nuclear power plant

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved the use of Mitsubishi Electric Total Advanced Control (MELTAC) Nplus S digital safety system controllers in U.S. nuclear power plants. While new to the U.S. industry, Mitsubishi said the MELTAC system is already deployed in 38 nuclear power plants around the world, primarily in Japan and China. MELTAC […]

A semi-automated and patented process for decontaminating and recycling radioactively contaminated heat exchanger tubes has been successfully demonstrated at the Ignalina nuclear power plant in Lithuania

Unit 1 at the Haiyang nuclear power plant in Shandong, China, successfully completed a 168-hour full-power continuous operation test, meeting the requirement for commercial operation, State Power Investment Corp. Ltd. announced on October 23. Its AP1000 reactor is the first nuclear unit to be placed in operation in Shandong, an eastern province on the Yellow […]

As a vote by owners on the fate of the Vogtle nuclear expansion project hangs in the balance, the City of Jacksonville, Florida, and JEA—the city’s municipal utility that serves about 458,000 electric customers—filed a complaint in the Fourth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida on September 11 asking for declaratory judgment on a power purchase […]

On August 8, Georgia Power announced that its revised capital and construction cost forecast for its share of the Plant Vogtle expansion project had increased from $7.3 billion to $8.4 billion, based on a revised cost-to-complete estimate from Southern Nuclear. The news was softened somewhat by Georgia Power’s declaration that significant construction progress had been […]

NextEra Energy Resources, the wholesale power generating subsidiary of Florida-based NextEra Energy Inc., announced it has struck a deal to shorten its power purchase agreement (PPA) with Alliant Energy and will retire the Duane Arnold Energy Center (DAEC)—a 615-MW nuclear power plant located in Palo, Iowa—before the end of 2020. DAEC’s reactor is licensed with […]

Framatome recently completed the refurbishment of 31 reactor coolant pump motors for three southeastern nuclear energy facilities. From 2002 to May 2018, the company modified and upgraded these components, which resulted in a 100 percent reliability and zero-failure performance record since being re-installed. The motors in reactor coolant pumps help move coolant around the primary […]

The Tennessee Valley Authority’s Watts Bar Nuclear Plant Unit 2 was the first new nuclear unit added to the U.S. fleet in more than 20 years. There were challenges along the way, but the colossal effort

Two Westinghouse AP1000 nuclear power plants being constructed in China have successfully completed significant project milestones. Sanmen Unit 1—the world’s first AP1000 reactor—achieved initial criticality on June 21. Initial criticality is a nuclear industry term meaning the reactor’s neutron population has remained steady from one generation to the next and the nuclear fission chain reaction […]

VÄSTERÅS, Sweden–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Westinghouse Electric Company today announced the signing of a contract for manufacture and delivery of boiling water reactor (BWR) fuel to Cofrentes Nuclear Power Plant (CNC) in Spain in 2019 and 2021. CNC is wholly owned by Iberdrola Generación Nuclear S.A. “The reliability and excellent performance of our fuel products are the main […]

Although nuclear plant ice condensers are rare—only seven sites throughout the world have them—the theory behind these passive heat sinks is quite novel. In fact, some next-generation plant designers have built upon the concept and incorporated passive accident intervention schemes into their plans. A nuclear plant ice condenser is a passive, static heat sink that […]

A bill that would have provided more cost-recovery certainty for Xcel Energy’s two Minnesota nuclear plants didn’t get through the state House of Representatives prior to the legislative session ending on May 20, effectively killing the measure. The bill would have allowed Xcel to submit proposals to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (MPUC) designating each […]

Multi-Year Deal with Palo Verde Generating Station PHILADELPHIA, March 15, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Day & Zimmermann (D&Z), the century-old, family-owned provider of construction and engineering, staffing and defense solutions for leading corporations and governments around the world, announced today that its Engineering, Construction & Maintenance group has been awarded a five-year contract by Arizona […]

A bill backed by outgoing New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) to subsidize the state’s nuclear power plants unanimously passed a joint committee on December 20 and now heads to the full legislature for a vote. S.3560, introduced on December 14, directs the Board of Public Utilities to issue Nuclear Diversity Certificates (NDCs) to nuclear power […]

The Electric Power Research Institute’s full spectrum of online monitoring-related research offers nuclear power plant operators guidance for monitoring program implementation. The research results are used

Originally embedded in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code , today the Operation and Maintenance of Nuclear Power Plants standard for inservice testing of pumps

Constructing a nuclear power plant is not for the faint of heart. The process is lengthy, even when there aren’t delays. To understand some of the hurdles, it’s worth reviewing the Plant Vogtle expansion

Power-short Indonesia has been mulling building a nuclear power plant for nearly 15 years, and it is exploring a number of novel options, including high-temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGRs) and a thorium

W. CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa., March 27, 2017—A new ASTM International guide responds to a decades-long need to enhance safety surrounding protective coating systems at nuclear power plants. The new standard (soon to be published as D8104, Guide for Determining Coating Qualification Test Data Applicability) was developed by ASTM International’s committee on protective coating and lining work […]

Although AREVA recently disclosed that 17 U.S. nuclear power plant units have installed components that were forged at the Le Creusot facility in France—a forge that has been under scrutiny due to questionable quality assurance documentation and carbon segregation irregularities in some parts manufactured at the site—the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) does not consider the […]

Entergy Corp. and the state of New York have reached an agreement that will see the Indian Point nuclear power plant retired by 2021. “Key considerations in our decision to shut down Indian Point ahead of schedule include sustained low current and projected wholesale energy prices that have reduced revenues, as well as increased operating […]

After a 10-month competitive bid process, Southern California Edison (SCE) has selected a joint venture of AECOM and EnergySolutions as the general contractor for the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) decommissioning. “We are pleased to announce the selection of the AECOM/EnergySolutions team, a global joint venture with extensive commercial and government decommissioning experience around […]

Entergy Corp. has decided to permanently close the Palisades nuclear power plant on October 1, 2018. The news comes as a bit of a surprise, because Entergy had a power purchase agreement with Consumers Energy—Michigan’s largest utility and the principal subsidiary of CMS Energy—which committed the company to buying nearly all of the power generated […]

An email written by the team leader of an ongoing Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) inspection being conducted at the Pilgrim nuclear power plant suggested that the facility’s staff were “overwhelmed by just trying to run the station.” The wide-ranging NRC inspection began on Nov. 28. It is the third and largest inspection conducted as part […]

After a lengthy process of give and take, the Illinois Legislature approved the Future Energy Jobs Bill (SB 2814) on December 1, the last day of the state’s veto session. The bill will now go to Gov. Rauner (R) for his signature, which is expected. Once signed, it will take effect on June 1, 2017, […]

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 […]

The latest attempt by Exelon Corp. to save two of its struggling Illinois nuclear power plants passed a critical hurdle late last week: the Future Energy Jobs Bill—known as SB 2814—was introduced in the Illinois state General Assembly, after passing the House Energy Committee by a 9–1 vote. Exelon claims the bill would save and […]

More than 1,500 workers performed maintenance and replaced one-third of nuclear fuel in 550 megawatt unit Red Wing, Minn.—Nov. 21, 2016—The Prairie Island Nuclear Plant’s Unit 1 is refueled and ready to provide enough carbon-free electricity to serve about 500,000 Upper Midwest customers after completing its recent refueling and maintenance activities. More than 1,600 Xcel […]

Videos illustrate progress and activity at Georgia’s largest job-producing construction project ATLANTA, Nov. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — The latest Vogtle Timeline video is now available from Georgia Power, showcasing progress and recent events at the Vogtle nuclear expansion during the third quarter of 2016.  The construction of Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4 is state’s largest […]

The Vietnamese government has canceled the Ninh Thuan Nuclear Power Plant project, after cost estimates for the plant nearly doubled, according to the Hanoi-based news agency dtinews. Le Hong Tinh, vice chairman of the National Assembly Committee for Science, Technology, and Environment, in an interview conducted with dtinews on November 10, said costs for the […]