USA

Two more Natrium units for coal-to-nuclear switching

05 April 2023

US utility PacifiCorp has increased its ambition for using Natrium advanced reactors in the 2030s, adding two further units to its plans in addition to the demonstration unit already slated for a retiring coal power plant in Kemmerer, Wyoming.

To be repowered: Kemmerer will be the first PacifiCorp coal plant to switch to nuclear energy (Image: PacifiCorp)

While the Kemmerer project's operation has been pushed back by two years to 2030 due to the unavailability of non-Russian origin high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) fuel, PacifiCorp's plan counts it as producing 500 MWe from that date, "with an additional 1000 MWe of advanced nuclear resources over the long term." Natrium reactors store heat in molten salt to boost their power from 345 MWe to 500 MWe for as long as 5.5 hours to serve peak demand or fill in for times of lower renewable generation.

TerraPower President and CEO Chris Levesque said he was "pleased" with the update. The company noted that the additional units were earmarked for Utah, but "both companies will engage with local communities before any final sites are selected."

Neither Utah nor Wyoming currently have nuclear power plants, although the University of Utah has operated a small 100 kW TRIGA research reactor on the edge of Salt Lake City since 1975 and Wyoming has a number of uranium mines.

PacifiCorp's plan includes a series of major investments which it said should result in a 70% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from 2005 levels by 2030 and an 87% reduction by 2035.

The plan includes over 9 GWe of new wind power, over 8 GWe of storage and 7.8 GWe of new solar in addition to the 500 MWe from Kemmerer and the further 1000 MWe of nuclear promised for the long term. It also includes over 900 MWe of load control, almost 5 GW of efficiency savings and over 1200 MWe of unspecified "non-emitting peaking resources". All this will be facilitated by 2500 miles (4023 kilometres) of new transmission lines spanning the western states of Washington, Idaho, Colorado, Oregon, Wyoming and Utah which the company calls the Energy Gateway. The scope for nuclear could increase further, given that PacifiCorp and TerraPower have studied the deployment of as many as five Natrium units.

PacifiCorp's plan states: "With recent federal legislation and studies on the opportunities of a coal-to-nuclear energy transition, TerraPower and PacifiCorp remain committed to bringing the Natrium technology to market for the benefit of grid reliability and stability for energy-producing communities in Wyoming and Utah."

Grid connection for Vogtle unit 3

03 April 2023

Vogtle unit 3 began supplying its first electricity to the grid on 1 April, Georgia Power announced. The AP1000 reactor - the first new reactor to start up in the USA since 2016 - is scheduled to enter commercial operation by mid-year.

Vogtle unit 3 (Image: Georgia Power)

"The generator at Vogtle unit 3 has generated electricity for the first time, and the unit has successfully synchronised and connected to the electric grid," the company said.

Operators will now take the unit through a gradual power increase until it reaches its full power output. Tests to ensure all systems are operating together and to validate operating procedures will be carried out throughout the start-up process before the unit is declared to be in commercial operation.

Georgia Power currently projects an in-service date for Vogtle 3 in May or June.

"What an incredibly inspiring time to join Georgia Power as we celebrate this milestone that marks the first day of generating clean, reliable power at this new nuclear unit, which will serve our customers over the next 60 to 80 years," said Kim Greene, chairman, president and CEO of Georgia Power. "I consider myself very fortunate to have worked onsite at Vogtle 1 and 2 early in my career as an engineer, learning so much that I have carried with me over the years while also gaining an appreciation of the value of nuclear energy as a critical, long-term investment for our state. As we approach commercial operation for unit 3, I know that every professional who has been involved in this project or worked at Plant Vogtle is proud of the role they have played in helping build a clean energy future for Georgia."

Construction of the two Westinghouse AP1000s began at Vogtle in 2013, with work starting on unit 3 in March and unit 4 in November of that year. Southern Nuclear and Georgia Power, both subsidiaries of Southern Company, took over management of the construction project in 2017 following Westinghouse's Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The units are co-owned by Georgia Power, Oglethorpe Power, MEAG Power and Dalton Utilities, and will be operated by Southern Nuclear.

Unit 3 achieved first criticality - a sustained chain reaction - on 6 March.

Hot functional testing, which verifies the successful operation of reactor components and systems, and confirms the reactor is ready for fuel load, began at Vogtle unit 4 last month. The reactor is projected to enter service in late fourth quarter 2023 or first quarter 2024.

"The new Vogtle units are an essential part of Georgia Power's commitment to delivering clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy to its 2.7 million customers," the company said. "Once operating, the two new units, which will be clean energy sources that produce zero emissions, are expected to power more than 500,000 homes and businesses".

Partnership unveils plan for helium test facility

03 April 2023

X-Energy Reactor Company, LLC and Kinectrics have announced a partnership to design, construct and operate a commercial-scale facility to test and verify the performance of critical structures, systems, and components of X-energy’s Xe-100 advanced small modular reactor (SMR) in helium-based high-temperature and high-pressure environments.

(Image: X-energy)

The facility will be one of the first commercial-scale helium test facilities (HTF) in North America.

The companies expect to announce the HTF site this summer and complete its detailed design in 2023, with the goal of having an operational facility in 2025. Data collected from testing in the HTF will be used to refine Xe-100 start-up and commissioning procedures and to gain critical operating experience to inform future reactor maintenance, operations, and staff training.

"The Helium Test Facility is an integral part of testing our systems and components in expected operating conditions and verifying their safety, operability, and reliability," X-energy CEO Clay Sell said. It will also drive additional potential optimisations of X-energy's reactors, he added.

The Xe-100 - a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor - will use circulating helium gas to transfer heat from the reactor core through a heat exchanger to generate high-temperature steam that can be used to generate electricity or supply heat for industrial processes. The HTF will test Xe-100 components and instruments under operating conditions and without the presence of any nuclear materials. These tests will enable design verification and give Kinectrics and X-energy performance data on key reactor systems, X-energy said.

Kinectrics CEO David Harris said the testing provided by the HTF will support "timely commercialisation" of the Xe-100. "This project is part of a long-term partnership between X-energy and Kinectrics. We expect the Xe-100 will produce electricity and high temperature process steam in a safe and reliable manner, which enables our clean energy future," he said.

X-energy is receiving support from the US Department of Energy, under the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program, to deliver a four-module version Xe-100 demonstration plant and a commercial TRISO fuel fabrication facility. The company has recently agreed to work with materials science company Dow to develop a four-unit Xe-100 facility at one of Dow's US Gulf Coast sites. This will be supported by testing and design validation at the HTF, X-energy said. Energy Northwest has also named the Xe-100 as its preferred technology for the prospective deployment of an SMR in Washington state by the end of the decade.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News