Probably more than the last five administrations, including the present one. That’s because nuclear energy can’t shine on the climate and low-carbon front until we actually have a climate plan we follow, something that has been lacking. As the Democratic Convention begins today, it is good to remember that all the leading climate scientists say we cannot …
Chairman of the Nuclear Plants Agency Amgad al-Wakil told Egypt Today that the Egyptian Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Authority (ENRRA) is expected to issue the permit to construct Dabaa Nuclear Power Station in the second half of 2021. Wakil pointed out that the agency applied for the permit on March 10, 2019, and that it …
Backers of the £20bn Wylfa Newydd nuclear power plant on Anglesey are poised to restart work, as “detailed conversations” get underway with government. Horizon Nuclear Power chief executive Duncan Hawthorne has revealed that conversations with government about a new funding mechanism are ongoing. Enabling work at the site was suspended in January 2019 after Hitachi, …
IN JUNE, EDF ENERGY ANNOUNCED it had completed the 49,000-metric-tonne concrete basemat for the second EPR reactor at Hinkley Point C in Somerset. The milestone was achieved “on schedule”, despite the coronavirus pandemic and a reduction of “more than half” in the number of workers on site since March. Completion came less than a year …
US company X-energy announced on 11 August that it had initiated a Vendor Design Review (VDR) for its Xe-100 small modular reactor (SMR) design with the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC). In preparing to site the advanced nuclear technology reactors in Canada, with partners across the Canadian supply chain, X-energy has found the ideal environment …
The opportunity to provide carbon-free power to pair with renewables, combined with promises of increased safety over traditional nuclear plants, appear to be opening the door to the use of small modular reactors (SMRs) as a source of baseload power. “The world isn’t getting smaller,” said Chris Colbert, chief strategy officer for SMR designer NuScale Power. “Not …
Unit 5 of the Tianwan nuclear power plant in China’s Jiangsu province has been connected to the grid for the first time. The 1080 MWe domestically-designed ACPR1000 pressurised water reactor achieved the milestone at 19:52 local time on 8 August, China National Nuclear Corporation announced today. The unit, which achieved first criticality on 27 July, …
Using nuclear energy to produce hydrogen, desalinate seawater and heat buildings can further enhance nuclear power’s contribution to climate action while also boosting its economic viability, speakers at a recent IAEA webinar said. Nuclear power accounts for around one-third of global low carbon electricity production. But in addition to powering millions of homes and businesses, …
The world’s largest oil-exporter Saudi Arabia, with the help of China, has built a facility for the extraction of uranium yellowcake – a potential precursor to fuel for a nuclear reactor. The facility has been built in a remote desert location near the small city of Al Ula. The uranium yellowcake extraction facility has not …
Hot stuff The covid-19 pandemic has heavily impacted global uranium production, taking around 20% of global capacity offline. This has exacerbated the supply deficit, leading to users running down inventories at an even faster rate. The net effect has been a rising uranium price (up 32% so far in 2020), but the managers of Geiger …