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)
Monday, October 28, 2024
First nuclear fuel produced for Bolivia's research reactor
Monday, 28 October 2024
The nuclear fuel for the first load at the research reactor being built in Bolivia has been manufactured and accepted, with delivery of the first batch of fuel assemblies planned for 2025.
The reactor vessel arrived at El Alto last year (Image: Lucho Arce)
The TVS VRR-M2 fuel has been produced at TVEL's Novosibirsk Chemical Concentrates Plant, which is part of Russia's Rosatom. The BR-01 research reactor is expected to produce radioisotopes for scientific research as well as being used in materials studies and for training purposes.
The pool-type 200 kW pressurised water research reactor, developed by Russia's Research Institute of Atomic Reactors, is designed to have a service life of 50 years and is part of a Russian-Bolivian project to create a nuclear research and technology centre at El Alto, at an altitude of more than 4000 metres.
The research reactor vessel was delivered and installed in its design position in 2023. It will be the world's highest altitude research reactor.
Oleg Grigoriyev, Senior Vice President for Commerce and International Business at Rosatom's fuel division TVEL, said Bolivia was the first South American country to use Russian nuclear fuel, adding: "Rosatom has vast experience in construction of research reactor facilities abroad and traditionally provides them with nuclear fuel throughout their entire service life. The Novosibirsk Chemical Concentrates Plant has been producing nuclear fuel and its components for research reactors in various regions of the world for already 50 years, including facilities of both Russian and foreign design."
The Cyclotron Preclinical Radiopharmacy Complex at the El Alto centre is already up and running, and will produce a line of pharmaceuticals to provide the necessary supplies for the network of Bolivian nuclear medicine centres, intended to allow Bolivians to get quicker and higher quality diagnosis and treatment without having to travel abroad. The Multipurpose Irradiation Centre has also been completed.
Rosatom announced the signing of the contract with the Bolivian Nuclear Energy Agency in September 2017 for the construction of the nuclear research and technology centre in El Alto. Construction of the facility began in July 2021. The projected completion deadline for the centre's facilities is 2025.
Environmental permit granted for Swedish repository
Friday, 25 October 2024
Radioactive waste management company Svensk Kärnbränslehantering AB can begin preparatory work for the final repository for used nuclear fuel in Forsmark and the encapsulation facility in Oskarshamn after Sweden's Land and Environment Court granted an environmental permit for the construction and operation of the facilities.
A rendering of how the underground repository could appear (Image: SKB)
Svensk Kärnbränslehantering AB (SKB) applied in 2011 to the Land and Environmental Court in Nacka district court for permission to dispose of used nuclear fuel and radioactive waste. The court then prepared the application, held a longer main hearing in 2017 and submitted its opinion to the government in 2018. The government decided on 27 January 2022 that the activity was permissible according to Sweden's Environmental Code.
The court has now granted SKB permission and determined the conditions that will apply to the business. An enforcement order also issued by the court means SKB can start initial work at both sites even if the judgment is appealed to the Land and Environment Court at the Svea Court of Appeal.
The permit applies to radioactive waste from the 12 reactors (six reactors in operation) that are part of the ongoing Swedish nuclear power programme. The permit does not apply to waste from a possible new nuclear power programme, the court noted. SKB may deposit approximately 6000 canisters with approximately 12,000 tonnes of nuclear waste at a depth of about 500 metres in the final repository. The business is estimated to last for around 70 years, but it can last longer if, for example, the operating time of the existing reactors is extended.
The court's conditions for the permit aim to limit the activity's impact on the environment through protective measures against noise, groundwater lowering, discharge to water, etc. Several conditions are aimed at protected species and natural areas in Forsmark.
According to a condition in the environmental permit, SKB must conduct environmental monitoring regarding information preservation for future generations and monitoring after closure.
SKB said the works that are within the scope of the permit - and which can start once the County Board of Uppsala County approves the control programme - include protective measures and preparatory work. In Forsmark, where the repository is to be built, it involves forest felling, excavation work for the operational area, construction of an area for rock storage, construction of a bridge over the cooling water channel, filling of the operating area and facilities for nitrogen purification.
"We need to establish the necessary infrastructure above ground and get started with ground work and protective measures," said SKB CEO Stefan Engdahl. "SKB has proposed conditions that take nature and the surroundings into account. We adapt to the birds' nesting periods, move species worthy of protection so that they can continue to live on the site and build bioreactors that purify process water from nitrogen."
In order for SKB to be able to start the tunneling itself, an approved safety report from the Radiation Safety Authority (SSM) is required. SSM will continue the step-by-step examination of the final repository according to the Act on Nuclear Activities.
SKB said the construction of the nuclear fuel repository in Forsmark will begin two years before that of the encapsulation facility in Oskarshamn, as the construction times are of different lengths. Both facilities are expected to be put into operation in the mid-2030s.
A similar geological repository for used fuel is being built at Olkiluoto in Finland. The Finnish government granted a construction licence for that project in November 2015 and construction work on the repository started a year later. Posiva has applied for an operating licence for the facility to the end of 2070.
Nvidia-Backed Ubitus Seeks Nuclear-Powered Data Centers in Japan
Ubitus K.K., an Nvidia-backed company, plans to build a new data center near nuclear power plants in Japan due to the energy's cost-effectiveness and reliability for AI applications.
NextEra Energy is evaluating the potential restart of Iowa's only nuclear power plant, the Duane Arnold Energy Center, to meet the increasing energy demands of the AI industry.
The growing interest of tech companies in nuclear energy highlights a shift in the energy landscape, driven by the need for abundant and reliable power sources for AI and data centers.
Another day, another data center cozying up to nuclear power.
This time its an Nvidia-backed company called Ubitus K.K., based in Tokyo. The company is looking to "acquire land in Kyoto, Shimane or a prefecture in Japan’s southern island of Kyushu, primarily because of the availability of nuclear power in the region", according to a new report from Bloomberg.
Chief Executive Officer Wesley Kuo announced the plans in an interview on Thursday last week. The company already has two data centers used for gaming and is planning a third for AI.
Kuo commented: “Unless we have other, better, efficient and cheap energy, nuclear is still the most competitive option in terms of cost and the scale of supply. For industrial use — especially AI — they need a constant, high-capacity supply.”
The Bloomberg report says that in Japan, nuclear power remains controversial due to the 2011 Fukushima disaster and strict post-disaster regulations, with only 33 reactors available, many still inactive.
Recall, following the news of the Three Mile Island nuclear plant restart near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and the Biden administration supplying a $1.5 billion loan to resurrect Holtec's Palisades nuclear plant in Michigan, along with Amazon, Microsoft, and Google all jumping on the nuclear trade via the "next AI trade," the atomic era continued gaining steam last week with news that another dormant nuclear plant, this time in Iowa, is slated for a possible restart.
On a Wednesday earnings call, NextEra Energy CEO John Ketchum told investors that the company may restart the shuttered 600-megawatt Duane Arnold Energy Center (DAEC), Iowa's only nuclear power plant. It's located on the west bank of the Cedar River, about eight miles northwest of Cedar Rapids.
The company said on its earnings call:
"As a top operator of all forms of power generation, we often get asked about nuclear and gas," Ketchum told investors.
He explained, "Let me start with nuclear. Nuclear will play a role, but there are some practical limitations. Remember, on a national level, we expect we are going to need to add 900 gigawatts of new generation to the grid by 2040," adding, "There are only a few nuclear plants that can be recommissioned in an economic way. We are currently evaluating the recommissioning of our Duane Arnold nuclear plant in Iowa as one example."
The latest news from big tech firms diving into nuclear and reviving the industry provides a substantial tailwind for our "Next AI Trade" which we laid out in April as our long-term favorite trade, and where we outlined various investment opportunities for powering up America, playing out.
Big tech realizes that clean power is not enough for their business ends, and they need power that is both clean and available around the clock.
Big Tech’s big bet on nuclear will take a while to take shape.
Big Tech has deep pockets and massive electricity needs that are only going to get even more massive in the coming years as the AI race heats up and data centers multiply.
Microsoft recently struck a deal to restart of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant. Google partnered with small modular reactor developer Kairos to build 500MW of generation capacity. Amazon bought stock in another SMR developer, X-energy. Big Oil loves nuclear. This could change the course of the energy transition.
Until quite recently, Big Tech was fully dedicated to the energy transition in its original form, envisaging a massive buildout of wind and solar capacity to replace gas and coal as sources of electricity. Then the AI race began, and Big Tech discovered something it should have known all along: it needed a lot of electricity that was available around the clock. Wind and solar couldn’t cut it. So Big Tech turned to nuclear.
“Nuclear plants are the only energy sources that can consistently deliver on that promise,” Constellation Energy’s chief executive Joe Dominguez said in comments on the Microsoft news, referring to the promise of abundant electricity supply with a low emissions footprint.
“This agreement is a key part of our effort to commercialise and scale the advanced energy technologies we need to reach our net zero and 24/7 carbon-free energy goals and ensure that more communities benefit from clean and affordable power in the future,” Google’s senior director for energy and climate Michael Terell said in comments on the deal with Kairos Power.
The tech industry appears to have taken its time in realizing that clean power is not enough for their business ends, and they need power that is both clean and available around the clock—and batteries cannot make wind and solar round-the-clock power sources.
“These large investments show the tech industry does not feel renewables and batteries can provide enough stable or cost-effective power and nuclear will be needed,” the chair of the American Nuclear Society’s International Council and chief executive of nuclear fuel producer Lightbridge Corporation told the FT last week. Indeed, it was high time someone acknowledged the shortcomings of the default energy sources of transition advocates who have not yet felt directly the need for reliable, in addition to non-hydrocarbon, electricity.
In fairness, Big Tech’s big bet on nuclear will take a while to take shape. For example, Microsoft may have agreed with Constellation Energy to restart Three Mile Island, but the restart depends on permits yet to be granted by the relevant authorities—and it is not a done deal in light of anti-nuclear sentiments among the public, Reuters reports.
Small modular reaction technology has not been tested at a commercial scale yet, and the one project that tried to test it ultimately failed, with developer NuScale losing its deal with a Utah utility after it turned out the electricity its reactors would be generating was going to be a lot more expensive than original planned.
Yet, Big Tech has deep pockets and massive electricity needs that are only going to get even more massive in the coming years as the AI race heats up and data centers multiply. Indeed, variousforecasts are naming data center proliferation as the top reason for a considerable future increase in U.S. electricity consumption after more than a decade of flat demand. Per Barclays, data centers alone will come to account for 9% of total U.S. demand for electricity by 2030. That would be up from just 3.5%. Per Wood Mac, total electricity demand in the U.S. could swell by up to 15% in the next five years. And it won’t be wind and solar covering this demand if Big Tech is any judge.
The nuclear bet could be a disaster for wind and solar, and not just because nuclear is a direct rival for the love of some huge consumers of energy. That bet could mortally wound wind and solar because of carbon credits.
Right now, Big Tech majors are the biggest clients of companies engaged in the generation of electricity from wind and solar installations, for which generation these companies also receive so-called carbon credits. They are free to sell these credits to companies that want to reduce their emission footprint accumulated from their use of hydrocarbon sources of electricity for lack of comparable non-hydrocarbon alternatives. Microsoft, Amazon, and Google are big consumers of carbon credits. But if those reactors get built, demand for carbon credits will take a plunge—and it will never return.
This is a problem for wind and solar generators because those carbon credits are an important source of income. That source of income could become even more important as negative prices due to overproduction become more frequent. Yet Big Tech with its nuclear plans could put an end to this lucrative carbon credit trade because nuclear generation is zero-emission generation.
Granted, this will take years to happen. There will be challenges as small modular reactor technology proves itself in the field. There will be failures and delays. But with Big GTech’s money and its very urgent need for energy, chances are that nuclear will be making a major comeback. In the meantime, gas and even coal are guaranteed some stable demand growth from the data center world.
By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com
Deep Atomic launches SMR for data centres
Friday, 25 October 2024
The MK60 small modular reactor design, developed specifically to provide power and cooling to data centres, has been unveiled by Deep Atomic.
(Image: Deep Atomic)
The MK60 is a light water small modular reactor (SMR) incorporating multiple passive safety systems. Deep Atomic says it is "compact, scalable, and built on a foundation of proven technology". Each unit generates up to 60 MWe and provides an additional 60 MW of cooling capacity through its "integrated data centre-centric design approach".
The company - headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland - says the reactor is well-suited to various types of data centres, including those supporting traditional cloud services, cryptocurrency operations, and AI applications.
"Data centres are the backbone of digital innovation, but their massive energy needs have become the critical bottleneck blocking growth," said Deep Atomic founder and CEO William Theron.
The MK60 is said to offer data centre operators a scalable power solution that can be deployed in various locations, including areas with limited grid access, and can be sited closer to urban areas due to its advanced safety features.
"It's designed to be installed on-site at data centres, delivering reliable zero-carbon electricity and energy-efficient cooling, thereby significantly reducing carbon footprints, and helping data centres meet their increasingly stringent sustainability goals," Theron said.
Deep Atomic's Head of Engineering Freddy Mondale noted that many regions were struggling to provide the amounts of power that new data centres require. "Our on-site reactors bypass these grid limitations, allowing DCs (data centres) to be built in optimal locations without straining existing infrastructure."
Mondale says that a 60 MWe reactor with additional 60 MW of cooling capacity "hits a sweet spot for data centres. It's large enough to power significant compute infrastructure, yet small enough to allow for modular deployment and scaling".
He added: "The MK60 can be deployed in multiples, allowing scalability from 60 MW up to over 1 GW to meet growing energy demands."
Deep Atomic says it has already begun to engage with regulators and potential customers as it moves forward with development. The company is seeking partnerships with data centre operators and other investors "looking towards the future of sustainable digital infrastructure".
Deep Atomic's announcement of the MK60 comes on the heels of several announcements by global tech giants related to nuclear energy.
Microsoft announced in September it had signed a 20-year power purchase agreement with Constellation that will see Three Mile Island unit 1 restarted. Google announced last week it had agreed to purchase energy from Kairos Power under a deal that would support the first commercial deployment of its fluoride salt-cooled high-temperature advanced small modular reactors by 2030 and aim for a fleet totalling 500 MW of capacity by 2035. The following day, Amazon announced a series of agreements that will see it taking a stake in advanced nuclear reactor developer X-energy and rolling out its Xe-100 advanced SMR initially at a project in Washington State.
Meanwhile, the head of Japanese cloud-based gaming services provider Ubitus KK has said it is planning to construct a new data centre and is specifically looking at areas with nearby nuclear power plants to provide the required power.
Google and Kairos Power team up for SMR deployments
Tuesday, 15 October 2024
Google has agreed to purchase energy from small modular reactors under a deal that will support the first commercial deployment of Kairos Power's reactor by 2030 and a fleet totalling 500 MW of capacity by 2035.
(Image: Kairos)
The Master Plant Development Agreement signed by the two companies will see Kairos Power develop, construct, and operate a series of advanced reactor plants and sell energy, ancillary services, and environmental attributes to Google under power purchase agreements (PPAs). Plants will be sited in "relevant service territories to supply clean electricity to Google data centres", with the first deployment by 2030 to support Google’s 24/7 carbon-free energy and net zero goals.
This the first corporate agreement for multiple deployments of a single advanced reactor design in the USA, the companies said.
Kairos has adopted a rapid iterative development approach and vertical integration strategy to bring its fluoride salt-cooled high-temperature reactor technology to market. Site work and excavation for a low-power demonstration reactor version, Hermes, began at Oak Ridge, Tennessee, earlier this year after the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued a construction permit in 2023, targeted to be operational by 2027. The NRC has also completed the final environmental assessment for the construction of the next iteration - the two-unit power-producing Hermes 2 plant - which is also planned to be built at Oak Ridge.
Kairos said the innovative, multi-plant agreement with Google will support technology development by extending Kairos Power’s iterative demonstration strategy through its first commercial deployments: "Building on progress from the early iterations, each new plant will enable continued learning and optimisation to support accelerated commercialisation. Along the way, milestone-based accountability baked into the agreement will establish confidence in Kairos Power's ability to deliver throughout the long-term partnership."
"Our partnership with Google will enable Kairos Power to quickly advance down the learning curve as we drive toward cost and schedule certainty for our commercial product," Mike Laufer, Kairos Power CEO and co-founder, said. "By coming alongside in the development phase, Google is more than just a customer. They are a partner who deeply understands our innovative approach and the potential it can deliver."
Google is aiming to achieve net-zero emissions across all of its operations and value chain by 2030. Earlier this year, Google - together with Microsoft and steel manufacturer Nucor - announced plans to develop new business models and aggregate their demand for advanced clean electricity technologies, including advanced nuclear, and issued a Request for Information to identify specific projects to engage with.
The additional generation that will be developed under the multi-plant agreement with Kairos will complement its existing use of variable renewables while helping it to reach its 24/7 carbon-free energy and net zero goals, the company said.
"This landmark announcement will accelerate the transition to clean energy as Google and Kairos Power look to add 500 MW of new 24/7 carbon-free power to US electricity grids," Google Senior Director of Energy and Climate Michael Terrell said. "This agreement is a key part of our effort to commercialise and scale the advanced energy technologies we need to reach our net zero and 24/7 carbon-free energy goals and ensure that more communities benefit from clean and affordable power in the future."
Google pioneered the first corporate purchase agreements for renewable electricity more than a decade ago, and since then has played a pivotal role in accelerating clean energy solutions, Terrell said in a blog post. The agreement with Kairos is important because the grid needs new sources of electricity to support AI technologies, and nuclear can help meet those demands reliably with carbon-free energy every hour of every day, he added.
"By procuring electricity from multiple reactors … we will help accelerate the repeated reactor deployments that are needed to lower costs and bring Kairos Power’s technology to market more quickly. This is an important part of our approach to scale the benefits of advanced technologies to more people and communities, and builds on our previous efforts," he said.
"We'll continue working to accelerate a diverse portfolio of advanced clean electricity technologies and bring new 24/7 clean, affordable energy onto every grid where we operate."
Molten salt reactors
Molten salt reactors - or MSRs - use molten fluoride salts as primary coolant, at low pressure. Some designs - like Kairos Power's KP-FHR - use solid fuel, while others use fuel salts, in which the nuclear fuel is dissolved in the coolant.
The KP-FHR will use fully ceramic TRISO (tri-structural isotropic) pebble-type fuel. The Hermes and Hermes 2 demonstration plants will feature units with a thermal capacity of 35 MW each. The two 35 MWt units at Hermes 2 are intended to a power a common turbine generator set to produce about 20 MW electric (MWe).
Kairos envisages its commercial KP-FHR offering as dual unit plants, with two 75 MWe units for a total of 150 MWe of power output.
MSRs are one of the four main types of SMR that are currently being developed. SMRs are broadly defined as nuclear reactors with a capacity of up to 300 MWe equivalent, designed with modular technology using module factory fabrication, pursuing economies of series production and short construction times
Amazon invests in X-energy, unveils SMR project plans
Wednesday, 16 October 2024
Amazon has announced it has taken a stake in advanced nuclear reactor developer X-energy, with the goal of deploying up to 5 GW of its small modular reactors in the USA by 2039.
Online shopping and web services giant Amazon's Climate Change Pledge Fund was described as the anchor investor in a USD500 million financing round for X-energy, alongside Ken Griffin, founder and CEO of Citadel, Ares Management Corporation, private equity firm NGP and University of Michigan.
The funding is designed to pave the way to completion of the reactor design and licensing, and the first phase of its TRISO-X fuel fabrication facility at Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
The first project
The first project looks set to be in Washington State, with Amazon announcing it had signed an agreement with Energy Northwest, a consortium of state public utilities, for an initial four advanced small modular reactors (SMRs) generating about 320 MWe, with an option to treble that number to 960 MWe, which would be the amount needed to power about 770,000 homes.
Amazon will fund the initial feasibility phase for the SMR project which is planned for a site near the energy company's Columbia Generating Station nuclear energy facility in Richland. Under the agreement Amazon would have the right to purchase electricity from the first phase, while Energy Northwest will have the option to build the eight extra modules, with the additional power being available to Amazon and utilities in the area.
Matt Garman, CEO of Amazon Web Services, said: "One of the fastest ways to address climate change is by transitioning our society to carbon-free energy sources, and nuclear energy is both carbon-free and able to scale - which is why it’s an important area of investment for Amazon. Our agreements will encourage the construction of new nuclear technologies that will generate energy for decades to come."
Greg Cullen, Vice President for Energy Services & Development at Energy Northwest, said: "We've been working for years to develop this project at the urging of our members, and have found that taking this first, bold step is difficult for utilities, especially those that provide electricity to ratepayers at the cost of production. We applaud Amazon for being willing to use their financial strength, need for power and know-how to lead the way to a reliable, carbon-free power future for the region."
The advanced reactors
The Xe-100 is a Generation IV advanced reactor design which X-energy says is based on decades of high temperature gas-cooled reactor operation, research, and development. Designed to operate as a standard 320 MWe four-pack power plant or scaled in units of 80 MWe. At 200 MWt of 565°C steam, the Xe-100 is also suitable for other power applications including mining and heavy industry. The Xe-100 uses tri-structural isotropic (TRISO) particle fuel, which has additional safety benefits because it can withstand very high temperatures without melting,
X-energy says its design makes it road-shippable with accelerated construction timelines and more predictable and manageable construction costs, and is well suited to meet the requirements of energy-intensive data centres.
Clay Sell, X-energy CEO, said: "Amazon and X-energy are poised to define the future of advanced nuclear energy in the commercial marketplace. To fully realise the opportunities available through artificial intelligence, we must bring clean, safe, and reliable electrons onto the grid with proven technologies that can scale and grow with demand. We deeply appreciate our earliest funders and collaborators, notably the US Department of Energy and Dow Inc. With Amazon, Ken Griffin, and our other strategic investors, we are now uniquely suited to deliver on this transformative vision for the future of energy and tech."
The initial Xe-100 plant is being developed at Dow Inc's UCC Seadrift Operations site on the Texas Gulf Coast, which would be the first nuclear reactor deployed to serve an industrial site in the USA.
What else has been announced?
A memorandum of understanding has also been signed with utility company Dominion Energy to look into the development of an SMR project near the company's existing North Anna nuclear power station. It is not the first move into nuclear energy from Amazon, which is co-locating a data centre facility next to Talen Energy's nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania.
Robert Blue, Chairman and CEO of Dominion Energy, said: "This agreement builds on our longstanding partnership with Amazon and other leading tech companies to accelerate the development of carbon-free power generation in Virginia. It's an important step forward in serving our customers' growing needs with reliable, affordable and increasingly clean energy. This collaboration gives us a potential path to advance SMRs with minimal rate impacts for our residential customers and substantially reduced development risk."
In July, Dominion Energy announced a Request for Proposals from leading SMR nuclear technology companies to evaluate the feasibility of developing an SMR at the company's North Anna plant - while it is not a commitment to build an SMR, it is an important first step in evaluating the technology and the feasibility of developing it at North Anna the company says.
Data centres and nuclear
Amazon's series of announcements confirms a recent trend of data centre operators looking at nuclear energy as a way to get reliable energy that is carbon free. Amazon noted that it is not just their data centres and web services which are going to see increasing electricity demand, but also wider developments such as electrifying its vehicle fleet.
On Tuesday, a fellow online giant, Google, signed a Master Plant Development Agreement with Kairos Power for the development and construction of a series of advanced reactor plants.
And last month Microsoft announced it had signed a 20-year power purchase agreement with Constellation which would see Three Mile Island unit 1 restarted, five years after it was shut down.
Slovenia's referendum on new nuclear cancelled
Friday, 25 October 2024
The nationwide referendum due to be held in Slovenia on 24 November about proposed new nuclear power units has been called off and may now be staged later in the project process, in 2028, instead.
How JEK2 could look (Image: GEN energija)
The decision by Slovenia's parliament to cancel the vote - just days after the elected members had voted for it to happen - followed challenges to the wording and allegations that it was not being properly conducted.
The question for the referendum had been due to be: "Do you support the implementation of the JEK2 project, which together with other low-carbon sources will ensure a stable supply of electricity?"
Slovenia's JEK2 project is for a new one or two-unit nuclear power plant, with up to 2400 MW capacity, next to its existing nuclear power plant, Krško, a 696 MWe pressurised water reactor which generates about one-third of the country's electricity and which is co-owned by neighbouring Croatia.
Prime Minister Robert Golob has committed to hold a referendum on the project before it goes ahead, with a number of key studies and documents to be published beforehand to "enable citizens to make an informed decision". The current timetable for the project is for a final investment decision to be taken in 2028, with construction beginning in 2032.
Among a raft of reviews and documents published over the past few months, was an economic review of the estimated cost of the project which put the cost, depending on the power-generating capacity selected, at EUR9.5 billion to EUR15.4 billion (USD10.3 billion to USD16.7 billion).
The opposition Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) - which along with all other parties had been keen on the referendum because "such a large project cannot be successfully completed without broad social consensus" - said it now opposed the referendum because, they say, Energy Minister Bojan Kumer had requested, and not published, an analysis of the costs if there was no nuclear energy and up to 100% renewable energy instead.
SDS MP Zvone Černač said if media reports were true "and Minister Kumer hid the study from the public for two months, he should resign". Černač accused the minister of using the "rhetoric of renewable energy activists" and said that in the current circumstances carrying out a referendum "would be irresponsible".
Prime Minister Robert Golob's Freedom Movement said that "misleading media reports" and other accusations meant "a well-founded doubt has arisen as to whether, in the new circumstances, voters can make an informed, autonomous and responsible decision on such an important issue of national importance as the supply of electricity".
It said that the cancellation of November's referendum does not mean the end of the JEK2 project and work would begin on a "special law for the more effective implementation of this by far the largest planned investment in the history of independent Slovenia ... the cancellation of the referendum also does not mean that there will not be a referendum on JEK2 in the future. The referendum vote will be held in 2028 at the latest, when all the details for the final investment decision will be known".
The party said the new law "will contain provisions on the establishment of a project company, define strategic decision-making procedures on the project, provisions on project control, including civil control, and provisions related to the specifics of the project" and will enable public participation.
Freedom Party MP Miha Lamut said: "We witnessed non-objective and incomplete media reporting, which created the impression in the public that all the decisions made regarding the procedures for adopting both the resolution on the long-term peaceful use of nuclear energy and the decree for the referendum were the result of arbitrary decision-making by the people's representatives."
The Ministry of Environment, Climate and Energy issued a statement saying it had "never hidden anything" and said the accusations about the reasons for the report not being published were "unfounded". It added: "We reject the accusations that the current non-publication of the document, which is the author's analysis of one energy expert and has not been peer-reviewed, could significantly improve citizens' information about the JEK2 project, since it was not even fundamentally intended for that."
The ministry, which has now published the report and the original letter commissioning it, said it was now going to launch a public procurement process to obtain new expert analyses which would be published in 2025.
Partners mark two years of Lu-177 production at Bruce 7
Monday, 28 October 2024
The 24 months since commercial production of the medical isotope began at the Candu unit have seen Bruce Power and its partners expand production capabilities to match growing global demand.
(Image: Bruce Power)
In October 2022, Bruce Power became the first commercial nuclear operator to produce lutetium-177 (Lu-177), used in targeted radionuclide therapy to treat cancers like neuroendocrine tumours and prostate cancer, in an international collaboration with Saugeen Ojibway Nation (SON), Isogen (a Kinectrics and Framatome company) and ITM Isotope Technologies Munich SE (ITM).
The partnership uses an innovative Isotope Production System (IPS) installed in Bruce 7 to irradiate ytterbium-176 to produce Lu-177. The isotope is then transported to ITM's manufacturing facility in Germany for processing of pharmaceutical-grade, non-carrier-added Lu-177. Operations at Bruce 7 have been reliable and stable, and no shipments of the isotope to ITM have been missed since the start of commercial production.
The past two years have seen the partners expand capacity to match rapidly increasing global demand for the isotope, through system innovations in 2023 and the introduction of a second production line this year.
SON and Bruce Power set up the Gamzook'aamin aakoziwin partnership - it translates to Fighting Cancer Together - in 2019, to jointly market new medical isotopes while creating new economic opportunities within the SON territory by establishing new isotope infrastructure. Their partnership has expanded in step with the increasing output of the IPS.
"SON is proud to play a role in the fight against cancer and looks forward to continuing our success in the years to come," said Chief Conrad Ritchie, Chippewas of Saugeen First Nation.
"Isotopes are an essential part of health care, and the cancer-fighting isotopes produced through our Gamzook'aamin aakoziwin partnership with Bruce Power are opening doors for researchers and doctors to provide patients with cutting-edge tools in the fight against cancer," said Chief Greg Nadjiwon, Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation. "Today, we celebrate two years of commercial isotope production, playing a leadership role in the global fight against cancer while also helping build economic opportunities for our Territory, people and communities."
Russia's Advance Threatens to Cripple Ukraine's Steel Industry
Russia is close to capturing a vital Ukrainian coal mine that supplies the country's steel industry with coking coal.
The loss of the mine could reduce Ukraine's steel production by up to 80%, severely impacting its economy.
This development could hasten Western acceptance of a negotiated end to the war, as Ukraine's industrial capacity diminishes.
In what promises to be a major milestone in more than two-and-a-half years of war, Russia is closing in on the capture of a vital industrial asset: a Ukrainian coal mine that's a cornerstone of the country's steel industry.
Owned by Ukrainian firm Metinvest, the modern facility -- opened in 1990 -- is Ukraine's largest mine for producing coking-coal, a specific grade used to fuel blast furnaces. It's near the village of Udachne, about 10 kilometers west of the city of Pokvrosk, which is itself a key supply hub in Ukraine's Donetsk oblast. Per the latest reports, the Russian army is reportedly just 8 to 12 kilometers east of Pokrovsk. Defensive lines have already been dug to Pokrovsk's west, so Ukrainian units will have positions to drop back to if Pokrovsk falls.
In an interview with The Economist, analyst Andriy Buzarov noted that the Russians don't have to actually occupy the mine to remove it from Ukraine's economic equation: They can do that by severing its power or destroying the principal road used to haul its product westward.
Steel is one of Ukraine's principal industries, accounting for about a third of exports before Russia's invasion. At that time, Ukraine ranked 14th in global steel production; by last year, it had fallen to 24th place. This year, Metinvest expected to unearth 5.3 million metric tons of coal in the mine near Pokrovsk.
Oleksandr Kalenkov, the head of Ukraine's metals and mining industry lobbying group, explained the implications for the country's steel industry when the mine falls under Russian control, telling Reuters it could slash projected 2025 steel production by upwards of 80%:
"We could make up to 7.5 million metric tons of steel by the end of the year and, for next year, we saw an increase in production to over 10 million, but if we lose Pokrovsk, then ... we will fall to 2-3 million tons."
It's not just a matter of Ukraine switching to imports of the specialty-use coking coal. "We don't know where to get coal if Pokrovsk is seized," Urkraine coke association Ukrkoks head Anatoly Starovoit told Reuters. "It is difficult to bring it in by importing; today it is not so easy to bring it in by sea." That's because Ukraine's ports are geared toward exports, to say nothing of military hazards.
The handwriting was already on the wall...but Ukraine's pending loss of this vital industrial asset will only accelerate growing Western resignation to the inevitability of a negotiated end to the bloody, US-led proxy war with Russia.
By Zerohedge.com
The Hidden Dangers of Puerto Rico's LNG Import Boom
Puerto Rico's ambitious clean energy goals are clashing with a growing LNG import industry, raising safety concerns and potentially hindering the expansion of rooftop solar.
New Fortress Energy's LNG operations in Puerto Rico face scrutiny over safety standards and emergency preparedness, especially in a hurricane-prone region.
While LNG imports may address short-term energy needs, the long-term focus remains on transitioning to a more sustainable and resilient renewable energy grid.
Puerto Rico’s green energy transition has been full of hurdles and shocks thanks to economic volatility, natural disasters, ambitious frontier clean energy models, and poor oversight and governance mechanisms on the part of local and federal United States institutions. Now, a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal could be the site of the U.S. territory’s next energy disaster.
For years, Puerto Rico’s energy security has been under extreme duress. Puerto Rico’s electrical grid has been critically under-invested in and poorly maintained for decades thanks in large part to the territory’s dire economic straits. Then, category 4 Hurricane Maria crashed into the island in September 2017, killing thousands, devastating the grid and causing the island to essentially declare bankruptcy. This tragedy led to the longest and most sweeping blackout in all of United States history, which contributed heavily to the storm’s casualties.
In the years since the devastating storm, Puerto Rico has been slowly and painfully rebuilding. Part of the island territory’s strategy to ‘build back better’ has been to institute a highly ambitious clean energy plan, which includes reaching net-zero carbon emissions economy-wide by 2050. Puerto Ricans have thrown their weight behind this plan, starting a veritable rooftop solar revolution around the island with attached energy storage, functionally creating a cutting-edge decentralized grid system that could be more resilient in future hurricane seasons.
While islanders lean into a clean energy revolution, however, mainland companies have been busily turning Puerto Rico into a major LNG port as the United States has become the largest LNG exporter in the world over the past few years. One such energy company, New Fortress Energy, has been storing LNG in tankers in Puerto Rico’s harbors, where hurricanes are a regular occurrence. Understandably, some locals are quite concerned about their safety, especially considering the fact that New Fortress got permission to waive federal safety standards for its “improvised import terminal” – a floating tanker.
The government has now ordered the company to retroactively follow the permitting process, but still under looser standards than is typical. Even with the looser standards, however, New Fortress’ tanker facility may not meet requirements. “Despite eased requirements, New Fortress has yet to submit a finalized emergency plan and has repeatedly warned investors it may not be able to secure approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,” the Huffington Post reports. A draft of the emergency plan is due in November.
In the meantime, New Fortress is busily importing ever bigger shipments of LNG to the island despite Coast Guard warnings that the company’s vessels are oversized for the harbor.
Safety standards for the construction, maintenance, and contingency plans of such projects are put in place because LNG is highly combustible and can pose major hazard risks if not properly handled. “There are very serious and unique risks for LNG above and beyond other forms of transporting hydrocarbons due to its high pressure and density,” Hailey Duncan, a policy adviser for the Pipeline Safety Trust, a non-governmental watchdog group, recently told the Huffington Post. “These risks are especially concerning when a facility is placed near people.”
Under-regulated and under-scrutinized fossil fuel operations in Puerto Rico have led to disaster in the past. In 2009, an oil refinery explosion damaged 300 homes, released 30 million gallons of oil into the ocean and wetlands, caused the evacuation of thousands, and burned for three days. The disaster happened when oil was being transported from a tanker ship to a storage facility. An investigation revealed that the project suffered from a lack of requirements to conduct a risk assessment or a thorough evaluation of an adequate emergency response plan. That tragedy took place just 10 miles away from where New Fortress is now taking similar risks.
There is certainly cause for concern that Puerto Rico is being exploited by the mainland fossil fuel industry, but the reality remains complicated. Even in the most ambitious clean energy scenario, oil and gas will likely remain important stop-gaps to prop up energy security until a reliable renewable grid can be established. However, there is a case to be made that New Fortress’ booming LNG business is actively threatening the expansion of rooftop solar, one of the island’s most important safeguards against future stresses on the grid.
While Puerto Ricans consume just a quarter of the energy that mainlanders do, the island still consumes 70% more energy than it produces. And about three-fifths of that energy comes from fossil fuels. While the United States is necessarily not in the wrong for shipping huge quantities of LNG to the island, it’s unquestionably unethical to outsource risk to the territories along with it. Federal regulations extend everywhere in the federation, including Puerto Rico.
BP has reversed its commitment to cut oil and gas production by 40% by 2030.
The energy transition remains challenged by economic realities, prompting BP and other major oil companies to scale down transition plans.
BP's pivot, along with similar moves from other oil majors, highlights the industry’s continued reliance on hydrocarbon.
In February 2020, then-brand-new chief executive Bernard Looney told the world that one of the oldest and biggest oil companies in the world was going to become a net-zero company by 2050. To achieve this, it would slash its oil and gas production by 40% by 2030.
Four years and one major crisis later, BP is abandoning not only the original production cut target of 40%, but also a revised, lower target of 25%. BP, in other words, is returning to its roots. And commodity investors who are not paying attention should be—and so are transition investors.
“This will certainly be a challenge, but also a tremendous opportunity. It is clear to me, and to our stakeholders, that for BP to play our part and serve our purpose, we have to change. And we want to change – this is the right thing for the world and for BP,” Bernard Looney said back in 2020 when he announced the company’s new course.
There was much enthusiasm in the climate activist world when that statement was made. Activists were not satisfied but did concede that it was a step in the right direction. Investors took the news differently—BP’s shares dropped precipitously immediately following the announcement of the newly charted course before rebounding later in the year.
Then came the pandemic, decimating demand for energy and leading to a price slump that BP at the time seemed to believe the industry wasn’t going to recover from, because, it said in one of its latest world energy outlook editions, global oil demand had peaked back in 2019 and it was never going to go back to those levels. BP still believed it was on the right track with its net-zero plans and a 40% cut in oil and gas production by 2030. And then it was 2022.
Oil demand had been on the rebound ever since the lockdowns began to be phased out. When China joined the party of ending lockdowns, the demand rebound really took off. The war in Ukraine took that momentum and added to it supply security fears for a price rally that had not been seen in years.
The rally resulted in energy companies becoming the best performers in the stock market, overtaking Big Tech, and in record profits, which in turn led to fatter dividend payouts and massive stock repurchases. It also led to a reconsideration of some of Big Oil’s transition plans. In BP’s case, the latest stark reminder that the world still runs on hydrocarbons prompted the company’s senior leadership to abandon plans to cut its oil and gas production by even 25% by 2030.
All these developments also made investors think again—about energy transitions and the security of energy supply. It made investors think so much that pro-transition outlets are sounding an alarm about oil companies being unserious about the transition and, worse, unclear about the direction of their business, which should make investors cautious.
“A decarbonizing economy threatens the fossil fuel industry’s core business model, and the sector does not seem to be offering a cohesive and consistent plan for navigating this changing world,” the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis said in a recent report. The report zeroed in on the latest BP news about the U-turn on oil and gas production cuts, suggesting that BP basically had no idea what it wanted to do with its future, and this should make investors nervous about the whole oil and gas industry.
That criticism certainly has a lot of merit in the context of a business world that is firmly on the way to a cleaner, greener energy future because the economics of such a future make sense. The actual business world in which BP and all other companies are operating, however, is different from that vision.
In it, the economics of the energy transition, as envisioned by its advocates and proponents, do not always make sense—which is why BP and other companies are abandoning their initial ambitious targets made, one might say, in the heat of the moment, following years of activist pressure that was warmly embraced by politicians in decision-making positions.
However, once these companies realized their transition efforts were not paying off, they pivoted. One might call it a lack of a “cohesive and consistent plan.” On the other hand, one might call it flexibility in the face of a reality that has proven different than hoped for. In addition to the news about BP abandoning its production cut target for 2030, the company was also reported to be considering reducing its exposure to offshore wind at a time when fellow supermajor Shell was also dialing back its transition ambitions and another fellow supermajor, TotalEnergies, just announced a $10.5-billion oil and gas development in Suriname.
The energy industry then appears to have a pretty clear view of the future. Hydrocarbons remain the energy source most widely used on the planet. Their alternatives do not seem to be living up to the hype. Therefore, Big Oil is shrinking its transition ambitions in favor of the business that has been proven to be profitable—for the companies and their investors. Sometimes, it really is as simple as that.'
By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com
How India and China Reached a Historic Border Peace Deal
India and China have resolved their long-standing border dispute in the Ladakh region.
The agreement was reached during the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, and facilitated by President Putin.
The two countries will implement new patrolling arrangements along the Line of Actual Control to prevent future conflicts.
The India-China troop clash of 2020 along the largely unmarked frontier of Ladakh in a disputed border area in the Western Himalayas resulted in the deaths of 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers. It was the deadliest border incident between the two nuclear-armed nations in memory.
Since then, other more minor skirmishes and tense incidents have followed, leading to several military-to-military talks and efforts at dialogue trying to diffuse the situation. Both countries have feared there could be another deadly blow-up, as the rival armies jockey to claim territory in the high altitude no man's land.
But it appears the lengthy dispute may have permanently come to an end, and without further bloodshed. The two countries have reportedly struck a major peace deal in connection with the BRICS summit in the Russian city of Kazan this week.
The last time President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a bilateral summit was all the way back in October 2019, in southern India. Since then, the relationship has been marred by border tensions.
China has since developed a high-altitude air force base and infantry encampments in the Ladakh border region.
But the two leaders met and shook hands on the sidelines of the BRICS summit on Wednesday...
"Over the last several weeks, Indian and Chinese diplomatic and military negotiators have been in close contact with each other in a variety of forums, and as a result of these discussions, [an] agreement has been arrived at on patrolling arrangements along the Line of Actual Control," Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri told reporters in New Delhi just as the BRICS summit kicked off in Russia.
The agreement has led to "disengagement and a resolution of the issues that had arisen in these areas in 2020," the top Indian diplomat added.
China's Foreign Ministry confirmed Tuesday that "China and India, through diplomatic and military channels, maintained close communication recently over border-related issues. The two sides have now reached a solution."
It was soon after the agreement was made public that Xi and Modi met in Kazan. President Xi said the two countries "should carefully handle differences and disagreements and facilitate each other’s pursuit of development aspirations."
"It’s important for both sides to shoulder our international responsibilities, set an example for boosting the strength and unity of the developing countries, and contribute to promoting multi-polarization and democracy in international relations," Xi continued.
And India's Foreign Ministry said in a follow-up: "The two leaders affirmed that stable, predictable, and amicable bilateral relations between India and China, as two neighbors and the two largest nations on earth, will have a positive impact on regional and global peace and prosperity."
Without a doubt, Russian and Asian regional media will hold up this historic moment as displaying the benefits of the BRICS alliance, and of Putin as the peacemaking host.
Recent advancements in nuclear fusion research, particularly in the US and UK, have raised hopes for a clean energy future.
China's substantial investments in fusion technology have positioned it as a frontrunner in the global race for commercialization.
While significant challenges remain, the potential benefits of nuclear fusion, including abundant, clean energy, make it a highly pursued goal for many countries.
Scientists have been searching for a way to produce a nuclear fusion reaction for decades, to develop commercial operations that can provide abundant clean energy. Several breakthroughs in the U.S. and U.K. in the past couple of years have shown great promise for the future of nuclear fusion, but many scientists believe we still have a long way to go before the technology can be deployed on a commercial scale. Meanwhile, China’s heavy investment in fusion research and development could put it ahead of the competition in the coming years.
Governments and private companies have been pumping huge levels of investment into scientific research aimed at achieving nuclear fusion for several decades. This is because fusion could generate around four times more energy per kilogramme of fuel than nuclear fission, which is the opposite process that is currently used in plants.
The International Energy Agency defines nuclear fusion as the process by which two light atomic nuclei combine to form a single heavier one while releasing massive amounts of energy. Fusion reactions take place in a state of matter called plasma—a hot, charged gas made of positive ions and free-moving electrons with unique properties distinct from solids, liquids, or gases…nuclei need to collide with each other at extremely high temperatures – around ten million degrees Celsius. When the nuclei come within a very close range of each other, the attractive nuclear force between them will outweigh the electrical repulsion and allow them to fuse.
In December 2022, a group of American scientists at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in California announced a breakthrough in nuclear fusion technology. During a fusion experiment, they were able to produce a higher energy output than was put in. The NIF experiment involved putting a minuscule amount of hydrogen into a capsule the size of a peppercorn and blasting it with a 192-beam laser to heat and compress the fuel. The laser heats the capsule to around 100 million degrees Celsius and compresses it to over 100 billion times the equivalent of the Earth’s atmosphere. This makes the capsule implode on itself so hydrogen atoms can fuse and release energy. The energy input totalled 2.05 megajoules and the group saw an output of 3.15 megajoules of fusion energy. After this initial success, the NIF scientists experienced further success when replicating the experiment.
In 2024, scientists at the U.K.-based JET laboratory achieved more energy production through a fusion process than anywhere ever before, following four decades of fusion research. While this showed great promise, the scientists who conducted the experiment were quick to point out the barriers to deploying nuclear fusion technology on a commercial scale. “In order for the atoms to fuse together on Earth, we need temperatures ten times hotter than the Sun - around 100 million Celsius, and we need a high enough density of the atoms and for a long enough time,” explained Dr Aneeqa Khan, Research Fellow in Nuclear Fusion, University of Manchester.
While the U.S. and U.K. have made significant strides in nuclear fusion, it is an Asian power that is expected to move ahead of the competition in the coming years. In China, the government is pumping huge quantities of funding into nuclear fusion research - between an estimated $1 and $1.5 billion a year. In comparison, the U.S. government is providing around $800 million a year in financing.
While private companies in both the U.S. and China believe it will be possible to roll out fusion power by the mid-2030s, China is moving at a record pace. The Shanghai-based startup Energy Singularity built its own tokamak - a complex cylindrical or donut-shaped machine that heats hydrogen to extreme temperatures - in its first three years, which is faster than any other company has built a comparable reactor. This is just one of several companies supporting China’s nuclear ambitions.
Energy Singularity has attracted $112 million in private investment and has used this funding to become the first in the world to use advanced magnets in a plasma experiment in its tokamak. These are high-temperature superconductors, which are stronger than the copper magnets used in conventional tokamaks. This could help smaller tokamaks produce as much fusion energy as much larger reactors. The firm hopes to develop a second-generation tokamak to show that its methods are commercially viable by 2027, and aims to build a third-generation reactor that can provide power to the grid before 2035.
By contrast, many of the U.S. tokamaks are outdated, which has led the country to rely on newer machines in Japan, Europe and the U.K. to advance its research. Andrew Holland, the CEO of the Washington, DC-based Fusion Industry Association, explained, “The Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory has been upgrading its tokamak for 10 years now. The other operating tokamak in the United States, the DIII-D, is a 30-year-old machine. There’s no modern fusion facilities at American national labs.”
Nevertheless, the U.S. is continuing to advance its fusion research with the use of lasers. This month, construction began on a new $150 million facility at Colorado State University, which aims to develop laser-driven nuclear fusion. The Advanced Technology Lasers for Applications and Science (ATLAS) Facility will use three laser systems to simultaneously release almost 7 petawatts of power – over 5,000 times the total U.S. electrical generation capacity – in pulses lasting just 100 quadrillionths of a second. Operations are expected to commence at the plant in 2026.
The race continues to develop nuclear fusion technology capable of producing abundant clean energy, which could spell the end of the global reliance on fossil fuels. Despite significant strides by the U.S. and its allies in recent decades, the huge level of funding being seen in China could put the Asian giant ahead when it comes to nuclear fusion deployment in the coming decades.
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