Europe forms BWRX-300 group; China approves 11 new reactors
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A total of 18 companies from 11 European countries have applied to the European Commission Industrial Alliance for Small Modular Reactors to form a dedicated working group which will look at implementing the GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy BWRX-300 reactor.
The application was spearheaded by Poland’s Orlen Synthos Green Energy (OSGE) in cooperation with GE Hitachi Nuclear, the Polish group said.
"The BWRX-300 not only has the potential to be the first SMR reactor to be built in the EU, but also creates opportunities for European companies to significantly participate in its construction, including the production of key components in the EU," said Rafał Kasprów, President of the OSGE Management Board.
The small modular reactor (SMR) alliance was set up to improve the conditions for the development and deployment of SMRs including the reconstruction of the nuclear energy supply chain.
All parties included in the application have many years of experience in the energy market, acting as developers, energy companies, design and engineering companies with competences to build the necessary supply chain, OSGE said.
“International collaboration is key to the successful implementation of new nuclear technologies,” said Executive Vice President of advanced nuclear technologies at GEH Sean Sexstone.
“The companies in the BWRX-300 working group bring a range of experience and knowledge that will help accelerate the development of our SMR technology in the EU and around the world.”
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China approves 11 new reactors
China has approved the construction of 11 new reactors, the highest number to be approved in a single year since 2015, China Daily, a state-run English language newspaper, reported.
China National Nuclear Power (CNNC) will build three, China General Nuclear Power Group will manage six units, and State Power Investment Corp will construct two, the newspaper said.
The reactors will make up five separate nuclear power projects in the regions of Jiangsu Xuwei, Shandong Zhaoyuan, Guangdong Lufeng, Zhejiang San'ao, and Guangxi Bailong.
The China National Nuclear Power plant in Jiangsu Xuwei will be the world’s first nuclear power station that couples a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor with a pressurized water reactor, the CNNC said in a statement.
Phase one of the CNNC project will annually produce 32.5 million tons of industrial steam and over 11.5 billion Kwh of electricity, it said.
At the end of 2023, China had 26 nuclear power units under construction with a combined capacity of around 3 GW.
AP300 approved for GDA in Britain
Westinghouse’s AP300 SMR has been formally approved to enter the Generic Design Assessment (GDA) by the UK Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), the company said in August.
The approval is the first of the two-step GDA process that will begin with the regulator, the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR), the Environment Agency and, where applicable, Natural Resources Wales.
The AP300 uses Westinghouse’s previous generation AP1000 technology, which has received regulatory approval in Britain, United States, and China, as well as compliance with European Utility Requirements (EUR) standards for nuclear power plants.
The approval follows the selection of the AP300 for the current phase of Great British Nuclear and selected by Community Nuclear Power to build four of the SMRs in Northeast England.
“The U.K.’s familiarity with the AP300’s underpinning technology and our strong track record of licensing success in the U.K. and globally give us confidence that we will move through the GDA process at pace,” said Westinghouse Energy Systems President Dan Lipman.
In January, the British government’s ‘Civil Nuclear: Roadmap to 2050’ committed to securing investment decisions for 3-7 GW of additional nuclear capacity every five years from 2030-2044 to meet the goal of up to 24 GW new nuclear by 2050.
Kronos, Yasheng to develop nuclear battery
Kronos Advanced Technologies and Yasheng Group have announced a strategic collaboration to develop a patent for a small nuclear battery that will have an extended lifespan of up to 50 years, the companies said in a statement.
The collaboration will explore potential use cases of the battery, including remote sensing, space exploration, medical devices, and military applications, the companies said.
Yasheng will file the nuclear battery patent in China, while Kronos Advanced Technologies will file in the United States.
The battery will convert the energy from the beta decay of a radioactive isotope, Nickel-63, into electrical energy, they said.
The company cited market research which predicted the nuclear battery market would grow at a compound annual growth rate of around 8.7% to 9.1% from 2024 to 2032.
By Reuters Events Nuclear