nuclear

Poland’s top climate official said the country is preparing to set a date for a complete phase-out of coal-fired power generation, just months after the nation elected a new government that has pledged to support environmental policies of the European Union (EU). Poland, which currently receives about 70% of its electricity from burning coal, and […]

Energy Northwest, a Washington state public power joint operating agency, announced an agreement with Bellevue-based Puget Sound Energy (PSE), which it says will “accelerate the agency’s program examining the feasibility of developing and deploying a next-generation nuclear energy facility.” The agreement, a $10 million investment by PSE in Energy Northwest’s new nuclear project feasibility phase, […]

A UK-based nuclear energy group is working with an Italian technology company to support decarbonization of the chemical industry, including hydrogen production. The agreement announced Jan. 10 between newcleo, a developer of small modular reactors (SMRs) and producer of MOX (mixed oxide) fuel, and two subsidiaries of Italy’s MAIRE will enable development of a conceptual […]

The UK may be poised to become the first European country to launch domestic production of high-assay, low-enriched uranium (HALEU). New funding announced by the country’s government this week signifies global momentum to establish a reliable supply of the specialist fuel that will be required for advanced nuclear reactors. The UK’s Department for Energy Security […]

Solar, wind, and nuclear power, as well as battery storage systems, are the obvious winners as the world aims to decarbonize energy systems. It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who has been following trends

Azerbaijan’s First Utility-Scale Solar Project Online. Officials in Azerbaijan in November announced the country’s first and largest utility-scale solar photovoltaic power plant is now operating. The

California’s Diablo Canyon nuclear plant can continue operating at least through much of 2030 after state energy regulators on Dec. 14 voted to keep the facility open an additional five years. The state’s Public Utilities Commission (PUC) on Thursday agreed to extend the closure date for Diablo Canyon, which originally was scheduled to shut down […]

Negotiators from nearly every country in the world closed COP28 with a decision that—for the first time—formally recognizes the necessity of moving away from fossil fuels to achieve Paris Agreement targets. The decision, adopted on the last day of the two-week 28th Conference of the Parties (COP 28) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has approved a construction permit for Kairos Power’s 35-MWth Hermes molten salt “non-power” demonstration reactor, which the firm has proposed to build at the East Tennessee Technology Park Heritage Center (ETTP) site in Oak Ridge. The NRC on Dec. 12 directed staff to issue the construction permit for the test reactor […]

South African officials, faced with continued power outages that are hurting the country’s economy, are turning to nuclear power in an effort to support a more reliable supply of electricity. The country has experienced intermittent blackouts, part of a process known as load shedding, since 2008. The outages, imposed by state-owned utility Eskom, have escalated […]

The World Nuclear Exhibition was held in Paris, France, from Nov. 28-30, 2023. Sitting here in France at the World Nuclear Exhibition among 20,000 nuclear stakeholders, it seems a new day for nuclear has arrived. The prospects of carbon-free 24/7 baseload power, a massive workforce and lucrative supply chain means billions of dollars and gigawatts […]

U.S. climate envoy John Kerry said the U.S. is ready to work with other governments on research and development of nuclear fusion, as part of efforts to produce more carbon-free energy and combat climate change. Kerry made the announcement Dec. 5 at the COP28 climate conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Fusion has long been […]

Despite its ongoing war with Russia, Ukraine in early November gave state nuclear operator Energoatom the green light to operate Unit 1 of the South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant for 10 more years. The approval

Westinghouse’s first customer for its eVinci microreactor—a flagship 5-MWe/13-MWth “nuclear battery”—is poised to be the Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC), Canada’s second-largest research and technology organization. SRC—a Saskatchewan government Treasury Board Crown Corporation that serves as a commercial laboratory to provide research and development (R&D) for Saskatchewan industries—on Nov. 27 said it plans to pilot an […]

The U.S. will help develop a nuclear power industry in the Philippines after both countries signed an agreement Nov. 17 during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in San Francisco, California. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking Friday during the meeting, said, “The United States will be able to share equipment and material with […]

Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS) and NuScale Power Corp. (NuScale) have mutually agreed to terminate the Carbon Free Power Project (CFPP), a small modular reactor (SMR) project that was planned for construction on Idaho National Laboratory (INL) property near Idaho Falls, Idaho. “Despite significant efforts by both parties to advance the CFPP, it appears […]

Westinghouse Electric Company and Bechtel have together proposed a deal to supply the Czech Republic with as many as four AP1000 nuclear reactors. The proposal aims to construct one or two units at the Dukovany nuclear site and two additional units at the Temelin site. The Dukovany site currently has four Russian-designed VVER-440 nuclear units, […]

Entergy’s Grand Gulf 1—the largest single-unit nuclear power plant in the U.S.—has thrived for four decades by cultivating a culture of continuous improvement, achieving record-breaking performance

As a first-of-a-kind project, Olkiluoto Unit 3 took more time to build than was originally expected, but the end result has proven worth the wait. Calling it the “largest single climate action” in

Government officials have reversed the country’s planned phase-out of nuclear power and are now making commitments to deploy domestic reactor technology across the country and abroad. South Korean officials

Canada Commits CA$3B to Complete Romania’s CANDU Nuclear Construction. Canada will loan CA$3 billion in available export financing to Nuclearelectrica S.A. (SNN), Romania’s state-owned operator of the

Renewables See our September 2023 issue for stories covering these plants: Gerlos 1 hydropower facility in Austria Mount Olive solar project in New Jersey Tyligulska wind power plant in Ukraine Fossil Fueled Including Gas and Coal See our October 2023 issue for stories covering these plants: Brentwood Power Station on Long Island in Suffolk County, […]

A variety of industries are looking at nuclear power as a way to reduce their carbon footprint and provide a reliable source of electricity. Technology companies, along with industries such as mining and shipping, are exploring the use of nuclear energy as a way to cut emissions and electrify their operations. Tech companies such as […]

Maria Korsnick, president and CEO of the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), the policy organization of the nuclear technologies industry, suggested a bipartisan majority in Congress recognizes the importance of nuclear energy and has supported the industry with unprecedented levels of funding. As an example, Korsnick pointed to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which provided a $6 […]

Standard Power, a provider of infrastructure as a service to advanced data processing companies, has chosen NuScale Power’s small modular reactor (SMR) technology to power two facilities it plans to develop—one in Ohio and the other in Pennsylvania. ENTRA1 Energy, an independent global energy development and production company, will support Standard Power’s two projects. “We […]

Government officials in Germany have approved a plan to bring some shuttered coal-fired power plants back online in an effort to avoid energy shortages this winter. Cabinet members on Oct. 4 said they would support putting on-reserve lignite-fired power plants back online from now until the end of March 2024. It’s another move related to […]

There are many reasons for the nuclear power industry to feel optimistic about the future. For example, the entry of Vogtle Unit 3 into commercial operation on July 31 was a significant milestone and one worth

Sweden has joined the growing list of countries discussing nuclear power as part of a strategy to produce more electricity while also decarbonizing power generation. Lawmakers in June adopted new targets as

There are many reasons to be optimistic about the prospects for nuclear energy. As a carbon-free energy source, it is a great option for power generation in a world trying to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and stop climate change. The fact that nuclear reactors can operate at baseload with capacity factors regularly greater than 90% […]

Japan’s Kansai Electric Power has restarted another reactor at its Takahama nuclear power plant, the 12threactor to be returned to service in that country since the Fukushima disaster in March 2011 led to the idling of Japan’s entire nuclear fleet. Kansai on September 15 said the 826-MW Takahama No. 2, which originally entered service in […]