NEWS |
round up
EQUIPMENT RESEARCHERS AT MASSACHUSETTS Institute of Technology and other institutions have developed a remote test that can produce key information about the condition of stainless steel reactor components, minimising outage time. The test involves aiming laser beams at the stainless steel material, which generates surface acoustic waves (SAWs). Another set of laser beams is then used to detect and measure the frequencies of these SAWs.
POLICY
THE FRENCH SENATE has provisionally amended the government’s bill on nuclear energy by removing previous strategic undertakings such as reducing the nuclear share in the power mix to 50% by 2035. The draft bill is intended to support plans to commission six new EPR-2 reactors by 2050. The Senate also proposed removing the cap on total authorised nuclear capacity set at 62.3 GWe.
SOUTH KOREA WILL increase the share of nuclear in its total energy to 34.6% by 2036 from 23.4% in 2018, the Minister of Trade, Industry & Energy, Lee Chang-yang said, announcing the final version of South Korea’s 10th basic plan for long-term electricity supply and demand. Renewable sources will be responsible for 30.6%, up from 6.2% in 2018.
SAFETY AND SECURITY THE IAEA TASK Force established to monitor Japan’s plan to discharge treated water from the Fukushima Daiichi NPP has completed its second regulatory review. During a five-day visit to Japan, the Task Force met with officials from the Nuclear Regulation Authority to assess the regulatory framework for the discharge. This was IAEA’s second review of the plans.
COMPANY NEWS KOREA HYDRO & Nuclear Power (KHNP) and parent company Korea Electric Power Corp (Kepco) are reportedly in discussion with US-based Westinghouse Electric Company on possibly sharing profits from South Korean nuclear reactor exports following a legal dispute which arose when the two were competing for a newbuild contract in Poland.
NUCLEAR FUEL THE CANADIAN NUCLEAR Safety Commission (CNSC) has granted a 20-year renewal of its Fuel Facility Operating Licence to Cameco Fuel Manufacturing (CFM) at Port Hope in Ontario. This will allow CFM to operate until 28 February 2043.
Whiteshell EIA approval Above: Whiteshell laboratory complex
The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) has accepted the draft environmental impact statement (EIS) for the proposed in-situ decommissioning of the Whiteshell Reactor 1. The EIS, first submitted by Canadian Nuclear
Laboratories (CNL) in 2017, has now passed the regulator’s completeness check and entered the final technical review stage., which is expected to take about a year. After this process is complete the Final EIS will be submitted. A final decision on the project will be determined by CNSC after a public hearing. The research reactor achieved first criticality
in 1962 at the Whiteshell Laboratories site in Manitoba. The reactor, with vertical fuel channels, was moderated by heavy water and cooled using an organic liquid. It reached a maximum of 60 MWt and was used until 1972
United States NuScale gets final NRC go NuScale Power’s small modular reactor design has been certified by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which has issued its final rule in the Federal Register. NRC accepted NuScale’s SMR design certification application in 2018 and issued its final technical review in August 2020. In July 2022, the NRC Commission voted to certify the design, which was the first SMR approved by the NRC for use in the USA. Utilities can now reference NuScale’s SMR design when applying for a combined license to build and operate a reactor. NuScale is seeking to uprate each module to generate from 50 MWe up to 77 MWe and NRC is expected to review the application this year. The US Department Energy (DOE) is working
with Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS) through the Carbon Free Power Project to demonstrate a six-module NuScale VOYGR plant at Idaho National Laboratory. The first module is expected to be start up in 2029 with full plant operation in 2030..
Slovenia Krsko lifex gains ground Slovenia’s Environmental Protection & Spatial Planning has issued a permit to extend the operating life of the Krsko NPP until 2043. Krsko is co-owned by Croatia’s Hrvatska elektroprivreda (HEP) and Slovenia’s
8 | February 2023 |
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as a test reactor for a proposed organic-cooled Candu power reactor. It was subsequently used for experimentation and heating until its closure in 1985. CNL proposes to decommission WR-1 using an in-situ technique, which it says will minimise risks to the health, safety and security of the public, workers and the environment. This will provide an effective disposal solution for the existing contaminated building, much of which is below ground level. The proposed technique will involve pouring a specially engineered grout into the reactor to lock contaminants in place. A protective cover at the surface will channel water away from the site and protect it from the elements. The WL site contains a number of facilities including WR-1, shielded facilities, a radioactive waste management area, and various research laboratories and support buildings. WL operated for approximately 40 years before decommissioning began in 2003. Since then, redundant buildings have been demolished, and new facilities for waste handling have been planned and constructed. CNL plans to complete the decommissioning by 2027. CNL said acceptance of the EIS by CNSC was
a milestone that had been reached after an estimated 35,000 hours of work by the team. ■
GEN Energija. Located in Slovenia near the border with Croatia, Krsko generates some 40% of Slovenia’s electricity. The 696 MWe Westinghouse pressurised water reactor, which is some 100 km from the Austrian border, is Slovenia’s only NPP. It was put into operation in 1983 and
produces an average of 5.6 TWh of electricity a year, divided equally between Croatia and Slovenia. It was originally designed to operate until 2023. In 2016, however, GEN Energija and HEP decided to extend its lifespan by 20 years until 2043, provided the plant undergoes a security check every 10 years. This year, a third periodic safety inspection will be completed at the plant.
Russia MBIR reactor vessel installed The reactor pressure vessel has been installed at Russia’s MBIR research reactor in Dimitrovgrad. Under construction at the Research Institute of Atomic Reactors (NIIAR), MBIR is expected to be commissioned in 2026. The 150MWt multipurpose sodium-cooled
fast neutron reactor will be the world’s largest facility of its kind and its unique technical characteristics will make it possible to solve a wide range of research problems. It will be used to support the development new reactor designs, including fast reactors based on closing the nuclear fuel cycle. Research time U
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