nuclear power plant

  • Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant Cuts Nation’s Reliance on Natural Gas-Fired Electricity Generation

    In a strategic move to reduce its heavy dependence on Russian natural gas, Belarus has successfully completed its first nuclear power plant (NPP). The Belarusian NPP, featuring two VVER-1200 reactors, now

  • Major Engineering Services Contract Launches Poland’s First Nuclear Power Project

    Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (PEJ), Poland’s designated entity tasked with developing the country’s first nuclear plant in Pomerania, has signed an engineering services contract with a Westinghouse-Bechtel consortium, allowing site-specific work to begin on the AP1000 power plant. The companies announced the “historic” contract on Sept. 27, one week after nuclear technology giant Westinghouse and global […]

  • New Steam Generators Help Extend Operation of Surry Nuclear Power Plant

    Dominion Energy will replace the steam generators at its Surry Nuclear Power Station in Virginia. The project further supports the company’s Subsequent License Renewal (SLR) program to extend the long-term operation of Surry Units 1 and 2 through 2052 and 2053, respectively, when the units’ current licenses expire. Westinghouse Electric Co. will design and manufacture […]

  • Siting a Nuclear Power Facility Is Both Art and Science

    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 […]

  • Vogtle Unit 3 In-Service Date Slides to May or June

    Southern Company said in its annual report filing issued on Feb. 16 that remediating certain equipment and component issues will force the projected in-service date for Plant Vogtle Unit 3 to be pushed out to May or June 2023. “The projected schedule for Unit 3 primarily depends on the progression of final component and pre-operational […]

  • Being Pro-Nuclear Won’t Be Enough—Here’s Why

    Nuclear energy—not just nuclear power—is seeing a burst of innovation unlike anything seen since the 1950s. While the strong momentum for the dispatchable zero-carbon energy source is promising, prominent pitfalls threaten necessary progress.

  • New Doosan Škoda Power turbines have upgraded the first two units of the Mochovce nuclear power plant in Slovakia

    (23th November 2022, Pilsen, Czech Republic) The Mochovce nuclear power plant is a key component of Slovakia’s energy infrastructure. In the first two units, which cover roughly one-quarter of total electricity consumption, Doosan Škoda Power recently completed an extensive modernization of the turbine set, helping to raise the gross power output of both units to […]

  • Toshiba and Bechtel Team-up to Support Poland’s First Nuclear Power Station

    WEST ALLIS, Wis.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Toshiba America Energy Systems Corporation and its affiliate, Japan-based Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation, are pleased to announce that they have reached an agreement with Bechtel Power Corporation to collaborate on the delivery of steam turbines and generators for Poland’s first nuclear power plant. This exciting new endeavor will help the country transition away from […]

  • Ukraine’s Largest Nuclear Power Plant Taken by Russian Forces

    The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported on March 4 that Russian forces had taken control of the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) site, but that the reactors continued to be operated by the plant’s regular staff and there had been no release of radioactive material. “What we are telling you is confirmed information that […]

  • Conflict in Ukraine Threatens Nuclear Power Plants and Radioactive Waste Disposal Facilities; Operations Continue

    In its most recent update on the status of Ukrainian nuclear power plants (NPPs), issued to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on March 2, the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine (SNRIU) said it maintained communications with the country’s NPPs and that all units “continued to operate as before.” Of Ukraine’s 15 reactors, more […]

  • Accelerated Decommissioning of Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station: A Progress Report

    Holtec is decommissioning the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station. The company has a fairly aggressive schedule that could see site restoration work completed in 2027. This article provides a current-day status

  • Three Nuclear Plants Close in Germany, Final Three to Be Retired in 2022

    The end of the year will bring the end of power production for three of Germany’s final six operating nuclear power plants. The 1,410-MW Brokdorf unit in Schleswig-Holstein, the 1,360-MW Grohnde unit in Lower Saxony, and the 1,288-MW Gundremmingen C unit in Bavaria will all be permanently taken off the gird on Dec. 31. That […]

  • Framatome marks the start of operations of the first EPR nuclear reactor in Europe, Olkiluoto 3 operated by TVO

    December 21, 2021 – Framatome marks the first criticality and the start of power tests of the Olkiluoto 3 (OL3) EPR, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. Following the authorization granted by the Finnish safety authority (STUK), the nuclear reaction in the OL3 EPR reactor has been initiated for the first time today, marking […]

  • PSEG Agrees to Sell 6.8-GW Fossil Fleet to ArcLight Capital

    Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG) has agreed to sell its 6.8-GW portfolio of non-nuclear generating assets—a fleet of 13 gas plants—to a fund controlled by ArcLight Capital Partners LLC for about $1.92 billion. The sale, which effectively sets up its exit from the competitive generation business, is expected to be completed late in the fourth […]

  • Exelon Makes Plans to Retire Byron and Dresden Nuclear Plants in 2021

    In a stunning announcement, Exelon Generation, which operates the largest U.S. fleet of nuclear plants—21 reactors at 12 facilities in Illinois, Maryland, New York, and Pennsylvania—said it will retire the Byron and Dresden generating stations next fall for economic reasons. “Although we know in our heads that shutting down the uneconomic Illinois plants is necessary […]

  • Regulator Conducts Skype Inspection for Nuclear Power Project

    Finland’s Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK), which regulates the nation’s nuclear power industry, completed a scheduled inspection of RAOS Project via Skype due to quarantine and travel restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. RAOS Project is a subsidiary of Rusatom Energo International, a division of Russia’s state atomic energy corporation Rosatom. RAOS Project is […]

  • Exelon’s Peach Bottom Nuclear Plant Licensed for 80 Years—Will It Make It?

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) granted a 20-year license extension for Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station Units 2 and 3. The extension authorizes the two reactors—both of which began commercial operation in 1974—to continue operating through 2054. “We are pleased with the NRC’s decision to grant a subsequent license renewal for Peach Bottom Units […]

  • MOX Nuclear Fuel Loaded in Russian Reactor, More to Come

    Power plant engineers have loaded 18 mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel assemblies in Unit 4 at the Beloyarsk nuclear power plant in Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia. Distinct from traditional nuclear fuel with enriched uranium, MOX fuel pellets are based on the mix of nuclear fuel cycle derivatives, such as plutonium oxide bred in commercial reactors and uranium oxide […]

  • Exelon Installs New Accident Tolerant Fuel at Illinois Nuclear Plant

    Global Nuclear Fuel (GNF), a GE-led joint venture with Hitachi Ltd. that supplies boiling water reactor fuel and fuel-related services around the world, said lead test assemblies utilizing its ARMOR-coated zirconium cladding and IronClad Accident Tolerant Fuel solutions have been installed at Exelon’s Clinton nuclear plant in Illinois. “We continue to work with our customers […]

  • One Nuclear Power Project Delayed; Three Leap Forward

    The long-overdue Olkiluoto 3 nuclear power plant (NPP) in Finland has been delayed again, but nuclear projects in Russia, Canada, and Iran achieved important milestones in November. New Novovoronezh Unit Enters Commercial Operation Rosatom announced on Nov. 1 that Unit 2 at the Novovoronezh Nuclear Power Plant II entered commercial operation 30 days ahead of […]

  • EDF and Bilfinger close in on Project Agreement for Hinkley Point C

    EDF previously selected Bilfinger as preferred bidder to deliver NSSS and fabrication of BOP Bilfinger continues with preparation work based on existing framework contract French energy company EDF (Électricité de France) has re-affirmed to Bilfinger its aspiration to award NSSS (Nuclear Steam Supply System) and the fabrication elements of BOP (Balance of Plant) contracts to […]

  • Extended Power Uprate Is a Winning Strategy for Nuclear Plant

    The Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant completed an extended power uprate (EPU) that increased the total capacity of the facility’s three units by about 465 MW. The addition is an important part of the Tennessee

  • Framatome opens SPEC 200 manufacturing facility in Lynchburg, Virginia

    Oct. 28, 2019 – Framatome opened the new SPEC 200 manufacturing facility at its Operational Center of Excellence in Lynchburg, Virginia, completing the move of the factory from China to the U.S. The ribbon-cutting took place in September, marking the full integration of the SPEC 200 product line into Framatome’s solutions portfolio. Framatome acquired the […]

  • TITAN-2 and Framatome-Siemens Consortium sign contract for HANHIKIVI-1 NPP main I&C supply

    CONCERN TITAN-2 JSC, contractor for building and supply of equipment for Hanhikivi-1 NPP construction, has signed today a contract with Framatome-Siemens, the French-German consortium, to supply Main Instrumentation and Control (I&C). The signature followed a competitive procedure with the participation of international companies that are market leaders in the field of integrated I&C solutions at […]

  • Framatome successfully completes feedwater heater replacement at Palo Verde Generating Station

    Framatome successfully completed the first of 12 low-pressure feedwater heater replacements at Arizona Public Service’s Palo Verde Generating Station Unit 1 on an expedited schedule during the spring 2019 outage. The remaining replacements will take place over a more than seven-year campaign. “It is rewarding to bring our latest technologies and expertise to support Palo […]

  • Bringing the APR1400 Reactor to Market

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission conducts an extensive evaluation of reactor technology before approving and ultimately licensing nuclear power plants. Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co. Ltd. began the

  • Long-Delayed EPR Nuclear Plants Face Further Holdups

    Teollisuuden Voima Oyj (TVO), owner of the Olkiluoto 3 EPR (European Pressurized Water Reactor) nuclear unit that is under construction in Finland, has said fuel will not be loaded in the reactor before the end of August, while it awaits completion of a schedule review being conducted by the construction consortium. Meanwhile, EDF, which is […]

  • CEOs Say Preserving the Nuclear Power Fleet Is Imperative

    Several power-sector CEOs—appearing at the Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) Summit in New York this week—suggested that existing nuclear power plants should not be allowed to slowly vanish from the U.S. electricity grid under market pressure caused by cheap natural gas and the growth of renewable energy. The leaders submitted that nuclear power provides important […]

  • World’s First EPR Nuclear Unit Begins Commercial Operation

    Unit 1 of the Taishan Nuclear Power Plant completed its final regulatory test of continuous operation and full power for 168 hours on Dec. 13, marking the final milestone toward achievement of commercial operation, China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN) and EDF announced at a joint press conference held in Beijing, China, on Dec. 14. […]

  • Voters Back Nuclear Power, Phaseout by 2025 Nixed

    In a referendum held alongside local elections, the Taiwanese electorate voted overwhelmingly to abolish a stipulation in the country’s Electricity Act that called for all nuclear energy-based power-generating facilities to completely cease operations by 2025. Many experts considered it a surprising victory for pro-nuclear activists. In January 2016, Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party garnered widespread support […]