@egranddad @mauvaisEsprit3 @NukeSavesLives Not necessarily. The US NRC is not requiring pressure vessel annealing, even for 80 year operation.
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James Hopf
16.1K posts
James Hopf
@HopfJames
Retired nuclear engineer. Climate action and nuclear power advocate. Supporter of tech-neutral climate policies.
Tracy, CA Katılım Ekim 2020
201 Takip Edilen7.8K Takipçiler
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Something I didn't know. Russia's VVER-1200 reactor design has a "life cycle" of 100 years. Does that mean that the plant will not have to apply for license extensions (e.g., every 20 years)? Article link in reply.
TBH, the notion of a plant design having a "design life" or a "life cycle" isn't even meaningful. Length of operation is more a function of long-term maintenance practices, vs. the plant's design. NRC license extensions, for example, are mostly an evaluation of plant component conditions, and long-term maintenance plans.
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Serbia is considering building its first nuclear plant. They're working with France's EDF to evaluate the option. The plan would be to start construction of the plant in 2032, and start up the plant in 2040. Article link in reply.
Another option they're considering is to purchase power from Hungary's Paks nuclear plant.
Serbia lifted it's 35-year ban on nuclear construction in 2024.
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Now that the site has been selected, with local political support, Canada is moving on to the licensing process for its final nuclear waste repository. The provincial (Ontario) and national governments also agree. Article link in reply.
Getting political support for the site, at the local, provincial and national levels has always been the biggest hurdle for resolving the nuclear waste issue. Should be smooth sailing from now on.
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The Palo Verde plant's opersator is seeking an NRC licence extension to 80 years. It will allow the (relatively young) plant to operate until 2067!! Article link in reply.
Interesting that they're applying ~21 years before the end of their existing (60 year) license.
The 3-unit, 4.2 GW Palo Verde plant was the largest nuclear plant in the US, until the Vogtle plant's 4th unit entered operation in 2024.
Palo Verde is the only US nuclear power plant that lies in a desert and is not near any significant water source. It has been using regional waste water. Its long-term operation shows that nuclear plants can operate in arid regions.
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The DoE approved a Nuclear Safety Design Agreement (NSDA) for Oklo's micro-reactor. The NSDA is the first step of DOE’s licensing process under the Reactor Pilot Program. Article link in reply.
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A lurid description of the long-term water issues in the American West. To prevent the Colorado River drying up, massive scale desalination may be needed. One idea is nuclear powered desalination facilities off the California and Mexico coast. Article link in reply.
This illustrates how AI datacenters will not be the only source of greatly increased power demand. There's also desalination, electric vehicles, heat pumps (non-fossil space heating), etc...
I must say that the above proposal may face significant political resistence.
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The US Ex-Im bank is planning to loan up to $4.2 billion for Japanese and Korean nuclear plant operators to buy enriched uranium from a US supplier. Article link in reply.
It's great to see the US Ex-Im bank start to finance international nuclear power activities.
One question, though. Isn't the US struggling to provide enough enriched uranium for its own existing and planned nuclear plants?
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Russia is building Turkey's first nuclear plant, and the Turks are courting Korea, France and Canada for their future plans. Article link in reply.
Turkey is trying to reduce its dependence on Russia. It is also facing the dillema of diversification (competition) vs. reducing costs by picking one reactor design / supplier and building several copies.
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In response to the oil/gas supply impacts of the Iran war, Korea is lifting "caps" on coal and nuclear output. Article link in reply.
I'm confused. The article suggests (to me) that Korea has been imposing capacity factor limits on coal and nuclear plants. Either that or forcing them to run at less than full rated capacity.
The cap of "80%" is being entirely lifted for coal, which nuclear's cap will be raised from "70%" to "80%". Are they really applying such caps? Why would anyone do that, particularly for a clean source like nuclear.
Here's a key quote. Interpret it as you will:
"Also, the capacity utilization rate of South Korean nuclear power reactors will be swiftly raised to 80 percent from the typical rate at slightly below 70 percent. According to Ahn, this can is achievable through the earlier-than-planned refurbishment of six nuclear plants in South Korea by the end of May."
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Westinghouse and Japanese companies are planning for a ~$100 billion of Japanese investment in new US nuclear plant construction. Article link in reply.
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