nuclear

Officials in France have announced the existing Bugey nuclear power station near Lyon will be the site of two new EPR reactors. The government of President Emmanuel Macron last year said the country could add more than a dozen new reactors to the country’s energy mix over the next several years. Agnès Pannier-Runacher, the minister […]

The oft-delayed two-unit expansion of the Vogtle nuclear power plant in Georgia took another step forward on July 21, as Georgia Power said several tasks needed for Unit 4 at the site have been completed and the company is readying the reactor for fuel loading. The utility on Friday announced that Southern Nuclear, part of […]

There are many reasons to be excited about the U.S. nuclear power industry and its potential for growth. For activists focused on climate change, its carbon-free attribute makes it a viable long-term power resource. Additionally, its around-the-clock generating capability makes it a vital option in a world increasingly filled with intermittent renewables. Furthermore, new technology […]

BREA, CA ­– July 14, 2023 – Curtiss-Wright’s Nuclear division announced today that its Brea, CA facility has received ISO 9001:2015 certification for its quality management system (QMS). This globally-recognized certification allows the company to provide valves, vessels, actuators, control systems, and engineering services for use in construction of next generation Advanced Reactor (AR) and […]

GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) said it is working on deployment of three additional BWRX-300 small modular reactors (SMRs) at the Darlington New Nuclear Project site in Ontario, Canada. GEH on July 7 announced it will begin planning and licensing for the SMRs alongside Ontario Power Generation (OPG). Friday’s announcement comes after the groups in […]

A Finnish group announced construction of a reactor-based heating plant that would provide residential and district heating, saying the project would advance the district energy model and support decarbonization and electrification in Europe as more countries move away from the use of fossil fuels for energy. Steady Energy, a company spun out of the VTT […]

China continues to be a world leader in exporting its nuclear power technology. Chinese officials in Pakistan on June 20 signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for a $4.8 billion deal with Pakistan’s nuclear energy agency for construction of a new 1,200-MW reactor at the Chashma power complex. The new unit will be China’s Hualong […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has allowed Centrus Energy—a firm contracted by the  U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to demonstrate high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) production with domestic technology—to introduce uranium hexafluoride (UF6) into its uranium enrichment centrifuge cascade in Piketon, Ohio. The development marks yet another critical milestone for Bethesda, Maryland–headquartered company in its efforts […]

The U.S. nuclear power industry has an ally with a unique platform to spread the sector’s message of providing reliable, clean electricity. Meet Grace Stanke. She’s not just a student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison working on the final stages of a degree in nuclear engineering. She is also Miss America 2023. “A lot of […]

Advancements in nuclear power technology have brought several new companies into the sector, many of them working on innovative reactor designs and fuels to move the industry forward. One of those groups is newcleo, a company based in the UK with additional operations in Italy and France. The company began operating in 2021, and in […]

Constellation Energy, the largest nuclear generator in the U.S., will take over NRG Energy’s 44% ownership stake in the 2.6-GW South Texas Project Electric Generating Station (STP), a nuclear power plant located in Bay City, Texas. Under a definitive agreement announced by two companies on June 1, Constellation will acquire NRG’s 44% equity interest in […]

Government officials in the Netherlands have earmarked more than $350 million to fund further development of nuclear energy in the country, including extending the operating license of the 485-MW Borssele

Efforts by Japanese nuclear fuel manufacturers to develop accident tolerant fuel (ATF) materials are making progress, and their commercialization is currently expected between 2030 and 2035 after key

KEPCO Wants to Extend Operations of Two Reactors. Japanese utility Kansai Electric Power Co. (KEPCO) in April asked Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) for permission to extend the lifespan of Units 3

Georgia Power officials said Unit 3 at Plant Vogtle has reached 100% power output, as the first reactor in a two-unit expansion at the site in Waynesboro, Georgia, nears commercial operation. The utility on May 29 said Unit 3 reached its expected output of about 1,100 MW for the first time, as the reactor continues […]

Westinghouse Electric Co., Bechtel, and state-owned Polish entity Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (PEJ) will work together to kick off design activity for Poland’s inaugural AP1000 nuclear power plant later this year and potentially ink a construction contract in 2025 in a bid to meet Poland’s goal to begin nuclear power generation in 2033. The companies announced […]

A full-scale electrically heated prototype of the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) 100-kWth MARVEL nuclear microreactor has been successfully installed at a facility in New Freedom, Pennsylvania, and is readying for testing. Idaho National Laboratory (INL) fabricated the full-scale non-nuclear prototype—known as the primary coolant apparatus test (PCAT)—in January 2022 within nine months. PCAT was then […]

Advanced nuclear reactor technology firm Oklo will build its second and third commercial 15-MWe Aurora Powerhouse reactors on land owned by the Southern Ohio Diversification Initiative (SODI), a community reuse organization tasked by the Department of Energy (DOE) to re-industrialize land around the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant (PORTS) just south of Piketon, Ohio. Oklo on […]

Building a nuclear power plant is a difficult job. It takes years of planning and sometimes more than a decade to complete. The risk of schedule delays is great, especially on first-of-a-kind projects, and the financial implications of such setbacks can ruin a company. Yet, the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA’s) president and CEO, Jeff Lyash, […]

With governments and industry engaging more frequently and decisively on how nuclear energy can help meet their climate, electrification, and economic goals, attention is now turning to how we get the needed capacity built. While extending the operating lives of existing nuclear plants, some countries will need to build new nuclear capacity to meet their […]

Software giant Microsoft on May 10 announced it has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with nuclear fusion startup Helion Energy to buy electricity from Helion as soon as 2028. Andrew Holland, CEO of the Fusion Industry Association, said Microsoft’s deal is the first time a fusion company has signed a deal to sell electricity. […]

It might surprise many people to learn that nearly every operating reactor in the world has technological roots in Idaho. The fact is, the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), which was known as the National

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

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

As we witness global energy demands becoming progressively complex and decentralized, decarbonization stands as one of the biggest challenges of the current generation. Addressing the issues surrounding the

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 […]

Midwestern utility DTE Energy announced its 225-MW Meridian Wind Park project has entered commercial operation. The group on April 18 said the wind farm, located in Merrill and spanning parts of Midland and Saginaw counties in central Michigan, features 77 turbines and operates on land leased from farmers in the region. A DTE spokesperson said […]

A long-delayed nuclear power plant in Finland has begun producing electricity, ready to provide energy to a region in need of the facility’s output in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The 1.6-GW Olkiluoto 3 nuclear reactor, which is now the largest reactor in Europe, began a regular production schedule on April 16, according […]

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 […]

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