Steps forward for the ENEA Research Project The Italian government agency ENEA (the National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development) has begun the detailed planning for a fusion divertor tokamak test (DTT) reactor. The project to build a research centre near Rome will cost approximately €500m, putting Italy at the forefront of…
VTT to develop SMR for district heating VTT Technical Research Center in Finland has already begun the first phase of a project to develop a small modular reactor (SMR) for district heat production in Finland. This project also creates the opportunity to develop a new Finnish industrial sector around the SMR technology and the production…
Remix fuel is being tested by Rosenergoatom Rosenergoatom is testing the Remix fuel at Balakovo-3 nuclear plant, operated by Rosatom’s subsidiary. Remix (regenerated mixture) fuel is a combination of mixed-oxide (Mox) fuel and fuel with a mix of fresh and recycled uranium. It allows to save around 22% of the natural uranium, the developers estimate. The…
Synchrotron radiation for materials and medical research Russian Central Design and Technological Institute has been awarded a government contract to design an experimental synchrotron for research in physics, chemistry, geology, biology and medicine. This facility will be one of the latest generations of synchrotron radiation sources and the total investment in the project is worth…
A bespoken robot for a challenging decommissioning Ansaldo Nuclear has provided a bespoke robot to achieve challenging goals in decommissioning at Caorso, a 860-MW BWR plant in northern Italy, which was permanently shut down in 1990. Ansaldo Nuclear designed, manufactured, installed and operated the Machine Retrieval System (MRS) to extract and recover 2,000 drums of radwaste…
ITER – First superconducting magnet arrived from Italy International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (Iter) under construction in Cadarache, France, received one of the largest and most complex magnets ever built. The superconducting magnet measures 17 metres by 9 metres and it took one month to be shipped from the factory of ASG Superconductors in La Spezia,…
Small Modular Reactors – Innovation and Safety The IAEA safety standards serve as a global reference for protecting people and the environment from the harmful effects of ionizing radiation. Although they can generally be applied to small modular reactors (SMRs), experts from the SMR Regulators’ Forum are working on a tailor-made solution to help national authorities…
Modernizing a neutron research reactor Framatome has been awarded a multimillion-euro contract to modernize the crane instrumentation and control (I&C) systems at the research neutron source Heinz Maier-Leibnitz (FRM II), operated by the Technical University of Munich. This modernization project involves dismantling existing components, commissioning four new cranes and implementing an automated control system. These…
Consortium of 15 Companies Launches Clean Energy Hub in the UK Fifteen companies and trade unions, which support clean energy programmes, announced proposals for a Clean Energy Hub based at Moorside in Cumbria, UK. The Moorside Hub, which includes French EDF, British engineering company Atkins and nuclear services firms Cavendish Nuclear and Bilfinger, aims to promote…
Europe and Japan Complete the Most Powerful Tokamak in the World Almost twelve years after they started their collaboration, Europe and Japan have taken an important step in the development of fusion energy by completing JT-60SA, the most powerful tokamak in the world before ITER enters the picture. With a diameter of 12 m, the…