Nuclear power must feature in the IRP, insists SAYNPS

The South African Young Nuclear Professional Society (SAYNPS) urges the minister to follow through with plans to return the South African nuclear industry to its former glory. Following Minister Gwede Mantashe’s Mineral Resources and Energy Budget Vote Speech earlier this month, the organisation is very optimistic about the future of the nuclear industry in South …

Innovative funding models and technologies to drive investment in new wave of low carbon energy

New nuclear power and new technologies to cut emissions across the economy could be rolled out under a new financing model and government investment to decarbonise the UK’s energy sector. The government today (23 July 2019) set out proposals to explore the use of the Regulated Asset Base (RAB) approach to attract significant private investment for future …

Planned small nuclear project reaches milestone with more Utah cities signing on

Enough communities in Utah and elsewhere have agreed to purchase nuclear power from a small modular reactor planned at the Idaho National Laboratory, triggering a next phase in its development. Participating members in the Carbon Free Power Project signed contracts that total more than 150 megawatts, which means there will be an increased focus on …

China launches small reactor project in push for nuclear dominance

China has started building its first small modular reactor (SMR) project on the island province of Hainan, the state-owned China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) said on Thursday, as part of the country’s efforts to diversify its nuclear sector. The project was originally scheduled to go into construction in 2017. The company did not say when …

US federal funding granted for SSR technology development

Moltex Energy USA LLC has been awarded USD2.55 million of US federal funding to develop technologies that will be capable of shortening Stable Salt Reactor (SSR) construction timelines to under three years. The funding, from the US Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Project Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), will be used to develop composite structural technologies (COST) for …

Uranium and Its Uses

Uranium is a radioactive actinide metal that is widely known as the fuel for nuclear power plants. It is an atom with 92 protons and 92 electrons that melts at approximately 1132°C.[1] It was first discovered by a German chemist, Martin Heinrich Klaproth in 1789 in a mineral pitchblende. Although it is a metal, uranium is …

Energy Department Invests Nearly $50 Million at National Laboratories and Universities to Advance Nuclear Technology

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced $49.3 million in nuclear energy research, facility access, crosscutting technology development, and infrastructure awards for 58 advanced nuclear technology projects in 25 states. The awards fall under DOE’s nuclear energy programs called the Nuclear Energy University Program (NEUP), the Nuclear Science User Facilities (NSUF) program, and crosscutting …

Could small nuclear reactors be the answer to powering off-grid mines?

At this year’s Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada convention, Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) extolled the benefits of small nuclear reactors as an alternative to diesel generators for powering remote, off-grid operations. Here, Scarlett Evans looks at the benefits of such a shift, and what it could mean for the wider energy landscape. Global energy …

Latest ETI report supports development of large, small and advanced modular reactors in UK’s transition to a low carbon economy

Update to the role for nuclear in UK’s transition to a low carbon economy’ insight summarises the learnings from the ETI’s Nuclear Cost Drivers project and applies these to the ETI’s ESME whole system modelling tool. New plants can form a major part of an affordable low carbon transition, with possible roles for large nuclear, Small …