Page 5 - Nuclear Energy

IAEA chief in Russia to discuss safety of Ukrainian nuclear plant

The U.N.'s atomic watchdog agency chief is visiting Russia amid concern about a Ukrainian nuclear power plant caught in the crossfire since Moscow sent troops into Ukraine in 2022 and seized the facility shortly after. IAEA Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi arrived at the Black Sea resort of Sochi on Tuesday evening, according to Russian state news agency RIA Novosti for talks on nuclear safety in Ukraine. Grossi announced the trip on Monday, the first day of a regular meeting of the agency's 35-nation board of governors in Vienna. The International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly expressed alarm about the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe's largest, amid fears of a potential nuclear catastrophe. The plant's six reactors have been shut down for months, but it still needs power and qualified staff to operate crucial cooling systems and other safety features. Speaking to reporters in Sochi on Wednesday, the IAEA chief said he had a very intensive and exhaustive workin

Russia mulls putting nuclear power plant on moon with China: Report

Borisov, a former deputy defence minister, said that Russia and China had been jointly working on a lunar programme and that Moscow was able to contribute with its expertise on "nuclear space energy"

RIL, Tata Power among firms in fray for $26-billion nuclear investment

This is the first time New Delhi is pursuing private investment in nuclear power, a non-carbon-emitting energy source that contributes less than 2% of India's total electricity generation

French nuclear operator EDF ties up with Canadian, Czech, Indian firms

EDF concluded a cooperation agreement with BHEL to "maximize the local content" of a proposed project to build six EPR reactors in Jaitapur

IAEA calls on PM Modi, praises India's record as responsible nuclear power

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday underscored India's enduring commitment to safe and secure use of atomic energy for peace and development in a meeting with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi. Grossi, who called on Modi, commended the country's impeccable record as a responsible nuclear power and praised its progress in nuclear science and technology, particularly highlighting the development and deployment of indigenous nuclear power plants, the PMO said. In the meeting, Modi shared India's ambitious goals to enhance the share of environmentally friendly nuclear power generation capacity as part of its energy mix. Grossi, the statement said, acknowledged India's global leadership role in civil nuclear applications for societal benefits. This includes the remarkable progress that India has made in utilising nuclear technology to address the challenges faced by humankind including those related to health, food, water treatment, ...

Scholz dismisses talk of keeping nuclear energy option open in Germany

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz dismissed a suggestion by a junior coalition partner that the country should keep open the option of using its closed nuclear power plants, declaring that atomic energy is a dead horse in Germany. Germany switched off its last three nuclear reactors in April, completing a process that received wide political support after Japan's Fukushima nuclear reactor disaster in 2011. But some argued for a rethink after energy prices spiked because of the war in Ukraine. Among those who advocated a reprieve were members of the Free Democrats, a pro-business party that is part of Scholz's governing coalition. This week, the Free Democrats' parliamentary group approved a policy statement saying that it wants to stop the dismantling of the nuclear power plants that are still fit to use as part of efforts to be prepared for worst-case scenarios. That is the only way we will remain capable of acting in every situation, it said. Scholz brushed aside the suggestion in a

Americans 'very keen' to transfer nuclear energy tech to India: Power Secy

The US is "very keen" to collaborate with India in the area of technology transfer on the nuclear energy front, a senior government official said on Wednesday. Responding to a question on how G-20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant's request for "unfettered access" to US technology made to delegates attending the third meeting of the G-20 energy transition working group on Tuesday was taken by American delegates, Union Power Secretary Alok Kumar hinted Washington is positive. "US delegation was also there as part of the G20 group and they supported the technology transfer. But It is always on the voluntary, mutually agreed basis," Kumar told reporters at a press conference organised at the conclusion of the three-day meet in the financial capital. Details will have to be worked out and have to be mutually agreed, he added. "My sense is the US side is very keen to collaborate with India in the area of technology...including nuclear technology," Kumar said. Addressing a side meeting of the working

US ready to lend Polish firm ORLEN $4 billion for nuclear energy plan

A project to develop small nuclear power reactors in Poland is moving forward, with a cooperation agreement between the Polish energy giant ORLEN and two U.S. government financial institutions signed Monday. Poland is turning toward renewable and non-carbon energy, away from its past reliance on its own coal. Moscow's invasion of Ukraine has also accelerated Poland's drive to cut its dependence on Russian oil and gas. In a ceremony at the U.S. ambassador's residence in Warsaw, the U.S. EXIM Bank signed a letter of interest in lending up to $3 billion and the U.S International Development Finance Corporation signed a letter of interest to lend up to $1 billion to the ORLEN Synthos Green Energy project for developing some 20 small modular reactors designed by GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy. U.S. Ambassador Mark Brzezinski stressed that Russia's aggression against Ukraine almost 14 months ago reinforced the need to turn toward safe and reliable energy sources. At a later news conference,

UN nuclear head meets Iranian officials amid enrichment concerns

The head of the UN nuclear watchdog was meeting with officials in Iran on Saturday, days after it was revealed that the country had enriched particles of uranium to near weapons-grade, raising new alarm over its long-disputed nuclear programme. Rafael Mariano Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, declined to comment on his discussions during a press conference with the head of Iran's nuclear programme, saying the delegation's work was still ongoing. It's an atmosphere of work, of honesty and cooperation," Grossi said. He was expected to speak with reporters again upon his return to Vienna later on Saturday. Earlier this week, the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency reported that uranium particles enriched up to 83.7 per cent just short of weapons-grade were found in Iran's underground Fordo nuclear site. The confidential quarterly report by the IAEA, which was distributed to member states on Tuesday, came as tensions were already high amid months

India, US making efforts for cooperation in civil nuclear energy sector

In the face of growing global concerns over energy security triggered by the Ukraine conflict, India and the US are giving a fresh look at exploring practical cooperation in the civil nuclear energy sector after failing to move forward since inking a historic agreement over 14 years back for partnership in the area. Ways for bilateral cooperation in areas of clean energy including nuclear commerce under the framework of the India-US nuclear agreement of 2008 figured prominently in the talks US Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources Geoffrey R Pyatt had with Indian interlocutors in Delhi on February 16 and 17. In an exclusive interview to PTI, Pyatt described India as a very crucial partner for the US in ensuring global energy security in view of serious disruptions in supplies of fossil fuel resulting from Russia's "brutal" invasion of Ukraine. Pyatt said the US supports Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "incredibly ambitious" energy transition goal of having 500 GW (gigawat

Govt trying to resolve issues with France on Jaitapur nuclear reactors

The government informed Parliament on Thursday that it was earnestly trying to sort out with France the issues pertaining to the construction of 1650 MW nuclear power reactors in Jaitapur in Maharashtra. "Much of the conflict of views on the two sides happened because of geopolitical reasons. We are, very earnestly, trying to sort it out and we are moving forward," Minister of State for Atomic Energy Jitendra Singh said in the Rajya Sabha during the Question Hour. He was responding to a supplementary question asked by Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on the status of construction of nuclear power reactors in Jaitapur. There are technical, financial and civil nuclear liability issues that both sides have to resolve. India has announced plans to construct six 1,650 MW nuclear power plants at Jaitapur in Ratnagiri which could become the nation's largest nuclear power site once completed with a 9,900 MW capacity. Replying to another supplementary query asked by Muzibulla Khan of the BJD

India, France review cooperation in areas of nuclear energy, trade

India and France on Monday carried out a comprehensive review of their cooperation in the areas of nuclear energy, trade and people-to-people exchanges among others. The two sides took stock of the cooperation during talks between Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra and Secretary-General of the French Foreign Ministry Anne-Marie Descotes in Paris. Kwatra is on a visit to France from February 5 to 7. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the two sides also discussed global and regional issues including climate change and energy transition. It said they also exchanged views on topical issues such as India's G20 Presidency, the conflict in Ukraine and the security situation in Afghanistan. "Both sides reviewed progress on key areas of bilateral cooperation, including on the various institutional dialogue mechanisms between the two countries, civil nuclear domain, on cooperation vis-a-vis the UNSC given the end of India's term, and the people-to-people and cultural sphere," it

Swedish govt to amend law to be able to build more nuclear power plants

Sweden's centre-right coalition government said on Wednesday it will present legislation that will enable the construction of new nuclear power stations. We are now changing the legislation, making it possible to build more reactors in more places than is possible today, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson told a press conference. It was unclear when the government will present the law proposal. Sweden's environmental law sets a cap of 10 reactors, and new nuclear power plants may only be built in places where there are already reactors. The government want these provisions to be removed. The plan is to have the amendment enter into force in March 2024. There are currently six nuclear reactors at three locations: Forsmark, Oskarshamn and Ringhals. Romina Pourmokhtari, the minister in charge of climate and environment, said the new reactors may be smaller and must be built where they do the most good. We also see that other countries are building small reactors, instead of a fe

Russia, IAEA discuss safety of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant

Russian officials and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) held a new round of consultations in Moscow on cooperation in ensuring the safety of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant

Holy grail: Limitless and zero-carbon fusion energy a step closer

But there's still a long way to create a viable tech for this

US adds 6 Pakistani firms to 'unsafeguarded' nuclear proliferation list

The United States has placed six Pakistani companies on its entity list for missile proliferation and unsafe-guarded nuclear activity

What is a small modular nuclear reactor?

To meet the rising electricity demand, the government recently said that it is exploring building small modular reactors. But what are they? Let's find out

India eyes smaller nuclear reactors for clean energy transition: Minister

India is taking steps for the development of small modular Reactors with up to 300 MW capacity to fulfil its commitment to transitioning towards clean energy, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said Sunday. At a workshop on Small Modular Reactors (SMR) organized by NITI Aayog and the Department of Atomic Energy, he said the participation of the private sector and start-ups needs to be explored in the development of this critical technology within India. He emphasised that technology sharing and availability of funding are the two crucial links for ensuring the commercial availability of SMR technology. Singh said the exploration of new clean energy options is in tune with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's roadmap for clean energy transition through bold climate commitments which are reflected in the updated Nationally Determined Contributions. SMRs with up to 300 MW capacity, by nature, are flexible in design and require a smaller footprint, Singh said, adding that being mobile and agile .

China plans to build its first moon base powered by nuclear energy by 2028

China plans to build its first base on the moon by 2028, ahead of landing astronauts there in subsequent years as the country steps up its challenge to NASA's dominance in space exploration

How small modular nuclear reactors may help India to meet energy goals

The adoption of the SMR route could also end the difficult route of developing nuclear technology India has been attempting since the 1950s