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EUROPEAN NUCLEAR TRADE association Foratom has welcomed the European Commission’s Fit for 55 package and said it fully supports all proposals which aim to reduce CO2
emissions in line with the Climate Law and Paris Agreement.
THE UK’S NUCLEAR Sector Deal’s Innovation Group has published a new report, “Unlocking the UK’s Nuclear Hydrogen Economy to Support Net Zero”. The 16-page report offers ten recommendations for realising the opportunity of zero-carbon hydrogen from nuclear energy.
KPMG HAS RELEASED a report on nuclear energy market consultation, which discusses the conditions under which market parties are prepared to invest in nuclear power plants in the Netherlands, what public support is required for this, and which regions are interested in establishing a nuclear plant.
THE USA AND Ghana have signed a Memorandum of Understanding Concerning Strategic Civil Nuclear Cooperation, “which improves cooperation on nuclear energy and strengthens our diplomatic and economic relationship,” the US State Department said.
COMPANY NEWS UK-BASED AQUILA Nuclear Engineering is seeking a new parent company. Calder Group has made the strategic decision to sell Aquila and focus on its remaining subsidiaries in the metals and precision manufacturing sectors.
US COMPANIES BECHTEL and Westinghouse Electric Company have formed a team to pursue new nuclear power plant projects in Poland.
THE UAE’S NAWAH Energy Company, the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation’s joint venture nuclear operations and maintenance subsidiary, has signed a five-year Original Equipment Manufacturer support agreement with Westinghouse Electric Company.
DOOSAN BABCOCK HAS signed a three-year contract to provide a range of Industrial Support Services in support of the UK Atomic Energy Authority’s fusion research and technology programme. Altrad also signed a contract to work in partnership with Doosan Babcock.
V was completed in 2020. The second stage — underground in-situ testing — is set to take place from 2021 to 2050, following construction of the underground research laboratory. The final stage — the construction of the disposal facility — is planned to take place from 2041 to 2050, assuming the in-situ testing confirms the area’s suitability. The proposed site of the Underground
Research Laboratory lies in the Beishan area of China’s Gansu Province, which is bound from the north by the Gobi Desert. As part of the support from the IAEA, under the technical cooperation programme, 35 Chinese and 11 international experts took part in a six-week virtual expert mission to provide input, guidance, and recommendations to support plans for the in-situ laboratory. The virtual mission took place from 25 February to 9 April.
United States US companies seek to use nuclear for Bitcoin mining US-based Oklo in July announced a 20-year commercial partnership with Compass Mining, the world’s first online marketplace for Bitcoin mining hardware and hosting. Oklo’s advanced fission powerhouses
will provide baseload power for Compass’s Bitcoin mining machines, starting in the early 2020s. Oklo is committed to supplying at least 150MWe to Compass in the first phase of this partnership, helping drive the sustainability of Bitcoin mining practices. “We are proud to blaze new trails on the
commercialisation of our powerhouses by partnering with Compass in decarbonising Bitcoin,” said Oklo co-founder and CEO Jacob DeWitte. Oklo Power plans to build and operate its 1.5MW Aurora reactor at the Idaho National Laboratory site in Idaho. The proposed Aurora design uses heat pipes to transport heat from the reactor core to a supercritical carbon- dioxide power conversion system to generate electricity, NRC said. “Cryptocurrency mining offers promising
pathways to accelerate the deployment of clean energy technologies, and Oklo is positioned to respond to commercial demands by offering end-users the convenience of buying clean, reliable, and cost-effective power that they can depend on,” added DeWitte. Oklo’s path to deployment strives to optimise its power plant designs to be cost-competitive with the cheapest forms of energy. Earlier, US power company Talen Energy announced plans to develop a nuclear- powered crypto mining facility and data centre adjacent to its nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania. The company is looking to develop the Susquehanna Hyperscale Campus (SHC) in Berwick, on undeveloped land next to Talen Energy’s 2494MWe nuclear-powered Susquehanna Steam Electric Station (SSES) in Salem Township, Luzerne County. Talen said the first phase of development
8 | August 2021 |
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will have 164MW of capacity, but when complete will have 300MW of on-site power supported by dual 1+GW nuclear units and two independent substations, with further potential to expand to 1GW capacity in the future if needed. The project is due to come online in the second quarter of 2022.
Russia Kola tests new fuel and prepares for hydrogen production Third-generation nuclear fuel — RK-3 for VVER-440 reactors – has completed a fifth irradiation cycle at unit 4 of Russia’s Kola nuclear power plant in the Murmansk Region, Rosatom’s Fuel Company TVEL said. During the planned refuelling, a television inspection of the irradiated fuel was carried out using specialised equipment. It showed that after five irradiation cycles, all the RK-3 assemblies retained their original geometry, and all fuel elements were hermetically sealed. “No damage or changes in the elements of the working cassettes were found,” says the document signed by the Kola NPP. The RK-3 fuel is a prototype of the RK-3+
modification, and foreign customers are showing interest in this development, said TVEL. The introduction of such fuel is an opportunity to switch to the operation of power units at increased thermal power, as well as to increase the duration of the fuel cycle, which significantly increases the economic efficiency of the power plant. “Successful experience in the operation of
third generation VVER-440 fuel is an important factor for the development of the export of these products,” said Alexander Ugryumov, TVEL’s vice president for scientific and technical activities and quality. The Kola nuclear power plant comprises
four units with VVER reactors with a capacity of 440MWe each. An investment project is underway to extend the service life of Kola 1 to 60 years (until 2033). Rosatom has also selected Kola to be a pilot
site for production of hydrogen. The plant was chosen because of the surplus of generated energy, the low cost of running the complex, and the availability of vital infrastructure and expertise in small-quantity hydrogen production in Kola. According to Rosatom, “the project is
currently in its preparatory stages,” but is already being developed. Initially, a hydrogen production and
conversion testing facility will be constructed ready for operation by 2023. The complex will initially comprise 1MW capacity electrolysis plants. However, it is expected that the facility’s capacity will expand to 10MW over time. Kola NPP Director Vasily Omelchuk confirmed
plans to begin operating the facility in 2023 and for its subsequent expansion. “If the technology works, then it will be
reproduced throughout the Russian Federation,” he said. U
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