U$ NUKE NEWZ

Granholm calls for tripling of US nuclear fleet

07 June 2024

It is time for the USA to cash in on the experience of nuclear new-build at Vogtle, US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said at an event held to mark the completion of the two units in Georgia. Restarting recently retired nuclear plants could also play a part in meeting the need for new capacity.

Secretary Granholm at the Vogtle celebration (image: Southern Company)

The two AP1000 units built as units 3 and 4 at the Vogtle site near Waynesboro, Georgia, entered commercial operation in July 2023 and April 2024, respectively. Granholm acknowledged the commitment, vision, cooperation and collaboration that went into the project to construct the first US nuclear units in a generation to be built "from scratch".

"This project is a prime example of how first-of-a-kind challenges can become 'nth-of-a-kind' successes, thanks to the work of those who came before and public-private partnerships," she said. First-mover projects of this size are too big and too financially risky for the private sector to do by itself, but are too important for the nation to fail to act, she said.

"To reach our goal of net-zero by 2050, we have to at least triple our current nuclear capacity in this country. That means we’ve got to add 200 more gigawatts by 2050," she said.

"And so it’s time to cash in on our investments by building more these facilities," she added,

In a later interview with Reuters, Granholm said building new reactors at nuclear power plant sites could be a cost-effective way of expanding US nuclear capacity - and also said some recently retired plants could restart. "I do think they can come back," she said, adding that she would be "surprised" if the Department of Energy's Loan Programs Office (LPO) - which recently conditionally committed up to USD1.52 billion for a loan guarantee to Holtec Palisades for its project to bring the Palisades plant back online - was not talking to operators of other shuttered plants about reopening as well. She said she was not involved in LPO's talks. The LPO does not reveal the status of loan applications.

About 30 US nuclear power plant sites have already been licensed or permitted for the construction of more reactors, she said, which would be a cost-effective way of expanding nuclear generation: "So you don't have to go through the whole rigamarole again, you can just use the existing footprint to be able to increase generation capacity."

She also told Reuters that, with the rise in energy demand driven by technologies such as artificial intelligence requiring power-hungry data centres, the US Administration is asking big technology companies to invest in clean energy generation, suggesting that such companies could work together to make use of small modular reactors. Placing orders simultaneously could reduce costs.

"We've been talking with data companies. The large ones have commitments to net-zero and would like to see clean baseload power," Granholm said. "If the tech companies are coming in and are going to pull clean power from the grid, they should bring the power with them," she said.

Georgia Power announced the start of commercial operations at Vogtle 4 in April, joining Vogtle 3 which entered commercial operation in July 2023. Operated by Southern Nuclear on behalf of co-owners Georgia Power, Oglethorpe Power, MEAG Power and Dalton Utilities, the plant is now the largest generator of clean energy in the USA. Georgia Power is a subsidiary of Southern Company.

"Today is a momentous occasion as we celebrate this accomplishment," Southern Company President and CEO Chris Womack said during the celebration to mark the opening of the units. "We have proven in the United States that we can do hard things. We can build big things. We can build new nuclear in the United States."

US microreactor clears initial stage of pre-testing safety review

07 June 2024

\

Microreactor startup Radiant Industries has announced that the US Department of Energy has reviewed and approved the Safety Design Strategy for its Kaleidos microreactor in the National Reactor Innovation Center's Demonstration of Microreactor Experiments (DOME) test bed at Idaho National Laboratory.

A rendering of the Kaleidos microreactor arriving at the DOME facility (Image: Ryan Seper/Radiant)

California-based Radiant is developing the 1 MWe Kaleidos high-temperature gas-cooled portable microreactor, which will use a graphite core and TRISO (tri-structural isotropic) fuel. It was one of three microreactor developers selected in October last year to receive a share of USD3.9 million Department of Energy (DOE) funding to develop and test their designs in the new DOME test bed facility at Idaho National Laboratory (INL). Testing is scheduled to begin in 2026.

Radiant said the Safety Design Strategy (SDS) - which describes the accepted safety analysis approach for the Kaleidos reactor - marks the initial stage in a comprehensive safety review process each microreactor developer will undertake prior to a fueled test at DOME.

The company said testing in DOME will allow it to gather critical safety and performance data to support the future commercial licensing process with the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).

Radiant is currently working with INL on the next phase of the safety review, focusing on the Conceptual Safety Design Report (CSDR). The purpose of the CSDR is to summarise the hazard analysis efforts and safety-in-design decisions incorporated into the conceptual design, along with any identified project risks associated with the selected strategies.

Following its successful completion of reactor testing in the DOME facility, Radiant expects to deliver a limited number of pre-ordered Kaleidos units as soon as 2028, after obtaining NRC licences.

"The SDS is the cornerstone of the safety roadmap we're building as we approach commercialisation of a fueled reactor in a few years' time," said Radiant CEO Doug Bernauer. "We're grateful for DOE Idaho's review and approval as we take this important step forward and for INL's continued thorough support throughout this critical process."

"The approval of the SDS is an important step towards enabling a microreactor developer to perform a test in our DOME facility," said Brad Tomer, acting director and chief operating officer of the National Reactor Innovation Center. "As the nation's nuclear energy research laboratory, we are committed to working with private companies to help further develop advanced nuclear technologies that will provide clean energy solutions for the US."

The DOME test bed will repurpose the Experimental-Breeder Reactor-II containment structure at INL. EBR-II operated from 1964 to 1994, and was originally built to demonstrate a complete sodium-cooled breeder reactor power plant. It was later modified to test other reactor designs and to test materials and fuels for fast reactors, as well as generating power and heat for the site. While the reactor and much of its supporting equipment has been dismantled, the remaining 70-foot diameter, 80-foot high containment structure is particularly suited to host reactor demonstration and other nuclear projects.

DOE-designed railcar cleared for use

05 June 2024

The Atlas railcar - developed by the US Department of Energy to transport used nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste - has been certified by the Association of American Railroads (AAR) to operate on all major freight railroads in the USA.

The Atlas railcar (Image: DOE)

The 12-axle railcar comes fully equipped with high-tech sensors and monitoring systems. It was designed to safely and securely transport shipments of commercial used nuclear fuel weighing up to 480,000 pounds (218 tonnes). DOE said the railcar project took ten years to complete and cost about USD33 million.

It noted the certification was the highest safety standard set by the AAR for transporting high-level radioactive material.

The entire railcar system includes the Atlas railcar, two buffer railcars and a rail escort vehicle that was developed in partnership with the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program.

Final testing of the railcars was marked by the completion of a 1680-mile round-trip journey from Pueblo, Colorado, to Scoville, Idaho. They are the first DOE railcars to meet the rigorous testing requirements of AAR's S-2043 standard for transporting high-level radioactive material.

"The certification of the Atlas railcar by the AAR is a significant step forward as we develop the infrastructure to safely manage and store the nation's nuclear waste," said DOE Deputy Assistant Secretary for Spent Fuel and High-Level Waste Disposition Paul Murray. "The capability for DOE to safely and securely transport spent nuclear fuel is a key component of DOE's vision for an integrated waste management system that includes transportation, and government-owned storage and permanent disposal identified through a consent-based siting process."

Atlas is one of two railcars DOE is developing to provide flexibility in transporting used nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste to future federal interim storage facilities and disposal sites.

The eight-axle Fortis railcar - designed to carry lighter loads - is expected to begin single car testing no earlier than 2025 and could be operational before the end of the decade.

The management of civilian used nuclear fuel in the USA is a federal responsibility, but the planned permanent repository at Yucca Mountain in Nevada, which in 1987 was designated as the sole initial repository for 70,000 tonnes of high-level wastes, has not been built. This means used fuel from more than 70 shutdown, decommissioned and operating nuclear energy facilities is currently in storage at sites across the nation.

Subject to appropriations, DOE is moving forward on a government-owned consolidated interim storage facility project that includes rail transportation. Commercial used nuclear fuel is packaged in containers weighing between 80 and 210 tonnes, which is beyond legal weight limits for truck transport in the USA. Rail is therefore the preferred mode to move these containers.

DOE intends to eventually transport more than 140,000 tonnes of commercial used nuclear fuel that it is estimated will have been generated in the USA by 2060.

The location of the consolidated interim storage facility would be selected through DOE's consent-based siting process that puts communities at the forefront and would ultimately reduce the number of locations where commercial used nuclear fuel is stored in the USA.

Construction and operation of the storage facility will require amendments to the Nuclear Waste Policy Act to move those phases of the project forward.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News