NEWS |
round up
UPGRADES ROSATOM HAS UPGRADED the BFS-2 critical nuclear facility the AI Leipunsky Institute of Physics & Power Engineering (IPPE). BFS-2 is designed for experiments on innovative nuclear power systems.
MAJOR COMPONENT REPLACEMENT at Bruce 6 in Canada reached an important milestone in December, when the last of eight steam generators was lifted into place. The refurbishment project is expected to be completed in 2024.
UK-BASED AMARINTH has delivered two vertical in-line pumps to EDF to replace obsolete pumps at the Sizewell B nuclear power station. The pumps are safe area rated, carry 3.1 material certification for traceability and were delivered to a tight 30-week deadline.
NUCLEAR FUEL ROSATOM’S FUEL COMPANY TVEL and JSC Afrikantov OKBM have signed an agreement for the development of the core of the RITM-200S reactor, intended for modernised floating NPPs.
CLEAN CORE THORIUM Energy and Texas A&M have fabricated the first sample pellets of Advanced Nuclear Energy for Enriched Life (ANEEL) fuel, which will combine thorium with HALEU produced by Centrus Energy.
FRAMATOME HAS SECURED a $150m four-year cooperative agreement with the US DOE to continue development of its PROtect enhanced accident tolerant fuel technology. It supports work to extend fuel cycle design and licensing methodologies, as well as fabrication capabilities needed to increase burnup and enrichment limits.
HOLTEC INTERNATIONAL SAID the last multi-purpose canister containing used fuel at the US Pilgrim nuclear plant had been placed in dry storage, emptying its reactor building of all fissile material.
EQUIPMENT COMMISSIONING HAS begun at the mixed uranium-plutonium nitride fuel production module, which is part of the pilot demonstration energy complex being built by Rosatom at the Siberian Chemical Combine.
RADWASTE CANADA’S NUCLEAR WASTE Management Organisation has released two planning documents that “address the wide range of priorities, questions and concerns heard to date from Canadians and Indigenous peoples about the transportation of used nuclear fuel.”
China: grid connections and construction starts
built at Changjiang 4 in Hainan, as phase two of the plant. Changjiang 3 poured first concrete in March 2021. Both are expected to begin commercial operation in 2026. Hualong One units are also being built at Zhangzhou in Fujian, Taipingling in Guangdong, and San’ao in Zhejiang. Meanwhile, first concrete has been poured
HTR-PM has been connected to the grid Photo credit: CNNC
China’s Fuqing 6 1161MWe Hualong One (HPR1000) reactor in Fujian Province has been connected the grid. It is the third Hualong One reactor to start up after Fuqing 5 and Pakistan’s Karachi 2. Fuel loading was completed at Karachi
3 in December, and it is expected to begin commercial operation in March 2022. Two demonstration Hualong One units under construction at Fangchenggang in the Guangxi Autonomous Region are also expected to start up in 2022. In December, first concrete was poured at the second of two Hualong One reactors being
United States NRC denies Oklo licence application The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued a determination denying US-based Oklo Power’s combined licence application to build and operate its Aurora compact fast reactor at the Idaho National Laboratory. NRC said it could not move its review forward
because of gaps in the information supplied by the company. Oklo can submit a “complete application” in the future and can request a hearing on the NRC decision, it said. Oklo submitted its application in March
2020. The NRC accepted it in June 2020, using a novel, two-step approach to docketing the application to allow Oklo to fill in identified information gaps before developing a review schedule. Oklo submitted reports and supplementary information on several topics in July and October 2021, but the information was insufficient to close those gaps, NRC concluded. “Since Oklo submitted its application almost 22 months ago, our engagement with the company has included multiple information requests, audits and public meetings,” said Andrea Veil, NRC director of the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation. “We thoroughly considered Oklo’s proposals for satisfying our safety requirements.” She said: “Oklo’s application continues to contain significant information gaps in its description of Aurora’s potential accidents as well as its classification
6 | February 2022 |
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for San’ao 2 in Zhejiang — China’s first nuclear project with private equity participation. The project aims to build six Hualong One reactors. Construction of unit 1 began in December 2020. With all six units in commercial operation the site will produce 52.5TWh annually. Meanwhile, December saw grid connection
of China’s first pebble-bed modular high- temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTR-PM) at Shidaowan in Shandong, after it completed zero-power physical tests in November. The demonstration HTR-PM, with two 250MWt reactors, will drive a single 210MWe turbine. Once the project is fully operational, the reactors will serve five sub-target markets of hydrogen, steam, water, heat and electricity, China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) said. ■
of safety systems and components. These gaps prevent further review activities. We are prepared to re-engage with Oklo if they submit a revised application that provides the information we need for a thorough and timely review.”
The Aurora design is a fast neutron reactor with a supercritical carbon dioxide power conversion system to generate electricity. It will use metallic high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) fuel to generate about 1.5MWe with usable heat alongside. Oklo’s was the first combined construction and operation licence for an advanced fission technology to be accepted for review by NRC. In a statement Oklo, which was founded in
2013, said: “We are eager to continue moving forward on not just this project with the NRC, but also other projects we are already engaged on with the NRC, including other budgeted application submittals. “Our combined licence application was the
first ever accepted for an advanced plant, so there are many new things for all to learn from and work through to support a successful review, and it provides a foundation from which we can supply additional information and continue work with the NRC. The application was accepted as an important step for the nation’s interest, and we are continuing our work on advanced fission unabated as key to a clean energy future.” U
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