| NEWS
Vattenfall paves the way for new nuclear
round up
NEW BUILD TITAN-2, GENERAL Contractor for the construction of the new stage of Russia’s Leningrad NPP has completed excavation work at the site of unit 8 two weeks ahead of schedule. Currently work is focusing on the installation of a reservoir drainage site for the future reactor building. The next stages will include sub-concreting, lightning protection and waterproofing.
CZECH STATE-OWNED power company, evaluation of offers from the interested companies for construction of up to four nuclear units at the Dukovany and documents at the end of April.
Above: Ringhals NPP in Sweden will be the site of a new reactor if Vattenfall’s plans are realised
Swedish power utility Vattenfall has moved ahead with plans for new nuclear units next to the Ringhals NPP in Sweden. From six potential suppliers of small modular reactors (SMR), Vattenfall has shortlisted the UK-based Rolls-Royce SMR and US GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) for ongoing evaluation. The other four possible suppliers were not identified. Vattenfall will also continue to investigate the construction of large-scale reactors on the site.
In June 2022, Vattenfall started a feasibility
study to assess whether the commercial, legal and technical conditions were in place to build at least two SMRs at Ringhals on the Värö peninsula. If the conditions are met, the aim is to start commercial operation of new nuclear power in the first half of the 2030s. To achieve this, Vattenfall said it would have to carry out preparatory work by autumn 2023. ● The feasibility study in February 2024 concluded that:
● The site is suitable, but has space limitations ● There are good opportunities to share existing assets at the site
● The permitting process works for SMRs but needs to become more efficient
● Nuclear waste can be handled with existing technology, but new final repositories require a programme
The next steps will include detailed analysis of the proposals made by the two SMR suppliers, and then joint production of a timetable for the option of building these reactors. Vattenfall said it will also continue to
investigate the conditions for building large- scale reactors. The suppliers included in the evaluation for large-scale reactors are US-based Westinghouse, Électricité de France and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power.
“We haven’t made a choice of reactor
technology yet. Regardless of whether we choose small modular reactors or large-scale reactors, a future investment decision will, among other things, require a reasonable risk- sharing model with the state,” said the Head of New Nuclear Power at Vattenfall, Desirée Comstedt. Vattenfall said the starting point for continued work, regardless of reactor type, is that it should be possible to have a new reactor in operation in the first half of the 2030s at the earliest. Meanwhile, the Swedish Energy Agency has
awarded SEK50m ($4.7m) for the development of an entire Generation IV nuclear power system. The Multidisciplinary Commitments for Sweden’s Gen-IV Technology & Expertise (MUST) project, led by researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg also includes researchers from the Royal Institute of Technology, Uppsala University and Lund University. It will strengthen the already existing nuclear research centres in Sweden – ANITA and SOLSTICE – with a focus on sustainable electricity production and resource use in the Gen IV system. Technologies are being developed for fuel recovery and new manufacturing, radiation protection strategies and monitoring of reactors. The results of the project will provide input
for a case study for Gen IV implementation by Swedish SMR project development company Kärnfull Next. John Ahlberg, Chief Strategy Officer of Kärnfull Next said: “Our participation in this project aligns perfectly with Kärnfull Next’s mission to foster technological advancements and ensure the long-term viability of nuclear power.” The company aims to have the first commercial SMR operational at a new nuclear site in Sweden by the early 2030s. ■
CONSTRUCTION OF CONTAINMENT walls is progressing at unit 3 of China’s Sanmen rings that comprise the walls of the main containment shell have been installed at the unit. The total hoisting weight was about 826 tonnes, according to the
TWO OVERHEAD CRANES with a lifting capacity of 350 and 15 tonnes have been installed in the turbine room of unit 2 at the Akkuyu NPP under construction in Turkiye. A total of three overhead cranes will be installed. The installation of the equipment took place during combined construction and installation work with the roof open using a crane.
A TRANSPORT GATEWAY has been reactors and serves as a barrier between the reactor room and the external environment. It is a hermetically sealed chamber on both sides, through which nuclear fuel and equipment are transported.
AN INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC concluded a safety review of Sri Lanka’s selection process to identify potential mission was carried out at the request of the Government of Sri Lanka.
EQUIPMENT FOR TWO NPPs under construction in China with Rosatom’s assistance have been shipped. Delivery of large-scale equipment weighing some 500 tonnes will be carried out by rail, road and sea. The equipment comprises a pressure compensator for unit 8 of the Tianwan NPP and four hydraulic tanks of the emergency core cooling system of unit 3 at the Xudabao NPP
www.neimagazine.com | July 2024 | 7
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