UK nuclear fleet marks major milestone

The UK’s nuclear stations, run by EDF, reached a major milestone this week, clocking up 2000 terawatt hours (TWh) of zero carbon electricity – enough to power all the UK’s homes for more than 18 years. Since the oldest stations in the fleet first started generating in 1976 the eight sites across the UK have …

Nuclear power crucial to Japan’s net-zero goal: industry minister

Koichi Hagiuda, Japan’s new minister for economy, trade and industry, touched on the importance of nuclear power and Japanese chip production. (Photo by Tomohiro Ebuchi) Hagiuda plans to seek funding to invite TSMC chip plant TOKYO — Nuclear power is “indispensable” to decarbonizing Japan, industry minister Koichi Hagiuda said Tuesday, a sign that the new government under …

Illinois Clean Energy Legislation Spurs Exelon Generation to Fill 650 Jobs, Invest $300 Million in Capital Projects

Exelon Generation is now hiring hundreds of employees and investing hundreds of millions of dollars to prepare Byron and Dresden for long-term operations Now that the Illinois General Assembly has passed sweeping clean energy legislation preserving its nuclear plants, Exelon Generation is moving quickly to fill 650 vacant positions across the state and jumpstart more …

Senate passes clean energy proposal after House adjourns from special session

The Illinois Senate approved a massive clean energy omnibus package after midnight on Tuesday evening, clearing the last major piece of Governor J.B. Pritzker’s political agenda for a vote in the House. The proposal aims to put one million electric vehicles on Illinois roads over the next nine years, and to transition the sixth largest …

State senate still has yet to strike a deal to save Byron nuclear plant

Exelon says plant will close as planned without ‘quick passage of legislation’ SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois Senate failed to come up with a Clean Energy Bill this week, with environmentalists and labor leaders far apart on the negotiations. That means the future of the Byron Generating Station is still up in the air. “We are …

Fuel Cladding Failures at Nuclear Power Plants Explained

The China Atomic Energy Authority (CAEA) informed the IAEA yesterday that a minor fuel cladding failure  had occurred at the Taishan Nuclear Power Plant. What are fuel cladding failures, and what do they mean for safety? Read our explainer to find out. Nuclear power plants are designed with multiple back-up and diverse safety systems as part of …

UPDATE 3-France’s EDF: Hercules plan green light would unleash renewables

French power group EDF said on Wednesday it could double its growth target for renewable energy and become a European champion in the field provided a planned re-organisation, code-named Hercules, can get the go-ahead. State-controlled EDF says the revamp, which will separate the debt-laden nuclear power business from the rest of the company’s assets, will …