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Nuclear News

Africa in position to further global nuclear nonproliferation, but competing interests hamper efforts

By: Schalk Burger 24th June 2021 Africa can further the pursuit of global nuclear nonproliferation, but competing interests and objectives are hampering efforts to drive this goal on the international stage. University of South Africa department of political science professor Jo-Ansie van Wyk noted during a June 23 webinar that... →

Fluor repositions South African unit to support energy transition drive

By: Terence Creamer 14th June 2021 Global engineering and construction company Fluor, which has been closely associated with South Africa’s liquid fuels and chemicals industries since the 1960s, has restructured its South African operations to align with the unfolding transitions under way in the energy and mining sectors. Fluor... →

Fluor South Africa GM Bill Langenbach

Chinese small modular nuclear reactor demonstration plant approved for construction

By: Rebecca Campbell 8th June 2021 The China National Nuclear Power (CNNP) company has received approval to build its small modular reactor (SMR) demonstration plant at Changjiang in China’s southernmost (and island) province of Hainan, “World Nuclear News” has reported, citing a CNNP notice to the Shanghai Stock Exchange. CNNP is... →

Photo by CNNC
A cutaway diagram of a nuclear power plant with two ACP100 reactors

Eskom suspends Koeberg GM while delayed unit investigation ensues

By: Marleny Arnoldi 7th June 2021 State-owned power utility Eskom has confirmed that the GM of its Koeberg nuclear power station has been suspended while investigations are ongoing into the performance of the power station. In the meantime, Eskom’s chief nuclear officer Riedewaan Bakardien will oversee the operations of the... →

UK researchers announce major advance in developing practical nuclear fusion reactors

By: Rebecca Campbell 27th May 2021 The UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) has announced the successful testing of a new concept on its MAST Upgrade experiment, which could remove one of the major problems in the development of nuclear fusion energy. Currently, the world derives nuclear power from fission, which involves, to... →

Four energy scenarios that may define Southern Africa’s energy transition

By: Donna Slater 27th May 2021 Four vastly different energy transition scenarios, from very ambitious to the least ambitious, were posited by management advisory Africa International Advisors integrated energy practice leader Henry Gilfillan this week. The four scenarios, presented during a webinar on hydrogen, gas and... →

International Atomic Energy Agency announces hybrid nuclear-renewable energy research

By: Rebecca Campbell 24th May 2021 The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has issued a call for research proposals, into hybrid nuclear and renewable energy systems. This call falls under the IAEA’s Coordinated Research Project (CRP). “Nuclear and renewables are the two principal options for low [carbon] emission energy... →

Rolls-Royce-led consortium unveils optimised design for its small modular reactor

By: Rebecca Campbell 18th May 2021 UK-based global industrial technology group Rolls-Royce has announced that the small modular nuclear reactor (SMR) consortium that it leads has upgraded the SMR’s design and increased its power output. This announcement, on Monday, marked the completion of the first phase of the project, which... →

Photo by Rolls-Royce
An artist’s impression of the upgraded and optimised UK SMR design

Nuclear power station maintenance under way

30th April 2021 In the recent system status and outlook briefing by State-owned power utility Eskom that took place on March 15, 2021, details of the refuelling and maintenance outage of the Koeberg nuclear power station were provided. The maintenance outage of Unit 1, which is currently in progress, started on... →

To keep Koeberg going, Eskom must convince regulators it has enough money

By: News24Wire 26th March 2021 If it wants the legal right to keep the Koeberg nuclear power station running, Eskom will have to convince nuclear regulators – and, perhaps, the courts – that it has the money to do so. Under rules published by minerals and energy minister Gwede Mantashe Friday, anyone who wants to keep an old... →

Electricity sector developments

26th March 2021 Creamer Media's Chanel de Bruyn speaks to Engineering News Editor Terence Creamer about the details of the nature and pricing for projects selected as preferred bidders for the emergency bid window; the National Energy Regulator of South Africa's view of the future; and global wind installations... →

Electricity sector developments

Fossil fuels found accountable for millions of deaths

By: Halima Frost 19th March 2021 Fossil fuels are, through a marked contribution to air pollution, accountable for 8.7-million deaths globally in 2018, which adds to the mounting evidence that air pollution from ongoing dependence on fossil fuels is detrimental to global health, says University College London (UCL) associate... →

POISON Fossil fuels are responsible for millions of deaths globally every year

Sustainability leader ramps up ESG strategy

By: Halima Frost 19th March 2021 Energy management and automation company Schneider Electric has begun to implement its new Schneider Sustainability Impact (SSI) programme for 2021 to 2025, in the hopes of significantly accelerating its progress to being a more sustainable company. The programme is built on six long-term... →

ZANELLE DALGLISH Our vision of sustainability is holistic and ecosystemic, as it covers all environmental, social and governance topics

Rolls-Royce-led consortium joins European nuclear industry group

By: Rebecca Campbell 16th March 2021 The UK Small Modular Reactor (UKSMR) consortium, which is led by industrial technology group Rolls-Royce, has joined European nuclear industry association Foratom. This is part of UKSMR’s objective of developing global connections and accessing export markets. UKSMR is designing an SMR nuclear... →

New report highlights decade of falling electricity production in South Africa

By: Terence Creamer 11th March 2021 A new Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) report offers a sobering picture of declining electricity system production and demand between 2010 and 2020 – a trend that was amplified further during Covid-hit 2020, when demand slumped by a sharp 5.1%, or 11.8 TWh, to a decade low... →

Rolls-Royce signs MoU with Estonian company on small modular reactors

By: Rebecca Campbell 3rd March 2021 UK-based industrial technology group Rolls-Royce has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Estonian company Fermi Energia. The purpose of the MoU is to study the potential to deploy small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) in the Baltic country. All aspects of such a deployment, including... →

Photo by Rolls-Royce
An artist’s impression of a UKSMR power plant.

Eskom, regulator say cracks in Koeberg containment structures not serious

By: Marleny Arnoldi 15th February 2021 The National Nuclear Regulator (NNR) has assured the public that the Koeberg nuclear power station, in Cape Town, is not discharging harmful radiation into the environment. The NNR was responding to media coverage suggesting that the outer shell of the containment building at the power station... →

Photo by Creamer Media
Koeberg nuclear power station

Outa, HSF speak out against proposed procurement of new nuclear power capacity

By: Marleny Arnoldi 8th February 2021 The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) and the Helen Suzman Foundation (HSF) have opposed Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe’s proposal to procure new nuclear power capacity. This follows after the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) issued a consultation paper... →

South African radioisotope company gets unqualified audits from Auditor General

By: Rebecca Campbell 29th January 2021 South African State-owned nuclear technology company, NTP Radioisotopes (NTP), has received an unqualified audit for a second year in a row. NTP is part of the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (better known as Necsa) group, but its finances are managed independently of the group and... →

Japan and the UK partnering on robotics for use in nuclear facilities

By: Rebecca Campbell 21st January 2021 Japan and the UK are partnering to develop and deploy new automation and robotics techniques for use in both the decommissioning of nuclear plants and the development of nuclear fusion energy. The project, designated LongOps, will receive £12-million in funding and will run for four years. The... →

Shearwater developing SMR, hydrogen project in North Wales

By: Donna Slater 15th January 2021 UK-based hybrid clean energy company Shearwater Energy is developing a wind small modular reactor (SMR) and hydrogen production hybrid energy project in North Wales. The project will provide 3 GW of zero-carbon energy and is also expected to produce over three-million kilograms of green hydrogen... →

Unplanned shut of Koeberg Unit 1 affects installation of new steam generators, raises load-shedding spectre

By: Terence Creamer 4th January 2021 Electricity utility Eskom reported on Monday that Koeberg Unit 1 would be taken offline for repairs one month ahead of scheduled maintenance after an increasing leak rate was detected from one of the unit’s three steam generators. Eskom said in a statement that the leak rate was “well within the... →

Global electricity demand to fall 2% this year, says IEA

By: Creamer Media Reporter 14th December 2020 Global electricity demand is projected to fall by about 2% this year – the biggest yearly decline since the mid-twentieth century and far larger than what followed the global financial crisis in 2008/9, which resulted in a drop in electricity demand of 0.6% in 2009, the International Energy... →

New group CEO announced for Necsa

By: Rebecca Campbell 4th December 2020 The South African Cabinet announced on Friday that, at its Wednesday virtual meeting, it had ratified the appointment of Loyiso Tyabashe as the new group CEO for the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa). He holds a MSc in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Cape Town and... →

Loyiso Tyabashe

De Ruyter calls for upscaling of power procurement plans as he questions whether coal IPP will proceed

By: Terence Creamer 24th November 2020 Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter has again called on government to open the way for the procurement of more new electricity capacity in addition to the 11 800 MW outlined in a recently gazetted Ministerial determination, cautioning that the 1 500 MW of new coal included in the determination is unlikely... →

Photo by Creamer Media's Donna Slater
Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter

Nersa sets Feb 5 deadline for written comment on proposed nuclear determination

By: Terence Creamer 23rd November 2020 The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) has given stakeholders until February 5 to comment on a Section 34 determination received from Minerals Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe for the procurement of new nuclear capacity post-2030. The draft determination delivered to... →

Rolls-Royce signs two international agreements on small modular nuclear reactors

By: Rebecca Campbell 20th November 2020 UK-based global major industrial technology group Rolls-Royce recently signed, in rapid succession, two memorandums of understanding (MoUs) regarding the development and operation of small modular reactor (SMR) nuclear power plants (NPPs). Rolls-Royce is leading a consortium, supported by both... →

Britain to ban new petrol cars and vans by 2030 on road to net zero emissions

By: Reuters 18th November 2020 Britain will move up a ban on new petrol and diesel cars and vans to 2030 and is eyeing 250 000 new jobs as part of a green industrial revolution, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said as he tries to meet Britain's net zero emissions climate target. Johnson is seeking to show his government is on... →

Rolls-Royce cites jobs potential if UK government enables small modular reactor fleet

By: Rebecca Campbell 12th November 2020 UK-based global major industrial technology group Rolls-Royce stated on Wednesday that it expected to create 6 000 jobs in the midlands and north of England within five years, if the British government clearly committed itself to enabling the construction of 16 small modular nuclear reactors... →

Photo by Rolls-Royce
An artist’s impression of a UKSMR power plant

Nersa to consider nuclear-determination consultation request at upcoming meeting

By: Terence Creamer 10th November 2020 The National Energy Regulator of South Africa’s (Nersa’s) electricity subcommittee (ELS) will consider a request for consultation on concurrence with a Section 34 Ministerial determination for the procurement of 2 500 MW of nuclear capacity when it meets on Wednesday November 11. Fulltime member... →

Fulltime member of the regulator for electricity regulation Nhlanhla Gumede

Rolls-Royce signs second small modular nuclear reactor memorandum in two days

By: Rebecca Campbell 9th November 2020 Rolls-Royce, the UK-based global industrial technology group, announced on Monday that it has signed its second Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) regarding small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) in two days. This second MoU is with predominantly State-owned Czech electricity utility CEZ, which is... →

UK and US groups partner on small modular nuclear reactors

By: Rebecca Campbell 9th November 2020 UK-based global major industrial technology group Rolls-Royce and giant US private-sector electricity utility Exelon have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) regarding the development and operation of small modular reactor (SMR) nuclear power plants (NPPs). Rolls-Royce is leading a... →

Photo by Rolls-Royce
Artist’s impression of a UKSMR plant

Nuclear regulator confirms early talks with Eskom to extend Koeberg nuclear plant’s life

By: Rebecca Campbell 26th October 2020 The National Nuclear Regulator (NNR) has confirmed that it is in preliminary talks with State-owned national electricity utility Eskom regarding extending the operating life of the country’s only nuclear power plant (NPP) at Koeberg, north of Cape Town. Currently, Koeberg is licensed by the NNR... →

University of Pretoria team come second in Brics youth energy event

By: Rebecca Campbell 22nd October 2020 A South African team took second place in the recent 2020 Brics Youth Energy Outlook event, hosted in Moscow. Brics is the acronym for the Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa alignment and the Youth Energy Outlook involves teams of young researchers submitting papers on energy and the... →

Koeberg Unit 2 returns to service

By: Chanel de Bruyn 21st October 2020 Unit 2 of the Koeberg nuclear power station on October 21 successfully completed its twenty-fourth outage since it first started to generate electricity. The unit is synchronised onto the electricity grid and will load up to full capacity by next week, power utility Eskom reports. →

Russian nuclear group joins UN corporate social responsibility initiative

By: Rebecca Campbell 8th October 2020 Russia’s State-owned nuclear group, Rosatom, has announced that it has joined the United Nations (UN) Global Compact. This is the world’s biggest corporate social responsibility and sustainable development initiative, having more than 13 000 member companies from more than 160 countries. “The... →

French nuclear group opens new facility in the US

By: Rebecca Campbell 7th October 2020 French nuclear group Framatome has announced that it has opened its new uranium recovery facility at its nuclear fuel manufacturing site at Richland in the US state of Washington. The new facility cost $20-million, took three years to build and covers 11 000 ft2 (nearly 1 022 m2). The new... →

Photo by Framatome
A general view of Framatome’s Richland plant

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