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RUSSIAN ACCIDENT TOLERANT FUEL
At unit 2 of Russia’s Rostov NPP, a new generation of accident tolerant fuel (ATF) has begun its third cycle of pilot operation. Fuel assemblies with experimental fuel elements are being tested according to the standard nuclear fuel operating cycle for Russian VVER-1000 reactors – three fuel campaigns of 18 months each. During the next scheduled maintenance at the power unit in spring of 2026, the fuel will be unloaded from the reactor core, and will undergo post-reactor examination.
The third 18-month cycle, like the entire ATF fuel pilot operation programme is carried out in strict coordination with regulator Rostekhnadzor based on required justifications and in accordance with the issued licence.
BRENNILIS NPP DISMANTLING REACHES FINAL PHASE
France’s Brennilis NPP in the Monts d’Arée in Brittany, which has been shut down since 1985, is expected to be fully dismantled by 2041. Work on the final phase should begin by the end of this year, according to the Nuclear Safety Authority Autorité de s?reté nucléaire (ASN). However, EDF must ensure that the deadlines prescribed for carrying out the periodic inspections are met and that the characteristics of the materials are traceable with a view to their reuse or subsequent disposal. Fully supported by EDF, the dismantling should cost €850m ($950m). The aim is to return the site to brownfield or even greenfield status.
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VATTENFALL HANDS OVER BRUNSBüTTEL WASTE STORE
Vattenfall has handed over the newly built warehouse for low and medium radioactive waste (LasmA) at the Brunsbüttel NPP site to Germany’s state-owned company for interim storage, BGZ Gesellschaft für Zwischenlagerung mbH. LasmA will replace the transport delivery halls I and II currently operating at the site.
LasmA will store all low and medium radioactive waste from the operation and dismantling of the Brunsbüttel NPP, as well as operating waste from the Krümmel NPP, the storage of which is approved for the transport hall II.
PROJECT PELE MICROREACTOR BREAKS GROUND
The US Department of Defense (DOD) has broken ground on the Project Pele transportable microreactor project at Idaho National Laboratory (INL). The demonstration project is led by DOD’s Strategic Capabilities Office.
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DOD is planning to design, build, and demonstrate a transportable high-temperature gas-cooled reactor that will operate at INL’s Critical Infrastructure Test Range Complex.
The reactor, generating 1-5 MWe, will be manufactured by BWX Technologies, Inc. with assembly of the final reactor set to begin in February 2025. According to DOD, the prototype reactor facility will be transported in 20-foot shipping containers and tested at the lab. The reactor will then be moved by truck for placement at the complex “during the 2026 timeframe” to conduct safety reviews and initial planning and testing.
EDF TO REDUCE WATER CONSUMPTION AT NPPS
US water technology company Infinite Cooling is working with EDF to launch an innovative project aimed at reducing water consumption at NPPs as new regulations in France call for a 10% reduction in water consumption or abstraction by 2030.
The initiative is taking place at EDF’s 3,600 MWe Bugey NPP, where Infinite Cooling’s technology will capture water from cooling tower plumes. The Bugey plant currently comprises four operating 900 MWe pressurised water reactors. The site has also been selected by the France’s Nuclear Policy Council for the construction of two EPR2 reactors.
EDF SHIFTS STRATEGY FOR CORDEMAIS PLANT
French energy group EDF has abandoned plans for its Ecocombust project intended to convert the Cordemais coal-fired power plant into one burning pellets made from class B wood waste often derived from furniture wood. The plant was to cease using coal by 2027. “As the technical and economic requirements for the Ecocombust project have not been met, EDF plans not to pursue biomass conversion project at Cordemais thermal power plant and confirms its intention to maintain industrial activity at the site,” a statement noted.
KAIROS POWER EXPANDS OPERATIONS IN NEW MEXICO
US-based Kairos Power is expanding its operations in New Mexico to build three facilities and create 100 jobs. Kairos Power is headquartered in Alameda, California and initially expanded to Albuquerque’s Mesa del Sol community in 2019 to establish its research and development engineering centre for the commercialisation of its advanced reactor technology. Kairos also has facilities in Oak Ridge (Tennessee) and Charlotte (North Carolina).
In February, Kairos signed a technology investment agreement with the US Department of Energy (DOE) to put into effect the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ADRP) risk reduction award, the company received in 2020. DOE will provide up to $303m on a performance-based, fixed-price milestone basis to enable the design, construction, and commissioning of the company’s Hermes demonstration reactor. A construction permit for the reactor was issued by the. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in December 2023.
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