Ban on Russian Energy Imports Gains Bipartisan, Bicameral Steam in Congress

Eighteen bipartisan U.S. Senators are backing a bill that would direct the president to declare a national emergency and prohibit imports of Russian energy commodities, including crude oil, petroleum products, liquefied natural gas (LNG), and coal. While the measure does not include Russian uranium, a senior Department of Energy official said addressing U.S. reliance on …

Belgian Greens make U-turn to consider nuclear plants extension

 Belgium should keep an open mind about extending the life-span of its remaining nuclear power plants, the country’s Green energy minister said on Monday, in a shift of position prompted by the conflict in Ukraine. After months of debate, Belgium’s seven-party coalition government agreed a compromise in December that the country’s last nuclear power plant …

War highlights uranium worry for the advanced nuclear industry

Ural Electrochemical Integrated Plant Director General Alexander Belousov stands next to gas centrifuges for uranium isotope separation in a separation workshop of the plant, in Novouralsk, about 40 miles northwest of Yekaterinburg, Russia. Advanced nuclear reactors like the one that TerraPower wants to build in Kemmerer require a type of enriched uranium that’s currently only …

IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine

Ukraine informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) today that Russian forces had taken control of the site of the country’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), but that the nuclear power plant continued to be operated by its regular staff and there had been no release of radioactive material, Director General Rafael Mario Grossi said. …

Ukraine: No Radiation Danger After Russian Shelling Caused Europe’s Largest Nuclear Power Plant to Catch Fire

Europe’s largest atomic energy plant is now under Russia’s control, according to a statement by Ukraine’s nuclear power regulatory body. “Currently, the site of the Zaporizhzhia NPP is occupied by the military forces of the Russian Federation,” it said in a statement Friday. “The plant’s staff continues to work on power units, ensuring the stable operation …

Xcel Energy Considering Nuclear Operator Role at Idaho NuScale SMR Plant

By 2030, Xcel Energy projects that approximately 80% of its energy will come from carbon-free resources. It expects to be coal-free by 2034. Source: Xcel Energy, 10-K filing, Feb. 23, 2022. Xcel Energy is exploring a role as operator of the 462-MWe Carbon-Free Power Project (CFPP), potentially becoming a key member of the first-of-its-kind small modular …

Philippines approves revival of nuclear power to help replace coal

FILE PHOTO: The Bataan Nuclear Power Plant is seen during a media tour around the BNPP compound in Morong town, Bataan province, Philippines Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has signed an executive order to include nuclear power in the country’s energy mix, as authorities prepare for the phasing out of coal-fired power plants and after earlier …