The Bulgarian Council of Ministers, at a meeting on 20 January, approved plans presented by the Minister of Energy to construct a seventh unit at the Kozloduy nuclear power plant using Russian-supplied equipment purchased for the Belene project. The minister noted discussions have been held with Westinghouse of the USA to construct the unit. During …
A daylong Nuclear Regulatory Commission meeting Thursday will revolve around discussion of any technical issues that could arise if nuclear power plants were licensed to operate for 100 years. When a nuclear power plant is first licensed by the NRC, that license permits a plant to operate for 40 years. After that, owners of nuclear …
Romanian national nuclear company Societatea Nationala Nuclearelectrica (SNN) has been awarded a non-refundable grant of USD1.28 million by the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) for use in the identification of potential sites in Romania to host small modular reactors. The USTDA is an independent federal government agency focused on connecting US companies with export …
The International Energy Agency (IEA) will later this year publish the world’s first comprehensive roadmap for the energy sector to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. It is among a number of projects for 2021 announced by the IEA yesterday to support efforts to reach global energy and climate goals. The IEA said the new special …
Japan will need nuclear power if it is to realise the government’s carbon neutrality goal and should therefore restart idled nuclear reactors as soon as possible, as well as work to extend their operating lifetimes and build new nuclear capacity, the heads of the Japanese Atomic Industry Forum (JAIF) and the Japan Iron and Steel …
On 1 January 2021, Bulgaria became the newest member of the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) and its Data Bank. “Bulgaria’s membership will enrich the NEA’s work in areas such as nuclear safety and regulation, decommissioning and radioactive waste management,” said OECD Secretary‑General Angel Gurría. “The accession of Bulgaria to the Agency also underlines the …
The U.S. could establish a national strategic uranium reserve for the first time in the country’s history, thanks to $75 million in funding included in the federal spending bill signed by President Donald Trump this week. In addition, a piece of legislation passed in the giant omnibus funding bill would limit the import of uranium …
International treaties governing nuclear security serve as frameworks based on shared experience, but they are not a substitute for practical and ongoing cooperation. This was one of the messages from delegates at NP1 – The Nuclear Power Conference Israel – Threats, Challenges, Opportunities. The 10 November event took place amid growing concern about Iran’s move away …
The UK and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) have signed a Nuclear Cooperation Agreement (NCA). This is separate from the wider UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement that was also announced on 24 December and which has since been approved by ambassadors from the 27 EU Member States, paving the way for it to take …
The US Congress voted to approve appropriations for fiscal year 2021 that includes USD1.5 billion for the Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy. The appropriations also include USD150 million to initiate the uranium reserve programme to address challenges to the production of domestic uranium. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, approved by Congress on 21 …
