[Nucléaire] Relance du nucléaire aux USA.... ou pas ?

[energy_isere]

U.S. Senate Approves Bill to Ban Russian Uranium Imports

By Charles Kennedy - May 01, 2024,

The U.S. Senate unanimously voted in favor of a bill that would ban the imports of Russian uranium as the latest attempt to squeeze Russia’s export revenues amid its ongoing war on Ukraine.

If the Senate had not passed the legislation, the White House was considering an executive order to the same effect.
Russia is the second-biggest supplier of uranium for U.S. nuclear reactors, after local producers. Imports of Russian uranium account for 24% of the total, making a complete elimination of these supplies rather challenging.

However, the import ban legislation contains waivers to make sure nuclear reactors have enough fuel, Reuters noted in a report on the news.

"The risks of continuing this dependence on Russia for our nuclear fuels are simply too great," Republican Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers said, as quoted by Reuters. "It's weakening America's nuclear fuel infrastructure, which has declined significantly because of reliance on these cheap fuels."

Plans are to step up local production and enriching of uranium to reduce dependence on imports, with one senator noting Wyoming was a top candidate for future uranium supplies for U.S. nuclear reactors.
"Wyoming has the uranium to replace Russian imports, and we're ready to use it," John Barrasso from the Senate Energy Committee said. Wyoming is his home state. "Our bipartisan legislation will help defund Russia's war machine, revive American uranium production, and jumpstart investments in America's nuclear fuel supply chain," Barrasso added.

Following the news of the uranium vote in the Senate, uranium prices jumped in anticipation of a supply squeeze. The replacement of Russian enriched uranium with alternative supply could lift costs by as much as 20%, according to a Bloomberg report.

Currently, nuclear power plants in the United States spend around $1 billion annually on Russian uranium imports—a bill that would swell considerably after the ban, if the Bloomberg calculations are accurate.

https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News ... ports.html

[energy_isere]

suite de ce post du 17 fevrier 2024 http://www.oleocene.org/phpBB3/viewtopi ... 7#p2385807

Mise en service commercial de Vogtle-4.

Georgia Power starts operation of Unit 4 at Vogtle nuclear project in US

By NS Energy Staff Writer 30 Apr 2024

Vogtle Unit 4, which is equipped with a Westinghouse AP1000 reactor, is expected to generate enough electricity to power approximately 500,000 households and businesses apart from delivering reliable, emissions-free energy to customers for a minimum period of 60 to 80 years

Georgia Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company, has achieved commercial operation at Unit 4 of the 2.2GW Vogtle nuclear expansion project in Georgia, US.
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https://www.nsenergybusiness.com/news/g ... ect-in-us/

[energy_isere]

La start-up nucléaire du patron d'OpenAI s'effondre pour sa première cotation

AFP le 10 mai 2024

Le cours de la start-up Oklo, spécialisée dans l'énergie nucléaire et présidée par le patron d'OpenAI (ChatGPT) Sam Altman, a brutalement chuté vendredi pour sa première journée de cotation à Wall Street.

Vers 19H40 GMT, le titre lâchait 53,89% à 8,40 dollars.

Créée en 2013 par des anciens du Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Oklo s'est introduit en Bourse en fusionnant avec AltC Acquisition Corp, une société déjà cotée.

Cette dernière est une SPAC (special purpose acquisition company), une entreprise dont le seul but est de permettre à une autre d'entrer à Wall Street par le biais d'une union.

Depuis l'annonce de l'opération, en juillet, le prix de l'action AltC s'est envolée, prenant plus de 72%.

Les opérations impliquant une SPAC induisent souvent une forte volatilité, pour partie parce qu'elles sont davantage exposées à la spéculation que des introductions en Bourse classiques.

Impliqué dans plusieurs secteurs de pointe, Sam Altman a investi dans Oklo, le nom de cette jeune société, en 2015, et en est également devenu le président.

Selon des documents publiés par la start-up, il contrôle directement environ 3% du capital.

Le trentenaire s'est fait connaître avec le lancement par OpenAI, en novembre 2022, de ChatGPT, interface d'intelligence artificielle dite générative, qui peut créer du texte sur demande en langage courant.

Oklo prévoit de construire des petits réacteurs nucléaires, aussi appelés SMR (small modular reactors), dont les délais de réalisation sont théoriquement plus réduits que ceux des centrales traditionnelles et qui peuvent être installés plus facilement dans des zones reculées.

Oklo veut aussi proposer un service de recyclage du combustible nucléaire.

La jeune société ne dispose encore d'aucun site et s'est vu refuser, en janvier 2022, un permis de construction d'un SMR en Idaho par l'Agence américaine de régulation du nucléaire (NRC).

La NRC a retoqué cette candidature notamment du fait d'un manque d'informations sur les risques d'accidents et les réponses prévues en pareil cas.

La fusion avec la SPAC AltC a permis à Oklo de lever 306 millions de dollars, somme qui doit être consacrée à la réalisation du premier réacteur à fission d'Oklo, baptisé Aurora.

Le groupe de Santa Clara (Californie) vise une mise en service en 2026 ou 2027.

https://www.connaissancedesenergies.org ... ion-240510

[energy_isere]

Pour sa sécurité et ses objectifs climatiques, Washington ne veut plus d'uranium russe

AFP le 14 mai 2024

Les Etats-Unis ont assuré mardi que leur décision d'interdire les importations d'uranium russe était un pas en avant tant pour leur sécurité que pour leurs objectifs climatiques, alors que l'industrie nucléaire russe reste l'une des principales sources de revenus de Moscou.

Le président américain Joe Biden a signé lundi une loi, largement votée par le Congrès, qui vise à interdire l'importation de tout uranium russe aux Etats-Unis à compter du 12 août.

Malgré les sanctions imposées à la Russie après l'invasion de l'Ukraine, le pays fournit entre 20% et 30% de l'uranium enrichi utilisé par les Etats-Unis et l'Europe et 44% au niveau mondial, selon le département américain de l'Energie.

"La Russie continue à se reposer sur son complexe militaro-industriel dans sa guerre contre l'Ukraine et représente un risque pour la sécurité américaine et internationale, en partie grâce à ses revenus issus de ses exportations d'uranium", a pointé dans un communiqué le porte-parole du département d'Etat, Matthew Miller.

La loi prévoit par ailleurs un financement de 2,72 milliards de dollars pour permettre au département de l'Energie de développer des capacités d'enrichissement aux Etats-Unis.

Pour l'administration Biden, l'énergie nucléaire est une solution pour lutter contre le réchauffement climatique, grâce à une énergie qui n'émet par de carbone, même si elle reste controversée, notamment du fait du risque d'accident.

Le texte "va fournir l'assurance à l'industrie, nos alliés et partenaires que les Etats-Unis ont fait le choix de mettre en place une chaîne d'approvisionnement en combustible nucléaire indépendante de toute influence étrange, pour les décennies à venir", a ajouté M. Miller.

La loi permet cependant au département de l'Energie de mettre fin à l'interdiction, en cas de circonstances particulières, d'ici à la fin 2027.

De son côté, le département du Trésor a annoncé de nouvelles sanctions visant l'oligarque russe Oleg Deripaska, qu'il accuse d'avoir mis en place un système "opaque et complexe" pour contourner les sanctions déjà existantes à son encontre.

M. Deripaska a déposé plainte contre les sanctions américaines et fait également l'objet de pression en Russie, où un de ses hôtels a été saisi par les autorités après qu'il a parlé de "guerre" et non "opération spéciale" pour décrire l'invasion de l'Ukraine.

Les sanctions visent un autre citoyen russe, Dimitri Beloglazov, accusé d'avoir participé au système de contournement avec une de ses entreprises.

https://www.connaissancedesenergies.org ... sse-240514

[energy_isere]

Aprés l'usine GNF ( voir ce post du 17 fev 2024 http://www.oleocene.org/phpBB3/viewtopi ... 7#p2385817) au tour de Framatome avec terraPower de se lancer dans le combustible HALEU avec l'appui du DOE.

Framatome, TerraPower announce plans for HALEU metallisation plant

31 May 2024

Framatome and TerraPower have agreed to design and develop a high-assay low enriched uranium (HALEU) metallisation pilot plant at Framatome's nuclear fuel manufacturing facility in Richland, Washington.


The Richland fuel manufacturing facility (Image: Framatome)

Metallisation is a crucial part of the deconversion process to turn enriched uranium hexafluoride - UF6 - into a form that can be used to fabricate HALEU fuel for advanced reactors. The pilot line is currently under construction and will demonstrate Framatome's capability to convert uranium dioxide into HALEU metal.

Framatome said the pilot line will initiate "a long-term collaboration to supply metal feedstock" and help Terrapower to develop a domestic supply chain for HALEU in the USA.

"This agreement advances fuel technologies for the nuclear energy industry and working pragmatically with TerraPower builds the trust and confidence our customers count on," said Ala Alzaben, senior vice president for North America Fuel at Framatome.

TerraPower's Natrium advanced nuclear power technology features a 345 MWe sodium-cooled fast reactor with a molten salt-based energy storage system. A Natrium demonstration plant is to be constructed near a retiring coal facility at Kemmerer in Wyoming.

A strong domestic fuel supply chain is crucial for the wide-scale deployment of advanced nuclear energy solutions, which are needed to meet clean energy targets and provide reliable, baseload energy, TerraPower President and CEO Chris Levesque said. "This investment by TerraPower into Framatome's pilot plant is a critical step in bringing advanced reactors like the Natrium technology to market," he added.

The USA's current commercial nuclear fuel cycle is based on reactor fuel that is enriched to no more than 5% U-235, also known as low-enriched uranium, or LEU. HALEU - enriched to between 5% and 20% - will be used by many of the advanced reactor technologies that are currently under development, but there is as yet no US domestic commercial source of HALEU available to fuel them.

A HALEU fuel cycle will need new enrichment facilities, transportation solutions, and conversion and deconversion facilities, but without a clear demand signal private fuel cycle companies cannot commit the required capital to build out the necessary infrastructure. This led to what has been described as a 'chicken and egg' problem threatening to delay the deployment of advanced reactors and small modular reactors.

The US Department of Energy (DOE) is pursuing various pathways to produce HALEU through its HALEU Availability Program (HAP), authorised by the Energy Act of 2020 to meet the pressing need for the material, and the Inflation Reduction Act - signed into law in 2022 - included a USD700 million support package. Framatome has applied for DOE funding under the HAP Deconversion and Metallisation Request for Proposals.

https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Arti ... -HALEU-met

[energy_isere]

La secrétaire à l'énergie appelle à relancer fortement de nouveaux programmes de centrales nucléaires :

Granholm calls for tripling of US nuclear fleet

07 June 2024

It is time for the USA to cash in on the experience of nuclear new-build at Vogtle, US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said at an event held to mark the completion of the two units in Georgia. Restarting recently retired nuclear plants could also play a part in meeting the need for new capacity.


Secretary Granholm at the Vogtle celebration (image: Southern Company)

The two AP1000 units built as units 3 and 4 at the Vogtle site near Waynesboro, Georgia, entered commercial operation in July 2023 and April 2024, respectively. Granholm acknowledged the commitment, vision, cooperation and collaboration that went into the project to construct the first US nuclear units in a generation to be built "from scratch".

"This project is a prime example of how first-of-a-kind challenges can become 'nth-of-a-kind' successes, thanks to the work of those who came before and public-private partnerships," she said. First-mover projects of this size are too big and too financially risky for the private sector to do by itself, but are too important for the nation to fail to act, she said.

"To reach our goal of net-zero by 2050, we have to at least triple our current nuclear capacity in this country. That means we’ve got to add 200 more gigawatts by 2050," she said.

"And so it’s time to cash in on our investments by building more these facilities," she added,

In a later interview with Reuters, Granholm said building new reactors at nuclear power plant sites could be a cost-effective way of expanding US nuclear capacity - and also said some recently retired plants could restart. "I do think they can come back," she said, adding that she would be "surprised" if the Department of Energy's Loan Programs Office (LPO) - which recently conditionally committed up to USD1.52 billion for a loan guarantee to Holtec Palisades for its project to bring the Palisades plant back online - was not talking to operators of other shuttered plants about reopening as well. She said she was not involved in LPO's talks. The LPO does not reveal the status of loan applications.

About 30 US nuclear power plant sites have already been licensed or permitted for the construction of more reactors, she said, which would be a cost-effective way of expanding nuclear generation: "So you don't have to go through the whole rigamarole again, you can just use the existing footprint to be able to increase generation capacity."

She also told Reuters that, with the rise in energy demand driven by technologies such as artificial intelligence requiring power-hungry data centres, the US Administration is asking big technology companies to invest in clean energy generation, suggesting that such companies could work together to make use of small modular reactors. Placing orders simultaneously could reduce costs.

"We've been talking with data companies. The large ones have commitments to net-zero and would like to see clean baseload power," Granholm said. "If the tech companies are coming in and are going to pull clean power from the grid, they should bring the power with them," she said.

Georgia Power announced the start of commercial operations at Vogtle 4 in April, joining Vogtle 3 which entered commercial operation in July 2023. Operated by Southern Nuclear on behalf of co-owners Georgia Power, Oglethorpe Power, MEAG Power and Dalton Utilities, the plant is now the largest generator of clean energy in the USA. Georgia Power is a subsidiary of Southern Company.

"Today is a momentous occasion as we celebrate this accomplishment," Southern Company President and CEO Chris Womack said during the celebration to mark the opening of the units. "We have proven in the United States that we can do hard things. We can build big things. We can build new nuclear in the United States."

https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Arti ... lear-fleet

[energy_isere]

suite de ce post du 2 dec 2023 http://www.oleocene.org/phpBB3/viewtopi ... 4#p2381054

Uranium production resumes at Texas project

14 June 2024

The start-up of production at Alta Mesa - a joint venture of enCore Energy and Boss Energy - sees enCore become the only US uranium producer with multiple production facilities currently in operation and is the second start-up in eight weeks for Boss Energy. The first shipment of yellowcake is expected in 60-90 days' time.

The previously producing in-situ leach project comprises the fully licensed and constructed Alta Mesa Uranium Central Processing Plant (CPP) and wellfield, and was acquired by enCore from Energy Fuels Inc in February 2023 for USD120 million. In December, the company entered into an agreement with Australia's Boss Energy which saw Boss acquiring a 30% stake. It is operated by enCore.

EnCore CEO Paul Goranson said the company has advanced the project from acquisition to the completion of upgrades, wellfield installation and production within fifteen months. Alta Mesa is the company's second producing asset to come online: the Rosita CPP, also in South Texas, resumed production in late 2023 after being offline since 2008, and shipped its first uranium in March.

"Our strategy at Alta Mesa is to initiate phased ramp-up from the wellfield located in Production Authorisation Area 7 (PAA-7), increasing production progressively and consistently as additional injection and recovery wells are systematically tied into the production lines," Goranson said. "As we continue to increase production from PAA-7, work has commenced on the second new wellfield at Production Authorisation Area 8 with a goal of achieving full operational capacity by 2026. We are very pleased with our initial early production providing enCore with a second revenue source as we continue to build out the Alta Mesa Project."

The Alta Mesa CPP has a total processing capacity of 1.5 million pounds U3O8 (577 tU) per year with additional drying capacity of 0.5 million pounds. It produced nearly 5 million pounds U3O8 between 2005 and 2013, when production was curtailed due to low uranium prices.

Currently, oxygenated water - used to extract uranium from the orebody - is being circulated in the wellfield through injection or extraction wells plumbed directly into the primary pipelines feeding the CPP. Expansion of the wellfield will continue with production to steadily increase from the wellfield as expansion continues through 2024 and beyond, enCore said.

In April, Boss Energy's Honeymoon project in South Australia produced its first drum of uranium in more than a decade, and Managing Director Duncan Craib said the start of production at the Alta Mesa Project is another key milestone in the company's strategy to be a global uranium supplier with a diversified production base in tier-one locations.

“With operations now ramping up at both Honeymoon and Alta Mesa, we are on track to hit our combined nameplate production target of 3 million pounds of uranium per annum," he said. "Our timing could hardly be better given the increasingly tight supply and demand fundamentals in the uranium market."

https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Arti ... as-project

[energy_isere]

DOE seeks domestic LEU supply contracts

28 June 2024

The US Department of Energy has issued a request for proposals to purchase low-enriched uranium from domestic sources. The request is supported by USD2.7 billion from President Joe Biden's Investing in America agenda to boost the domestic nuclear fuel supply chain.


Through this request for proposals, DOE will acquire low-enriched uranium (LEU) generated by new sources of domestic uranium enrichment capacity. These can include new enrichment facilities or projects that expand the capacity of existing enrichment facilities. DOE intends to sell the LEU to utilities operating US reactors to support clean energy generation and sever reliance on Russian imports.

DOE plans to award two or more contracts, which will last for up to 10 years.

"DOE is helping jumpstart uranium enrichment capacity here in the United States, which is critical to strengthening our national security and growing our domestic nuclear industry," said US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm. "Today's announcement underscores America's commitment to remaining the global leader in nuclear energy for generations to come."
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https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Arti ... -contracts

[energy_isere]

Dominion considers deploying SMR at North Anna
11 July 2024

US utility Dominion Energy has issued a Request for Proposals from small modular reactor vendors to evaluate the feasibility of developing an SMR at its North Anna nuclear power plant in Virginia.

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The North Anna site is currently home to two 944 MWe pressurised water reactors, which began commercial operation in 1978 and 1980, respectively. Under their current licences, North Anna units 1 and 2 can continue to operate through 2038 and 2040, although Dominion has applied for 20-year extensions for both units.

https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Arti ... North-Anna

[energy_isere]

US regulator renews Comanche Peak licences

31 July 2024

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has renewed the operating licences of Comanche Peak units 1 and 2 for an additional 20 years of operation. This is the first licence renewal for the two pressurised water reactors, which began operating in 1990 and 1993, respectively.


Comanche Peak (Image: Vistra Corp/X)

Vistra submitted its application for a 20-year operating licence extension for review by the NRC in 2022. The regulator issued its safety evaluation report in March this year, and a final supplemental environmental impact statement was issued in April, concluding that that no environmental impacts would preclude renewing the licences for an additional 20 years of operation.

The NRC is authorised under the US Atomic Energy Act to issue licences for commercial power reactors to operate for up to 40 years - a time period based on economic and antitrust considerations, rather than limitations of nuclear technology. Licences can be renewed for an additional 20 years for an operating lifetime of 60 years.

Comanche Peak unit 1's operating licence will now expire in February 2050, and unit 2's in February 2053.

Almost all of the USA's currently operating nuclear reactors have already renewed or applied to renew their licences for up to 60 years of operation. Comanche Peak is the third of Vistra's four nuclear plants to receive its licence extension following Beaver Valley and Davis-Besse. The company filed a licence renewal application for the single-unit Perry nuclear power plant in 2023, and this is currently being reviewed by the NRC, alongside applications for Exelon's Clinton and Pacific Gas & Electric's two-unit Diablo Canyon. The regulator also expects to receive a licence renewal application for the Tennessee Valley Authority's Watts Bar unit 1 in 2026.

"With demand for electricity growing at a rapid pace, reliable sources of power, like Comanche Peak, are going to be absolutely essential to meeting that need," said Jim Burke, president and CEO of Vistra. "Importantly, this demand growth is happening at the same time as the country is transitioning to cleaner energy sources and many fossil plants are retiring. Electricity is one of the most basic building blocks of the economy, and extending the operation of our nuclear fleet provides decades of support for both existing and growing sectors."

Comanche Peak lies about 40 miles (64 km) southwest of Fort Worth, Texas. Extending the plant's operation ensures continued economic benefits to the local area, Vistra said: the plant is operated by more than 600 employees and more than 200 permanent contractors, supplemented by 800-1200 further contractors during refuelling outages, and pays more than USD30 million a year in state and local taxes.

https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Arti ... k-licences

[energy_isere]

Kairos Power construit le premier réacteur nucléaire de quatrième génération des Etats-Unis

La start-up américaine Kairos Power a entamé la construction d'un prototype de son réacteur nucléaire de sels fondus à haute température dans le Tennessee. Ce démonstrateur technologique sera le premier réacteur de quatrième génération du pays.

Gautier Virol 06 août 2024


Le démonstrateur Hermes de Kairos Power doit entrer en fonctionnement en 2027, mais ne produira pas d'électricité pour le réseau.

C’est une première aux Etats-Unis. Kairos Power a obtenu l’autorisation de construire le premier réacteur nucléaire de quatrième génération du pays, à Oak Ridge, dans l’Etat du Tennessee. Baptisé Hermes, ce démonstrateur à basse puissance n’a cependant pas vocation à produire de l’électricité pour le réseau.
...abonnés

https://www.usinenouvelle.com/editorial ... s.N2216984

et sur World Nuclear News : https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Arti ... IV-reactor

[energy_isere]

IsoEnergy reopens US underground uranium mine

08 August 2024

The main decline at the Tony M mine in Utah was successfully reopened on 26 July, and work has begun to rehabilitate the underground workings.

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The fully-permitted mine is in Garfield County and is about 66 miles (107 km) from the town of Blanding. It produced nearly one million pounds of U3O8 during two different periods of operation from 1979-1984 and from 2007-2008. It was acquired by IsoEnergy on the company's share-for-share merger with Consolidated Uranium Inc, completed last December. Tony M's current NI 43-101 estimated resources stand at 6.606 million pounds U3O8 (2541 tU) of indicated resources and 2.218 million pounds U3O8 in the inferred resources category.

https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Arti ... anium-mine

[energy_isere]

suite de ce post du 20 janvier 2024 http://www.oleocene.org/phpBB3/viewtopi ... 4#p2383684

Uranium Energy Corp relance la production d’uranium ISR au Wyoming
Uranium Energy Corp redémarre la production d'uranium ISR au Christensen Ranch, répondant à une demande accrue pour l'énergie nucléaire.

14 aout 2024

Uranium Energy Corp (UEC) a relancé, le 6 août 2024, la production d’uranium par In-Situ Recovery (ISR) à son site de Christensen Ranch, dans le Wyoming. Cette reprise marque une étape importante pour l’entreprise, alors que le marché mondial de l’uranium est en pleine expansion, stimulé par une demande croissante en énergie nucléaire. Le site, déjà exploité par le passé, voit désormais ses activités de production reprendre à plein régime après une phase de préparation et de mise à jour des installations.

Le minerai extrait de Christensen Ranch est acheminé vers l’usine centrale de traitement (CPP) d’Irigaray, située à environ 15 miles du site d’extraction. L’usine, qui dispose actuellement d’une capacité autorisée de 2,5 millions de livres d’U3O8 par an, pourrait bientôt voir sa capacité augmenter à 4 millions de livres, sous réserve de l’approbation des autorités réglementaires. Cette expansion est essentielle pour UEC, afin de maximiser la production et répondre efficacement à la demande du marché.

Mobilisation de la main-d’œuvre locale

L’une des forces de cette relance réside dans l’engagement de la main-d’œuvre locale, un élément clé du succès opérationnel. UEC a constitué une équipe de travailleurs principalement issus des comtés environnants, ce qui permet de soutenir les opérations tout en favorisant le développement économique régional. Cette stratégie de recrutement local se poursuit, alors que l’entreprise prévoit d’ajouter 20 postes supplémentaires d’ici 2025 pour accompagner l’expansion prévue des unités de production.
L’extension des activités au Christensen Ranch est en cours, avec le développement de nouvelles unités de production, notamment l’unité 11. Parallèlement, des forages sont réalisés pour l’extension de l’unité 10, avec une mise en production prévue pour 2025. Ces efforts visent à maintenir un rythme de production soutenu, en adéquation avec la demande croissante des États-Unis, qui dépendent encore majoritairement des importations pour satisfaire leurs besoins en uranium.

https://energynews.pro/uranium-energy-c ... u-wyoming/

Comme la technique est du In situ recovery, il n' y a pas grands désordres en surface :


Christensen Ranch Mine Unit 10, showing wells and two module buildings (Image: UEC)

https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Arti ... nsen-Ranch

[energy_isere]

NRC approves 20-year extension for North Anna 1 and 2

29 August 2024

The USA's Nuclear Regulatory Commission has renewed the operating licences of North Anna nuclear power plant's units 1 and 2 for a further 20 years - extending their lifetimes to a projected 80 years.


(Image: Dominion Energy)

North Anna units 1 and 2 are 944 MWe pressurised water reactors which began commercial operation in 1978 and 1980. They had an initial lifetime of 40 years, which was extended by 20 years in 2003. With the fresh extension they will be licensed to operate to 2058 and 2060, respectively.

The application from Virginia Electric and Power Co, a subsidiary of Dominion Energy, for the plant in Louisa County, Virginia, resulted in a safety evaluation report issued in January 2022 and an environmental impact statement in July this year and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Atomic Safety and Licensing Board concluded "no contested matters remained before it for resolution".

The two North Anna reactors mean eight units have now been given subsequent renewed licences to 80 years, with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission currently reviewing a further seven applications.

Dominion Energy's Chief Nuclear Officer, Eric Carr, said: "For more than 50 years, nuclear power has been the most reliable workhorse of our fleet and the largest source of carbon-free power in Virginia. North Anna operates around the clock, and generates the reliable, clean energy that powers our customers' homes and businesses every day. With this 20-year extension, our customers can continue counting on North Anna for reliable, carbon-free power for another generation to come."

There will be numerous upgrades at the plant as part of the latest extension, including "replacing the reactors' main generators and condensers, refurbishing reactor coolant pumps and converting instrument and control systems from analogue to digital. The company is also implementing 80 enhancements to station procedures, such as additional inspections and equipment testing".

In addition to securing the extended operating licences, Dominion Energy last month issued a Request for Proposals from small modular reactor vendors to evaluate the feasibility of developing an SMR at the North Anna site.

https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Arti ... -Anna-1-an

[energy_isere]

ORANO va construire une usine d'enrichissement de l'uranium dans le Tennessee :

Orano to build enrichment facility in Tennessee

05 September 2024

Orano USA has selected Oak Ridge as its preferred site for a new centrifuge uranium enrichment facility.


Governor Lee's announcement by was attended by representatives from the legislature and industry (Image: Governor of Tennessee)

Announcing the company's selection of the Oak Ridge site for the multi-billion-dollar facility, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee said Tennessee is the "number one state" for nuclear energy companies to invest. "Our administration created the Nuclear Energy Fund in partnership with the Tennessee General Assembly to support and expand the state’s nuclear ecosystem, and in the last six months, we’ve announced four projects that will further strengthen Tennessee’s position as a leader in safe, clean, and reliable energy for the future," he said.

Orano's forerunner company Areva had previously planned to build the Eagle Rock centrifuge plant at Idaho Falls. That plant was originally envisaged as a 3.3 million SWU per year plant with the company later applying to the US regulators to double its capacity to 6.6 million SWU. It was subsequently cancelled, and Orano requested the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission to terminate its licence for the plant in 2018.

Orano will be the second company to locate in Tennessee using the Nuclear Energy Fund, established by Governor Lee in partnership with the Tennessee General Assembly in the state’s fiscal 2023-2024 budget. An additional USD10 million was appropriated in the state’s budget in FY2024-2025.

"We are very pleased to make this announcement with the great state of Tennessee," Orano USA CEO and President Jean-Luc Palayer said. "The warm welcome, responsive engagement and established nuclear energy community in Oak Ridge, as well as access to continuous and stable power, have been key factors for this site selection. We're already preparing for our next required steps, including securing available Federal support and customer commitments, obtaining an NRC licence and Orano's Board approval, but today we celebrate this major milestone towards bringing a new enrichment facility online to help meet our country’s need for an increased, secure domestic nuclear fuel supply."

Last year, Orano announced plans to extend enrichment capacity at its Georges Besse II uranium enrichment plant in France. Speaking at World Nuclear Symposium in London on Thursday, Orano CEO Nicolas Maes said the company plans first concrete for the extension in October this year, targeting the start of production in 2028.

https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Arti ... -Tennessee

Orano envisage un projet à plusieurs milliards pour enrichir de l’uranium dans le Tennessee aux Etats-Unis

Mercredi 4 septembre, Orano a annoncé entrer en négociations exclusives avec l’Etat du Tennessee pour construire une usine d’enrichissement d’uranium aux Etats-Unis. Un projet ultra-sensible dont le coût est évalué à plusieurs milliards de dollars et pour lequel le spécialiste français du combustible nucléaire espère bénéficier des généreuses subventions du gouvernement américain.

https://www.usinenouvelle.com/article/o ... s.N2218057