<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <rss version="2.0"> <channel> <title>NucNet: Global Nuclear News</title> <description>Nuclear news, information and emergency communication service</description> <link>https://smr.nucnet.org/</link> <language>en-us</language> <copyright>(c) Copyright NucNet. This material can be freely used on publicly-accessible electronic information systems provided NucNet is quoted as the source. For full access to NucNet’s range of emergency communications and subscription-based services, write to editors@nucnet.org or visit our web site www.nucnet.org.</copyright> <managingeditor>editors@nucnet.org (David Dalton)</managingeditor> <category>Features</category> <generator>nucnet editorial office application</generator> <item> <title>Nuclear Medicine / Framatome And Nucleoelectrica To Explore Lutetium-177 Production At Argentine Nuclear Plants</title> <description>&lt;p&gt;French nuclear energy group Framatome and Argentina’s state-run Nucleoelectrica have signed an agreement to conduct a pre-feasibility study for producing Lutetium-177, a medical isotope critical in cancer treatment, at Argentina’s nuclear power plants.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The study, expected to take a year, will proceed in two phases to evaluate the technical and economic feasibility of isotope production, Framatome said in a statement.&lt;/p&gt;</description> <pubDate>Tue, 26 Nov 2024 14:04:12 +0000</pubDate> <link>https://smr.nucnet.org/news/framatome-and-nucleoelectrica-to-explore-lutetium-177-production-at-argentine-nuclear-plants-11-2-2024</link> </item> <item> <title>Brazil / Eletronuclear To Invest $550 Million As Angra-1 Gets Approval To Operate Until 2044</title> <description>&lt;p&gt;Brazil’s National Nuclear Energy Commission (CNEN) has approved the long-term operation of the Angra-1 nuclear power plant to 2044, extending its life to 60 years, with operator Eletronuclear planning to invest $550m (€524m) in the facility.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The request for the life extension was submitted by state-owned Eletronuclear in 2019. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;CNEN said there has been a “meticulous” technical evaluation of the request, a series of studies and four missions undertaken by International Atomic Energy Agency experts.&lt;/p&gt;</description> <pubDate>Mon, 25 Nov 2024 10:41:55 +0000</pubDate> <link>https://smr.nucnet.org/news/eletronuclear-to-invest-usd550-million-as-angra-1-gets-approval-to-operate-until-2044-11-1-2024</link> </item> <item> <title>Belgium / Leading Nuclear Figure Receives INSC Global Award For 2024</title> <description>&lt;p&gt;Professor Hamid Aït Abderrahim, a leading figure in Belgian nuclear research, has been honoured with the International Nuclear Societies Council (INSC) Global Award for 2024. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Professor Abderrahim has been instrumental in driving innovation and sustainable nuclear technology. He serves as general manager of the Myrrha project, an accelerator-driven research reactor system to be built at Belgium’s nuclear research centre SCK CEN.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;He was previously deputy director-general of the research centre from 2010 to 2022.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;His nomination was proposed by the Belgian Nuclear Society. The award was testament to his significant contributions to strengthening the role of nuclear energy for the development of a sustainable society, a statement said.&lt;/p&gt;</description> <pubDate>Mon, 25 Nov 2024 09:46:53 +0000</pubDate> <link>https://smr.nucnet.org/news/leading-nuclear-figure-receives-insc-global-award-for-2024-11-1-2024</link> </item> <item> <title>Germany / Final Shipment Of Vitrified HLW Arrives At Interim Storage From France</title> <description>&lt;p&gt;The 13th and final rail shipment carrying vitrified high-level nuclear waste (HLW) reached an intermediate storage facility at the Philippsburg nuclear power station site in central Germany on 20 November, French nuclear fuel cycle company Orano said. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The transport settles all commitments relating to contracts for the recycling of used fuel signed between Orano and German utilities PreussenElektra, RWE, EnBW and Vattenfall, since 1977.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Contracts for the treatment of used fuel were signed with the four German utilities between 1977 and 1991.&lt;/p&gt;</description> <pubDate>Fri, 22 Nov 2024 14:33:27 +0000</pubDate> <link>https://smr.nucnet.org/news/final-shipment-of-vitrified-hlw-arrives-at-interim-storage-from-france-11-5-2024</link> </item> <item> <title>Canada / $9 Billion ‘Mega Project’ Progresses As OPG Completes Darlington-1 Refurb Ahead Of Schedule</title> <description>&lt;p&gt;A major refurbishment project at Unit 1 of the Darington nuclear power station in Ontario, Canda, has been completed five months ahead of schedule, station owner and operator Ontario Power Generation (OPG) said.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Darlington-1, an 878-MW Candu pressurised heavy water reactor unit, is the third of four units to be refurbished at the four-unit Darlington station and will soon be returned to the grid, OPG said.&lt;/p&gt;</description> <pubDate>Thu, 21 Nov 2024 10:30:31 +0000</pubDate> <link>https://smr.nucnet.org/news/usd9-billion-mega-project-progresses-as-opg-completes-darlington-1-refurb-ahead-of-schedule-11-4-2024</link> </item> <item> <title>Thailand / Regulator Looking Into Legal Aspects Of SMR Deployment</title> <description>&lt;p&gt;Thailand’s nuclear regulator is to look into the legal aspects of a small modular reactor programme as the southeast Asian nation prepares for nuclear deployment&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) expects to sign an agreement with the Office for Atoms for Peace, the main authority for nuclear research in Thailand, to jointly study regulations needed for the country to push ahead with nuclear power, said the commission’s secretary-general Poonpat Leesombatpiboon.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The move comes amid concerns over a decline in domestic gas supply and uncertainty surrounding talks with Cambodia on joint petroleum production in the overlapping claims area, a 27,000 sq km area of the Gulf of Thailand believed to be rich in natural gas.&lt;/p&gt;</description> <pubDate>Tue, 19 Nov 2024 08:51:47 +0000</pubDate> <link>https://smr.nucnet.org/news/regulator-looking-into-legal-aspects-of-smr-deployment-11-2-2024</link> </item> <item> <title>Vietnam / Prime Minister Has Asked For Restart Of Nuclear Power Programme, Say Reports</title> <description>&lt;p&gt;Vietnam’s prime minister Pham Minh Chinh has told the National Assembly in Hanoi that his government had asked authorities to restart nuclear power projects, according to local press reports.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Chinh said this was to “ensure enough power for fast and sustainable socio-economic development in the long run”.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;“If we aim at building an economic growth scenario with double digits, power needs will increase by 1.5 times,” he was reported as saying.&lt;/p&gt;</description> <pubDate>Mon, 18 Nov 2024 11:55:45 +0000</pubDate> <link>https://smr.nucnet.org/news/prime-minister-has-asked-for-restart-of-nuclear-power-programme-say-reports-11-1-2024</link> </item> <item> <title>Romania / Nuclearelectrica Subsidiary Signs Key Contract For New Cernavodă Units</title> <description>&lt;p&gt;Energonuclear, a subsidiary of Romania’s state nuclear power company Nuclearelectrica has signed a key contract for the construction of two new units at the Cernavodă nuclear power station.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Energonuclear signed the first phase of the engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) contract with a joint venture called FCSA comprising of Fluor BV, Fluor Energy Transition Inc, Wilmington Bucharest Branch, AtkinsRéalis, Ansaldo Nucleare, S&amp;L Engineers Ltd and Sargent &amp; Lundy Energie.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The EPCM contract, signed at the Cop29 UN climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, is structured in two phases. The value of the contract for both phases combined is estimated at €3.2bn ($3.3bn).&lt;/p&gt;</description> <pubDate>Fri, 15 Nov 2024 14:46:22 +0000</pubDate> <link>https://smr.nucnet.org/news/nuclearelectrica-subsidiary-signs-key-contract-for-new-cernavoda-units-11-5-2024</link> </item> <item> <title>Japan / Blow For Nuclear Programme As Regulator Blocks Tsuruga-2 Restart</title> <description>&lt;p&gt;Japan’s nuclear watchdog has formally prevented the Tsuruga-2 nuclear power plant in the country’s north-central region from restarting, the first rejection under safety standards that were revised after the 2011 Fukushima disaster. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The Nuclear Regulation Authority said the unit, in Fukui Prefecture, is “unfit” for operation because owner and operator Japan Atomic Power Company (JAPC) failed to address safety risks stemming from the presence of possible active fault lines, which can potentially cause earthquakes, underneath it.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Tsuruga-2, a 1,108-MW pressurised water reactor unit that initially began commercial operation in 1987, is the first reactor to be prevented from restart under safety standards adopted in 2013 based on lessons from the 2011 Fukushima-Daiichi meltdowns following a massive earthquake and tsunami.&lt;/p&gt;</description> <pubDate>Thu, 14 Nov 2024 14:50:57 +0000</pubDate> <link>https://smr.nucnet.org/news/blow-for-nuclear-programme-as-regulator-blocks-tsuruga-2-restart-11-4-2024</link> </item> <item> <title>Cop29 / IAEA And EBRD Nuclear MOU Aims To ‘Unlock Investments In Low-Carbon Future’</title> <description>&lt;p&gt;The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) have signed an agreement to expand their cooperation in nuclear energy as part of efforts to unlock investments in a low-carbon future.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The IAEA said in a statement that the agreement, signed on the sidelines of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (Cop29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, will expand existing partnership between the two organisations “beyond nuclear and radiation safety concerns”.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The move marks a shift in focus from traditional safety concerns towards capacity-building initiatives and developing energy policy, governance and financing frameworks, and mechanisms to reach net zero goals, the statement said.&lt;/p&gt;</description> <pubDate>Thu, 14 Nov 2024 14:38:21 +0000</pubDate> <link>https://smr.nucnet.org/news/iaea-and-ebrd-nuclear-mou-aims-to-unlock-investments-in-low-carbon-future-11-4-2024</link> </item> <item> <title>China / Cold Testing Completed At Sanao-1 Hualong One Nuclear Plant</title> <description>&lt;p&gt;Cold hydraulic testing has been completed on the primary and secondary circuits of Unit 1 of the Sanao nuclear power station in the eastern Chinese province of Zhejiang, the China Nuclear Energy Association (CNEA) said.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;During cold testing the reactor coolant system was filled with water and pressurised above normal operating conditions, then lowered to normal design pressure while inspections took place to verify systems met design standards. This included checking that welds, joint pipes and other components did not leak under pressure.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;CNEA said the completion of cold testing marks the full transition of the nuclear power unit from the installation stage to the commissioning stage.&lt;/p&gt;</description> <pubDate>Thu, 14 Nov 2024 12:16:59 +0000</pubDate> <link>https://smr.nucnet.org/news/cold-testing-completed-at-sanao-1-hualong-one-nuclear-plant-11-4-2024</link> </item> <item> <title>Advanced Reactors / Oklo Secures Partnerships For Up To 750 MW Of Power For US Data Centres</title> <description>&lt;p&gt;Fission power and nuclear fuel recycling company Oklo has received letters of intent and is partnering with two major data centre providers to deliver up to 750 MW of nuclear power for data centres across the US. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The California company, backed by Sam Altman, the chief executive officer of US artificial intelligence company OpenAI, said the commitments expand its customer pipeline to approximately 2,100 MW.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Oklo said that under the letters of intent it will work with one of the fastest-growing data centre companies to deploy its nuclear plants in select markets, addressing the provider’s critical need for sustainable, reliable power.&lt;/p&gt;</description> <pubDate>Thu, 14 Nov 2024 10:12:54 +0000</pubDate> <link>https://smr.nucnet.org/news/oklo-secures-partnerships-for-up-to-750-mw-of-power-for-us-data-centres-11-4-2024</link> </item> <item> <title>Poland / US Development Finance Corporation Signs Letter Of Intent For $979 Million Nuclear Loan</title> <description>&lt;p&gt;The US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) is considering support for Poland’s project to build its first commercial nuclear power station with a loan of 4 billion zloty (about $979m, €920m). &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The interest was confirmed in a letter of interest signed by the DFC, the US government’s development finance institution, on 12 November. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The DFC letter of interest is another key document related to the financing of the Polish project to build three Westinghouse AP1000 nuclear power plants at a site near the villages of Lubiatowo and Kopalino in Choczewo commune, Pomerania, a province in the north of Poland.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;A similar declaration, for the equivalent of about $17bn, was made by the US Export-Import Bank (Exim Bank), following years of talks with Westinghouse, supported by PEJ and Bechtel.&lt;/p&gt;</description> <pubDate>Wed, 13 Nov 2024 13:26:36 +0000</pubDate> <link>https://smr.nucnet.org/news/us-development-finance-corporation-signs-letter-of-intent-for-usd979-million-nuclear-loan-11-3-2024</link> </item> <item> <title>US Roadmap / Biden Unveils Ambitious Plan To Triple Nuclear Capacity As Energy Demand Soars</title> <description>&lt;p&gt;US president Joe Biden’s administration is setting out plans for the US to triple nuclear power capacity by 2050, with demand climbing for the technology as a round-the-clock source of carbon-free power.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Under &lt;a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/US-Nuclear-Energy-Deployment-Framework.pdf" target="_blank"&gt;a roadmap unveiled on 12 November&lt;/a&gt;, the US would deploy an additional 200 GW of nuclear energy capacity by mid-century through the construction of new reactors, plant restarts and upgrades to existing facilities. This would at least triple the current US capacity of about 97 GW. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The White House said it wants to “jump start the nuclear energy deployment ecosystem” with 35 GW of new capacity by 2035 that will be operating or under construction in the US.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;It then wants to ramp up to a sustained pace of producing 15 GW per year in the US by 2040.&lt;/p&gt;</description> <pubDate>Wed, 13 Nov 2024 10:56:15 +0000</pubDate> <link>https://smr.nucnet.org/news/biden-unveils-ambitious-plan-to-triple-nuclear-capacity-as-energy-demand-soars-11-3-2024</link> </item> <item> <title>Japan Restarts / Shimane-2 Nuclear Plant Ready To Return To Service On 7 December</title> <description>&lt;p&gt;Japanese regional utility Chugoku Electric Power has told the Nuclear Regulation Authority that it plans to restart Unit 2 at its Shimane nuclear power station in Shimane Prefecture, southwest Japan, on 7 December.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;If the restart goes ahead, it will bring the number of reactors able to operate to 14 and boost the nation’s power supply this winter.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Shimane-2, the second boiling water reactor (BWR) unit to restart in Japan since the 2011 Fukushima disaster, was set to resume in August, but the restart was rescheduled due to essential safety upgrade work.&lt;/p&gt;</description> <pubDate>Wed, 13 Nov 2024 10:16:42 +0000</pubDate> <link>https://smr.nucnet.org/news/shimane-2-nuclear-plant-ready-to-return-to-service-on-7-december-11-3-2024</link> </item> </channel> </rss>