| NEWS
United States BWXT in uranium downblending deal BWX Technologies subsidiary Nuclear Fuel Services (NFS) has been awarded a $122m contract extension from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) for the down-blending of highly enriched uranium (HEU) into low enriched uranium (LEU). Under this contract, NFS will continue to
provide down-blending services to the TVA in support of the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) defence programme’s objectives. The extension continues existing down-blending operations from July 2025 to June 2027. NFS has been down-blending HEU since 1995, when it was selected by the US Government to down-blend a stockpile of HEU as part of Project Sapphire – a covert operation that took place in 1994 and transferred HEU from Kazakhstan to the USA. The project was a joint effort between the US, Kazakhstan, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to secure and remove weapons-grade nuclear material from Kazakhstan in the wake of the collapse of the USSR. The operation transported approximately 600 kg of HEU from the Ulba Metallurgical Plant in Kazakhstan to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. “We are proud of the role we play in national
defence and pleased that we can continue our work with the TVA and NNSA in support of this mission,” said Ronald K Dailey, NFS president. “This contract extension also enables operations and engineering continuity with our uranium conversion and purification contract with NNSA,” he added. In 2001 TVA entered into an agreement with the DOE to use the down-blended uranium as fuel for its Browns Ferry and Watts Bar NPPs. In 2018, NFS was awarded a $505m contract by TVA for down-blending 20.2 tonnes of HEU to provide fuel for its NPPs. Work began in early 2019 and will continue until mid-2025. As part of this contract Watts Bar NPP began to produce tritium for NNSA’s nuclear weapons refurbishment programme.
Ukraine Chornobyl wolves’ cancer resistance Wolves living in the exclusion zone of the Chornobyl NPP under the infl uence of radiation, have gained resistance to cancer, according to Kara Love from Princeton University in the US. After the accident at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant in 1986, the population was evacuated and wildlife flourished despite radiation contamination. As well as small mammals, the area is populated with moose, boars and wolves. In 2014, Love and her colleagues visited the
exclusion zone to install special GPS collars with dosimeters on local wolves and take blood for analysis from animals. These collars allowed scientists to track them in real time to measure the level of radiation exposure. Results showed that, throughout their lives, they receive 11.28 milliroentgen, or 110 microsiverts, a day. According to scientists, this is six times higher than the maximum safe level set for people. Having studied the biomaterials of wolves, Love found differences in their immune system compared with people living exclusively outside the exclusion zone. The changes were reminiscent of those found in cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy.
Czech Republic Westinghouse excluded from tender The Czech government has decided to amend its tender for new nuclear to binding offers for up to four reactors, rather than one, but has invited bids only from Électricité de France (EDF) and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP). The third bidder, Westinghouse, was not included because it “did not meet the necessary conditions”. Czech Prime Minister Fiala said in a
statement: “During the tender, the non-binding offers showed that the construction of several units – up to four units in one package – even if implemented gradually, is economically significantly more advantageous. It is also significantly more advantageous than we expected, by up to 25% compared with the construction of only one unit.”
round up
NUCLEAR FUEL CZECH POWER COMPANY
THE NOVOSIBIRSK CHEMICAL
USED FUEL JSC RUSPOLIMET IN
THE TROLLEY FOR
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