France, Germany ‘agree to disagree’ on nuclear power

 Germany and France have “agreed to disagree” on the EU’s move to label nuclear energy as green, German Europe Minister Anna Luehrmann said Friday, denying any conflict between the two European giants on the issue. The European Commission has issued a draft proposal to label nuclear energy, along with natural gas, as “green” sources eligible …

Nuclear share in Belgium’s 2021 power mix rises 10 percentage points on year to 52.4%

Nuclear dominates as phase-out looms Gas share plummets, wind/solar stable Demand at 84.2 TWh ‘back to normal’ Nuclear generation increased its share in Belgium’s electricity mix by over 10 percentage points year on year to 52.4% in 2021, data from system operator Elia showed Dec. 7. Belgium is sticking to its “Plan A” nuclear generation …

Tim Gitzel, president and CEO of Cameco Corporation, on the rewards and risks of nuclear energy

Howard Green speaks with Tim Gitzel, CEO of Saskatchewan-based uranium company Cameco Corporation, about nuclear power and climate change. Generating clean electricity is one of the most pressing issues facing humankind. More than half of the world’s greenhouse gases come from producing electrical power. So to get to net zero targets, the world needs to …

Japan vows to boost nuclear tech development in energy talks with U.S.

Japan will bolster the development of next-generation nuclear power technology in cooperation with the United States and other partners, industry minister Koichi Hagiuda said Thursday during talks with his U.S. counterpart. Hagiuda told U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm during video talks that the Japanese government will urge more local energy companies to join an international …

Crypto miners look to nuclear power

Cryptocurrency mining is hugely energy intensive, and with the United States now the leading source of Bitcoin production, companies are looking to nuclear plants to power their operations The global Bitcoin mining network consumed an estimated 67TWh of electricity in 2020, according to Cambridge university’s Bitcoin Electricity Consumption Index (BECI). This has already been surpassed …

Energy-starved France mulls burning more coal to keep lights on

France is considering a plan to allow electricity producers to burn more coal after the nation’s grid operator warned of possible power shortages. The government may raise the annual cap on running coal-fired power stations, plugging a potential gap in supply as an unusually high number of nuclear reactors halt for maintenance just as the coldest months get under way. The country’s three remaining coal units may …

Energoatom explores cooperation with British developer of small modular reactors Rolls-Royce

On January 5, 2022, Energoatom’s senior managers held an online meeting with representatives of the British company Rolls-Royce, during which the latter showcased the UK SMR technology. Rolls-Royce representatives briefed the Ukrainian side on plans to build 16 UK SMR power units in the UK by 2050. The UK SMR project is expected to be …

Green finance row splits Berlin

The EU is in the final stages of honing its green finance rules and a leaked draft proposing that nuclear and gas should receive the label for the transition has prompted complaints from Berlin. But positions differ even inside the new German coalition government The EU sustainable finance taxonomy is a long, detailed list of …