Lightbridge Corporation has demonstrated the manufacturing process for surrogate fuel rods for commercial-scale small modular reactors, using an internally developed and patented high-temperature coextrusion process. The six-foot (1.8 metre) length of the surrogate rods is typical of the fuel rods used by many small modular reactors now in the development and licensing phases, the Reston, Virginia-based …
The US Department of Energy (DOE) is planning to build a microreactor to help researchers and end-users understand how microreactors can integrate with other technologies. The Microreactor Applications Research Validation and EvaLuation (MARVEL) liquid-metal cooled microreactor could be operational within three years. Microreactors are very small, factory fabricated, transportable reactors which could provide power and …
Japanese engineering, procurement, and construction firm JGC Holdings Corporation (JGC HD) has agreed to invest USD40 million in small modular reactor developer NuScale Power. It will also partner with Fluor Corporation – NuScale’s majority investor – on the deployment of NuScale power plants. JGC HD said it will invest USD40 million in NuScale through a …
BWX Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: BWXT) today announced a $28 million, 12-month contract award from the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Strategic Capabilities Office (SCO) for the final design of a transportable microreactor prototype under the second phase of its Project Pele initiative. SCO is partnering with the U.S. Department of Energy to develop, prototype and demonstrate …
Ontario Energy Report highlight company’s role in powering the province and supplying life-saving medical isotopes around the world Just over a year ago, Bruce Power raised the curtain on its Major Component Replacement Project with the start of its Unit 6 refurbishment. It was the start of a challenging 2020 in the face of a …
Czech scientists have received a US patent for their discovery that a polycrystalline-diamond coating can significantly protect fuel rods against corrosion during both normal reactor operation and accidents. Researchers from the Czech Institute of Informatics, Robotics and Cybernetics of the Czech Technical University (CTU CIIRC) and the Institute of Physics of the Academy of Sciences …
The UK and Japan have signed a research and technology deployment collaboration agreement to help automate nuclear decommissioning and aspects of fusion energy production. The collaboration is expected to lead to new robotics and automation techniques used in Japan and the UK. The four-year, GBP12 million (USD16 million) UK-Japanese robotics project – referred to as …
Romanian national nuclear company Societatea Nationala Nuclearelectrica (SNN) has been awarded a non-refundable grant of USD1.28 million by the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) for use in the identification of potential sites in Romania to host small modular reactors. The USTDA is an independent federal government agency focused on connecting US companies with export …
The Office of Nuclear Energy (NE), part of the US Department of Energy, has outlined its plan to support the existing US nuclear generation fleet, demonstrate the latest innovations in nuclear energy technologies and explore new market opportunities. The Strategic Vision is a blueprint for NE to achieve its mission of advancing nuclear energy science and …
The Canadian government has released a national Small Modular Reactor (SMR) Action Plan, which responds to the 53 recommendations identified in the country’s SMR Roadmap that was launched in November 2018. The plan lays out the next steps for the development, demonstration and deployment of SMRs for multiple applications at home and abroad. According to …
