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Check out the last week's top stories below.
Analysis
Forsmark vaults make advances
Sweden is advancing development of its underground storage complex at Forsmark to extend the vault for short-lived radioactive waste and, separately, move ahead with construction deeper below the surface to hold spent fuel in sealed silos.
Sweden’s development and expansion of its Forsmark waste storage vaults has enjoyed significant progress over the last few decades, especially in the last 10 years. As a result, more excavations are beginning at the coastal site to expand an existing vault for short-lived radioactive waste. Far more tunnelling is also set to commence in the near future to create a deep geological repository.
The granitic rock mass north of Stockholm, offers large and separate zones to hold different types of waste storage, from low level waste to spent nuclear fuel.
The repository as planned will be a vast warren of tunnels, carefully and progressively opened up in the chosen bedrock. The deep geological repository has a time horizon of multiple millennia for safe storage of spent fuel. However, with decades of excavations and storage activities ahead, in terms of infrastructure construction at a normal human scale, the development of the high-level waste storage vault is a long-term project. The Forsmark site in Östhammar municipality has hosted a vault at shallower depths, for short-lived waste since the late 1980s. The vault is the final repository for radioactive waste from power plants as well as from research, industry and medical uses.
US GOVT SIGNS WESTINGHOUSE NPP PLAN
The US Government (Department of Commerce) has entered into a binding term sheet with Canada-based Cameco Corporation and Brookfield Asset Management to accelerate the global deployment of Westinghouse Electric Company’s nuclear reactor technologies. The strategic partnership is expected to reinvigorate supply chains and the nuclear power industrial base in the US and abroad. This is in line with President Donald Trump’s May Executive Orders calling for the US to quadruple the amount of power generated by nuclear plants over the next 25 years.
According to Cameco and Brookfield, which jointly own Westinghouse with 49% and 51% shares respectively, the launch of a NPP construction programme is expected to accelerate growth in Westinghouse’s energy systems segment during the construction phase, along with its fuel fabrication and reactor services business for the life of the reactors. A statement says: “Upon closing of the transaction and with financing facilitated by the US Government, Westinghouse plans to commence project execution and initiate orders for critical equipment with long lead times, which is expected to leverage the nuclear industry supply chains that were established during the construction of the AP1000 units at units 3&4 of the Vogtle NPP. No timeline is given for construction of the reactors.”
BWXT STEAM GENERATORS FOR RR SMR
Rolls-Royce SMR has signed a multi-million-dollar contract and memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Canada-based BWX Technologies. The detailed design contract relates to nuclear steam generators for the Rolls-Royce small modular reactor (SMR).
The Rolls-Royce SMR design is a three-loop pressurised water reactor with an output of 470 MWe derived from 1,358 MWt. It is centred on modularisation of reliable and proven technology, allowing maximum use of the factory environment to combine standard components with advanced manufacturing techniques.
GOOGLE BACKS DUANE ARNOLD RESTART
US utility NextEra Energy has signed a 25-year agreement with Google (a subsidiary of Alphabet) to support restart of the Duane Arnold Energy Centre (Duane Arnold), Iowa’s only nuclear facility. Google will purchase power from the plant to help power its growing cloud and AI infrastructure in Iowa, while also strengthening local grid reliability, creating thousands of direct and indirect jobs, and driving significant economic investment to the Midwest region.
In addition, one of the plant’s minority owners, Central Iowa Power Cooperative (CIPCO), is to purchase the remaining portion of the plant’s output on the same terms as Google. NextEra Energy has signed definitive agreements to acquire CIPCO and Corn Belt Power Cooperative’s combined 30% interest in the plant, which will bring NextEra Energy’s ownership to 100%.
SPONSORED CONTENT - GOODWAY TECHNOLOGIES
TIHANGE 3 CONTROL ROD UPGRADE
Framatome has been selected by Electrabel (part of the Engie Group) to modernise the rod control system at unit 3 of the Tihange NPP in Belgium plant as part of a life extension programme. Tihange 3 is a 1,030 MWe pressurised water reactor (PWR) commissioned in 1985.
Belgium’s Federal Agency for Nuclear Control (FANC – Federaal Agentschap voor Nucleaire Controle) in July approved the restart of Tihange 3 following a thorough analysis. Tihange 3 was shut down at the beginning of April for extensive maintenance and upgrades with a view to operating for 10 more years. Plant operator Engie has until September 2028, to complete the work.
AALO-X COMPLETES DESIGN REVIEW
US-based Aalo has completed its Preliminary Design Review for its experimental reactor, Aalo-X, with more than 20 independent reviewers from the Department of Energy (DOE), Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and others.
The Aalo-X reactor is an experimental, extra-modular reactor (XMR) that uses sodium as a coolant and is fueled by low-enriched uranium dioxide. The Aalo-X is a full-scale, 10 MWe experimental power plant that bridges the gap between smaller microreactors and traditional small modular reactors (SMRs). The reactor and all its plant components are factory-built in modules for rapid on-site assembly.
AKKUYU 1 RECEIVES APCS DELIVERY
Equipment for an automated process control system (APCS) for unit 1 of the Akkuyu NPP under construction in Türkiye has been delivered to the site. It was manufactured by the Rosatom Automated Control Systems (RASU – Rosatom Avtomatizirovannie Systemi Upravleniya). The system provides control and management of all main parameters of the reactor installation, as well as the technological processes of the station.
The delivery consisted of 42,000 pieces of equipment with a total weight of 555 tonnes. It included control cabinets, controllers, computing modules and auxiliary components necessary for the operation of automated process control systems and the reactor protection control system. Installation and adjustment of automated process control system equipment will serve as one of the key stages towards the commissioning of the first power unit.
LAURENTIS TO SUPPORT POINT LEPREAU
A landmark Support Services Agreement (SSA) has been signed between Laurentis Energy Partners (Laurentis), an Ontario Power Generation (OPG) subsidiary, and New Brunswick Power Corporation (NB Power). Under this CAD20m ($14m) a year three-year agreement, Laurentis will provide targeted expertise and operational support to help drive performance at the Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station in New Brunswick.
“Ontario is proud to lead the world in nuclear excellence – and we’re now exporting that expertise to help New Brunswick succeed,” said Stephen Lecce, Ontario Minister of Energy and Mines. “This historic partnership with New Brunswick helps ensure energy reliability for their customers, while reinforcing Ontario’s position as Canada’s clean energy engine. By working together, we are protecting both our economies, creating new commercial opportunities and jobs, and powering a stronger Canadian energy future.”
VTI TESTS STEEL FOR NUCLEAR REACTORS
Specialists from the All-Russian Thermal Engineering Institute (VTI – Vserossiiskii Teplotekhnicheskii Institut) have completed a set of tests on the long-term strength of a pipe made of corrosion- and heat-resistant steel grade EP302M-Sh – a key structural material for new generation nuclear reactor plants.
The work was carried out over a wide range of temperatures and loads, and its uniqueness lies in its unprecedented duration. The total test base was about 400,000 hours; testing of individual samples lasted over 25,000 hours. To obtain guaranteed material characteristics, specialists had to solve a complex engineering problem: to develop a special type of test samples and a system for fastening them. This was due to the complex geometry of the pipes (18 mm in diameter with a wall thickness of only 3mm).
FERMI SIGNS NUCLEAR DEALS FOR TEXAS HUB
Fermi America has signed nuclear deals with Korean companies Doosan Enerbility and Hyundai E&C related to its hypergrid project in Texas.
The proposed project, which will be called the “President Donald J Trump Advanced Energy and Intelligence Campus” (also known as Project Matador) involves an 11 GWe hybrid energy and data infrastructure hub adjacent to the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Pantex Plant, the nation’s primary nuclear weapons assembly and disassembly facility.
NRC CLEARS TERRAPOWER NATRIUM EIS
US-based TerraPower has received notification from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) that they have successfully completed the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Natrium project being developed in Wyoming and found no adverse impact to the environment. This is the first advanced reactor plant to achieve this regulatory milestone.
“TerraPower has been committed to bringing the next generation of nuclear power to fruition, and this announcement from the NRC is a testament to our team’s dedication and rigor in meeting all federal licensing requirements,” said TerraPower President & CEO Chris Levesque.
ROPOWER SIGNS SMR DEAL WITH STUDSVIK
RoPower Nuclear, the project company in charge of the construction and commissioning of the small modular reactor (SMR) project at Doicesti in Romania, has signed a contract with Sweden’s Studsvik Scandpower (part of the Studsvik AB group), a leader in nuclear fuel analysis software.
“Nuclear calculation codes are primarily used to simulate and analyse nuclear fuel and reactor safety. We sought an established solution on the market, offered by a company with proven experience in projects applicable to nuclear power plants using the pressurised water reactor (PWR) principle. Studsvik Scandpower met our expectations precisely,” said RoPower Nuclear Technical Director Dan Serbanescu.
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