. 16, the Department of Energy (DOE) approved a $1.355 billion award to fund the Carbon Free Power Project (CFPP), a potential 720-MWe NuScale […]

LOWER ALLOWAYS CREEK, N.J. (Oct. 15, 2020) – PSEG Nuclear’s Salem Unit 1 entered its planned refueling and maintenance outage on Oct. 3, 2020, when operators safely removed the unit from the regional power grid. Salem 1 is one of three nuclear units operated by PSEG in Salem County, New Jersey. Collectively, the three nuclear […]

Doubling down on its net-zero efforts, Duke Energy will retire all coal-only units in the Carolinas, multiply its renewable portfolio, and cease emitting methane in its natural gas business by 2030.  The company made the announcements on Oct. 12 at its first environmental, social and governance (ESG) day, a virtual event geared toward its investors. […]

TerraPower and X-energy will each receive $80 million in initial federal funding under the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP) to build their two distinct advanced nuclear reactors and begin operating them within seven years.  Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette made the much-awaited announcement about the first ARDP awards in a brief Twitter […]

OSTROVETS, Belarus (Oct. 11, 2020) — Unit No. 1 at the Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant, equipped with the VVER-1200 reactor has been brought to minimum control power (MCP). Minimum control power level is reached when neutron flux is recorded in a reactor working at a level sufficient to sustain a fission chain reaction. Reaching MCP […]

Howden has been awarded a contract with American based UT-Battelle (Oak Ridge National Laboratory) to supply the DYS Blowout Compressor and the Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) which will be an important part of the Tokamak Cooling Water System (TCWS). Tomkamak is a magnetic fusion device that has been designed to demonstrate the feasibility of fusion […]

The Department of Energy (DOE) on Oct. 7 notified Congress that it has chosen recipients for its Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP) and will make its selections public “next week.” The ARDP program, which the DOE officially launched on May 14, will essentially focus DOE and non-federal resources (through cost-shared agreements with industry) to enable […]

Ontario Power Generation (OPG) took another step to bolster plans to deploy small modular reactors (SMRs) in Ontario, announcing it is advancing engineering and design work with three major advanced nuclear reactor developers: GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH), Terrestrial Energy, and X-energy. The announcement on Oct. 6 stems from a “due diligence” process OPG held […]

Beyond the large units driving generators, small steam turbines are commonly used in parallel with electric motors to power important assets such as pumps. Keeping these smaller turbines properly maintained is essential for continued performance and reliability. Sulzer has a network of specialized facilities that are equipped to service these turbines as well as the […]

TREO 2000 uses the latest AES fiber technology to enhance safety and thermal performance INDEPENDENCE, VA, October 6, 2020 – McAllister Mills, a global leader in the manufacture of precision-engineered thermal fabrics and products, has introduced TREO® 2000, the company’s newest bio-soluble high-temperature blanket that uses the latest in AES (alkaline earth silica) fiber technology. […]

The Department of Energy (DOE) will issue a notice of proposed rule-making (NOPR) to implement President Trump’s broad bulk power system (BPS) security executive order (EO) “later this fall,” a DOE official confirmed to POWER on Oct. 5. Though the NOPR is delayed beyond the 150-day timeframe set by the EO, various BPS stakeholders are […]

In the 1940s, the Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant was built in unprecedented secrecy as part of the Manhattan Project. Its purpose was to provide enriched uranium for the world’s first atomic bomb, and it expanded operations during the Cold War, producing enriched uranium for defense and commercial purposes. Uranium enrichment operations were halted at […]

All power plants have a finite useful life. Thus, there will come a time at every facility when the unit must be retired and the decommissioning process undertaken. Decisions must be made on who will do the

Though a lesser discussed power-to-x solution, power-to-heat technologies are already mature, commercially available, and market competitive. And they are already making an impact on the power sector. Much

It’s been nearly 35 years since the Philippines mothballed the country’s only nuclear power plant, declaring the 621-MW Bataan facility would not be commissioned despite the country spending $2.3 billion

Enel Ready to Close Italian Coal Plants. Enel, Italy’s largest power generator, said it wants to close three coal-fired units in the coming months as part of the company’s complete exit from coal. Enel

The International Energy Agency (IEA) reported that the world installed 5.5 GW of new nuclear capacity in 2019, with China and Russia leading the way. In April, the U.S. announced its intention to take bold

The U.S. power industry lacks forward-looking ways to measure grid resiliency and traditional reliability metrics could become irrelevant as more intermittent generation inundates the bulk power system. But rather than continually looking backward to learn from ever-increasing emergencies or close-shaves, power system operators must work to cultivate a balanced portfolio that considers all aspects of […]

The Versatile Test Reactor (VTR), a planned experimental fast neutron reactor that the Department of Energy (DOE) says is crucial to support domestic advanced nuclear reactor research and development has cleared “Critical Decision 1,” paving the way for the engineering design phase to begin. Critical Decision 1—also known as “Approve Alternative Selection and Cost Range”—is […]

A California company is gathering funding for development of a portable nuclear microreactor, designed for use in areas where other forms of power generation are not practical. Radiant, founded by former SpaceX engineers, on Sept. 22 said it has raised $1.2 million from angel investors as it designs what the company calls a “clean energy […]

Hitachi will formally end business operations on the Horizon Nuclear Power Plant in the UK, citing an “investment environment” that has become “increasingly severe due to the impact of COVID-19.”  The Tokyo, Japan–headquartered conglomerate’s move comes 20 months after it first suspended plans to build the plant in Wylfa Newydd in Wales as part of […]

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC’s) ruling on Sept. 4, 2020,  rejected, in a three-to-one decision, the New York Independent System Operator’s (NYISO) proposal to change its capacity market rules, ostensibly intended to support, among other things, New York and New Jersey’s ambitious, and some say, unattainable renewable goals. The action comes directly on the […]