NUKE NEWS

Hunterston B nuclear power station closes after 46 years

07 January 2022

Electricity generation has ended at Scotland’s Hunterston B power station with the shutting down of Reactor 4, an advanced gas-cooled reactor (AGR). Operator EDF says the power station produced enough electricity during its lifetime to power every home in Scotland for nearly 31 years.

The Hunterston B plant (Image: EDF)

The plant, which came online for the first time in February 1976, was initially expected to run for 25 years but had its generating lifespan increased to more than 45 years. The station’s other unit, Reactor 3, was taken offline in November.

“The contribution Hunterston B power station has made to this country cannot be underestimated. As well as providing stable, well paid employment for thousands of people in the North Ayrshire area, it has produced almost 300TWh of zero-carbon electricity,” said station director, Paul Forrest.

“Everyone here is proud of what the station has accomplished. We will pause to reflect the end of generation but we are looking forward to the future. We don’t just switch off the power station, close the gates and walk away. It will take time to defuel and decommission the site and we will continue to need skilled people to do this.”

Both reactors were taken offline in 2018 after cracks in their graphite cores were discovered during routine inspections. The UK’s Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) gave approval to restart Reactor 4 in August 2020 and Reactor 3 the following month. However they were taken offline again in 2021 for further inspections of their graphite cores, with the ONR then giving permission for them to be switched on for about six months of operation each. 

The two reactors will now be prepared for defueling - where nuclear fuel is removed from the reactors and transported to Sellafield in northwest England for storage. That process is expected to take three years, with the site then due to be handed over by EDF to the UK’s Nuclear Decommissioning Authority for its subsidiary Magnox to continue with the decommissioning.

All seven of the UK’s advanced gas-cooled reactors are expected to end their operational lives this decade, meaning the UK “needs to move forward rapidly with plans for new reactor construction to expand the role of nuclear in its generation mix to meet its net-zero goals,” said Sama Bilbao y León, director general of World Nuclear Association.

"The current energy crisis, driven by sky-rocketing gas prices, shows that a reliance on imported fossil fuels is not only bad for the environment, it is also too risky for the economy. The UK needs to invest in new nuclear capacity to provide a reliable electricity supply at an affordable price," she added.

The Nuclear Industry Association - the trade association for the civil nuclear industry in the UK - says that over its lifespan, Hunterston B has saved 224 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, worth GBP16.8 billion (USD22.7 billion) at current carbon prices.

The association’s Chief Executive, Tom Greatrex, said: “Hunterston B has shown the best of what nuclear can provide for Scotland - clean, reliable power to keep the lights on and save our planet, and long-term, skilled jobs, on which people can build a life and a family.”

The Hunterston A plant comprised two Magnox reactors capable of generating 180 MWe each. Hunterston A Reactor 1 began power generation in February 1964, with Reactor 2 following in June that year. Reactor 2 shut down on 31 December 1989 and Reactor 1 on 31 March 1990.

IAEA releases guide to stakeholder engagement

06 January 2022

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has published its first "guide level" publication to support national efforts to engage with stakeholders throughout the life cycle of all nuclear facilities. To succeed, nuclear projects need to engage with all relevant stakeholders, including the public, and explaining nuclear energy, strengthening relationships and building trust with stakeholders is key to this, the Agency said.

(Image: IAEA)

Stakeholder Engagement in Nuclear Programmes provides theoretical and practical guidance on developing and implementing stakeholder engagement programmes and activities, and is part of a series of IAEA initiatives to support countries in this area. The guide aims to help communication experts, senior managers and other experts to establish and maintain a long-term stakeholder engagement strategy and activities covering the entire life cycle of nuclear facilities from uranium mining and new and operating reactors to non-electric applications, radioactive waste management and decommissioning.

"Stakeholders come in a variety of shapes and sizes," the IAEA said. "Some, such as regulators, are required by law to be involved in projects. Others include any individuals or groups who feel affected by an activity." Stakeholder engagement programmes can enable those individuals and groups to be involved and understand the basis for decisions, enhancing confidence and building trust in a project.

The publication builds on years of experience from working with governments and organisations, identifying good practices and crafting methodologies and approaches for effective stakeholder engagement, said IAEA Technical Officer Lisa Berthelot. "There is no engagement recipe, in the end, because each context is different, but this guide lays out the foundations for what is a crucial element in any nuclear programme," she added.

The new guide identifies five key principles for effective engagement: building trust, demonstrating accountability, exhibiting openness and transparency, practising early and frequent consultation; and communicating the benefits and risks of the nuclear technology. It covers the development of stakeholder engagement strategies and plans, including practical information such as stakeholder mapping; the roles and responsibilities of key nuclear organisations; and the engagement approaches for the different life cycle stages, each of which requires its own strategic approach.

Stakeholder engagement is of particular interest to newcomer countries seeking to introduce a new nuclear power programme and is one of the 19 nuclear infrastructure issues that make up the IAEA’s Milestones Approach, together with others such as nuclear safety and security, funding and financing and radioactive waste management. There are currently around 30 such newcomers, with Bangladesh and Turkey already constructing their first nuclear power plants, the Agency said.

The IAEA has provided newcomer countries with insightful capacity building support in stakeholder engagement for years," said Arda D Duran of the Turkish Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources. "With this publication, the IAEA will keep helping newcomer countries to improve our understanding and ability to effectively engage with stakeholders."

Nuclear icebreaker Sibir enters service

06 January 2022

Rosatom subsidiary Atomflot has accepted delivery of the Sibir, its newest nuclear-powered icebreaker. The twin-reactor vessel was officially handed over by the Baltic Shipyard which built it.

Three more vessels identical to Sibir are currently under construction (Image: Baltic Shipyard)

Sibir will join five other nuclear icebreakers in the Atomflot fleet, which also includes a nuclear-powered LASH carrier. Sibir's primary mission will be to maintain the passibility of the Northern Sea Route.

"We are confident that the efficient operation of these vessels will become a determining factor in sustainable development" of the route, said Atomflot CEO Mustafa Kashka.

Kashka officially took control of Sibir after signing an acceptance certificate with Aleksey Kadilov, the General Director of the Baltic Shipyard, on 24 December. Kadilov presented Kashka with the traditional bottleneck of the champagne used when Sibir was launched, as well as a portrait of Sibir's 'godmother', Tatyana Golikova, who is Deputy Prime Minister of Russia for Social Policy, Labour, Health and Pension Provision.

As the second 'Project 22220' icebreaker, Sibir follows the Arktika in service.

They use two RITM-200 reactors of 175 MWt each, which deliver 60 MW at the propellers via twin turbine generators and three motors. Three more vessels identical to the Sibir are under construction at the Baltic Shipyard - the Ural, Yakutia and Chukotka. 

Posiva applies to operate used fuel disposal facilities

05 January 2022

Finnish radioactive waste management company Posiva Oy has submitted its application for an operating licence for the used fuel encapsulation plant and final disposal facility currently under construction at Olkiluoto. The repository - the first in the world for used fuel - is expected to begin operations in the mid-2020s.

A rendering of the underground used fuel repository at Olkiluoto (Image: Posiva)

Posiva submitted the application to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment (TEM) on 30 December. The company is applying for an operating licence for a period from March 2024 to the end of 2070.

Posiva's plan is for used fuel to be packed inside copper-steel canisters at an above-ground encapsulation plant, construction of which began in September 2019 and is scheduled to be completed in mid-2022. The fuel will then be placed in the bedrock, at a depth of 400-430 metres. The disposal system consists of a tightly sealed iron-copper canister, a bentonite buffer enclosing the canister, a tunnel backfilling material made of swellable clay, the seal structures of the tunnels and premises, and the enclosing rock.

According to the application, most of the used fuel of Posiva's owners - Teollisuuden Voima Oyj (TVO) and Fortum Power & Heat Oy - would be disposed of in the facility between 2024 and 2070. The disposal of all the used nuclear fuel of TVO and Fortum is expected to be completed by the late-2120s according to current nuclear power operation plans.

The ministry said it will organise a public consultation regarding the licence application at a later date. TEM will then request statements from several authorities, organisations and municipalities in the affected area, and provide citizens and communities with an opportunity to express their opinions. These statements and opinions, it said, will be considered when the operating licence application is processed.

TEM has requested a statement on the safety of the encapsulation plant and disposal facility from the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK). STUK will perform an evaluation to ensure that the encapsulation plant and disposal facility have been built according to plans, that the nuclear facility as a whole can be used safely, and that the personnel of the nuclear facility have been trained to operate the facility safely. STUK will supervise the operation and maintenance of the encapsulation plant and disposal facility throughout their service life. As an important part of its statement, STUK will evaluate the long-term safety of the facility.

"The safety case compiled for Posiva's application for the operating licence is the outcome of more than 40 years of research and demonstrates the safety of final disposal," said Tiina Jalonen, Posiva's senior vice president of development. "The review procedure of the operating licence application is estimated to proceed so that Posiva will be in a position to start the final disposal operation in mid-2020s."

The site for Posiva's repository was selected in 2000. The Finnish parliament approved the decision-in-principle on the repository project the following year. Posiva submitted its construction licence application to the Ministry of Employment and the Economy in December 2013. The company studied the rock at Olkiluoto and prepared its licence application using results from the Onkalo underground laboratory, which is being expanded to form the basis of the repository.

The government granted a construction licence for the project in November 2015 and construction work on the repository started in December 2016.

The Onkalo geological repository will be the first in the world for used nuclear fuel. A similar repository is planned at Forsmark in Sweden.

"The work carried out for several decades to demonstrate long-term safety and develop the final disposal facility concept Onkalo to suit the conditions of Olkiluoto has now been finalised and we can concentrate on the installation of equipment in the encapsulation plant and the final disposal repository, commissioning of the facility and preparations for operational activities," said Posiva CEO and President Janne Mokka.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News