NEWS |
round up
ADVANCED REACTORS US-BASED NUCLEAR power and nuclear fuel recycling company Oklo has completed borehole drilling for site characterisation work at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) site for its first Aurora Powerhouse. Oklo received a site use permit from the Department of Energy in 2019 to build and operate a prototype reactor at INL.
THE US NUCLEAR Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued an exemption related to the “energy island” of Terrapower’s proposed Kemmerer project in Wyoming. The exemption covers a limited portion of structures, systems, and components, enabling the project to proceed with certain activities. The project features a 345 MWe sodium-cooled fast reactor with a molten salt-based energy storage system.
SWEDISH NUCLEAR ENERGY company Blykalla Blykalla and Norway’s Institute for Energy Technology (IFE) have agreed a strategic collaboration to accelerate the technical development of Blykalla’s SEALER (Swedish Advanced Lead-cooled Reactor) design – a fast compact reactor with passive safety. Each reactor will have a 55 MWe capacity, which can be increased by installing multiple units at the same location.
US-BASED START-up NANO Nuclear Energy has completed retrofitting its nuclear demonstration and testing facility in Westchester County, New York. The facility will support the non-nuclear mechanical and thermal test work necessary to develop its microreactors and commercial products, such as its Annular Linear Induction Pump, a critical non-nuclear subsystem for liquid metal and molten salt reactor technologies.
SMRs
FINNISH TECH COMPANY Steady Energy plans to build a pilot small modular reactor (SMR) plant in central Helsinki. The selected site is the turbine hall of the Salmisaari B coal power plant, owned by energy company Helen Ltd. Steady Energy and Helen have signed a lease agreement for the site, valid until 2028. Construction is set to start in late 2025.
US-BASED START-up NANO Nuclear Energy has completed retrofitting its nuclear demonstration and testing facility in Westchester County, New York. The facility will support the non-nuclear mechanical and thermal test work necessary to develop its microreactors and commercial products, such as its Annular Linear Induction Pump.
China
Qinshan achieves world record Unit 1 of China’s Qinshan Phase III NPP in Zhejiang province was shut down after 738 days of continuous operation, setting a world record for the longest uninterrupted operation of a Candu-6 reactor. Qinshan Phase III units 1&2 use Candu-6
pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWR) from Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL). Construction began in 1997. Unit 1 started up in September 2002, unit 2 in April 2003. China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) said that, during its latest operating cycle that began on 24 April 2023, Qinshan III unit 1 generated more than 12.5 TWh of electricity, equivalent to reducing standard coal consumption by 3.8m tonnes and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 9.97m tonnes. Pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWRs),
such as Candus, are designed to be refuelled without shutting down. The world record for continuous operation of a nuclear plant is currently held by Kaiga unit 1 in India – also a PHWR – which was taken offline on 31 December 2019 after 962 days of operation.
United States Upgrade for Liquid Metal Test Facility US Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) has replaced an ageing cold trap device on its Mechanisms Engineering Test Loop (METL), which is used to purify more than 750 gallons (2850 litres) of reactor-grade sodium. METL is the largest US liquid metal test facility for sodium-cooled fast reactors and is used to train a new generation of potential operators. The US has not operated a fast reactor since the Experimental Breeder Reactor II (EBR-II) shut down. However, projected increases in power demand have now encouraged some companies to revisit the technology. EBR-II operated at ANL from 1964 to 1994 using a metallic alloy fuel containing highly enriched uranium (HEU). It generated power for the lab and supported reactor research projects. METL started operations in 2018 and is now being used by industry partners to test different components for potential use. The cold trap is essential to any liquid metal
reactor design to help filter out oxide impurities present in the sodium coolant. If not controlled, these impurities could cause accelerated corrosion and lower flow rates, resulting in degraded performance. Replacement of the device was required to meet the design specifications of future experiments and played a key role in regaining US experience on replacing sodium loop components. The sodium in the cold trap was frozen and
cut out of the system before the new cold trap was welded onto the sodium piping. The rest of the loop remained molten and in operation and the process took two weeks to complete. The cold trap replacement was funded
through the Department of Energy’s National Reactor Innovation Center (NRIC).
12 | June 2025 |
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United Kingdom Constain in advanced fuels contract UK-based infrastructure company Costain has been chosen to design an advanced fuels production facility for uranium enrichment company Urenco. Costain’s in-house civil nuclear and engineering team will carry out the front-end engineering design (FEED) for Europe’s first High Assay Low Enriched Uranium (HALEU) Advanced Fuels Facility. HALEU – uranium enriched to between 5% and 20% uranium-235 – is needed for many of the next- generation reactor designs under development. At present, only Russia and China have the infrastructure to produce HALEU at scale. The new facility, to be built at Urenco’s
Capenhurst site in the UK. Costain is expected to complete the FEED in 2027. In March, Urenco selected Costain as
programme delivery partner to deliver new and upgraded infrastructure at Capenhurst over the next three years. Costain will lead and deliver an integrated programme of Urenco’s infrastructure investment activities, including developing the design, procurement, construction and commissioning of works and upgrades at the site. In January 2024, the UK government announced a £300m ($393m) funding programme to develop a HALEU industry as part of the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero’s (DESNZ’s) plans to accelerate the development of a civil HALEU commercial market. In May 2024, £196m of the total funding was earmarked for an advanced fuels at Urenco’s Capenhurst enrichment facility, targeting first operations in 2031.
Iran
Russia to build eight nuclear units Ebrahim Rezaei, the spokesperson for the Iranian Parliament’s National Security & Foreign Policy Commission says Iran has signed a contract with Russia to construct eight more nuclear units, four of which will be located in Bushehr, Southern Iran. Bushehr unit 1, built by Rosatom, began
operating in 2011 and reached full capacity the following year. Rosatom subsidiary ASE, which is the general contractor for the Bushehr project, and Nuclear Power Production & Development Company of Iran signed an EPC turnkey contract for construction of two VVER-1000 reactors Bushehr 2&3 in 2014 and preliminary work began at the site in December 2016. In March 2017, construction officially began of the two units, which were then planned to be commissioned in 2024 and 2026. Pouring of first concrete for Bushehr unit 2 took place in November 2019 and they were then scheduled for commissioning in 2025 and 2027. In October 2023, Iran poured concrete for a new section of Bushehr 2. The Head of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran (AEOI), Mohammad Eslami, said that the government’s support had accelerated the construction of the two reactors under deals worth €1.8bn ($1.9bn).
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