Newcleo, ENEA to cooperate on advanced reactors

The state-owned nuclear electric utility CEZ has previously stated that the plant is likely to be a PWR with a target power rating of 1200 MWe. After putting Russia and China on a security blacklist, CEZ decided to accept three bids. EDF from France, Westinghouse from the United States, and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) are on the approved list.

The 1150 MWe AP1000 from Westinghouse is expected to be available. South Korea is expected to offer the same 1400 MWe PWR design that it has used to construct four of them in the United Arab Emirates, and EDF is expected to offer a new design of its 1600 MWe EPR that may have a different power rating.

The initial bids can be submitted by the bidders until November. CEZ stated that it would finish evaluating them and seek approval from the government in 2024 before awarding the winning bidder the final contract.

The arrangement to deliver the delicate was supported by a greater part in the Office of Delegates in September 2021. It gives CEZ permission to buy electricity from new nuclear plants at a set price for at least 30 years, with the possibility of extensions. Although the government stated that it would set a upper limit on any additional costs, the power will be resold on the wholesale market, and any profit or loss will be reflected in an adjustment to power bills.

“The main objective is a safe and economical project completed within the stipulated budget and time,” stated Daniel Bene, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of CEZ. Naturally, the objective of the tender itself is to select the best contractor and to have a contract of high quality with benefits.

Benes stated that it is “achievable” for a new reactor to begin the commissioning process by 2036.

The current power plant, whose first unit was put into operation in 1985, is scheduled to be built next to the new facility at Dukovany. The four reactors at Dukovany and the two reactors at Temelin generate 34% of the electricity used in the Czech Republic. It is also considering the construction of new units at Temelin. However, CEZ has not specified a timetable for the Temelin unit tender.

(NucNet) A Swedish company that develops nuclear projects has agreed to collaborate with GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) on the implementation of the BWRX-300 small modular reactor technology in Scandinavia.

Kärnfull Next, a cleantech startup, said it had received initial funding from Corespring Invest, an investment portfolio that has a long history of investing successfully in cleantech and fossil-free energy sources.

Kärnfull Next is a 100%-owned subsidiary of Kärnfull Future AB, a Swedish cleantech startup founded by Christian Sjölander and John Ahlberg and headquartered in Goteborg.

Kärnfull Next claims that SMRs can deliver clean, carbon-free energy that can be used to supply electricity, hydrogen, ammonia, synthetic fuels, and industrial heat, giving utility and industrial customers more flexibility than traditional reactor designs. The company stated that it would oversee the various subcontractors and development phases, including licensing, environmental issues, permits, financing, and relationships with local governments.

According to the report, the BWRX-300’s smaller size enables more adaptability as well as emission-free and dependable electricity, heat, or hydrogen production wherever it is needed.

“We are excited to be working with Kärnfull to bring this technology to Sweden,” says the company, “as industry and investors join forces to accelerate the energy transition.”

(WNN) Newcleo, a UK-based innovative reactor developer, and ENEA, the Italian national agency for new technologies, energy, and sustainable economic development, have signed a framework agreement to collaborate on the development of small, lead-cooled fast reactors.

Newcleo will collaborate with ENEA to construct an electrical prototype of the lead-cooled fast reactor (LFR) system, which will not make use of nuclear fuel or radioactive materials, so that thermodynamic, mechanical, and functional performances can be studied.

According to Newcleo, the company plans to construct the initial nuclear prototype within seven years in a nation that is “nuclear-friendly” and then market them internationally to gradually replace the current Generation II and III reactors.

As a result of abandoning any efforts to develop nuclear reactors in a national referendum, Italy is currently not considered to be a “nuclear friendly” nation. The United Kingdom, where Newcleo is based, is “nuclear friendly.”

Under the collaboration arrangement, ENEA will make accessible to Newcleo its Brasimone Exploration Place for wellbeing examination, preparing and testing exercises. Moreover, new exploration frameworks will be carried out, leaning toward any place conceivable the utilization and repair of the current trial corridors and research centers.

Over the course of ten years, Newcleo may make investments in all of these that exceed EUR50 million (USD55 million). The Brasimone Centre will house a team of 25 to 30 engineers who will be employed on a permanent basis for approximately ten years.

With the completion of a USD118 million initial capital raising and the acquisition of Hydromine Nuclear Energy, Newcleo announced its incorporation in August of last year.