Rajasthan Atomic Power Plant unit 7 - India's third indigenously designed 700 MWe pressurised heavy water reactor - achieved first criticality on 19 September after receiving clearance from the Indian nuclear regulator.

First criticality marks the completion of the construction phase and the start of the operational phase, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) said. The unit will now undergo various tests before it is connected to the grid. Its power will then be raised, in steps, until it reaches full power - a process known as power ascension testing - with clearance from the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board at each step.

Fuel loading at Rajasthan Atomic Power Plant unit 7 - or RAPP-7 - began on 1 August, and the unit now joins Kakrapar 3 and 4 in India's fleet of 700 MWe pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWRs). Kakrapar 3 achieved first criticality in July 2020, was connected to the grid in January 2021 and was declared to be in commercial operation in July 2023. Kakrapar 4 reached first criticality in late December 2023, was connected to the grid in February and declared in commercial operation at the end of March.

"The successful achievement of criticality of RAPP-7, after the smooth operation of the first two 700 MW PHWRs … at Kakrapar in Gujarat, demonstrated the maturity achieved by NPCIL in the design, construction and operation of the indigenous 700 MW PHWRs," NPCIL said.

The Rajasthan plant is already home to six operating PHWRs with a total capacity of 1180 MW. A second 700 MW PHWR - RAPPS-8 - is also under construction and is expected to start generation next year.

As well as Rajasthan units 7 and 8, four Russian-supplied VVER pressurised water reactors are under construction at NPCIL's Kudankulam site in Tamil Nadu. Site works are also under way for the construction of two 700 MW units Gorakhpur in Haryana. In addition to these, a 500 MWe Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor is being built by BHAVINI at Kalpakkam in Madras.

Ten further 700 MW PHWRs have received administrative approval and financial sanction: Kaiga units 5 and 6 in Karnataka; Gorakhpur units 3 and 4 in Haryana; Chutka units 1 and 2 in Madhya Pradesh; and Mahi Banswara units 1 and 2 and units 3 and 4 in Rajasthan. The Indian government recently approved the transfer of the project to build four 700 MWe PHWRs at Mahi Banswara to NPCIL and National Thermal Power Corporation's Ashvini joint venture.

China looks set to start lifting its ban on the import of Japanese fishery products after reaching an agreement with Japan for the independent monitoring of the discharge of treated water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant by China and other countries.

At the Fukushima Daiichi site, contaminated water - in part used to cool melted nuclear fuel - is treated by the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS), which removes most of the radioactive contamination, with the exception of tritium. This treated water is currently stored in tanks on site.

Japan announced in April 2021 it planned to discharge ALPS-treated water into the sea over a period of about 30 years. It started to discharge the water on 24 August last year and has so far completed the release of eight batches, a total of 62,400 cubic metres of water.

"As one of the most important stakeholders, China is firmly opposed to this irresponsible move," China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. "At the same time, China has urged Japan to seriously address concerns in and outside Japan, to earnestly fulfill its obligations, to give full cooperation in the establishment of an independent and effective long-term international monitoring arrangement in which stakeholders can participate substantively, and to accept independent sampling and monitoring by China."

Japan and China have now reached an agreement that allows stakeholders, including China, to conduct independent sampling, monitoring and inter-laboratory comparisons at key stages of the discharge process, which is currently being monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

"Taking into account the interests of all stakeholder countries, including China, Japan welcomes the expansion of long-term and international monitoring at key stages of the ocean release under the IAEA framework, and will ensure that all stakeholder countries, including China, effectively participate in this monitoring and that independent sampling and inter-laboratory comparisons are conducted by the participating countries," said Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"China states that it has taken temporary emergency precautions against aquatic products of Japanese origin according to relevant Chinese laws and regulations and WTO rules," the Chinese ministry said. "After China participates substantively in the long-term international monitoring within the IAEA framework and the independent sampling and other monitoring activities by participating countries are carried out, China will begin to adjust the relevant measures based on scientific evidence and gradually resume imports of Japanese aquatic products that meet the regulation requirements and standards."

The agreement was welcomed by IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, who said: "I wish to commend the government of Japan for its continued engagement with the IAEA, and the government of China for the constructive consultations held with the Agency in support of this bilateral process that comes to a positive conclusion today."

The agreement, Grossi said, "has built on our existing sampling and monitoring activities in compliance with the IAEA statutory functions". He said the IAEA will coordinate with Japan and other stakeholders, including China, to ensure that the additional measures are implemented appropriately under the framework of the IAEA, "maintaining the integrity of the process with full transparency to ensure that water discharge levels are, and will continue to be, in strict compliance and consistent with international safety standards".

Japan and China have agreed to "continue constructive dialogue from a scientific perspective, in a responsible manner towards the ecological environment and people's health, and to appropriately address concerns regarding the ocean release of ALPS-treated water."

IAEA experts stationed at the Fukushima Daiichi plant have taken samples from the batches of diluted water, after they were prepared for discharge. The IAEA's independent on-site analysis has confirmed that the tritium concentration in the diluted water that has so far been discharged is far below the operational limit of 1500 Bq/litre. The IAEA says it will have a presence on site for as long as the treated water is released.

USA-based Holtec International has selected South Yorkshire in England as the preferred site for its proposed UK small modular reactor factory. It has also signed memorandums of understanding with two British research centres to support SMR manufacturing and testing.

Holtec's selection process involved evaluation of 13 locations that responded to a call for interest released by Holtec earlier this year, after which four locations - West Midlands, South Yorkshire, Cumbria and Tees Valley - were shortlisted. Holtec's UK subsidiary, Holtec Britain, has now selected South Yorkshire as the location for its new SMR factory to serve the UK, Europe and the Middle East.

According to the company, the factory is estimated to provide GBP1.5 billion (USD2 billion) in Gross Value Added to the economy and is set to create hundreds of well-paid, high-skilled jobs.

Holtec said that at least 70% of materials, components and services will be sourced from the UK, with significant supply chain opportunities, particularly in and around South Yorkshire.

"Holtec Britain was impressed by the resounding interest in our new SMR factory across the UK and the strong support received by the local authorities during our engagements," said Gareth Thomas, Director of Holtec Britain. "However, after a rigorous process, South Yorkshire was finally selected as our preferred location.

"In addition to the technical, supply chain, training, and logistics criteria for the formal evaluation, we were also impressed by the history and pride of the people we met during our visit to South Yorkshire, which demonstrated the workforce really cares about the quality and reputation of their work. For Holtec, that translates to a workforce that can be trained and will remain committed to delivering the high-quality nuclear products that Holtec, and our customers, demand."

Holtec said it was working to finalise its factory business plan to support its Final Investment Decision, based on its UK and international order book.

Holtec has been developing its SMR unit since 2011. The SMR-300 is a pressurised water reactor producing around 300 MW of electrical power or 1050 MW of thermal power for process applications, and the company says it has undergone several design evolutions, the most recent of which is the incorporation of forced flow capability overlayed on gravity-driven flow in the plant's primary system.

The SMR-300 is one of six SMR designs selected in October last year by Great British Nuclear on a shortlist for the UK's SMR selection competition and one of the five vendors to submit a bid by the 8 July deadline. The aim is for a final investment decision on two or three of the designs to be taken in 2029.

Holtec proposes to deploy around 5 GWe of SMRs in serial production in the UK by 2050.

In December 2023, Holtec secured GBP30 million from the UK government's Future Nuclear Enabling Fund to start the generic design assessment (GDA) process, and completed the first step last month.

The company said it is on track to begin the licensing and construction of two SMR-300 units at its Palisades nuclear power plant site in Michigan. It is aiming to file a construction permit application for the two Palisades SMRs in 2026 with the first SMR-300 plant targeted for mid-2030, subject to regulatory reviews and oversight.

Cooperation agreements

Holtec has also announced that it has signed memorandums of understanding with two UK research centres within the High Value Manufacturing Catapult - the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) and the Coventry-based Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) - to support SMR manufacturing and testing.

The MoU with AMRC agrees that both parties will conduct in-depth analysis of manufacturing technology efficiency and UK skills challenges. Holtec and AMRC will also explore collaboration on SMRs, large-scale nuclear and fusion in both the civil and defence sectors.

"With the signing of this MoU, we're delighted to work with Holtec on a number of manufacturing technology challenges that will bring enhanced efficiency, productivity and impact for the UK - which is at the very core of what we do at the AMRC and indeed, the wider High Value Manufacturing Catapult, said AMRC CEO Steve Foxley.

Holtec Britain's Thomas said: "Our MoU is a serious statement of intent to cement our UK footprint to service the UK domestic market with UK R&D, UK jobs and a fully integrated UK supply chain."

The MoU signed between Holtec Britain and MTC is aimed at supporting the manufacturing and testing of the SMR-300. The agreement states that both parties will work together to find the best manufacturing processes and solutions for the SMR-300. MTC will leverage its expertise to explore innovative manufacturing processes for a future testing phase and both parties will work collaboratively from proof of concept to final installation, training and support after project completion.

"Through our partnership with Holtec, not only will we deliver the innovations needed by one company, but also support end-to-end supply chain development to help anchor this growth sector in the UK," said MTC Senior Business Development Manager Andrew Bowfield.

Thomas added: "Our MoU with the world class MTC is a landmark moment for Holtec Britain as we commit to build on our historic UK nuclear history and use this SMR moment to grow jobs with a fully integrated UK supply chain."

Ontario Power Generation's (OPG) project to refurbish the four Candu units at Darlington is now 86% complete, with unit 1 preparing to restart ahead of schedule. Meanwhile disassembly work on unit 4 continues - and the company has announced its latest corporate green bond issue.

The reactor and supporting systems at Darlington 1 are undergoing tests in preparation for regulatory approval to restart the unit in the final quarter of this year, OPG said in its latest update on the project which covers the period to 30 June. "At the end of this report period, Unit 1 refurbishment execution was 95% complete, on plan, with the restoration of the reactor vault forecasted to be complete in Q3," the company said.

The execution of the refurbishment of unit 4, which began in July 2023, is 42% complete and is on plan, with recent highlights including the completion of calandria tube insert removal, allowing for ongoing work to remove the unit's 480 calandria tubes and pressure tubes which is expected to be completed during the current quarter.

"The refurbishment of the four Darlington units remains on plan for completion by the end of 2026, as committed," the company said. "Unit 1 is on track to complete in Q4 2024, ahead of plan."

The Darlington units are being refurbished in a CAD12.8 billion (USD9.7 billion) project that will enable the station to operate for an additional 30 years. Unit 2 was the first to be refurbished and returned to service in June 2020; unit 3 returned to service in July 2023.

OPG has also initiated a project to refurbish four Candu units at the Pickering nuclear power station, as well as planning to build up to four BWRX-300 small modular reactors (SMRs) at its Darlington New Nuclear project.

On 18 September, the company announced the issue of CAD300 million (USD221 million) of bonds under its Sustainable Finance Framework and said it will use the net proceeds to fund a range of low-carbon energy projects. Under a new Sustainable Finance Framework announced in June, OPG may use funds from the bonds for energy-related projects and programmes including new nuclear projects, such as SMRs, and large new nuclear, in addition to maintenance or refurbishment of existing facilities.

OPG has issued a total of CAD4.6 billion in green bonds since 2018, including offerings by its subsidiaries. To date in 2024, OPG and its subsidiaries have issued CAD1.5 billion in green bonds, including CAD1.3 billion under the Sustainable Finance Framework.

US-based utility Constellation Energy has announced the signing of a power purchase agreement with Microsoft, a 20-year deal that will also restart the long-shuttered Unit 1 of the Three Mile Island nuclear power station in Pennsylvania, the company said in a statement.

The 819-MW Three Mile Island-1 (TMI-1) pressurised water reactor unit was shut down in 2019 over economic concerns. The unit was first connected to the grid in 1974.

Constellation said TMI-1 will be brought back online under the deal with Microsoft as the tech company wants to use energy from the plant to fill the power consumption of its data centres with carbon-free sources.

Constellation said that apart from adding approximately 835 MW of carbon-free energy to the US grid, a restart of TMI-1 would create 3,400 jobs, contribute over $3bn (€2.69bn) in state and federal taxes, and add an expected $16bn to Pennsylvania’s gross domestic product.

The company said that in order to prepare for the restart, it will make significant investments in key infrastructure, including the turbine, generator, and cooling systems.

The plant, expected to be operational by 2028, will also undergo US Nuclear Regulatory Commission safety reviews and state-level permit approvals. A separate license renewal will allow operations to continue through 2054, said Constellation.

According to Constellation, a recent poll has shown strong public support for the TMI-1 restart, with more than two-thirds of Pennsylvanians in favour of the move.

"This critical step forward will ensure Pennsylvania has sufficient baseload power to meet its needs for decades," said US Congressman Scott Perry.

Microsoft’s Bobby Hollis, vice president for energy, called the deal a "major milestone" in the company’s commitment to decarbonising the grid and advancing carbon-free energy technologies.

Constellation said it acquired TMI-1 in 1999, and before its closure, the plant generated enough electricity to power over 800,000 homes, operating at peak capacity about 96% of the time, "well above industry averages".

The company’s plans include renaming the TMI-1 plant to the Crane Clean Energy Centre, in honour of Chris Cane, who was a former long-standing chief executive of Exelon Energy* and passed away earlier this year.

Constellation is the largest US nuclear operator with a fleet of 21 commercial nuclear reactor units at 14 sites.

The Three Mile Island nuclear station, near Harrisburg in Pennsylvania, houses a second reactor units (TMI-2) which only operated for approximately six months before suffering a partial meltdown and reactor core damage during an accident on 28 March 1979 and was never restarted again.

Constellation said TMI-1 is a “a fully independent facility” and its long-term operation was never impacted by the Unit 2 accident. The company said TMI-2 is in the process of being decommissioned by its owner, Energy Solutions.

*In 2022, Constellation split from Exelon Energy, which it had merged in 2012

A coalition of global nuclear industry organisations has called on governments to fully harness the potential of nuclear energy as part of a “strategic priority” to meet climate targets and boost energy security.

In a joint declaration, representatives from organisations* including Brussels-based Nucleareurope, London-based World Nuclear Association, US-based Nuclear Energy Institute, France’s Gifen, and six others, urged governments to accelerate the deployment of new nuclear power facilities based on proven designs and “fast-track” new technologies, including small and advanced reactors.

The declaration also called on governments to “to maximise” the potential of existing nuclear plants by extending operational lifetimes, increasing output, and restarting closed facilities where feasible.

More investment, efforts, and support are also needed in areas including the nuclear fuel supply chain within OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) member states, workforce development, nuclear research, and greater regulatory coordination, the declaration said.

Global Financing Of Nuclear

The coalition highlighted the importance of ensuring that nuclear energy projects have access to national and international climate finance mechanisms.

The group called for multilateral financial institutions, including the World Bank, to incorporate nuclear energy into their investment portfolios and build internal capacity to support these investments.

To encourage greater private sector investment, the group urged governments to provide clarity on the financial mechanisms available for nuclear projects, and their inclusion in sustainable energy taxonomies or green bond schemes.

According to George Borovas, partner and global head of nuclear at law firm Hunton, Andrews, Kurth, multilateral financial institutions have stayed away from nuclear due to internal policies which in many cases have not been seriously discussed with all member countries.

“With climate change and sustainable development becoming the number one priority it is time for all of these institutions to examine their policies and decide whether nuclear must be a part of the solution,” Borovas told NucNet.

“Nuclear projects are the kind of projects that multilateral financial institutions generally support — i.e. large infrastructure projects with society-wide benefits,” he said.

New OECD Initiative

The OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) which hosted the industry meeting during a Paris-event on Thursday (19 September) said it will start a new initiative on Roadmaps to New Nuclear, aimed at uniting countries with a shared interest in rebuilding their capability to implement successful nuclear energy new-build projects

This initiative will focus on tackling key challenges in the nuclear sector, such as securing financing, preparing supply chains, and cultivating a skilled and diverse workforce, the NEA said.

Thirteen nations, including Bulgaria, Canada, the Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Japan, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, South Korea, Sweden, the UK, and the USA, have already expressed interest in joining the effort.

According to NEA director general William Magwood, the new initiative will help turn ministerial and industry priorities into “practical actions” to support the goal of tripling global nuclear energy capacity by 2050.

*The declaration was signed by representatives of: Canadian Nuclear Association, CANDU Owners Group, Electric Power Research Institute, Groupement des industriels français de l’énergie nucléaire (Gifen), Japan Atomic Industrial Forum, Korea Atomic Industrial Forum,

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has reinstated the expiration dates for the subsequent renewed licenses for the two commercial reactor units at the Turkey Point nuclear power station in southern Florida.

Turkey Point-3 and -4 can again operate until July 2052, and April 2053 as a result of the NRC decision, a statement said.

This action follows the completion of a supplemental environmental review required by a and NRC order issued in 2022.

The NRC had decided to issue the order to reverse a 2019 decision by a previous, Republican-led commission to extend Florida Power & Light’s operating licence for the Turkey Point-3 and -4 nuclear power plants.

The Commission said environmental groups had requested a hearing on the review, but in August 2024, the NRC’s atomic safety and licensing board concluded there were no remaining contested issues and terminated the judicial process.

The NRC’s decision can be appealed through late September, though NRC regulations allow licensing actions to proceed during the appeal process.

The NRC had previously granted FPL an initial 20-year extension that will allow the reactors to run until 2032 and 2033. Florida Power & Light said in 2018 that it was filing an application for a second 20-year licence renewal, taking the units’ operational lifetimes to 80 years.

Turkey Point-3, an 837-MW pressurised water reactor unit began commercial operation in December 1972, while 821-MW Turkey Point-4 followed in September 1974.

The Czech Republic has chosen UK firm Rolls-Royce SMR after assessing seven potential technology suppliers for its proposed small modular reactor programme.

The Ministry of Trade said that the applicants were approached "on the basis of their potential suitability for placement in the Czech Republic ... Rolls-Royce SMR emerged as the best company with which ČEZ (the Czech nuclear power company) wants to establish a strategic partnership". The government will now carry out a "safety assessment of the British company" as was done for those who bid for the recent large nuclear units contracts - involving the Ministry of the Interior, Security Information Service, ÚZSI, Military Intelligence and other key institutions to ensure it complies with the state's security requirements.

The first small modular reactor (SMR) is planned by ČEZ at a site near the existing Temelin nuclear power plant in the 2030s, "before the start up of the new large Czech nuclear unit which is planned for before 2040", the ministry said. ČEZ is also looking at other sites suitable for SMRs, including Tušimice and Dětmarovice where survey and monitoring work is taking place to see if they are suitable nuclear sites.

Rolls-Royce SMR's selection by the Czech Republic comes as the company waits to hear whether it will be selected by the UK as one of the preferred suppliers for its own SMR programme. It is one of five in the running, with the expectation that two technologies will be selected to be taken forward by the UK government's arms-length Great British Nuclear body for deployment.

The Czech government says it would be an "advantage ... that Rolls-Royce SMR is just forming its supply chain, and Czech companies thus have a unique opportunity to stand at its birth and participate to the maximum extent possible. Thanks to this strategic cooperation, local companies will be able to participate not only in the development and implementation of the new small modular reactor, but also in the supply of SMR abroad".

Prime Minister Petr Fiala said: "Small modular reactors can be a key technology for ensuring energy security in the future. That is why from the beginning we try not only to build them, but also to participate in their global production and development. In addition, the establishment of a strategic partnership between ČEZ and Rolls-Royce SMR will be a great opportunity for Czech companies that have many years of experience in the nuclear industry."

Minister of Industry and Trade Jozef Síkela said: "This technology can not only provide enough electricity at affordable prices, but also support our efforts to decarbonise and safely transition to clean energy sources. In addition, this cooperation is also a great opportunity for Czech industry. Our companies can be part of the global supply chain from the very beginning and contribute to the development of this promising technology."

ČEZ CEO Daniel Beneš said: "The strategic partnership with Rolls-Royce SMR will allow us to use our long-term experience in the field of nuclear energy in combination with the high technological maturity of the British company." He said that ČEZ would now negotiate specific terms of the cooperation with the British company.

CEO of Rolls-Royce SMR, Chris Cholerton, welcomed the decision and said: "Discussions are ongoing to finalise contract terms and the final agreements are subject to customary regulatory clearances. Details of the agreement will be published at signing. This important strategic partnership further strengthens Rolls-Royce SMR’s position as Europe’s leading SMR technology, and will put ČEZ, Rolls-Royce SMR and its existing shareholders at the forefront of SMR deployment. Rolls-Royce SMRs will be a source of clean, affordable, reliable electricity for Czechia - creating jobs, enabling decarbonisation, reducing the reliance on imported energy and supporting the global effort to reach net zero."

Nuclear Power in the Czech Republic

The Czech Republic currently gets about one-third of its electricity from four VVER-440 units at Dukovany, which began operating between 1985 and 1987, and the two VVER-1000 units in operation at Temelín, which came into operation in 2000 and 2002. In July, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) was named the preferred bidder for up to four new units at the two existing nuclear power plants, with the target of the first unit entering commercial operation in 2038.

The Czech SMR roadmap was published and approved last year setting out options for technology suppliers and identifying a range of potential sites - 45 in total - as well as investor models. Its vision is for "SMRs to complement large nuclear untis from 2030s-40s onwards".

The Rolls-Royce SMR

The Rolls-Royce SMR is a 470 MWe design based on a small pressurised water reactor. It will provide consistent baseload generation for at least 60 years. 90% of the SMR - measuring about 16 metres by 4 metres - will be built in factory conditions, limiting on-site activity primarily to assembly of pre-fabricated, pre-tested, modules which significantly reduces project risk and has the potential to drastically shorten build schedules.

Its capacity is larger than many of its SMR rivals - the general definition of an SMR is of a reactor unit with an output of up to 300 MWe. In July, it successfully completed Step 2 of the UK's Generic Design Assessment process and progressed to the third and final phase of the process which assesses the safety, security and environmental aspects of a nuclear power plant design that is intended to be deployed in the UK. The target date to complete that final stage is August 2026.

In July, the Nuclear Industry Association applied to the UK government for a justification decision for Rolls-Royce SMR's SMR, a decision required for the operation of a new nuclear technology in the country. It marks the first ever application for justification of a UK reactor design. If Rolls-Royce is successful in the UK's SMR selection contest, the aim is for a final investment decision to be taken in the UK in 2029.

Czech state-controlled utility CEZ will establish a strategic partnership with UK-based Rolls-Royce SMR for the development of small modular reactors (SMR), prime-minister Petr Fiala told a press conference on Wednesday 18 September.

A government statement said the partnership will be concluded on the condition that Rolls-Royce SMR passes a standard security assessment test.

Fiala said Prague is not interested to “only build” new SMR plants but participate in their production on a global scale.

“The establishment of a strategic partnership between CEZ and Rolls-Royce SMR will be a great opportunity for Czech companies, which have many years of experience in the nuclear industry,” Fiala said.

The government said CEZ plans to build the first SMR plant in the Czech Republic near the existing Temelin nuclear station. It is expected to be built in the first half of the 2030s before any new large-scale units come online.

CEZ chief executive Daniel Benes said the strategic partnership with Rolls-Royce SMR will allow the company to combine its long-term experience with nuclear energy with “the high technological maturity” of its new UK partner.

Benes said that CEZ will now negotiate a specific form of cooperation with Rolls-Royce SMR.

Rolls-Royce SMR chief executive Chris Cholerton welcomed the decision of the Czech government to name the UK company as preferred supplier for the development and construction of SMR plants.

Cholerton said the final agreements “are subject to customary regulatory clearances” and details will be published upon signing.

Cholerton also confirmed Rolls-Royce SMR was selected from a list of seven potential SMR technology providers.

Rolls-Royce has said its SMR will be factory-built, enabling easier transportation, reduced completion risk, and increased build time certainty. The SMR plant is to have an output of 470 MW.

The Czech Republic has six commercially operational reactor units: four Russia-designed VVER-440 units at Dukovany and two larger VVER-1000 units at Temelín. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, in 2023 the six units provided 40% of the country’s electricity production.

The Czech government approved an SMR deployment roadmap in 2023. Prague also wants to deploy two large-scale reactor units at Dukovany in the late 2030s and potentially at Temelin in the 2040s.

The programme to restart the Palisades nuclear power plant in Michigan is now in the inspections and maintenance phase and remains on schedule, Holtec International said in its latest update. Meanwhile, the US regulator has been petitioned to codify regulations for restarting shuttered nuclear power plants.

Recent progress at the plant, in Covert Township, has included initial accreditation for Holtec's operations and maintenance and technical training programmes, requalification of 26 former Palisades licensed operators, significant workforce growth, completion of chemical cleaning of the primary coolant system , and comprehensive reactor vessel internal inspections. The chemical cleaning has "had a dramatic effect on further improving the plant’s occupational radiation safety metrics", Holtec said.

The focus has now shifted to detailed inspections and maintenance of major systems, including the main turbine, containment building structure, high-voltage towers and transformers. Detailed inspections of the plant’s steam generators have been completed, during which the need for additional maintenance activities was identified, Holtec said: "Thorough and early inspections have allowed us to proactively identify and implement the needed refurbishments before Palisades returns to service. Palisades's owner’s engineer, Nuclear Consultants International (NCI, an autonomous Holtec affiliate), is working with experienced on-site and external experts to devise and implement industry-proven solutions."

Preparations are also nearly complete for a five-month campaign to transfer used fuel assemblies currently stored in the plant’s fuel pool to Hi-Storm FW dry fuel storage systems at a unified on-site storage facility, designed and built by Holtec’s Nuclear Power Division.

“As nuclear professionals, restoring the plant to its highest level of safety is our utmost priority. Our primary focus remains ensuring that Palisades returns to service safely and reliably, with all necessary repairs and maintenance completed to the highest standards,” said Holtec Chief Nuclear Officer Rich Burroni.

Palisades' single-unit 800 MWe pressurised water reactor was shut down in 2022, after more than 40 years of commercial operation, and was to be decommissioned. Holtec completed its acquisition of the reactor from then-owner and operator Entergy shortly after the reactor's closure, with plans to finish dismantling, decontamination, and remediation by 2041. The same month, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) transferred the plant's operating licence to Holtec for the purpose of decommissioning.

But Holtec then announced plans to apply for federal funding to enable it to reopen the plant, and in October 2023 submitted a filing with the NRC to formally begin the process of seeking reauthorisation of power operations at the plant. The company is aiming to repower the plant by the end of 2025. It would be the first nuclear power plant in the USA to return to commercial operations after being closed down, and current plans would see it provide baseload clean power until at least 2051.

Regulatory process

According to NRC information, Holtec will need to explain to the regulator how it will return plant components to a status that supports safe operation; restore the licensing basis of the plant to an operational status, and make any upgrades necessary to meet current NRC requirements. NRC staff will carefully review the regulatory and licensing documents for the plant, inspect new and restored components necessary to operate safely, and continue ongoing oversight to ensure sufficiency of all plant systems and programmes. The NRC has established the Palisades Nuclear Plant Restart Panel to provide oversight of the restart effort.

Palisades may not be the only shuttered US plant to return to service: earlier this year, NextEra Energy CEO John Ketchum told investors the company was considering the possibility of restarting the Duane Arnold boiling water reactor plant, which closed in 2020. Constellation Energy CEO Joe Dominguez has also, in comments to investors, not ruled out a restart of Three Mile Island unit 1 which closed in 2019.

Now, the US regulator has been petitioned to revise its regulations to include a Commission-approved process for returning a decommissioning plant to operational status. In an entry in the US Federal Register, the NRC said it has determined that the petition "meets the sufficiency requirements" for it to be documented, and is calling for public comment. The petition was submitted by a former engineering director of the plant and an investigative journalist, with community members near the plant adding their signatures.

"The petition states that the NRC staff lack a specific NRC Commission-approved and codified process for licensing, inspecting, and approving the return to service of a power reactor that has entered decommissioning. The petitioner requests that the NRC conduct rulemaking to include a codified process for returning a decommissioning plant to operational status," the NRC said.

The review of the petition is a separate process from the ongoing NRC consideration of requested actions related to the potential restart of the Palisades Nuclear Plant, the regulator added.

US developer Aalo Atomics has announced it is partnering with Idaho Falls Power in a project aiming to deploy seven factory-built Aalo-1 microreactors, totalling 75 MWe of generation.

The Aalo-1 microreactors will be constructed at the company's reactor factory and headquarters in Austin, Texas. "The reactors for this project could be the first factory-built commercial microreactors in this country," Aalo Chief Technical Officer Yasir Arafat said. "This approach will allow significantly higher predictability in quality, cost, and schedule than today's large-scale plants, which, at best, take nearly a decade to build."

Aalo said its memorandum of understanding with Idaho Falls Power will deliver clean, dependable power to the city of Idaho Falls and will "open the door for surrounding communities to harness the benefits of advanced nuclear technology". Idaho Falls Power will use part of the microreactors' output, with the remaining power being made available to surrounding municipalities and other commercial applications.

Municipal electric utility Idaho Falls Power currently operates, owns and operates five hydropower plants along the Snake River, which provide about one-third of the electricity used in the city of Idaho Falls. It also owns a "small" solar installation, but purchases most of the balance of its power from the Bonneville Power Administration. The utility said it is "negotiating a power purchase agreement with Aalo Atomics" under which Aalo would lease land for the life of the project, up to 80 years, at Idaho Falls Power's new Energy Research Park, where it recently began construction of a 17.5 MWe natural gas plant.

Aalo said its choice of Idaho Falls was strategic, building on the region's rich history of nuclear innovation and ongoing development, and strong public support for nuclear.

Earlier this year, Aalo announced it had completed the conceptual design of the Aalo-1 - a factory-fabricated 10 MWe sodium-cooled microreactor using uranium zirconium hydride fuel elements. It is working on the construction of a non-nuclear test reactor (Aalo-0), at its Austin HQ, and plans to build its first nuclear reactor - the Aalo Experimental reactor (Aalo-X) - at Idaho National Laboratory as part of its phased approach to development and deployment.

In line with this development philosophy, the MoU with Idaho Falls Power stipulates that the project will only proceed to full construction once specific cost and uncertainty milestones are met, Aalo said, protecting both parties from potential setbacks. Aalo is also pursuing other parallel commercialisation paths.

"This phased approach allows us to minimise risks while still pushing the boundaries with new nuclear technology," Aalo CEO Matt Loszak said. "We've built in multiple layers of risk reduction so that both partners can move forward with confidence."

Aalo said it was moving forward with plans to secure regulatory approval from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, with the Idaho Falls project "slated to go online before the end of the 2020s" - although Idaho Falls Power has said the project "is not expected to come online before 2030".

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued a licence to Abilene Christian University for the construction of a molten salt research reactor on its campus in Abilene, Texas. This marks the first construction permit for a liquid-fueled advanced reactor and only the second for any advanced reactor issued by the NRC.

In March 2020, Abilene Christian University (ACU) submitted to the NRC a Letter of Intent to apply for a construction permit for a non-power molten salt reactor. In July 2020, it submitted a Regulatory Engagement Plan related to this project. ACU submitted its construction licence application - including a Preliminary Safety Analysis Report and an Environmental Review - to the NRC in August 2022. The NRC accepted the application for review three months later. ACU submitted updates in November 2023 and July 2024.

ACU's molten salt research reactor (MSRR) will be the first deployment of the Natura MSR-1, a 1 MWt, graphite-moderated, fluoride salt flowing fluid (fuel dissolved in the salt) research reactor. The MSRR will be used for on-campus nuclear research and training opportunities for faculty, staff and students in advanced nuclear technologies. The reactor will significantly expand the university's salt reactor research and development infrastructure, supporting US molten salt reactor design, development, deployment and market penetration.​​

The NRC issued its final environmental assessment for the site on 7 March with a finding of "no significant impact". On 16 September, the NRC completed its final safety evaluation for the reactor design, concluding the Natura MSR-1 meets federal regulations and is safe to construct.

"This is the first research reactor project we've approved for construction in decades, and the staff successfully worked with ACU to resolve several technical issues with this novel design," said Andrea Veil, Director of the NRC's Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation. "Going forward, we'll have inspectors on the ACU campus when construction gets started."

Natura Resources LLC said Zachry Nuclear Engineering will complete the detailed engineering and design of its Natura MSR-1 in "the first part of 2025, which will be followed quickly by the submission of the operating licence application to the NRC".

ACU is the lead university in the NEXT Research Alliance, which includes Georgia Institute of Technology, Texas A&M University and The University of Texas at Austin. The alliance has a USD30.5 million research agreement with Natura Resources to license and deploy the MSRR, which will be located at ACU's Dillard Science and Engineering Research Center, the USA's first advanced reactor demonstration facility outside of a national laboratory. Construction of the centre was completed in August last year.

"ACU is thrilled to have Natura as a partner as we work together to answer the world's increased demand for reliable energy, medical isotopes, and clean water through the deployment of liquid-fueled molten salt reactors," said ACU President Phil Schubert. "With the NRC's issuance of the construction permit, we are one step closer to making that a reality. The performance-driven approach of Natura Resources to advanced reactor deployment has quickly moved them from a relative unknown to a leader in the upstart advanced reactor industry."

The research reactor will be Natura's first deployment and accelerates the development of its 100 MWe systems for commercial applications. To that end, Natura is working to develop a small modular MSR system and recently announced a partnership with the Texas Produced Water Consortium to explore the deployment of Natura's liquid-fueled molten salt technology providing additional sources of reliable, dispatchable energy paired with water treatment facilities.

"If we're going to meet the growing energy needs, not only in the State of Texas but in our country and the world at large, we must begin deploying advanced nuclear reactors," said Natura Resources founder and President Douglass Robison. "The Natura MSR-1 deployment at ACU will not only demonstrate successful licensure of a liquid-fueled molten salt reactor but will provide operational data that will allow us to safely and efficiently design and deploy our commercial systems."

Ten industry associations have issued a communiqué calling on all OECD member states to set out clear plans for nuclear energy deployment. The document was released during the first day of the second Roadmaps to New Nuclear conference in Paris, organised by the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency.

Co-chaired by Swedish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Energy, Business and Industry, Ebba Busch, and OECD NEA Director-General William Magwood, the OECD NEA said at the event "ministers, CEOs and other leaders will discuss concrete ways to make good on global pledges to increase nuclear energy production to fight climate change".

It added: "Building on the success of Roadmaps to New Nuclear 2023, ministers, senior government officials and industry representatives will convene to share recent experiences, deliberate on best practices and chart a collaborative path towards delivering new nuclear energy construction at the scale and pace required to meet the growing global expectations for nuclear energy.

"Whereas Roadmaps 2023 provided a general direction for collective action, which was followed by a pledge by more than 20 countries at COP28 to triple global nuclear energy capacity by 2050, this second meeting will focus on critical next steps to bring solutions to the countries most interested in proceeding with nuclear new build."

The NEA said the discussions during the two-day event "will inform the development of actionable policy recommendations for policymakers, nuclear power companies and the nuclear energy sector more broadly".

The nuclear industry - represented by the Canadian Nuclear Association, Candu Owners Group, the Electric Power Research Institute, Groupement des Industriels Français de l'Energie Nucléaire (Gifen), Japan Atomic Industrial Forum, Korea Atomic Industrial Forum, Nuclear Energy Institute, nucleareurope, Nuclear Industry Association and World Nuclear Association - issued a communiqué saying: "We congratulate those OECD member states that signed the Declaration to Triple Nuclear at COP28. We urge all OECD member states to set out clear plans for nuclear energy deployment that would fulfil the targets they have set through the UNFCCC process and to demonstrate their commitment to nuclear energy, giving clear signals to markets and investors."

The associations said they recognise that meeting a tripling of nuclear capacity by "2050 will require significant expansion in access to financing, strengthening of supply chains, investment in workforce, further development of the nuclear fuel supply and supportive policies and regulations to enable rapid scaling of nuclear energy generation".

They called on governments to help maximise the use of existing nuclear power plants, including extending the operating period of reactors, uprating their output and restarting those that have shutdown where feasible. They said governments should act to accelerate deployment of new nuclear facilities based on proven designs, and accelerate the development, demonstration, and deployment of new nuclear technologies, including new large nuclear reactors as well as small modular reactors and advanced modular reactors.

The associations highlighted eight key areas in which governments must take action in order to achieve the 2050 target. These include: promoting policies to encourage fleet deployment of nuclear energy technologies; ensuring ready access to national and international climate finance mechanisms for nuclear development; ensuring that multilateral financial institutions include nuclear energy in their investment portfolios; providing clarity to investors on the funding and investment recovery mechanisms available for nuclear projects and including nuclear energy in clean energy financing mechanisms; continuing efforts to strengthen supply chains for nuclear fuel in OECD member states; investing in workforce development and training; continuing investments in nuclear research and efforts to bolster the nuclear supply chain within OECD member states; and expanding regulatory cooperation.

"The communiqué issued today congratulates those OECD member states that signed the Declaration to Triple Nuclear at COP28, and encourages other member states to join," said Sama Bilbao y León, Director General, World Nuclear Association. "The goal to triple global nuclear capacity is also shared by industry through the Net Zero Nuclear initiative highlighting government and industry collaboration. The time is now to expand nuclear capacity and provide clean, reliable and secure energy for all."

New initiative launched

The NEA announced it will create a new Joint Undertaking on Roadmaps to New Nuclear that will "bring together like-minded countries to rebuild their capability to implement successful nuclear energy new-build projects".

The initiative will focus on addressing the most pressing issues in nuclear energy, including nuclear finance, supply chain readiness and building a skilled and diverse workforce.

So far, 13 countries (Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Japan, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, South Korea, Sweden, the UK and the USA) have expressed interest in the initiative.

"The Joint Undertaking on Roadmaps to New Nuclear will allow us to turn the priorities identified by Ministers and CEOs into practical actions to support the tripling of nuclear energy capacity by 2050," OECD NEA Director-General William Magwood said. "This collaborative framework will advance international cooperation, foster strategic partnerships, and exchanges among governments and industry to more effectively deliver on the national priorities of the countries pursuing new nuclear capacity."

The Lower Saxony Ministry of the Environment has rejected an application from environmental groups NABU and BUND to revoke or withdraw the planning approval decision for the Konrad repository for low and intermediate-level radioactive waste.

The former Konrad iron ore mine - in Salzgitter, Lower Saxony - closed for economic reasons in 1976 and investigations began the same year to determine whether the mine was suitable for use as a repository for low and intermediate-level radioactive waste (LLW/ILW).

In 2002, the Lower Saxony Ministry for the Environment issued a planning approval decision for the Konrad repository. Following multiple legal proceedings, this approval was confirmed by the Federal Administrative Court in 2007. A construction licence was issued in January 2008.

However, in May 2021, NABU and BUND submitted an application to withdraw or revoke the existing planning approval decision for the Konrad repository and to stop construction.

The Lower Saxony Ministry of the Environment has now dismissed the application "after intensive legal and substantive review".

Federal radioactive waste company, Bundesgesellschaft für Endlagerung (BGE) - which assumed responsibility as the operator of the Konrad repository from the Federal Office for Radiation Protection in April 2017 - welcomed the decision.

"This finding once again confirms that the planning approval decision for the Konrad repository is legal," it said. "BGE will continue to push ahead with the construction of the Konrad repository so that the majority of low and medium-level radioactive waste from Germany can be safely disposed of."

Thomas Lautsch, technical director of BGE, added: "With the planning approval decision for the Konrad repository, we have a robust basis for the construction, operation and decommissioning of the Konrad repository. The construction will take place on this basis and will also be implemented in accordance with the current technical regulations."

The Konrad mine is being converted for use as a repository under the supervision of BGE. The two mine shafts are being renovated and equipped with the necessary infrastructure underground. Among other things, this infrastructure includes transport galleries and the emplacement areas at a depth of around 850 metres. Above ground, construction work is under way on new buildings, including the reloading hall.

The final disposal of up to 303,000 cubic metres of LLW/ILW at Konrad is set to begin in the early 2030s. This waste represents 95% of the country's waste volume, with 1% of the radioactivity. At present, this waste is stored above-ground in interim storage facilities at more than 30 locations in Germany. Once within the Konrad repository, the containers will be immobilised with suitable concrete and securely sealed off during emplacement operations. Once operations are complete, all cavities of the mine will be backfilled and sealed in a manner that ensures long-term safety.

The first results of the pioneering scientific research project launched earlier this year have catalogued microplastic particles in the sea water, sediment and animals in Antarctica.

The preliminary results were outlined during an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) General Conference session focusing on the study, which is supported by Argentina and forms part of the wider IAEA NUTEC plastics initiative, which aims to use nuclear technologies to tackle plastic pollution.

Nathalie Bernard, from the IAEA Marine Environment Laboratories and University of Buenos Aires, unveiling the results, said that "sadly we have found microplastics everywhere, on every sample, every matrix". She said that the concentrations of microplastics varied by location and by day.

More than 250 samples were collected from the Almirante Irizer icebreaker, which sailed 27,209 kilometres over 125 days covering 84 sampling stations. Over the course of a week 166 samples were collected from Argentina's Carlini research station base as part of what was described as the first study of microplastics pollution from South America to Antarctica.

The samples were of water, of sediment and also of penguin droppings and shellfish. Bernard said: "All of these results were possible thanks to nuclear techniques, specifically vibrational microspectroscopy which allows us not only to count, but also identify polymers. We were able to analyse particles as small as 20 microns (WNN note: for comparison a human hair is about 100 microns) and this is important because we found out that almost 90% of the particles we analysed were smaller than 100 microns and ... most of the studies conducted before have focused on larger particles, larger than 300 microns, which clearly overlooks the larger majority."

The preliminary results - with 30% of the samples analysed so far, found that in terms of distribution in water, in Buenos Aires it was 256 microplastic particles per litre, compared with 5 microplastics particles per litre in the Antarctic Ocean and 21 microplastics particles per litre at Carlini Station in the Antarctic.

The Carlini samples found 6000-15,000 microplastic particles per kilogramme of sediment, 15 microplastic particles per square metre of sand and 200-4000 microplastic particles per biological sample of shellfish or penguin droppings.

There were 11 different types of plastics found in the samples, 62% were "Teflon-like microplastics" and 29% were polyethylene-like. Examples of the types of products using the types of plastics found included frying pans, PVC pipes and plastic drinks bottles.

The early theories about the possible sources of the pollution in Antarctica include fisheries, local human activities and global sources, via the atmosphere or ocean currents.

Bernard said that the conclusions of the preliminary study was that "we know now that microplastics are everywhere, that we can find different levels and types between the sites and that the levels in Antarctica are relatively low if we compare them with highly populated industrial zones - but they are far away from zero, which is what it was thought to be until recently in Antarctica.".

The next steps are to finalise the analysis and do extra checks before sharing the results globally and using the figures as a baseline for future surveys, to assess possible pollution sources and inform policy makers for local and global actions in line with the Antarctic Treaty.

The meeting also heard progress reports on the United Nations actions to end plastics pollution and how the NUTEC initiative can help with plastics upcycling using irradiation to allow plastic waste to not just be traditionally recycled, but also used in cement or in wood/plastic composits - one of the examples given was Argentina using radiation-modified railway sleepers from plastic waste.

Argentina's Foreign Affairs Minister Diana Mondino said that the country was one of the original signatories of the Antarctic Treaty and said: "There's growing concern in understanding the impact in the Antarctic ecosystem from plastics and microplastics." She said the results had prompted the creation of a regional group in Latin America led by Argentina to focus on the issue.

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said the NUTEC initiative had been well received because "we do have a serious problem with microplastics, nanoplastics and we did also have a scarcity of information, objective information". He said having the facts was important so people can take "informed decisions when it comes to the protection of this environment, which is so pristine and that we all care for".

"This is not a simple environmental endeavour that we take for the sake of knowing a little bit more - the idea is that we provide important information that is relevant for fisheries, relevant for very important economic activities in all our countries."

Australia's ambassador Ian Biggs said that Australia had a major stake in the international effort in Antarctica and he said that according to projections there could soon be a tonne of plastic in the ocean for every three tonnes of fish, saying this showed the necessity of action to tackle plastic pollution and he said Australia believed that the NUTEC programme was "making a real difference in helping countries address pressing global challenges on plastic pollution".

The background

The IAEA's NUTEC plastics scheme was established in 2020 and uses a series of monitoring laboratories to use nuclear technology to sample and analyse microplastics - which are bits of plastic less than 5 millimetres in diameter - in the environment. There are more than 60 countries participating in monitoring of microplastics in the sea, and the goal is to equip more than 50 laboratories with the technology to form a global monitoring network.

The aim is to then be able to take action to bring in measures designed to reduce the sources of the pollution - at least 30 countries are involved in developing innovative recycling technology, including using irradiation to treat plastics and make them fit for reuse, or for a wider range of reuses. This process uses gamma and electron beam radiation technologies to modify certain types of plastic waste, breaking down plastic polymers judged not to be of sufficient quality into smaller components and then allowing them to be used to generate new plastic products.

The IAEA cites studies suggesting that only around 10% of plastic produced between 1950 and 2015 has been recycled, with the majority (about 60%) going to landfill, meaning action is imperative given estimates that there will be one tonne of plastic for every three tonnes of fish within a few years.

Grossi visited an IAEA mission in Antarctica in January with Argentina's president to see the start of work for the project, with the IAEA explaining that "there is still almost no information available on where and how much microplastics arrive in the Antarctic and how much is taken up by Antarctic organisms. There is also very little data existing on the types of microplastics reaching this pristine area through ocean currents, atmospheric deposition and the presence of humans in the Antarctic".

It also said the "presence of microplastics can contribute to accelerating the ice-loss in Antarctica by reducing ice reflectivity, altering surface roughness, promoting microbial activity, acting as thermal insulators, and contributing to mechanical weakening of the ice structure".

The Indian government has approved the creation of a joint venture between Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited and National Thermal Power Corporation to construct, own and operate nuclear power plants in India.

Under Indian legislation, only two companies - Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) and Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited (Bhavini, set up to build and operate fast reactors) - are legally allowed to own and operate nuclear power plants in India, but a 2016 amendment to the 1962 Atomic Energy Act allows public sector joint ventures.

State-owned National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) agreed with NPCIL to form a joint venture for nuclear power plant construction as long ago as 2011, and last year signed a supplementary joint venture agreement for the development of six 700 MWe Indian-designed pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWRs), including the four earmarked for construction at Mahi Banswara in the state of Rajasthan. These units are amongst a list of ten PHWRs already accorded administrative approval and financial sanction to be built in "fleet mode".

On 11 September, the government approved the formation of Anushakti Vidhyut Nigam Ltd (Ashvini), a joint venture between NPCIL (51%) and NTPC Ltd (49%). The companies were informed of that decision on 17 September.

In addition, the government has approved the transfer of the project to build four 700 MWe PHWRs at Mahi Banswara from NPCIL to Ashvini.

NTPC said that, in addition to the Mahi Banswara project, "Ashvini shall also pursue other nuclear power projects in different parts of the country".

The government also approved exemption to NPCIL to invest more than INR5 billion (USD59.7 million) and exemption to NTPC to invest more than INR50 billion in a single joint venture or subsidiary company.

"This will enable adequate financing for accelerated nuclear power capacity addition in India," the two companies said.

Welcoming approval for the joint venture, NPCIL and NTPC said: "This will pave the way for pooling of resources from both NTPC and NPCIL, in terms of finances, technology and project expertise, for the rapid expansion of nuclear power productivity in the country to meet the target of net-zero by 2070."

Last month, NTPC - India's largest power company - confirmed it intends to set up a 100% nuclear power subsidiary, called NTPC Nuclear Power Company, with NTPC Chairman and Managing Director Gurdeep Singh saying the utility sees nuclear capacity - including small modular reactors - as central to its plans. Singh said the company is actively looking for locations for nuclear power plants, including in Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Karnataka.

According to a Reuters report in February, government sources said India was planning to invite private firms to invest some USD26 billion in its nuclear energy sector, and is in talks with "at least" five private firms including Reliance Industries, Tata Power, Adani Power and Vedanta Ltd to invest around INR440 billion (USD5.30 billion) each.

Plans are not yet finalised, but the government hopes to use the investments to build 11,000 MWe of new nuclear capacity by 2040, the sources said. The plants would be built and operated by NPCIL, with the investing companies earning revenue from electricity sales from the plants. This hybrid plan would not require any amendment to India's Atomic Energy Act of 1962 - which prohibits private control of nuclear power generation - but would need to be approved by the Department of Atomic Energy, they said.

As well as further 700 MWe PHWRs, Indian plans envisage the construction of large reactors from overseas vendors, including further Russian-designed VVER reactors in addition to those already in operation and under construction at Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu. In August 2023, Minister of State Jitendra Singh also told the country's parliament that the government was considering options for small modular reactors, and looking at ways to allow the participation of the private sector and start-ups in such projects.

French state-owned energy company EDF and France-based International Institute of Nuclear Energy (I2EN) have signed agreements with Slovenian scientific institutions to improve cooperation in the civil uses of nuclear energy.

The agreements, signed at the French embassy in Slovenia, aim to advance research, development, training, and education in nuclear energy, officials said.

Thes efforts are part of a broader cooperation between France and Slovenia, supported by EDF for several years, Vakisasai Ramany, senior vice-president for international nuclear development at EDF, said on social media.

One of the agreements was signed between EDF and Slovenia’s Jožef Stefan Institute (IJS). It focuses on research and development for nuclear power plants and small modular reactors.

A second agreement was signed between I2EN and the University of Maribor. It aims to develop higher education programmes in nuclear science and technology, with initiatives including student and researcher exchanges, joint European projects, and potential internships in France.

Slovenia has been considering the construction of a new reactor unit at its existing Krsko nuclear station and earlier reports said a final decision on the project would be made in 2027 or 2028, with commercial operation in the mid-2040s.

The existing single 688-MW pressurised water reactor at Krkso is co-owned in equal shares by the governments of Slovenia and neighbouring Croatia. It is the only nuclear plant in Slovenia.

Slovenia has received offers for its new-build plans from three suppliers including EDF, South Korean KHNP, and US-based Westinghouse Electric.

Slovenian state secretary Jure Gasparic highlighted earlier this week the importance of nuclear energy for the country’s green transition, alongside renewable energy sources.

“We are aware that the development of a successful and safe nuclear programme requires cooperation between industry, science and the government, strengthened by international partnerships,” Gasparic was quoted by local media as saying.

The construction project for Bangladesh's first nuclear power plant has hit a fresh landmark with dummy fuel assemblies being loaded into unit 1 of the Rooppur nuclear power plant.

The dummy fuel assemblies' dimensions, weight and materials are exact replicas of standard fuel assemblies, but without nuclear fuel. They are designed to check the geometry of the reactor core and are a key step of the start-up process for a new nuclear unit.

In addition to ensuring the quality of the loading and handling processes, they will also help to confirm the hydraulic parameters of the reactor plant during circulation flushing and reactor cold and hot tests preceding physical start-up of the unit.

Nuclear fuel loading will only take place after the tests with the dummy fuel assemblies have been successfully carried out.

The Rooppur plant, 160 kilometres from the capital Dhaka, features two Russian VVER-1200 reactors. Rosatom in February 2011 signed an agreement for two reactors to be built at Rooppur for the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission. The initial contract for the project, worth USD12.65 billion, was signed in December 2015. The Bangladesh Atomic Regulatory Authority issued the first site licence for the Rooppur plant in June 2016, allowing preliminary site works, including geological surveys, to begin. Construction of the first unit began in November 2017. Construction of the second unit began in July 2018. They have an initial life-cycle of 60 years, with a further 20-year extension possible.

Denis Muzlov, Director of Atomtechenergo JSC Branch in Bangladesh, said that all 163 dummy fuel assemblies (DFA) would be loaded over the next few days, with the work continuing round the clock. "Loading of one DFA into the reactor, using the refuelling machine in automatic mode, takes 25 minutes on average. After the DFA loading, we will start preparing the reactor for subsequent circulation flushing and cold and hot tests."

Alexey Deriy, ASE JSC Vice President for Projects in Bangladesh, said the project was a demonstration of Rosatom "creating the conditions for development of new industries in its partner countries. Construction of Rooppur NPP is going on, the start-up and adjustment works at unit 1 are in full swing. Upon the power plant start-up, Bangladesh will be provided with electricity for further development of the country."

Westinghouse Electric Company has submitted a preliminary safety design report (PSDR) for its eVinci microreactor to the US Department of Energy’s National Reactor Innovation Centre (NRIC) in a move towards potentially siting a demonstrator project at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL).

Westinghouse said in a statement this is the first time a reactor developer has reached “this milestone” on the path to deploying a test reactor at NRIC’s Demonstration of Microreactor Experiments (Dome) test bed at INL.

The PSDR follows a recently completed front-end engineering and experiment design process and is key to Westinghouse’s goal of deploying the eVinci microreactor globally by 2030, the statement said.

“The completion of the PSDR for the eVinci test reactor is an important step towards enabling a microreactor developer to perform a test in our Dome facility,” said Brad Tomer, acting director of NRIC.

The preliminary safety design report is a document that outlines the safety design aspects of a nuclear reactor or other complex systems and typically includes assessments of potential risks, operational guidelines, and safety measures needed to ensure the safe development and operation of the reactor.

Westinghouse said next steps will include the development of a timeline for an “end-to-end” reactor test programme at INL, along with a preliminary documented safety analyses submission. This will be the third of four DOE submissions needed for Westinghouse to install the test reactor at the Dome test bed.

NRIC is a DOE initiative designed to accelerate the development and deployment of advanced nuclear reactor technologies.

Hosted at INL, NRIC provides resources and facilities for private companies and researchers to test, demonstrate, and validate new reactor designs.

Westinghouse said NRIC’s objective is to create four new experimental facilities and two large reactor test beds by 2028 for comprehensive technology demonstrations and experiments, and to finalise two advanced nuclear technology experiments by 2030.

According to earlier reports, eVinci is a very small modular reactor for decentralised heat and power generation including off-grid sites, remote communities, disaster recovery, industrial sites, defence facilities, marine propulsion, hydrogen generation, and water purification among others.

The small size of the eVinci reactor, between 5-10 MW, will allow for easier transportation and rapid onsite installation, Westinghouse has previously said. The reactor has very few moving parts and works essentially as a battery.

The test reactor, a one-fifth scale representation of an actual eVinci microreactor, will enable design finalisation, testing and licensing of the technology, Westinghouse has said.

In October 2023, the DOE awarded $3.9m (€3.5m) to three US-based advanced nuclear energy technologies – Radiant’s Kaleidos, Ultra Safe’s Pylon and Westinghouse’s eVinci – to design experiments to test microreactor designs in the INL’s Dome test bed.

The urgency of the demand for new nuclear capacity means that leadership will need to embrace change and look outside the sector for ideas and personnel, an IAEA General Conference panel discussion heard.

At a packed session called Leaders in nuclear: building effective leadership skills in the nuclear sector, Margaret Doane, International Atomic Energy Agency Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Management, said that collaboration between the agency and the nuclear industry was greater than it had ever been,

Asked what the key leadership challenge was for meeting the widely shared goal of tripling nuclear energy capacity by 2050, she said: “Resilience. What I mean by that is that we have got to be much more accepting of change. I think in nuclear we were very risk-averse and the reason was because we wanted to put in place a very good, strong, safety culture, we wanted to have regulations that were well understood, we wanted to build trust in the communities and we did this through … very transparent processes that were also very long. And this was essential, but now ... to answer these very challenging climate change questions … that has to go much quicker.

"All of us who have been in the field for years are still going to be necessary because you have a lot of the answers, but we have to be resilient in a way that we are accepting of change,” she said, picking up on a theme in the discussion about the need for a multigenerational outlook - “so many staff who are coming in have experience with technology that we don’t have, they have different ways of thinking, they’re experimenting and thinking of different designs. All kinds of different things coming out of the universities will move us ahead but we have to be open minded to accept this".

Sama Bilbao y León, Director General of World Nuclear Association, said that the immediate focus was on attracting and inspiring the next generation of leaders - "leaders at every level - not everybody will be the CEO but everybody can be leaders in their area". She said that leaders needed to be pragmatic and realistic, but boldness and curiosity were among the attributes required as well. Along with the other speakers she referred to the positive impact on leadership from initiatives such as World Nuclear University.

There was a need to be open-minded to learn from other industries, Bilbao y León said, and cited the work of entrepreneurs, SpaceX, the aerospace industry and the pharmaceutical sector, who managed to create a Covid-19 vaccine within a matter of months, before asking, “So can we get that kind of urgency in nuclear?” She said collaboration was important and there was a need to "articulate this ambition (to triple nuclear energy capacity) in a way that is not just a goal, but a path to actually deliver that ambition - so we are working with the IAEA, with member states and with industry to develop this path, these industrial policies - not just energy policies - that are going to get us there."

Daniel Westlén, State Secretary to the Minister for Climate and Environment in Sweden, said that it was important to create an environment where companies, regulators and politicians were all working to the same timescales, with the need to promote long-term thinking and for politicians to build the trust that there will be the relevant regulations and support schemes introduced “whatever it takes”.

He also said that efforts to tackle diversity issues had been important and a key issue now was “diversity of personality … this industry has for quite some time structured itself in order to protect the core and to regulate. We have been attracting the kind of people that love structures and to follow procedures, which has been really beneficial because that’s what we need for reactor safety. But it kind of scares other personalities away from us, so this business is not full of entrepreneurs any more - it was in the 1950s and 1960s but these people have to be attracted back to the business."

Rumina Velshi, IAEA International Safety Advisory Group member and former Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission CEO, who moderated the hour-long discussion, said that the key points had been the need for collaboration, for urgency and the need for diversity - in terms of gender, age, backgrounds and outlooks - and also for considering the multi-generational aspects of decisions that may have an impact for many decades to come. “I think what we have heard here today is a recognition that while we have such great ambitions and aspirations there’s a lot of work ahead to be done.”

The owners of the Oskarshamn nuclear power plant in Sweden have decided to begin a preliminary study on what measures can be taken to extend the operating life of unit 3 from 60 to 80 years.

The boiling water reactor was commissioned in 1985, and its service life and production capacity were increased in 2009. The total power of the plant is about 1450 MWe and the annual production is around 11 TWh. Uniper is the majority owner of Oskarshamn with a 54.5% share, with Fortum holding the remaining 45.5%.

The unit currently has a planned operating period until 2045 but Fortum said: "The owners estimate that the current reactor will be able to produce electricity well into the 2060s."

"The next step is to broaden and deepen the analysis work in order to take into account all the relevant perspectives that an operating time extension would entail," Uniper added.

"It is a very welcome orientation decision," Uniper Sweden CEO Johan Svenningsson said. "This means that Uniper gets a solid basis for a decision to extend the operating time of Oskarshamn 3 to 80 years, in the early 2030s. The existing nuclear power is an important component for a stable and reliable energy system."

Uniper noted: "In addition to safe and reliable operation, market conditions are also required where the importance of nuclear power for the energy system is valued. In addition to energy delivery, it may include support services for system stability."

"Nuclear power is important for Sweden," Svenningsson said. "In addition to delivering large amounts of fossil-free and predictable electricity, nuclear power provides stability and an increased ability to transport electricity from all types of power in the transmission system.

"Nuclear power is also important to Uniper. We ensure the operation of Swedish nuclear power by continuously investing in today's facilities and carefully following the global technological development in the nuclear power field."

As swell as owning a share in the Oskarshamn plant, Germany-based Uniper also owns shares in Sweden's Ringhals, Forsmark and Barsebäck nuclear power plants, as well as in Swedish Nuclear Fuel Handling.

Finland's Fortum made a similar decision together with Vattenfall in June this year to assess the possibility of extending the operating lifetime of the Forsmark plants' two pressurised water reactors from 60 to 80 years.

Hot functional testing has been completed at t China’s Taipingling-1 nuclear power unit under construction in the southern province of Guangdong, the China Nuclear Energy Association (CNEA) said.

Hot testing usually takes place over several weeks and consists of multiple tests performed on major systems to check their performance under normal operational conditions, without any nuclear fuel assemblies in the reactor.

Taipingling-1 is a domestically developed HPR1000, or Hualong One, pressurised water reactor unit. Construction began for two units at the site, Taipingling-1 and -2, in December 2019 and October 2020.

CNEA said hot testing was completed at 10:00 local time on 15 September. The reactor unit will now be ready for subsequent commissioning steps including fuel loading and initial reactor startup.

China General Nuclear (CGN) has previously said there are plans in place for six Hualong One PWR units at the Taipingling site.

China has 16 Hualong One units under construction domestically at eight sites – one unit each at Ningde, Shidaowan and Fangchenggang; two units each at Changjiang, Lufeng, Taipingling, Sanaocun and Jinqimen; and three units at Zhangzhou.

China has 56 commercial reactors in operation, the same number as France and second only to the US, which has 94.

The country has 30 commercial nuclear power units under construction.

The International Atomic Energy Agency’s reactor database says the number is 28, but does not include the Jinqimen site, where China National Nuclear Corporation said in February that construction of two units had begun.