Japan Court Clears Reactor Restart in Win for Nuclear Push

A Japanese court paved the way for the nation’s ninth nuclear reactor to restart, boosting Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s push to bring dozens of plants back online following the 2011 Fukushima disaster. The Hiroshima High Court on Tuesday removed a temporary injunction against Shikoku Electric Power Co.’s Ikata No. 3 reactor, the company said in a …

China ready to fire up world’s first AP1000 nuclear reactor

No 1 reactor at Sanmen power plant expected to be ready for commercial operations on Friday after completing 168-hour test run. China will soon be ready to start commercial operations of the world’s first next-generation AP1000 nuclear reactor, possibly setting off a renewed push by the country into atomic power after years of delays and …

IAEA, Russia sign agreement on uranium transportation to Kazakhstan

International Atomic Energy Agency and the Russian Federation have signed Sept. 17 an implementing agreement on the transportation of low enriched uranium (LEU) and equipment necessary for the functioning of the IAEA’s LEU Bank in Kazakhstan, RIA Novosti reported. The agreement has been signed by Oleg Kozin, Deputy General Director for Logistics of Techsnabexport JSC, …

Rosatom plans to commission two units at Xudabao NPP in China in 2027-2028

Russia’s state-run nuclear corporation Rosatom plans to commission the third and fourth power units of Xudabao nuclear power plant (NPP) in China in 2027-2028, Chief Executive Officer Aleksei Likhachev said at the Eastern Economic Forum. “The plan is to shift to the generation stage already in 2027-2028,” he said, adding that the Russian company is …

French Orano opens uranium conversion plant despite glut

French nuclear group Orano on Monday inaugurated a 1.15 billion euro (1.02 billion pounds) uranium conversion plant despite huge global overcapacity for nuclear reactor fuel. State-owned Orano’s new plant in Tricastin, southern France, will account for a quarter of the world’s 60,000-tonne annual uranium hexafluoride (UF6) production capacity when it fully ramps up in 2021 …

New IAEA Energy Projections See Possible Shrinking Role for Nuclear Power

Nuclear power’s electricity generating capacity risks shrinking in the coming decades as ageing reactors are retired and the industry struggles with reduced competitiveness, according to a new IAEA report. The declining trend may set back global efforts to mitigate climate change, IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano said. The 38th edition of Energy, Electricity and Nuclear Power …