We round up the recent news and updates from the world of Nuclear.
Sizewell C nuclear power station gets green light in Autumn Statement, by Institution of Mechanical Engineers: “The Sizewell C nuclear power station project will go ahead, chancellor Jeremy Hunt has confirmed in the Autumn Statement. Plans for the new nuclear plant in Suffolk had appeared to be under threat, after the BBC recently reported that a government official had told it that every major project – including Sizewell C – was under review as ministers tried to cut spending. But the chancellor gave the project the green light as he spoke in the House of Commons today (17 November).”
France’s RTE says January power supply risk has risen, by Reuters: “A reduced forecast for nuclear power output in France means there is a higher risk than previously thought to electricity supply in January, grid operator RTE said on Friday. Nuclear power availability is expected at around 40 gigawatts (GW) by the beginning of 2023, RTE said in a report, 3-to-4 GW less than in the previous forecast issued in September.”
India’s long-term development strategy sees nuclear expansion, by World Nuclear News: “The long-term low-emission development strategy – or LT-LEDS – submitted by India to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) includes a three-fold increase in nuclear energy capacity by 2032 and will also explore the potential deployment of small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs).”
Two more Ukrainian nuclear plants suffer power supply issues, by World Nuclear News: “The Khmelnitsky nuclear power plant had to rely on emergency diesel generators after losing its grid connection for nine hours, and the Rivne plant had to temporarily reduce its power output after losing connection to one of its 750 kV power lines, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has reported.”
Funding boost for innovative tech using nuclear for cement production, by New Civil Engineer: “The Hydrogen4Hanson project at the Lancaster Hydrogen Hub has received government funding to continue its development of innovative technology that uses nuclear-generated heat and electricity to create hydrogen for asphalt and cement production… It has received almost £400,000 of funding from the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s £1bn Net Zero Innovation Portfolio. The money will allow the consortium to undertake an initial feasibility study in 2023-25 with the aim of demonstrating the technology at megawatt scale.”
