India Debuts Largest Domestic Reactor With More Planned

India’s success in connecting its largest domestically-built nuclear reactor to the grid is a boost for plans to deploy the technology to help the world’s third-biggest polluter limit emissions, according to the official overseeing the plans. The 700-megawatt pressurized heavy water reactor of the Kakrapar Atomic Power Station, located in the western state of Gujarat, …

China starts building second CFR-600 fast reactor

Construction work has started on the second CFR-600 sodium-cooled pool-type fast-neutron nuclear reactor in Xiapu County, in China’s Fujian province. Also known as the Xiapu fast reactor demonstration project, the CFR-600 is part of China’s plan to achieve a closed nuclear fuel cycle. Construction of unit 1 started in late 2017. The fuel will be …

Pilot operation stage started at the first power unit of Belarus NPP

On December 22, 2020 the pilot operation stage started at Belarus NPP power unit 1 of III+Gen with VVER-1200 reactor (ROSATOM’s Engineering Division is the General Designer and the General Contractor), as specialists started a gradual reactor power increase up to the rated power. A permit to proceed to this stage was issued by the …

Climate could pay the price as Europe’s nuclear plants age

Nuclear power capacity able to supply roughly 60 million homes is scheduled to close this decade as utilities struggle to replace northwest Europe’s ageing reactors, raising the risk of higher carbon emissions as fossil fuels plug the gap. Nuclear power provides around a quarter of the European Union’s electricity generation, with 15 of the 27 …

Hot testing of Tianwan 6 begins

Tests that simulate the temperatures and pressures which the reactor systems will be subjected to during normal operation have started at unit 6 of the Tianwan nuclear power plant in China’s Jiangsu province. The ACPR1000 reactor is scheduled to enter commercial operation by the end of 2021.   Hot functional testing of Tianwan 6 began …