After Close Scrutiny, Russian "Ghost Fleet" Ships May Be Changing Tactics

General Skobelev off Portugal, May 2024 (Portuguese Air Force)

PUBLISHED MAY 14, 2024 9:54 PM BY GIANGIUSEPPE PILI AND ALESSIO ARMENZONI

 

 

After the attention paid to the sanctioned freighter Sparta IV and other ships in the "Ghost Fleet", Russia’s covert military logistics vessels may be starting to get more cautious. A ship known to OSINT analysts, the Russian-flagged oil tanker General Skobelev (IMO: 9503304), departed from Baltyisk, Russia, on April 21, with a declared destination of Port Said, Egypt. It may have stopped its AIS transmission in the middle of the Sicilian Channel on May 8, a week ago.  

Maritime OSINT analyst RussianForcesSpotter pointed out on X that “civilian” tankers were being escorted in the English Channel by the Russian frigate Neustrashimy, which is assigned to the Baltic Fleet and stationed in Baltyisk. Later, the Russian frigates Grigorovich, Merkuriy and Kildin departed from the Russian naval base of Tartus, Syria, heading west, possibly to meet and escort General Skobelev. After this, General Skobelev appears to have stopped its transmission, going dark in the middle of the Strait of Sicily.

Fig. 1: General Skobelev's route from April 21 to May 8, 2024. Sources: AIS data provided by Global Fishing Watch, annotated by the authors.

After almost a week, General Skobelev is still missing and it is unclear where it is heading to at this point, though it is worth noting that there is an established presence in Tartus, Syria. Historically, Russian ships sailing to military bases in Syria are reported to possibly turn their AIS off close to the final destination. This time, perhaps because of the timely observations of multiple, independent marine OSINT trackers, there could be an adaptation in tactics.

Giangiuseppe Pili (Ph. D.) is an Assistant Professor in the Intelligence Analysis Program at James Madison University. He is an Associate Fellow at Open Source Intelligence and Analysis at the Royal United Services Institute.

Alessio Armenzoni is a geospatial intelligence analyst working on projects related to maritime security. He studied at the Centre for Higher Defense Studies from the Italian MoD.

The opinions expressed herein are the author's and not necessarily those of The Maritime Executive.

Report: Indian Class Withdrawn on Sanctioned Russian Tankers

Report indicates 12 of the 14 tankers blocked by the U.S. have switched to Russian class

PUBLISHED MAY 13, 2024 4:55 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

 

Russian shipping interests continue to shuffle around the registry details of their large crude tankers in an apparent effort to address the Western sanctions on vessels. Reuters conducted an analysis and found that 12 of the 14 tankers listed by the United States in February 2024 have been moved to the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping, some having changed class societies or flags twice in a matter of months.

The U.S. and its allies in the G7 reported at the end of February they were moving against both Russian shipping company Sovcomflot and tankers that had regularly transported oil in violation of the price cap imposed by the West as a punishment for the invasion of Ukraine. The U.S. blocked 14 tankers controlled by Sovcomflot on February 28. Before that, they had listed 20 tankers being run through third-party management companies in locations such as Dubai and elsewhere. 

The review of the databases conducted by Reuters shows the Indian Register of Shipping which had stepped in to class the ships now shows 12 of the tankers with the notations class withdrawn. The vessels are appearing in the Russian Maritime Register with new names. Flags on the vessels also appear to have been shifted to Russia.

The shell game with the vessels shuffling them between flags and class societies is so complicated most databases have not yet caught up with the vessels. Some of the vessels, such as the NS Bravo (IMO:9412359) is now the Belgorod having entered Russian class as of April. The well-known Equasis database reflects the ship had been in the Liberian registry since it was built in 2010 until January 2024 when it shifted to Gabon and now in April to Russia. 

Most of the vessels identified in the report by Reuters show a similar history. Most moved into the Gabon registry earlier this and now over the Russian flag. The tanker Sakhalin Island appears to have been in the Panama registry until moving to the Russian flag.

The United States had a dialog with the officials in Panama seeking to win their support to clampdown on more of the tankers violating sanctions. American officials reported they encouraged Panama to continue efforts to withdraw registry from vessels violating the sanctions.

The report that the Indian Registry had withdrawn vessels goes counter to a report last month that India had provided access to insurance for the Russian vessels. India’s refineries appeared to stop imports on Russian vessels fearing the sanctions but resumed the imports in April.

Reports have said that Russia wants to keep the exports on its own tankers to earn the transportation fees. However, the shadow fleet of tankers also continues to grow.

In recent days there have been numerous reports that the EU and the UK are looking at new sanctions. Among the steps being prepared by the EU are moves against Russian LNG exports while the UK Treasury is investigating steps against price cap violators. 

The U.S. continues to also impose ever-increasing rounds of sanctions including a massive wave at the beginning of May against the Russian oil sector.  It continues to be a back-and-forth effort with Russia shuffling around the assets and the West trying to close loopholes and snare more individuals and ships.
 

 

NTSB: Dali Lost Power Because Breakers Tripped

Auxiliary engines kept running, but were no longer connected to the ship's systems

Image courtesy FBI Baltimore Field Office

PUBLISHED MAY 14, 2024 8:09 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

 

The NTSB has released its initial factfinding report on the allision of the boxship Dali with the Francis Scott Key Bridge. While the agency has not drawn any conclusions yet about causal factors, the summary contains previously unreleased information about the two brief losses of electrical power and the loss of propulsion that preceded the accident. 

First, NTSB confirmed early reports that Dali had lost power twice at the pier on the day before she sailed. On March 25, Dali experienced a blackout during in-port maintenance due to human error. A crewmember accidentally closed an engine exhaust damper for the No. 2 generator, causing it to stall. The No. 2 was the only generator running (out of the four aboard), so the ship experienced a brief blackout until the crew could bring power back online with the No. 3 generator. After a short period, the No. 3 generator experienced loss of fuel pressure and its breaker opened, prompting a second blackout alongside the pier. 

During this incident, the crew switched over from using the No. 2 transformer to the No. 1 transformer (and, importantly, the No. 1 transformer's breakers). Either transformer could be used to turn the 6,000-volt power supply from the generators into "low voltage" 440-volt power for the ship's systems, and the No. 2 had been in use for months. 

Simplified diagram of Dali's high-voltage and low-voltage electrical busses (NTSB)

When the ship departed the pier early the next morning, the No. 3 and No. 4 generators were running, and the No. 1 transformer, No. 1 high voltage breaker and No. 1 low voltage breaker were in use. Most of the equipment that had caused problems at the pier the day before (save for the No. 3 generator) was offline.

The ship left the pier at 0036, released her docking tugs, made her turn and headed outbound in Fort McHenry Channel at a slow bell. An apprentice pilot had the conn with an experienced pilot watching. At about 0125, as Dali was about three ship lengths away from the Francis Scott Key Bridge, the No. 1 high and low voltage breakers both opened and cut off all power to the rest of the ship. The reasons are unknown and are under investigation, with help from the manufacturer. 

The two auxiliary engines kept running, uninterrupted, but they were no longer connected to the rest of the ship's systems. Without power to the electrically-driven lube oil pump and coolant pump for the main engine, the propulsion system automatically shut down. It was never brought back online. 

Rudder control was also temporarily lost, and the rudder was stuck amidships as the Dali drifted towards the bridge. The emergency generator started up shortly after and restored power to bridge systems and to one steering pump for rudder control. At 0126:13, the senior pilot ordered 20 degrees port rudder. This had a reduced effect on the ship's trajectory, since the propeller was no longer pushing water past the rudder.

The crew manually reconnected the high voltage and low voltage breakers, restoring full power to the vessel. At 0126:39, the pilots called for an urgent tug assist and ordered an anchor dropped. 

Shortly after, the ship lost electrical power again. This time, the diesel generator breakers for the No. 3 and 4 generators had opened, cutting off the still-running auxiliaries from the high voltage bus. The emergency generator stayed on and kept providing backup power to the bridge. The No. 2 generator was running on standby and quickly connected automatically, and the crew closed the breakers for the No. 2 transformer (the one previously in use the day before) to bring back low-voltage power for the second time. From the start of the second blackout to the restoration of power took about 30 seconds. 

Overview of the accident timeline (NTSB)

At 01:29:10, Dali struck the southwest pier of the Key Bridge's main span at 6.5 knots, dropping the entire six-span truss into the water. One crewmember sustained a minor injury when the bridge deck hit Dali's bow, six road crew workers were killed and one worker was injured. Salvage operations to refloat the Dali are ongoing, and litigation over responsibility for the disaster is just beginning. 

PINK HYDROGEN

Fortum, OKG announce hydrogen plans

Utilities in Finland and Sweden have announced separate nuclear-related hydrogen initiatives. Fortum has announced plans for a hydrogen pilot plant near to its Loviisa nuclear power plant, while OKG has signed a contract with Hynion to supply surplus hydrogen from operations at the Oskarshamn plant to its hydrogen filling stations.

Lundberg and Djuric sign the agreement between OKG and Hynion (Image: Hynion)

Uniper-owned OKG has used electricity produced by the Oskarshamn nuclear power plant in Finland to produce hydrogen through electrolysis of water since 1992. This hydrogen was initially produced to meet the nuclear power plant's own needs: the hydrogen was added to the reactor coolant of the plant's three boiling water reactors in order to reduce the risk of stress corrosion cracking of the reactor piping by reducing the amount of free oxygen in the coolant.

The hydrogen produced at Oskarshamn is now only required for use in unit 3 of the nuclear power plant following the permanent closure of units 1 and 2 in June 2017 and December 2016, respectively, leaving an overcapacity. OKG has modernised the hydrogen plant to expand operations and signed its first contract to supply fossil-free hydrogen from the plant to industrial gases company Linde in 2022.

All businesses in Uniper's portfolio have two main tasks: to ensure a secure energy supply and to drive the energy transition, and the company is playing an important role in the establishment of Europe's hydrogen economy and the development of a significant business in renewable energy, OKG CEO Johan Lundberg said. "It's fantastic that the surplus production we sell can help Hynion with hydrogen to their hydrogen filling stations so that together we can contribute to reducing carbon dioxide emissions."

Hynion said the partnership represents an important part of its strategy to reduce dependence on individual suppliers as it prepares for increasing hydrogen-powered traffic in Sweden. "We need stable producers who, together with us at Hynion, want to contribute to the energy transition and a carbon-free future. The hydrogen delivery from OKG is an important step to secure the supply of hydrogen at our stations," said Hynion AS CEO Slavica Djuric.

Megawatt-scale pilot plant

 
In a separate announcement, Finnish utility Fortum said it will build a hydrogen production pilot plant in in the Källa area near the company's Loviisa nuclear power plant. Construction of the test centre, on land already owned by the company, will begin this summer, and the plant is scheduled to be commissioned in late 2025.

Hydrogen will be produced by electrolysers with a capacity of around 2 MW, using electricity from the main grid and local domestic water supplies in Loviisa. A filling station will be built in connection with the plant for the delivery of hydrogen to industrial customers. The Källa test centre is expected to be in operation for around two years, and the total R&D cost of the pilot project is around EUR17 million (USD18.3 million). The test centre is being funded entirely from Fortum’s research and development funds.

"Testing hydrogen production at the Kalla test centre on a megawatt scale will provide valuable information not only in terms of the design and operation of potential larger plants, but also of the business opportunities provided by green hydrogen and hydrogen derivatives," said Satu Sipola, vice president of Power-to-X at Fortum. "The pilot project is the first step towards possible future projects and investments."

"Fortum has a strong position in clean energy production, and we strive to find solutions to help our industrial customers decarbonise their operations. We work to drive the development of clean hydrogen in the Nordic countries, and we engage in active research cooperation with companies in the forest, steel and chemical industries and the transport sector, for example," Sipola said.

09 May 2024

Researched and written by World Nuclear News

 SCI-FI-TEK

UK consults on proposed planning policy for fusion plants

Fusion plants will not be subject to the same nuclear site licensing process as fission reactors, with the UK government instead proposing developer-led site selection and their designation as nationally significant infrastructure projects.

(Image: The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

As part of the regulatory regime being established for fusion plants, the UK is now consulting on a proposed National Policy Statement (NPS) for Fusion Energy, which will apply to England, "to set out and streamline the planning process for fusion power plants".

The government has previously legislated to make clear that fusion plants will not be subject to the nuclear site licensing process that applies to traditional (fission) nuclear power plants "due to the fundamental differences in technology, process and levels of hazard".

It is also proposing to be technology neutral in supporting all fusion energy facilities, including those which provide heat for industrial uses rather than electricity to the grid. "This will ensure that all first-of-a-kind prototype fusion energy facilities are included in the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects process and if fusion is used for its high-grade heat, these facilities will not fall out of scope" of the fusion planning policy statement (EN-8).

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero consultation says that there is a need to set out the planning regime now because "private industry is planning to build commercial facilities in the 2030s which requires siting and construction to start this decade. Companies are already starting to identify potential sites for these facilities. The planning process and considerations required to gain development consent will heavily influence designs, and so clarity needs to be provided well before detailed designs are completed. Regulatory certainty will also be a key consideration of investors and companies when deciding where to invest and where to build. An NPS gives a clear market signal to global investors that the UK is providing a stable regulatory and planning base on which long-term investment can be made".

The proposed regime would mean that applications would be considered by the national Planning Inspectorate and decided by the Secretary of State rather than being considered and decided at a regional planning level. The consultation says this will ensure that local authorities who lack the knowledge to judge an application "are not commercially disadvantaged when competing to host fusion facilities".

Unlike the existing national policy statement which lists approved nuclear power plant sites, the fusion-focused one will not, because "the government believes that identifying sites for future fusion energy facilities would be unnecessarily restrictive and it would be difficult to apply an all-encompassing approach without disadvantaging some technologies and stifling innovation ... local communities may be more receptive to fusion technologies compared to traditional nuclear technologies, but knowledge of fusion across the public in the UK is low. Identifying sites ... would bias developers towards areas of the UK where appetite and knowledge of fusion is currently higher".

The proposals for a regulatory framework for fusion reflect the UK government's view that "the hazards and risks of fusion are not of the same magnitude as fission and are more similar to other hazardous facilities such as chemical plants". It adds that it does not "want to exclude communities that are open to fusion technologies where they would not accept traditional nuclear technologies although it is likely that the first fusion power plants will not be sited close to any urban populations". The planning statement will also "emphasise the significance of safeguarding human health and well-being in the context of fusion projects".

It adds that although "fusion does not produce any high-level or very long-lived waste, different fusion technologies may give rise to different intermediate level waste streams. The government expects that developers consider and account for the long-term management of radioactive waste including storage, transportation, and disposal methods" and says developers will have to meet planning requirements to "safely treat and dispose of any hazardous waste".

Existing planning policies will still apply, such as flood risk and ensuring there is a biodiversity net gain from a development as well as consideration of climate change impacts and adaptation. The facilitiies will also not be allowed to be sited near to areas of military activity. The consultation lasts until 3 July, with a consultation on the wording of a Fusion National Policy Statement expected to take place in spring 2025 and a finalised version published before the end of next year.

Andrew Bowie, minister for nuclear and renewables, said: "The UK has been at the forefront of fusion energy development for decades and is in a unique position to capitalise on the environmental and economic benefits that this transformational new energy source can bring, including at a local and regional level ... through this consultation we want to hear from communities, industry and investors to ensure that the National Policy Statement fully supports development of fusion power plants."

09 May 2024

Researched and written by World Nuclear News

NUKE NEWS

Energoatom and Hyundai E&C sign cooperation memorandum

14 May 2024

The memorandum of cooperation signed by the Ukrainian and South Korean companies covers cooperating on the design, construction and commissioning of new nuclear power units in Ukraine.

(Image: Ukraine's Ministry of Energy)

The agreement was signed by Energoatom's Petro Kotin and Korean Hyundai Engineering and Construction Executive Vice President and Operations Director Choi Young in the presence of Ukraine's Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko and South Korea's Ambassador to Ukraine Kim Hyun-Tae.

Halushchenko said the agreements were important in terms of the plans for new Westinghouse AP1000 units at the Khmelnitsky nuclear power plant: "It is important that, together with the Korean side, we sign this memorandum during the war and, without waiting for its end, move forward. I am confident that together we will build an energy industry in Ukraine that will meet the best global standards."

The ambassador said the memorandum would "contribute to the development of Ukrainian-Korean cooperation in the nuclear industry, in particular, the exchange of experience in the field of nuclear technologies".

Kotin said: "South Korea"

IAEA warns against attacks on, or from, Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant

International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi has restated that "there must be no attack of any kind from or against this major nuclear facility".

The six reactors are now all in cold shutdown (Image: IAEA)

In his latest update on the situation at the six-unit Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which has been under Russian military control since early March 2022, Grossi said that on the question of military action targeting the plant, or being launched from it "the five concrete principles - widely supported by the members of the United Nations Security Council - are very clear".

He said that the agency's experts at the plant had heard military activity on most days "including artillery and rocket fire some distance away ... as well as small arms fire both near to and further away from the site". There had also been air-raid sirens on Wednesday and Thursday.

The IAEA was "aware of reports alleging that a training base for drone operators as well as drone launch pads have been deployed near the ZNPP's reactor unit 6 and its training centre. The IAEA experts have not seen any evidence of drones being launched, or the presence of training facilities or launching pads, within the site perimeter, but have requested access to the rooftop of a nearby laboratory building. The ZNPP has informed the IAEA team that the request is under consideration".

Since September 2022 there have been IAEA experts stationed at the facility, helping to monitor the situation and seeking to reduce the risks to safety and security at a place which is located on the frontline of Russian and Ukrainian forces.

They have carried out regular walkdowns across the site, although there have been some areas where they have had to request access a number of times before being allowed to visit. This week they have visited the two fresh fuel storage facilities, performed radiation monitoring along the site perimeter and measured the levels of the site's sprinkler ponds, which they reported to have enough water to provide cooling to the six reactors.

Another issue that the IAEA has been monitoring has been the staffing situation at the plant. The Russian operators say there are currently 5000 staff, an increase on last year but "still significantly fewer than it had before the conflict", the agency added. There are 800 open positions, and the operators have told the IAEA that staffing levels at Rosatom-operated nuclear power plants are generally "significantly lower than the corresponding staffing levels of Ukraine". The IAEA says its experts are "prevented from freely talking to main control room staff, affecting the agency's ability to independently assess the knowledge and experience of these personnel that are essential to maintaining nuclear safety at the ZNPP".

Grossi said: "We are continuing to monitor the staffing situation closely, as it is of vital importance for nuclear safety and security. For this purpose, our experts would also require an opportunity to discuss with the operators of the main control rooms, and other qualified staff."

The IAEA said that its teams at Ukraine's other nuclear power plants of Khmelnitsky, Rivne and South Ukraine, plus at Chernobyl, "reported that nuclear safety and security continues to be maintained".a has developed nuclear energy and expertise in the nuclear industry. Energoatom and Ukraine as a whole are interested in the development of our cooperation with the Hyundai company, which is one of the world leaders in this market."

The agreements build on a letter of intent that was signed by the two companies in November 2023. In May 2022 Westinghouse and Hyundai E&C signed a strategic cooperation agreement to jointly participate in global AP1000 plant opportunities and last month a ceremony was held to mark the start of the project to build what will become unit 5 at Khmelnitsky NPP.

Ukraine has 15 nuclear units which could generate about half of its electricity, including the six at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant which has been under Russian military control since early March 2022. Ukraine's nuclear expansion plans include proposals for nine new AP1000 reactors across the country.

Khmelnitsky's first reactor was connected to the grid in 1987, but work on three other reactors was halted in 1990, at a time when unit 3 was 75% complete. Work on the second reactor restarted and it was connected to the grid in 2004. A project to complete units 3 and 4 is under way - last month, the Ukrainian Cabinet put forward a draft law on their construction/completion. Halushchenko said earlier this year that unit 3 could come into operation in as little as two and a half years.

Two of the new AP1000s are due to become the fifth and six units at Khmelnitsky and would bring the plant's total capacity beyond that of the six-unit Zaporizhzhia plant which has been under Russian military control since early March 2022. During their talks, Energoatom and Hyundai E&C discussed all these projects as well as agreements with Holtec International on the construction of factories for the production of equipment for small modular reactors and containers for used nuclear fuel.

10 May 2024

Estonian parliament begins preparations for nuclear power programme

09 May 2024

Members of Estonia's parliament, the Riigikogu, have submitted the draft resolution which will allow preparations to begin for the adoption of nuclear energy in the country and the creation of a suitable legislative and regulatory framework.

The Riigikogu building is situated in the courtyard of Toompea Castle and was the first public building in Estonia which was designed to have electric power (Image: Riigikogu Photo Archive/Martin Siplane)

The draft calls for the Riigikogu to pass a "fundamental decision" on whether to allow production of nuclear energy in Estonia. According to the Riigikogu, the draft is mainly based on the analysis conducted by the Nuclear Energy Working Group in 2021-2023 which concluded that the adoption of nuclear energy in Estonia was feasible. The findings of that study were submitted to the Estonian government in March.

The 55 members of the Riigikogu who submitted the draft "support the preparations for the adoption of nuclear energy and the creation of a necessary legislative framework for it", including the drafting of the Nuclear Energy and Safety Act and supplementing the existing legislation, the establishment of nuclear regulatory institution, and the development of "sectoral competences".

According to the draft's explanatory memorandum, the adoption of nuclear power would provide a "controllable and continuous generation capacity" to balance fluctuations in renewable energy generation, help Estonia reach its climate neutrality target, ensure "stable and affordable electricity" in the long term, promote research and development, bring economic benefits and create jobs for local people. It would also bring challenges such as the training of a qualified workforce, handling and storage of used nuclear fuel, and emergency preparedness. "To address these, it is essential to ensure appropriate regulation, supervision, competence development and timely and adequate funding that would guarantee the safe and responsible use of nuclear energy when it is adopted," it states.

The draft does not grant the right to build a nuclear power plant in Estonia, the Riigikogu said.

Estonia's current domestic electricity generation is dominated by fossil fuels, but the country is seeking to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 and is looking at nuclear power as a reliable and low carbon option to diversify its energy mix by 2035 when it plans to phase out its use of domestic oil shale. A draft law which would suspend the issuance of new domestic oil shale mining permits until the end of 2025 - to allow time for climate laws to be drafted - has been announced by the Estonian government and is being sent to parliament for consideration.

An IAEA mission to Estonia reported in October that the country had developed a comprehensive assessment of its nuclear power infrastructure needs to decide whether to launch a nuclear power programme. In February 2023, Estonia's Fermi Energia announced it had selected GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy's BWRX-300 SMR for potential deployment in the Baltic country by the early 2030s.

Hungary and China sign nuclear energy cooperation agreement

10 May 2024

A memorandum of understanding on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy has been signed by the China Atomic Energy Authority and Hungary's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, right, hosted talks (Image: Peter Szijjarto/Facebook)

The agreement was one of 18 covering a wide variety of areas signed during President Xi Jinping's visit to Hungary on Thursday.

A joint statement issued by the two countries on the establishing of an over-arching All-Weather Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for the New Era, said: "The Chinese side will continue to encourage capable Chinese enterprises to invest in Hungary. The two sides will promote orderly cooperation in emerging fields including clean energy, artificial intelligence, mobile communication technology and nuclear energy and technology."

Hungary's President Viktor Orban said, after his talks with the Chinese president: "The Hungarians have serious ambitions. The previous 100 years, the 20th Century, was a shameful one for Hungary. It was a century in which we lost, a century in which we suffered extremely heavy losses of historic proportions. And the concept driving the Hungarians is that we want to win the 21st Century, and not lose it. And to win we need partners, investors, trading partners and the world’s most advanced technology."

He added: "I will make special mention of something which is not only an economic fact, but also an expression of confidence: the fact that we can extend our cooperation to the whole spectrum of the nuclear industry, where up until now there has been no cooperation between our two countries. This holds great potential, because in this respect - in terms of the nuclear industry - Hungary has considerable international experience and prestige, as we have been involved in this industry for more than 50 years, and currently the largest nuclear development in Europe is taking place in Hungary.

"Our plan is that by the beginning of the next decade the share of Hungary's energy provided by nuclear power will be between 60 and 70 per cent."

In the text of his published remarks, President Xi said the two countries would "connect our development strategies more closely, deepen economic, trade, investment, and financial cooperation, and advance the Budapest-Belgrade railway and other key projects. We will expand cooperation in emerging industries and foster new quality productive forces to empower and facilitate economic and social development of the two countries".

The official statements and publications during the visit do not yet appear to include detail of the content of the memorandum of understanding on nuclear. China is the fastest growing generator of nuclear energy. According to World Nuclear Association figures, it currently has 56 operable reactors with a capacity of 54 GW - and it has 27 more reactors under construction which would provide 28.9 GW more capacity. Hungary currently has four operable nuclear reactors with a capacity of 1.9 GW, supplying about 40% of the country's electricity. It has also embarked on the Paks II project which would see Russia's Rosatom supply two VVER-1200 reactors.

Eletronuclear updates Angra 1 lifetime extension progress

13 May 2024

Brazilian nuclear power plant operator Eletrobras Eletronuclear says it is on track to complete all the steps required to get approval for extended operation of the Angra 1 unit.

Angra 1 and 2 (Image: Eletronuclear)

Angra 1, Brazil's first nuclear power unit, is a 609 MWe pressurised water reactor that was first connected to the grid in 1982. Eletronuclear is seeking a lifetime extension from 40 to 60 years.

Getting a lifetime extension is a long and complex process and years of preparation had already gone into it even before the initial request for renewal of its operating licence was submitted to the Brazilian Nuclear Energy Commission (CNEN) in 2019. Eletrobras said that during 2023 it submitted 16 reports to the regulatory body, including assessments of safety factors as defined by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

It said it had also responded to 166 follow-up questions from CNEN by the end of last month. And it had also carried out the third and final Periodic Safety Reassessment, a document produced every 10 years looking at things such as safety performance, emergency planning, equipment qualification and management systems.

The company also uses the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission's License Renewal Application process and is preparing next month for a fourth visit by the IAEA for a Safety Aspects of Long Term Operation (SALTO) mission - the previous ones were held in 2013, 2018 and 2022.

José Augusto do Amaral, superintendent of Operational Support Engineering and responsible for the LTO, said: "The negotiation process with [CNEN] should last until the end of this year to finalise the steps. But the company is prepared and continues to have constant dialogue ... we are managing to demonstrate that Angra 1 will be able to continue operating efficiently and safely."

Measures already taken to extend the service life for a further 20 years include new steam generators, changing the reactor pressure vessel cover and replacing the main transformers, the company says, as well as implementing ageing/obsolescence management systems. It estimates safety and modernisation spending of around BRL3 billion (USD585 million) between 2024 and 2028. it will get short term financing from its main shareholders, ENBPar and Eletrobras, while negotiations are completed with the US Export-Import Bank for the full modernisation programme.

Angra 1 reached criticality in 1982 and entered commercial operation in 1985. The pressurised water reactor (PWR) has a design capacity of 640 MWe (net capacity 609 MWe). Eletrobras Eletronuclear also operates Angra 2, a 1275 MWe (net) PWR which began commercial operation in 2001. Together with Angra 2 it generates about 3% of Brazil’s electricity. Work on the Angra 3 project - to feature a Siemens/KWU 1405 MW pressurised water reactor - began in 1984 but was suspended two years later, before construction began. The scheme was resurrected in 2006, with first concrete in 2010. But, amid a corruption probe into government contracts, construction of the unit was halted for a second time in 2015, when it was 65% complete. It resumed again in November 2022 - at the time of the project’s revitalisation, Eletronuclear’s aim was to start operations by the end of 2026. However, work has again faced interruptions pending agreement with local authorities on "socio-environmental" compensation payments.

Brazil also began a process to identify sites for new nuclear power plants in 2022 - its National Energy Plan to 2050 said the country aimed to add 10 GW of nuclear capacity in the next 30 years.

Turbine building roof installed at Akkuyu 2

13 May 2024

The three-month process of installing the roof on the turbine building of the second unit at Turkey's Akkuyu nuclear power plant has been completed.

One of the sections is lifted under clear night skies (Image: Akkuyu Nuclear JSC)

The roof is formed from nine sections, weighing between 95 and 175 tonnes and measuring 61 metres long, with a Liebherr 13000 crawler crane used. Each section had to be installed to an accuracy of within 10 millimetres.

Sergei Butskikh, first deputy director general of Akkuyu Nuclear JSC, said: "Installing roof trusses in a turbine hall is a complex task that requires a high degree of attention to detail and flawless execution. Despite the strict schedule and difficult weather conditions, the team of builders successfully completed the task. We are proud of the results achieved and thank each employee for their diligence and professionalism. At the next stage, we will begin installing the main units and components of the turbogenerator unit."

The section is lowered into place (Image: Akkuyu Nuclear JSC)

Akkuyu, in the southern Mersin province, is Turkey's first nuclear power plant. Rosatom is building four VVER-1200 reactors, under a so-called BOO (build-own-operate) model. According to the terms of the 2010 Intergovernmental Agreement between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Turkey, the commissioning of the first power unit of the nuclear power plant must take place within seven years from receipt of all permits for the construction of the unit.

The licence for the construction of the first unit was issued in 2018, with construction work beginning that year. Nuclear fuel was delivered to the site in April 2023. Turkey's Nuclear Regulatory Agency issued permission for the first unit to be commissioned in December, and in February it was announced that the reactor compartment had been prepared for controlled assembly of the reactor - and the generator stator had also been installed in its pre-design position.

The aim is for unit 1 to begin supplying Turkey's energy system in 2025. When the 4800 MWe plant is completed it is expected to meet about 10% of Turkey's electricity needs, with the aim that all four units will be operational by the end of 2028.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News