MORE NUKE NEWS

Companies sign agreement to increase Ukrainian power output

23 September 2021

Westinghouse Electric Company and Ukrainian company NT-Engineering LLC have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) to implement maintenance optimisation and system repair projects for VVER reactors. They said the work will increase the safety levels and performance of Ukrainian VVERs, improving annual power output and reducing operational costs.

Aziz Dag (right), Westinghouse Regional Vice President Nordics, VVER & UAE, and Demianiuk signing the MoC at Westinghouse Electric Sweden representative office in Kiev, Ukraine (Image: Westinghouse)

The agreement will allow operators to optimise their approach to maintenance in VVER units and significantly increase annual power output through risk-informed configuration management, the companies said. It will also allow operators to increase the time reactors are kept online between planned outages by 16-20 days by identifying maintenance that can be safely performed during reactor operation instead of waiting for the reactor to be shut down for refuelling.

NT-Engineering completed a pilot project earlier this year at Zaporozhe unit 2, a VVER-1000 unit that entered commercial operation in 1986, with support from the US Department of Energy and Argonne National Laboratory. Applying the process to all of Ukraine's VVER-1000s could increase the overall power output of the country's nuclear fleet by 1000 MWe - equivalent to one new VVER-1000 plant. The pilot study has shown the process could be replicated at other VVER-1000 reactors globally, the companies said.

"Implementation of cooperation between NT-Engineering and Westinghouse will improve the efficiency of nuclear power units using modern technologies and will lead to significant economic benefits for the operator of nuclear installations," said Vitalii Demianiuk, chairman of NT-Engineering.

"Westinghouse is committed to continue supporting NT-Engineering in every area of its operations and, through this agreement, optimising the full Ukrainian VVER fleet as well as VVER units outside of Ukraine," said Tarik Choho, Westinghouse president, EMEA Operating Plant Services.

Ukraine and the USA earlier this month agreed to "deepen and intensify" their strategic cooperation in energy, with Ukrainian nuclear power plant operator Energoatom signing an MoC with Westinghouse. Those two companies envisage jointly completing a fourth reactor at the Khmelnitsky nuclear power plant using AP1000 pressurised water technology as well as four new AP1000 units being built at existing Ukrainian nuclear power plant sites.

South Africa planning to start nuclear procurement

22 September 2021

South Africa plans to issue a Request for Proposal for 2500 MWe of new nuclear capacity at the end of March 2022 and complete the procurement process in 2024, Deputy Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Nobuhle Pamela Nkabane told the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) 65th General Conference. The country is also finalising its ratification of the amended Convention on Physical Protection of Nuclear Material.

The IAEA General Conference is being held from 20-24 September (Image: D Calma/IAEA)

"As we embark on the Just Energy Transition in South Africa, we recognise that nuclear plays a pivotal role as one of the clean energy sources that are needed to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050," Nkabane told the conference, which is being held in Vienna.

"In June 2020, South Africa issued a Request for Information to test the market appetite for the 2500 MW of nuclear energy and received positive responses from 25 companies that showed an interest in this programme. The National Energy Regulator of South Africa has recently concurred with a ministerial … determination for the procurement of 2500 MW new generation capacity from nuclear energy. We plan to issue the Request for Proposal for 2500 MW nuclear programme at end of March 2022 and complete the procurement in 2024 to support the Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan and ensure security of energy supply."

She thanked the IAEA for its continued support through peer-review Safety Aspects of Long-Term Operation missions at the Koeberg nuclear power plant, which is currently undergoing "technical and regulatory work" to extend its lifetime by 20 years.

A project to replace the SAFARI-1 research reactor - the Multipurpose Research Reactor Project - has progressed "significantly", with the completion of a pre-feasibility report, she said.

The National Radioactive Waste Disposal Institute - which is responsible for managing South Africa's radioactive waste - is to sign Practical Arrangements with the IAEA covering cooperation on borehole disposal of disused sealed radioactive sources, she added.

The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy in May 2020 announced the start of work on a roadmap for the procurement of 2500 MWe of new nuclear capacity which was to consider all options, including small modular reactors. The National Energy Regulator of South Africa in November invited public comment on the government's procurement plans and last month formally gave its support to the procurement of the 2500 MWe of new nuclear generation capacity.

The two pressurised water reactors at Koeberg, which are operated by state-owned utility Eskom, began commercial operations in the mid-1980s and together generate some 5% of South Africa's electricity.

Boost nuclear to cut coal faster, Czech Republic told

13 September 2021

Nuclear is already set to become the largest source of energy in the Czech Republic, but accelerating new build and broadening its use to provide more heat would help hasten the phaseout of coal, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). Phasing out coal is "a key challenge" for the Czech Republic, the IEA said in a policy review published today. Despite a 36% decrease since 2009, coal still accounts for half of total domestic energy production and it is not expected to be phased out completely until 2038, it said.

Temelin provides heat to a nearby town, and a connection is being made to another (Image: ČEZ)

To bring this date closer, IEA recommended Czech policymakers "anticipate a faster phase-out of coal than is currently envisaged and prepare to accelerate additional deployments of renewable and nuclear power plants." The organisation's head, Fatih Birol, said, "I would encourage the government to undertake a thorough assessment of the economic potentials of all available forms of low-carbon energy and to plot pathways on how best to exploit the most promising options to ensure adequate supply."

The 2038 phase out date for coal comes from a Czech commission report from late last year. It foresaw that coal would be initially replaced largely by natural gas generation, while the share of renewable sources would increase to 25%, largely in line with the State Energy Plan of 2015 and the country’s National Energy and Climate Plan of 2019. According to this projection, nuclear would become the country's largest generation source once coal is gone in 2038, as new nuclear capacity would have become available in 2036 at the Dukovany power plant.

To help ensure the success of this project for a new reactor at Dukovany, the Czech government should support the utility ČEZ to "conduct a robust tendering process", the IEA said.

In the new report, IEA noted arrangements for the state to support the project with low interest loans (interest-free during construction and 2% during operation) for 70% of the construction cost to the utility ČEZ, which would own and operate the plant. "Direct financing support, especially during the construction phase as envisaged by the Czech Republic" is "an effective way to align nuclear new build financial conditions with the country’s long-term energy policy objectives," it said.

Once in operation, there would be a 30-year power purchase agreement where a government company would pay a fixed rate to ČEZ before reselling the power on the wholesale market. "This financial support is intended to significantly reduce the cost of capital and ensure competitive costs for consumers," said IEA. It also noted that the cost of wind and solar power in Europe and China would more than double if those sources were not being given the same kind of support.

Beyond 2040, Czech plans allow for a further new reactor at Dukovany, as well as two new units at its other nuclear power plant, Temelin. If those went ahead, nuclear would rise to supply some 58% of the country's electricity generation.

Nuclear heat

Another way for nuclear to support a faster exit from coal would be to provide more heat to homes and industry. In the Czech Republic, district heating systems supply over 40% of all households, said IEA.

One heating system connected to Temelin supplies the town of Týn nad Vltavou, which has a population of 8000 inhabitants and lies 5 kilometres away. A new connection to the city of České Budějovice, with about 100,000 inhabitants, 26 kilometres away, is currently under construction. There is also local community support to supply heat from Dukovany to the city of Brno, which has 380,000 inhabitants and lies 40 kilometres from the plant.

However, coal still powers 60% of Czech district heat. IEA said the country should develop clean options like large heat pumps and consider whether small nuclear reactors can take some of the role after 2030.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News