Investment announced to boost UK nuclear workforce

25 March 2024

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced a package of public and private investment to reinforce the country's nuclear workforce and support 40,000 expected new jobs in its defence and civil nuclear industry.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (left) and Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt (right) visit BAE Systems in Barrow-in-Furness, where UK submarines are manufactured (Image: Simon Dawson / No.10 Downing Street)

The government said it is partnering with industry - including BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce, EDF and Babcock - to invest at least GBP763 million (USD965 million) by 2030 in skills, jobs and education. The investment will create more than 8000 career opportunities to help the sector fill 40,000 new jobs by the end of the decade – and will support plans to double the number of nuclear apprentices and graduates and quadruple the number of specialist science and nuclear fission PhDs.

"Domestic nuclear capability is vital to our national defence and energy security, underpinning our nuclear deterrent and securing cheaper, more reliable energy for UK consumers," the government said. "The nuclear industry is growing rapidly, requiring 50% more highly skilled workers in the next ten years – and we need to train a new generation of British talent."

Sunak also announced the creation of a Barrow Transformation Fund, with the government committing an immediate GBP20 million and a further minimum of GBP20 million annually over the next 10 years to make Barrow, in Cumbria, "an even more attractive place to live, work, and build a nuclear career".

Building on these new investments, Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has published the government's Defence Nuclear Enterprise Command Paper, setting out for the first time the full breadth of activity to sustain and modernise the UK's continuous at-sea nuclear deterrent.

"Safeguarding the future of our nuclear deterrent and nuclear energy industry is a critical national endeavour," Sunak said. "In a more dangerous and contested world, the UK's continuous at-sea nuclear deterrent is more vital than ever. And nuclear delivers cheaper, cleaner home-grown energy for consumers.

"That's why we are investing in Barrow, the home of UK submarines, and in the jobs and skills of the future in the thriving British nuclear industry. Today we usher in the next generation of our nuclear enterprise, which will keep us safe, keep our energy secure, and keep our bills down for good."

David Lockwood, CEO Babcock International and member of the Nuclear Skills Executive Council added: "This is a fantastic opportunity for the UK to deliver a stronger nuclear industry that will contribute to the resilience of the UK's independent deterrent and will support the UK's energy security ambitions and net-zero targets."

"EDF welcomes the joint commitments announced today and looks forward to working with government and industry to help deliver the great opportunities for people who choose to work in the nuclear sector," said Simone Rossi, CEO of EDF in the UK and member of the Nuclear Skills Executive Council. "EDF has been at the heart of the UK's nuclear energy sector for over 15 years and in 2024 is hiring a further 1000 people into its UK nuclear family - in operations, construction, engineering support and many other exciting roles. The majority of these will be apprentices and graduates, as well as those with relevant skills from other industries.

"As we have learned in recent years there is an urgent need to attract, train and inspire the next generation of people who can design, build, operate and decommission existing and new nuclear facilities. We are excited to be part of this national endeavour."

The UK's energy strategy unveiled in April last year set the target for eight new reactors plus small modular reactors to produce 24 GWe capacity by 2050, meeting about 25% of the UK's projected electricity demand. The UK currently generates about 15% of its electricity from about 6.5 GW of nuclear capacity. The first new nuclear capacity in the UK for about 30 years is being built by EDF at Hinkley Point C - two EPRs producing 3.2 GW of electricity - with a final investment decision expected soon on a similar sized project at Sizewell C. The UK's nuclear industry is expected to need 123,000 people by 2030.

The government said the investment in nuclear skills - which includes GBP350 million from the government and more than GBP400 million from industry - will create some 5000 new apprenticeships in the next four years. It will also drive private investment and create job opportunities for everyone from specialist scientists and engineers, to welders and electricians, to project managers and Royal Navy submariners.

Welcoming the new funding to boost nuclear skills and jobs, Tom Greatrex, Chief Executive of the Nuclear Industry Association, said: "This is a very welcome investment which will help ensure we have enough people with the right skills to ramp up nuclear capacity to the levels needed for energy security. It is a great opportunity for the government and industry to work together to attract workers into an exciting and cutting-edge sector that will play a vital role in the UK's journey to net-zero.

"Meeting the UK's ambitious nuclear targets will require a huge ramp up in all parts of the workforce from engineering to construction so it is important we attract and train the next generation of nuclear workers so that we keep pace with other countries that are doing the same. The industry, which is match-funding the government's investment, stands ready to do all it can to support in that endeavour."

Fourth Barakah unit connected to grid

25 March 2024

The 1400 MWe pressurised water reactor has begun delivering electricity to the United Arab Emirates' grid, weeks after achieving first criticality and bringing the four-unit plant closer to its goal of providing 25% of the country's electricity needs.

Barkah 4 has now been synchronised to the UAE grid (Image: Nawah)

The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) announced on 23 March that its operations and maintenance subsidiary, Nawah Energy Company, had "safely and successfully" connected the unit to the transmission grid, which it said marked a "pivotal moment in the nation's clean energy transition and journey towards Net Zero by 2050".

The Korean-designed APR-1400 will now undergo a process known as power ascension testing, when it will be continuously monitored and tested as its power levels are gradually raised until full capacity, and ultimately,is declared to be in commercial operation.

Construction of the fourth unit at Barakah began in July 2015, three years after work began on the first unit at the site. The institutional knowledge and experience from each reactor has been applied to the subsequent units, meaning each one has been connected to the grid "more efficiently" than its predecessor, ENEC said: unit 3 was delivered four months faster than the unit 2 schedule, and five months faster than unit 1, "demonstrating the significant benefit of building multiple units within a phased timeline".

"Grid connection of Unit 4 puts us well on the path to full-fleet commercial operations, and with that, the ability to generate 40TWh of clean, baseload electricity annually to drive our Net Zero economy, offering a competitive edge to many businesses, decarbonising hard-to-abate industries, while presenting a global benchmark for the entire nuclear energy industry," ENEC Managing Director and CEO Mohamed Al Hammadi said.

Permit issued for dismantling of Isar 2

25 March 2024

Germany's PreussenElektra has received approval from the Bavarian State Ministry for the Environment and Consumer Protection for the dismantling of the Isar 2 nuclear power plant.

Isar 1 and 2 (Image: Regine Rabanus / PreussenElektra)

The Isar 2 plant - comprising a single 1400 MWe pressurised water reactor - was one of Germany's last three nuclear power plants to be shut down on 15 April last year. PreussenElektra - which is responsible for the decommissioning of eight nuclear power plants in Germany - had already submitted the application to decommission and dismantle the plant in July 2019.

Since the shutdown of Isar 2, all 193 fuel elements have been removed from the reactor pressure vessel and placed in the plant's fuel storage pool. In addition, the primary cooling circuit was decontaminated at the beginning of this year. The first dismantling work will be the dismantling of the main coolant pumps. In addition, the main coolant lines will be separated from the reactor pressure vessel in order to begin the first major dismantling project, the dismantling of the reactor pressure vessel internals.

On 21 March, the Bavarian State Ministry for the Environment and Consumer Protection granted the necessary approval for dismantling of the plant to begin in accordance with Germany's Atomic Energy Act.

Isar 2 was the last of the PreussenElektra plants to cease operations. The Brokdorf and Grohnde plants were shut down on 31 December 2021. With the already decommissioned Isar 1, Stade, Unterweser and Würgassen plants, all of PreussenElektra's nuclear facilities are now in various phases of decommissioning and dismantling.

"Seven of our eight power plant blocks are now being dismantled," said PreussenElektra CEO Guido Knott. "With the knowledge from these dismantling projects and our fleet-optimised approach, we will ensure that the dismantling at the Essenbach site will be completed by the end of the 2030s and that the power plant site will be available for new uses."

Dismantling of Isar 1 is progressing according to plan, the company noted. Every year around 2500 tonnes of material is dismantled and disposed of there. The dismantling of the plant's systems is about half complete.

Before it was shut down, Isar 2 plant covered about 18% of Bavaria's electricity production, the ministry noted. With a net output of more than 1400 MWe, it was the most powerful nuclear power plant in Germany and one of only two plants in the world that produced more than 400 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity. In addition to Isar 2, there are four other nuclear power plants currently being dismantled across Bavaria: Isar 1, Grafenrheinfeld and Gundremmingen Blocks B and C.

In August 2011, the 13th amendment of the Nuclear Power Act came into effect, which underlined the political will to phase out nuclear power in Germany.

"The shutdown of the last nuclear power plants in April 2023 was wrong," Bavaria's Environment Minister Thorsten Glauber said whilst announcing the granting of the dismantling permit for Isar 2. "We have always advocated allowing the nuclear power plants to temporarily continue to operate as a climate-friendly bridge.

"Given the current global challenges, we need every kilowatt hour of energy that we can generate ourselves. With Isar 2 it would still be possible to produce affordable and CO2-free electricity in Bavaria. It is incomprehensible why the federal government does not want to accept this and instead relies primarily on more coal. With Isar 2, the federal government has one of the world's safest and most reliable nuclear power plants without the need to dismantle a plant in its prime after only 35 years of operation. That's like retiring a perfectly healthy 50-year-old. It is dishonest to import nuclear power from abroad and at the same time shut down the nuclear power plants in Germany, as the federal government is doing."

South Africa aims to be global supplier of HTR fuel

25 March 2024

As well as preparing to issue a Request for Proposals for 2500 MW of new nuclear "this calendar year", the Nuclear Energy Summit was told that South Africa is developing its Pebble Bed Modular Reactor technology and "deserves the opportunity to implement the complete nuclear fuel cycle for peaceful uses".

The Nuclear Energy Summit was held in Brussels (Image: Screengrab from IAEA feed)

Tokozile Xasa, South Africa's ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg and the European Union, gave an outline of South Africa's nuclear energy ambitions at the international summit organised jointly by the International Atomic Energy Agency and Belgium.

She said that while South Africa has 93% access to electricity, there are 600 million people on the African continent that do not, and South Africa believes that "if we are to eradicate poverty, unemployment, and inequality in Africa, we need to get rid of energy poverty and guarantee energy security".

As part of its diversified energy mix nuclear has a role, she said, with the Koeberg nuclear power plant, the only operating nuclear power plant in Africa, set to have its life extended by a further 20 years. The Request for Proposals for 2500 MWe of nuclear new build - which had originally been due to be issued this month - would be "issued to the market within this calendar year", she added.

In the light of the continent's rich resources, including uranium, "South Africa intends on leveraging on the beneficiation of these resources to produce feedstock for Africa's nuclear power plants whilst developing its own Pebble Bed Modular Reactor technology as a strategic project considering all required approvals. Based on our track record of producing Pebble Bed fuel, South Africa further intends on leveraging its natural resources to become a global supplier of a High Temperature Reactor fuel, followed by a Multipurpose Reactor technology envisaged for commercial deployment beyond 2030".

South Africa’s Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa) is also currently working on a feasibility study on a new reactor to succeed the SAFARI-1 research reactor which has been operating for 58 years. The Multipurpose Reactor is envisaged by Necsa as having a power level of 20-30 MWe with irradiation facilities for material testing and isotope production as well as beam line facilities.

Xasa added: "Given all these realities, we firmly believe that in order to obtain all the potential economic benefits from nuclear and to achieve a self-sufficiency goal, South Africa deserves an opportunity to implement the complete nuclear fuel cycle for peaceful uses in line with our nuclear energy policy."

South Africa published a draft Integrated Resource Plan (IRP 2023) in January including different combinations of nuclear, renewables, clean coal and gas to provide security of supply as well as supporting carbon reduction commitments, with final policy decisions to "be taken on the basis of a longterm decarbonisation trajectory" while improving South Africa's competitiveness and economic growth.

South Africa's Pebble Bed Modular Reactor was to have been a small-scale high-temperature reactor using graphite-coated spherical uranium oxycarbide tristructural isotropic (TRISO) fuel, with helium as the coolant, able to supply process heat as well as generating electricity. The nature of the fuel in particular gives the reactor a high degree of passive safety, exploiting inherent safety characteristics depending on the physical properties of the system without the need for intervention.

Based on well-proved German technology, South Africa had been working on the PBMR project since 1993, however, in 2010 the government formally announced its decision no longer to invest in the project, which was then placed under 'care and maintenance' to protect its intellectual property and assets. Former chairman of the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation, Kelvin Kemm, chairman and CEO of Stratek Global, told World Nuclear News last year that with the legacy and experience of the PBMR project, its High Temperature Modular Reactor (HTMR-100) could see a first-of-a-kind 35 MWe unit built within five years.

The Nuclear Energy Summit - which the organisers described as the first of its kind - saw leaders and representatives from 32 countries backing a joint declaration setting out actions needed to achieve the necessary expansion of nuclear capacity to tackle climate change and boost energy security.

KAERI completes irradiation tests for high-density research reactor fuel

25 March 2024

The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute's successful irradiation tests and positive inspection of high-density uranium silicide fuel signal potential for high-enriched uranium to low-enriched uranium conversion of high-performance research reactors, aiming to bolster international nuclear non-proliferation efforts upon commercialisation.

Irradiation of test fuel at the BR2 reactor in Belgium (Image: KAERI)

A plate-type uranium silicide fuel, with a high uranium density designed for research reactors, has successfully completed irradiation tests and visual inspections, the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) said. The uranium density of the test fuel is 5.3 grams per cubic centimetre, which is about 10% higher than that of the current fuel in use. The visual inspection yielded positive observations.

Although most material testing reactor (MTR) fuel assemblies utilise fuel plates with a uranium density of 4.8 gU per cubic centimetre, the development of higher uranium-density fuels has become crucial for high-performance research reactors. This development supports the conversion from high-enriched uranium (HEU) fuel to low-enriched uranium (LEU) fuel in the USA and Europe. In this context, KAERI initiated research and development on these high uranium-density silicide fuels in 2020, focusing on fuel plates with densities up to 5.3 gU per cubic centimetre.

For the fuel intended for high-performance research reactors, KAERI developed uranium silicide (U3Si2) spherical-particle powder using the atomisation method and has utilised it for the development of various research reactor fuels. KAERI is involved in the high-density atomised LEU U3Si2 MTR fuel qualification campaign - known as the 'KAERI High-Density Atomised Silicide Fuel Qualification Irradiation Project (KIMQI) Fuel Qualification Project of High-Density Atomised Silicide Fuel" - in collaboration with Belgium's Nuclear Research Centre (SCK-CEN).

The qualification campaign, which began in 2021, consists of two phases: the KIMQI-FUTURE test, which ran from 2021 to 2023 to confirm basic performance, and the KIMQI-GTA (Generic Test Assembly) to evaluate performance under high heat flux and high burnup conditions. The KIMQI-GTA irradiation was recently completed, achieving a peak heat flux of 470 W per square centimetre and a peak local burnup that reached 74% of the initial fissile content. The visual inspection results indicated that no abnormal conditions were experienced during the irradiation test, which is a positive indicator for the potential use of the developed high-density fuel in high-performance research reactors. The final qualification report, including Post-Irradiation Examination (PIE) test results, is expected to be available by the end of 2025.

Once this technology is commercialised, it will enable the replacement of HEU with LEU in high-performance research reactors, significantly contributing to the international nuclear non-proliferation effort.

In December 2022, KAERI signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Poland's National Centre for Nuclear Research to supply nuclear fuel for Poland's research reactor MARIA using high-density low-enriched uranium U3Si2 plate-shaped nuclear fuel manufacturing technology. The MoU sees the South Korean institute looking to supply test fuels to MARIA for the qualification of nuclear fuel supply.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News