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Rwanda Novel reactor cooperation deal The Government of Rwanda has signed an agreement with Canadian-German nuclear technology start-up Dual Fluid Energy to collaborate on the development in Rwanda of a demonstration Dual Fluid reactor. The demonstration reactor is expected to be


operational by 2026 and subsequent testing of the Dual Fluid technology is to be completed by 2028. The Government of Rwanda has agreed to provide the site and infrastructure for the project, while Dual Fluid is responsible for the technical implementation of the partnership. Dual Fluid aims to develop an entirely new type of nuclear fission, based on liquid fuel and a lead coolant, that could exponentially increase the performance. Dual Fluid says its reactors can be used to


produce electricity, hydrogen, and synthetic fuels at costs below those of fossil fuels. According to the Rwanda Atomic Energy Board (RAEB), CEO, Fidel Ndahayo, once the project is brought to life, it will help address the country’s energy demands and boost industrialisation. “In order to meet the growing energy demand of its population, to boost the development of its industrial sector and to build an economy that is resilient to climate change, Rwanda is looking at nuclear energy to add to its energy generation mix,” Ndahayo said the Dual Fluid technology


has nuclear safety design features that make it accident-free. “The technology will produce relatively low amounts of radioactive waste that will be safely managed, in line with existing international radioactive waste management safety standards.” Instead of fuel rods, Dual Fluid’s design uses


two circulating fluids: One contains the fuel and the other extracts the heat. “The nuclear fuel can unleash its entire potential at 1000° Celsius. This offers an entirely new dimension in terms of performance and efficiency,” it says. Dual Fluid CEO Götz Ruprecht said that the demonstration reactor is expected to be operational by 2026 and the subsequent testing of the Dual Fluid technology is to be completed by 2028. The test phase will cost €70m ($75m), to be financed by the company.


Ukraine Westinghouse VVER-440 fuel at Rivne The first VVER-440 fuel produced by Westinghouse at its Swedish facility has been loaded into a reactor at Ukraine’s Rivne NPP. It was not clear which of the units – 1 or 2 – received the fuel, which reportedly will initially be mixed with the existing fuel supplied by Russia’s TVEL. Ukraine’s target, however, is to end the use of Russian-supplied fuel as soon as possible. Energy Minister Hermann Galushchenko


noted that the contract for the supply of VVER-440 fuel assemblies had been concluded in September 2020. “And that we managed to do this so quickly is a great success and a


significant basis for our further collaboration with Westinghouse, which is only expanding,” he said. Energoatom President Petro Kotin said Ukraine had asked Westinghouse to accelerate its development of VVER-440 fuel at the start of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine. “With our engineering support, they made it in a year and a half and brought it here to the Rivne NPP.” The President & CEO of Westinghouse


Patrick Fragman noted that specialists from Energoatom and Westinghouse had achieved in a year and a half, a task that would normally take 6-7 years. “We have done this together, and not only for Ukraine, but also for most European countries, where nuclear reactors can now be completely independent of the supply of fuel from Russia,” he commented. Rivne 1&2, commissioned in 1980 and


1981, are the only VVER-440 units in Ukraine. Ukraine also operates 13 VVER-1000 units, including Rivne 3&4 and Westinghouse has been supplying VVER-1000 fuel to Ukraine since 2005, when the first lead test assemblies were delivered to unit 3 the South Ukraine NPP. Over the past several years there has been


growing pressure from the European Union for member states to diversify away from Russian fuel. Westinghouse Electric Sweden, is leading the Accelerated Programme for Implementation of Secure VVER Fuel Supply (APIS), which was launched in January. There are currently over 30 reactors of VVER-440 and VVER-1000 design operating in the EU and in Ukraine. In July the EU selected a consortium led


by Westinghouse to develop a fully European nuclear fuel supply for VVERs. The three-year APIS project is co-funded by the EU, using €10m ($10.9m) from the Euratom Work Programme 2023-2025. APIS, part of the EU’s Horizon Europe programme for research & innovation, involves 12 partners from eight countries. In January Westinghouse signed a 10-year


contract to fabricate and deliver VVER-1000 fuel to Kozloduy unit 5 in Bulgaria from 2025. It has already supplied VVER fuel to Ukraine for more than a decade, although the switch from Russian TVEL fuel had its problems. Energoatom launched a project for the qualification of Westinghouse fuel in 2000, and in 2008 Energoatom and Westinghouse Electric Sweden signed a contract to ship fuel to three or six Ukrainian reactors between 2011 and 2015. However, during trial use at South Ukraine in 2012, some fuel became deformed causing significant damage to the reactor and Ukraine later suspended its use pending a redesign. Meanwhile the race was on to develop an


alternative to TVEL’s VVER-440 fuel. Finland had sourced fuel from Westinghouse (then part of BNFL) for its two VVER-440 units at Loviisa from 2001 to 2007, but decided to switch to TVEL. Westinghouse then shut down its manufacture of VVER-440 fuel and has rushed to redesign it in collaboration with Spain’s Enusa. A production line for the new fuel at Enusa’s Juzbado factory is being developed.


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round up


RADWASTE TWO PROJECTS HAVE been awarded a share of £1m ($1.25m) by the UK Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council, part of UK Research & Innovation. The funding is to address challenges in waste management and decommissioning.


FINLAND’S RADIATION & Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK - Säteilyturvakeskus) has issued its decision on the periodic safety assessment of Teollisuuden Voima Oyj’s final disposal repository for low & intermediate level waste at Olkiluoto NPP.


CLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT THE US DEPARTMENT of Energy (DOE) has suggested pairing advanced reactors with carbon dioxide removal technologies, including direct air capture. DOE says advanced reactors could lower the levelised cost of certain direct air capture technologies by up to 13% compared with non-nuclear-powered systems. This could also boost reactor performance and market feasibility.


HYDROGEN THE UK DEPARTMENT for Energy Security & Net Zero has announced £6.1m ($7.5) for the Bay Hydrogen Hub - the Hydrogen4Hanson scheme. In November 2022, the UK Department for Business Energy & Industrial Strategy awarded the Hydrogen4Hanson project almost £400,000 for a feasibility study of the concept.


ADVANCED REACTORS UK-BASED NUCLEAR technology company newcleo and the National Nuclear Laboratory have signed a Memorandum of Understanding outlining a framework for collaboration on advanced nuclear research and development.


PT PERTAMINA POWER Indonesia and Denmark’s Seaborg have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly explore how the next generation nuclear power technology could meet Indonesia’s future clean energy needs.The two parties will assess the scope of an initial project leading to the possible commercial deployment of Seaborg’s Compact Molten Salt Reactor Power Barge.


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