Holtec Optimistic on DOE $1.5 Billion Loan to Reopen Palisades

• Holtec Optimistic on DOE $1.5 Billion Loan to Reopen Palisades
• DOE Awards PG&E’s Diablo Canyon $1.1 billion
• Czech Republic Seeks Bids for Four Nuclear Reactors From EDF And KHNP
• SaskPower Deal with GE Hitachi for BWRX300 SMR
• Capital Power and Ontario Power Generation Partner for Nuclear Power in Alberta
• Zeno Power Selects Westinghouse for Radioisotope Power System Fabrication
• Commercial Advanced Nuclear Fuel Arrives In Idaho For Testing

Holtec Optimistic on DOE $1.5 Billion Loan to Reopen Palisades

A Holtec spokesman told the Bloomberg wire service last week that the company is “very optimistic” that the Department of Energy (DOE) will approve a loan of $1.5 billion to cover the cost of reopening the Palisades nuclear power plant in Michigan. DOE declined to comment on the report. (Image: NRC)

Holtec added that it expects the money could be approved this month.  Holtec said that once it has the money, and an NRC, license, it could have the reactor in revenue service by the end of 2025.

This is an ambitious agenda. First, the firm must address a multitude of technical issues to get the plant into a state of operational readiness. The plant needs extensive renovations and has a backlog of deferred maintenance that accumulated once it closure was announced several years ago.

Second, it must convince the NRC that the plant can be operated safely. Given that the agency has never faced the challenge of relicensing a closed plant, it is likely to resist Holtec’s desire for progress at warp speed.

Prema Chandrathil, an NRC spokesperson, responding the media requests, said, “NRC will only authorize the restart if Holtec shows usage of material in a safe matter to the public and environment.”

Holtec had originally planned to decommission the reactor, and without the federal loan, would revert to that plan.

Nick Culp, a Holtec spokesman, told the Bloomberg wire service he is “very optimistic” about DOE’s plans to approve the loan.

“This is a historic opportunity for the country and Michigan,” Culp said. “As we transition away from fossil fuels, nuclear is going to be a critical part of not only reaching our climate goals but doing so in a way that ensures the lights stay on.”

Holtec bought the 800 MW reactor in 2022 after Entergy Corp closed it due to financial reasons. After consultations with Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Holtec began working to reopen it. The State of Michigan has pledged $150 million towards restart of the reactor.

The PWR type reactor was commissioned in 1971 having been built in just four years for a cost of $630 million.

Holtec also plans to build two 300 MW small modular reactors (SMR) on the site to take advantage of existing infrastructure including the Palisade’s grid connection, switchyard, and access to cooling water from Lake Michigan. Holtec recently announced the new power rating for its SMR having previously worked on a 160 MW design. Holtec has been in prelicensing meetings with the NRC for the 160 MW SMR. It will have to update its technical documents submitted to the agency to address the new 300 MW power rating.

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DOE Awards PG&E’s Diablo Canyon $1.1 billion

(WNN) The Department of Energy has awarded $1.1 billion in payments to  PG&E for continued operation of its twin reactors at the Diablo Canyon plant. The money comes from the agency’s Civil Nuclear Credit Program.

The payments will be made in instalments over four years of operation from 2023, with the amounts adjusted to reflect factors including the actual costs of keeping the two-unit plant in operation. The first payment, to be made in 2025, will be based on the operation of the plant in 2023 and 2024.

PG&E agreed in 2016 that the two-unit Diablo Canyon plant would close at the end of its current licenses – in 2024 for unit 1 and 2025 for unit 2. At that time, it was thought that the plant’s output would no longer be required as California focused on an energy policy centered on efficiency, renewables and storage. The two reactors, each rated at 1,100 MW, were commissioned in 1985 and 1986.

However, in September 2022 – as California’s energy grid saw its highest-ever peak demand during a record-breaking heatwave – the state passed a law allowing the two nuclear units that provide 9% of California’s power generation to continue operation.

Maria Robinson, director of the US Department of Energy’s Grid Deployment Office said, “Preserving the nation’s nuclear fleet is critical not only to reaching America’s clean energy goals, but also to ensuring that homes and businesses across the country have reliable energy. The announcement “demonstrates the Administration’s commitment to domestic nuclear energy by preserving existing generation, while we continue to support a stronger nuclear power industry.”

The Civil Nuclear Credit Program is part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law signed by President Joe Biden in November 2021. It is being used to allocate credits to “certified” reactors which can show that they are projected to close for economic reasons and that closure will lead to a rise in air pollutants and carbon emissions. A total of 13 nuclear reactors have closed since 2012 due for economic reasons.

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Czech Republic Seeks Bids for Four Nuclear Reactors From EDF and KHNP

• Prague hopes to cut down new-build costs via a ‘package’ deal
• Westinghouse cut from consideration over lack of a “binding” offer
• Financing for only the 1st of the four units is in place

(NucNet) The Czech government announced on that it will be seeking binding bids from two technology vendors, France’s EDF and South Korea’s KHNP, for the construction of up to four new reactor units at the existing Dukovany nuclear power station.

The announcement means the government has changed its approach to new-build as it was previously looking for binding bids for a single new 1,200-MW Dukovany unit with the possibility for non-binding offers for an additional three units split between the Dukovany and Temelin nuclear stations.

In October 2023, Elektrárna Dukovany II, a wholly owned subsidiary of state utility CEZ, received final bids for the construction of a new nuclear power unit at Dukovany, or Dukovany-5, from Westinghouse, EDF and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP). All three submitted initial bids in November 2022.

The government said that Westinghouse will not be invited to the next stage of the Dukovany tendering process for up to four units now because the US company “did not meet the necessary conditions.”

It said Westinghouse’s offer was not binding, which “makes it impossible” to assess it, while “the entity responsible for the quality of the project” was not clearly defined.

Four Units Possibly Cheaper Than One

Czech prime-minister Petr Fiala told journalists at a press conference that building up to four new reactor units “in one package” is economically advantageous and estimated to push the total cost down by 25%.

According to the government, savings can be made by synergies in preparation, such as engineering, increased order quantities, and optimized construction, where heavy equipment, site equipment, accommodation capacity, and logistics can be used more efficiently across several reactor units.

The  vendors will now have until April 15th to submit their binding bids for four new reactor units, while a review process is scheduled to take a month with results announced in late May. A contract with the selected supplier is then expected to be signed in March 2025.

In 2020, the Czech state, which holds a 70% stake in CEZ, approved plans to give an interest-free loan for to finance Dukovany-5. Estimations at the time said the loan would be valued at about €7.5 billion or $8,1 billion.

The government said that a financing model for an addition three reactor units has not yet been decided.

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SaskPower Deal with GE Hitachi for BWRX300 SMR

SaskPower and GE Hitachi have signed an agreement to work with GE Hitachi on design, fuel sourcing and fabrication for a BWRX-300 small modular reactor (SMR).

The corporation says the agreement will also “support workforce and supply chain planning needed for a Saskatchewan-based SMR deployment.”

SaskPower recently signed a master services agreement with Ontario Power Generation (OPG) and its subsidiary, Laurentis Energy Partners.

OPG also selected the BWRX-300 as the technology to be used for the development of the SMR’s in the province. The utility is currently building one of four SMR’s at its nuclear facility in Darlington.

Rupen Pandya, President and CEO of Sask Power, told wire services that the Esteven and Elbow regions in the province are being considered as potential sites for the the SMR. SaskPower says a final decision on whether to move forward with nuclear power will be made in 2029.

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Capital Power and Ontario Power Generation Partner for Nuclear Power in Alberta

Capital Power Corporation (TSX: CPX) and Ontario Power Generation have entered into an agreement to jointly assess the development and deployment of grid-scale small modular reactors (SMRs) in the Canadian province of Alberta which is home to the country’s oil producing tar sands.

Through the agreement, the two companies will examine the feasibility of developing SMRs in Alberta, including possible ownership and operating structures. Capital Power and OPG will complete the feasibility assessment within two years, while continuing to work on the next stages of SMR development.

“Alberta is focused on being a leader in delivering a reliable, affordable and decarbonized energy system so our province can grow, prosper and excite others to do the same. SMRs are a critical component of the clean power generation supply mix and hold promise for the oil sands,” said Hon. Brian Jean, Minister of Energy and Minerals, Government of Alberta.

“We look forward to working with Capital Power and OPG in creating the right framework to eventually bring SMRs onto Alberta’s power grid.”

About Capital Power

Capital Power owns approximately 7,700 megawatts (MW) of power generation capacity at 30 facilities across North America. Projects in advanced development include approximately 213 MW of renewable generation capacity in Alberta and North Carolina, 512 MW of incremental natural gas combined cycle capacity from the repowering of Genesee 1 and 2 in Alberta, and approximately 350 MW of natural gas and battery energy storage systems in Ontario.

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Zeno Power Selects Westinghouse for Radioisotope Power System Fabrication

Zeno Power announced a strategic partnership with Westinghouse Electric Company. The firm will be responsible for processing radioisotopes, a crucial step in creating the heat sources for Zeno Power’s RPSs.

These systems are designed to convert heat from radioisotopes into a continuous and clean energy supply, ideal for applications in remote locations like deep-sea environments and outer space missions.

This new phase builds upon a successful demonstration at Pacific Northwest National Lab last October. It showcased the increased specific power of Zeno’s Sr-90 heat source compared to traditional Sr-90 sources, underscoring the potential of Zeno’s patented innovation in enhancing RPS efficiency.

Harsh S. Desai, Chief Commercialization Officer of Zeno Power, said, “We’ve demonstrated the core building block of our technology – now we’re pleased to be working with the team at Westinghouse to enable and accelerate the deployment of our commercial RPSs.”

About the Zeno Power RPS

Radioisotope Power Systems (RPSs) are compact devices that convert the heat from decaying radioisotopes into a constant supply of clean energy. RPSs utilizing Plutonium-238 have long been used on government space missions, such as NASA’s Voyager and New Horizons Missions. Additionally, the Department of Defense has deployed Strontium-90 RPSs for use in remote terrestrial and maritime environments.

Zeno Power announced on January 24th that it has secured Strontium-90 (Sr-90) material from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to fuel its initial full-scale radioisotope power systems (RPSs) for national security and space exploration missions. Zeno will use this material to deliver on its contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and work to commercialize its RPS technology by 2026.

To date, Zeno has been awarded more than $40M in contracts from the DOD and NASA to deliver RPSs that will enable critical operations on the seabed, on orbit, and the surface of the Moon.

Through a new public-private partnership, Zeno Power and DOE’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) will recycle a legacy Sr-90 RPS – the BUP-500 – into fuel for Zeno’s RPSs.

Sr-90 has been used in RPSs before – but historically these systems were heavy, constraining their use to limited terrestrial applications. Zeno’s claims its key innovation is a novel design that increases the specific power of Sr-90 heat sources, enabling broad use of its RPSs in space and terrestrially.

In October 2023, Zeno demonstrated its first Sr-90 heat source at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. The demonstration confirmed that Zeno’s patented innovation increases the specific power of its Sr-90 heat source compared to historic Sr-90 heat sources.

The company, founded in 2018, has offices in Washington, D.C., and Seattle, WA. Zeno is currently executing on contracts with NASA and the DOD, and is on track to deliver its initial RPSs to customers by 2026. Zeno is backed by a portfolio of investors including Tribe Capital, 1517 Fund, AIN Ventures, Balerion Space Ventures, and DCVC.

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Commercial Advanced Nuclear Fuel Arrives In Idaho For Testing

For the first time in two decades, Idaho National Laboratory, the nation’s nuclear energy laboratory, has received a shipment of used next-generation light water reactor fuel from a commercial nuclear power plant to support research and testing.

In December, INL received 25 experimental fuel rods irradiated in the reactor core of a commercial reactor. The fuel rods were developed and manufactured by Westinghouse Electric Company with technical assistance from several national laboratories, including INL.

These experimental fuels, designed for extended use and robust safety features, could deliver significant cost savings for consumers while increasing a nuclear power plant’s resilience under potential accident conditions.

But first, researchers must examine and analyze the fuel to evaluate how this advanced technology performed during normal usage. Researchers will conduct additional experiments to understand how the fuel performs under postulated accident conditions. Lastly, researchers will perform experiments to demonstrate behavior during storage and recycling.

The data generated from these experiments and analyses are essential to establishing the safety bases required by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to allow the fuel’s use at more nuclear power plants throughout the U.S.

The fuel rod shipment contains both accident tolerant fuel (ATF) and high burnup fuel. High burnup fuels take advantage of unrealized performance capacity available in advanced materials that can allow for extended operating cycles and/or increasing the licensed power generation at existing power plants while significantly reducing spent fuel generation.

Researchers say the new fuel rods, when licensed for commercial use, could extend the amount of time a plant can operate between refueling from 18 to 24 months.

“Increased burnup, when combined with potential ATF-related uprates, could be a huge economic benefit to those plants and the fleet,” said Daniel Wachs, national technical director of DOE’s Advanced Fuels Campaign.

“The increased electrical output in the U.S. could be the equivalent of adding new reactors to the fleet.”

Westinghouse and other nuclear fuel developers, in concert with national laboratories, have spent years developing new fuels for the existing nuclear reactor fleet. INL’s experiments and examinations of the fuel after time spent in a commercial nuclear reactor is one step in the qualification process.

Experts will analyze and test the fuel at INL’s Materials and Fuels Complex. Theywill use remote manipulators in the nation’s largest inert-atmosphere hot cell to perform analyses and tests.

INL is also preparing the Advanced Test Reactor to accommodate fuels for endurance tests that mimic the wear and tear incurred over a decade of service in a commercial reactor in a fraction of the time. This step can support pursuing even higher burnup than that achieved in the commercial plant testing.

Experts will also use the material to explore used fuel management approaches. The material will be examined to measure thermal and mechanical properties, data that is essential for understanding transportation and dry storage behavior. This work also includes demonstrating electrochemical recycling technologies as an option to recover and recycle valuable uranium and other fissile isotopes.

The research will provide valuable data for not only the NRC and INL’s domestic sponsors including the DOE Office of Nuclear Energy, the National Nuclear Security Administration and private entities, but also international partners including regulatory bodies in other parts of the World.

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