Key Highlight, what can we expect of the nuclear industry in 2017

2016 is an extraordinary year of the global nuclear industry. There are events encouraging like the final approval of the nuclear project in UK, as well as the cancellation of ongoing construction of the nuclear site in Vietnam that we in the nuclear industry feel regretful about.

Now, we are standing at the beginning of 2017, what can we expect of the global nuclear industry in this year?

1.Nuclear industry in emerging countries

Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation recently updated the status of the first nuclear power plant in UAE, the construction of unit 1 & 2 has been 75% completed and 50% completed for unit 3 & 4. The management of ENEC even expressed the expectation of completing the project ahead of time.

Encouraged by UAE, many Middle Eastern countries showed their interest in the nuclear energy. Saudi Arabia has signed agreement of developing nuclear energy with many countries. During the World Economic Forum in Davos, Khalidal Falih, the Energy Minister of Saudi Arabia emphasized again the plan of developing nuclear energy in Saudi Arabia. China, South Korea, the United States, France, and Russia, are all bidding for the Saudi nuclear project.

In the other part of the world, China is planning to start the construction of the Heavy Water Reactor in Argentina this year, which will be the second nuclear project China exported to Argentina.

In 2017, nuclear industry is expected to continue expanding to the developing new comer countries. Countries in Middle East, Latin America, Africa, and East Europe will be seen as the hot market.

2.The application of new nuclear technology

In China, the first demonstration power plant of CAP1400 is approved by the government in the end of 2016, the construction of it will start in 2017. By then, all reactor types that designed by China will have the demonstration plant, such as Hualong-1, CAP1400, HTR, and ACPR50S.

Another new focusing field is the technology of SMR. It is undoubtedly that countries like China has already stood out from the competition. In 2016, China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN) started the construction of the floating SMR project using its self-developed ACPR50S technology. At the start of 2017, both China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) and State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC) declared their target of R&D on SMR technologies.

In UK, leading by Rolls-Royce, companies including AMRC, Amec Foster Wheeler, Nuvia etc. have joined the program of developing SMR. They are planning to develop a reactor with capacity between 220 to 440 MW.

Nuscale Power is a SMR designing company in the United Sates, the President of Nuscale Power said recently that they were currently designing the “mini” SMR that can be carried by a truck. Nuscale believes that the mini SMR will be a revolution of the future nuclear industry.

3.Development of digital nuclear power plant system

The application of artificial intelligence has been existing in many industries for a very long time. Recently, the development of digital control system in the nuclear industry has been concerned by the industry a lot.

Few days ago, SPIC announced their new safety control system NuPac which is the only nuclear power plant control system qualified both China and American standard. Besides China, UK, France, and the United States has also invested a big amount to develop safer and more efficient digital platform for the nuclear power plant.

Another focus of the digital application in the nuclear industry is the nuclear simulation. Amec Foster Wheeler last week said they will start the new nuclear simulation system soon in this year.

What in the nuclear industry do you think we can expect in 2017?

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