NEWS |
round up
PLANT OPERATION THE CANADIAN NUCLEAR Safety Commission (CNSC) has approved Ontario Power Generation’s (OPG’s) request to continue operating Pickering NPP’s units 5-8 until the end of 2026. OPG currently holds a 10-year operating licence for Pickering, which expires on 31 August, 2028. The current licence does not allow operations beyond 31 December 2024. The amended licence includes a condition requiring OPG to implement and maintain an enhanced fitness-for-service programme, CNSC said.
EQUIPMENT
US-BASED WESTINGHOUSE Electric Company and Canada’s Seaspan have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to support nuclear new-build projects in Canada and globally. Seaspan has the potential to manufacture key components for Westinghouse AP1000 and AP300 reactors, including pipe spools and steel structures.
CANADA-BASED VELAN, a manufacturer of industrial valves, has signed a main services agreement with GE Vernova Nuclear subsidiary GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) as supplier for Ontario Power Generation’s Darlington New Nuclear Project - the first small modular reactor initiative in North America. GEH placed an initial purchase order with Velan for the development of advanced technology, engineering support, and critical valves.
DIGITAL & SOFTWARE US-BASED GENERAL Atomics (GA) has released Fusion Synthesis Engine (FUSE) - a state-of-the-art, open-source software designed to help construct fusion power plants. The software is now accessible to anyone under the Apache 2.0 licence, guaranteeing its free usage, modification, and commercialisation. It is written in Julia, a popular programming language and combines the key elements needed to develop fusion power.
KOREA HYDRO & Nuclear Power (KHNP) has developed a digital twin of the Korean Man-Machine Interface System (MMIS) for the 1400 APR1400 Advanced Power Reactor following four years of research. The MMIS digital twin implements the safety and non-safety system controllers of NPPs identical to actual equipment through full virtualisation, which is more advanced than existing object-based twins.
Amazon and Google look to nuclear power
Amazon has signed three new agreements to support the development of nuclear energy projects in the US including enabling the construction of several new small modular reactors (SMRs). An agreement with Energy Northwest, a consortium of state public utilities, will enable the development of four advanced SMRs. The reactors will be constructed, owned and operated by Energy Northwest, and are expected to generate roughly 320 MWe for the first phase of the project, with the option to increase to 960 MWe Amazon also invested in US-based X-energy, which will supply advanced SMRs for the Energy Northwest project. The investment includes manufacturing capacity to develop the SMR equipment to support more than 5 GW of new nuclear energy projects utilising X-energy’s technology. Greg Cullen, Vice President for Energy
Services & Development at Energy Northwest, noted: “Taking this first, bold step is difficult for utilities, especially those that provide electricity to ratepayers at the cost of production. We applaud Amazon for being willing to use their financial strength, need for power and know- how to lead the way.” The SMRs will be Xe-100 high-temperature gas-cooled reactors. Each Xe-100 module can provide 80 MW of full- time electricity. The Xe-100 uses tri-structural isotropic (TRISO) particle fuel. In Virginia, Amazon signed an agreement with
utility company Dominion Energy to explore the development of an SMR project near Dominion’s existing North Anna NPP. This will supply at least 300 MWe to the Virginia region, where Dominion projects that power demands will increase by 85% over the next 15 years. Amazon had earlier signed an agreement to co-locate a data centre facility next to the Talen
France Orano and Urenco expand capacity France’s Orano has laid the foundation stone of the Georges Besse-II (GB-II) enrichment plant extension project at its Tricastin site (Drôme and Vaucluse) in France. Orano’s Board approved the extension in October 2023. With a projected investment of €1.7bn ($1.86m) the extension will enable Orano to increase its production capacities by more than 30%, or 2.5m separative work units (SWU). The extension will see construction of a further four modules identical to the 14 already in operation. They will use the same centrifuge technology but with a reduced environmental footprint. “This expansion of capacity will meet the needs of our utility customers for improved security of supply, with initial productive
8 | November 2024 |
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Energy’s Susquehanna NPP in Pennsylvania. In March, Talen sold its Cumulus data centre campus in Pennsylvania to Amazon Web Services (AWS) for $650m. This included a long-term agreement to provide power from the 2,500 MWe adjacent Susquehanna Steam Electric Station. Meanwhile, Google signed a Master Plant Development Agreement with Kairos Power, seeking to deploy a fleet of advanced nuclear power projects totalling 500 MWe by 2035. Under the agreement, Kairos Power will
develop, construct, and operate a series of advanced reactor plants and sell energy, ancillary services, and environmental attributes to Google under Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs). Plants will be sited in relevant service territories to supply clean electricity to Google data centres, with the first deployment planned for 2030 to support Google’s 24/7 carbon-free energy and net zero goals. Kairos Power is following a “rapid iterative development” approach to bring to market its Hermes low-power reactor that the company is using to advance the development of its KP-FHR fluoride salt-cooled high-temperature reactor technology. This means designing, building, and testing multiple prototypes, learning lessons, and improving processes along the way. ETU 1.0 was a full-scale, electrically heated prototype of Hermes. The next iteration, ETU 2.0, is already underway in Albuquerque and will focus on demonstrating the modular design of the reactor. After that, ETU 3.0 will be built in Oak Ridge, Tennessee adjacent to the eventual site of the Hermes reactor. The agreement with Google will support technology development by extending Kairos Power’s iterative demonstration strategy through its first commercial deployments. ■
operations predicted for 2028 and complete commissioning in 2030,” Orano noted. CEO Nicolas Maes said the project will strengthen the supply chain, making it less sensitive to geopolitical risks. The GB-II gas centrifuge enrichment plant, which replaced the ageing Georges Besse I gaseous diffusion enrichment plant, was opened in December 2010 and began commercial operation in April 2011. In October 2022, Orano said it had decided to increase its production capacity by 30%, which could involve an extension of the GB-II plant. The National Commission for Public Debate (CNDP – Commission Nationale du Débat Public) then announced that it was relaunching a consultation on GB-II expansion. The cost of the project was then estimated at €1.3bn.
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