Barakah 4 in final operational readiness tests

Barakah’s operations team has begun the final operational readiness testing needed before the fourth unit at the site near Ruwais in Abu Dhabi can receive an operating licence from the UAE’s nuclear regulator. Construction of the fourth Korean-designed APR-1400 unit at Barakah began in July 2015, three years after work began on the first Barakah …

Hungary says Paks II work to start in July

Hungary’s Foreign and Trade Minister Peter Szijjártó said preparatory works would start for the Paks II nuclear power plant project in Hungary next month. It followed talks with Rosatom Director General Alexei Likhachev. “The modified contractual framework ensures faster progress with full respect for safety rules,” he said, referring to the contract updates agreed between Rosatom …

Fortum, Westinghouse study new build opportunities

Finnish utility Fortum and Westinghouse Electric Company of the USA have signed a memorandum of understanding to explore prerequisites for the development and deployment of new nuclear in Finland and Sweden. The agreement is related to Fortum’s nuclear feasibility study launched in November 2022. At Fortum, our strategic priorities are to deliver reliable clean energy …

DOE begins scoping for HALEU supply

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has formally begun the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) scoping process for its proposed programme to support the commercial production of high-assay low-enriched uranium – or HALEU – fuel. The DOE is also seeking feedback on two draft requests for proposals to acquire HALEU. A Notice of Intent (NOI) published in …

Kazatomprom completes second China shipment, announces management changes

The heads of Kazatomprom and CGNPC-URC said the companies plan to further develop and strengthen their partnership as they marked the completion of the second delivery of fuel assemblies manufactured by the Kazakh-Chinese Ulba-FA enterprise to a nuclear power plant in China. Separately, Kazatomprom has announced the latest in a series of changes in its …

Construction of a new nuclear power plant: who will be Armenia’s energy partner?

Armenia plans to build a new nuclear power plant by 2036. Which country will be the energy partner for this project is not yet clear. Cooperation with Russia, the USA and other countries is being discussed. According to the prime minister, the government is studying proposals to understand “which option is more economically viable.” In 2022 …

Keir Starmer says nuclear power is ‘critical part’ of UK’s energy mix

Labour leader pledges to get stalled projects operational to boost energy security, cut costs and create jobs Keir Starmer has described nuclear power as a “critical part” of the UK’s energy mix and pledged to get stalled projects over the line, as Labour positions itself firmly behind the technology. Before the Labour leader presents his net zero …

Record level of US support for nuclear continues

US public support for nuclear energy has remained at a record high level for the third consecutive year, according to the latest survey by Bisconti Research Inc. The results show three quarters of the public favour nuclear energy, and about seven in ten support the construction of more nuclear power plants. The National Nuclear Energy Public …

NRG exits nuclear with sale of South Texas Project stake

Constellation Energy has agreed to purchase NRG Energy’s 44% stake in the South Texas Project (STP) for USD1.75 billion. The plant – located about 90 miles southwest of Houston – comprises two 1280 MWe pressurised water reactors which began providing electricity in 1988 and 1989, respectively. NRG announced it has entered into a definitive agreement …