It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Saturday, May 30, 2026
EDF and Mistral Partner to Bring Sovereign AI to Nuclear Power
EDF and Mistral AI will collaborate on AI tools designed for EDF’s nuclear operations, including conversational agents that can search technical knowledge from France’s nuclear fleet and construction sites. The tools will support field teams, maintenance operations, engineering work and EPR2 construction activities, while EDF retains ownership of its data.
The agreement underscores France’s push to pair nuclear expansion with domestic AI capabilities and tighter control over strategic industrial data. EDF is preparing its EPR2 reactor program as part of France’s broader nuclear revival, while Mistral has emerged as a flagship European AI company focused on alternatives to U.S. and Chinese platforms. The companies said the systems will be hosted on trusted infrastructure, including sovereign cloud or EDF data centers, reflecting growing concern over data sovereignty in critical energy infrastructure.
The AI tools will not be used in nuclear plant control systems, a key distinction given the safety and regulatory sensitivities around nuclear operations.
By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com
Russia and Kazakhstan sign nuclear power plant agreement
An intergovernmental agreement setting out the key principles - and export loan financing - for Kazakhstan's first nuclear power plant project has been signed during Russian President Vladimir Putin's state visit to the country.
A number of bilateral agreements have been signed during the presidential visit (Image: Kremlin.ru)
Following talks between the two presidents, a list of agreements signed by the two countries was published, including one "on the basic principles and conditions of cooperation on the project to build a nuclear power plant on the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan".
Another agreement was "on the provision to the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan of a state export loan to finance the construction of a nuclear power plant on the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan".
A third nuclear-related agreement was on an action plan "in the field of interdepartmental cooperation in the field of nuclear and radiation safety regulation for 2026-2030".
Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom said the intergovernmental agreement "defines the key parameters of the nuclear power plant construction project. Specifically, it concerns the construction of two Russian-designed power units with VVER-1200 reactors based on best Russian practices. The document covers key areas of cooperation during the NPP's operational life, including maintenance and fuel supply".
Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev and Almasadam Satkaliyev, Chairman of Kazakhstan's Atomic Energy Agency, signed the agreements in the presence of the presidents.
Further details of the financing was not included in the official announcements, although the official news agency Kazinform said that preliminary estimates put the cost of the two units at about USD14.4 billion with another USD2 billion earmarked for physical security systems and social infrastructure. It quoted Satkaliyev as saying the export loan had "very favourable terms for Kazakhstan". It also reported that the construction start was targeted for 2027, and the aim was for operation of the first unit in 2034.
In their comments after their talks and the signing of the agreements, Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said: "There's every reason to single out energy as a very successful area of cooperation. In my view, the agreement signed today on the construction of the Balkhash Nuclear Power Plant is of exceptional significance.
"I express my gratitude to the President of the Russian Federation for his personal and decisive support in launching this large-scale project, which will become a driving force for scientific, educational, and technological collaboration and will ensure the development of new related energy sectors and industry as a whole."
President Putin called it "a flagship project in the field of peaceful nuclear energy" and said "the commissioning of the plant will make a significant contribution to the energy supply of the Kazakh economy, helping to provide businesses and households with affordable and clean energy".
He added: "I would like to point out that, as we agreed with the President of Kazakhstan, we are not simply talking about the creation of a nuclear power plant or construction; we are talking about the creation of an entire industry, including education, personnel training, and so on."
Background
Kazakhstan is the world's leading producer of uranium. Although it does not currently use nuclear energy, it is not without nuclear experience: it has three operating research reactors, and a Russian-designed BN-350 sodium-cooled fast reactor operated near Aktau for 26 years, until 1999.
Kazakhstan has been preparing for a possible nuclear power programme to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels, diversify its energy mix and reduce CO2 emissions for some time. Kazakhstan Nuclear Power Plant (KNPP), a subsidiary of Kazakhstan's Samruk-Kazyna National Welfare Fund JSC, was set up in 2014. In a referendum in 2024 more than 70% of the 7.8 million people who voted answered 'yes' to the question: "Do you agree with the construction of a nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan?"
Floating nuclear power plants 'realistic' for Greece
The report by the Deon Policy Institute think-tank identified no fundamental barriers to the implementation of floating nuclear power plants in Greece, although policy, regulatory, financial and social acceptance issues still need to be overcome.
(Image: Deon Policy Institute)
The study derives its policy insights from a research programme conducted by CORE POWER, Athlos Energy - a Greek nuclear company founded in 2024 - and the American Bureau of Shipping. The research, stemming from a two-day workshop held in Athens last October, focused on discussions to assess the political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental factors that would shape the potential deployment of floating nuclear power plants - or FNPPs - in a European country such as Greece. This is also known as a PESTLE framework.
Greece has historically not deployed nuclear power, but in March this year, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced at the 2nd Nuclear Energy Summit in Paris that it would examine the potential role of small modular reactors in its energy mix and establish a dedicated ministerial committee to submit proposals to the government, Deon said.
"Given Greece's long maritime heritage, developed port infrastructure and reinvigorated shipbuilding industry, the potential for deploying FNPPs warrants consideration. FNPPs are also compatible with Greece’s geography and energy markets, given the large number of inhabited islands, the increasing need for desalination and the country’s climate goals," it added.
Policy, legal and regulatory frameworks in Greece do not yet substantively address nuclear energy or FNPP deployment, reflecting a broader gap in European energy and maritime policy discussions, the study finds. But no fundamental barriers to implementation were identified, "suggesting that the challenge is not one of feasibility, but of framework development".
The study notes a need for clearer assessment and regulatory pathways, including coordination across maritime, nuclear and energy authorities, and - while FNPPs are perceived positively - social acceptance of nuclear energy remains low in Greece compared with other countries, implying a need for further education and engagement with both the broader public and key stakeholders.
The combined PESTLE analysis shows that FNPPs should not be seen as a standalone energy project, but a complex strategic choice with public-policy impact, the report notes. The strongest arguments in favour of deploying FNPPs in Greece are primarily environmental and political, as they are directly linked to strengthening the country’s energy autonomy, it concludes, although "critical questions remain open" on financing and economic viability of the technology within the Greek context.
Similarly, while technical obstacles exist, these are mainly due to Greece's limited domestic nuclear experience. The "most decisive barriers are institutional and temporal. This can be attributed to the lack of enduring political commitment, incomplete regulatory and institutional preparation, and insufficient engagement with society".
The report calls for "systematic, coordinated action and credible communication, through which Greece can leverage international experience, gradually develop its own nuclear programme, and implement it through maritime applications that demonstrate higher levels of social and political acceptance", it says, adding that "FNPPs can represent a realistic option for Greece only as the result of a gradual, institutionally organised, and socially prepared strategy".
"This PESTLE study shows that Floating Nuclear Power Plants are not a distant or purely theoretical option for Greece," George Laskaris, President of Deon Policy Institute, said. "No fundamental technical or institutional barriers were identified; the real challenge is building the policy, regulatory, financial and social foundations needed for responsible assessment. For Greece, FNPPs sit at the intersection of energy security, decarbonisation, maritime capability and industrial policy."
In June last year, Russia's Rosatom was selected as the leader of an international consortium to build Kazakhstan's first planned nuclear power plant - to be called the Balkhash plant - in the village of Ulken, in Zhambyl district, on the shore of Lake Balkhash. China National Nuclear Corporation is lined up to build a second one, at a site also in the Zhambyl district, adjacent to the site selected for the first plant, as well as a third plant, Kazinform News Agency reported last July.
The government has set a target for nuclear to produce a 5% share of the national generation mix by 2035.
First RITM-200 reactor unit manufactured for floating nuclear plant
The RITM-200C reactor will be one of two which will together be installed on the first of Russia's planned fleet of floating nuclear power units.
(Image: Rosatom)
The 58 MWe capacity reactor unit has been manufactured by Rosatom's Machine-Building division at the ZiO-Podolsk plant near Moscow.
Serial production of the floating power units (FPU-106) is under way to power a copper mining industrial cluster in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. This will be the first such project to provide carbon-free energy for industrial production, with four floating power units earmarked for it.
Alexey Likhachev, Director General of Rosatom, said: "Rosatom continues to expand its range of floating power units, and the completion of the first reactor for the lead floating nuclear power unit is a significant milestone. Today, Russia is the only country with an operating floating nuclear power plant, and we intend to maintain our leadership in the development of small-scale technologies, offering innovative and low-carbon energy solutions to our partners in Russia and abroad."
The RITM-200C is a modification of the RITM-200 reactors in operation on the latest series of nuclear-powered icebreakers. In total, Rosatom's Machine-Building division is in various stages of producing 14 RITM-200-based reactor units for icebreakers and floating power units.
Russia's first floating nuclear power plant, the Akademik Lomonosov, has been operating in Chukotka since 2020. During this time, it has generated more than 1.2 billion kWh of electricity and avoided more than 400,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases, Rosatom said.
The state nuclear corporation says that the RITM-200 reactors have proved their effectiveness in Arctic conditions. It says that, in floating power units, they will be able to effectively address current or potential energy shortages in remote, offshore areas. As well as producing floating power units for domestic use, Russia also sees considerable export potential.
According to past presentations, the FPU-106 units would provide 106 MWe, the refuelling interval would be every 5 to 7 years, and there would be a service life of about 40 years. A version of a floating power unit targeting international markets would be 100 MWe with a refuelling interval of 10 years and a service life of 60 years.
'Largest ever shipment' for a single nuclear plant
A reactor pressure vessel, four steam generators and a pressuriser, have been shipped together from Volgodonsk in Russia to Egypt's El Dabaa Nuclear Power plant.
(Image: Rosatom)
In addition to the 330-tonne reactor vessel for El Dabaa’s second unit, the other equipment - including the pressuriser for unit 1 - pushed the total cargo weight up to about 2,000 tonnes.
The items were manufactured at the Atomash plant in Volgodonsk in Russia's Rostock Region and delivered on the Alexander Udalov, a vessel designed for both river and maritime transport. This enabled the equipment to be delivered directly from the plant's pier to the specially constructed port at the El Dabaa NPP construction site.
Lifting the equipment is a high-precision operation (Image: Rosatom)
The cylindrical steel reactor pressure vessel, with an initial service life of 60 years, with the possible extension to 80 years, houses the reactor core and ensures a hermetic seal and withstands high pressures and temperatures, ensuring the safety and reliability of the power unit.
It had a special 500-square-metre cover for its journey, comprimising two layers, a special canvas one to protect it from moisture during transport and a second, decorative, outer layer.
(Image: Rosatom)
According to Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom, "this shipment was the largest ever for a single nuclear power plant".
Alexey Likhachev, Rosatom Director General, said: "The equipment shipped to the El Dabaa NPP is essential for the transition to start-up operations for the first power unit and for the peak construction of the second power unit."
Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy Mahmoud Esmat attended the unloading of the cargo at El Dabaa’s port. According to Egypt's Nuclear Power Plant Authority, he said the project was central to the national energy strategy, praised the strategic relations between Egypt and Russia, and added that the El Dabaa plant project was being implemented according to the timetable, including an increase in training programmes to prepare for future operation of the plant.
Background
El Dabaa will be Egypt's first nuclear power plant, and the first in Africa since South Africa's Koeberg was built nearly 40 years ago. The Rosatom-led project, about 320 kilometres north-west of Cairo, will comprise four VVER-1200 units, like those already in operation at the Leningrad and Novovoronezh nuclear power plants in Russia, and the Ostrovets plant in Belarus.
Under the 2017 contracts, Rosatom will not only build the plant, but will also supply Russian nuclear fuel for its entire life cycle, including building a storage facility and supplying containers for storing used nuclear fuel. It will also assist Egyptian partners in training personnel and plant maintenance for the first 10 years of its operation. Rosatom said last month that it is aiming for a future service life of 100 years for nuclear power plants.
The four units are being built almost concurrently, with first concrete at unit 1 in July 2022, followed in turn by the others, concluding with first concrete at unit 4 in January 2024. The reactor pressure vessel was delivered in October 2025 and installed in El Dabaa's first unit the following month, following a ceremony which included speeches from the Egyptian and Russian presidents.
Egypt's aim is for 9% of electricity to be generated by nuclear by 2030, which would be achieved by the commercial operation of the first two units by that time, directly displacing oil and gas.
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