NUKE NEWZ 

TVA approves further funding for Clinch River SMR

23 August 2024

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Board of Directors has approved a further USD150 million in additional advanced funding to support the development of potential small modular reactors (SMRs) at the Clinch River site near Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

(Image: TVA)

"We believe nuclear energy has to be a part of our regional and national drive toward this clean energy future," TVA President and CEO Jeff Lyash said.

"We previously obtained the nation's first - and still only - early site permit for small modular reactors at Clinch River. That was in partnership with the Department of Energy. The Board has now approved the total of USD350 million, following from that, for the development of small modular reactors at our Clinch River site near Oak Ridge, Tennessee. SMRs are an energy innovation technology that America has to have for our energy security - which is really national security," he said.

This latest funding means brings TVA's investment since the launch of the launch of its New Nuclear Program in February 2022 to USD350 million.

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission awarded TVA an early site permit (ESP) for the construction of SMRs at Clinch River in 2019. An ESP certifies that a site is suitable for the construction of a nuclear power plant from the point of view of site safety, environmental impact and emergency planning, but does not specify the choice of technology. A separate licence would be required to construct and operate a plant.

Advanced reactor designs under evaluation for the Clinch River Site Advanced Nuclear Technology Park include both light-water and non-light-water cooled reactors, with more than a dozen vendors providing detailed information to support the Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement, but the authority says that light-water reactor technology is considered most ready for deployment in the near term. In August 2022, TVA entered an agreement with GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) to support planning and preliminary licensing for the potential deployment of a BWRX-300 SMR at the site.

The authority has also partnered with Ontario Power Generation - which has selected the BWRX-300 for deployment at its Darlington New Nuclear Project - to work together on the design, licensing, construction and operation of SMRs.

"We at OPG share TVA's conviction that nuclear power will play a crucial role in meeting increasing demand for low-carbon electricity and energy security. Our partnership with TVA and others on the standard design of the BWRX-300 will expedite the new nuclear generation necessary to help reliably power our growing, electrified economies," OPG President and CEO Ken Hartwick said in response to TVA's latest announcement.

TVA is also part of a consortium of North American utilities formed by Kairos Power to help further develop Kairos' advanced fluoride salt cooled high temperature reactor and, through an agreement from May 2021, is providing engineering, operations, and licensing support to help Kairos deploy its Hermes low-power demonstration reactor at the East Tennessee Technology Park, which is close to the Clinch River Nuclear Site.

But pursuing new nuclear technology must be a national effort in partnership with other utilities, research institutes, and state and federal governments, and will require government support, TVA said in a factsheet issued to accompany its announcement:

"Government and policy support is needed to realise the benefits of new nuclear. First-of-a-kind nuclear technology, like any innovative technology, carries financial and technical risks better shared by multiple partners. Key national, regional and industry leaders have partnered with TVA and are supportive of its plans for advanced nuclear technology. Federal government support is also essential to the advancement of first-of-a-kind technology deployment, due to the risks and additional costs that are inherent to the technology deployment process. In order to reach its long-term net-zero carbon emissions aspirations, TVA will need to consider multiple clean energy technologies, including SMRs, and government support will be critical to timely deployment of SMR technologies in the United States."

Maria Korsnick, president and CEO of the Nuclear Energy Institute, said the additional USD150 million committed by TVA to the development of SMRS is "critical to our industry's ongoing efforts to construct and deploy advanced nuclear technologies in the US, essential for achieving a clean, reliable and resilient energy future," adding that TVA's continued investment in next-generation nuclear "plays a vital role in fostering innovation and driving progress within our industry."

Kazatomprom lowers 2025 uranium production expectations

23 August 2024

Kazatomprom has cut its uranium production guidance for 2025 by 5000 tU, citing uncertainties in sulphuric acid supply - but 2025 production is still expected to be higher than 2024.

(Image: Kazatomprom)

Announcing its half-year financial results today, the national atomic company's CEO Meirzhan Yussupov said the company had demonstrated "robust financial results" for the six months to 30 June, with a 13% increase in revenue and a 27% growth in net profit to KZT283 billion (USD493 million). The company's recent receipt of a pilot production licence for Inkai 3 block and an exploration licence for the East Zhalpak block, as well as the extension of the exploration period at Inkai 2, demonstrate strategic moves aimed at addressing potential supply and demand imbalances.

"Amid our continued success in long-term contracting activity, Kazatomprom had initially intended to ramp up its 2025 production to 100% of Subsoil Use Agreement levels," Yussupov, said. "However, the uncertainty around the sulphuric acid supplies for 2025 needs and delays in the construction works at the newly developed deposits resulted in a need to re-evaluate our 2025 plans."

Kazatomprom now expects its 2025 production to be between 25,000 and 26,500 tU (on a 100% basis), down from its initial intentions for 2025 production volumes of 30,500-31,500 tU. This would represent a 12% growth from its 2024 guidance, Kazatomprom said.

Today's announcement follows on from the half-year trading update issued on 1 August, when the company increased its 2024 production guidance based on year-to-date production rates but warned that limited access to sulphuric acid and delays in the construction schedule at newly developed deposits could impact future production.

Delays in the construction of surface facilities and infrastructure, a consequence of the extended timelines required for the development and subsequent approval of project design documentation, have resulted in a "significant shift" in production schedules at newly developed projects, the company said. A "significant portion" of the adjusted 2025 production is attributed to construction delays at JV Budenovskoye LLP, where 2025 production is now expected to be 1300 tU instead of the previously approved 4000 tU.

Continuing uncertainty about supplies of sulphuric acid - a key reagent in Kazatomprom's in-situ leach operations - has significantly impacted 2025 production plans, with consequences of supply deficits over 2023-24 having a different degree of impact on uranium mining entities and their production rates depending on the geological structure of the deposits.

Kazatomprom said it has a "comfortable level of inventories" to fulfil its existing contractual commitments in 2025, and it also usually reserves a segment of its annual production as uncommitted. This strategic approach enables it to capitalise on emerging opportunities and adapt to market fluctuations to mitigate risks effectively and meet contractual obligations "even amidst production-related challenges".

"Taking into consideration high level of uncertainties related to the sulphuric acid supply and construction delay challenges, no decision has been taken regarding mine development activity and production volumes for 2026 and beyond," the company said, adding that it expects to announce its 2026 production plans "not earlier than a year from now".

Grossi plans visit to Kursk plant

23 August 2024

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi intends to visit the Kursk nuclear power plant in Russia next week following reports that the remains of a drone were found within the territory of the plant.

The Kursk plant (Image: Rosenergoatom)

Russian authorities informed the IAEA that the drone fragments were located roughly 100 metres from the plant's used nuclear fuel storage facility. The IAEA said it was told that the drone was "suppressed" in the early morning of 22 August.

Grossi has confirmed his intention to personally assess the situation at the site during his visit next week. During his visit, he will "discuss modalities for further activities as may be needed to evaluate the nuclear safety and security conditions of the Kursk nuclear power plant."

"Military activity in the vicinity of a nuclear power plant is a serious risk to nuclear safety and security," Grossi said. "My visit to KNPP next week will provide us with timely access to independently assess the situation."

On 9 August, the IAEA said it was monitoring the situation after Ukrainian forces advanced 30 kilometres into Russia's Kursk region, bordering Ukraine. They had reportedly advanced within 50 kilometres of the Kursk nuclear power plant.

The report of a drone at the Kursk plant comes just days after a drone struck on a road near the perimeter of the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine. On 17 August, an explosive carried by a drone detonated just outside the plant's protected area, close to the cooling water sprinkler ponds and about 100 metres from the Dniprovska power line, which is the only remaining 750 kilovolt line providing external power supply to the plant.

Recent days have seen a fire in one of the cooling towers at the Zaporizhzhia plant and damage to a power and water substation in nearby Energodar, where many of the nuclear power plant workers and their families live.

The six-unit Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant - or ZNPP - is Europe's largest nuclear power plant, has been under Russian military control since early March 2022. It is close to the frontline between Russian and Ukrainian forces.

Ukraine and Russia each accuse the other side of putting nuclear safety at risk and breaching the IAEA's central safety principles for nuclear facilities. Grossi explained at the United Nations in April that the IAEA would not attribute blame without "indisputable proof" and said the agency aims to "keep the information as accurate as we can and we do not trade into speculating".

Angra 3 consultation responses published

23 August 2024

Brazil's Eletronuclear has published the responses received from a public consultation on the proposed bidding contract for completing the Angra 3 nuclear power plant.

The Angra 3 construction site (Image: Eletronuclear)

The public consultation was developed with technical support from the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES) and sought to obtain suggestions for improvements in documents related to Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) services, including the risk matrix and other contractual supplements. Contributions and questions were accepted between 25 March and 17 May this year.

In July, Eletronuclear announced it had extended by 45 days the deadline for publishing responses to the consultation due to "the quantity and nature of the contributions received".

The company has now published the responses to the consultation on its website. "In total, 287 contributions were sent by individuals and legal entities, both national and international," it said.

Eletronuclear noted: "As a next step, the completion of independent studies, being developed by BNDES, is awaited to assess the technical, economic and legal plausibility of the project."

Brazil has two operating reactors - Angra 1 and Angra 2 - which generate about 3% of the country’s electricity. Work on the Angra 3 project - to feature a Siemens/KWU 1405 MW pressurised water reactor - began in 1984 but was suspended two years later, before construction began. The scheme was resurrected in 2006, with first concrete in 2010. However, amid a corruption probe into government contracts, construction of the unit was halted for a second time in 2015, when it was 65% complete.

The project resumed again in November 2022 - at the time of the project's revitalisation, Eletronuclear's aim was to start operations by the end of 2026. However, work halted again in April 2023 after disputes with the municipality of the City of Angra dos Reis over agreements relating to "environmental compensation" payments and also changes relating to the granted planning permission.

Eletronuclear noted that the unit's generating capacity will be sufficient to supply 4.5 million inhabitants. The project, it said, will also create around 7000 direct jobs at its peak, in addition to a much larger number of indirect jobs.

Brazil to resume uranium exploration

22 August 2024

Brazilian fuel cycle company Indústrias Nucleares do Brasil (INB) has announced it is to resume exploration for uranium in the country after a 40-year hiatus.

The uranium-phosphate deposit located in Itatiaia (Image: INB)

To this end, INB has launched the Uranium Prospecting and Mining Partnership Programme, seeking to work in partnership with companies in the mining sector. It said new research will be carried out in areas known for their "great mineral potential for this valuable substance".

INB President Adauto Seixas said: "This new round of research comes at an important time for the country, since national production is still lower than the domestic consumption of the Angra I and II nuclear plants, and taking into account the increase in demand with the completion of Angra III."

INB noted that the price of uranium has more than tripled in recent years, "bringing an avenue of opportunities for growth in the sector in the form of exporting concentrated uranium, and also with the possibility of offering nuclear fuel to the international market, adding value to the local production chain".

The company added: "According to a study conducted 40 years ago, Brazil had the eighth largest reserve in the world. However, considering that the second largest reserve is in Kazakhstan, which is the same size as the state of Rio de Janeiro, it is possible that the country could eventually take second place."

According to World Nuclear Association, exploration in the 1970s and 1980s showed that Brazil has reasonably assured resources of 210,000 tonnes of uranium. However, there has been little investment in exploration since the mid-1980s.

The country's three main deposits are: Pocos de Caldas in Minas Gerais state, where a uranium mine closed in 1997; Lagoa Real or Caetité in Bahia state, which has been operating since 1999; and Itataia, now called Santa Quitéria, in Ceará state, where the production of uranium as a co-product with phosphate is planned.

Uranium has been mined in Brazil since 1982, but the only operating mine is INB's Lagoa Real/Caetité mine, with a capacity of 340 tU per year. The mine has known resources of 10,000 tU at 0.3%U.

INB commenced developing the adjacent Engenho mine in January 2017, a 200-300 tU per year open pit operation. Production was initially planned from October 2017, but did not commence.

In January 2020, the country's energy minister reported that investment in INB would allow it to produce 150 tU annually from Caetité, starting in 2020, and expanding to 360 tU per year by 2023. The Santa Quitéria Consortium - a partnership between INB and privately owned fertiliser producer Galvani - expects to produce 2,300 tons of uranium concentrate annually from the Itataia deposit.

In 2022, Brazil produced 43 tU. All mined uranium is used domestically, after conversion and most enrichment abroad. The country's uranium requirements are currently about 339 tU per year.

In December 2022, INB signed a contract with Russia's Rosatom for the supply of 330 tU in the form of natural UF6 for the Angra nuclear power plant from 2023 to 2027. In May 2023, three contracts were signed with Westinghouse to cover the supply of advanced fuel assemblies for Angra 1 reloads.

Podcast: Finland's innovative SMR aims to decarbonise district heating

23 August 2024

Tommi Nyman, CEO of Steady Energy, explains the aims of the LDR-50 small modular reactor that is designed to produce just heat, and not electricity.

Steady Energy was spun out of Finland's state-owned VTT Technical Research Centre in 2023 and is developing the LDR-50 small modular reactor with a thermal output of 50 MW, designed to operate at around 150°C. Unlike nearly all the other small modular reactors being developed around the world, it is not designed to generate electricity - or electricity and heat. Instead it is designed to only produce heat.

Nyman is by background a mechanical engineer who worked at CERN, including on the Higgs Boson project, and then 15 years at Finnish utility TVO including time on the project management team for Olkiluoto 3 and more recently at VTT, Finland's national labs. He joined the World Nuclear News podcast to explain the thinking behind the LDR-50. Here are edited quotes from his interview:

The birth of the idea for a heat-only SMR

"The ambition at VTT was to bring innovations to life and not just to create science papers ... Our researchers found out that almost 10% of all CO2 emissions originated from heating up water or steam to 150°C. We at VTT were interested to find markets where nuclear energy could be most economically exploited. The innovation of the LDR-50 was born from the concept of 'why not build something simple that would only cover low temperature heat markets'. In the context of the climate crisis, nuclear is a very good option but the problem has been getting projects economically sound so that nuclear can be utilised without large subsidies. We know that the most economical way to use nuclear is just to generate thermal energy without using the heat to create electricity. So this is what the origin of the innovation was - why not build a reactor only for heating purposes."

How the LDR-50 might look (Image: Steady Energy)

What are the advantages of an SMR only producing heat?

"Simplicity is the cornerstone of our technology. We returned back to basics and we build on all the knowledge and technologies that are available out there. Simplicity leads us to tackle the economic constraints that there are for our clients and markets - utilities and municipal energy organisations. The product has to fit in their investment portfolio. By only producing heat you can reduce the amount of equipment in a nuclear power plant by 50% and the technical conditions are more bearable, especially when you concentrate on low temperature heat - what we call 150°C and below. The operating pressure (below 10 bar/145 psi) in the reactor vessel is 20 times lower than in those reactors designed for electricity production (similar levels to an Espresso machine), so the thickness of the pressure vessel is only a few centimetres whereas in larger reactors it is 20 centimetres. This makes the cost structure much simpler and economical."

What about the cost of the heat?

"The cost of energy we are aiming for is below EUR40 per MWh, depending on how the utility wants to operate it. Remember that we utilise  almost 100% of the energy that is produced by the reactor whereas in a reactor where you produce electricity you lose 60% of your energy as losses and decay heat."

What are the benefits of district heating schemes?

"A district heating network is built typically underground, delivering heated water or in some cases steam to houses where each house or blocks of homes have their own heat exchanger which then distributes the heat to individual households. These are long-living infrastructures analogous to electric cables. There are more than 17,000 heating networks in Europe but, typically, they are not visible and not very well known because you get the heat to your home without thinking about where it's coming from. It's an efficient way of delivering home heat as it can be centralised and you can benefit from economies of scale. In Europe there has been discussion about increasing the usage of district heating, maybe tripling the number of networks. So the current 24 million homes heated by such networks could be increased to 80 million."

Tommi Nyman (Image: Steady Energy)

What would be the climate impact of decarbonising district heating?

"We have counted that we have over 60 million tonnes of CO2 emissions reduction immediately available by decarbonising those networks that we have identified in the most promising markets, like Finland, Sweden and Poland. These are remarkable amounts and if you count all CO2 emissions reduction potential from heating up water to 150°C that would then be a gigatonne scale of CO2 reduction. Helen, the municipal company of Finland's capital city has set out a strategy to stop using fossil fuels and biomass and combustion in general in the 2030s. With this kind of strategy to address CO2 emissions then nuclear heating is really borne out as a very, very promising solution. We have in fact signed a letter of intent to build up to 10 reactors in Helsinki alone."

What is the planned timeline?

"We have a road map that brings us first to a pilot plant, which will be a one-to-one scale reactor module with electric resisters, so it is like an electric boiler, but its purpose is to demonstrate the thermal hardware behaviour of the boiler. Because it is one-to-one scale we also want to get proof of the supply chain being able to deliver. We want to begin construction of the pilot plant next year and are now in the phase of selecting a construction site. At the same time we are preparing our concept assessments and taking the necessary  regulatory steps. We hope to sign a first plant contract in 2028 to deliver our first plant in operation by 2030."

What about regulatory hurdles?

"In Finland, there are not such big regularly hurdles. It's just the engineering that we have to go through and  demonstrate that our simplified reactor functions as it should. We can locate a plant very close to the existing networks, even within cities. There used to be a categorical requirement of having a 5-kilometre exclusion zone around any nuclear plant but now the regulation takes a different angle. We have to demonstrate that we can reach similar levels of safety with shorter distances. We also build our plants underground, in the bedrock, with passive safety systems, so the exclusion zone on the surface is virtually the fenced area that we use to access the plant. There might be some slower progress on the planning side of how and where the plants can be built because of the municipal process - zoning etc."

What about other applications beyond district heating?

"Desalination is one interesting option, and beyond that industrial heat. Those factories where the use of thermal energy is key in drying processes or sterilisations - medical industry, food, pulp and paper - they use steam or water which is heated up to about 100°C so that brings another large market for us. We have to start raising knowledge about this and capturing new markets for nuclear. People typically associate nuclear with electricity. So that's a marketing exercise for us, to bring the understanding that you can have access to a clean and economical heat with nuclear energy. We also want to make it simple for potential clients, so we don't only sell the plants but we also offer a service contract on top of it, all the way through to the geological disposal of the spent fuel."

On the general outlook for nuclear

"The world has changed very rapidly in recent years and nuclear energy now has a place in the negotiations and discussions about what could help us in the future as an energy source. We are now here to capture new markets for nuclear helping people see that the benefits of nuclear can be quite fast. Still 80% of all energy today is coming from fossil fuels, but now there is rising hope that we can bring new solutions to solve this dilemma."

* Also in this edition of the World Nuclear News podcast, the news update features developments in India, South Africa and uranium production in the USA. Listen and subscribe on all major podcast platforms

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Researched and written by World Nuclear News