NEWS |
round up
PLANT OPERATION THE ARMENIAN NPP resumed operations ahead of schedule following the completion of planned preventive maintenance and lifetime extension work. The main contractor involved in the maintenance of the NPP is Rosatom, which also supplies fuel for the plant.
CANDU ENERGY, PART of Canada’s AtkinsRéalis (formerly SNC-Lavalin Group) has signed an agreement with the Third Qinshan Nuclear Power Co, operator of the Qinshan Phase III Nuclear Generating Station on the outskirts of Shanghai, in China’s Zhejiang province. Candu Energy will support the ongoing 30-year life extension of the two Candu reactors at the Qinshan NPP.
EQUIPMENT THE REACTOR VESSEL and steam generator for unit 4 of China’s Xudabao NPP in Liaoning Province have been shipped from the Atommash plant (the Volgodonsk branch of AEM-Technologies, part of Rosatom’s mechanical engineering division Atomenergomash). This is the second large batch dispatched this year of nuclear equipment for NPPs under construction in China with Rosatom’s assistance.
POLICY
BELARUS PRESIDENT ALEXANDER Lukashenko has appointed Alexei Kushnarenko as the new energy minister replacing Victor Karankevich, who has been appointed Deputy Prime Minister. Kushnarenko was previously CEO of gas and fuel distribution company Beltopgaz.
THE EURATOM SUPPLY Agency’s (ESA’s) latest annual report focuses to a large extent on efforts to reduce dependence on Russia as a supplier of nuclear materials and services. It says the nuclear supply market in 2023 continued to face supply uncertainties linked to the impact of the conflict in Ukraine “and the need to diversify from Russian supply”.
THE GOVERNMENT OF Burkina Faso, chaired by President Ibrahim Traore, is to establish an atomic energy agency in the country. The document defines the provisions regarding the competence and operating rules of the new Burkinian Atomic Energy Agency (BAAE).
A SWEDISH GOVERNMENT study, Financing and Risk Sharing for Investments in New Nuclear Power, proposes that state aid should be given to companies for investments in new nuclear power. A new law related to the support structure framework is proposed to enter into force on 6 May 2025.
SA’s plans for new nuclear suspended
South Africa’s Minister of Energy & Electricity, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, has announced that the Ministerial Determination for the procurement of 2500 MWe of nuclear energy, has been withdrawn to allow for public comment. However, he insisted that the government remained committed to procuring new nuclear capacity in line with its stated policy that nuclear would be introduced at a pace and scale that the country could afford. A court case, initiated by environmental
groups Southern African Faith Communities’ Environment Institute (SAFCEI) and Earthlife Africa Johannesburg, which are contesting the legality of the determination, was scheduled to be heard in October. The two groups said the determination is unlawful and unconstitutional, citing various procedural irregularities. These include failure of the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) to consult with the public before giving its approval. In 2023, Nersa had conditionally accepted
the determination, listing several conditions, including establishing the rationality of adding 2,500 MWe of nuclear through a demand and generation profile analysis. Nersa also sought confirmation that engineering, procurement and construction contract principles would be used during the procurement phase. The Department of Mineral Resources &
Energy (DMRE) subsequently submitted a report India
220 MWe reactor in SMR modification India’s indigenous 220 MWe pressurised heavy water reactor (PHWR) design is being modified and converted to become an SMR under the banner of Bharat Small Reactors. During the Budget speech for financial year
2024-25, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the government would partner with the private sector to set up Bharat Small Reactors (BSR) as well as engage in research and development of Bharat Small Modular Reactor. Dr Ravi B Grover, a member of the Atomic
Energy Commission in Ahmedabad and an Emeritus Professor at Homi Bhabha National Institute in Mumbai, announced the move at IIM Ahmedabad (IIM-A) on the sidelines of a recent event to launch a report on net zero emissions transition for India. “India already has a live 220 MWe pressurised
heavy water reactor design. We have a number of them working in the country including Narora (Uttar Pradesh), Rajasthan, Kakrapar (Gujarat), Kalpakkam (Tamil Nadu), Kaiga (Karnataka) and so on,” he noted. “This particular design is being modified and converted as Bharat Small Reactors... In other words, Bharat Small
8 | September 2024 |
www.neimagazine.com
outlining how these conditions had been met and Nersa approved the determination, which was then gazetted. This led SAFCEI and Earthlife Africa Johannesburg to lodge a legal objection stating that Nersa had failed to meet to put the report to public consultation. They also noted that the determination was
based on an outdated Integrated Resource Plan – IRP 2019 – which was in the process of being updated. IRP 2019 did not specifically include new nuclear capacity as part of the electricity generation mix for 2030 although it recognised the need to retain nuclear power within the energy mix. Ramokgopa, announcing the withdrawal,
acknowledged that any new determination should be in line with an updated IRP. He also promised that his Ministry was prioritising the update of the plan. SAFCEI and Earthlife Africa said the announcement was a positive outcome. “We uphold that transparency in government decision-making is a cornerstone of our democracy,” they said in a statement. At a media briefing Ramokgopa noted that
there would be a delay. “Of course, there’s a penalty you pay as a result of this decision [in] that you are delaying the process,” he said. He added that the delay will add another three to six months to the process. “We are happy to do that for as long as we protect the integrity of the process,” he said. ■
Reactors are nothing but 220 MWe pressurised heavy water reactors with some improvements.” He added that the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) is in the process of making drawings. The modification is minimal and change is incremental, he said. “It is not a new design [but] an existing and proven design. Other countries are trying to reinvent the whole thing. We already have it available and the Department of Atomic Energy is ready to team (up) with the private sector and install them.” He said NPCIL would design, install and
operate these reactors for private companies that are looking for a captive power plant that can produce hydrogen for industrial use, or electricity. As to the safety features of the reactors, “The new 220 MWe will also have a steel liner and the control and instrumentation will be replaced. It is already a safe reactor and it will become safer.” He said the modifications will not take more than a year to implement. India’s PHWR technology was developed in
co-operation with Canada in the 1960s and the first 220 MWe reactor at the Rajasthan Atomic Power Station. However, India’s nuclear weapons tests saw Canada withdraw support and India standardised the design itself.
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
