NUKE NEWS

CNL permitted to build Chalk River repository

10 January 2024

The Canadian nuclear regulator has amended the licence held by Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) for Chalk River Laboratories in Ontario, authorising the construction of a near-surface disposal facility for low-level radioactive waste at the site.

How the NSDF could look at Chalk River Laboratories (Image: CNL)

CNL applied to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) in 2017 for an amendment to its nuclear research and test establishment operating licence for Chalk River Laboratories, to permit the construction of the Near Surface Disposal Facility (NSDF).

The proposed NSDF Project is intended to provide safe disposal of up to 1 million cubic metres of solid low-level radioactive waste including legacy wastes from 65 years of operations at the Ontario site, waste from the remediation of contaminated lands, and debris from Chalk River infrastructure decommissioning activities. It will comprise a mound, built at near-surface level, consisting of disposal cells with a base liner and cover as well as systems to collect leachate, detect leaks and monitor the environment. The Chalk River Laboratories site is located on the traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg peoples.

The CNSC has now concluded that, under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act of 2012, the NSDF Project is "not likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects, provided that CNL implements all proposed mitigation and follow-up monitoring measures, including continued engagement with Indigenous Nations and communities and environmental monitoring to verify the predictions of the environmental assessment (EA)".

The commission also concluded that the design of the NSDF Project is "robust, supported by a strong safety case, able to meet its required design life, and sufficient to withstand severe weather events, seismic activity, and the effects of climate change".

The amended nuclear research and test establishment operating licence remains valid until 31 March 2028. It includes two new conditions that require CNL to implement licensing regulatory actions and EA regulatory commitments for the NSDF Project.

The CNSC's decision applies only to the construction of the NSDF Project. CNL will be required to apply for a separate licence to operate the facility. The NSDF would have an expected operating life of at least 50 years.

The majority of the waste to be placed in the NSDF is currently in storage at the Chalk River Laboratories site or will be generated from environmental remediation, decommissioning, and operational activities at the site. About 10% of the waste volume will come from other Atomic Energy of Canada Limited-owned sites or from commercial sources such as Canadian hospitals and universities.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News

Onagawa 2 restart delayed by 'several months'

10 January 2024

Safety upgrade work at unit 2 of the Onagawa nuclear power plant in Japan's northeastern Miyagi Prefecture will not be completed next month, as previously planned, Tohoku Electric Power Company announced. The utility had earlier expected to resume commercial operation of the reactor around May.

Tokohu's Onagawa plant (Image: Kurihalant Co Ltd)

Tohoku said that work to fireproof electric cables at the unit is taking longer than planned.

"Regarding fire protection work, since late August last year, we have been carrying out work mainly on wrapping electrical conduits with fireproof materials, but the work area is narrow due to equipment and scaffolding installed for other safety work," it said in a statement. "There were many problems, so we proceeded with the construction while changing the route of the conduit according to the site situation.

"Recently, it has been confirmed that the amount of construction work has increased due to confirmation work for changing the route of electrical conduits and completing fire protection measures work, and as a result, the construction period for fire protection measures work is expected to be delayed, so safety measures work will be carried out. We are currently re-examining the completion date."

Tohoku said it currently anticipates a delay of several months regarding the completion date of the safety measures.

The company applied to the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) in December 2013 for a safety assessment of Onagawa 2 - a 796 MWe boiling water reactor (BWR) - to verify countermeasures applied at the plant meet new safety standards. In late November 2019, the NRA approved a draft screening document that concluded the upgraded plant will meet revised safety standards, introduced in January 2013. In February 2020, the NRA approved the final screening report, clearing the way for the unit to resume operation. Tohoku is required to complete the countermeasure upgrades and obtain the approval of local authorities before it will be able to restart Onagawa 2.

The Onagawa plant was the closest nuclear power plant to the epicentre of the earthquake and tsunami of 11 March 2011, but sustained far less damage than expected. The earthquake knocked out four of the plant's five external power lines, but the remaining line provided sufficient power for its three BWRs to be brought to cold shutdown. Onagawa 1 briefly suffered a fire in the non-nuclear turbine building. The plant was largely unaffected by the tsunami as it sits on an elevated embankment more than 14 metres above sea level, but the basement floors of unit 2 were flooded.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News

US seeks proposals for domestic HALEU production

10 January 2024

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for uranium enrichment services to help establish a reliable domestic supply of fuels using high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU). Such fuel is not currently commercially available from US-based suppliers.

(Image: DOE)

The current US commercial nuclear fuel cycle is based on reactor fuel that is enriched to no more than 5% U-235 (known as low-enriched uranium, LEU). Some of the advanced reactor technologies that are currently under development use HALEU fuel - enriched to between 5% and 20% U-235 - which enables the design of smaller reactors that produce more power with less fuel than the current fleet, as well as systems that can be optimised for longer core life, increased safety margins, and other increased efficiencies. At present, only Russia and China have the infrastructure to produce HALEU at scale.

DOE's Office of Nuclear Energy plans to award one or more contracts to produce HALEU from domestic uranium enrichment capabilities. Once enriched, the HALEU material will be stored on site until there is a need to ship it to deconverters.

Under the HALEU enrichment contracts - which have a maximum duration of 10 years - the government assures each contractor a minimum order value of USD2 million, to be fulfilled over the term of the contract. Enrichment and storage activities must occur in continental USA and comply with the National Environmental Policy Act. Proposals are due by 8 March.

This RFP incorporated industry feedback received on a draft version issued in June last year.

In total, President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act will provide up to USD500 million for HALEU enrichment contracts selected through this RFP and a separate one, released in November, for services to deconvert the uranium enriched through this RFP into metal, oxide, and other forms to be used as fuel for advanced reactors.

"Nuclear energy currently provides almost half of the nation's carbon-free power, and it will continue to play a significant part in transitioning to a clean energy future," said US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm. "President Biden's Investing in America is strengthening our national and energy security throug

UK to launch HALEU production programme

08 January 2024

The UK government has announced it will invest GBP300 million (USD381 million) to launch a high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) programme, making the UK the first country in Europe to launch such a nuclear fuel programme.

HALEU fuel pellets produced at the Idaho National Laboratory in the USA (Image: INL)

The UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) said the investment will support domestic production of HALEU and is part of plans to help deliver up to 24 GW of nuclear power by 2050, providing about 25% of the UK's electricity needs.

In addition, it said GBP10 million will be provided to develop the skills and sites to produce other advanced nuclear fuels in the UK, "helping to secure long-term domestic nuclear fuel supply and support international allies".

DESNZ added: "This builds on the UK's status as a world leader in the production of nuclear fuels, with domestic capability in uranium enrichment and in fuel fabrication in the northwest of England."

HALEU - uranium enriched to between 5% and 20% uranium-235 - will be used in the advanced nuclear fuel required for most of the next-generation reactor designs currently under development. At present, only Russia and China have the infrastructure to produce HALEU at scale.

With the first advanced reactor scheduled to be operational in the early 2030s, DESNZ said the funding will boost the existing nuclear fuel production hub, supporting local industry in England's northwest while helping to expand the nuclear revival in the UK and overseas.

"This builds on the UK's work to displace Russia from the global nuclear fuels market, particularly in uranium conversion services, where government and industry are together investing up to GBP26 million to bring this capability back to the UK by the end of the decade," it added.

Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, Claire Coutinho. said: "Britain gave the world its first operational nuclear power plant, and now we will be the first nation in Europe outside of Russia to produce advanced nuclear fuel. This will be critical for energy security at home and abroad and builds on Britain's historic competitive advantages."

In January last year, the UK government began accepting bids for up to GBP50 million funding for projects it hopes will "stimulate a diverse and resilient nuclear fuel market" in the country. Bids were accepted up to 20 February. The Nuclear Fuel Fund is intended to provide greater options for UK nuclear operators to use UK-produced fuel, as the country seeks to diversify its uranium and nuclear fuel production capacity away from Russia.

Eight projects have so far been awarded a total of GBP22.3 million under the Nuclear Fuel Fund. These include GBP10.5 million awarded to Westinghouse to enable its Springfields plant in Preston, Lancashire, to manufacture a broader range of nuclear fuel types for large reactors, small modular reactors and advanced modular reactors in the UK and overseas. Urenco has been awarded GBP9.5 million to help develop low enriched uranium + (LEU+) and HALEU enrichment capability at its Capenhurst site in Cheshire. In addition, more than GBP1 million has been awarded to Nuclear Transport Solutions to develop HALEU transport packages.

The USA is also developing a domestic supply of HALEU. In November last year, Centrus Energy delivered the first HALEU produced at its American Centrifuge Plant in Piketon, Ohio, to the US Department of Energy (DOE). Construction of the 16-centrifuge demonstration cascade plant began in 2019, under contract with the DOE. The delivery by Centrus of more than 20 kilograms of HALEU to the DOE means that phase one of the contract has now been completed and Centrus can move ahead with the second phase: a full year of HALEU production at the 900 kilograms per year plant.

In September, Orano revealed plans to extend enrichment capacity at its Georges Besse II (GB-II) uranium enrichment plant in France, and said it had begun the regulatory process to produce HALEU there.

Researched and written by World Nuclear Newsh the domestic buildup of a robust HALEU supply chain, helping bring advanced reactors online in time to combat the climate crisis."

"The Biden-Harris Administration knows that nuclear energy is essential to accelerating America's clean energy future," added Assistant to the President and National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi. "Boosting our domestic uranium supply won't just advance President Biden's historic climate agenda, but also increase America's energy security, create good-paying union jobs, and strengthen our economic competitiveness."

DOE projects that more than 40 tonnes of HALEU could be needed before the end of the decade, with additional amounts required each year, to deploy a new fleet of advanced reactors in order to reach the current US Administration's goal of 100% clean electricity by 2035 and net-zero emissions by 2050.

DOE is supporting several activities to expand the HALEU supply chain for advanced commercial reactors, including recycling used nuclear fuel from government-owned research reactors. In November, DOE reached a key milestone under its HALEU Demonstration project when Centrus Energy produced the country's first 20 kilograms of HALEU.

Together, the USA, Canada, France, Japan and the UK have announced collective plans to mobilise USD4.2 billion in government-led spending to develop safe and secure nuclear energy supply chains.

Earlier this week, the UK government announced it will invest GBP300 million (USD381 million) to launch a HALEU programme, making it the first country in Europe to launch such a nuclear fuel programme.

In September, Orano revealed plans to extend enrichment capacity at its Georges Besse II (GB-II) uranium enrichment plant in France, and said it had begun the regulatory process to produce HALEU there.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News

Licences issued for main stage of Leningrad 7 and 8 construction

09 January 2024

Russian nuclear regulator Rostekhnadzor has issued licences to Rosatom for the construction of nuclear installations for Leningrad nuclear power plant's proposed units 7 and 8.

Leningrad already has two VVER-1200s in operation (Image: Rosatom)

The permit is valid for 15 years with Rosatom saying that in total about 150 buildings and structures will be erected at the site over the next few years, with the aim of getting to the stage of loading fuel into the new VVER-1200 reactors in 2029 and 2031 - the official timeline is then for them to enter commercial operation in 2030 and 2032, respectively.

To obtain the necessary construction licence, the application included documentation relating to the safety of the power units and confirming the readiness of the nuclear power plant, which is in Sosnovy Bor, for construction.

Vladimir Pereguda, director of the Leningrad plant, said: "We have proven that the construction of power units No.7 and 8 will be carried out in strict accordance with Russian norms and regulations in the field of the use of atomic energy, that construction and installation work will be provided with modern design solutions and sound, proven technologies, that the volume of work performed, cost compliance construction, the quality of purchased equipment, the quality of design and working documentation will be controlled by highly qualified specialists from among the nuclear plant employees. We are fully ready to begin large-scale work on the new stage of the Leningrad NPP."

Work at the construction site, which began in August 2022, has seen a pit prepared for the nuclear island and turbine island of the seventh unit.

The Leningrad nuclear power plant is one of the largest in Russia, with an installed capacity of 4400 MWe, and provides more than 55% of the electricity demand of Saint Petersburg and the Leningrad region, or 30% of all the electricity in Northwest Russia.

Leningrad 1 shut down in 2018 after 45 years of operation. Leningrad 2, also a 1000 MWe RBMK unit, started up in 1975 and was permanently shut down in November 2020. As the first two of the plant's four RBMK-1000 units shut down, new VVER-1200 units started at the neighbouring Leningrad II plant. The 60-year service life of these fifth and sixth units (also known as Leningrad II-1 and Leningrad II-2) secures power supply until the 2080s. Units 7 and 8 will replace units 3 and 4 as they are shut in the coming years.

Rosatom says that the new units will not only replace the existing capacity but will be able to meet growing demand and help large regional investment projects. The VVER-1200s are capable of load following, in contrast to RBMK units which only operate in baseload mode, which means running only at full power between refuelling and maintenance outages.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News

Colorado study recommends nuclear to replace coal plant

09 January 2024

A study of clean energy alternatives led by the Pueblo Innovative Energy Solutions Advisory Committee (PIESAC) found that only advanced nuclear could make the community "whole" from the losses it will suffer from the closure of the last unit at the Comanche coal-fired power plant in Pueblo, Colorado, while ensuring a just transition.

The Comanche power plant in Pueblo, Colorado (Image: Jeffrey Beall)

PIESAC, a diverse 11-member committee of Pueblo community leaders, was assembled by Xcel Energy-Colorado to evaluate and recommend future clean energy generation strategies to replace the final coal-fired unit at Comanche as the company transitions to delivering 100% carbon-free energy by 2050 to its Colorado customers and communities. The plant, some 110 miles (177 km) south of Denver, includes three coal units: unit 1 (335 MWe) retired in 2022, unit 2 (315 MWe) is due to retire by the end of 2025, and unit 3 (750 MWe) is to retire by 1 January 2031 at the latest.

The closure of Comanche 3 - which had originally been expected to operate until 2070 - will have "devastating impacts" on the economy of Pueblo unless the community, Xcel Energy and other stakeholders begin planning now for its replacement, the study says. The 2031 closure will cost Pueblo more than USD845 million in taxes which fund schools, fire districts, libraries, conservation districts as well as the operations of the city and the county. "It is urgent that we reduce climate changing emissions, but we must also provide a path forward for coal communities such as Pueblo that have relied on highly paid skilled jobs and tax payments from coal plants," the study finds.

PIESAC's newly released report is the culmination of ten months' work to evaluate clean energy generation strategies to replace the existing coal units at the Comanche Generation Station while ensuring a "just transition" so that "coal communities should not only be no worse off with the closure of coal facilities but also replace the coal generation with high paying and highly skilled jobs and lost tax base so that coal communities have an opportunity to prosper, grow, and reimagine their local economies".

The committee looked at a "large number" of generation possibilities for Pueblo that could be available by 2034, including various energy storage and battery technologies, hydrogen as a primary fuel, the construction of additional solar facilities, combined cycle gas with carbon capture, and advanced nuclear. Of these, it recommends that only the latter two - a new gas plant with carbon capture or advanced nuclear - should be considered for Pueblo.

A new gas plant with carbon capture would provide 20 to 25 jobs with a salary range of USD80,000-120,000 and tax payments of approximately USD16.5 million a year, but advanced nuclear would provide 200 to 300 jobs with a salary range of USD60,000-200,000 and tax payments of USD95.29 million a year, it notes: "Of all of the technologies that we studied, only advanced nuclear generation will make Pueblo whole and also provide a path to prosperity."

Coal accounted for some 27% of Xcel Energy-Colorado's 2022 generation mix, with natural gas supplying around 31% and wind 36%. The company is aiming for 81% of its generation to be carbon free by 2030 and 100% carbon free by 2050.

Xcel Energy-Colorado is part of Minneapolis-headquartered Xcel Energy, serving eight Western and Midwestern US states from a generating portfolio which includes the Monticello and Prairie Island nuclear power plants in Minnesota.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News

EIA programme submitted for Olkiluoto 1 and 2

08 January 2024

The environmental impact assessment (EIA) programme for a possible operating licence extension and power uprating of units 1 and 2 at the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant has been submitted by Teollisuuden Voima Oyj (TVO) to Finland's Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment (TEM).

Olkiluoto units 1 and 2 (Image: TVO)

Olkiluoto units 1 and 2 - which were first connected to the grid in September 1978 and February 1980, respectively - currently meet 15% of Finland's electricity demand.

In September 2018, the Finnish government approved a 20-year extension to the operating licences of both units. The new licence replaced TVO's then current operating licences, issued in 1998, which were valid until the end of 2018. The two boiling water reactors are currently permitted to operate until the end of 2038.

TVO announced in October last year that it had initiated an EIA procedure for the licence extension and power uprate. The company is considering extending the operating licences by a further 10-20 years and increasing the power output of each reactor from 890 MW to approximately 970 MWe.

On 5 January, TVO submitted an EIA programme, as required under Finnish law. In the assessment of environmental impacts, the current state of the environment is determined and the environmental impacts caused by the project and their significance are assessed. Matters to be evaluated in the EIA procedure are, for example, effects on people and society, waterways and fisheries, land use and landscape, soil and bedrock, groundwater and vegetation, animals and protected areas.

TEM has published the EIA programme on its website, where it can be viewed for 60 days. During that time, anyone has the opportunity to give their own comments about the programme. In addition, TEM requests statements about the programme from several authorities, communities and municipalities in the affected area.

TVO said that decisions regarding the licence extensions and power uprates will be made after the completion of the EIA report.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News

IAEA sees Belgian commitment to waste management

08 January 2024

Belgium has a robust national infrastructure for the management of radioactive waste and used fuel, an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) mission has said, and recommended the development of consolidated policies for specific waste streams and for decision-making on a geological repository.

Three of the country's operating reactors are at Doel (Image: Engie)

Belgium manages high-level waste from its five operating nuclear reactors at the Doel and Tihange plants as well as from the two reactors which have been permanently shut down, along with low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste from the production and use of radiation sources in medical, industrial and science and research activities.

The Belgian National Agency for Radioactive Waste and Enriched Fissile Material management (Ondraf/Niras) manages radioactive waste and used fuel after acceptance, The agency hosted the IAEA's Integrated Review Service for Radioactive Waste and Spent Fuel Management, Decommissioning and Remediation (Artemis) team during their ten-day visit in December.

Artemis team leader Jussi Heinonen, Director at the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) in Finland, said: "The team saw that the responsible organisations in Belgium are strongly committed to the radioactive waste and spent fuel management. They have put in place a waste management system that is well adapted to the current situation and are preparing to take the necessary measures until the end of the life-cycle of their nuclear facilities. Further progress is still needed in the comprehensive coverage of national policies guiding the implementation of the programme."

The recommendations for action by the Belgian government include:

• Formulation of "well-defined national policies on spent fuel management options and the management of radioactive waste from radium production"
• Ensure waste streams that require further processing or have no clear end point should be included in the national programme with proposed management options
• Establish a "comprehensive geological disposal policy for the management of high-level waste and spent fuel and complete the process of establishing safety requirements and a licensing scheme specific to disposal facilities"

The IAEA team also said that "the provision of adequate financial and human resources will be crucial" to ensure timely implementation of policies, such as on a geological repository.

There was also a suggestion that Ondraf/Niras "should focus main resources on solutions that are technically feasible and internationally acknowledged for the long-term management of high-level waste and spent fuel of the Belgian inventory".

There was praise for good practices identified in the approach to centralised management of all radioactive waste by Ondraf/Niras subsidiary Belgoprocess "contributing to the minimisation of radioactive waste, as well as in the approach for remediation of the former Olen radium and uranium production site leading to waste minimisation".

Marc Demarche, Director General of Ondraf/Niras, said: "Belgium values the review and its outcomes in the current framework of our national programme where we have on the one hand significant recent evolutions and progress, in particular concerning the licence for a surface disposal facility, the decision-in-principle for deep geological disposal as well as the launching of the project for radium-bearing waste. But we are also facing important and difficult challenges for continued progress, in particular about the operationalisation of the low-level waste repository or the pursuit of the deep disposal project."

The Artemis review mission took place at the invitation of Belgium. Such missions offer reviews of radioactive waste and used fuel management, decommissioning and remediation programmes. The seven experts in this mission were from Austria, Finland, France, Slovenia, the UK and the USA. As well as Ondraf/Niras, they met with officials from the Federal Agency for Nuclear Control (FANC), the Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK CEN), the Directorate General for Energy, nuclear fuel cycle management organisation Synatom and th Commission for Nuclear Provisions. The final mission report is expected to be provided to the Belgian government in February.

Belgium's nuclear plants account for almost half of the country's electricity production. The country's federal law of 31 January 2003 required the phase-out of all nuclear electricity generation in the country. Under a plan announced by Belgium's coalition government in December 2021, Doel 3 was shut down in September 2022, while Tihange 2 shut down at the end of January 2023. The newer Doel 4 and Tihange 3 would be shut down by 2025. However, a decision was subsequently taken to extend the operation of Doel 4 and Tihange 3, allowing for the retention of 2 GWe of nuclear generation capacity, with agreement reached between the Belgian government and French utility Engie last month on the terms of extending the two units' operation by 10 years and on all obligations related to radioactive waste.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News

NuScale cuts jobs, 'refocuses on key strategic areas'

08 January 2024
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Small modular reactor (SMR) developer NuScale Power Corporation has announced measures, including the loss of 154 employees, which it says will save USD50-60 million a year and "better position itself commercially, financially, and strategically".

How a NuScale plant could look (Image: NuScale)

NuScale President and CEO John Hopkins said the company's SMR technology - the only one to have received US Nuclear Regulatory Commission approval - was "already many years ahead of the competition ... today, commercialisation of our SMR technology is our key objective, which includes near-term deployment and manufacturing".

In a news release issued on Monday, the New York Stock Exchange-listed company said it was "taking steps to transition from R&D to commercialisation and aims to ... align resources with core priorities, which include advancing revenue-generating projects, securing new orders and positioning NuScale towards long-term success".

NuScale's VOYGR SMR - a pressurised water reactor with all the components for steam generation and heat exchange incorporated into a single 77 MWe unit - is under consideration for construction in various countries around the world including in the USA, Romania and in Poland, where a plan by copper and silver producer KGHM Polska Miedź SA to build a power plant based on NuScale Power's SMR has been approved by the Ministry of Climate and Environment.

However, in November NuScale and Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems mutually agreed to terminate the Carbon Free Power Project (CFPP), which was to have featured six NuScale power modules generating 462 MWe of electricity and which was pencilled in for operation by 2029. The CFPP had targeted 80% subscription for the project by the end of 2023, but the parties said it had become clear that they would not have enough subscription to support deployment.

NuScale had placed its first upper reactor pressure vessel long-lead production order with Doosan Enerbility in March 2023 for the CFPP - the company intends to transfer those modules to its next customer, Hopkins said during an American Nuclear Society event in November.

NuScale Power was the first SMR developer to undergo a business combination to accelerate the commercialisation of its technology. In May 2022, it merged with Spring Valley Acquisition Corporation to create the world's first publicly traded SMR technology provider. Its shares initially rose by 50% in value, but have fallen back in recent months and closed on Friday at less than one-third of their value in May 2022.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News

France Moves Away from Renewable Targets in Favor of Nuclear Power

By ZeroHedge - Jan 09, 2024,

• The bill proposes a change from reducing to just tending towards a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
• 
  
• It includes the removal of various objectives related to renewable energy production and consumption.
• 
  
• The bill strongly affirms the use of nuclear energy as a sustainable choice and includes it as a key objective in the multi-annual energy program.

Authored by Mike Shedlock via MishTalk.com,

Cheers to France if pending legislation passes as currently written. It effectively scraps most hard commitments and turns more towards nuclear power...

Preliminary Bill relating to Energy Sovereignty

Please consider a Google translation of a Preliminary Bill relating to Energy Sovereignty

Four Key Things

1. The wording of this preliminary bill relating to energy sovereignty is of course not final. It can still evolve between now and its presentation to the Council of Ministers and, then, during its discussion in Parliament. However, it already demonstrates a significant change in the executive’s conception of national energy policy. 
2. This draft bill weakens France’s climate objectives, starting with the objective of reducing our greenhouse gas emissions. The objective would no longer be to “reduce” but to tend towards a reduction in “our greenhouse gas emissions.
3. This preliminary draft proposes to translate into law the executive’s choice to maintain a preponderant share of nuclear energy in electricity production. A choice which breaks with that of reducing this share of nuclear power and which was included in law no. 2015-992 of August 17, 2015 relating to the energy transition for green growth. 
4. This preliminary bill also reflects concern, on the eve of the European elections in June 2024; to abandon the legal category of renewable energies” in favor of a new category, that of “carbon-free energies”.

Removals

• The removal of quantified objectives for production and consumption of renewable energies in mainland France.
• The removal of the objective of encouraging the production of hydraulic energy.
• The removal of the quantified objective for the development of offshore wind power.
• The removal of the objective of encouraging the production of agrivoltaic electricity.
• The removal of the contribution objective to achieving air pollution reduction objectives.
• The removal of the building’s energy performance objective.
• The removal of the multiplication objective ofthe quantity of renewable and recovery heat and cold.
• Removal of the condition for shutting down the operation of a nuclear reactor

New Objectives

• The affirmation of the “sustainable choice of using nuclear energy”
• The new objective of using nuclear energy in the multi-annual energy program

Wow!

How often does France lead the way in common sense?

This has not passed yet, but it represents a clear change in direction if any of it passes, and that seems highly likely.

I wonder if President Emmanuel Macron is starting to look at French polls. Then again, the next French presidential election is not until 2027.

In the US, Biden doubles down on the only tactic he knows, running on Bidenomics while claiming Trump will be a dictator if he wins.

Both are losing tactics.

Via Zerohedge.com 

EDF To Extend Life of UK Nuclear Power Plants

By Tsvetana Paraskova - Jan 09, 2024

EDF will invest $1.65 billion (£1.3 billion) to extend the life of its nuclear power generating stations in the UK as it aims to keep UK nuclear output at current levels until at least 2026, the company said on Tuesday.

EDF plans to invest the sum announced today in the UK’s five generating nuclear power stations over the 2024-26 period. The investment will help sustain nuclear power output at current levels, boosting energy security and reducing carbon emissions, EDF said.   

The company plans to to extend generating lifetimes at Hartlepool and Heysham 1 power stations, with a combined 2.2 GW capacity, by a further two years, to a current forecast of March 2026. Heysham 2 and Torness power stations, of combined capacity of 2.4 GW, are currently due to generate until March 2028.

“These lifetimes will be reviewed again by the end of 2024 and the ambition is to generate beyond these current forecasts, subject to plant inspections and regulatory approvals,” EDF said.

The UK, France, Sweden, and Switzerland are some of the European countries that are betting on domestic nuclear power generation and extension of power plant lifetimes as a way to boost energy security and reduce carbon emissions.

The UK is also backing small modular reactor (SMR) technology and it has doubled down on nuclear power generation as part of its ambition to cut emissions and reach net-zero by 2050.

But the UK is not giving up on conventional nuclear reactors and remains committed to the mega projects of Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C.

In 2022, the UK decided to revitalize its nuclear energy industry to secure more zero-emission power generated in the country. Under the British Energy Security Strategy, the UK has an ambition to deploy up to 24 GW of nuclear power by 2050, around 25% of the projected 2050 electricity demand in the country.   

EDF plans new investment and extensions for UK nuclear fleet

09 January 2024

EDF Energy has announced it will invest a further GBP1.3 billion (USD1.7 billion) in the UK's five operating nuclear power plants over the next two years and plans to further extend the lives of the four operating Advanced Gas-cooled Reactor (AGR) plants.

The Hartlepool AGR plant (Image: EDF Energy)

EDF manages the UK's eight nuclear power plant sites, five that are operating (Sizewell B, Torness, Heysham 2, Heysham 1 and Hartlepool) and three that have entered decommissioning (Hunterston B, Hinkley Point B and Dungeness B). It took over the sites when it acquired British Energy in 2009. The company is also constructing the new Hinkley Point C plant in Somerset, and there are advanced plans for a replica at Sizewell C in Suffolk.

EDF has announced it plans to invest a further GBP1.3 billion in the five operating plants over 2024-26, taking the total invested in the fleet to nearly GBP9 billion since 2009.

The company said the additional investment "will help sustain output at current levels, boost energy security and cut carbon emissions".

The UK's nuclear output in 2023 was 37.3 TWh, 15% lower than 2022 due to reactor closures and statutory outages, EDF said, noting that it plans to maintain output around this level until at least 2026.

"Without EDF's investment and expertise, Sizewell B power station would be the only operational nuclear power station in the UK today and nuclear would provide just 3% of the UK's power consumption rather than the 13% it does account for," the company said. "This would have meant even more reliance on gas, higher energy prices for customers and more carbon in the atmosphere."

The company said the "improved outlook" has been driven by life extensions announced for Heysham 1 and Hartlepool in March 2023. At that time, it said it wanted to keep the units operating until about March 2026, two years longer than previously planned.

"These AGR lifetimes will be reviewed again by the end of 2024 and the ambition is to generate beyond these current forecasts, subject to plant inspections and regulatory approvals," EDF said.

"The more positive fleet outlook, and major new build programme, means EDF plans to hire over 1000 people in 2024 across its various UK nuclear businesses," EDF said.

"EDF has built a strong track record of safely operating the UK's existing nuclear fleet, delivering over 35% more clean power than initially forecast," said Mark Hartley, Managing Director of EDF's Nuclear Operations business. "Looking ahead, our aim is to maintain output from the four AGR stations for as long as possible and extend Sizewell B by a further 20 years, out to 2055. Maximising output also helps preserve the critical nuclear skills and capabilities that will be valuable for future nuclear projects."

Tom Greatrex, Chief Executive of the Nuclear Industry Association, welcomed EDF's announcement. He said: "EDF's unprecedented investment in our nuclear fleet has helped preserve it as a bedrock of our energy security. Their ambition to extend the four AGR stations further if possible, should be widely welcomed - as it will cut gas imports, cut carbon and relieve winter pressures on our shaky grid. EDF invests by far the most of any company in British low carbon energy, and their stewardship of our nuclear fleet has helped keep the lights on for much longer than was originally envisaged.

"While lifetime extensions will help in the short term, they won't address the medium and long-term issues of a fleet getting close to retirement - what we now need is for the government to get Sizewell C to a Final Investment Decision swiftly, and set out a plan for a new fleet of stations large and small to maintain nuclear’s contribution to our energy security and economic prosperity for the future."

Researched and written by World Nuclear News