No issues at Sendai nuclear plant in Japan near erupted volcano: Regulators

Japan’s nuclear regulators said on Sunday no irregularities had been detected at the Sendai nuclear power plant after the nearby Sakurajima volcano erupted. The nuclear facility on Japan’s western major island of Kyushu is located some 50 km (31 miles) northwest of Sakurajima, a volcano that erupted at about 8:05 p.m. (1105 GMT) At around …

Scholz Opens Door for Extending Nuclear Power in Germany

Chancellor signals possibility of reconsidering plant closures Political compromise may be needed for nuclear extension German Chancellor Olaf Scholz signaled that his government might consider extending the life of the country’s three remaining nuclear plants as it seeks to bolster its energy security. “The economy minister has commissioned an intensified worst-case scenario calculation. Let’s have …

Belgium reaches initial deal with Engie to prolong nuclear power

 Belgium has reached an initial accord with French utility group Engie (ENGIE.PA) to extend the use of nuclear power by 10 years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine forced the government to rethink plans to rely more on natural gas. Engie’s subsidiary Electrabel and the Belgian state signed a “non-binding letter of intent” and aimed to negotiate a …

ENEC completes significant pre-operational testing for last unit of Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant

By 2025, the Barakah Plant is forecast to be the largest contributor to cutting Abu Dhabi Emirate’s power and water sector carbon emissions by 50% and generating over 85% of Abu Dhabi’s clean electricity The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) has successfully completed the Hot Functional Testing (HFT) on Unit 4, the last of its four …

Holtec submits USD7.4bn SMR programme to federal loan programme

Holtec says it wants to build its first SMR-160 small modular reactors (SMRs) for a four-unit power plant in the USA and to establish a “supersize factory to manufacture SMR-160s”, saying that the “first mover state will become the leader in the emerging industry”.   The application for the second part of the loan comes …

Nuclear reactor in Takahama to go back online on July 26

Kansai Electric Power Co. will resume generating and transmitting electricity at the No. 3 reactor at the Takahama nuclear power plant on July 26, the company announced on July 19. The company had said the timing of resuming operations was undecided after a regular inspection that started in March discovered damage to heating tubes at the nuclear reactor …

Shin Hanul 1 in test operation

Unit 1 of the Shin Hanul nuclear power plant entered test operation on 15 July, South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) announced. The unit – the first of four APR-1400 reactors at the site – is scheduled to enter commercial operation in September. The announcement came as the 2nd Vice Minister of …