| NEWS
Hungary Melt trap delivered to Paks II NPP Rosatom has delivered the first large component – the melt trap (ULR – Ustroystvo Lokalizatsii Rasplava) – to the construction site of the Paks II NPP in Hungary. The manufacture of the core melt localisation device, was completed in Volgodonsk, Russia, in March after specialists from Atomstroyexport (ASE – part of Rosatom’s Engineering Division and general contractor) and representatives of the Hungary’s Paks II finalised acceptance checks. Production was constantly monitored by Hungarian experts including officials of the National Atomic Energy Authority. The 730-tonne cone-shaped device,
manufactured using thermally resistant steel, has a maximum diameter of 11 metres and a height of more than 15 metres. It is the most important element of the passive safety system of generation 3+ NPPs. The ULR is installed at the bottom of the concrete reactor shaft directly below the reactor vessel and is capable of containing the melted core in the event of a breach. It helps to reduce hydrogen production and the release of radioactive material into the environment. The vessel contains a fusion charge containing alumina and iron oxide, which when mixed with the core melt, reduces its specific heat. The device was transported by water in a journey that covered a total of 3,200 kilometres via the Black Sea and the Danube river and took 48 days to complete. Hungary’s Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó commented: “Typically, an international project involves international transport and this was no exception. The transport was organised by an Austrian company, and the melt trap arrived in Paks on a Slovakian ship.” The Paks II project was launched in 2014 by
an inter-governmental agreement between Hungary and Russia for two VVER-1200 reactors to be supplied by Rosatom. The contract was supported by a Russian state loan to finance the majority of the project. The Hungarian Atomic Energy Authority issued the licence for the units in August 2022. The current Paks NPP comprises four VVER-440 power units. Paks currently provides half of all generated and one third of the consumed electricity in Hungary. Preparatory work for the construction of
unit 5 (also known as Paks II unit 1), for which the melt localisation device is intended, is on schedule. Currently, soil strengthening is being completed, and preparations are underway for excavating soil from the pit to the design level of 23 metres, which is required for the start of preparation of the foundation slab or the new power facility. As well as Russian and Hungarian companies,
European companies and companies from third countries are also working at the construction site. “Our common goal with the general contractor is to build a safely operating nuclear power plant in the shortest possible time.” said Gergely Jakli, President and CEO of Paks II Zrt.
Taiwan
Maanshan unit 1shut down Unit 1 at Taiwan’s Maanshan NPP, also known as the Third Nuclear Power Plant, in Pingtung County, has been closed down pending decommissioning after its operating licence expired. The Maanshan plant comprises two 936 MWe pressurised water reactors. The licence for unit 2 expires in May 2025. Before the closure of Maanshan 1, nuclear power accounted for about 5% of Taiwan’s energy use, which is dominated by coal and liquefied natural gas. Taiwan originally had three NPPs, each with two units, at Chinshan, Kuosheng and Maanshan with two others under construction at Lungmen. In 2016, the Democratic Progressive Party
(DPP) was elected on a platform of establishing a “nuclear-free homeland” by 2025. This required Taiwan’s power reactors to be decommissioned when their 40-year operating licences expired. Chinshan 1 was closed in December 2018, followed by Chinshan 2 in July 2019. Kuosheng 1 was closed in May 2021, six months before its licence expired, after plant owner/operator Taipower said its used fuel storage was almost full. Construction of the two units at Lungmen has been suspended. The state-run Taiwan Power Co said that, with
the closure of Maanshan 1, the total percentage of power generated by nuclear sources would fall to 2.8%. To allay public concern regarding power stability, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said it has negotiated with Sun Ba Power Corp to use the power generated from its 1,000 MWe No. 3 LNG unit to buttress the power generation shortfall. However, phasing out nuclear power
generation and replacing it with LNG is expected to bring other challenges regarding power prices and carbon emissions, industry observers said. The government has said it would not rule out boosting nuclear power’s share of the energy mix, but that the technology needs to improve. Lawmakers earlier this month debated
for hours over whether to reverse course on the government’s plan to completely phase out nuclear power, based on legislative amendments proposed by the opposition Kuomintang Party, which has a majority in the legislature but not in the government. However, no vote was taken.
Germany Grafenrheinfeld towers removed The two 143 metre-high cooling towers at Germany’s Grafenrheinfeld NPP in Bavaria have been destroyed with explosives as part of the decommissioning process, resulting in 55,000 tonnes of concrete and steel debris. The demolition took 30 seconds. Construction of the single unit
Grafenrheinfeld NPP (KKG – Kernkraftwerk Grafenrheinfeld), Germany’s oldest NPP, began in 1975. The 1,275 MWe (net) pressurised water reactor, operated from 1982 to 2015. It was
www.neimagazine.com | September 2024 | 11
round up
NUCLEAR FUEL INDIA AND RUSSIA are working to conclude a INR105bn ($1.2bn) deal for the “supply by the Russian fuel company TVEL from 2025 to 2033 of the initial batches and the next five downloads for units 3&4 of the Kudankulam NPP in Tamil Nadu as well as a set of tools for controlling rods and fuel assemblies. Establishment of a joint Russian-Indian enterprise for the production of nuclear fuel for Indian NPPs is also being considered.
RADWASTE NUCLEAR WASTE SERVICES, which manages the UK Low Level Waste Repository (LLWR) at Drigg in Cumbria, is to begin capping the vaults and trenches that are now full and ready for permanent closure. A four-year contract has been awarded to civil engineering firm Graham Construction to undertake the project. The contract is for work on the Southern Trench Cap Interim Membrane which will involve placing a new membrane (protective layer) over the legacy disposal trenches,
D&D
UK NUCLEAR RESTORATION Services (NRS) has received planning consent to demolish the turbine hall and electrical annexe at the Sizewell A NPP site. Alan Cumming, Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, Group Chief Assurance & Performance Officer, said decommissioning would free up land which can then be reused to deliver benefits for the local community.
ROSATOM’S MOBILE LASER Complex (MLC) has been used for the first time to dismantle a tall metal structure. Specialists of Rosatom’s scientific division used the laser complex cut the supports of two cranes up to 40 metres high and with a carrying capacity of up to 32 tonnes. The work was done for the Reforma Group of Construction Companies.
THE UK NUCLEAR Decommissioning Authority (NDA) has awarded three four-year contracts totalling £30m ($38.8m) to support innovation and research into new safe, sustainable and cost-effective decommissioning techniques. The seven successful consortia involve over 60 organisations in total including established nuclear companies, global cross-sector corporations, UK universities, national laboratories, plus small and medium sized enterprises.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49
