Making nuclear energy cost-competitive

Three MIT teams to explore novel ways to reduce operations and maintenance costs of advanced nuclear reactors. Nuclear energy is a low-carbon energy source that is vital to decreasing carbon emissions. A critical factor in its continued viability as a future energy source is finding novel and innovative ways to improve operations and maintenance (O&M) …

Nuclear Infrastructure Development to Reap the Benefits of Research Reactors

Research reactors can be used for a variety of purposes, from training nuclear engineers and conducting scientific research, to producing radioisotopes and developing advanced materials. But before a country can embark on a new research reactor project, it must first have in place the proper infrastructure. “The IAEA provides guidance on issues in establishing and implementing …

Russia commissions its floating nuclear plant

Russia’s controversial floating nuclear power plant, the Akademik Lomonosov, has been fully commissioned at a port in Siberia’s Far East, despite widespread environmental and safety concerns, the nuclear utility Rosenergoatom reported on Friday. In a statement, Andrei Petrov, the company’s head, said that that construction of the floating plant “could be considered complete,” and the Akademik …

Canadian partnership to provide low cost nuclear power to remote areas

RWT Growth and StarCore Nuclear Canada have announced a partnership  to bring low cost, clean nuclear energy to remote locations and industries that rely on less environmentally friendly sources power, such as diesel generators. StarCore said the deal represents a benchmark investment both in terms of scale and innovation. StarCore Nuclear Canada utilises technology similar …

Nuclear Reactors in United States

The Department of Energy (DoE) has started a new Office of Nuclear Energy project called the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP). The $230 million program will give $160 million to scientists working on two reactor designs that “can be operational” in the very near future. The “Advanced” part of ARDP is an industry term for …

Russian regulator approves infrastructure work for floating NPP

Russian State Expert Examination Board (Glavgosexpertiza) has approved plans to build the infrastructure needed to support the floating nuclear power plant (FNPP) Akademik Lomonosov in the city of Pevek, which is in Russia’s Chukotka region. The plant, which comprises two 35-megawatt KLT-40C reactors, started commercial operation in December last year. Glavgosexpertiza announced on 15 April …

Nuclear energy storage? Advanced reactor developers trying to expand nuclear power’s selling points

Towers of concrete blocks as tall as skyscrapers, a ski lift-like contraption on the side of a mountain, underground caverns — the quest for more ways to back up the increasing amount of wind and solar energy on the grid has recently driven investment toward a number of unusual technologies. Now, the ability to serve a …

EDF to design state-of-the-art nuclear power plants

EDF is digitally transforming to drive the development of safe, dependable and affordable low-carbon power generation technologies by collaborating with Ansys. Through a new multi-year agreement, EDF will use Ansys to design state-of-the-art nuclear power plants and deliver unprecedented nuclear energy efficiency. Using Ansys multiphysics solutions to enable digital transformation, EDF will drive the development of …