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 …

Parliament backs EU push for small nuclear reactors

The European Parliament backed the development of small nuclear reactors (SMRs) this week, a move welcomed by EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson, who has already called for a rapid turnaround of EU initiatives. Tabled by Slovenian EPP MEP Franc Bogovič, the  European Parliament’s initiative report on “small modular reactors” was adopted with 409 votes in favour, 173 …

Clean energy transition will be difficult, says Higgs, as he unveils 12-year strategy

Plan involves doubling nuclear energy generation capacity by developing small modular reactors The New Brunswick government has laid out a strategy for how it broadly plans to ramp up capacity for renewable and nuclear energy generation, while reducing the province’s reliance on diesel and oil. But the 12-year plan unveiled Wednesday falls short of putting a …

Gov. J.B. Pritzker signs measure lifting Illinois’ moratorium on new nuclear power plants

A nearly four-decade moratorium on the construction of nuclear plants in Illinois will end next year under a measure signed Friday by Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who vetoed an earlier version of the bill. Legislators passed a new iteration of the bill last month that addressed concerns Pritzker raised in an August veto message about the size …

Six SMR power plants approved in Poland

Poland’s Ministry of Climate and Environment has issued decisions-in-principle for the construction of power plants based on GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy’s BWRX-300 small modular reactor (SMR) at six locations. A total of 24 BWRX-300 reactors are planned at the sites. In mid-April, Orlen Synthos Green Energy (OSGE) announced it had shortlisted seven locations in Poland …

At COP28, U.S., Canada, France, Japan, and UK Announce Plans to Mobilize $4.2 Billion for Reliable Global Nuclear Energy Supply Chain

Leaders from the United States, Canada, France, Japan, and the United Kingdom today announced plans to mobilize $4.2 billion in government-led investments to develop a secure, reliable global nuclear energy supply chain. These investments will enhance uranium enrichment and conversion capacity over the next three years and establish a resilient global uranium supply market free …