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THE EGYPTIAN NUCLEAR Power Authority has organised an on-site inspection to confirm preparations for first concrete of the reactor foundation slab for unit 4 of the El-Dabaa NPP being built by Rosatom. The inspection also included representatives of the Egyptian Nuclear & Radiological Control Authority and JSC VO Safety, which provides technical support.
PLANT OPERATION FRANCE’S AUTORITÉ DE Sûreté Nucléaire (ASN – Nuclear Safety Authority) has adopted a decision setting the requirements governing the continued operation of unit 1 at the Tricastin NPP in Drôme. This is the first reactor in the French nuclear fleet to receive a positive opinion from ASN after approximately 40 years of operation.
THE SERVICE LIFE of Russia’s BN-600 fast reactor at unit 3 of the Beloyarsk NPP can be extended beyond 2040, according the Chief Engineer Yury Nosov. “Work to extend the life of the BN-600 to 2040 has now reached the final stage. A further life extension is being considered depending on the resource of the reactor plant”..
UPGRADES STATE-OWNED SOUTH African power utility Eskom says unit 1 of the Koeberg NPP has achieved a significant milestone in upgrade work on the plant after mechanical work for replacement of the steam generators was completed. Koeberg 1 should be commercially available in November.
BRAZIL’S GROWTH ACCELERATION Plan has allocated BRL1.9bn ($383m) for modernisation of Angra 1, which is close to completing 40 years of operation. Angra NPP units 1&2 currently generate about 3% of Brazil’s electricity.
EQUIPMENT AUSTRALIA’S SILEX SYSTEMS Ltd says it has completed testing of the second full-scale laser system module developed for Global Laser Enrichment’s (GLE’s) commercial pilot demonstration facility in the USA. GLE is the exclusive worldwide licensee of the Silex laser technology for uranium enrichment.
THE UK NATIONAL Grid’s Hinkley Connection Project has completed all 116 of its new T-pylons, which will connect 6m homes and businesses in the South West to the Hinkley Point C NPP. The last of the T-structures’ 232 diamond-shaped insulators – which hold the high-voltage conductors in a diamond ‘earring’ shape has now been installed.
First Paks-II concrete expected 2024
Hungary’s Minister of Foreign Affairs & Trade, Péter Szijjártó expects first concrete to be poured for the Paks-II NPP before the end of 2024 following the signing of an amended construction contract. The Paks-II project was launched in 2014 by
an inter-governmental agreement between Hungary and Russia for two VVER-1200 reactors (units 5&6) to be supplied by Rosatom. The contract was supported by a Russian state loan. The Hungarian Atomic Energy Authority issued a licence for the units in August 2022. The following December, the Hungarian parliament approved a 20-year life extension of the four existing VVER-440 power units at Paks. It is assumed that they will now work until at least 2052-2057. Paks currently provides half of all generated and one third of the consumed electricity in Hungary. According to Szijjártó, work on the diaphragm
wall at Paks-II is ongoing, with 467 metres already built, and groundwork for unit six is due to begin. Ground consolidation work should start in the autumn. Meanwhile, production of long-lead equipment is underway. The Paks upgrade is not subject to sanctions, with both Rosatom and Hungary cooperating with several Western companies. Szijjártó said Europe would not impose any sanctions on the nuclear industry in the future, emphasising that Hungary would never support such a step, which would harm its national interests. Energy security is one of the most critical issues today, he said. In Hungary’s case, NPPs
Brazil Uranium enrichment expansion Indústrias Nucleares do Brasil (INB) has signed a contract with Amazônia Azul Tecnologias de Defesa (Amazul) to support expansion of the Isotopic Uranium Enrichment Plant at the Nuclear Fuel Factory (FCN – Fábrica de Combustível Nuclear) in Resende. Amazul will provide engineering services for the development of phase two of the plant. The first phase, completed in late 2022, has 10
cascades of ultracentrifuges producing fuel for domestic NPPs. It enables INB to meet 70% of the demand for Angra 1, reducing dependence on foreign contracting services. Currently, Brazil has two nuclear units in
operation at Angra dos Reis, on the Costa Verde, in Rio de Janeiro. Angra 1&2, a total of 1.9 GWe, generate 1.1% of the energy of the Brazilian Interconnected System. Angra 1, a 609 MWe Westinghouse pressurised water reactor (PWR), began operation in 1982 following long delays. Unit 2, a 1,275 MWe PWR supplied by German Kraftwerk Union, began operation in 2000, again
8 | September 2023 |
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are the only way to produce large amounts of energy, Szijjártó said. The expansion of the Paks plant is therefore a long-term guarantee of affordable energy in Hungary. Szijjártó added that Hungary therefore views any attacks against or moves aimed at blocking the project as attempted violations of its sovereignty. Under the financial arrangements in the
contract, Russia will provide Hungary with a loan of up to €10bn for the two units. Meanwhile, Hungary’s Atomic Energy Agency
(OAH – Országos Atomenergia Hivatal) has extended by a year, to October 2024, the permit allowing groundwork at the Paks II site. The original permit for soil extraction was issued in October 2021, which would have allowed two years for the work to be completed. However, work could reportedly not start immediately, because extraction of soil, unlike the power supply and construction of offices, warehouses and assembly buildings, was part of the plant construction and therefore required a building permit. This was only issued in August 2022. Work then began around the clock, Danube
Asphalt, which was in charge of the task, had completed the first package of work by November. The deepening of the foundation pit will continue and the gap wall is already being built. The gap wall prevents groundwater from infiltrating the work pit, and maintains the level of groundwater under the nuclear power plant units. Bauer Magyarország Kft is responsible for its construction. ■
after long delays. Construction of Angra 3, a Siemens/KWU 1,405 MWe PWR began in 1984 but was suspended several times. The future of the plant, now 65% complete, is under discussion. Implementation of the second phase of the enrichment plant will provide an additional 30 cascades of ultracentrifuges, which will guarantee Brazil self-sufficiency in uranium enrichment. By 2033, the company expects to be able to meet the fuel demand of Angra 1&2 and, by 2037, the needs of Angra 3. INB President Carlos Freire Moreira said:
“Isotopic uranium enrichment is a cutting-edge and 100% national technology, developed by the Brazilian Navy in partnership with the Institute for Energy & Nuclear Research.” The CEO of Amazul, Newton Costa, highlighted the importance of the partnership with INB, noting that the enrichment plant will give the company autonomy to supply fuel for Angra. As well as the enrichment plant, INB’s Siemens designed Resende fuel fabrication factory has a capacity of 160 tonnes a year of pellet production and 280 tonnes of fuel.
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