Nuclear Energy

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/List-of-Norwegian-towns-considering-nuclear-contin

Farsund in Agder county, on the southern tip of Norway, has become the latest municipality to enter into an agreement with Norsk Kjernekraft to jointly carry out initial investigation work on the possible construction of a nuclear power plant.

Norsk Kjernekraft - which aims to build, own and operate smallmodular vreactor (SMR) power plants in Norway in collaboration with power-intensive industry - said the cooperation agreement was adopted with a broad political majority and aims to provide an information base that will enable all stakeholders to better assess the suitability for the establishment of a nuclear power plant in Farsund.

"Following such a process, the municipality can better assess whether they wish to proceed, for example by establishing a separate company together with Norsk Kjernekraft and local/regional industry, as has been done with Halden Kjernekraft AS," the company added.

Norsk Kjernekraft describes Farsund as "a future-oriented coastal municipality" which has several large workplaces within national and international companies, including a large proportion of power-intensive industry and workshop industry. The town is also the county's largest agricultural municipality.

The Mayor of Farsund, Ingrid Williamsen, said: "We will need large amounts of power in the future and so this is an important step on the way. If we should be so lucky that it turns out that Farsund is a suitable location for this type of power, it would be very gratifying."

Earlier this week, Norsk Kjernekraft announced it had signed a similar cooperation agreement with the municipality of Lund in the southern Norwegian county of Rogaland, which is expecting a large increase in power demand due to industrialisation of the area.

Last month, Norsk Kjernekraft submitted a proposal to Norway's Ministry of Energy for an assessment into the construction of a power plant based on multiple SMRs in the north-eastern county of Finnmark. In April last year, the municipality of Vardø in Finnmark proposed nearby Svartnes as a possible site for a nuclear power plant to Norsk Kjernekraft, which aims to build, own and operate SMR power plants in Norway in collaboration with power-intensive industry.

In November, Norsk Kjernekraft submitted a proposal to the ministry for an assessment into the construction of an SMR power plant based in the municipalities of Aure and Heim in south-western Norway. In April this year, it initiated work on the impact assessment of a plot of land in Øygarden municipality, west of Bergen, to assess the possibility of establishing a nuclear power plant comprising up to five SMRs.

A new company, Halden Kjernekraft AS, has also been founded by Norsk Kjernekraft, Østfold Energi and the municipality of Halden to investigate the construction of a nuclear power plant based on SMRs at Halden, where a research reactor once operated.

"The number of municipalities that are now taking the initiative to investigate nuclear power is impressive and increasing rapidly," said Norsk Kjernekraft CEO Jonny Hesthammer. "The Ministry of Energy must prepare for many reports with proposals for study programmes in the near future.

"Municipalities such as Farsund have a large need for power linked to the green transition. They must ensure jobs and long-term value creation, and here nuclear power can become absolutely central. We look forward to a long and constructive collaboration with Farsund municipality."

Last month, the Norwegian government appointed a committee to conduct a broad review and assessment of various aspects of a possible future establishment of nuclear power in the country. It must deliver its report by 1 April 2026.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Niger-government-withdraws-GoviEx-mining-rights

The Vancouver-based company said it has been informed by the Minister of Mines, by letter, "that it no longer has rights over the perimeter of the Madaouela mining permit, which is now in the public domain".

GoviEx Uranium said the decision to withdraw its mining rights "does not follow the withdrawal procedure prescribed under the applicable mining code".

GoviEx began operations in Niger in 2007, and has advanced Madaouela from the initial exploration phase, through a period of "historically low" uranium prices, to the publication of a feasibility study in late 2022, on the way completing some 650,000 metres of drilling to define a potential mineral resource which the company says is now amongst the largest known in the world. "With the recent recovery in uranium prices, the Madaouela Project was poised for development and the Company had started to advance despite the political changes in Niger since the coup d'Etat on 26 July 2023," GoviEx said.

In May, Niger's Mines Minister Ousmane Abarchi visited Madaouela as part of a tour of exploration and mining projects within the northern Agadez region. He reviewed the ongoing ground works and current mine plans at GoviEx's project. The minister's itinerary also took in Global Atomic's Dasa project, where underground development began in late 2022 and first deliveries of uranium are expected in 2025.

It was just two weeks ago that French company Orano announced the withdrawal by Niger's authorities of the operating permit for its Imouraren uranium mine. Like Orano before it, GoviEx said it is committed to continuing its engagement with government officials and stakeholders, but reserves the right to challenge the decision.

"GoviEx believes that the Government's decision to withdraw the mining rights for the Madaouela Project will have a negative impact on the economic and social development of the region. With a forecast initial capital expenditure of USD343 million, as well as considerable employment opportunities, the project was forecast to create up to 800 jobs over its projected 20-year mine life, with substantial royalty payments and taxes payable to the Government," it said.

The government of Niger holds a 20% stake in COMIMA SA, the Nigerien company set up to develop the Madaouela project.

GoviEx said it continues to progress its mine-permitted Muntanga project in Zambia, for which it expects to publish a feasibility study in the second half of this year.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Framatome-awarded-further-contract-at-Swiss-plant

Framatome has been awarded a contract by Kernkraftwerk Gösgen-Däniken AG (KKG) to modernise the reactor protection system in the emergency control building at the Gösgen nuclear power plant in Switzerland.

A reactor protection system (RPS) is a set of nuclear safety components in a nuclear power plant designed to safely shut down the reactor and prevent the release of radioactive materials. The system can be "tripped" either manually or automatically. Trips occur when the parameters meet or exceed the limit setpoint. A trip of the RPS results in full insertion of all control rods and shutdown of the reactor.

Under the new contract, the RPS at Gösgen's emergency control building will be modernised using Framatome's TELEPERM XS digital instrumentation and control (I&C) platform. The bunkered emergency control room is separate to the main control room. It can be used to safely shut down the plant in the event of an accident, and the residual heat removal can be monitored and operated.

Since 2002, KKG, in cooperation with Framatome, has modernised its I&C systems using a step-by-step approach, transitioning from analog to the latest digital technologies, while increasing performance and safety.

In April 2019, Framatome was awarded a contract by KKG to modernise the reactor protection system at Gösgen. The scope of that contract included modernisation of the entire RPS using Framatome's TELEPERM XS digital I&C platform. In addition, Framatome said important functions would be realised with a diverse hardwired back-up system. Installation and commissioning of the new RPS was carried out during the plant's planned 2022 outage.

The signing of that contract was preceded by the successful modernisation of the plant's four emergency diesel generators, including the upgrade of the entire I&C and electrical systems with Framatome's digital technology. In 2014, Framatome completed the digital modernisation of the plant's reactor control and limitation.

"We are delighted to continue our decades-long partnership with Gösgen NPP," said Frédéric Lelièvre, senior executive vice president of Framatome's Sales, Regional Platforms and I&C Business Unit. "This new contract again illustrates the trust our customer has in our ability to modernise from analog to digital technologies, while continuing to meet the highest standards of safety."

Framatome said its digital TELEPERM XS platform has been installed or is currently being installed in 92 reactors in 17 countries worldwide.

Gösgen is a 1010 MWe pressurised water reactor that began commercial operation in November 1979. KKG operates the plant on behalf of its five owners: Alpiq AG (40%), Axpo Power AG (25%), the City of Zurich (15%), Centralschweizerische Kraftwerke AG (12.5%) and Energie Wasser Bern (7.5%). The plant generates about 13% of Switzerland's electricity needs.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/First-Honeymoon-shipment-bound-for-Europe

Boss Energy is set to make its first delivery of uranium since restarting the project in South Australia after a decade under care-and-maintenance.

The project is still in the commissioning and ramp-up phase - it produced its first post-restart drum of uranium in April - and the ramp-up is running ahead of schedule, the company said. By the end of June, it had produced 57,364 pounds U3O8 (22 tU). With one NIMCIX ion exchange column performing to expectations, and construction of two further columns progressing on track, the company said it expects production to total at least 850,000 pounds U3O8 by the end of June 2025.

"The start-up phase at Honeymoon is proceeding comfortably to plan, with all the key metrics running in line with, or exceeding, the forecasts contained in the Feasibility Study schedule," Boss Managing Director Duncan Craib said. "Construction of the second and third columns is also advancing well, ensuring we are on track to continue increasing our production rates. Total production in FY26 is set to meet or exceed our feasibility study forecasts at 1.63 Mlb. The addition of columns 4, 5 and 6 are forecast to further increase the production rate to nameplate capacity of 2.45 Mlb/annum by year three."

Honeymoon first began operations in 2011 but was put on care-and-maintenance in 2013 by its then-owner Uranium One. It was acquired by Boss in 2015. Boss's board approved a final investment decision to restart operations in June 2022. Mining activities restarted last year.

The company said it will now make its first delivery to European nuclear utilities under its existing sales contracts, with revenue to be received in the current quarter.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/EC-approves-completion-of-Romanian-reactors

The European Commission has issued a positive opinion on the technical and nuclear safety aspects of the construction of units 3 and 4 at Cernavoda nuclear power plant in Romania. Unit 3 is scheduled to start commercial operation in 2030 and unit 4 the following year.

Under the Euratom Treaty, nuclear project developers are required to notify the European Commission of planned investments and to demonstrate compliance with the highest nuclear safety standards.

Energonuclear - a wholly owned subsidiary of utility Nuclearelectrica - notified the Commission about the planned construction of two Canadian-designed Candu-6 pressurised heavy water reactors as Cernavoda 3 and 4 in May 2023.

The positive opinion received from the Commission "is the result of an elaborate analysis of the information provided by the Romanian side, visits to the Cernavoda site and technical discussions over a period of 13 months", Nuclearelectrica noted. "The Commission's assessment is that the project to complete the construction of units 3 and 4 at Cernavoda is in line with the objectives of the Euratom Treaty.

"This positive view is accompanied by the usual recommendations for such projects, which aim at the appropriate application of the Euratom framework in the implementation and during the lifetime of the project. These recommendations will be implemented by the project developer in the next steps."

Nuclearelectrica CEO Cosmin Ghita added: "The adoption of the positive view of the European Commission is a confirmation of our commitment to technical excellence and nuclear safety. We are delighted with this significant progress and we are confident that the project of units 3 and 4 at Cernavoda will make a decisive contribution to Romania’s energy security and sustainability."

The EC's positive opinion was also welcomed by Romanian Minister of Energy Sebastian Burduja. "Today the European Commission confirms our progress and the construction of the two new reactors moves to the next stage," he said. "Reactors 3 and 4 represent key pillars of the national energy strategy, the two units will make an essential contribution in ensuring energy security at national and regional level. We are talking about production in the clean energy band, with zero emissions. Our country needs big projects, and Romania's expertise in nuclear engineering makes us responsible for carrying on the tradition of 40 years of safe technology."

Cernavoda is the only nuclear power plant in Romania and consists of two 650 MWe Candu-6 reactors. Unit 1 went into commercial operation in 1996 and unit 2 in 2007. Operator Nuclearelectrica plans to extend the operating life of unit 1 to 60 years. Most of the work on units 3 and 4 was done in the 1980s prior to the fall of the government of Nicolae Ceausescu in 1989.

In October 2022, Romania said Canada and the USA were both offering to help with the financing of the construction of Cernavoda 3 and 4, which has an estimated cost of EUR7 billion (USD7.4 billion).

Romania's government adopted a law in March last year approving a support agreement with Nuclearelectrica for the proposed units. The commitments given by the law include the government taking "the necessary steps to finance the construction of the two reactors, including but not limited to the granting of state guarantees to the project's financiers". It will also be responsible for the implementation of the "Contracts for Difference" support mechanism.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Novel-transistor-material-shows-nuclear-potential

Gallium nitride semiconductors can successfully withstand the harsh environment near a nuclear reactor core, researchers from Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have found. The discovery could enable electronic components to be placed closer to sensors in an operating reactor leading to more precise and accurate measurements with safety and operational benefits.

Sensors are used to gather information from a reactor and can identify potential equipment failures before they happen, helping prevent costly unscheduled shutdowns. But the complex circuitry the sensors are connected to must be placed away from the reactor core to protect the electronics from heat and radiation. The long cables used to transmit data from the sensors via can pick up additional noise and degrade the signal.

Gallium nitride is a so-called wide-bandgap semiconductor that is more resistant to heat and radiation than silicon, and is commercially available, although not currently widely used. Researchers from the US Department of Energy lab tested its properties by placing gallium nitride transistors close to a research reactor core at The Ohio State University where they successfully withstood high heat and radiation for three consecutive days. The transistors were able to handle a 100 times higher accumulated dose of radiation than standard silicon devices at a sustained temperature of 125°C, performing beyond expectations.

"We fully expected to kill the transistors on the third day, and they survived," said lead researcher Kyle Reed, a member of the Sensors and Electronics group at ORNL, adding that the work makes measuring the conditions inside an operating nuclear reactor "more robust and accurate".

By exposing the transistors to days of high radiation levels in the reactor core itself, the researchers were able to conclude that gallium nitride transistors are capable of surviving at least five years in a reactor, the normal maintenance window for such components.

The research may also be important for advanced microreactors, which due to their compact size will need sensors capable of withstanding more adverse radiation conditions than currently operating reactors. However, the testing at Ohio State University showed that heat was more harmful to gallium nitride than radiation. The researchers are now working to further understand the heat effects.

Better nuclear monitoring means increased safety and reduced operating costs, and reducing the frequency of maintenance outages reduces human safety risks, Dianne Ezell, leader of ORNL’s Nuclear and Extreme Environment Measurements group, said. "Hundreds of thousands of dollars are lost every day a reactor is shut down," she said. "If we're going to make nuclear economically competitive with other energy industries, we've got to keep our costs low," she said. "You're able to avoid putting people in harsh radiation environments or handling radioactive material as often," she added.

The European Commission has issued a positive opinion on the technical and nuclear safety aspects of the project for units 3 and 4 of Romania’s only nuclear power plant, the Romanian Energy Ministry announced on Tuesday.

With the Commission’s green light, the plant, managed by the country’s sole nuclear power producer, the state-owned Nuclear Electric Company, and located in the southeastern town of Cernavodă, will receive two additional CANDU reactors.

Energy Minister Sebastian Burduja said on Tuesday that the two new reactors are expected to “make an essential contribution to national and regional energy security by producing clean, zero-emission energy.”

The Commission’s opinion confirms that the project is in line with the objectives of the Euratom Treaty, which requires nuclear developers to notify the Commission in advance of investment projects and demonstrate compliance with the highest nuclear safety standards. It also contains several recommendations typical of such projects.

With four nuclear units soon to be operating, Romania is expected to avoid 20 million tonnes of CO2 emissions per year and create more than 19,000 jobs in related industries.

Once the two units come on stream, Romania’s electricity mix will change significantly, with nuclear power expected to account for around 30% of the country’s electricity production over the next decade, up from about 20%, the Nuclear Electric Company added.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/EDF-to-modify-Nuward-design-to-aid-commercialisati

France's EDF plans to optimise the design of its Nuward small modular reactor design, focusing on existing and proven technologies. The move follows feedback from potential European customers in order to guarantee that project deadlines and budgets are met.

The Nuward project was launched in September 2019 by the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission, EDF, Naval Group and TechnicAtome. The Nuward - consisting of a 340 MWe SMR plant with two pressurised water reactors (PWRs) of 170 MWe each - has been jointly developed using France's experience in PWRs. The technology is expected to replace old high CO2-emitting coal, oil and gas plants around the world and support other applications such as hydrogen production, urban and district heating or desalination.

The Nuward SMR project has now reached the basic design phase, during which the engineering teams were able to progress on the lay-out, systems and equipment of the power plant in more detail.

"Considering the evolving SMR market dynamics and the learnings drawn from the development of Nuward SMR, the EDF Group has proactively decided to pivot its SMR product strategy," EDF said in a statement. "To address the needs expressed by the market timely and competitively, the EDF Group has decided to shift its product strategy towards the development of a design based on proven technology bricks only. This orientation will provide better conditions for success by facilitating technical feasibility."

EDF said that, together with its Nuward subsidiary, it is now "preparing the conditions for a product development leveraging the extensive technical, industrial and commercial experience cumulated so far". It said it will rely on its experience in nuclear and PWR technology.

According to Nuward's previously announced SMR roadmap, the detailed design and formal application for a new nuclear facility is scheduled to begin in 2026, followed by first concrete in France in 2030 with the construction of that first unit anticipated to take about three years.

EDF did not say whether the redesign of the reactor's design would have an impact on the Nuward project's budget and timeline. It issued its statement in response to media reports that had incorrectly stated the company was dropping or suspending the project.

In June 2022, EDF announced that the Nuward design would be the case study for a European early joint regulatory review led by France's Autorité de Sûreté Nucléaire with the participation of Finland's Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority and the Czech State Office for Nuclear Safety.

The main objectives of the multilateral review were to identify key issues towards the hypothetical licensing of a Nuward SMR in the three countries, and to identify divergences and convergences between the regulatory frameworks in these countries - it was not intended to replace any future licensing review of any participating regulator.

Three more regulator - Poland's National Atomic Energy Agency, the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority and the Netherlands' Authority for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection - joined the second phase of the review.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/International-team-reviews-Uganda-s-uranium-explor

The team of experts assessed Uganda's capabilities to develop a uranium exploration programme and eventually to mine uranium for a domestic nuclear power programme.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)-led Integrated Uranium Production Cycle Review (IUPCR) mission, conducted with the support of the IAEA's technical cooperation programme, evaluated the status of the infrastructure Uganda will need to support uranium exploration as the first phase of a uranium production cycle programme. It was carried out at the request of the Ugandan government.

The team of experts from Argentina, Australia, France, Namibia and the IAEA reviewed 16 key aspects, including human resource capacity and the regulatory framework, and recommended steps that can be taken to bring Uganda closer to realising its nuclear energy goals, which include a domestic supply of uranium. Eighty-two participants, mainly from Uganda’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, were involved in mission activities.

Only about half of Ugandans currently have access to electricity. The government has set a goal of achieving an electricity access rate of more than 99% by 2030, and is aiming for nuclear power generation by 2031, with the help of domestically sourced uranium.

IUPCR missions form part of the IAEA's Milestones Approach for countries that are newcomers to nuclear energy. The missions assist IAEA member countries in the development of infrastructure for national uranium production programmes, through all phases of the uranium production cycle. The Agency said this was the first mission of its kind.

Several areas in Uganda have been identified as potentially uranium-rich, though no proven resources are currently known.

"The potential discovery of a uranium deposit and subsequent development of uranium resources in Uganda presents an exciting opportunity for the country to support its ambition to introduce nuclear power into its energy mix," said Adrienne Hanly, the IAEA's Technical Lead for Uranium Resources and Production. "While significant work remains to be done, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development now has a solid understanding of what is required to succeed in evaluation of the country’s uranium occurrences and the next steps needed to get there."

The IUPCR team recommended that Uganda should ensure the development of skilled personnel for uranium exploration and establish a robust and well-funded exploration programme to accelerate the discovery, assessment and development of potential uranium resources.

"The government of Uganda is committed to adopting international best practices and this IAEA mission will ensure uranium exploration is done according to international standards," Minister of Energy and Mineral Development Ruth Nakabirwa Sentamu said.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Korean-city-to-study-feasibility-of-i-SMR-deployme

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Daegu Metropolitan City for the construction of a small modular reactor power plant at a high-tech industrial complex near Daegu-Gyeongbuk New Airport.

The MoU was signed on 17 June at Daegu City Hall by Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo and KHNP CEO Whang Joo-ho. The MoU includes a feasibility study covering site suitability, economic viability, and enhancing resident acceptance, in a bid to build and commercialise a 680 MWe SMR power plant equivalent to the capacity of four 170 MW-per-unit modules.

Daegu City, in North Gyeongsang Province, said it plans to conduct a preliminary feasibility study with KHNP and private construction companies by 2026, obtain standard design approval from the government in 2028, and begin commercial development in 2033.

To this end, a newly-created SMR construction special purpose corporation (SPC) will purchase about 160,000 square metres of land out in the Gunwi Advanced Industrial Complex and proceed with construction. The total project cost of KRW4 trillion (USD2.9 billion) will be entirely financed by the SPC.

On 31 May, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) allocated 0.7 GWe for SMRs by 2035 through the 11th Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand. It announced a specific scheme to introduce one unit consisting of four 170 MWe modules.

"This agreement is the first case since the introduction of the first SMR in the 11th basic power plan was announced in May, and this is the first time that a metropolitan government has directly started SMR construction," Daegu City noted.

The city said it has been discussing with MOTIE, the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute and i-SMR Technology Development Agency for the past two years to build the first SMR in South Korea at the Gunwi New Airport Advanced Industrial Complex.

Daegu Metropolitan City said it plans to build an "SMR industrial ecosystem" by attracting power-intensive industries such as AI semiconductors and data centres to the new airport high-tech industrial complex, and will also prepare various support measures such as supplying district heating to parts of Daegu, increasing local income, resident welfare, and subsidising electricity rates.

The Korean-designed i-SMR is an integrated pressurised water reactor type nuclear power plant with an electrical output of 170 MWe. It is being developed according to a development roadmap, with the goal of completing the standard design by the end of 2025 and obtaining standard design approval in 2028. According to KHNP, it requires just one-third of the investment, and can be constructed in half the time compared with large reactors.

KHNP has already signed a memorandum of understanding with Nusantara Power - a power generation subsidiary of Indonesian Electric Power Corporation - on mutual cooperation for the introduction and construction of the i-SMR in Indonesia. Through this MoU, the two companies will cooperate in various fields, including: joint basic research on the economic feasibility and technology for deployment of the i-SMR in Indonesia; development of local specialised technology through R&D cooperation; and collaboration through human/technology exchanges in the nuclear field through the formation of a working group.

KHNP has also signed an MoU on mutual cooperation with the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission for the deployment of the i-SMR in Jordan. The two organisations agreed to cooperate in comprehensive technology and information exchange on the i-SMR and to jointly conduct a feasibility study. Jordan is currently considering the introduction of SMRs after 2030 in preparation of expected increased electricity demand.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Testing-complete-at-molten-salt-demo

The first iteration of an engineering test system for Kairos Power's Hermes low-power reactor, is now being decommissioned after more than 2,000 hours of pumped salt operations. Construction of the next iteration - which will demonstrate the modular design of the reactor - is already under way.

Engineering Test Unit (ETU 1.0) is the first of three systems that are being built to inform the design, construction, and operation of Hermes, which will advance the development of Kairos's fluoride salt-cooled high-temperature reactor (KP-FHR) technology. Hermes, which is being supported by the US Department of Energy's Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP), will use a TRISO fuel pebble bed design with a molten fluoride salt coolant to achieve a thermal power level of 35 megawatts.

ETU 1.0 is the first in a series of multiple prototypes that are being designed and built as part of Kairos' "rapid iterative development". A full-scale, electrically heated prototype of Hermes, ETU 1.0 served as a vehicle for Kairos Power to exercise the supply chain and establish new capabilities, including the production of high-purity fluoride-lithium-beryllium salt coolant known as FLiBe, and specialised reactor components.

ETU 1.0, at Albuquerque, New Mexico, started operations in December 2023. Using 12 tonnes of FLiBe produced by Kairos in partnership with Materion Corporation at its Molten Salt Purification Plant in Elmore, Ohio, the system was filled with 30,000 surrogate fuel pebbles and more than 300 graphite reflector blocks to replicate conditions inside the Hermes reactor core. Over six months, it carried out more than 2000 hours of pumped salt operations including regular operation and tests designed to simulate failure scenarios. At its peak, the system reached 675°C and a salt flow rate of 3000 gallons (more than 11,300 litres) per minute.

The test unit was monitored around the clock, providing more than 10 terabytes of performance data in addition to information from the analysis of salt samples and inspections of 1673 surrogate fuel pebbles.

"With our iterative approach, Kairos Power aims to learn by building, and we’ve learned a tremendous amount from building and operating ETU," said Edward Blandford, Kairos Power Chief Technology Officer and co-founder.

The next iteration - ETU 2.0 - is being built in Albuquerque. ETU 3.0 will be built in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, adjacent to the site where the Hermes reactor will eventually be built. Kairos Power plans to have the reactor, which will lay the groundwork for commercialising the 140 MWe KP-FHR, operational as early as 2026.

Russia has delivered the core catcher for Unit 3 of the El Dabaa nuclear power station under construction in Egypt, the main contractor, Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom said.

The core catcher – also known as a core melt localisation device or core trap – is designed to catch the molten core material, or corium, of a nuclear reactor in the event of a nuclear meltdown and to prevent it from escaping the containment.

The component is among the largest in a nuclear reactor system, weighing about 170 tonnes and with a height and diameter around six metres. Rosatom said the core catcher is the first large component to be delivered onsite in Egypt.

Rosatom said the ship carrying the core catcher left the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk at the end of June for the journey south to Egypt and arrived six days later.

El Dabaa, Egypt’s first nuclear station, will have four Russia-supplied Generation III+ VVER-1200 pressurised water reactors, with the first unit expected to be online in 2026.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Italy-s-electricity-could-be-20-from-nuclear-by-20

Italy's Minister for Environment and Energy Security, Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, has set out the possible scale of capacity if the country decides to resume a nuclear power programme.

Fratin, pictured above, speaking at the Global Energy Transition Congress in Milan, Italy, said: "By launching Italy’s platform for sustainable nuclear power, we have started an evaluation process, of course after 2030, on the possible resumption of nuclear power in Italy. We intend to do so by implementing the new sustainable nuclear technologies currently being developed, in particular small modular fission reactors and, in the long-term, through fusion power.

"Nuclear and fusion will complement the increasing penetration of energy production from renewable sources and other low carbon solutions. We expect to be able to reach about 8 GW from nuclear power by 2050, covering more than 10% of the nation’s electricity demand. This percentage may increase to over 20-22% by fully exploiting the potential of nuclear power in our country."

Italy's government included the potential nuclear capacity - the conservative 11% of capacity option and the ambitious 16 GW/20-22% of capacity - in its National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan which was submitted to the European Commission on Monday. That document also says Italy aims to have 131 GW of power from renewables by 2030 - 79 GW solar, 28 GW wind, 19 GW hydro, 3 GW bioenergy and 1 GW from geothermal sources.

A spokesman for Italian-founded innovative reactor developer Newcleo called the announcements a "good step forward" and noted the focus was on the potential of small and advanced modular reactors and also that a key part of the Italian government's submission was that the estimated cost of achieving climate goals by including nuclear was EUR17 billion (USD18.2 billion) lower than achieving it without the contribution from nuclear.

The background

Italy operated a total of four nuclear power plants starting in the early 1960s but decided to phase out nuclear power in a referendum that followed the 1986 Chernobyl accident. It closed its last two operating plants, Caorso and Trino Vercellese, in 1990.

In late March 2011, following the Fukushima Daiichi accident, the Italian government approved a moratorium of at least one year on construction of nuclear power plants in the country, which had been looking to restart its long-abandoned nuclear programme.

The public mood has changed since then, and in May 2023, the Italian Parliament approved a motion to urge the government to consider incorporating nuclear power into the country's energy mix. In September, the first meeting was held of the National Platform for a Sustainable Nuclear, set up by the government to define a time frame for the possible resumption of nuclear energy in Italy and identify opportunities for the country's industrial chain already operating in the sector.

There are a variety of emerging plans for nuclear energy in Italy, including Edison last October announcing its ambition to construct two nuclear power plants based on EDF's SMR technology between 2030 and 2040 "if the conditions are created for its return to Italy".

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Talen-refutes-objection-to-Susquehanna-data-centre

A protest lodged against a precedent-setting interconnection service agreement to co-locate a data centre with a nuclear power plant is a "misguided attempt" to stifle innovation, Talen Energy Corporation said.

Exelon Corporation and American Electric Power (AEP) lodged their protest with the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on 24 June, saying that the regulator must either hold a hearing, or, failing that, reject the Interconnection Service Agreement (ISA) between transmission provider PJM Interconnection, Talen subsidiary Susquehanna Nuclear, operator of the Susquehanna nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania, and PPL Electric Utilities Corporation.

Earlier this year, Talen announced the sale of its 960 MW Cumulus data centre campus - which is directly connected to the two-unit Susquehanna plant - to Amazon Web Services (AWS), with a long-term agreement to provide power from Talen's Susquehanna nuclear power plant.

PJM is the regional transmission organisation that coordinates the movement of wholesale electricity in all or parts of Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia. Its request to amend an existing Interconnection Service Agreement to increase from 300 MW to 480 MW the amount of load it is allowed to transfer from Susquehanna as "co-located load" was filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on 3 June. (Co-located load refers to end-use customer load that is physically connected to the facilities of an existing or planned customer facility at the point of interconnection to the PJM transmission system).

The amendment states that 480 MW of load may be physically transferred to a co-located load’s transmission facilities without a material impact on the transmission system, and also notes that Susquehanna has proposed modifications to allow it to physically transfer 960 MW of power.

"Too many questions of fact remain unresolved in what is, by the filing's own admission, an ISA that establishes novel configuration," Exelon and AEP say in their filing, which they say "raises more questions than it answers" and could potentially have a huge impact on customer rates, as well as raising reliability and planning concerns.

"The co-located load should not be allowed to operate as a free rider, making use of, and receiving the benefits of, a transmission system paid for by transmission ratepayers," they said. "We have no objection to co-location per se, but such load should pay its fair share of system use and other charges, just like other loads and customers."

Talen has acknowledged that its Interconnection Service Agreement is precedent-setting but also said that the protest is unfounded.

"The rapid emergence of artificial intelligence and data centres has fundamentally changed the demand for power and leads to an inflection point for the power industry," the company said. "Talen's co-location arrangement with AWS brings one solution to this new demand, on a timeline that serves the customer quickly. We believe powering the data centre economy will require an all-of-the-above approach, which includes both metered and behind-the-meter solutions.

"Exelon and AEP's protest of the Susquehanna ISA is a misguided attempt to stifle this innovation by interfering with an ISA amendment agreed to and supported by all impacted parties - which Exelon and AEP decidedly are not."

Talen goes on to say the facts cited by Exelon AEP are "demonstrably false", the legal positions are "demonstrably infirm", and "nearly all the issues raised by Exelon and AEP are not subject to Federal Energy Regulatory Commission oversight, because transmission is not implicated".

Nuclear power is increasingly being eyed by energy-intensive data centres as a means of meeting their energy demand while achieving zero-carbon objectives, whether through co-location of resources, or energy-matching deals such as last year's agreement between Constellation and Microsoft to match the energy needs of Microsoft's data centre in Boydton, Virginia, with Constellation's carbon-free energy with 35% of the environmental attributes coming from nuclear power. Earlier this year, North American steel manufacturer Nucor Corporation and US tech giants Google and Microsoft Corporation announced plans to work together across the electricity ecosystem to develop new business models and aggregate their demand for advanced clean electricity technologies, including advanced nuclear.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/French-regulatory-review-of-Newcleo-SMR-progresses

Innovative reactor developer Newcleo announced it has completed the preparatory stage set up by the French authorities for developers of small modular reactor projects to facilitate, secure and accelerate the review of licence applications.

The first step of London-headquartered Newcleo's delivery roadmap will be the design and construction of the first-of-a-kind 30 MWe lead-cooled fast reactor (LFR) to be deployed in France by 2030, followed by a 200 MWe commercial unit in the UK by 2033.

At the same time, Newcleo will directly invest in a mixed uranium/plutonium oxide (MOX) plant to fuel its reactors. In June 2022, Newcleo announced it had contracted France's Orano for feasibility studies on the establishment of a MOX production plant.

Newcleo said that during the preparatory stage, the French nuclear regulator Autorité de Sûreté Nucléaire (ASN) and the Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN) assessed the maturity of its project and discussed all safety options for its LFR projects and the associated nuclear fuel manufacturing plant. The conclusion of this preparatory stage follows numerous technical meetings involving approximately 20 specialised experts from the authorities, as well as the development of a range of preparatory documents covering various technical topics.

The completion of the preparatory phase on 26 June will be followed by the submission of official technical options for both the LFR and the MOX manufacturing plant. The French authorities will then establish a written advice which, along with other considerations derived from the preparatory phase discussions, will allow a faster process to grant the necessary authorisation decrees to Newcleo.

"We are all thrilled that our project has reached this key milestone in the rigorous process leading Newcleo to obtain the required authorisations for the launch of this new sustainable nuclear sector," said Newcleo Global Licensing Director Stéphane Calpena. "The constructive discussions we have had with experts from the French authorities have been invaluable, enabling us to guide our design choices and associated safety requirements to meet the exceptionally high standards that French nuclear energy is known for."

In January, Newcleo announced a strategic and industrial partnership with French micro-reactor developer Naarea designed "to support all players in their industrial, technological, scientific and regulatory development" of Generation IV fast neutron reactors. The companies said that the partnership will be open to others to join and said it will focus on key areas where there are common interests, such as gaining access to the used nuclear fuel from conventional nuclear reactors that their Gen-IV reactors are designed to use as part of their efforts to close the fuel cycle.

Newcleo was a winner of the 'Innovative nuclear reactors' call for projects under the 'France 2030' investment plan implemented by Bpifrance and financed by the European Union - Next Generation EU as part of France's economic recovery plan (Plan France Relance).

Newcleo said its LFR AS-30 reactor design has been optimised over the last 20 years leading to the concept of an ultra-compact and transportable 200 MWe module with improvements in energy density compared with other technologies. Costs are kept low by means of simplicity, compactness, modularity, atmospheric pressure operation and elevated output temperature.

In order to best prepare for possible requests for authorisation to construct SMR projects, and with a view to mobilising resources proportionate to the level of maturity of each project, a progressive framework of technical exchanges in four phases has been put in place.

Newcleo's LFR is one of about ten SMR designs being evaluated by ASN and IRSN. Four vendors are currently in the initial stage, referred to as prospective monitoring (Blue Capsule, Hexana, Out and Stellaria). Newcleo has now joined Naarea, Calogena and Thorizon in step 2, the preparatory review. Nuward is in the third step, the pre-instruction stage where ASN will deliver an opinion on the main safety options to be used in its SMR design, while Jimmy is in step 4, where it has requested a "creation authorisation decree" from ASN to construct an SMR intended to supply industrial heat to a Cristal Union Group plant located on the Bazancourt site.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Another-Norwegian-town-looks-to-host-nuclear-plant

Norsk Kjernekraft has signed a cooperation agreement with the municipality of Lund on establishing a nuclear power plant in the town in the southern Norwegian county of Rogaland. The town is expecting a large increase in power demand due to industrialisation of the area.

The collaboration agreement enables the first steps towards the realisation of nuclear power in the municipality, among other things, suitable areas must be identified and then an impact assessment must begin.

A number of plans for sustainable industrialisation in the region have come closer to being realised, Norsk Kjernekraft said: "These activities will require large amounts of stable and emission-free power, and it is in this connection that Lund's mayor Gro Helleland has advocated that this energy must also be obtained through the least possible use of nature."

Helleland said: "When it became clear that all these industrial plans in our region would require enormous amounts of energy, it became natural for us to obtain more information about the various alternatives that existed. Gradually it became clear that modern nuclear power, so-called small modular reactors (SMRs), not only has the lowest lifetime emissions of greenhouse gases, but will also use far less nature than the alternatives."

"Through Regionråd Dalane [a political council for the four Dalane municipalities], we are working together with Rogaland county on a regional growth agreement, where the goal of the agreement is anchored in the Regional Plan for green industry," she continued. "I clearly see the connection between the main goal there of increased value creation and jobs in green industry that contribute to a nature-neutral, low-emission society, and the establishment of nuclear power."

Norsk Kjernekraft CEO Jonny Hesthammer commented: "It is important that the local population is involved in this work from the start so that any projects that are taken forward can achieve sufficient democratic anchoring.

"Norway has major challenges in reaching its climate targets and at the same time safeguarding natural diversity when new emission-free power is to be established. We are therefore convinced that a safe and extremely area-efficient energy source such as nuclear power will be able to contribute to a good solution."

Norsk Kjernekraft said it will be necessary to construct several small nuclear power plants in different parts of the country. "That Lund, as the first municipality in Rogaland, takes the initiative for such a collaboration with Norsk Kjernekraft is therefore very important," it said.

Last month, Norsk Kjernekraft submitted a proposal to Norway's Ministry of Energy for an assessment into the construction of a power plant based on multiple SMRs in the north-eastern county of Finnmark. In April last year, the municipality of Vardø in Finnmark proposed nearby Svartnes as a possible site for a nuclear power plant to Norsk Kjernekraft, which aims to build, own and operate SMR power plants in Norway in collaboration with power-intensive industry.

In November, Norsk Kjernekraft submitted a proposal to the ministry for an assessment into the construction of an SMR power plant based in the municipalities of Aure and Heim in south-western Norway. In April this year, it initiated work on the impact assessment of a plot of land in Øygarden municipality, west of Bergen, to assess the possibility of establishing a nuclear power plant comprising up to five SMRs.

A new company, Halden Kjernekraft AS, has also been founded by Norsk Kjernekraft, Østfold Energi and the municipality of Halden to investigate the construction of a nuclear power plant based on SMRs at Halden, where a research reactor once operated.

The installation of the steam generators has been completed at Unit 4 of the Kudankulam nuclear power station in Tamil Nadu state, southern India, Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom said.

All four steam generators – each about 14 metres long with a diameter of four metres and weighing 340 tonnes – were installed using the ‘open top’ method, first used at Kudankulam-3.

This method allows large equipment to be loaded into the reactor building using a heavy-duty crane before the reactor dome is closed. Rosatom said it can significantly cut the time taken to carry out the installation.

Construction of the Generation III Kudankulam-4, a 917-MW VVER pressurised water reactor unit supplied by Russia, began in October 2017.

There are three other units of the same design under construction at the site. Construction of Kudankulam-3 began in 2017 and of Kudankulam-5 and -6 in 2021.

Kudankulam-1 and -2, also both VVER V-412 units, have been in commercial operation since December 2014 and March 2017.

Kyle Hill, known pro-nuclear science communicator, was banned from the Reddit community r/NuclearPower for his pro-nuclear stance.

Turns out the community has been taken over by anti-nuclear mod(s).

Posting about this I’ve been banned too 😂

If you remain on Reddit, r/Nuclear is still a valid community. Otherwise we exist of course!

Kyle’s post on Threads on this: https://www.threads.net/@sci_phile/post/C8xqujdy2ge/

Reactor construction needs to offer ‘good technology and a good business case’.

The increased participation of global investment banks, state development and state-owned export-import banks is leading to a funding transformation for the nuclear energy sector, a conference in Bulgaria has heard.

An international panel on financing nuclear power at the annual Bulgarian nuclear forum Bulatom’s conference on energy security in the Black Sea resort of Varna looked at the funding transformation for new nuclear plants in Bulgaria and internationally.

The panel highlighted the increased participation of global investment banks, state development and state-owned export-import banks.

“Money is available, but good projects are needed”, Milko Kovachev, Bulgaria’s energy minister from 2001-2005, and a former head of department at the International Atomic Energy Agency, told NucNet.

“This means that new projects have to offer good technology and a good business case with returns, a good project structure is always a good sign,” said Kovachev, who also was one of the panellists on the financing nuclear new build panel at the conference.

The Bulgarian energy minister Vladimir Malinov said at the conference that construction of new build nuclear plants such as Kozloduy-7 and -8, represents the most crucial project for the country’s economy, together with fuel diversification, as key mechanisms in Bulgaria’s ongoing transformation to low carbon and sustainable energy supply.

Sofia is planning to build two Westinghouse-supplied AP1000s at the Kozloduy site, on the Danube River in the northwest of the country.

Investment Banks ‘Watching The SMR Market’

Kovachev said investment banks such as Citibank and JP Morgan, both of which attended the Bulatom conference, are looking at nuclear power transactions and developing a deeper understanding of nuclear power as part of their decarbonisation portfolios, so they can increase their capacity for such deals.

He said “lately, in 2024, we have realised that nuclear plants could get a new financial deal through green bonds, which could help refinancing projects”.

As far as the role of the development banks is concerned, Kovachev said that the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) “is the only unique institution which is involved in supporting nuclear power, including a number of projects in central and eastern Europe”.

“At the end of 2023, however, the bank changed its energy strategy and is not now supporting new build projects, but is focusing on projects on decommissioning radiation safety in countries including Lithuania, Slovakia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan,” Kovachev added.

“The investment banks are also observing the SMR [small modular reactor] market,” said Kovachev, who is also a board member at the International Bank for Nuclear Infrastructure’s (INBI) strategic advisory group. The INBI is expected to be established between 2024 and 2026.

“IBNI is needed in the global efforts to triple existing nuclear power capacity from 400 GW to 1,200 GW by 2050, as agreed at Cop28 in Dubai, as well as to sustain the level of standardisation and harmonisation, and to support investment from private and public funds,” Kovachev said.

According to Kovachev, organisations like the European Investment Bank (EIB) can improve the financial environment for nuclear power plants, although the EIB does not currently support nuclear power.

However, commercial banks now have decarbonisation portfolios as priority which is “advantageous to nuclear power”, Kovachev added.

Almost precisely 11 months ago, I started this Lemmy community as a way for people on nuclear reddit to find a new home. That didn't exactly turnout the way I thought. But despite that, today we're the biggest nuclear energy Lemmy community around!

I hope with this milestone we can build a more vibrant community with more people starting discussions and commenting more. Please share far and wide.

I'll keep posting daily updates. If you like to support what I do, please consider a donation.

If you'd like to support the community host, buy him a coffee!

On we go! ⚛️

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/China-and-France-aim-to-strengthen-nuclear-energy

China's CGN and France's EDF have signed a Letter of Intent on deepening and expanding cooperation on nuclear energy - it came as President Emmanuel Macron hosted a visit to France by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Acording to the Chinese Foreign Ministry report on the talks, President Xi said the two countries should step up cooperation in a number of areas, including "nuclear energy, innovation and finance", with President Macron responding that France was "ready to step up cooperation with China" in areas including "nuclear energy for civilian use".

During the visit there were a number of business cooperation agreements outlined, with the Letter of Intent on Deepening Related Cooperation in the Nuclear Energy Field signed by Yang Changli, Chairman of China General Nuclear (CGN), and EDF Chairman and CEO Luc Raymond.

According to CGN the letter of intent means "the two parties will further expand and strengthen cooperation in aspects such as nuclear power engineering construction, talent training, EPR operations and leadership training in the field of nuclear power operations to achieve common development".

CGN and EDF have worked together over many years, dating back to the Daya Bay nuclear power plant's construction, which began in the 1980s, and CGN said that deepening and expanding cooperation areas "is of great significance to the development of civil nuclear energy in both countries and the business development of the two groups".

China and France are two of the world's biggest generators of nuclear energy, with both having large-scale plans to expand capacity in the coming years. According to World Nuclear Association figures, both countries currently have 56 operable reactors. China's have a capacity of 54 GW and it has 27 more reactors under construction which would provide 28.9 GW more capacity. France currently has 61 GW nuclear energy capacity, with one more 1.6 GW reactor under construction.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Nuclear-site-licence-issued-for-UK-s-Sizewell-C-si

The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) has granted a nuclear site licence for the Sizewell C site in eastern England, where the plan is to replicate the Hinkley Point C model of a nuclear power plant featuring two EPRs.

The licence application was initially submitted in 2020, and despite it having met "almost all" regulatory requirements, two issues prevented the granting of a licence in 2022 - relating to the shareholders' agreement and the ownership of the land at the site. The ONR said at that time it would carry out a "proportionate reassessment" once those two issues had been "resolved to its satisfaction". It has now done so and recommended the granting of the nuclear site licence.

The issuing of the licence is a significant step in the long-running Sizewell C process, but it does not permit the start of nuclear-related construction at the site - instead it formalises ONR's regulatory responsibility and allows it to require project company Sizewell C Ltd to request permission for the start of nuclear-related construction.

It is the first site licence issued by the ONR since the one issued for Hinkley Point C in 2012 and it means that Sizewell C has a legal responsibility to comply with health and safety and nuclear security regulations and needs the project to meet 36 conditions attached to the licence covering the design, construction, operation and decommissioning of the plant.

ONR CEO Mark Foy said: "I am pleased to confirm that following extensive engagement and review by the ONR team, our assessment of the Sizewell C application is complete and a nuclear site licence has been granted. The licensing process is fundamental in confirming that operators of a nuclear site are ready and able to meet their obligations under the nuclear site licence, to protect their workforce and the public.

"The granting of this licence is one step in ONR's process, allowing us to provide greater regulatory oversight, advice and challenge to the licensee as they progress their plans. We will continue working with Sizewell C to ensure that the highest levels of safety and security are met."

Sizewell C director of safety, security and assurance, Mina Golshan, said: "Securing a nuclear site licence is a show of confidence from our nuclear regulator that we have a suitable site, that we can achieve a safe design replicated from Hinkley Point C, and that we have a capable organisation ready to begin major construction work. It’s a huge milestone and demonstrates that this project is firmly on track."

The EDF-led plan is for Sizewell C to feature two EPRs producing 3.2 GW of electricity, enough to power the equivalent of around six million homes for at least 60 years. It would be a similar design to the two-unit plant being built at Hinkley Point C in Somerset, with the aim of building it more quickly and at lower cost as a result of the experience gained from what is the first new nuclear construction project in the UK for about three decades.

EDF agreed in October 2016 with China General Nuclear (CGN) to develop the Sizewell C project to the point where a final investment decision could be made. EDF had an 80% stake and CGN a 20% stake. However, the so-called "golden era" of UK-China relations has ended in recent years with the UK government citing security concerns as it reviewed and blocked Chinese investments in UK infrastructure. In November 2022, the UK said it would invest GBP679 million (USD845 million) and become a 50% partner with EDF in the Sizewell C project. A further GBP511 million of funding was made available to the project in summer 2023, with the government funding designed to get the project to the final investment decision. EDF said in November 2022 that it planned to "retain only a minority stake in the final investment decision - a maximum of 20%".

The UK government has been seeking investment in the Sizewell C project, launching a pre-qualification for potential investors as the first stage of an equity raise process last September. It has also taken legislation through Parliament allowing a new way of funding new large infrastructure projects - a Regulated Asset Base (RAB) funding model, which can see consumers contributing towards the cost of new nuclear power plants during the construction phase. Under the previous Contracts for Difference system developers finance the construction of a nuclear project and only begin receiving revenue when the station starts generating electricity.

In January, a further GBP1.3 billion of government funding was approved allowing for necessary infrastructure work such as roads and rail lines to continue pending a final investment decision being taken. In March Sizewell C Ltd, a standalone company majority-owned by the UK government, signed a deal with EDF Energy to purchase the freehold of the land which will be used for the new power plant.

Minister for Nuclear and Renewables Andrew Bowie said: "Sizewell C will be the cornerstone of the UK's clean energy transition, supplying six million homes with green energy for decades. Obtaining a nuclear site licence is a significant achievement and should instil further confidence from investors - bringing us another step closer towards reaching a final investment decision this year."

Sizewell C Ltd said that earthworks are under way at the site, that the process of raising private equity from investors "continues to make good progress" and "the project is anticipating taking a Final Investment Decision in the coming months".

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/CERN-s-decision-to-end-cooperation-with-Russian-sc

CERN, the European Council for Nuclear Research, is to cut cooperation with Russian scientists later this year, a decision the country's Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called "politically motivated and absolutely unacceptable".

CERN was established in 1953, with cooperation with the Soviet Union first formalised in 1967. In 1993 a Cooperation Agreement was signed with the Russian Federation, which led on to the 2019 International Cooperation Agreement, which is in force until 30 November 2024 and constitutes the framework for cooperation between the parties.

Following a March 2022 United Nations General Assembly Resolution, entitled "Aggression Against Ukraine”, it suspended the Observer status of the Russian Federation until further notice and "the effective suspension of all exchanges of funds, materials and personnel in both directions with the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus, and suspended the participation of CERN scientists in all scientific committees of institutions located in the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus, and vice versa".

The decision to end the cooperation agreement was taken in December 2023 when CERN's Council passed a resolution "to terminate the International Cooperation Agreement between CERN and the Russian Federation, together with all related protocols and addenda, with effect from 30 November 2024; To terminate ... all other agreements and experiment memoranda of understanding allowing the participation of the Russian Federation and its national institutes in the CERN scientific programme, with effect from 30 November 2024; AFFIRMS That these measures concern the relationship between CERN and Russian and Belarusian institutes and do not affect the relationship with scientists of Russian nationality affiliated with other institutes". The cooperation agreement with Belarus will come to an end on 27 June, before the Russian one ends.

Russian scientists are continuing to work at CERN at the moment - earlier this week Pavel Logachev, director of the Institute of Nuclear Physics at the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told the TASS news agency that six of their researchers would continue their work at CERN until the end of the agreement.

And a spokesperson for the Institute of Nuclear Physics at the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences told TASS: "The decision will negatively affect scientific research carried out both by CERN and Russian institutions. A process is currently under way to hand things over to our colleagues from various CERN member states, which is expected to be completed by November 2024."

When asked about the situation on Wednesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry's Zakharova called the CERN decision a "political" one that was "unacceptable", saying it runs "completely counter to the spirit of scientific cooperation ... foreign researchers and companies willing to boost cooperation with our country are the victims of this aggressive campaign".

CERN, which is based in Geneva, says its mission is to help "uncover what the universe is made of and how it works. We do this by providing a unique range of particle accelerator facilities to researchers, to advance the boundaries of human knowledge". Among its achievements have been the Large Hadron Collider, which started up in 2009, the Higgs boson was discovered in 2012 and it was also the birthplace of the World Wide Web. CERN has 23 Member States, 10 Associate Member States and includes 17,000 people from all over the world, with more than 110 nationalities represented.

Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Germany-aims-to-build-fusion-power-plant

A new funding programme for nuclear fusion research has been announced by Germany's Federal Research Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger aimed at paving the way for the first fusion power plant to be constructed in Germany by 2040.

The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) has long supported fusion research at the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (IPP) in Garching and Greifswald, at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and at the Research Center Jülich (FZJ).

"This institutional funding is supplemented by a second pillar with the new project funding programme," the ministry said. "The aim of the project funding is to advance the technologies, components and materials needed for a fusion power plant in a first phase by the early 2030s. In the second phase, the focus is on integration into a power plant design. The funding programme is open to technology and addresses both the technology of so-called magnetic confinement and laser fusion."

In order to achieve the construction of a fusion power plant as quickly as possible, the programme is essentially based on application-oriented collaborative research as a form of public-private partnership. Projects on specific sub-technologies are to be carried out jointly by research institutions, universities and industry. The ministry said this allows new findings from research to be taken up at an early stage and know-how to be transferred to the domestic industry for further use.

"The energy crisis has shown us how important a clean, reliable and affordable energy supply is," Stark-Watzinger said. "And fusion is a huge opportunity to solve all of our energy problems. Thanks to its excellent research landscape and strong industry, Germany offers excellent conditions for the construction of fusion power plants.

"This is where we come in with our new funding programme - named Fusion 2040 - Research on the way to a fusion power plant - and we want to pave the way to the first fusion power plant in Germany. We want to build a fusion ecosystem made up of industry, start-ups and science so that a fusion power plant in Germany becomes a reality as quickly as possible."

She said the government wants to "bundle Germany's existing strengths and create synergies between the different players".

"The global race is on. I would like us in Germany to be among the first to build a fusion power plant. We must not miss this huge opportunity, especially with a view to growth and prosperity," the minister said.

In September last year, Stark-Watzinger announced that Germany would significantly increase research funding for fusion with an additional EUR370 million (USD403 million) over the next five years. Together with funds already earmarked for research institutions, the ministry will provide more than EUR1 billion for fusion research by 2028.

In August 2011, the 13th amendment of the Nuclear Power Act came into effect, which underlined the political will to phase out fission nuclear power in Germany. As a result, eight units were closed down immediately: Biblis A and B, Brunsbüttel, Isar 1, Krümmel, Neckarwestheim 1, Phillipsburg 1 and Unterweser. The Brokdorf, Grohnde and Gundremmingen C plants were permanently shut down at the end of December 2021. The country's final three units - Emsland, Isar 2 and Neckarwestheim 2 - shut down in April last year.