IAEA supports discharge of treated water at DaiichiRadwaste SolutionsWaste ManagementApril 6, 2020, 9:21AM|Nuclear News StaffAn International Atomic Energy Agency team of experts said in a review published on April 2 that the two options for the controlled disposal of treated water stored at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant are “technically feasible.” A Japanese advisory subcommittee outlined the two options—vapor release and discharge to the sea—for the water that is being stored at the plant following the 2011 accident.The details:The team also said that the two options are routinely used by operating nuclear power plants worldwide under specific regulatory authorizations based on safety and environmental impact assessments. The IAEA experts said that the subcommittee’s recommendations to the Japanese government were based on a comprehensive and scientifically sound analysis addressing the necessary technical, nontechnical, and safety aspects. The government had requested the IAEA’s review of the management of the water treated through the advanced liquid processing system (ALPS). The review included the Subcommittee on Handling ALPS Treated Water Report, issued on February 10.The IAEA and Japan have been cooperating over the past decade to deal with the aftermath of the Fukushima accident, in areas such as radiation monitoring, remediation, waste management, and decommissioning. During an official visit to Japan in February, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi discussed progress made so far toward decommissioning the plant with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and other senior government officials, as well as future challenges related to the stored water (NN, Mar. 2020, p. 84). Grossi said that the IAEA would continue to offer its technical assistance to Japan in addressing those challenges.Background: Contaminated water from Daiichi is treated through the ALPS process to remove radionuclides, other than tritium, and then stored at the site. The total tank storage capacity will amount to approximately 1.37 million cubic meters by the end of 2020, and all the tanks are expected to be full around the summer of 2022.The IAEA team said that water management, including the treated water disposal, was critical to the sustainability of the Daiichi plant decommissioning activities. Reiterating advice from an IAEA decommissioning review mission to the plant in 2018, the experts said that a decision on the disposition path for the stored treated water—after further treatment as needed—should be made urgently, considering safety aspects and engaging all stakeholders. Once Japan has decided on its preferred disposition option, the IAEA said, it will be ready to work with the country to provide radiation safety assistance before, during, and after the disposition.What they're saying: "The safe and effective implementation of the disposition of ALPS-treated water is a unique and complex case,” said team leader Christophe Xerri, director of the IAEA’s Division of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology. “Solutions are available. They will require sustained attention, safety reviews, regulatory supervision, a comprehensive monitoring program supported by a robust communication plan, and proper engagement with all stakeholders.”The American Nuclear Society has also come out in favor of the subcommittee's recommendations. On March 3, ANS President Marilyn Kray sent a letter to Hiroshi Kajiyama, head of Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry. “Several senior members of the ANS technical leadership reviewed the ALPS subcommittee report and determined that it provided balanced and highly credible recommendations that are consistent with current regulatory standards in Japan and around the world,” Kray noted.Tags:advanced liquid processing systemalpsfukushimaiaeajapanwasteShare:LinkedInTwitterFacebook
IAEA confirms Iran working on uranium metal for reactor fuelIran has started work on uranium metal-based fuel for a research reactor, the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog and Tehran said on Wednesday. Kazem Gharib Abadi, Iran’s representative at the International Atomic Energy Agency, confirmed that the country has started working on the fuel, saying that everything has been reported to the agency.Iran's action is the latest breach of its nuclear deal with six significant powers as it presses for a lifting of U.S. sanctions.Go to Article
The year in review 2020: Research and ApplicationsHere is a look back at the top stories of 2020 from our Research and Applications section in Newswire and Nuclear News magazine. Remember to check back to Newswire soon for more top stories from 2020.Research and Applications sectionARDP picks divergent technologies in Natrium, Xe-100: Is nuclear’s future taking shape? The Department of Energy has put two reactor designs—TerraPower’s Natrium and X-energy’s Xe-100—on a fast track to commercialization, each with an initial $80 million in 50-50 cost-shared funds awarded through the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program. Read more.Go to Article
Report finds uranium resources sufficient for foreseeable futureAdequate uranium resources exist to support the long-term, sustainable use of nuclear energy for low-carbon electricity generation, as well as for other applications, including hydrogen production. That assessment is contained in the latest (28th) edition of Uranium—Resources, Production and Demand, a global, biennial reference prepared jointly by the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency and the International Atomic Energy Agency.The publication adds, however, that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and recent reductions in uranium production and exploration could affect available supplies, suggesting that timely investment in innovative mining and processing techniques would help assure that uranium resources are brought to market when needed.Go to Article
IAEA, IEA partner to enhance nuclear’s role in clean energy transitionIAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi signs a memorandum of understanding with the International Energy Agency during an online event. Photo: IAEATo help speed the transition to clean energy that many experts say will be required to achieve global climate goals by mid-century, the International Atomic Energy Agency and International Energy Agency (IEA) have agreed to strengthen cooperation on activities involving nuclear power.IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi and IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol on November 30 signed a memorandum of understanding, under which the two organizations will share data, statistics, energy modeling tools, policy analysis, and research, according to the IAEA on December 3. The agencies will also collaborate on publications, seminars, workshops, and webinars and increase participation in each other’s conferences and meetings of mutual interest.Go to Article
Japan should revive its nuclear industry, says new reportThe Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center has issued a report, Japan’s Nuclear Reactor Fleet: The Geopolitical and Climate Implications of Accelerated Decommissioning, contending that Japan’s reaction to the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident has led to an increased dependence on carbon-emitting energy sources that ultimately undermine the country’s recently announced climate goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.Recommendations: Released just a few months prior to the 10-year anniversary of the accident on March 11, 2011, the report recommends that Japan:Use its existing nuclear fleet in the near and long term to 2050,remain involved in global civil nuclear trade,develop a role for advanced nuclear technologies, including small modular reactors, which it should deploy as soon as feasible,rebuild its nuclear energy workforce and public trust in nuclear power, andregain its leadership position in the climate battle.Go to Article
IAEA awards fellowships to 100 female students in nuclearThe International Atomic Energy Agency has awarded fellowships to the first group of 100 female students from around the world under a new initiative to help close the gender gap in nuclear science and technology.The Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship Program, named after the pioneering physicist, was launched by IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi in March to support women pursuing nuclear-related careers.Go to Article
Finland’s Onkalo repository a “game changer,” says IAEA’s GrossiOnkalo, Finland’s deep geologic repository for spent nuclear fuel, has been characterized as a game changer for the long-term sustainability of nuclear energy by Rafael Mariano Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency.“Finland has had the determination to move forward with the project and to bring it to fruition,” Grossi said during a November 26 visit to Olkiluoto, Finland, where the repository is under construction. “Waste management has always been at the center of many debates about nuclear energy and the sustainability of nuclear activity around the world. Everybody knew of the idea of a geological repository for high-level radioactive nuclear waste, but Finland did it.”Posiva Oy, the Finnish company tasked with researching and creating a method for the permanent disposal of spent fuel from Finland’s Olkiluoto and Loviisa nuclear power plants, obtained a license to construct the Onkalo repository in 2015, marking the first time that a construction license for a geological disposal facility was issued anywhere in the world. The site near the Olkiluoto plant was chosen following several years of screening a number of potential sites.Go to Article
Pb-210 used to track growing sedimentation in the Caribbean SeaThe IAEA is supporting countries surrounding the Caribbean Sea, facilitating their efforts to monitor and analyze the scale of sedimentation in the region. Photo: Tim GregoireAccording to the International Atomic Energy Agency, between 750,000 and 1 million metric tons of sediments are discharged into the Caribbean Sea each year. The release of sedimentation into the world’s oceans, increasingly from human activities, degrades marine environments and jeopardizes regional fishing industries.The IAEA is supporting Latin American and Caribbean countries in monitoring and analyzing the scope and scale of sedimentation in the region by providing training on the use of the lead radioisotope Pb-210 in the sampling, monitoring, and study of growing sedimentation in the Caribbean and its effects on marine life. That training has culminated in the publication of a study in the November 2020 issue of the Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, the agency announced on November 5.Go to Article
New NNSA website helps in nuclear safeguards reportingThe National Nuclear Security Administration has launched RAINS—the Reporting Assistant for International Nuclear Safeguards website—intended to assist users with the requirements surrounding international nuclear safeguards.Nuclear safeguards are designed to verify that all nuclear material declared by a nation-state is not diverted for non-peaceful uses; detect any misuse of declared facilities or locations outside facilities; and detect any undeclared nuclear material or activities in the nation-state.Go to Article
Belarus’s first nuclear reactor connects to gridThe Belarusian nuclear power plant. Photo: RosatomBelarus on November 3 became the latest nation to begin generating electricity with nuclear energy when Unit 1 of the Belarusian nuclear plant was connected to the country’s power grid.The Belarusian construction project, located in the Grodno region of Belarus, features twin 1,109-MWe pressurized water reactors, supplied by Rosatom, Russia’s state-owned nuclear energy corporation. The units are VVER-1200 Generation III+ designs, model AES 2006. Just last week, a VVER-1200 was connected to the Russian grid at the Leningrad plant.The start-up program for Unit 1 began on August 7, when the first fuel assembly with fresh nuclear fuel was loaded into the reactor, according to a Rosatom press release. The reactor achieved first criticality on October 11.Once fully completed, the plant is expected to supply approximately 18 billion kWh of low-carbon electricity to the Belarus national grid every year, Rosatom said.Go to Article