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Analysis
Quenching America’s thirst
Nuclear is seen as an increasingly attractive energy option but for the sector to really take off a number of outstanding issues must be addressed. From fuel supply, policy frameworks and public acceptance, nuclear has a hill to climb, but the benefits of meeting the challenge are clear.
Market dynamics are contributing to falling US electricity reserves, suddenly making nuclear energy and its firm, around-the-clock, zero-carbon power a potential part of the solution after decades of decline. This is the conclusion of a new report from consultancy firm ICF which notes that a robust American economy, artificial intelligence, and electrification are all contributing to new electric demand. By 2050, electricity demand could rise by 57%, the analysis forecasts, adding that much of this new load requires around-the-clock firm power.
While the report highlights renewed excitement for nuclear energy, which started with plants coming back from retirement and big tech companies announcing contracts with developers of small modular reactors (SMRs), the author, Dino Vivanco, Senior Energy Markets Consultant at ICF, warns that a nuclear renaissance isn’t written in stone. It faces significant challenges and limitations that will determine whether it will expand its role as a core technology underpinning the US energy system, the report says. For example, while nuclear restarts are attractive, the opportunity for scaling is quite low. Beyond Palisades, the Crane Energy Center, and Duane Arnold, few other nuclear facilities could feasibly return to service. And, while new technologies and builds are potentially more scalable they also come with more technological and market uncertainty.
KOLA-II NEW BUILD PLANS REVEALED
The first two units at Russia’s planned Kola-II NPP are to be constructed between 2027 and 2037, according to nuclear utility Rosenergoatom. They will be the first of four innovative 600 MWe VVER-S reactors at Kola-II, which will be constructed a few kilometres from the existing Kola NPP near the town of Polyarnye Zori.
Kola NPP, with four VVER-440 reactors, was the first nuclear power plant to be built in the harsh climatic conditions of the Arctic. Today it transmits electricity through five power transmission lines, providing reliable power supply to the northern part of the Republic of Karelia, where most of the region’s large industrial enterprises are located, as well as more than 50% of consumers on the Kola Peninsula. Unit 1 began operation in 1973.
GOOGLE SIGNS ON WITH FUSION START-UP
Google and US start-up Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) have announced a partnership to develop, deploy and scale fusion power. Google signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) for 200 MWe from CFS’s planned ARC power plant, which CFS expects will begin operation in the early 2030s, in Chesterfield County, Virginia. Google also has the option to offtake power from additional ARC power plants.
The primary mission of CFS – spun-out from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2018 – is to develop fusion devices of its own design, including the SPARC tokamak now under construction. The technology that enables SPARC’s powerful magnets can also significantly improve other fusion applications. A number of companies have approached CFS for assistance given its capabilities in designing, developing, and manufacturing HTS magnets for other markets. Google has been an investor in CFS since 2021 and is deepening this relationship by increasing its stake in the company, although the financial terms were not disclosed.
FRAMATOME WINS BELGIAN LIFE EX DEAL
France’s Framatome has been selected by Engie subsidiary Electrabel for two major projects in Belgium: the modernisation of the Flux Monitoring System (FMS) at unit 3 of the Tihange NPP; and upgrading work at unit 4 of the Doel NPP and Tihange 3. These contracts follow a 2023 agreement signed between Engie and the Belgian government to extend the operational lifetime of these two reactors.
Modernisation of the FMS system at Tihange 3, planned over several years, aims to fully replace the existing system. It includes every phase, from engineering studies to the supply of all necessary electrical, electronic, and mechanical components. On-site installation and ongoing maintenance operations are also part of the project scope. The FMS system is critical in reactor control, providing precise measurements of neutron power distribution within the reactor core and ensuring that the core’s behaviour aligns with both design and operational expectations.
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SCANDI BWRX-300 MOVES
GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GVH) and Fortum have entered into an Early Works Agreement (EWA) to advance potential deployment of the BWRX-300 small modular reactor (SMR) in Finland and Sweden.
Fortum completed a nuclear feasibility study in March and selected the BWRX-300 as one of three technologies being considered for potential deployment in both countries. The other two were Westinghouse and EDF, both of which signed EWAs with Fortum in June. These will encompass early project planning, site and design adaptation, and targeted licensing and permitting activities, including the continuation of pre-licensing dialogue with Nordic nuclear safety authorities.
PEACH BOTTOM FUEL MOVED TO INL
The US Department of Energy (DOE) says Idaho Cleanup Project (ICP) crews recently transferred 40 used nuclear fuel baskets into safer, long term storage vaults. Office of Environmental Management (EM) contractor Idaho Environmental Coalition (IEC) finished the final transfer – moving used fuel from older, first-generation vaults to new, second-generation vaults – several months ahead of schedule.
Former IEC Senior Project Director Ken Brewer, who retired in June, noted: “I am incredibly proud of our team for completing this project. Their professionalism, technical skill and relentless commitment to safety made all the difference.”
DOME TRIALS FOR FIRST MICROREACTORS
The US Department of Energy (DOE) has conditionally selected Westinghouse and Radiant to perform the first tests using the Demonstration of Microreactor Experiments (DOME) facility at Idaho National Laboratory (INL). The first-of-a-kind experiments are intended to fast-track the deployment of US microreactor technologies to keep pace with the demand for more abundant, affordable, and reliable power.
The DOME test bed, currently under construction, is repurposing the lab’s Experimental Breeder Reactor-II containment structure to lower the risk of developing microreactor designs capable of producing 20 MWt or less and is on track to receive its first fuelled reactor experiment in early 2026. The facility is operated by DOE’s National Reactor Innovation Center (NRIC).
ORANO’S URANIUM JOINT VENTURE IN NIGER ON BRINK OF BANKRUPTCY
French uranium mining company Orano has announced that its joint venture with Niger, SOMAIR, is facing bankruptcy due to export restrictions imposed by the country’s military government, according to a Reuters report.
The development follows the seizure of control of the mine in December 2024 by the government, which also revealed plans to nationalise the mine.
The mining sector in West Africa is undergoing significant changes as governments seek to assert greater control over their natural resources.
ATF LOADED AT HANUL 6
Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Corporation (KHNP has loaded the first accident tolerant fuel (ATF) demonstration assemblies at unit 6 of the Hanul NPP. This followed the success of the demonstration fuel rod combustion test for performance verification, according to Kepco Nuclear Fuel (KNF), which developed fuel. The demonstration assembly comprised 236 fuel rods, bundled together, in a square shape.
KNF said development of the HIPER16 (High Performance with Efficiency and Reliability) fuel together with KHNP began in 2005 and was completed in 2010. Following the loading of lead test assemblies (LTAs) into Hanul 6, a licence application was submitted in 2018 for commercial loading of the fuel at Hanul 5&6. The Nuclear Safety & Security Commission issued the licence in January 2024.
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