Tank waste disposal

November 17, 2023, 3:01PMNuclear NewsChris O’Neil
The 2F Evaporator at SRS. (Photo: Savannah River Site Photography)

The Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management is responsible for roughly 90 million gallons of radioactive liquid waste at Idaho National Laboratory, the Hanford Site in Washington state, and the Savannah River Site in South Carolina. About 900,000 gallons of waste are stored at INL, 56 million gallons at Hanford, and roughly 36 million at SRS. A further 400,000 gallons of waste from various operations are being stored at the Oak Ridge Site in Tennessee.

Kairos Power begins loading 14 tons of FLiBe into molten salt test loop

November 17, 2023, 9:30AMNuclear News
The Engineering Test Unit at KP Southwest. (Photo: Kairos Power)

In October, staff at Kairos Power’s testing and manufacturing facility in Albuquerque, N. M., began transferring 14 tons of molten fluoride salt coolant into an Engineering Test Unit (ETU)—the largest transfer of FLiBe (a mixture of lithium fluoride and beryllium fluoride) since the Molten Salt Reactor Experiment in 1969.

Ultra Safe signs to perform a microreactor pre-feasibility study in the Philippines

November 17, 2023, 8:37AMNuclear News
A cutaway image of a below-grade MMR module. (Image: USNC)

Ultra Safe Nuclear has signed a cooperative agreement with the Manila Electric Company (Meralco)—the Philippines’ largest electric distribution utility—to study the potential deployment of one or more of the company’s high-temperature, gas-cooled microreactors in the Philippines. The agreement, signed November 15, builds on a partnership between the two companies that was announced in August.

Ukraine update: Energoatom reports leak, blackout at Zaporizhzhia

November 16, 2023, 3:00PMNuclear News
Image: Energoatom

Blaming “the criminal actions of the ruscists,” Ukraine nuclear plant operator Energoatom this morning reported a primary-to-secondary reagent leak at Unit 5 of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP), as well as a partial blackout at the facility earlier this week. (The term “ruscist” [рашизм] is a portmanteau of the words “Russian” and “fascist.”)

What is happening in spent nuclear fuel research?

November 16, 2023, 9:49AMNuclear NewsSylvia Saltzstein and Emily Stein

Emily Stein

Sylvia Saltzstein

Over the past 50 years, the use of nuclear energy has avoided approximately 70 gigatons of carbon dioxide emissions globally and 24 gigatons in the United States.1 Although carbon dioxide is not being released into the atmosphere when generating energy from nuclear, the waste this energy form does produce must be managed and permanently isolated away from people and the environment.

Ontario’s nuclear development plans spur job creation

November 16, 2023, 7:00AMNuclear News
An aerial view of Ontario’s Darlington Nuclear Generating Station. (Photo: OPG)

In response to Ontario’s ambitious nuclear development plans—including the plan by Ontario Power Generation to construct four small modular reactors at its Darlington nuclear site—Celeros Flow Technology has committed to expanding its Burlington, Ontario, facility to make it the first Ontario-based manufacturer of nuclear-qualified pumps, OPG announced last week.

Norwegian firms to study SMRs for Halden

November 15, 2023, 3:00PMNuclear News

Halden, Norway, known in nuclear circles for its long-running (1958–2018) research reactor, is partnering with Norsk Kjernekraft (aka Norwegian Nuclear Power) and Østfold Energi, a hydro, wind, and heat energy provider, to explore the idea of siting a small modular reactor plant in the municipality, located in southeastern Norway, near the border with Sweden.

ANS Winter Meeting: Space—the next nuclear frontier

November 15, 2023, 12:00PMNuclear News

Put nuclear technology in space or on the moon, and just as on Earth it can provide a power density unmatched by any other source. But what roles can nuclear power and propulsion play as the world enters a 21st-century space race? That was a key question put to six speakers during the November 14 American Nuclear Society Winter Meeting plenary session “Space: The (Next) Nuclear Frontier.”

Laying the foundation for advanced reactors

November 15, 2023, 9:31AMNuclear NewsRichard A. Meserve

Richard A. Meserve

Climate change presents a grave threat, demanding increasing reliance on low-carbon energy over the coming decades. Nuclear power today contributes half of U.S. low-carbon generation, and achievement of climate goals requires the continued operation of existing plants. But there are competitors for low-carbon energy, and nuclear’s further role remains uncertain. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) conducted a study to explore the challenges that must be overcome for widespread new nuclear deployment.1 This article provides my summary of the study, highlighting and abbreviating some of its principal recommendations. Note that the italicized portions of the article are shortened versions of the recommendations in the report.

European Commission to launch SMR alliance

November 15, 2023, 7:01AMNuclear News
EC commissioner Kadri Simson (second from left) speaks at a European Small Modular Reactor Partnership event in Bratislava. (Photo: @KadriSimson/X)

The European Commission intends to establish early next year an industrial alliance focused on small modular reactors, EC energy commissioner Kadri Simson announced last week.

ANS Winter Meeting: NuScale CEO on “unfortunate” UAMPS cancellation

November 14, 2023, 12:01PMNuclear News

Hopkins

This morning, just ahead of the plenary session “Space: The (Next) Nuclear Frontier,” American Nuclear Society Executive Director/CEO Craig Piercy invited John Hopkins, president and CEO of NuScale Power, to take the stage. The audience knew Hopkins was there not to announce a new contract or business development, but to answer the spoken and unspoken questions that followed last week’s announcement that the Carbon Free Power Project (CFPP)—for years expected to be NuScale’s first operational reactor—had been terminated by mutual agreement of the company and its customer, Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS).

Predictably, media headlines have burbled with doubt about the prospects for nuclear energy because one high-profile contract backed by significant cost-shared funds from the Department of Energy had been cancelled—out of dozens of ongoing projects by NuScale and other reactor developers. But those headlines—and the questions of curious ANS members—deserve a response.

Canadian consortium closes in on contract to support Cernavoda project

November 14, 2023, 9:33AMNuclear News
Romania’s Cernavoda Units 1 and 2. (Photo: Nuclearelectrica)

AtkinsRéalis subsidiary Candu Energy and the Canadian Commercial Corporation, a federal crown entity, have announced the receipt of an award letter from Romania’s Nuclearelectrica for the provision of engineering, technology, and procurement of tooling and reactor components in support of the Cernavoda Unit 1 life-extension project.

W.V. senators Capito, Manchin address ANS Winter Meeting

November 14, 2023, 7:01AMNuclear News

The American Nuclear Society’s 2023 Winter Meeting and Expo opened on November 12 and its packed opening plenary the next day generated a lot of buzz. Featured speakers included West Virginia senators Shelley Moore Capito and Joe Manchin as well as Nuclear Regulatory Commission chair Christopher Hanson. They each addressed top issues facing the nuclear enterprise to a full house of more than 1,000 members of the wider nuclear community.

ANS journals showcase research from conferences

November 13, 2023, 3:00PMANS News

The three international research journals published by ANS frequently dedicate issues to special topics or selected top papers presented at conferences, and ANS members can read for free with the subscription included in their membership. To access any of the issues mentioned below, as well as the entire decades-long archive of the journals, visit ans.org/pubs/journals/ and log in to your member account. Here’s a recap of the research highlights published in current issues of Nuclear Science and Engineering (NSE), Nuclear Technology (NT), and Fusion Science and Technology (FST).

DOE joins QSA Global in growing domestic supply of Ir-192

November 13, 2023, 12:00PMNuclear News

The Department of Energy Isotope Program and QSA Global, a Burlington, Mass.–based manufacturer of sealed radioisotope sources, agreed to a joint product development project to initiate domestic production of iridium-192, which is used in industrial gamma ray radiography.

U.S. and U.K. agree to “strategic partnership” on fusion energy

November 13, 2023, 9:30AMNuclear News

Bowie

Turk

Two top energy officials—U.S. deputy secretary of energy David M. Turk and U.K. minister for nuclear and networks Andrew Bowie—met on November 8 in Washington, D.C., to talk about a “coordinated, strategic approach” to advance fusion energy demonstration and commercialization and “maximize value” for both nations.

European firms partner to explore nuclear for hydrogen production

November 13, 2023, 7:00AMNuclear News
Concept art of a Rolls-Royce SMR plant. (Image: Rolls-Royce)

ULC-Energy, a nuclear development and consultancy company based in the Netherlands, has signed a memorandum of intent with Danish carbon emission reduction technology firm Topsoe and Britain’s Rolls-Royce SMR to investigate the production of hydrogen using Topsoe’s solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) technology and electricity and heat from a Rolls-Royce small modular reactor plant.