NEWS |
round up
FUEL CYCLE GERMAN-BASED GNS has developed the CASTOR®
geo26JP cask for the Japanese
market. It can store and transport up to 26 PWR fuel assemblies, the largest such cask.
ORANO’S COMINAK URANIUM mine at Akouta in Niger has been closed after 40 years of operations during which it produced more than 75,000tU.
RADWASTE PLANS HAD BEEN drawn up to manage radioactive waste and spent fuel from the Belarus plant. Low- and intermediate-level waste will be stored at the station for ten years, after which it will be transferred to storage facilities whose site is being selected. Used fuel will be stored in the pool for 10 years, after which it will be sent for processing to Russia.
CHINA IS BUILDING an underground laboratory to research disposal technologies for high-level radioactive waste, the lab’s chief designer, Wang Ju, vice-president of the Beijing Research Institute of Uranium Geology, told China Daily.
RUSSIA’S ELECTROCHEMICAL PLANT (ECP) is building a second depleted uranium hexafluoride (DUHF) processing unit in Zelenogorsk. From 2023 it will double the capacity of the enterprise to 20,000t a year.
D&D
THE US DEPARTMENT of Transportation has awarded Nuclear Ship Support Services a $54.4 million contract to decommission the NS Savannah - the world’s first nuclear-powered merchant ship.
V The fuel design was tested in Sweden and
a contract for commercial supplies of TVS-K fuel was signed in 2016 as a ‘deferred decision’ contract, with deliveries to begin in 2021.
Canada CNL produces its first TRISO fuel Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) has fabricated fully ceramic microencapsulated fuel pellets designed by Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation (USNC) for its Micro Modular Reactor (MMR). The project was funded through the Canadian
Nuclear Research Initiative (CNRI) and is the first time that a tristructural-isotropic-based fuel has been manufactured in Canada. The CNRI programme, launched in 2019, aims
to help small modular reactor vendors gain access to CNL expertise in order to help advance the development and commercialisation of their technologies. “Collaborating with CNL in achieving this
milestone is a significant step towards enabling Canadian production of FCM fuel for use in our Micro Modular Reactors,” said USNC Power president Mark Mitchell. He also noted that it “furthers Canada’s position as a leading innovator in the nuclear industry.” The FCM project is part of a broader portfolio of work between CNL and USNC that includes establishing a functional laboratory for fuel analysis at Chalk River. It includes a multi-year testing programme to support the validation of USNC’s fuel and core as they progress through the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission’s vendor design review. Global First Power — a partnership between
USNC and Ontario Power Generation — proposes to construct and operate a SMR at Chalk River.
Japan Tepco stopped from restarting KK Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority has banned Tokyo Electric Power Company from restarting Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, by barring Tepco from transporting nuclear fuel stored at the plant in or loading it into the reactors.
It follows a string of serious security violations. In March, the plant was found to have been vulnerable to unauthorised entry at 15 locations since March 2020 because of defective intruder detection systems and backups. NRA provisionally rated the security breaches to be at the worst level in terms of safety and severity — the first time it has given such an assessment. Kashiwazaki-Kariwa 6&7 cleared safety
screenings by the NRA in 2017. However, in addition to the latest security issues, safety upgrades have not yet been completed. Tepco president Tomoaki Kobayakawa apologised for causing safety concerns and said he and three other company executives are taking 30% salary cuts for six months.
Iran Iran unveils nuclear achievements Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani marked the 15th anniversary of the National Nuclear Technology Day during a videoconference when he gave the order for Iranian scientists to begin injecting uranium hexafl uoride gas to a pilot cascade of 164 new generation IR6 centrifuges at the Natanz enrichment facility. He also announced that Iran has started mechanical testing of IR-9 centrifuges and launched an assembly line for their production. Meanwhile talks continue in Vienna aimed at
reviving the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Under the JCPOA between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries (the USA, UK, France, Russia, and China plus Germany) Iran agreed to limit nuclear development in return for the lifting of sanctions. After former US President Donald Trump withdrew from the deal and reimposed sanctions in 2018, Iran began reviving its nuclear programme. Tension increased recently after an incident at the uranium enrichment centre in Natanz causing loss of power, which Iran described as an act of sabotage, accusing Israel. In response Iran increased uranium-enrichment levels to 60%. Under the JCPOA Iran had committed to keep enrichment to 3.67%, although this had been increased to 20% following withdrawal. ■
Safe, timely and cost-effective _decommissioning of nuclear facilities
know how to design robotics systems for the nuclear environment that meet its special challenges: being robust, reliable, safe, and also able to withstand a highly radioactive envi- ronment. We specialise in a number of different applications for the nuclear decommissioning industry, that support the handling and sorting of waste products.
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10 | May 2021 |
www.neimagazine.com
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