Regulator approval nears for Aomori’s Rokkasho nuclear fuel processing plant

A spent nuclear fuel reprocessing plant in Rokkasho, Aomori Prefecture, looks set to gain approval for full operation as the country’s regulator completed most of its safety review Friday. The Nuclear Regulation Authority checked remaining safety measures against the risks of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, and its members made no objection. Operator Japan Nuclear Fuel …

Nuclear costs must fall to be competitive, says NEA’s Magwood

If countries are serious about combatting climate change, then they will reform their electricity markets, William Magwood, director general of the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA), told delegates at the World Nuclear Association Symposium 2018 held in London last week. Magwood highlighted one of the three objectives of the Harmony initiative – a level playing …

Russia, China Discuss Joint Development of Overseas NPP Projects – Rosatom

Russian State Nuclear Energy Corporation Rosatom has held initial discussions with its Chinese partners on potential projects to jointly build nuclear power plants in third states, Rosatom CEO Alexey Likhachev said on Wednesday. The discussions have started. The talks are on the initial stage,” Likhachev said at the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF). Earlier this year, Rosatom state …

Had They Bet On Nuclear, Not Renewables, Germany & California Would Already Have 100% Clean Power

Had California and Germany invested $680 billion into new nuclear power plants instead of renewables like solar and wind farms, the two would already be generating 100 percent or more of their electricity from clean (low-emissions) energy sources, according to a new analysis by Environmental Progress. The analysis comes the day before California plays host to …

French Orano opens uranium conversion plant despite glut

French nuclear group Orano on Monday inaugurated a 1.15 billion euro (1.02 billion pounds) uranium conversion plant despite huge global overcapacity for nuclear reactor fuel. State-owned Orano’s new plant in Tricastin, southern France, will account for a quarter of the world’s 60,000-tonne annual uranium hexafluoride (UF6) production capacity when it fully ramps up in 2021 …

New IAEA Energy Projections See Possible Shrinking Role for Nuclear Power

Nuclear power’s electricity generating capacity risks shrinking in the coming decades as ageing reactors are retired and the industry struggles with reduced competitiveness, according to a new IAEA report. The declining trend may set back global efforts to mitigate climate change, IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano said. The 38th edition of Energy, Electricity and Nuclear Power …