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PLANT OPERATION THE FIRST HEAT from Russia’s floating NPP (FNPP), Akademik Lomonosov, has been supplied to residential buildings in the second Geologist microdistrict in Pevek (Chukotka Autonomous Okrug). To date, the FNPP supplies Pevek with heat for almost three quarters of the entire housing stock.
A DAMAGED FUEL element was removed from the reactor at unit 1 of Finland’s Olkiluoto NPP during maintenance lasting about a week and replaced with a new one, plant operator Teollisuuden Voima Oyj (TVO) said. The work went as planned and power production was resumed at full capacity.
OPERATIONS AT UNIT 2 of Belgium’s Tihange NPP and unit 3 of the Doel NPP cannot be extended for technical and safety reasons, owner/operator Engie Electrabel has said. Belgium currently has seven nuclear power reactors – three at Tihange near Liege and four at Doel near Antwerp.
UPGRADES CANDU ENERGY, PART of Canada’s SNC-Lavalin Group, has been selected by Romanian nuclear utility Nuclearelectrica SA, operator of the Cernavoda NPP, to conduct design and engineering services for the unit 1 Candu reactor at the facility, as the first step to a future life extension project.
BELOYARSK NPP IS to replace 24 steam generator modules to prepare for the life extension of the BN-600 sodium-cooled fast reactor at unit 3 beyond 2025. This extensive work will be completed over three years. The first eight evaporation modules will be replaced this year during the next scheduled preventive maintenance outage.
AS PART OF its ‘Made in Ontario’ strategy, Canada’s Bruce Power announced a key contract for its Major Component Replacement (MCR) Project, with Cambridge-based BWXT Canada Ltd. The contract, valued at C$130m (US$99.7m), is for the fabrication and supply of replacement feeders for Bruce Power’s reactor units 3, 4, 5, 7 and 8 and represents an integral part of Bruce Power’s MCR Project.
Planning consent for Sizewell C
EDF said the Development Consent Order
(DCO) “is the biggest milestone so far in the approval process for Sizewell C”. Carly Vince, Sizewell C’s Chief Planning Officer, said: “It is a big endorsement of our proposals and supports our view that this is the right project in the right place.” Negotiations with the government on raising funds for the project are continuing and a Financial Investment Decision is expected in 2023.
The government has said it will give £100m
Above: Sizewell has been granted approval for unit C Photo credit: SN Thomas Photography/
Shutterstock.com
The UK Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has granted development consent for the Sizewell C NPP Project. The application was submitted to the Planning Inspectorate for consideration by NNB Nuclear Generation (SZC) Limited on 27 May 2020 and accepted for Examination on 24 June 2020. Following the examination, during which the public, statutory consultees and interested parties were given the opportunity to give evidence to the Examining Authority (ExA), recommendations were made to the Secretary of State on 25 February 2022. More than 1,000 interested parties and statutory consultees gave evidence during the public examination which ran from April to October 2021. The decision letter from BEIS lists 24
principal matters considered by the ExA. These include: Agriculture and soils; Air quality; Alternatives; Amenity and recreation; Biodiversity and ecology (terrestrial); Climate change and resilience; Coastal geomorphology; Community effects; Cumulative impact; Flood risk, groundwater, surface water; Health and wellbeing; Historic environment (terrestrial and marine); Landscape impact, visual effects and design; Marine ecology; Marine water quality; Marine navigation; Policy and need; Radiological considerations; Socio-economics; Traffic and transport; Waste (conventional) and material resource; Findings and conclusions in relation to the Habitats Regulations Assessment; and Compulsory acquisition and related matters. It says: “Overall, the Secretary of State
concludes that the benefits, in particular the need case, … outweigh the adverse impacts for the Proposed Development. The Secretary of State therefore concludes that consent should be granted for the Proposed Development.”
8 | August 2022 |
www.neimagazine.com
($120m) to support construction of the plant and may also take a stake in the project. In June, the government also announced that Sizewell C could be eligible for funding using the Regulated Asset Base (RAB) scheme. Julia Pyke, Sizewell C’s Financing Director, said: “The tried and tested funding arrangement we are proposing means that, by paying a small amount during construction, consumers will benefit in the long-term.” Other approvals required before the project
can begin construction include a Nuclear Site Licence from the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) and permits from the Environment Agency (EA). Earlier in July the EA began a 12-week public
consultation on three environmental permits to: dispose of and discharge radioactive waste; operate standby power supply systems using diesel generators; and discharge cooling water and liquid effluent into the North Sea. EA said its proposed decision “is that we should issue all three permits” but that it would consider views submitted to the consultation before publishing a final decision in early 2023. ONR said the site licence had met “almost
all the regulatory requirements” set out in regulatory guidance but that there were “two outstanding matters which require resolution”. These concern current ownership of the land, known as security of land tenure, which is yet to be acquired, and the current shareholder agreement “which places control of key policies relating to safety and security with a holding company, NNB Holding Company (SZC) Ltd, rather than the licence applicant, NNB Generation Company (SZC) Ltd”. The project is still opposed by local anti-
nuclear campaigners and environmentalists concerned that the plant would be built next to the Minsmere nature reserve and have a negative effect on wildlife. A spokesman for Stop Sizewell C said: “Not only will we be looking closely at appealing this decision, we’ll continue to challenge every aspect of Sizewell C.” On the other hand, the GMB union, which represents workers in the energy sector, said Sizewell C’s approval was “a vital step forward for energy and net-zero”. ■
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