The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Japan's Niigata Prefecture will not be restarted until fiscal 2022 (ending March 2023) at the earliest, Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) said in a revised business plan. The company submitted the plan yesterday to the government for approval. Tepco is awaiting regulatory approval to restart units 6 and 7 at the plant.
Tepco's revised business plan also says the company will aim to resume construction of the Higashidori nuclear power plant - comprising two 1385 MWe Advanced Boiling Water Reactors - in Aomori prefecture.
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Italians do not rule out future use of nuclear energy
One-third of Italians are in favour of reconsidering the use of nuclear energy in the country, according to the results of a public opinion poll conducted on behalf of Comitato Nucleare e Ragione. More than half of respondents said they would not exclude the future use of new advanced nuclear technologies.
The survey, conducted by polling firm SWG, questioned 800 adults between 16 and 18 June.
According to the results, 33% of respondents said they supported the use of nuclear energy in Italy, a similar proportion to a survey conducted in 2011. Men and young people were found to be most in favour.
"This is, after all, a remarkable result, given that the issue has been completely excluded from the political debate in recent years," said Comitato Nucleare e Ragione.
The main reasons given for supporting nuclear energy include: improved safety of new technologies; potential contribution to Italy's energy security; and low carbon emissions. Those opposing nuclear power mainly had concerns about radioactive waste management and the possibility of accidents at nuclear plants.
When asked about the use of new reactor designs, 56% of respondents said they would not exclude the use of new nuclear technologies, with 7% saying they are "absolutely necessary" and 22% saying they are "promising and should be considered." 28% of respondents said new technologies should be rejected.
More than half (53%) of respondents did not favour the European Commission including nuclear energy in the sustainable finance taxonomy, with 30% supporting its inclusion.
In response to being asked how informed they were about nuclear energy, only 6% of respondents said they were well-informed, with 35% saying they had sufficient knowledge. The remainder said they were little or not at all informed.
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US-based nuclear technology developer NuScale Power announced on Thursday that South Korea’s Samsung C&T Corporation has committed to make an equity investment in NuScale to support deployment of its small modular reactor.
Samsung C&T and NuScale’s lead engineering, construction and procurement partner, Fluor Corporation, are also developing a business collaboration agreement to expand capabilities for future deployment of NuScale projects.
Under its agreements with NuScale and Fluor, Samsung C&T will draw upon its nuclear construction experience with the Barakah nuclear station in the United Arab Emirates and the Uljin station in South Korea, where it worked on Units 5 and 6, to serve as a partner to Fluor and other potential project participants.
John Hopkins, NuScale Power chairman and chief executive officer, said Samsung C&T’s expertise and investment in NuScale will be invaluable “as we seek to bring this revolutionary clean energy technology to market”.
Earlier this month, South Korea’s Doosan Heavy Industries and Construction signed an agreement with NuScale Power to invest an additional $60m to continue to support deployment of NuScale’s SMR. The investment followed a $44m investment in NuScale Power in 2019 for a total investment of $104m. IHI Corporation of Japan is also investing $20m into NuScale.
In August 2020, NuScale made history as the first and only SMR to receive design approval from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
The first project NuScale Power project is expected to be the development and construction of NuScale SMRs at the Department of Energy’s 2,300 sq km site in eastern Idaho that includes the Idaho National Laboratory.
Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS), the Utah cooperative for which the plants are being built, is scheduled to submit a construction licence application in 2023, and is aiming to start commercial operation of the first module in 2029.
NuScale’s SMR has a maximum of 12 modules of 77 MW each. After building its first unit in the US, NuScale Power plans to sell the technology in North America, Europe and Asia.