News

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Wednesday that the Braidwood Nuclear Power Plant Units 1 and 2 were cleared for a 20-year license renewal with regards to its environmental impact. The national regulator for atomic power said it had published its final review covering environmental impacts and...(read more)

Hungary has confirmed the receipt of a letter from the European Commission that say the country failed to follow European Union rules when they hired Russian nuclear power conglomerate Rosatom to build two reactors in an expansion of the five-unit Paks nuclear power plant. The letter calls for suspension...(read more)

If there is anything more expensive and difficult to build than a nuclear power plant, it might just be a stellarator, which is considered by far the more complex version of a fusion reactor that has ever been built. And in Germany, perhaps before the end of the year, the largest stellarator in existence...(read more)

British engineering, design and planning consultancy Atkins said Monday it had reached an agreement to acquire the Projects, Products and Technology (PP&T) division of EnergySolutions, expanding on its purchase in 2014 of Nuclear Safety Associates in an effort to broaden its customer base in nuclear...(read more)

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff and the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, Philadelphia District, said Monday they had issued a final environmental impact statement (EIS) that finds no overriding environmental roadblock for a new nuclear power plant adjacent to the existing Salem and Hope Creek nuclear...(read more)

The Finish government has given a green light to two utilities, Fortum and Teollisuuden Voima Oyj, for construction of a nuclear fuel repository that could hold 6,500 metric tons of spent fuel 1,300 feet to 1,500 feet underground. The facility, including an encapsulation station, is to be built and...(read more)

Argentina's government said Sunday that it had worked out deals with the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) to build two nuclear power plants, which will double the country's generation capacity from nuclear power. The plants will add 1,750 MW to the country's nuclear fleet, which...(read more)

The Department of State in New York is attempting to block the relicensing application for the Indian Point generating station 24 miles north of New York City on grounds that it is harmful to the fish habitat of the Hudson River and a threat to the city's population. About 17 million people live...(read more)

GE Hitatchi (GEH) moved forward with two international agreements this week, signing memorandum of understanding letters with Bruce Power in Canada and the Vietnam Atomic Energy Agency (VAEA). In Canada, GEH Energy Canada has entered into an agreement that will see the two companies explore new areas...(read more)

New York's governor and senior senator have expressed their opposition to Entergy Corporation's decision to close the FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Station in Oswego on the shores of Lake Ontario, but the state's opposition maybe just noise, according to newspaper reports. The most tangible...(read more)

The World Energy Council said the United States held its overall ranking in its Energy Trilemma Index in 2015, holding in 12 th place, while slipping in the category of sustainability and gaining in its rating for energy security. The United States held its No. 1 ranking for energy equity, owing to...(read more)

Ukranian media are reporting that Energoatom and Westinghouse signed a deal on November 5 to continue with TVS-WR fuel assemblies at the Zaporozhe nuclear power plant and to test a Westinghouse-developed BEACON TSM software package. “ Representatives of Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and Westinghouse...(read more)

China General Nuclear Power Group has signed a $7.7 billion financial deal with Romania's state-owned nuclear power company Nuclearelectrica SA that covers the construction of the third and fourth reactors for the Cernavoda nuclear power plant in southeastern Romania. The facility on the banks...(read more)

The International Energy Agency said that world energy demand could grow close to 33 percent between 2013 and 2040 with demand reaching a plateau in China, which has been the leading growth market in recent decades. While China's demand levels off, demand in India will take off, the IEA said in...(read more)

Japanese conglomerate Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) confirmed that it is seeking to obtain a minority stake in nuclear power giant AREVA's reactor constrution business, which has been the focus of attention for investors since AREVA announced it would reorganize following losses of $5.6 billion...(read more)

The Department of Energy said Friday it would supplement its $12.5 billion loan guarantee program for nuclear power innovation focusing on a push to license new reactors. The DOE is “supplementing its existing solicitation that makes up to $12.5 billion available … to support innovative...(read more)

Dominion Virginia Power said Monday that it had notified the Nuclear Regulatory Commission of its intent to file a second license renewal application for each of its two reactors at the Surry Power Station. The company said a second license extension would break new ground in the United States. The...(read more)

AREVA said that it had signed two service contracts this week, the first to supply fuel assemblies to the Trillo nuclear power plant in Spain and the second to carry out preventative chemical cleaning services of the steam generators at the Cattenom 2 nuclear power plant in France. The Trillo plant...(read more)

The White House today is holding what a key energy researcher called a coming out party for nuclear energy in an event that will be broadcast live on the Internet at WhiteHouse.gov and on YouTube. The streaming is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. “ What's important...(read more)

Westinghouse said Wednesday that it had signed a contract with EDF Energy to provide long-term support focused on equipment maintenance at the Sizewell B nuclear power station, which would help it keep the station running safely, potentially for the next four decades. The support provided could help...(read more)

Energy Fuels Inc. said that it had purchased the remaining 50 percent of a high-grade uranium deposit known as the Wate Project, from Anfield Resources Holding Corporation in a cash and stock transaction that includes future payments when mining permits are issued. Energy previously acquired is first...(read more)

General Electric's closure on the purchase of Alstom's power generation business prompted a leadership change at GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy. Jay Wileman is assuming the role of president and chief executive officer of the company, while Caroline Reda takes on a new assignment. Former president...(read more)

Westinghouse Electric said it has signed a contract with Barseback Kraft AB to provide support for the dismantling of the Barseback Nuclear Power Station in Sweden, which will be the first undertaking of its kind in the country. The Barseback plant is comprised of two ABB-designed boiling water reactors...(read more)

Struggling French nuclear power corporation AREVA on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding with the China National Nuclear Corporation that paves the way for a possible partnership between the companies that includes "capitalistic and industrial components," AREVA announced. The signing...(read more)

The U.S. Energy Information Administration said Tuesday that the scheduled closure of more than 2,000 megawatts of nuclear generating capacity by 2019 would be offset by additions to capacity that are expected between 2016 and 2020. More than 5,000 MW of nuclear generating capacity is expected to...(read more)

Once again, the top ranked nuclear power plant in the United States is the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station in Wintersburg, Arizona, POWER Magazine announced Monday. POWER also named the Central Nuclear Nestor Kirchner plant in Lima, Argentina, Atucha II, as its top-ranking plant for the year...(read more)

Entergy Corporation said Monday morning that it would close the 838 megawatt James A. FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant in Scriba, NY, in late 2016 or early 2017, due to what the company called the "deteriorating economics of the facility" The key drivers for the decision are familiar to the...(read more)

Exelon Corporation said Thursday it would defer any decision about the future operations of its Clinton nuclear plant for one year and plans to bid the plant into the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) capacity auction for the 2016-2017 planning year. The company said that MISO’s...(read more)

Georgia Power Co. said this week that it had settled lawsuits with Westinghouse Electric and Chicago Bridge and Iron (CB&I) over delays at the Vogtle nuclear plant construction project with included protections that prevent future lawsuits dealing with engineering, material procurement and construction...(read more)

Westinghouse Electric and Curtiss-Wright Corporation said they had passed a significant milestone in relation to the Sanmen Unit 1 plant, getting a green-light for the manufacturing and shipment of the reactor coolant pumps for that plant, which leads to construction and delivery for pumps involving...(read more)

Small nuclear plant developer said Thursday that the company and the South Carolina Electric & Gas Co. had completed a joint study to examine the possible deployment of an Xe-100 pebble-bed nuclear reactor integrated with an existing non-nuclear power plant. The study concluded that an approximately...(read more)

U.S. nuclear power giant Westinghouse Electric said Tuesday that it would strategically acquire CB&I Stone and Webster, the nuclear construction and integrated services business of CB&I, which is the name commonly applied to the Chicago Bridge and Iron Company. Westinghouse said the deal would...(read more)

A services organization in Britain with its roots in maritime regulations, engineering and science, Lloyd's Register Energy, said it had signed an agreement with the Nuclear Power Institute of China (NPIC) to assist with the development of a floating small modular reactor (SMR). On the heels of...(read more)

Australia's next government-endorsed top scientist said Tuesday that the country should turn around its track record on relying on fossil fuels to create electricity. Australia has no nuclear power plants. A large part of the argument that has kept the country from building any is the abundance...(read more)

China General Nuclear (NGC) announced that it had connected Fangchenggang Unit 1 to the grid Monday. The unit, which will undergo a 168-hour full power load test, is the first of six planned for the site. Construction of the CPR-1000 reactor, with an installed capacity of 1,080 megawatts of electricity...(read more)

A regional local government in Japan, the office of Governor Tokihiro Nakamura of Ehime prefecture, has given its approval to restart the Ikata nuclear power plant, which would be the third in the country to go back online after complying with post-Fukushima Daiichi safety standards. The governor...(read more)

Georgia Power, the largest subsidiary of Southern Company, said Friday that it had joined with other energy companies in support of a motion to stay the Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Power Plan due to its threats on the reliability of the state's power grid and the affordability of...(read more)

The Royal Academy of Engineering in Britain warned Friday that time was running out for the country to make critical decisions to meet its goals of a “secure and affordable low carbon energy system for 2030 and beyond.” It also said nuclear power was needed to meet the “massive …...(read more)

Southern California Edison said it had reached a settlement with Nuclear Electric Insurance Limited (NEIL) over losses caused by the shutdown of the San Onofre nuclear power plant and said 95 percent of the $400 million deal would go to customers in the form of reduced bills starting in 2016. The...(read more)

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Thursday that it had issued a 40-year operating license to the Tennessee Valley Authority for the Watts Bar Unit 2 nuclear reactor in Spring City, Tenn., about 60 miles southwest of Knoxville. The U.S. regulator heralded the long-awaited event in a standard release...(read more)

Construction on the $27.5 billion Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant in England could restart “within weeks,” said EDF Chairman Jean-Bernard Levy on Wednesday following a signing ceremony that nailed down a China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN) investment in the project. Events...(read more)

SCE&G and its partners have announced third quarter progress made at the V.C.Summer construction site, where work continues on Units 2 and 3. The heavy highlight for the third quarter was the placement of the on-site constructed CA01 building module inside the Unit 2 containment vessel. The module...(read more)

U.S.-based Westinghouse Electric Company has proposed a tie-in with the British government and British industry for development of its small modular reactor design in the United Kingdom. The proposal involves joint ownership of efforts to bring the Westinghouse 225 MWe SMR design to fruition in Britain...(read more)

Six weeks prior to a gathering of environmentalists and world leaders for a climate-change conference in Paris, the United Nations' nuclear energy regulator, the International Atomic Energy Agency, has released its annual report detailing what it sees as the role of nuclear power for the coming decades...(read more)

U.S. small modular reactor (SMR) developer NuScale Power LLC in Portland, Ore., said it had formed a strategic partnership with British-based electronics security company Ultra Electronics, which has its systems installed in more than 500 nuclear plants and other facilities around the world. The agreement...(read more)

Just ahead of a heads-of-state meeting between British Prime Minister David Cameron and Chinese President Xi Jinping, Cameron meet in New York with Westinghouse Electric Chief Executive Officer Danny Roderick to discuss why Northern England is a good location for inward investment and the role that Westinghouse...(read more)

The expected deal between China and Britain that could pave the way for construction of three nuclear power plants has taken a decidedly cloak and dagger turn. The Times of London reported that the British intelligence-gathering agency called GCHQ (which stands for Government Communications Headquarters...(read more)

--Press Release-- ANS Members from Around the World to Gather in D.C. for Winter Meeting LaGrange Park, IL, – Nuclear professionals from the U.S. and around the world will meet to discuss climate change, nuclear nonproliferation and the growth of nuclear technology at the 2015 American Nuclear...(read more)

More news this week from Sweden on nuclear power plant shut downs. The utility Vattenfall, which owns 70.4 percent of the 1,746 MW Ringhals facility on the Varo Peninsula in southwest Sweden, said it would close Units 1 and 2 at the plant. Unit 2 will close first, sometime in 2019, while Unit 1 will...(read more)

China's 13 th Five-Year Plan calls for construction of up to eight nuclear power plants per year through 2020 with the goal of having 110 reactors up and running by 2030, several media outlets in China are reporting. The cost for the surge in nuclear power is estimated at $78.5 billion. The total...(read more)