NEWS |
round up
D&D
A TEAM FROM Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) contractor UCOR has removed the lower reactor vessel from the Oak Ridge Research Reactor, also known as Building 3042, in preparation for its demolition. The US Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management said this was a major development for one of the largest deactivation projects at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
CLEAN-UP TOKYO ELECTRIC POWER Co (Tepco) is to begin a demonstration project to remove a small amount of radioactive debris from unit 2 of the Fukushima Daiichi NPP which suffered a reactor meltdown after the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. The debris is a mixture of molten nuclear fuel and parts of the reactor structure.
WORKERS AT THE US Hanford site in Washington State are installing equipment to demonstrate how an alternative treatment technology could safely accelerate clean-up of radioactive tank waste. The Test Bed Initiative Demonstration will treat approximately 2,000 gallons of tank waste and ship it to commercially licensed facilities in Texas and Utah that will immobilise it in grout and dispose of it.
ADVANCED REACTORS US-BASED TERRAPOWER has selected architect engineer Sargent & Lundy to design the training centre for its Natrium Reactor Demonstration Project in Kemmerer, Wyoming. The 30,000 square-foot Kemmerer Training Centre will host all Natrium operation training activities, for both the demonstration project as well as future Natrium plants. Construction is expected be completed by autumn 2025.
US-BASED OKLO has signed a preferred supplier agreement with Siemens Energy for the power conversion system of its Aurora powerhouse. Oklo said that, building on a previously signed memorandum of understanding, this binding agreement marks a crucial step in its vision to enhance production scalability, cost efficiency, and rapid deployment to meet growing customer demand.
SLOVAK NUCLEAR POWER engineering and services company VUJE has signed an agreement with UK-based start-up newcleo to establish closer cooperation in the development of advanced modular reactor technologies and advanced fuel cycle solutions in the Slovak Republic.
closed in line with Germany’s decision to
phase out nuclear power in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima accident. E.On’s Grafenrheinfeld lost its authorisation
for power operation and was finally shut down in June 2015. It was subsequently transferred to PreussenElektra for decommissioning and dismantling. Under the first permit, granted in 2018, fuel elements were removed as well as 12,100 components and around 3,100 tonnes of material were dismantled, cleaned and treated. The reactor pressure vessel (RPV) internals were also removed. The cooling towers were blown up as a visible sign that dismantling was progressing and also because PreussenElektra needs the area of the cooling towers to store dismantled components. Project leader for the demolition, Matthias Aron, said the concrete rubble would be used to fill the two collecting basins below the towers.
Denmark Maersk explores nuclear shipping Danish shipping group AP Moller – Maersk has agreed to join a study by maritime services firm Lloyd’s Register (LR) and UK-based nuclear start-up Core Power, in a regulatory assessment study of possible nuclear-powered container shipping in Europe. The study will look at the regulatory feasibility and frameworks that would need to be established for a nuclear container ship using a GEN IV reactor. It will investigate the requirements for
updated safety rules along with the improved operational and regulatory understanding that is needed for the application of nuclear power in container shipping. The study, which will last for 12 months starting in September, will also provide insight for members of the maritime value chain who are exploring the business case for nuclear power in order to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions. In July 2023, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) approved new targets for greenhouse gas emission reductions, aiming to reach net-zero emissions by, or around, 2050. Core Power CEO Mikal Bøe said there is
no net-zero without nuclear. Core Power is developing and promoting molten salt reactors for use in maritime and floating power solutions. “A critical key to unlocking the vast potential for nuclear energy to transform how the maritime sector is powered, is the standards framework for commercial insurability of floating nuclear power plants and nuclear- powered ships that would operate in nearshore environments, ports, and waterways.” Ole Graa Jakobsen, Head of Fleet Technology
at Maersk, added: “Since Maersk launched its energy transition strategy in 2018, we have continuously explored diverse low emission energy options for our assets. Nuclear power holds a number of challenges related to, for example, safety, waste management, and regulatory acceptance across regions, and so far, the downsides have clearly outweighed the
12 | September 2024 |
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benefits of the technology.” He added: “If these challenges can be addressed by development of the new so-called fourth-generation reactor designs, nuclear power could potentially mature into another possible decarbonisation pathway for the logistics industry 10 to 15 years in the future.”
Canada Bruce expansion consultation opens The Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC) and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) are seeking public comments on Bruce Power’s Initial Project Description (IPD) for a new nuclear station. Bruce Power is proposing the site preparation, construction, operation and decommissioning of a new nuclear generating station within the existing 932 Ha nuclear site in Kincardine, Ontario. The Bruce site hosts eight Candu units at
Bruce A (units 1-4) and Bruce B (units 5-8). The Bruce C Nuclear Project would provide up to 4,800 MWe and operate for 60 to 100 years. In 2023, the Government of Ontario announced support for the pre-development work for potential new nuclear at the Bruce site in its Powering Ontario’s Growth plan. In February, Canada’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Jonathan Wilkinson, announced a C$50m (US$36.5m) federal investment to advance pre-development work for the project. IAAC and CNSC are now inviting Indigenous Peoples and the public to review the summary of the IDP and provide feedback related to the proposed project. Bruce Power continues to provide clean
energy for Ontario by completing its Life Extension Programme and Major Component Replacement (MCR) project, which will extend the life of the existing site until 2064 and beyond with the refurbishment of units 3-8. The project description uses a technology-neutral approach through use of a bounding Plant Parameter Envelope (PPE) as the project basis: the choice of technology will be made later. The bounding PPE currently includes the
available information on four reactor designs: Atkins Réalis’s MONARK pressurised heavy water reactor; EdF’s European Pressurised Water Reactor (EPR); Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy’s Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (ABWR); GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy’s BWRX-300; and Westinghouse’s AP1000 PWR. Bruce Power withdrew an earlier application
for up to four new reactors at the site in 2009 to concentrate on the MCR. The first to undergo the process, Bruce 6, returned to commercial operation last September, and work is progressing ahead of schedule on unit 3. The MCR project will span the next 10 years and add 30-35 years to each plant’s operating life. According to the IPD, Bruce Power envisages the IA process for Bruce C will take about 3-4 years followed by three years of site preparation, from 2028-2031. Construction and commissioning is expected to take around 14 years (2031-2045). ■
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