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 …

How decades of work at Argonne led to a pivotal moment for U.S. nuclear plants

The laboratory’s research helped avoid $1 billion in potential costs for boiling water reactors in the wake of the Fukushima disaster, keeping power plants running while ensuring safety. A few years ago, several nuclear reactors in the United States were facing the possibility of unforeseen shutdowns in the wake of disaster at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi …

Framatome opens new research and operations center and expands Intercontrôle in Cadarache, France

Framatome held a ceremonial ribbon-cutting event in Cadarache, France, to mark the opening of its new engineering research and operations center and the expansion of Intercontrôle, a Framatome subsidiary that specializes in automated non-destructive testing. More than 100 customers, partners and employees attended the celebration. “It’s an honor to open these new facilities that position …

How the next generation of nuclear reactors could be smaller, greener and safer | PBS NewsHour

A new type of nuclear power technology — small modular reactors that promise to produce carbon-neutral energy more safely and efficiently than traditional nuclear power plants — is becoming closer to a reality as a handful of companies push to overcome key regulatory hurdles. The U.S. government has not yet approved the reactors, which require …

GE Hitachi enters federal licensing process for new small modular nuclear reactor design

GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy has announced it is beginning the licensing process with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for its small modular nuclear reactor (SMR) design. The proposed design, the BWRX-300, is based on a design already licensed by the NRC in 2014, and the company hopes to leverage this existing work to make a …

NuScale makes first Canadian SMR review submission  

NuScale Power has made its first submittals to Canada’s nuclear regulator for a pre-licensing vendor design review (VDR) for its small modular reactor (SMR) design. The reactor is also undergoing a design certification review in the USA where the company plans to bring a plant into production and operation by 2026. The NuScale SMR design features a …