China’s nuclear reactor building spree

Chinese officials say the nation’s humming economy means that no fewer than eight, million-kilowatt class nuclear reactors must enter service each year to help keep the nation’s electricity supply in pace with demand, while not adding more pollutants to the already fragile environment. China Nuclear Power Engineering Co., Ltd. General Manager Liu Wei told reporters …

Trump’s energy budget makes coal and nuclear a priority over renewables

President Trump’s fiscal 2020 budget energy priorities emphasize coal, nuclear and national security over renewable energy and climate change. The Energy Department’s renewable energy office’s budget is slashed by 70 percent, from $2.3 billion to just under $700 million, in the new fiscal 2020 budget request to Congress rolled out on Monday. Instead, the funds …

The nuclear necessity

Many Americans, including me, had our views of nuclear power strongly shaped by the 1979 film The China Syndrome. This polemic’s alarming message was amplified when the Three Mile Island nuclear accident occurred just days after its release. Splitting uranium atoms to generate electricity had once been touted as a miraculous solution to the world’s …

IEA: Nuclear Power Decline Could Challenge Energy Security

The share of nuclear power generation in the global energy mix is set to decline through 2040 if there is no policy support to promote investment, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). “Nuclear energy plays a major role in both energy security and sustainability in today’s energy mix,” Dr Fatih Birol, the IEA’s Executive …

Korean, Czech companies strengthen cooperation

South Korea’s Kepco Engineering & Construction Company has signed an agreement with Czech engineering firm UJV Rez to strengthen their cooperation in nuclear power plant projects. Kepco E&C said it had already carried out many activities with UJV Rez, including hosting a nuclear technology exchange workshop. It said it hoped to establish more concrete cooperation with the Czech …

Mapping the future: IAEA paves the way for nuclear transition

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), along with 16 countries, has developed a new tool to help build ‘roadmaps’ for nuclear power, identifying how countries can benefit from innovations in technology and infrastructure. Julian Turner assesses its role in influencing future energy decisions. Nuclear energy systems comprise complex physical and institutional infrastructure that span several …