NEI Weekly Newsletter
Nuclear Engineering International
NEI has been providing technical insight behind the news headlines for the entire civil nuclear sector for over 60 years
Welcome to the latest edition of Nuclear Engineering International's newsletter on LinkedIn.
Another busy week for the sector and lots of news items shared.
Please make sure to check out the latest content on our updated website: https://www.neimagazine.com/
See this week's highlights below:
KAKRAPAR 4 REACHES FULL CAPACITY
India’s second indigenously designed 700 MWe reactor is now operating at full power at the Kakrapar Atomic Power Station (KAPS) in Gujarat. The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) said KAPS 4 had been operating at 90% capacity before achieving full power.
The KAPS-4 unit achieved first criticality in December 2023 and commenced commercial operations on 31 March. The power level of the unit was increased following permission from the regulatory authority, the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB).
India is building 14 more 700 MWe reactors of the same design which are expected to begin operations progressively by 2031-32.
NTPC PLANS MAJOR NUCLEAR EXPANSION
India’s biggest power company NTPC Limited (formerly the National Thermal Power Corporation) is planning to establish a subsidiary specifically to pursue nuclear expansion and is already investigating potential sites in several states. NTPC is also exploring small modular reactor (SMR) technology.
NTPC’s first nuclear power project in Mahi, Banswara, in Rajasthan, as a joint venture with Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) expects to break ground in the next two months. The plant’s project cost for a 2,800 MWe plant is expected to be INR 500bn ($6bn).
CHINA APPROVES SIX NEW REACTORS
China General Nuclear Power (CGN Power) said in a statement to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange that it had received approval from the State Council to construct six new nuclear power reactors. These include approval for CGN Power subsidiary Shandong Zhaoyuan Nuclear Power Co Ltd to construct two 1,214 MWe Hualong One reactors as units 1&2 of the Zhaoyuan NPP in Shandong province.
CGN subsidiary CGN Lufeng Nuclear Power Co Ltd was approved to build two 1,245 MWe CAP1000 reactors as units 1&2 of the Lufeng NPP in Guangdong province. CGN Cangnan Second Nuclear Power Co Ltd received approved to build two 1,215 MWe Hualong One reactors as units 3&4 of the Cangnan San’ao NPP in Zhejiang province.
FUKUSHIMA BEGINS FUEL DEBRIS REMOVAL TEST
Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) is to begin a demonstration project to remove a small amount of radioactive debris from unit 2 of the Fukushima Daiichi NPP which suffered a reactor meltdown after the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. The debris is a mixture of molten nuclear fuel and parts of the reactor structure.
Removal of the debris has proved challenging, requiring the development of a special robotic arm to extract radioactive fuel, metal cladding and other structures from the reactor. Tepco originally planned to begin retrieval of the debris in 2021 but delayed the start of procedure pending development of the technology and regulatory approvals. Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority recently issued a certificate, certifying safety, after conducting a pre-operation inspection.
领英推荐
MAERSK EXPLORES NUCLEAR-POWERED SHIPPING
Danish shipping group 马士基 has agreed to join a study by maritime services firm 劳氏船级社 (LR) and UK-based nuclear start-up CORE POWER (UK) Ltd , in a regulatory assessment study of possible nuclear-powered container shipping in Europe. The study will look at the regulatory feasibility and frameworks that would need to be established for a nuclear container ship using a fourth-generation reactor to undertake cargo operations at a port in Europe.
It will investigate the requirements for updated safety rules along with the improved operational and regulatory understanding that is needed for the application of nuclear power in container shipping.
DECOMMISSIONING OF KRüMMEL BEGINS
The permit to begin decommissioning and dismantling Germany’s Krümmel NPP has been issued by the head of the nuclear supervisory authority in Kiel, Andreas Wasielewski, to Ingo Neuhaus, managing director of Vattenfall ’s nuclear energy division in Germany, and Krümmel NPP Director Torsten Fricke.
Krümmel was one of eight older power reactors that had their operating licences withdrawn by the federal government in the wake of the March 2011 Fukushima accident as part of a political decision to phase out nuclear power. Vattenfall submitted an application to decommission and dismantle the plant, in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, in 2015.
LENINGRAD 5 BEGINS MAINTENANCE OUTAGE
Unit 5 of Ruissia’s Leningrad NPP (also known as unit 1 of Leningrad-II NPP) has been closed for a planned repair and maintenance outage that will last until the end of September. The work will involve the repair and engineering support personnel of the Leningrad NPP, as well as employees of the specialist organisation Atomenergoremont.
They will undertake inspection and maintenance of reactor and turbine equipment, security systems, diesel generator sets, lifting mechanisms. During the work, nuclear fuel will be completely removed from the reactor vessel. This is necessary to check the condition of the metal of the reactor vessel and its internal devices. After that, some of the used fuel cassettes will be replaced with fresh, fuel.
Upcoming webinars
Recommended Webinars
Thanks for reading; we hope you enjoyed it.
Until next week.
To have a story featured on next week's newsletter - or to discuss sponsorship options - please contact Roy Morris