Orano sees 10 more years for Niger uranium project

France intends to ensure the continuity of uranium production in northern Niger, Nicolas Maes, head of Orano’s mining business unit, said following an 11 March audience with Nigerien Prime Minister Birgi Rafini. This will mean ensuring that Orano subsidiary Somaïr can continue operating for as long as possible, or at least until the Imouraren project …

EU nuclear sustainability needs expert review, utilities say

Seven utilities have written to the European Commission, urging it to create an independent group of scientists and experts to evaluate whether nuclear power is a low-carbon and sustainable source of electricity. One of the seven, Czech utility ČEZ, said yesterday that it had “joined the challenge” facing the main European energy companies to gain …

Nuclear energy storage? Advanced reactor developers trying to expand nuclear power’s selling points

Towers of concrete blocks as tall as skyscrapers, a ski lift-like contraption on the side of a mountain, underground caverns — the quest for more ways to back up the increasing amount of wind and solar energy on the grid has recently driven investment toward a number of unusual technologies. Now, the ability to serve a …

EDF to design state-of-the-art nuclear power plants

EDF is digitally transforming to drive the development of safe, dependable and affordable low-carbon power generation technologies by collaborating with Ansys. Through a new multi-year agreement, EDF will use Ansys to design state-of-the-art nuclear power plants and deliver unprecedented nuclear energy efficiency. Using Ansys multiphysics solutions to enable digital transformation, EDF will drive the development of …

How decades of work at Argonne led to a pivotal moment for U.S. nuclear plants

The laboratory’s research helped avoid $1 billion in potential costs for boiling water reactors in the wake of the Fukushima disaster, keeping power plants running while ensuring safety. A few years ago, several nuclear reactors in the United States were facing the possibility of unforeseen shutdowns in the wake of disaster at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi …

White House might consider space policies on cybersecurity, supply chain, nuclear power

The National Space Council is weighing a new policy directive that would call for the space industry to voluntarily adopt cybersecurity standards to help protect data and companies’ intellectual property. The White House focus over the past year with regard to space policy has been on “supply chain hygiene,” said Mir Sadat, who served on …

Pentagon awards contracts to design mobile nuclear reactor

The Pentagon on Monday issued three contracts to start design work on mobile, small nuclear reactors, as part of a two-step plan towards achieving nuclear power for American forces at home and abroad. The department awarded contracts to BWX Technologies, Inc. of Virginia, for $13.5 million; Westinghouse Government Services of Washington, D.C. for $11.9 million; …