Page 4 - Nuclear Energy

US curbs lift on Indian nuclear entities may boost collab, tech access

The US lifting Cold War-era sanctions on three Indian nuclear entities, including the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), will boost collaboration in the key field and give the country access to new technologies, experts said on Thursday as they welcomed the move. Former DAE (Department of Atomic Energy) secretary Anil Kakodkar, however, observed one should not get too excited with the development as only time will show how the lifting of sanctions will benefit the Indian nuclear energy sector and research. The move will help India in the area of rare earths as it deals with critical elements, maintained the noted nuclear physicist. Kakodkar, who served as BARC director, Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) chairman and DAE secretary during his decades-long career in the nuclear field, opined that the lifting of restrictions should have happened long time back. The 81-year-old scientist was the AEC chairman and DAE secretary when the landmark Indo-US civil nuclear deal was signed in ..

US removes long standing restrictions on three Indian nuclear entities

In a significant move, the US on Wednesday removed restrictions on three Indian nuclear entities, over a week after NSA Jake Sullivan announced that Washington was finalising steps to "remove" hurdles for civil nuclear partnership between Indian and American firms. The three entities are Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Indira Gandhi Atomic Research Centre (IGCAR) and the Indian Rare Earths (IRE), according to the US Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS). In an address at the IIT-Delhi last week, Sullivan said the US will remove regulations that have prevented cooperation between Indian nuclear entities and American companies. The removal of the three key Indian entities is being seen as an attempt by the outgoing Biden administration to facilitate the implementation of the landmark India-US civil nuclear pact that was sealed 16 years back. The move comes five days ahead of Donald Trump's inauguration as the 47th President of the US. India and the US unveiled an ambitious pla

Vietnam, Russia sign agreement to boost cooperation on nuclear energy

Vietnam and Russia inked Tuesday an agreement to boost cooperation on nuclear energy during Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin's two-day visit to Hanoi. The Southeast Asian country has been trying to revive its nuclear energy plans after it shelved building two nuclear power plants in 2016 due to ballooning costs and concerns around safety hoping it will help it become energy-sufficient and reach its goal of curbing additional greenhouse emissions by 2050. The agreement was signed between Russia's state-owned nuclear energy company Rosatom and Vietnam's state-owned power utility EVN. Mishustin also held bilateral talks with his counterpart Pham Minh Chinh and met Vietnam's Communist Party chief To Lam and the chairman of Vietnam's National Assembly Tran Thanh Man. Vietnam is an important partner of Russia in Southeast Asia," Mishustin said. Today we plan to discuss with you a comprehensive plan for cooperation between Russia and Vietnam, which runs until 2030. He is set to

Human rights activist warns over abduction of nuclear engineers in Pakistan

Additionally, Mirza criticized the lack of an immediate response, such as deploying helicopters to pursue the abductors. He described the security lapse as highly suspicious

Nuclear power industry opens doors to private companies, with caveats

Experts say stringent terms could make industry apprehensive

Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission gets licence for largest nuclear plant

Pakistan is set to construct its largest nuclear plant for electricity generation after the country's atomic energy regulatory agency issued the licence for it. The Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority (PNRA) issued the licence to build Chashma Nuclear Power Plant Unit 5 (C-5, the largest plant producing electricity through nuclear power with a capacity of 1200 MWe, according to a PNRA press release issued on Thursday. The Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission applied for the licence in April of this year, along with the Preliminary Safety Assessment Report and other documents about the design and operational aspects of nuclear safety, radiation protection, emergency preparedness, waste management, and nuclear security, the Dawn newspaper reported. After a thorough review and assessment of and fulfilment of regulatory requirements in compliance with the relevant national and international standards, the licence was issued, the PNRA press release stated. C-5 is an advanced ...

High-level meeting suggests possibility of nuclear power station in Kerala

Kerala could get a nuclear power station if the state provides land for the purpose, according to a suggestion made during a recent high-level meeting between Union Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and State Power Minister K Krishnankutty here. Official sources stated that such a suggestion emerged during discussions about Kerala's demand, mentioned in a memorandum submitted to the union minister, that the thorium deposits in the state should be utilised and that the power generated from them should be provided to Kerala. State Power ministry sources in Kerala told PTI that Kerala did not demand a nuclear power station in the state but only suggested that the union government should make use of the Thorium deposits in Kerala. Khattar, while discussing various demands of Kerala, which is incapable of increasing its domestic power production and depend mostly on the existing hydro-electrical projects and power brought from neighbouring states, said that the union government is open

Enabling conditions for nuclear energy: Five key tasks for policymakers

Indian energy policy should create conditions where private firms may consider whether it is optimal for them to buy such equipment

Satellite images indicate China working on nuclear propulsion for aircraft

China has built a land-based prototype nuclear reactor for a large surface warship, in the clearest sign yet Beijing is advancing toward producing its first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, according to a new analysis of satellite imagery and Chinese government documents. China's navy is already the world's largest numerically, and it has been rapidly modernising. Adding nuclear-powered carriers to its fleet would be a major step in realising its ambitions for a true "blue-water force capable of operating in seas far from China in a growing global challenge to the United States. Nuclear-powered carriers would place China in the exclusive ranks of first-class naval powers, a group currently limited to the United States and France, said Tong Zhao, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, DC. For China's leadership, such a development would symbolise national prestige, fueling domestic nationalism and elevating the country's global image as a ..

AI may have finally tipped the scales in favour of nuclear energy again

If fuel is reprocessed, it can be reused. But the reprocessing turns it into weapons-grade fuel, which means it can also be used to make big bangs

Google to power AI data centres via nuclear power amid climate change woes

Google anticipates using 500 megawatts of nuclear power to run its operations, as global concerns over climate change intensify amid rising electricity consumption from AI and crypto technologies

NPCIL to operate 220 MW small nuclear plants for private companies

In a first, the Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) will operate 220 MW capacity small nuclear plants for private players who will provide both funding and land for the project, a senior government official has said. A development on this front is likely by this year-end or early 2025, the official told PTI. "The funding and land for the nuclear plant will be made available by the private player but the plant will be managed by NPCIL," the official said. With the NPCIL, a public sector enterprise under the Department of Atomic Energy, managing and operating the plant, the need to amend the Atomic Energy Act will not arise. Under the Atomic Energy Act, the nuclear energy sector is open only for government PSUs, another official said. These 220 MW reactors will be known as 'Bharat Small Reactors' for which research is already in progress at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), the official said. The Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR) technology, which India has maste

China approves 11 nuclear reactors worth $31 billion across five sites

China has more nuclear reactors under construction than any other nation in the world

Nuclear fusion to quantum computing: India, Russia explore hi-tech projects

During PM Narendra Modi's recent Russia visit, Russian media reported that New Delhi and Moscow are in talks to construct six more high-powered nuclear power units, as well as small nuclear plants

US Senate passes bill to accelerate advanced nuclear energy deployment

A version of the bill had already passed in the House of Representatives and it will now go to President Joe Biden for a signature to become law. It passed the Senate 88-2 votes

Singapore plans to build a pool of nearly 100 nuclear energy experts

Singapore is planning to build a pool of approximately 100 nuclear energy experts in the medium to long run, though no decision has been made on the deployment of nuclear energy, and the city-state is unable to commit to a timeline for taking a position on it. This was stated in Parliament by the Second Minister for Trade and Industry Tan See Leng on Wednesday in response to a question posed by opposition Member of Parliament Gerald Giam. Giam from the Workers' Party had asked how many scientists were currently at the Singapore Nuclear Research and Safety Initiative, as well as the number of scholarships awarded each year to help build a pipeline of nuclear scientists and expertise. Giam also asked if the government is building up the necessary regulatory policy frameworks that will be needed to oversee potential nuclear energy programmes such as nuclear fission and nuclear fusion. In his response, Tan said the government supports efforts to train scientists and experts in local an

India aims to produce 100 GW nuclear power by 2047: AEC Chairman Mohanty

India aims to produce 1 lakh MW of nuclear power by 2047, a massive increase from the current production of over 8,000 MW, Atomic Energy Commission Chairman A K Mohanty said here on Wednesday. Mohanty was speaking at the release of a report, 'Synchronising Energy Transitions Towards Possible Net Zero for India: Affordable and Clean Energy for All', largely funded by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the government of India. Ravi B Grover, Chairman Emeritus of the Homi Bhabha National Institute, said the report was necessary as studies for energy transition for India have come up with a very insignificant role for nuclear citing high input cost and lower public acceptance. Mohanty said a vision document for 'Amrit Kaal' was being prepared by the Department of Atomic Energy which envisages reaching a nuclear capacity of about 100 GW by 2047. He said the breeder reactors would contribute 3 GW of nuclear power, while 17.6 GW would come from light water reactors built wi

Biden admin to lend $1.5 bn to restart Michigan nuclear power plant

The federal government will provide a USD 1.5 billion loan to restart a nuclear power plant in southwestern Michigan, officials announced on Wednesday. Holtec International acquired the 800-megawatt Palisades plant in 2022 with plans to dismantle it. But now the emphasis is on restarting it by late 2025, following support from the state of Michigan and the Biden administration. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said it would be the first nuclear power plant to be reopened in the US. It still faces hurdles, including inspections, testing and the blessing of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, known as the NRC. Nuclear power is our single largest source of carbon-free electricity, directly supporting 100,000 jobs across the country and hundreds of thousands more indirectly, said Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, a former Michigan governor. The Palisades plant is along Lake Michigan, a two-hour drive from Chicago. A Michigan utility, CMS Energy, owned it from 1971 until the plant was sold to

NCC, NPCIL sign pact to raise awareness on peaceful use of nuclear power

The National Cadet Corps (NCC) on Thursday joined hands with Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) to conduct awareness programmes across the country to enhance public perceptions on peaceful use of nuclear power and disseminate scientific information. The memorandum of understanding between NCC and NPCIL, a public sector undertaking, also facilitates a unique opportunity to cadets to visit various facilities of NPCIL, thereby giving a "first-hand experience" on peaceful use of nuclear energy, its technical and technological aspects. The MoU was signed in New Delhi in presence of Director General of the NCC, Lt Gen Gurbirpal Singh and Executive Director (Corporate Communication & Corporate Planning), NPCIL, BVS Shekhar, the defence ministry said in a statement. The agreement will entail conducting "various awareness programmes throughout the country to enhance public perceptions on peaceful use of nuclear power, and disseminate scientific and authentic information," ..

Leaders of over 30 nations meet in Brussels to promote nuclear energy

In the shadows of a massive monument glorifying nuclear energy, over 30 leaders and delegations from around the world are backing the idea to use the controversial source to help achieve the goal of a climate-neutral globe while giving more countries an added sense of economic and security independence. Such a summit would have been unthinkable a dozen years ago in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan, but a warming planet creating a need to phase out fossil fuels and war in Ukraine laying bare a dependence on Russian energy have turned the tables over the past half decade. We have to do everything possible to to facilitate the contribution of nuclear energy, said Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency. It is clear: Nuclear is there. It has an important role to play, he said. The one-day meeting is held next to the 1958 Atomium, the 102-meter (335-foot)-tall construction of the nine iron atoms, which sought to promote the peaceful use