We round up the past week’s news and updates from the world of Nuclear.
TerraPower circles 2023 for Natrium construction permit, by World Nuclear News: “TerraPower hopes to apply for a construction permit in August 2023 and an operating licence in March 2026 for its Natrium fast reactor, according to a regulatory engagement plan (REP) it has sent to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). TerraPower and GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy Americas joined forces in 2019 to develop the Natrium technology, which features a sodium-cooled fast reactor combined with a molten salt energy storage system.”
If we want to fight the climate crisis, we must embrace nuclear power, by The Guardian: “There are some legitimate concerns about nuclear waste, but the public perception is driven by outdated information. The amount of waste produced by plants has been reduced dramatically, and most of what remains can be recycled to generate more electricity. These worries are not particularly unique to nuclear, either. Renewable energy produces waste of its own – solar, for example, requires heavy metals like cadmium, lead and arsenic, which unlike nuclear waste don’t lose their toxicity over time.”
Nuclear energy: Fusion plant backed by Jeff Bezos to be built in UK, by BBC News: “A company backed by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos is set to build a large-scale nuclear fusion demonstration plant in Oxfordshire. Canada’s General Fusion is one of the leading private firms aiming to turn the promise of fusion into a commercially viable energy source. The new facility will be built at Culham, home to the UK’s national fusion research programme.”
Fuel Cladding Failures at Nuclear Power Plants Explained, by IAEA: “The China Atomic Energy Authority (CAEA) informed the IAEA yesterday that a minor fuel cladding failure had occurred at the Taishan Nuclear Power Plant. What are fuel cladding failures, and what do they mean for safety?”
Hongyanhe 5 achieves first criticality, by World Nuclear News: “Unit 5 of the Hongyanhe nuclear power plant in China’s Liaoning province has attained a sustained chain reaction for the first time. The 1080 MWe domestically-designed ACPR1000 pressurised water reactor is expected to be connected to the grid later this year, after which it will enter commercial operation.”
