nuclear plant

  • DOE Awards Civil Nuclear Credits to Diablo Canyon

    The Department of Energy (DOE) will award credits under its Civil Nuclear Credit (CNC) program to bolster the continued operation of Diablo Canyon Power Plant (DCPP) Units 1 and 2, Pacific Gas and Electric Co.’s (PG&E’s) 2,240-MW nuclear plant in San Luis Obispo County, California. A record of decision published by the agency’s Grid Deployment Office on […]

  • Devastating Ukraine Dam Breach Raises Concerns for Nearby Nuclear Plant

    A breach at the Nova Kakhovka Dam stemming from the destruction of the 351-MW hydroelectric power plant in southern Ukraine on June 6 has triggered massive flooding, prompted an environmental crisis, and raised new perils for a nearby nuclear plant on the frontlines of the Russia-Ukraine war. Completed in 1956, the Kakhovka hydropower power plant […]

  • GE Hitachi Set to Transfer Ownership of Closed Vallecitos Nuclear Plant

    WILMINGTON, North Carolina—May 9, 2023—GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) today announced its intent to transfer ownership of the 1,600-acre GEH Vallecitos Nuclear Center to NorthStar Group Services, Inc. (“NorthStar”) for nuclear decontamination, decommissioning and environmental site restoration. The proposed transaction is subject to certain reviews and approvals by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), the […]

  • German Flood Damage at Power Plant, Energy Facilities Extensive

    Numerous energy facilities were afflicted by the major flooding event that inundated parts of Europe last week, and at least one major power generator has said the damage will likely mount into a “mid-double-digit million euro sum.” The flooding, which was caused by a cold, low-pressure area dubbed “Bernd,” crawled slowly across the continent over two […]

  • USNC’s MMR Project Becomes First SMR in Canada to Enter Formal Licensing Phase 

    Ultra Safe Nuclear Corp.’s (USNC’s) 5-MWe (15 MWth) Micro Modular Reactor (MMR) has entered formal licensing review with the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) as part of its proposed project spearheaded by Global First Power (GFP). The small modular reactor (SMR) is the first to mark that milestone.   Seattle-based USNC marked its newest milestone for […]

  • Stranded Nuclear Asset Provides Opportunity for Seawater Pumped Storage

    The closure of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station in 2013 left a stranded coastal asset. However, the existing transmission infrastructure, site control, and geographic topology make it an ideal site

  • Last Major Module Received at Vogtle Nuclear Site

    The final major module needed to construct Vogtle Units 3 and 4—the only new commercial nuclear power units currently under construction in the U.S.—has arrived at the site near Waynesboro, Georgia. That means all 1,485 major modules have been manufactured and safely delivered to the project. Georgia Power announced the milestone in a press release […]

  • Pressure Mounts as Legislators Try to Save Nuclear Plants

    Time is winding down for lawmakers interested in enacting legislation to save the Three Mile Island (TMI) nuclear plant. That message was amplified on April 5 when Exelon Corp. filed the federally required Post Shutdown Decommissioning Activities Report (PSDAR) with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The PSDAR details plans for TMI Unit 1 after its final […]

  • TVA Will Pay $140,000 NRC Fine for Browns Ferry Nuke

    The Tennessee Valley Authority this week said it will pay a Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) proposed $140,000 fine for security violations at its Browns Ferry nuclear station near Athens, Ala. According to the Chattanooga Times Free Press, Steve Bono, Browns Ferry site director, said that the giant regional power agency “accepts full responsibility” for the […]

  • PG&E, SLO County, SLO Coastal Unified School District, Local Cities Reach Accord on Diablo Canyon Community Support Funding

    SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–With a shared vision of an economically strong and healthy region following the retirement of Diablo Canyon Power Plant (DCPP), Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), labor and leading environmental groups, the County of San Luis Obispo, the Coalition of Cities (Arroyo Grande, Atascadero, Morro Bay, Paso Robles, Pismo Beach and […]

  • FitzPatrick Nuclear Plant Saved by Exelon-Entergy Deal

    Exelon Generation has agreed to acquire the James A. FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant from Entergy Corp. in a deal worth $110 million. Entergy had slated the 838-MW single-unit facility located in Scriba, N.Y., for closure by January 2017 for economic reasons, but the change in ownership will allow the plant to remain in operation. Exelon […]

  • Westinghouse Advanced Safety Systems Established with Latest Module Placements at V.C. Summer

    JENKINSVILLE, S.C.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–This week Westinghouse Electric Company completed the placement of two modules that are part of the innovative safety systems of the AP1000® Unit 2 currently under construction at the V.C. Summer Nuclear Station. The AP1000 plant safety systems rely on the laws of nature including gravity, natural circulation and condensation. The plant design […]

  • FirstEnergy Moves to Deactivate Two Embattled Ohio Coal Plants

    FirstEnergy Corp. will sell or deactivate 856 MW of coal-fired generation to reduce fleet operating costs. The company announced on July 22 that it plans to sell or deactivate the 136-MW Bay Shore Unit 1 in Oregon, Ohio, by October 2020. In addition, Units 1–4 (totaling 720 MW of capacity) at the company’s seven-unit W.H. […]

  • Bechtel, Partners Selected to Build New UK Nuclear Plant

    LONDON – May 20, 2016 Plant in Wales will provide low-carbon energy for up to 5 million households Bechtel, the global engineering and construction firm, today announced it has been selected, with joint venture partners Hitachi Nuclear Energy Europe, Ltd. and Japan Gas Corporation, to deliver a new, two-reactor nuclear plant in Wales, United Kingdom […]

  • Japan Restarts Second Nuclear Reactor

    The second unit at Kyushu Electric Power Co.’s Sendai nuclear facility in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan, has restarted, and three more of the country’s 43 operable reactors may soon follow suit.  Kyushu Electric restarted the 846-MW Sendai 2 nuclear facility on Oct. 15, with plans to connect to the grid on Oct. 21, and to achieve […]

  • Entergy to Permanently Close Troubled Pilgrim Nuclear Plant

    Entergy Corp. will permanently close its 680-MW Pilgrim nuclear power plant in Plymouth, Mass., by June 2019, owing to poor market conditions, reduced revenues, and increased operational costs, the company said today.  The New Orleans–based company said it has notified grid operator ISO-New England (ISO-NE) that the reactor that began operations in 1972 would not […]

  • Quad Cities Nuclear Plant May Be Retired

    Exelon’s Quad Cities nuclear plant in Illinois will not be economically viable despite changes in the PJM capacity market, and the company has to make a decision on closing it before the Illinois legislature can act on possible measures to save it, CEO Chris Crane said in Exelon’s second-quarter earnings call on July 29. Along […]

  • New U.S. Nuclear Plant, Watts Bar Unit 2 Is One Step Closer to Startup

    Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) inspectors reported that the Tennessee Valley Authority’s performance during a recent assessment conducted at Watts Bar Unit 2 indicated that the plant is ready to startup and conduct power operations. The news was conveyed at a public meeting hosted by the NRC on July 27 in Athens, Tenn., to review results […]

  • Material Inconsistencies Acknowledged in Nuclear Reactor Vessel Head and Bottom

    More trouble has been reported at one of the four European Pressurized Water Reactor (EPR) units currently under construction. AREVA announced on April 7 that chemical and mechanical testing conducted on a reactor vessel head and bottom similar to that of the Flamanville EPR (a 1,630-MW unit under construction on the west coast of the […]