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round up
NEW BUILD THE UAE FEDERAL Nuclear Regulatory Authority (FANR) has approved a licence for generating company Nawah to carry out regulated activities at Barakah 3. The launch of the APR1400 unit is scheduled for 2022.
EDF HAS SUBMITTED a non-binding preliminary offer to the Polish government for the Engineering, Procurement and Construction activities for four to six EPR reactors in Poland.
HOT TESTING HAS been completed at Ostrovets 2 in Belarus, with dummy fuel assemblies loaded into the reactor. The VVER-1200 unit is expected to enter operation in 2022.
FIVE VENDORS HAVE responded to the Request for Interest issued by Ghana through the Ministry of Energy for collaboration under the Nuclear Power Programme. The vendors are from the USA, Russia, Canada, and South Korea.
US-BASED KAIROS Power has submitted the preliminary safety analysis report for its fluoride salt-cooled, high-temperature reactor to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. It is part of an application for a construction permit to build a Hermes low-power demonstration reactor in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
BANGLADESH WANTS TO build another nuclear power plant after its first one is completed, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said following installation of the reactor pressure vessel at Rooppur 1.
THE ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT is negotiating with the Russian mining company Geopromining on the construction of a new nuclear plant, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan told parliament.
OPERATION JACOBS HAS BEEN awarded an extension to its Project Management Resources contract with EDF Nuclear Generation. The Jacobs team will continue to support 15 UK stations.
SPAIN’S OFFICIAL STATE Gazette has published an Order that renews the authorisation for operation of the Ascó I and Ascó II nuclear plants in Tarragona. Ascó I is authorised until October 2030 and Ascó II until October 2031.
AN IAEA TEAM has completed a review of long-term operational safety at Krško in Slovenia. The team identified good practices and provided recommendations to further enhance the preparations for LTO safety.
debate intensifies EU taxonomy
Above: European Commission building Photo credit: symbiot /
Shutterstock.com
A group of ten European Union (EU) countries, led by France, in October asked the European Commission (EC) to recognise nuclear power as a low-carbon energy source that should be part of the transition towards climate neutrality. A letter, initiated by France, was also signed by Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Romania. It argued that nuclear energy is a “key affordable, stable and independent energy source” that could protect EU consumers from being “exposed to the volatility of prices”. Nuclear plants generate more than 26% of the electricity produced in the EU and “the rise of energy prices has also shown how important is it to reduce our energy dependence on third countries as fast as possible,” the letter said. More than 90% of the EU’s natural gas is
imported, with Russia as the main producer. “Supply tensions will be more and more frequent, and we have no choice but to diversify our supply,” it added. The EC was urged to include nuclear energy
as part of the EU green taxonomy, which helps governments and investors to identify which projects respect the Paris Agreement. The Commission has already classified solar, geothermal, hydrogen, wind power, hydropower and bioenergy as qualifying to be part of the taxonomy. However, member states are still unable to reach a consensus on whether nuclear constitutes a green energy source. The Commission has postponed the decision from October to December to let countries debate. Germany, which is phasing out nuclear energy
by 2022, is leading the anti-nuclear cause, with Austria, Denmark, Luxembourg and Spain. They are concerned that including nuclear power in the taxonomy would “permanently damage its integrity, credibility and therefore its usefulness,” according to a July letter. France is fighting to label nuclear as
sustainable under the taxonomy along with several Eastern states, which have already invested in new nuclear projects.
4 | November 2021 |
www.neimagazine.com A report from the Commission’s research unit
released earlier this year said greenhouse gas emissions from nuclear plants are “comparable” to those released by hydropower and wind. The Commission said a decision around
nuclear is expected before the end of the year. In the meantime, the EU institutions have kicked off negotiations around Fit For 55, a legislative package designed to cut the bloc’s emissions by at least 55% before the end of the decade.
Toolkit to address rising costs Also in October, the EC presented a toolkit for dealing with energy costs, sparking criticism from European nuclear trade organisation Foratom. The short-term national measures the EC proposed concern emergency income support to households from the revenues of the Pollutants Trading System, state aid to companies and targeted tax cuts. In the medium term, the Commission supports investments in Renewable Energy Sources and energy efficiency, is considering possible measures for energy storage, as well as the purchase of natural gas reserves. Foratom said it would have liked to see the
EC pay closer attention to the role which low- carbon and dispatchable nuclear can play in mitigating the current energy crisis. By including European nuclear in its toolkit, it would have a unique opportunity of limiting its dependence on carbon intensive natural gas imports, thereby reducing its exposure to wholesale price fluctuations and its carbon footprint. “As highlighted in the communication, the
current price increases are being driven by higher natural gas prices on the global market”, said Yves Desbazeille, Foratom director general. “Therefore, as the EU moves to increase its share of variable renewables, it is essential that EU policy supports other low-carbon European sources to ensure reduced dependency on imports.” Foratom also urged the Commission to urgently publish the Complementary Delegated Act to avoid nuclear being unfairly penalised. ■
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