Japan Marks Progress to Open Kashiwazaki-Kariwa

• Japan Marks Progress to Open Kashiwazaki-Kariwa
• South Korea Awards Contract to Build Two 1400 MW PWRs
• Spain to Pull the Plug on Seven Reactors by 2035
• UK Struggles with Goals for Nuclear Energy
• Energy Fuels Starts Uranium Production at Three US Sites
• Rosatom Produces MOX Fuel for the BN-800 Reactor

Japan Marks Progress to Open Kashiwazaki-Kariwa

TEPCO’s Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, which is one of the biggest nuclear power stations on the planet, offline since the 2012 following the Fukushima disaster, has achieved a significant milestone toward reopening for revenue service.

Japan’s Nuclear Regulatory Agency (NRA) removed an operational hold on restart. TEPCO, which owns and operates the seven BWRs at the site, must now convince provincial officials in the Niigata prefecture (map) can it can operate in a safe manner. The NRA’s order allows TEPCO to ship new unirradiated fuel to the plants and to load these fuel rods into the reactors.

The site has a total generating capacity of 8,200 MWe. The reactors were built between 1980 and 1993. The first five units generate 1,000 MWe each and the two newer plants have outputs in the range of 1,300 MWe. TEPCO told wire services it is “eager” to get the reactors running again for their power and revenue.

In the past two years, TEPCO has tried, unsuccessfully, to restart the two newest and most powerful of the seven units at the site. Recurring issues with regulatory noncompliance and local opposition are the key factors.

Gaining local approval will not be easy. TEPCO must earn the trust of local populations who have seen multiple incidents occur at the plants including small fires, radioactive steam leaks, falsified safety inspection reports, security incidents, and mismanagement of low level radioactive waste materials. Several elected officials in the region have made careers out of bashing TEPCO’s mistakes and failures in management practices.

Not all is lost. A spokesman for the office of the Prime Minister said in a statement to the news media the government is committed to helping TEPCO win local approvals. Yoshimasa Hayashi, the government’s top spokesperson, said, “The government will seek the understanding and cooperation of Niigata prefecture and local communities, emphasizing ‘safety-first’.”

Typically, the utility and the government will offer significant economic development incentives in return for for approval. This time TECPO has some wind in its sails with the NRA’s approval on nuclear fuel deliveries.

Other Reactor Restarts

The government has been actively supporting the restart of the country’s nuclear reactors in order to reduce its imports of LNG. Last September Japan’s Kansai Electric Power restarted another reactor at its Takahama nuclear power plant, the 12th reactor in the nation to be returned to service.

The 826 MWe reactor, built in 1975, had been shut since November 2011. Reuters reported that following special government approval to extend its life beyond the standard limit of 40 years, the Takahama No.2 reactor becomes Japan’s third of its kind to come back online after Kansai Electric’s Mihama No.3 and Takahama No.1.

Japan’s 12 currently operating reactors have a combined capacity of 11.6 GWe, or a third of the 33.1 GWe of capacity from 33 reactors designated for commercial use. If all seven of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa reactors can be restarted in 2024, they will bring Japan’s total nuclear generating capacity to 19.7 GWe or 60% of its potential total nuclear fleet capacity.

However, the future is not necessarily bright for the the reactors that remain offline. Reuters reported that Takeo Kikkawa, president of International University of Japan, believes that a maximum of about 20 reactors, or 15% of the total Japanese energy mix from all sources, would come online by 2030, falling short of the government’s target of 20-22% owing to lengthy approvals and difficulties gaining consent from local communities.

In particular, the NRA has imposed stringent security requirements on the remaining reactors in a bid to deter terrorist attacks on the plants. Previously, TEPCO lost ground in its drive for restarts when it was discovered that plant personnel without the correct clearances had entered areas of facility that they were not authorized to be in.

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South Korea Awards Contract to Build Two 1400 MW PWRs

A Hyundai E&C-led consortium won a $2.4 billion contract with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) to build two APR1400 PWRs (Shin Hanul Units #3 & #4) at the Hanul site in Uljin, North Gyeongsang Province (map).

The company said the firm will deliver the plants in 2032. Given the long lead time for completion, the current cost estimate is likely to be higher by that time.

Hyundai E&C formed a consortium with Doosan Enerbility and POSCO E&C. As the main contractor, Hyundai will have 55% of the $2.4B in work scope.

Image Source: KEPCO

South Korea’s track record for competitive cost controls in building four new nuclear power plants in the United Arab Emirates will make its exports very competitive in the global market. A spokesman for Hyundai told the South Korean news media it plans to accelerate its market penetration into Europe.

“We will focus on strengthening the status of the Korean nuclear power industry, which is gaining attention in the era of carbon neutrality, and expanding the global market.”

South Korea completed four 1400 MWe reactors at the United Arab Emirates Barakah site. Three of them are in revenue service and the fourth is expected to come online in 2024. South Korea is also a bidder to construct two of its APR1400 PWRs for Saudi Arabia, but there is no firm time line for an award for that project.

IP Dispute In Arbitration

Separately, an intellectual property dispute with Westinghouse is in arbitration. The dispute arose after Westinghouse filed complaints against KHNP and its parent Korea Electric Power Corp. in a US court in October 2022 to block exports of nuclear power reactors to Poland.

The move came shortly after KHNP inked a letter of intent with Poland’s state-run power company Polska Grupa Energetyczna (PGE) and private firm Zespol Elektrowni Patnow-Adamov-Konin (ZE PAK) to build a nuclear power plant consisting of two power units with a 1400 MWe each. Poland downsized the project from its initial plan to have four reactors as part of the project. Financing for the deal has not been announced.

Westinghouse argued the Korean nuclear reactor model, APR1400, was based on its original design and technology, therefore the two South Korean companies should be held accountable for failure to pay licensing fees based on the export of the APR1400-model nuclear reactors.

KHNP claimed it was licensed to use the technology, thus it is able to export them without permission from Westinghouse and is not liable for royalty payments.

Status of the South Korean Nuclear Fleet

The last domestic construction order in South Korea was made in 2015, when the country placed orders for Shin-Kori reactors 5 and 6. Since then, no new construction orders have been made due to the previous Moon Jae-in administration’s nuclear phase-out policy. The current administration has been enthusiastically pro-nuclear.

President Yoon Suk-yeol, elected March 2022, ended this policy, and set a target for nuclear to provide a minimum of 30% of all electricity by 2030. Currently, 25 reactors provide electricity from 23 GWe of plant.

Two other 1400 MWe reactors are also under construction in South Korea. Saeul #3 & #4, are expected to be complete and in revenue service in 2024.

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Spain to Pull the Plug on Seven Reactors by 2035

Spain’s government has made a policy decision to take all seven of its operating reactors offline between 2027 and 2035. The reactors supply 7.1 GWe covering a fifth of domestic electricity consumption.

Six of the plants are PWRs, one is a BWR, and all of them were completed between 1973 and 1988. In 2023 the oldest has 50 years of service and the newest has just 35 years of service.

The impetus for the action is the unwillingness of the government to fund and build a central spent fuel and nuclear waste permanent geologic repository. The Spanish government cabinet blames rising costs for the project as the reason for the decision. It estimated the long term cost of a permanent repository for spent fuel could cost over EUR 20 billion.

The government scrapped the centralized temporary storage project in Villar de Cañas (map) despite having spent EUR 90 million on it to date. Instead, it appears the government is going to punt the problem into the future while keeping the spent fuel in dry storage at each of the seven reactors for up to 50 years.

Separately, the El Cabril storage system in the province of Córdoba will continue to accept low to intermediate level radioactive waste until all the plants are completely dismantled. It needs to be expanded once decommissioning work is underway. It could take up to two decades once D&D begins, and startup of D&D is delayed by law for several years after a nuclear plant leaves revenue service.

Spain did not sign on to a declaration at COP28 by 22 countries to triple nuclear reactors generating capacity by 2050. However, in a separate action it said it would phase out coal fire power plants in favor of renewables.

The action indicates Spain has learned nothing from Germany’s experience of shutting down its nuclear fleet. This action has resulted in the highest electricity rates in Europe and the reopening of the worst polluting coal fired power plants using lignite fuel.

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UK Struggles with Goals for Nuclear Energy

Despite signing on to a declaration at COP28 to triple nuclear generating capacity globally by 205, UK PM Rishi Sunak is reported to be planning to scale back the nation’s commitment to 24 GWe by reducing it to 16 GWe or to two-thirds of the previous target. The reason is industry sources have reportedly told the government the nation lacks the supply chain production capacity and trained workforce to meet the 24 GWe goal.

According to The Telegraph newspaper, a draft version of a new “nuclear roadmap” circulated in Whitehall, prepared buy Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho, shows a commitment to building a minimum of 16 gigawatts of new capacity by 2050. The combined addition of Hinkley and Sizewell is 6.4 GWe.

Currently, the UK has two massive reactor projects underway. They are Hinkley Point and Sizewell. Both sites are building twin EDF 1600 MWe PWRs. Both projects are expected to significantly exceed their initial cost estimates. The government is in talks with EDF to inject more capital into these projects. Chinese state-owned nuclear enterprises, which are investors in Hinkley, have reportedly refused to add more cash to their equity stake.

Last year then PM Boris Johnson booted these Chinese firms from taking a 20% equity stake in Sizewell over “security concerns” leaving a huge hole in the funding for it. This act also cancelled the linkage to a promise to the Chinese firms to be able to build one-to-three 1100 MW PWRs (Hualong One) at the Bradwell site leaving it without a viable path forward.

The government is facing a dilemma about what to do with several previously planned new builds at the Bradwell, Moorside, Wylfa, and Oldbury sites. All of them at one time or another had committed reactor vendors but none have broken ground due to exit of these vendors due to issues with the government over funding, cost control, and rates.

Separately, the government has for the second time launched a “competition” for funding small modular reactors (SMRs). Six firms submitted proposals. All of the them have their reactor designs in progress in the UK Office of Nuclear Regulation generic design assessment process. It is unclear when the government will make a financial award to one or more the vendors, how much money will be awarded to them, and whether the government and the vendors can line up sufficient investors to cover the costs.

Meanwhile, Rolls-Royce, which has a 470 MWe mid-range PWR offering, is promoting itself as the UK’s “home team” relative to SMR vendors from the US. Its plan for a 16 reactor fleet could scoop up a lot of marbles in terms of government and investor funding.

Former UK PM Boris Johnson Slams Current PM Rishi Sunak
Over Slowdown of Nuclear New Build

According to reports in the UK news media, former UK PM Boris Johnson is turning up the heat on the current PM Rishi Sunak over his plan to slash funding commitments for building new nuclear reactors. He criticized the lack of progress on nuclear energy and told Mr Sunak to “get on with it.”

The former PM said: “Nuclear power must be part of the low-carbon baseload. I urge the government to get on with it and deliver on Great British Nuclear. If we want to avoid future spikes in energy prices we must generate more of our own electricity.”

Johnson's partisan swipe at Sunak is mostly a classic case of the ‘pot calling the kettle black.”

For his part, while in office Johnson dithered repeatedly over investing government funds in the two key nuclear projects – Hinkley Point and Sizewell, and it was only in the last days of his controversial tenure that he signed off on a £700M investment in the Sizewell project.

Further, the launch of the key initiative under Johnson – Great British Nuclear (GBN) – has been plagued by delays in funding commitments for small modular reactors. Differences between the Energy ministry and Treasury have been the cause of the setbacks. The proposal to reduce the target for new nuclear by a full third is most probably an outcome of these consultations.

Six vendors have signed on to the program which is intended to commit private and public funds to building one or more of these designs. All of them have submitted their designs to the UK Office of Nuclear Regulation for review as part of the complex and expensive generic design assessment process which takes up to four years to complete.

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Energy Fuels Starts Uranium Production at Three US Sites

(NucNet) US-based Energy Fuels said just before Christmas that it has started production of uranium ore at three of its permitted and developed uranium mines in Arizona and Utah, encouraged by higher prices. Uranium spot prices have climbed to $90 per pound.

The company is also preparing two more mines in Colorado and Wyoming for expected production within a year and is advancing permitting on several other large-scale US mine projects to increase uranium production.

The three mines where production has started are Pinyon Plain, La Sal and Pandora. The two mines being prepared for production are Whirlwind and Nichols Ranch. Energy Fuels said ore mined from the three mines during 2024 will be stockpiled at the company’s White Mesa Mill in Utah for processing in 2025.

Energy Fuels chief executive officer Mark Chalmers said in a statement, “Due to the substantial increase in uranium prices, US government support for nuclear energy and nuclear fuel, and a global focus on reducing carbon-emissions, Energy Fuels is resuming large-scale uranium production.”

The company’s decision to ramp-up uranium production was driven by several favorable market and policy factors, including strengthening spot and long-term uranium prices, increased buying interest from US nuclear utilities, US and global government policies supporting nuclear energy to address global climate change, and the need to reduce US reliance on Russian and Russian-controlled uranium and nuclear fuel.

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Rosatom Produces MOX Fuel for the BN-800 Reactor

According to a press statement by Rosatom, the first three fuel assemblies with uranium-plutonium mixed oxide fuel (MOX) containing transuranic elements americium-241 and neptunium-237 have been produced by Rosatom’s Mining and Chemical Combine.

The fuel has been accepted and is due to be loaded into the BN-800 fast neutron reactor at Beloyarsk nuclear power plant in 2024, with pilot operation “during three micro-campaigns (approximately one-and-a-half years).” Image right is a Rosatom MOX fuel assembly. Image source: Rosatom

Americiuym-241 is the isotope used on residential smoke detectors. Neptunium-237 is an intermediate product in the production of PU-238 which is used in radioisotope thermonuclear generators to power NASA’s deep space scientific missions.

Minor actinides are transuranic elements other than plutonium which are formed in irradiated nuclear fuel. They are highly radioactive and have long half-lives. The transmutation process of minor actinides is also called “afterburning” in a reactor.

Rosatom said in its press statement that the proposed Russian solution to what are the most hazardous components of nuclear waste is via fast neutron reactors which can be fueled not only by enriched natural uranium, but also by secondary products of the nuclear fuel cycle, such as depleted uranium and plutonium.

“In addition, the research shows that minor actinides from spent nuclear fuel under the flux of fast neutrons will fission into fragments representing a fairly wide range of radioactive and stable isotopes, but in general their potential hazard will be much lower than that of the original minor actinides.”

Alexander Ugryumov, senior vice president for research and development at Rosatom’s fuel division, TVEL, said: “The introduction of MOX fuel enables the expansion of the resource base for nuclear power multifold involving depleted uranium and plutonium, and also to reprocess irradiated fuel instead of storing it”.

“Afterburning of minor actinides is the next step in closing nuclear fuel cycle, which should not only reduce the amount of nuclear waste for final isolation, but also significantly reduce its radioactivity. In the long term, it could avoid the complicated and expensive deep burial of waste.”

The lead-test assemblies were manufactured at Mining and Chemical Combine in Zheleznogorsk in the Krasnoyarsk region, based on fuel fabrication technology developed at TVEL’s Bochvar Institute in Moscow.

TVEL says that the pilot operation in the BN-800 reactor “is the key stage of the comprehensive research program” for minor actinides afterburning which began in 2021 and is due to run until 2035.”

Beloyarsk 4 is a BN-800 reactor – a sodium-cooled fast reactor which produces about 820 MWe – which was brought to minimum controlled power for the first time in June 2014, and connected to the grid on 10 December 2015.

The 789 MWe reactor entered commercial operation on 31 October 2016. It was fully loaded with MOX fuel in September 2022 and recently became the first such facility to complete a year operating on MOX fuel. MOX fuel is manufactured from plutonium recovered from used reactor fuel, mixed with depleted uranium which is a by-product from uranium enrichment.

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