New wetland proposed near Hinkley Point C

EDF Energy is proposing the creation of more than 800 acres (324 hectares) of saltmarsh on the River Parrett in Somerset, UK, as an alternative to the proposal for 280 underwater speakers to produce an acoustic fish deterrent at the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant. Plans for the saltmarsh – proposed to keep some …

Russia, India sign Kudankulam agreements

Agreements linked to the construction of new reactors at the Kudankulam site in Tamil Nadu were signed during a five-day visit to Moscow by India’s Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. The agreements on Kudankulam were signed during a 25 December meeting on bilateral economic cooperation between Jaishankar and Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov. …

Japan lifts operational ban on world’s biggest nuclear plant

 Japan’s nuclear power regulator on Wednesday lifted an operational ban imposed on Tokyo Electric Power’s (9501.T) Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant two years ago, allowing it to work towards gaining local permission to restart. Tepco has been eager to bring the world’s largest atomic power plant back online to slash operating costs, but a resumption still needs consent …

Regulator accepts Diablo Canyon licence renewal application

Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) can operate the two-unit Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant in California beyond the expiry of their current licences (2024 and 2025, respectively) following the acceptance of PG&E’s licence renewal application by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). PG&E filed the application on 7 November, seeking to extend the plant’s operating …

Documents Reveal Hidden Problems at Russia’s Nuclear Powerhouse

As Russian troops poured into Ukraine at the start of Vladimir Putin’s invasion in February last year, alarm was rising at a flagship Kremlin nuclear project in neighboring Belarus, just a short distance from the European Union’s border. Engineers at Rosatom Corp. preparing a new 1,200-megawatt reactor, which was not yet connected to the power grid, to generate …

ENGIE signs a final agreement with the Belgian government on the extension of Tihange 3 and Doel 4 nuclear reactors

This document confirms and endorses the key principles of the framework agreement signed on 21 July 2023, namely: the commitment by both parties to implement Flexible Long-Term Operation (Flex LTO), with an estimated investment of between €1.6bn and €2bn, and to use their best efforts to restart the nuclear units at Doel 4 and Tihange …

Korean team to push their SMR design with eyes on Canada

The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (Kaeri) and Hyundai Engineering have signed a memorandum of agreement aimed at winning export markets for its small modular reactor (SMR) technology. The agreement was formalised on Monday by Hong Hyun-seong, the chief executive of Hyundai, and Joo Han-gyu, the president of Kaeri. “Together with Hyundai Engineering, we anticipate …