NUKE NEWZ

Justification sought for use of Newcleo reactor in the UK

05 April 2024

The Nuclear Industry Association (NIA) has applied to the UK government for a justification decision for Newcleo's lead-cooled fast reactor, the LFR-AS-200. Such a decision is required for the operation of a new nuclear technology in the country.

A cutaway of Newcleo's TL-30 reactor design (Image: Newcleo)

"Our application makes the case that the benefits of clean, firm, flexible power from the LFR-AS-200 would far outweigh any potential risks, which are in any event rigorously controlled by robust safety features, including passive safety systems, built into the design and incorporated into the operating arrangements, in line with the UK’s regulatory requirements," the NIA said. "The application also demonstrates that the reactor design would support nuclear energy's contribution to a stable and well-balanced electricity grid, which is essential to reduce consumer bills and maintain economic competitiveness."

The government has confirmed that the application - the first ever for an advanced nuclear technology in the UK - has been accepted for consideration, and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) will support the Secretary of State in their role as the justifying authority responsible for the justification decision. DEFRA will now conduct a process of internal review and consultation with a number of statutory consultees.

The NIA noted that a justification decision is one of the required steps for the operation of a new nuclear technology in the UK, but it is not a permit or licence that allows a specific project to go ahead. "Instead, it is a generic decision based on a high-level evaluation of the potential benefits and detriments of the proposed new nuclear practice as a pre-cursor to future regulatory processes," it added.

The NIA, as the representative body of the UK civil nuclear industry, often makes justification applications, because justification is a generic decision that can be relied upon by anyone and are not personal to individual reactor vendors or project developers. The NIA has previously applied for justifications for Hitachi's Advanced Boiling Water Reactor, Westinghouse's AP1000 and Framatome's EPR.

"Advanced reactors like Newcleo's lead-cooled fast reactor design have enormous potential to support the UK's energy security and net-zero transition, so we were delighted to apply for this decision," said NIA Chief Executive Tom Greatrex. "This is an opportunity for the UK government to demonstrate that it backs advanced nuclear technologies to support a robust clean power mix and to reinvigorate the UK's proud tradition of nuclear innovation. We look forward to engaging with the government and the public throughout this process and to further applications for new nuclear designs in the future."

Newcleo CEO Stefano Buono added: "This is an important milestone in our development programme and a vital step forward in our delivery plan for the UK. We're of course delighted to be the first ever advanced technology to be submitted to the justification process and the first reactor design to be considered since the last wave of large-scale designs, almost a decade ago.

"We continue to progress our UK plans at pace - aiming to deliver our first of a kind commercial reactor in the UK by 2033. We are but one player in the new nuclear renaissance and we look forward to working with government and the rest of the sector to develop the robust supply chain that can deliver the UK's ambition of 24 GW of nuclear power by 2050."

The first step of London-headquartered Newcleo's delivery roadmap will be the design and construction of the first-of-a-kind 30 MWe lead-cooled fast reactor to be deployed in France by 2030, followed by a 200 MWe commercial unit in the UK by 2033.

At the same time, Newcleo will directly invest in a mixed uranium/plutonium oxide (MOX) plant to fuel its reactors. In June 2022, Newcleo announced it had contracted France's Orano for feasibility studies on the establishment of a MOX production plant.

 

Funds awarded to assist Xe-100 deployment in the UK

04 April 2024

X-energy and Cavendish Nuclear have been granted GBP3.34 million (USD4.23 million) in funding from the UK government to develop plans for the deployment of X-energy's Xe-100 high temperature gas-cooled reactor in the country.

An artist's impression of a four-unit Xe-100 power plant (Image: X-energy)

X-Energy UK Holdings - a wholly owned subsidiary of the USA's X-Energy Reactor Company - and UK firm Cavendish applied to the UK's Future Nuclear Enabling Fund (FNEF) to support a Generic Design Assessment of the Xe-100 small modular reactor (SMR) and also supply chain development for the first proposed project.

The GBP120 million fund was launched by the UK government in May 2022. It is intended for potential nuclear projects with mature technologies that could be in a position to take a Final Investment Decision within the next parliament (ie by 2030). The fund aims to help industry reduce project risks so they are better positioned for future investment decisions.

The Department for Energy Security & Net Zero has now said the application "exceeded the quality thresholds across all four assessment criteria and successfully completed the department's due diligence and governance approvals processes". It noted the funding is the first the UK government has awarded to an advanced modular reactor technology for post-R&D commercialisation and business development activities.

"We are backing innovation in nuclear - from building large-scale plants better to encouraging new advanced technologies - to achieve our ambition for a quarter of our electricity to come from nuclear power by 2050," said Minister for Nuclear and Renewables Andrew Bowie. "This funding supports the next step in the development of advanced modular reactors and shows our commitment to keeping the UK at the forefront of nuclear technology."

The government's award of GBP3.34 million will be matched by X-energy for a total programme of GBP6.68 million. The companies will use the funds to develop UK-specific deployment plans including an assessment of domestic manufacturing and supply chain opportunities, constructability, modularisation studies and fuel management.

The Xe-100 is a Generation IV advanced reactor design which X-energy says is based on decades of HTGR operation, research, and development. Designed to operate as a standard 320 MWe four-pack power plant or scaled in units of 80 MWe, it is engineered to deliver reliable and load-following grid-scale power to electricity systems and to pair seamlessly with renewables. At 200 MWt of 565°C steam, the Xe-100 is also suitable for other power applications including mining and heavy industry.

X-energy and Cavendish - a wholly-owned subsidiary of Babcock International - are proposing to develop a 12-reactor plant at the Hartlepool site on Teesside in the northeast of England, to be ready by the early 2030s. The companies plan to build a fleet of up to 40 Xe-100 reactors in the UK.

"We are delighted to receive this FNEF award from the government. It reflects the readiness of our advanced technology to contribute to the UK's energy needs in the next wave of new nuclear," said Carol Tansley, X-energy’s UK market leader and vice president of projects. "Building on X-energy's initial deployment with Dow on the US Gulf Coast, we can create both jobs and long-term energy security in the UK with clean, reliable advanced nuclear power."

“As X-energy's UK deployment partner we're pleased to welcome this award as a key step forward," added Cavendish Nuclear Managing Director Mick Gornall. "A fleet of Xe-100s can complement renewables by providing constant or flexible power and produce steam to decarbonise industry and manufacture hydrogen and synthetic transport fuels. Deployment in the UK will create thousands of high-quality, long-term jobs across the country."

X-energy and Cavendish plan to engage with the UK nuclear regulators to evaluate approaches to licensing the Xe-100 for UK deployment. The design is already progressing through initial regulatory assessments in Canada and the USA.

The two companies also announced a partnership with Kier Group, a leading UK provider of construction and infrastructure services, to support constructability and supply chain analyses. Kier joins steel producer and engineer Sheffield Forgemasters and the Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (NAMRC) to support X-energy and Cavendish in completing the scope outlined in their FNEF proposal. The companies' goal is for 80% of the value of the Xe-100 projects to flow to UK firms.

Last year X-energy and Cavendish signed a memorandum of understanding with Howden, the Glasgow-based gas circulator manufacturer. They will also work with Nuclear Waste Services to review the approach to used fuel management.

Heysham 2 to address issues identified after IAEA mission

04 April 2024

An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team's visit to the UK's Heysham 2 nuclear power plant "found areas of good practice" but also recommended improvements including in "setting and reinforcing expectations" for identifying and correcting "substandard conditions and equipment deficiencies in a timely manner".

Heysham 2 (Image: EDF)

The IAEA Operational Safety Review Team (OSART) mission took place in October 2023 at the request of the UK government. The missions - this was the 220th since 1982 - are designed to review operating practice in a wide range of areas across nuclear power plants.

In this case the 13-strong OSART team included experts from Brazil, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Slovakia, Sweden, the USA, and three IAEA staff members, with the team having 354 years of collective nuclear power experience. Heysham 2, in Lancashire on the northwest coast of England, features two 620 MWe advanced gas-cooled reactors which began operation in 1988 and are due to end operations in 2028.

Areas of good practice highlighted in their newly published report includes the implementation of a "wall hound" system to "detect electromagnetic interference and radio frequency interference (EMI/RFI, including Bluetooth) emitted by mobile phones, laptops and smart watches raising an audible and visual cue/prompt". Also the use of hot connection indicators to monitor cable connections temperatures and "the use of chemistry preservation metric by the plant to monitor system status". The use of military training expertise for staff is also praised, especially as it relates to stressful or emergency situations.

The wall hound system was installed in 2020 at three key locations: "the entrance to the RCA, the reactor building, and in the safety circuit/main control room. Certain devices are authorised for use by the plant staff and provisions are established to determine whether detected items are allowed or prohibited".

Initially it detected about 450 devices a month, but that number is now down to about 300 devices per month, of which about five are unauthorised and require action to be taken. The report adds: "The benefit of the Wall Hound System is the prompt detection of EMI/RFI which could impact sensitive plant equipment and possibly impair equipment function resulting in a transient or plant trip."

The most significant proposals for improving operational safety were:

• The plant should improve its approach in setting and reinforcing expectations and challenge the site personnel to identify and correct substandard conditions and equipment deficiencies in a timely manner.
• The plant should improve the material conditions of some plant systems, structures, and components to further reduce the risk to plant safety and reliability.
• The plant should improve the control of fire doors and storage in the plant to further reduce fire risk to equipment and personnel safety.

As an example of the first of those areas the report says "during the review the team observed the following, field operators were not systematically identifying and reporting all deficiencies, additional equipment/materials were left at work sites, without proper fire loading risk assessments, the need for a number of maintenance tasks to be reworked, material deficiencies open for long time periods due to large work backlogs, oil leaks on all diesel generators, unsecured items in seismically controlled areas, contamination and occupational exposure control shortfalls".

The OSART team's 82-page report noted challenges caused by staff turnover but praised the safety culture at the plant, saying: "The team identified that the plant has a good reporting culture enabled by a respectful work environment. The operating experience is well embedded and communicated: morning briefs involve all plant personnel and are customised if needed, the use of event briefs in pre-job briefs is relevant. In addition, the decision-making is rigorous and a conservative approach has been clearly demonstrated."

It also said that "Heysham 2 NPP management expressed their commitment to address the issues identified and invited a follow up visit in about eighteen months to review the progress".

Operator EDF said the report "noted nine areas of good practice ... which can be replicated globally, and provided  eight recommendations for further improvement". Heysham 2 Station Director Martin Cheetham said: "The nuclear industry is always working to drive forward improvement, which is why regular in-depth reviews involving international experts are important. They supplement our own internal processes and our work with our regulator, the Office for Nuclear Regulation.

"Safety is our overriding priority and we greatly value the recommendations provided to the station. We have also invited the IAEA back to review our progress."

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said the OSART mission reviewed 10 areas: Leadership and Management for Safety; Training and Qualification; Operations; Maintenance; Technical Support; Operating Experience Feedback; Radiation Protection; Chemistry; Emergency Preparedness & Response; Accident Management.

It added that "during the mission, the international experts observed that safety performance at Heysham 2 was good" and the department "welcomes the report from the IAEA and looks forward to a follow-up mission conducted by the IAEA in around two years' time. We would also like to thank and commend EDF Energy and Heysham 2's leadership and plant personnel for hosting the mission, for their positive engagement with the review team and their commitment to nuclear safety. The UK Government is confident that good progress will be made by EDF Energy on the further enhancements suggested by the IAEA and recognises the positive feedback provided by IAEA on the operational safety of Heysham 2".

In his foreword to the report, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi stressed that an OSART mission "is not a regulatory inspection to determine compliance with national safety requirements ... each review starts with the expectation that the plant meets the safety requirements of the country concerned. An OSART mission attempts neither to evaluate the overall safety of the plant nor to rank its safety performance against that of other plants reviewed. The review represents a 'snapshot in time'; at any time after the completion of the mission care must be exercised when considering the conclusions drawn since programmes at nuclear power plants are constantly evolving and being enhanced."

In 2016, the second unit at Heysham 2 set a world record for uninterrupted operation of a commercial nuclear power reactor, following a 940-day run.

Indian net-zero will need nuclear, report finds

05 April 2024

India can achieve clean, affordable electricity and become net-zero by 2070 - but will need substantial nuclear power and renewable energy to do this, according to a new in-depth report prepared for the Indian government.

The report launch in New Delhi on 3 April (Image: Press Bureau of India)

Synchronizing energy transitions towards possible Net-Zero for India: Affordable and clean energy for all was launched by Ajay Kumar Sood, principal scientific adviser to the Government of India, on 3 April. The 224-page report was prepared by the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) as part of a project sanctioned in November 2021 by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India. The aims of the project were to carry out a comprehensive study looking at methods for minimising the cost of power at the  consumer end and to work out an optimum mix for all sources of power to reach net-zero emissions.

The IIMA project team was led by Amit Garg under the guidance of an expert group constituted by the Office of the PSA which included representatives from the coal, nuclear, solar, wind and biofuels generation sectors. The report was independently reviewed by Tata Consulting Engineers Limited.

At the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow in November 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged that India would achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2070. To achieve this, the report notes, India's electricity sector will need to decarbonise "well before" then. The study explores how the country can achieve clean and affordable electricity under four different net-zero (NZ) pathways and maps out its future energy requirements under seven alternative scenarios ranging from low to high economic growth, aligned with India's ambition of achieving "developed country" status by 2047.

Coal is projected to continue for the next two decades as the backbone of Indian energy system, but nuclear power generation forms a substantial portion in all of the NZ pathways. "However, slowly but surely, non-fossil energy (renewable and nuclear) needs to replace the fossil fuel share," the report notes. "Net-Zero is a challenge for India. Multiple transitions have to happen almost simultaneously across energy supply and end-use sectors."

"No NZ is possible without substantial nuclear power generation in 2070," the report concludes. This would require significant investments in research, development, and large-scale deployment of nuclear technologies. But the cost to end users under the NZ1 scenario - which is described as having a "thrust" on nuclear energy and includes a nuclear capacity of 331 GWe by 2070 - is found to be the lowest among all NZ options. "This is an important insight and should guide the policy and technology basket at the national level," it adds. The establishment of a carbon price in India could generate further funds to "fill the investment gap in achieving the nuclear thrust".

Recommendations

Among its recommendations, the report calls for a "level playing field" for all low-carbon technologies with new, innovative finance and/or transition finance mechanisms to avoid preferential treatment for any technology, and life-cycle assessments for all alternative energy systems.
 
Trade bans and India's lack of indigenous uranium have hampered nuclear energy's momentum in the past until the more recent opening of the civil international uranium trade, the report notes. It recommends that uranium storage facilities are commissioned to allow for resilience.

"Institutional arrangements may be scaled up so that more nuclear power could be commissioned easily and early. This may include public private partnerships. Special economic zones could be set up in areas where nuclear power/hydrogen cogeneration can take place alongside industrial operators with large demand for these commodities."

Synchronizing energy transitions was one-third funded by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd.

AMG forms new company to promote MOX technology

05 April 2024

Dutch specialty metals company AMG Critical Materials NV has created a new company - named NewMOX SAS - to develop commercial facilities for the production of mixed plutonium-uranium oxide (MOX) fuel using AMG's sintering furnace systems.

Based in Grenoble, France, NewMOX SAS is a subsidiary of ALD Vacuum Technologies GmbH in Hanau, Germany, AMG's engineering subsidiary focused on vacuum furnace technology, which includes sintering furnace systems enabling the production of MOX fuel.

AMG said ALD's MOX technology has already been used in Germany, the USA, France, Belgium, the UK and recently ALD has been delivering such furnace systems to China.

Serge Bertrand, head of ALD France, Grenoble - where ALD has centred its nuclear technology activities - has been appointed CEO of NewMOX, while Johannes Fachinger, head of nuclear ALD Hanau, will be its chief technology officer.

According to AMG, globally there are currently about 380 tonnes of civil-use plutonium resulting from the reprocessing of used fuel from commercial nuclear power operations in storage.

"The storage of plutonium is extremely costly due to the risks associated with plutonium," it noted. "The conversion of plutonium into MOX fuel not only eliminates these risks but can be a commercially attractive alternative to storage. As an indicator, the conversion of 380 tons of plutonium into MOX translates at present fuel prices into a commercial value of USD15 to USD20 billion."

"The NewMOX business model is simple," said AMG CEO Heinz Schimmelbusch. "There is a lot of plutonium stored and the operators of these storage facilities are seeking ways to reduce storage costs; there is the proven ALD MOX sinter furnace technology; and there is a large MOX market which will grow with the development of the emerging small modular reactor wave.

"It is the objective of NewMOX to form partnerships for the construction and operation of a commercial plutonium recycling facility producing MOX fuel starting with conceptual engineering and feasibility studies. This will take time, but this is a very valuable destination."

The plutonium (and uranium) in used nuclear fuel can be recovered through reprocessing. The plutonium can then be used in the manufacture of MOX fuel, to substitute for fresh uranium oxide fuel. A single recycle of plutonium in the form of MOX fuel increases the energy derived from the original uranium by some 12%, and if the uranium is also recycled this becomes about 22% (based on light water reactor fuel with a burn-up of 45 GWd/tU).

Today, MOX is widely used in Europe and in Japan. Currently about 40 reactors in Europe (Belgium, Switzerland, Germany and France) are licensed to use MOX, and more than 30 are doing so. In Japan, about ten reactors are licensed to use it. These reactors generally use MOX fuel as about one-third of their core, but some will accept up to 50% MOX assemblies.

Further Norwegian site identified for SMRs

05 April 2024

Norsk Kjernekraft has decided to initiate work on the impact assessment of a plot of land in Øygarden municipality, west of Bergen, to assess the possibility of establishing a nuclear power plant comprising up to five small modular reactors.

The prosed site in Øygarden (Image: Norsk Kjernekraft)

The company will compile a report, which will be sent to the Ministry of Oil and Energy for an assessment. The ministry will send the report out for consultation, and then the municipality, residents and industry will be able to make their comments. If approved by the ministry, the report and input will form the basis for an impact assessment.

The plot of land in question is adjacent to the Kollsnes industrial area. The 250-acre site is owned by landowner and former mayor of Øygarden, Rolv Svein Rougnø. Rougnø has entered into a letter of intent with Norsk Kjernekraft and the agreement outlines that the site can be acquired for use in the construction of small modular reactor (SMR) power plants.

Norsk Kjernekraft said the site has space for five SMRs, each with a generating capacity of 300 MWe. This means that the site has the potential for generating 12.5 TWh per year, corresponding to almost 10% of Norway's current total electricity consumption.

"This is another important milestone," said Norsk Kjernekraft CEO Jonny Hesthammer. "There are a great many municipalities that are now positive about investigation work being carried out. In this way, concrete knowledge can be acquired which can be used as a basis for decisions about whether nuclear power can be built in the municipality in the future. This must of course be done in consultation with both residents and municipal politicians. Without these being in place, there will be no nuclear energy in the municipality."

Norsk Kjernekraft aims to build, own and operate SMR power plants in Norway in collaboration with power-intensive industry. It says it will prepare licence applications in accordance with national regulations and international standards. It will follow the International Atomic Energy Agency's approach for milestones, and focus on what creates value in the early phase. Financing will take place in collaboration with capital-strong industry and solid financial players.

The company entered into an agreement of intent last year on the investigation of nuclear power with several municipalities.

In June 2023, it signed a letter of intent with TVO Nuclear Services - a consulting company wholly owned by Finnish utility Teollisuuden Voima Oyj - to jointly investigate the deployment of SMRs in Norway. The cooperation included the assessment of the suitability and effectiveness of the development of nuclear power in the Norwegian municipalities of Aure, Heim, Narvik and Vardø.

In November, it submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Oil and Energy for an assessment into the construction of a power plant based on multiple SMRs in the municipalities of Aure and Heim. A corresponding report is in the process of being finalised for Vardø municipality.

A new company, Halden Kjernekraft AS, has also been founded by Norsk Kjernekraft, Østfold Energi and the municipality of Halden to investigate the construction of a nuclear power plant based on SMRs at Halden, where a research reactor once operated.

General concept for Lithuanian repository prepared

04 April 2024

The general concept for the construction of a geological disposal facility in clay-based rocks for Lithuania's radioactive waste has been developed by the State Enterprise Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant with assistance from Finnish waste management company Posiva.

nterim storage of used nuclear fuel at the Ignalina site (Image: Ignalina NPP)

Lithuania's Development Programme for the Management of Nuclear Facilities and Radioactive Waste 2021-2030, proposes that long-lived radioactive waste in the country will be stored in interim storage facilities until the end of their operational period when there will be final disposal in a geological disposal facility (GDF). The repository - a specially engineered structure several hundred metres underground - is expected to be constructed and commissioned in 2068. Lithuania's radioactive waste and used fuel comes from the Ignalina plant, which stopped operating in 2009, as well as from medicine, industry and research.

The location for the GDF's installation has yet to be determined but is expected to be approved by 2047. The concept prepared by that time will be adjusted depending on the progress of the project development, Ignalina NPP (IAE) said.

The preparation of the concept is a very important stage of the installation of a geological disposal facility, in order to involve the public and representatives of municipalities in the decision on the location of the installation, said IAE General Director Linas Baužys.

"This month we started public consultations with municipalities," he added. "From now on, by continuing them, we will have a concept of what the future radioactive waste disposal site will look like physically and what specific measures will be taken to ensure its safety."

The concept for the Lithuanian GDF was developed by Posiva Solutions Oy, a subsidiary of Finnish waste management company Posiva, under a contract signed in early 2022. Posiva is jointly owned by Finnish nuclear power companies and has developed that country's geological disposal facility at Olkiluoto. The repository is expected to begin operations in the mid-2020s, becoming the first of its kind in the world.

A GDF comprises a network of highly-engineered underground vaults and tunnels built to permanently dispose of higher activity radioactive waste so that no harmful levels of radiation ever reach the surface environment. Countries such as Finland, Sweden, France, Canada, the UK and the USA are also pursuing this option.

Two large RBMK reactors at the Ignalina nuclear power plant provided 70% of Lithuania's electricity until their closure in 2004 and 2009 as a condition of the country joining the European Union. The power plant is being decommissioned by Ignalina NPP, which has removed fuel from the reactors and placed it into dry casks for interim storage at the site. The decommissioning process is due to last until 2038.

Organisation for maritime nuclear launched

04 April 2024

A new international membership organisation - the Nuclear Energy Maritime Organization (NEMO) - has been launched to bring together stakeholders involved in all aspects of floating nuclear power and nuclear mobility.

(Image: NEMO)

Headquartered in London, UK, NEMO said it aims "to provide a platform for its members to network and facilitate a functional connection between regulators to foster development and exchange best practices".

It said its mission is to help national and international regulators create appropriate future-oriented standards and rules for the deployment, operation and decommissioning of floating nuclear power "allowing floating nuclear power solutions to be deployed with the highest standards of safety, security, and environmental justice".

As such, NEMO said it will seek to provide expert guidance to nuclear and maritime regulators represented at the International Maritime Organisation and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

"Our focus will be to help close the gap between existing regulations for both the nuclear and maritime industries," NEMO said.

The organisation plans to hold regular events, workshops, webinars and publications for its members and the wider public. The organisation also intends to collaborate with other industry associations, government bodies, academic institutions, and civil society organisations to advance the cause of floating nuclear power.

"We are very excited to launch NEMO, which we believe will be a valuable and influential voice for floating nuclear power," said NEMOs inaugural chairman, Mamdouhel-Shanawany, former head of the IAEA Safety Assessment Section and Global Nuclear Director at Lloyd's Register. We invite all stakeholders who share our vision and values to join us and become part of this dynamic and forward-looking alliance."

NEMO said membership is "open to companies with a bona-fide link to the floating nuclear power segment and who meet the organisation's membership criteria, which include a commitment to sustainability, innovation, and excellence".

NEMOs inaugural members are: South Korea's HD KSOE and JEIL Partners Ltd; the UK's Lloyd's Register and Core Power; the USA's BWXT Advanced Technologies LLC, TerraPower and Westinghouse; Japan's Onomichi Dockyard; Norway's VARD Group; France's Bureau Veritas; and Italy's RINA.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News