NUKE NEWZ 

Improved fortunes for French nuclear sector

16 February 2024

France's nuclear industry giants - EDF, Framatome and Orano - have each reported improved results for 2023, compared with 2022, and expect continued growth in 2024, partly due to France's plan to build new reactors.

The Flamanville 3 EPR, where fuel loading is expected to start next month (Image: EDF / Alexis Morin and Antoine Soubigou))

EDF - which was renationalised last year - recorded sales of EUR139.7 billion (USD150 billion) and earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of EUR39.9 billion in 2023. The group's net income totalled EUR10 billion, following record annual losses of EUR17.9 billion in 2022.

The company said its "exceptional" results were "driven by a very good operational performance, achieving a significant 41.4 TWh increase in nuclear generation in France in a context of historically high prices". It added: "Coming after the sudden drop in nuclear power output in France in 2022 due to the stress corrosion phenomenon and exceptional regulatory measures to limit price rises for consumers, these results have reduced net financial debt."

In France, nuclear power output totalled 320.4 TWh, in the upper end of the range announced for the year. EDF said: "This turnaround was achieved by good management of the stress corrosion repairs and reactor outages, thanks to efficiency and reactivity of the teams to improve the fleet availability."

As of the beginning of January 2024, 46 French reactors were online, representing total capacity of 50 GWe. Of the 16 reactors most sensitive to stress corrosion, 15 had been repaired by the end of 2023, and the final one will be repaired during its ten-year inspection, which starts this month. Additionally, the 2023 programme of checks on welds repaired during reactor construction has been completed.

EDF estimates that its nuclear output in France will be 315-345 TWh in 2024 and 335-365 TWh in 2025 and 2026.

EDF's UK nuclear fleet generated 37 TWh of electricity last year, providing about 13% of Britain's total power demand. Output was 15% lower than in 2022 due to station closures and statutory outages but nearly four times the forecast when EDF acquired the fleet in 2009.

In the UK, EBITDA was GBP3.4 billion (USD4.3 billion) and net investment was GBP3.6 billion, meaning investment was greater than EBITDA for the sixth year running. EDF said it will invest a further GBP1.3 billion in the five generating stations over the next three years in a concerted effort to keep nuclear output stable after several years of decline due to older stations retiring. This comes on top of GBP7.5 billion of investment since EDF acquired the fleet 15 years ago.

"The strong operating performance of EDF in the UK and the support of the Group enabled us to continue to invest significantly in Britain in 2023," said Simone Rossi, CEO of EDF in the UK. "EDF is a long-term partner to Britain, and I am proud of our role over 25 years strengthening the country's energy security and cutting carbon emissions."

With regards to its new build projects, EDF noted that at the Flamanville 3 EPR projects in France the tests to requalify the entire installation were successfully completed, in preparation for fuel loading in March. Meanwhile, at the Hinkley Point C project in the UK, EDF announced last month that the plant was now unlikely to be operational before 2030, with the overall cost revised to between GBP31 and GBP34 billion (in 2015 prices). It noted an impairment of EUR12.9 billion was booked, mainly relating to Hinkley Point C assets but also including EDF Energy goodwill, partly as a result of aging plants. It added that since the start of 2024 construction at Hinkley Point C was being financed by the shareholders on a voluntary basis, and EDF is currently financing all costs.

"2023 marks the return of the company's operational performance at a better level, after a year of industrial difficulties and exceptional regulation unfavourable effects in 2022," said EDF Chairman and CEO Luc Rémont. "With these good results, EDF has met its financial targets and reduced its financial debt. They also reflect the hard work put in by all EDF's teams to turn generation levels around, and provide appropriate sales offers for customers, and innovative solutions in response to the needs of the electricity system.

"Finally, 2023 saw the start of key actions for the company’s future, with an intensive focus on change and efficiency improvements so we can remain the leader in carbon-free, competitive electricity production that is available at all times. I am certain that all these steps will continue to bring benefits over the next few years."

In February 2022, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that the time was right for a nuclear renaissance in France, saying the operation of all existing reactors should be extended without compromising safety and unveiling a proposed programme for six new EPR2 reactors, with an option for a further eight EPR2 reactors to follow. EDF and Framatome are developing the EPR2 as a simplified version of the EPR design which incorporates design, construction and commissioning experience feedback from the EPR reactor, as well as operating experience from the nuclear reactors currently in service. EDF proposes to build three pairs of EPR2 reactors, in order, at Penly, Gravelines and Bugey.

EPR projects help Framatome

Meanwhile, nuclear engineering group Framatome reported revenue of almost EUR4.1 billion in 2023, with an organic increase of 9.1% compared with 2022. It said this growth was driven by the development of EPR projects in France and the UK and by an increase in service activities for EDF in France. EBITDA was EUR598 million, an increase of 4.7% compared with 2022.

"The execution of projects was well controlled, and optimisation of overhead costs continued," it said. "Production in plants was in line with customer commitments despite supply chain tensions."

Framatome noted its Installed Base Business Unit executed several primary component replacement operations for EDF on the French fleet and for Eskom in South Africa. It also strengthened its position on the highly competitive North American market, while equipment was successfully delivered to the Angra 3 project in Brazil and to Bruce Power in Canada. Framatome's Instrumentation and Control Business Unit continued to grow, driven by new build and modernisation projects in France, the UK and Central Europe. Losses were recorded in North America and have given rise to remedial actions, it said. The Projects and Components Business Unit activities were supported by the completion of weld repair work on the main secondary circuit and hot tests on the Flamanville 3 EPR. In the UK, several of the primary components for Hinkley Point C were delivered and the fabrication of forged parts and equipment for the Sizewell C project is well under way.

"2022 was also marked by the ramp-up of design engineering work for the first serial production forgings of the EPR2 programme," Framatome said. Investments have been launched within the scope of the ramp-up in production of an industrial programme linked to the EPR2 programme in France. These investments relate to manufacturing and assembly activities for the primary and auxiliary equipment components.

Orano optimistic for 2024

Fuel cycle company Orano reported revenue of EUR4.8 billion in 2023, up 13.1% on a like-for-like basis, supported by rising market prices and increased front-end and back-end activity. EBITDA was EUR1.2 billion, up from EUR1.0 billion the previous year.

"Thanks to its good results and in particular its continuous deleveraging over the past 6 years, Orano has put itself in working order to support the new nuclear energy prospects and meet the climate and sovereignty challenges," said Orano CEO Nicolas Maes. "The decision to increase our enrichment production capacity is a concrete illustration of this, and foreshadows other development projects in our nuclear base, and our new activities in nuclear medicine and the battery value chain.

"Therefore, 2024 marks the start of a new cycle of development and investment in areas that are more essential and meaningful than ever."

Constellation files Clinton licence renewal application

16 February 2024

The 20-year licence renewal would allow the Illinois nuclear power plant to continue providing carbon-free energy to the region until 2047 with adequate market or policy support, Constellation Energy Corp said.

The Clinton plant (Image: NRC/Exelon)

Filing the licence renewal application with the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) kicks off a comprehensive regulatory review process which will proceed along two tracks, one for the review of safety issues and another for environmental issues. The process involves site inspections, environmental reviews and public participation. This would be a first licence renewal for the single-unit boiling water reactor (BWR) unit, which entered commercial operation in 1987 and is currently licensed to operate until April 2027.

"Our nation desperately needs more new, clean, firm megawatts to power our homes, businesses, and new technologies to improve our everyday lives," Constellation President and CEO Joe Dominguez said. "This facility has operated 24/7 during the most extreme summer and winter weather to hit the Midwest in a generation, and we are doing everything possible to ensure it has the opportunity to continue to operate for another 20 years."

The continued operation of Clinton has been enabled by Illinois state legislation enacted in 2016 that recognises the unique environmental, economic and reliability benefits of nuclear energy, Constellation said, but added that future policy and market conditions will ultimately determine how long the plant operates. Federal nuclear production tax credits - announced in 2022 as one of the initiatives under the wide-ranging Bipartisan Infrastructure Law - provide policy support until 2032.

"Renewing the licence of Clinton would provide the State of Illinois an estimated 179 terawatt hours of additional carbon-free electricity over the 20-year extended lifespan of the licence," the company said. "This is more clean energy than all of Illinois' wind and solar facilities have produced to date."

The site employs 532 people and is the largest employer in De Witt County, where it is situated, and Dan Matthews, president of the Clinton School District Board and a member of the DeWitt County Board, said that as well as being the largest carbon-free electricity source in Central Illinois, it also provides a major boost to the economy. "The more than USD13 million in annual property taxes supports education and county services, and the large number of employees live here and spend money, which supports local business and creates additional jobs. The plant's relicensing is an important part of DeWitt County’s economic future," he said.

Constellation said the Clinton licence renewal application is the latest in a series of clean-energy investments, following its acquisition of a 44% stake in the South Texas Project nuclear plant, a USD800 million uprate project at the Braidwood and Byron nuclear plants in Illinois, and a USD350 million uprate of its Criterion Wind Project in Maryland.

It intends to file a second licence renewal for its two-unit Dresden nuclear power plant, also in Illinois, later this year. The Dresden BWR units have previously received a first licence renewal from the NRC and are currently licensed to operate until 2029 and 2031 respectively. They would have faced early permanent closure in November 2021 had Illinois not passed its policy reforms to support their continued operation.

Ansaldo Nucleare, SACE and Nuclearelectrica sign Cernavoda MoU

16 February 2024

Italian finance and insurance group SACE, Ansaldo Nucleare and Romania's Nuclearelectrica have signed a memorandum of understanding relating to the life extension of Cernavoda unit 1 and the development of units 3 and 4.

The MoU was signed in Rome (Image: Italy's Minister of Business)

The agreement aims to structure a financing line backed by SACE for up to EUR2 billion (USD2.15 billion) with Ansaldo Nucleare set to supply engineering, project management services, procurement and commissioning of components and systems. It was signed at the Ministry of Business in Italy, in the presence of Italian Business Minister Adolfo Urso, and Romania's Minister of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Tourism, Stefan-Radu Oprea.

Urso took the opportunity to suggest it was time for a rethink on nuclear energy policy in Italy, saying: "The agreement between Ansaldo Nucleare, SACE and the Romanian nuclear energy company consolidates Italian leadership in the nuclear energy sector. Today's signature invites us to seriously consider reopening the road to nuclear power for Italy: our country has a rich scientific heritage, a notable technological capacity and companies that demonstrate a constant commitment to developing their potential, also abroad."

Cosmin Ghita, Nuclearelectrica CEO, said that refurbishing Cernavoda 1 and the completion of units 3 and 4 will mean the plant providing 66% of Romania's clean energy after 2031: "With nuclear energy as an 24/7 available source and over 90% capacity factor, Nuclearelectrica’s nuclear expansion investments will greatly benefit Romania’s long-term energy security, reliability and value chain socio-economic development, from Romanian suppliers’ chain growth to job creation and a new generation of nuclear specialists." He added that their partnership with Ansaldo Nucleare dated back to the commissioning of the first unit with long-time cooperation based on performance and professionalism. "We highly appreciate SACE’s joining of this MoU and the level of confidence shown to nuclear power production facilities in Romania," he added.

Filippo Giansante, SACE chairman, said: "We are pleased to be an active part of Italy's support to the Romanian nuclear programme. Our intervention will support Ansaldo Nucleare and, with it, the entire Italian nuclear supply chain."

Daniela Gentile, CEO of Ansaldo Nucleare, said it was pleased to continue working with Nuclearelectrica, "a historical partner with whom we have a relationship of trust that has lasted for over 40 years. Thanks to SACE we can put our expertise at the service of Romania's growth and development, with benefits for the entire Italian energy supply chain".

Cernavoda is the only nuclear power plant in Romania and consists of two 650 MWe Candu reactors. Unit 1 went into commercial operation in 1996 and unit 2 in 2007. Nuclearelectrica plans to extend the operating life of unit 1 to 60 years. Most of the work on units 3 and 4 - like units 1 and 2, Candu-6 reactors - was done in the 1980s prior to the fall of the government of Nicolae Ceausescu in 1989. Work is now on-going to construct units 3 and 4, with commercial operation scheduled in 2030 and 2031, respectively.

The unit 1 refurbishment project began in 2017 and is currently in the second of three phases. This phase, due to last from February 2022 to 2026, covers providing the financial resources, negotiating and granting engineering, procurement and construction contracts, assessing, preparing and scheduling the activities to be carried and obtaining all the authorisations and approvals necessary to start the project. The third phase, scheduled for 2027 to 2029, starts with the shutdown of unit 1 and includes all the work required on it and its recommissioning.

In October, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power signed an agreement with Canada's Candu Energy and Ansaldo Nucleare - the original design companies for Cernavoda 1's reactor system and turbine generator system - to jointly carry out a refurbishment of the first unit at Cernavoda.

GNF gets approval to manufacture higher enrichment fuel

15 February 2024

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has approved GE Vernova's nuclear fuel business to manufacture, ship and analyse the performance of nuclear fuel with uranium-235 enrichments of up to 8%.

GNF's plant is now authorised to manufacture fuel with 8% enrichment (Image: GE Vernova)

The NRC's licence amendment approval means that Global Nuclear Fuel's plant in Wilmington, North Carolina, is the first commercial facility in the USA licensed to fabricate fuel enrichments containing up to 8% by weight uranium-235 (U-235).

The regulator has issued a Certificate of Compliance allowing GNF to ship nuclear fuel bundles containing uranium enriched up to 8% using the company's RAJ-II shipping container. It has also approved licensing topical reports for advanced nuclear methods that enable GNF to analyse fuel with enrichments greater than 5% by weight.

U-235 is the main fissile isotope of uranium. Natural uranium contains about 0.7% U-235. Standard fuel used in today's operating light water reactors contains uranium enriched at various levels up to about 4.8% U-235, known as low-enriched uranium. But fuel containing slightly higher levels of enrichment - up to 10% U-235 - can potentially offer improved nuclear fuel cycle economics for currently operating reactors. Such fuel is sometimes referred to as higher-enriched fuel or LEU+.

Uranium fuel containing between 5% and 20% U-235 is known as high-assay low-enriched uranium fuel, or HALEU. Such fuels will be required to fuel many of the advanced reactors and small modular reactors that are now being developed.

"These regulatory milestones build on our long history of designing and fabricating fuel for the nuclear industry," Mike Chilton, GNF executive vice president, said. "We will continue to innovate to help our customers run their plants even more efficiently and be ready to support the next generation of reactor technology with reliable, flexible fuel products as the industry progresses to the use of higher enrichments."

These approvals were made possible in part by work GNF and GE Vernova's Advanced Research business have conducted for the US Department of Energy's Accident Tolerant Fuel (ATF) Program, the company said. Framatome, GE/GNF and Westinghouse have all been developing ATF concepts with DOE support. The NRC last year issued the first authorisation for US commercial reactor to use fuel with over 5% enrichment, allowing Southern Nuclear to use advanced nuclear fuel enriched up to 6% U-235 at Vogtle unit 2.

Belgium launches project to develop metal smelter

15 February 2024

The European Commission has given approval for a project by Belgium's Nuclear Research Centre (SCK-CEN) and the Centre for Metallurgical Research (CRM) to develop an advanced smelter for metal generated through the dismantling of nuclear power plants.

CRM Group CEO Joeri Neutjens (left) and SCK-CEN CEO Peter Baeten (right) signed the research partnership agreement (Image: SCK-CEN)

Metals removed during the dismantling of nuclear power plants fall into three main categories: most of the metal is free of any residual radioactivity and can therefore go through a conventional recycling process; another portion is too contaminated to be processed or recycled and is categorised as nuclear waste and sent for disposal; while the third and final part has a limited level of radioactivity, allowing it to be recycled within dedicated infrastructure.

In June last year, the Belgian government allocated EUR13.5 million (USD14.5 million) in funding under the Belgian Recovery and Resilience Plan to the SMELD (which stands for State-of-the-art Metal Melting Limiting waste during D&D) project. This project aims to develop a facility that will enable larger quantities of metal emanating from dismantling to be recycled. It focuses on material that is too radioactive to be recycled immediately, but not radioactive enough to be disposed of as radioactive waste.

"That particular category actually accounts for considerable volumes," said CRM Group CEO Joeri Neutjens. "We believe that by putting in place the right technologies and installations, we will be able to give that metal a second life."

With the European Commission now approving the investment, SCK-CEN and CRM have signed a research partnership, allowing them to launch the project.

The project has two components: firstly, fundamental research activities performed by SCK-CEN in Mol, in collaboration with CRM in Liège, followed by feasibility studies. Using a laboratory fusion furnace, this will enable research into the movements of certain radioisotopes during the fusion process and will help determine parameters/methods for controlling the movements of these isotopes. The project will also include feasibility studies, industrial research and fusion infrastructure, and even larger-scale research with one or more industrial partners, to be selected by SCK-CEN.

The intention is that SMELD will lead to an upgraded form of the technology being used in today's large-scale melting plants. By capturing most of the radioisotopes during melting and separating them from the metal, these plants are already bringing about a dramatic reduction in the quantity of radioactive waste. Nevertheless, some radioisotopes are difficult to capture using the techniques currently available.

"We believe that still more can be got out of the process and have made it our target to ensure that the new melting furnace is more effective at isolating those residual radioisotopes as well larger quantities of metal can then be recycled and re-used," Neutjens said.

The furnace will undergo an extensive development process, in which advanced thermodynamic simulations will be combined with laboratory-scale provisional feasibility and optimisation tests. The initial part of that process is being carried out at CRM Group using non-radioactive materials and will be followed by small-scale tests at SCK-CEN using radioisotopes. The two project partners will then scale up the development into a genuine, advanced processing furnace. They intend to complete the work to construct the furnace by 2026.

"In Europe, more than 70 nuclear reactors have already closed down and it is estimated that dozens more will follow in the coming years," said Guido Mulier, a dismantling expert at SCK-CEN. "It therefore won't be long before they become due for dismantling. Recycling and re-using the maximum quantity of materials makes it possible to reduce the ecological footprint of dismantling. And that is what this project is all about: a desire to create a circular economy in dismantling."

He added: "Any country commencing a dismantling project stands to benefit from improved recycling techniques. We are paving the way towards an installation of that type, the commercial operation of which will ultimately be undertaken by an industrial partner. SCK-CEN and CRM will reserve the right to continue carrying out research in that installation as a means of optimising existing techniques, but also new ones."

Slovakia's SMR timescales outlined as Project Phoenix gets under way

15 February 2024

A feasibility study, as part of the US-funded Project Phoenix, is looking into the potential for small modular reactors (SMRs) in Slovakia with an indicative timeline to 2035.

John Kerry launched the initiative at COP27 in November 2022 (Photo: Ukraine's Embassy in the USA)

Project Phoenix was announced by US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry (pictured above) at the COP27 climate conference in 2022 and aims to support energy security and climate goals by creating pathways for coal-to-SMR power plant conversions while retaining local jobs through workforce retraining. The first recipients, announced in September last year, were the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia, with Slovenia added earlier this month.

Slovenské elektrárne has now announced that staff from Project Phoenix implementation partners, Sargent & Lundy, have visited Slovakia to carry out the initial phase of a field survey of sites for the feasibility study on the construction of SMRs in the country. They visited Slovenské elektrárne's Bohunice and Mochovce nuclear power plants and the Nováky and Vojany coal-fired plants.

The study begins with rating/excluding sites against serious constraints such as "seismicity, unsuitability of the geological subsoil or surroundings, lack of cooling water. This is followed by a survey of suitable sites and selection of the most suitable ones. In the next phase, the most appropriate SMR technologies for each selected site are assessed. Finally, a licensing plan and a capital cost analysis of the alternatives is prepared".

The analysis will also factor in the purpose of the SMR, such as electricity, heating, cogeneration and existing infrastructure and also "other socio-economic and environmental factors that may influence the final choice of sites".

According to Slovenské elektrárne, the aim is to complete the feasibility study in 2025, with the initial SMR design and licensing process running from 2026 to 2029, with procurement of major components from 2030 to 2033 and "implementation project, construction, commissioning" in 2035.

The Project Phoenix grant application was made by Slovenské elektrárne with the Slovak Economy Ministry, the Nuclear Regulatory Authority, the Slovak University of Technology, US Steel Košice and the Slovak Power Transmission System, VUJE. The aim is to help the country's transition from coal to nuclear energy "in a manner that prioritises nuclear safety, non-proliferation, security of energy supply, and sound financial considerations from the outset".

Slovenské elektrárne adds that it sees the project as a good way to develop its know-how: "Slovenské elektrárne has extensive experience in the field of nuclear energy. We are one of the first countries to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. We also must extend our knowledge in the field of SMRs."

Slovakia currently has five nuclear reactors generating about half its electricity, with one more reactor under construction. The first two, at Bohunice, went into commercial operation in 1984 and 1985 respectively, while Mochovce 1 and 2 were connected to the grid in 1998 and 1999, respectively. Construction of Mochovce 3 and 4 began in 1986 but was halted in 1992. It was later restarted and Mochovce 3 entered service in 2023, with work continuing on Mochovce 4.

Vogtle 4 reaches first criticality

14 February 2024

Georgia Power has announced that the new Vogtle unit 4 AP1000 reactor has reached initial criticality, with the unit's in-service date now projected to be during the second quarter of 2024.

Vogtle 4, pictured in August 2023 (Image: Georgia Power)

Initial criticality signals that the nuclear fission reaction in the reactor is now self-sustaining, meaning the reactor can begin producing heat that will be used to make steam to produce electricity.

The reactor's power output will now be raised to prepare it for synchronisation to the electric grid, and the start of electricity generation. Operators will 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.

Unit 4 is one of two Westinghouse AP1000 units being built at the Vogtle site near Waynesboro in Georgia, which is already home to two operating pressurised water reactors. Unit 3 - the first new nuclear unit to be built in the USA for more than three decades - reached initial criticality in March 2023, and began commercial operation in July.

Fuel loading at Vogtle 4 began in August 2023, when there was a projected in-service date of around the end of 2023. However, that was revised to the first quarter 2024 after a motor fault was discovered in a reactor coolant pump.

The last reactor to start up in the USA before Vogtle 3 was Watts Bar unit 2, in 2016. Construction of that reactor began in 1973 and was suspended in 1985 before work resumed in 2007.

The units are co-owned by Georgia Power, Oglethorpe Power, MEAG Power and Dalton Utilities, and will be operated by Southern Nuclear.

In its statement announcing Vogtle 4 had reached first criticality, Georgia Power said: "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. When operating, each of the new units can produce enough electricity to power an estimated 500,000 homes and businesses."

As well as Vogtle 3, four AP1000 units are in operation in China with four more under construction, and two more planned. The design has also been selected by Poland, Ukraine and Bulgaria for their nuclear energy programmes.

Energoatom and Hyundai E&C discuss cooperation

14 February 2024

Energoatom chairman and CEO Petro Kotin and Hyundai Engineering & Construction's Regional Director for Europe and North Africa, Hyung-Hwan Park, have held talks about deepening cooperation between the ​two companies.

(Image: Energoatom)

During their meeting they discussed the priorities for development of Ukraine's nuclear programme, which includes plans for as many as nine new Westinghouse AP1000 units, plus a possible roll-out of small modular reactors (SMRs).

Kotin said: "In order to achieve the goals we have set, we are interested in cooperation with new partners. So Hyundai E&C could participate in these projects."

He added that he hoped international pressure over the occupation of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant would lead to its return to Ukrainian control, after which "Energoatom will count on the support of its partners to restore the safe operation of the plant".

According to Energoatom, Park "expressed his support for Ukraine and expressed his desire to deepen cooperation between the companies. The South Korean company is ready to join Ukrainian projects on the expansion of nuclear generation, as well as the implementation of joint innovation and research projects".

In November Hyundai Engineering & Construction, part of the Hyundai Group, signed a memorandum on mutual understanding with Ukraine's state grid operator Ukrenergo to cooperate on researching the possibilities of developing the electricity transmission system in Ukraine.

Ukraine has 15 nuclear units generating about half of its electricity, including the six at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant which has been under Russian military control since early March 2022. Last month, Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said the process of adding four new units at the Khmelnitsky nuclear power plant - the construction/completion of the part-built third and fourth units based on VVER-1000 technology and two new Westinghouse AP1000 units - would start this year.

In May 2022, Hyundai E&C signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Westinghouse to jointly participate in global AP1000 plant opportunities.

IEA Ministerial Meeting recognises role of nuclear

14 February 2024

The International Energy Agency's (IEA's) 2024 Ministerial Meeting and 50th Anniversary event, held in Paris on 13-14 February, has agreed to recognise nuclear as one technology for achieving energy security and decarbonisation.

Energy and climate ministers at the meeting in Paris (Image: IEA)

The IEA said the event - co-chaired by France and Ireland - "produced a strong commitment to safeguard energy security while speeding up clean energy transitions to keep the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C within reach".

"Those countries that opt to use nuclear energy or support its use recognise its potential as a clean energy source that can reduce dependence on fossil fuels, to address the climate crisis and improve global energy security," a ministerial communiqué released at the end of the event said. "These countries recognise nuclear energy as a source of baseload power, providing grid stability and flexibility, and optimising use of grid capacity, while other countries choose other options to achieve the same goals. We recognise the importance of ensuring the highest standards of nuclear safety, security and non-proliferation."

Speaking at the closing press conference, IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol noted: "For the first time, there was a full paragraph in the recognition of nuclear power to address energy security and climate change issues."

"In our communique it is clear that it is up to countries to pick nuclear or not - it is optional. There is no push for countries to make use of nuclear, but if countries opt to use nuclear power we have highlighted the benefits of that. It is up to countries to make their own strategies."

Irish Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications Eamon Ryan, who co-chaired the meeting, added: "The text we have agreed today may obviously contain paragraphs that some countries feel uncomfortable with, but that doesn't mean you can't agree the overall.

"And it's really critical that we did come together at a time when multilateralism is at risk in so many different areas, that we are agreed in the clear, broad direction that we are going and it's not forcing any one country in terms of its fuel choices but it is absolutely saying that we are all having to decarbonise."

"I have been speaking with French industrials, European industrials and global industrials over the past 24 months, and I asked them 'What do you need to make sure you are on track and that we get rid of emissions by 2050?'," said Roland Lescure, France's Minister for Industry and Energy, who also co-chaired the meeting. "They say one thing - we need low-carbon energy like there is no tomorrow and we need it cheap.

"And I think they all had their own views on getting there. But it's about time we just get there. So some countries will get there one way. We know that Germany, for example, is going full-on with renewables. We (France) have decided to go 50/50 - we are going to have nuclear and renewables. The most important thing is to just do it. Let's do it together ... the time for ideological wars is over. Now is the time for action. What we are showing today, it's the first ministerial meeting after the COP that we are ready to act."

COP28 - held in Dubai in late 2023 - ended with a unanimous agreement by all parties calling for a transitioning away from fossil fuels and an acceleration of zero- and low-emission technologies, including nuclear. The text of the agreement said that the parties recognise that limiting global warming to 1.5°C "with no or limited overshoot requires deep, rapid and sustained reductions in global greenhouse gas emissions of 43% by 2030 and 60% by 2035 relative to the 2019 level and reaching net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050".

World Nuclear Association Director General Sama Bilbao y León spoke during the closing session of the event's Energy Innovation Forum. She said: "To some extent, the IEA has included the role of nuclear energy in global decarbonisation for some years. But I think that certainly after COP28, where for the first time we actually saw nuclear energy recognised as one of the energy technologies that need to be accelerated if we are serious about meeting Paris Agreement goals and we had over 25 countries committing to trebling nuclear capacity by 2050, I encourage the IEA to consider nuclear energy with more ambition in future analyses.

She added: "We see that sometimes the challenges that we have is not the technology, it is the delivery model of this technology. Certainly that is true for nuclear energy and also we really need to have - and here I think it would be fantastic for the IEA to look into - industrial policy. We heard this in a couple of sessions before and I would like to emphasise that I think it is important to have good energy policy. But industrial policy goes right behind it because not every startup, not every sector, can develop their own supply chain, their own industrial infrastructure in order to succeed, to develop what we need at scale at speed."

Researched and written by World Nuclear News