Nukes Are Back, but Uranium Is in Short Supply

Atomic power plants are in vogue again, sending prices higher for the radioactive element A renaissance for the nuclear-power industry has run into a problem: Prices have soared for the radioactive uranium required to fuel reactors in the decades ahead. New reactors have connected to the grid in the U.S., Asia and Europe, while the lifetime of existing …

Westinghouse and Energoatom agree AP300 SMR cooperation

Ukraine’s Energoatom and the US firm Westinghouse have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) relating to the development and deployment of AP300 small modular reactors (SMRs) in Ukraine. The MoU was signed by Westinghouse CEO Patrick Fragman, seated left in the the picture above, and Energoatom President Petro Kotin. Ukraine’s Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko, standing …

Holtec signs PPA aimed at restarting Palisades nuclear plant

The fate of the shuttered plant still hinges on financial support from the federal government. Holtec International and Wolverine Power Cooperative announced the signing of a long-term power purchase agreement that would allow the restart of the 800 MW Palisades nuclear plant in Covert Township, Michigan. Wolverine would purchase up to two-thirds of the power …

Orano halts uranium treatment in Niger because of sanctions on Junta

French nuclear group Orano is halting the processing of uranium ore at one of its facilities in Niger because international sanctions against the military junta are hampering logistics. The crisis that’s affecting the African nation, which has about 5% of the world’s uranium, may potentially tighten supplies of the material used to fuel nuclear reactors in the US, China and Europe. …

Energoatom and ConverDyn sign uranium conversion MoU

Energoatom and ConverDyn have signed a confidentiality agreement and memorandum of understanding relating to uranium conversion which the Ukrainian company says can help the country towards a complete fuel cycle. The signings, by Energoatom President Petro Kotin and ConverDyn President Malcolm Critchley, took place in London last week. Kotin said the cooperation opened up an opportunity …

Bruce Power’s Unit 6 connected to Ontario’s electricity grid following Major Component Replacement outage

Bruce Power’s Unit 6 has been renewed and was connected to Ontario’s electricity grid today following its successful Major Component Replacement (MCR) outage to provide clean, reliable power to the province’s people, hospitals and businesses for decades to come. The Unit 6 MCR began in January 2020 and was completed ahead of schedule and on …

‘Net Zero Nuclear’ Initiative Calls for Global Collaboration to Triple World Nuclear Capacity by 2050

World Nuclear Association (WNA) and the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC), with the support of the Atoms4NetZero initiative launched by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), today called for unprecedented collaboration between government, industry leaders and civil society to triple global nuclear capacity to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. The urgent call for rapid deployment …