Page 2 - Nuclear Reactors

India's 1st prototype fast-breeder reactor to be commissioned by Sept 2026

India's first prototype fast-breeder reactor in Tamil Nadu's Kalpakkam is expected to be commissioned next year, nearly two years after it got the go-ahead from the nuclear regulator, officials have said. The commissioning of the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) will mark the second stage of India's three-stage nuclear programme that aims to recycle spent fuel to reduce the inventory of radioactive waste. The PFBR being developed in Kalpakkam is the first-of-its-kind nuclear reactor to use plutonium-based mixed oxide as fuel and liquid sodium as coolant. It will also utilise the spent fuel of Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors, which form the mainstay of nuclear power in India at present. While the state-run Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) operates nuclear power plants in the country, the PFBR in Kalpakkam is being developed by the Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam (BHAVINI). "BHAVINI's 500 MW PFBR is in the advanced stage of integrated commissioning, with ...

India plans to set new nuclear regulator amid the entry of private sector

Amendments to the Atomic Energy Act are in progress to enable private sector involvement in nuclear energy sector, with strict oversight on the import, use, and disposal of nuclear fuel

NTPC seeks global partners to build 15 GW nuclear power projects in India

The partner should have clearance from concerned authorities in their country of origin as well as comply with Indian policies, including having or getting a license for the offered technology

India, France intend to jointly develop advanced nuclear reactors

India and France on Wednesday expressed an intent to jointly develop modern nuclear reactors, emphasising that nuclear power was crucial for energy security and transition to a low-carbon economy. The two countries signed a letter of intent on Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and Advanced Modular Reactors (AMRs), according to a joint statement issued after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris. "Prime Minister Modi and President Macron stressed that nuclear energy is an essential part of the energy mix for strengthening energy security and transitioning towards a low-carbon economy," according to the statement. SMRs are compact nuclear fission reactors that can be manufactured in factories and then installed elsewhere. They typically have a smaller capacity than conventional nuclear reactors. The two leaders also acknowledged the strong civil nuclear ties between India and France and efforts in cooperation on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, ..

US, Indian leaders to work towards easier nuclear liability laws: Garcetti

Ambassador Eric Garcetti said leaders from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, as well as opposition parties were interested in looking for a "way forward" on the matter

Powering ahead: India adding nuclear power faster than global peers

Nuclear power has been in the news with NTPC announcing a partnership with the US-based Clean Core Thorium Energy (CCTE) to develop thorium-based fuel for use in nuclear reactors

NPCIL invites proposals to set up small nuclear reactors for captive use

India's nuclear power operator NPCIL on Tuesday invited proposals from the industry to set up 220 MW Bharat Small Reactors for captive use, replacing the existing coal-fired thermal power plants used by the steel, aluminium, copper and cement industries. Bharat Small Reactors are 220 MW Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWR) with an impeccable safety and excellent performance record, which are compact and tailored for captive use, according to a statement from the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL). "NPCIL has today invited Request for Proposals (RFP) from visionary Indian industries for setting up 220 MW Bharat Small Reactors (BSRs) for captive use," said the statement. The nuclear power operator said BSRs can provide a sustainable solution for decarbonization of hard-to-abate industries. It would also help these industries secure economic benefits resulting from savings in carbon emission related taxes, thus increasing competitiveness of their products in the ..

Iran plans to install new uranium-enrichment centrifuges, says IAEA report

More enrichment capacity means Iran can enrich uranium more quickly, potentially increasing the nuclear proliferation risk

Nuclear reactor that restarted 13 yrs after Fukushima disaster shuts again

A Japanese nuclear reactor that restarted last week for the first time in more than 13 years after it had survived a massive 2011 earthquake and tsunami that badly damaged the nearby Fukushima nuclear plant was shut down again Monday due to an equipment problem, its operator said. The No. 2 reactor at the Onagawa nuclear power plant on Japan's northern coast was put back online on Oct. 29 and had been expected to start generating power in early November. But it had to be shut down again five days after its restart due to a glitch that occurred Sunday in a device related to neutron data inside the reactor, plant operator Tohoku Electric Power Co. said. The reactor was operating normally and there was no release of radiation into the environment, Tohoku Electric said. The utility said it decided to shut it down to re-examine equipment to address residents' safety concerns. No new date for a restart was given. The reactor is one of three at the Onagawa plant, which is 100 kilometers (

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

IAEA chief warns of nuclear accident risk at Russian plant in Kursk region

Russia says the plant has been repeatedly attacked by Ukrainian forces that are just 40 km (25 miles) away after carving out a slice of Russian territory this month

UN nuclear chief Grossi visits Russia's Kursk atomic plant near front line

The safety of nuclear power plants has repeatedly been endangered over the course of the Ukraine war

Aim to deploy small modular nuclear reactors: Tata Consulting Engineers CEO

India aims to deploy 40-50 small modular nuclear reactors, mostly to replace captive thermal power plants, as it aims to achieve the goal of net-zero emissions by 2070. A top industry official said that the 220-MWe Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR) was being redesigned using 3D design platforms with an aim to achieve a high degree of standardisation that would allow easy deployment, even in old thermal power plants used by the steel, aluminium, copper and the cement industries. The Department of Atomic Energy and Tata Consulting Engineers are redesigning the PHWRs to develop the Bharat Small Modular Reactor. "We are going to take the old design of the PHWR and then reconfigure and redesign it to be modular, scalable and safety-aligned to post-Fukushima standards," Amit Sharma, the managing director and CEO of Tata Consulting Engineers, told PTI. Sharma said in the case of small modular reactors (SMRs), the plan was to make 40-50 reactors in less than seven to eight years but .

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

India rebukes claims made by Pak foreign min over radioactive substances

Days after Pakistan's foreign ministry spokesperson raised concerns over seizure of alleged 'radioactive' material in India, the MEA on Friday said relevant Indian authorities have investigated the matter and found "no radioactive substance". The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) asserted that those making "baseless comments" are advised to desist from their "propaganda". In response to a question at his weekly briefing here, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India has a "robust legal and regulatory framework" for safety and security of radioactive material and its non-proliferation track records speak for itself. On August 9, officials said the Bihar Police has arrested three people from the state's Gopalganj district and recovered 50 gm of a "radioactive substance" worth crores of rupees from their possession. Pakistan's foreign ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch in a statement on Tuesday had raised concerns over effectiveness of the measures taken by New Delhi to ens

French senate calls for change to nuclear power price regulation

The Senate inquiry commission recommended replacing last November's agreement with 'real regulation' in the form of a CfD on the existing nuclear fleet

Iran installs advanced centrifuges amid tensions high over nuke programme

Iran has started up new cascades of advanced centrifuges and plans to install others in the coming weeks after facing criticism over its nuclear programme, the United Nations' atomic watchdog said Friday. The US called the moves nuclear escalations. Spinning up new centrifuges further advances Iran's nuclear programme, which already enriches uranium at near-weapons-grade levels and boasts a stockpile enough for several nuclear bombs if it chose to pursue them. However, the acknowledgement from the International Atomic Energy Agency did not include any suggestion Iran planned to go to higher enrichment levels amid wider tensions between Tehran and the West as the Israel-Hamas war rages in the Gaza Strip. The IAEA said its inspectors verified Monday that Iran had begun feeding uranium into three cascades of advanced IR-4 and IR-6 centrifuges at its Natanz enrichment facility. Cascades are a group of centrifuges that spin uranium gas together to more quickly enrich the uranium. So far,

India to get next-gen nuclear fuel this summer, says Russian official

A full-scale discussion took place on the perspective areas of the Russian-Indian cooperation in the nuclear field

US Prez Biden signs ban on imports of Russian nuclear reactor fuel into law

The ban on imports of the fuel for nuclear power plants begins in about 90 days, although it allows the Department of Energy to issue waivers in case of supply concerns

Key parts yet to arrive, resumption in operations of TAPS delayed

The nation's first two nuclear reactors at the Tarapur Atomic Power Station (TAPS) that have been closed for repairs since 2020 will take another five months to resume operation due to a delay in the delivery of an essential component, officials said on Friday. Officials said they were waiting for some special metal pipes from Italy but the tubes did not arrive in time. The manufacturer is finding it difficult to produce the pipes as the order is quite small, they said. Initially scheduled for reactivation on May 9, the reactors will remain offline until October, pending the awaited supplies, an official said. The two Boiling Water Reactors (BWRs), each with a capacity of 160 megawatts, were installed in 1969 at TAPS, about 100 km from Mumbai on the country's western coast. The BWRs boil water which is converted into steam to run the turbine for electricity production and then recycled back to water through a condenser to be re-used in the heat-generation process. The overhaul, ..