We round up the past week’s news and updates from the world of Nuclear.
Nuclear Energy for Climate Change Mitigation to Benefit Several Countries, New Studies Show, from IAEA: “Countries from Armenia and Ghana to Poland and Turkey show significant potential for using nuclear energy to slash greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and meet climate change goals including those agreed at the COP26 climate summit, according to national research conducted in a three-year project coordinated by the IAEA.”
EU plans to finish green investment rules for gas and nuclear next year, from Reuters: “The European Commission plans to finish next year its long-awaited rules on whether to label gas and nuclear energy as climate-friendly investments under EU green finance rules, its environment policy chief said on Monday. The European Union’s executive Commission is considering whether to include nuclear and natural gas in its “sustainable finance taxonomy”, a rulebook that will restrict which activities can be labelled as climate-friendly investments.”
China is Home to World’s First Small Modular Nuclear Reactor, from Bloomberg: “China continues to stake its claim as the world’s biggest proponent of new nuclear energy technology, connecting its first small modular reactor to the power grid. China Huaneng Group Co.’s 200-megawatt unit 1 reactor at Shidao Bay is now feeding power to the grid in Shandong province, the China Nuclear Energy Association said in a WeChat post. A second reactor is undergoing tests before being connected and putting the plant into full commercial operations in the middle of next year.”
EDF to shut down two nuclear stations in 2028, from Energy Live News: “EDF Energy has announced the closure of two of its nuclear power stations earlier than expected – Heysham 2 and Torness. The two sites in Lancashire and East Lothian were originally set to close in 2030 but this date has now been brought forward to March 2028. The company has put this down to a better understanding of the lifetime expectations following a recent review.”
Qatar invests in Rolls-Royce SMR, from World Nuclear News: “The Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) – the sovereign wealth fund of Qatar – has become the latest shareholder in Rolls-Royce SMR Ltd. The project company commercialising a new reactor design is now fully funded, said the Rolls-Royce Group.”
