Data from Table 1 from DOE’s SA&I report shows the potential new nuclear generation at 145 coal power plant sites with nameplate capacities above 600 MWe. (Source: DOE, Evaluation of Nuclear Power Plant and Coal Power Plant Sites for New Nuclear Capacity)
The Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy has released a new report estimating that there may be the potential to install 60 GWe–95 GWe of new capacity at currently operating and recently retired nuclear power plants in the United States. The report also evaluated the potential of building new nuclear plants near current and retired coal power plants. The report, titled Evaluation of Nuclear Power Plant and Coal Power Plant Sites for New Nuclear Capacity, was prepared as part of DOE-NE’s Systems Analysis and Integration (SA&I) campaign.
Byron nuclear power plant. (Photo: Constellation)
The Ogle County Board has approved a zoning change that designates 524 acres around the Byron nuclear power plant, located in northern Illinois, as industrial rather than agricultural.
Concept art of a Rolls-Royce SMR site. (Image: Rolls-Royce)
Engineering company Rolls-Royce is considering the sale of its small modular reactor subsidiary to inject new funding into the company’s overall business plans, the Sunday Telegraph first reported Aug. 3.
The company is looking to raise hundreds of millions, with a current valuation of £1.6 billion ($2 billion), as it sets its sights on being the first to deploy SMRs in the United Kingdom. Rolls-Royce recently cleared step two of the U.K.’s generic design assessment (GDA)—a competition launched in 2023 to bring SMRs on line in the 2030s.
Southeast Asian nation considering deployment of first nuclear energy
U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken (left) with Singapore foreign minister Vivian Balakrishnan. (Photo: X/@SecBlinken)
The United States and Singapore have signed a civil nuclear cooperation agreement, commonly known as a 123 Agreement.
U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken and Singapore’s minister of foreign affairs Vivian Balakrishan met on July 31 to formalize the agreement, which outlines a comprehensive framework for peaceful nuclear collaboration between the two nations based on a mutual commitment to nuclear nonproliferation.
Rendition of a Rolls-Royce SMR site.(Image: Rolls-Royce)
The small modular reactor design from Rolls-Royce has cleared step two of the United Kingdom’s generic design assessment (GDA) and is moving to the third and final step.
The company announced its progress and lauded “Rolls-Royce SMR’s position ahead of any other SMR in Europe” in a July 30 press release. Rolls-Royce SMR touts its ability to deliver new nuclear power based on proven technology, providing a “factory-built” power station to provide enough energy for a million homes for a 60-year stretch.
Rafael Mariano Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency. (Photo: IAEA)
The peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology today hold more promise to heal the world since Austrian Swedish physicist Lise Meitner and her colleagues discovered nuclear fission in 1938, said Rafael Mariano Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, in a new essay titled “Nuclear Must Be Part of The Solution” published by the magazine Foreign Affairs.
Prime Minister Petr Fiala (center right), ČEZ chief executive officer Daniel Beneš (left), and ministers Zbyněk Stanjura (center left) and Jozef Síkela at a press conference on July 17. (Photo: Czech Republic)
Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power is now in discussions with the Czech Republic for construction of two nuclear units at the Dukovany site and possible new energy sources at Temelín, the country’s other nuclear power facility.
Byron nuclear power plant. (Photo: Constellation)
While no development details have been released, Constellation is asking to rezone 658.8 acres of land it owns around the Byron nuclear plant in Illinois for possible long-term use.