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Nuclear Reactors
India and France on Wednesday expressed an intent to jointly develop modern nuclear reactors, emphasising that nuclear power was crucial for energy security and transition to a low-carbon economy. The two countries signed a letter of intent on Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and Advanced Modular Reactors (AMRs), according to a joint statement issued after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris. "Prime Minister Modi and President Macron stressed that nuclear energy is an essential part of the energy mix for strengthening energy security and transitioning towards a low-carbon economy," according to the statement. SMRs are compact nuclear fission reactors that can be manufactured in factories and then installed elsewhere. They typically have a smaller capacity than conventional nuclear reactors. The two leaders also acknowledged the strong civil nuclear ties between India and France and efforts in cooperation on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, ..
India's nuclear power operator NPCIL on Tuesday invited proposals from the industry to set up 220 MW Bharat Small Reactors for captive use, replacing the existing coal-fired thermal power plants used by the steel, aluminium, copper and cement industries. Bharat Small Reactors are 220 MW Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWR) with an impeccable safety and excellent performance record, which are compact and tailored for captive use, according to a statement from the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL). "NPCIL has today invited Request for Proposals (RFP) from visionary Indian industries for setting up 220 MW Bharat Small Reactors (BSRs) for captive use," said the statement. The nuclear power operator said BSRs can provide a sustainable solution for decarbonization of hard-to-abate industries. It would also help these industries secure economic benefits resulting from savings in carbon emission related taxes, thus increasing competitiveness of their products in the ..
A Japanese nuclear reactor that restarted last week for the first time in more than 13 years after it had survived a massive 2011 earthquake and tsunami that badly damaged the nearby Fukushima nuclear plant was shut down again Monday due to an equipment problem, its operator said. The No. 2 reactor at the Onagawa nuclear power plant on Japan's northern coast was put back online on Oct. 29 and had been expected to start generating power in early November. But it had to be shut down again five days after its restart due to a glitch that occurred Sunday in a device related to neutron data inside the reactor, plant operator Tohoku Electric Power Co. said. The reactor was operating normally and there was no release of radiation into the environment, Tohoku Electric said. The utility said it decided to shut it down to re-examine equipment to address residents' safety concerns. No new date for a restart was given. The reactor is one of three at the Onagawa plant, which is 100 kilometers (
India aims to deploy 40-50 small modular nuclear reactors, mostly to replace captive thermal power plants, as it aims to achieve the goal of net-zero emissions by 2070. A top industry official said that the 220-MWe Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR) was being redesigned using 3D design platforms with an aim to achieve a high degree of standardisation that would allow easy deployment, even in old thermal power plants used by the steel, aluminium, copper and the cement industries. The Department of Atomic Energy and Tata Consulting Engineers are redesigning the PHWRs to develop the Bharat Small Modular Reactor. "We are going to take the old design of the PHWR and then reconfigure and redesign it to be modular, scalable and safety-aligned to post-Fukushima standards," Amit Sharma, the managing director and CEO of Tata Consulting Engineers, told PTI. Sharma said in the case of small modular reactors (SMRs), the plan was to make 40-50 reactors in less than seven to eight years but .
Days after Pakistan's foreign ministry spokesperson raised concerns over seizure of alleged 'radioactive' material in India, the MEA on Friday said relevant Indian authorities have investigated the matter and found "no radioactive substance". The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) asserted that those making "baseless comments" are advised to desist from their "propaganda". In response to a question at his weekly briefing here, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India has a "robust legal and regulatory framework" for safety and security of radioactive material and its non-proliferation track records speak for itself. On August 9, officials said the Bihar Police has arrested three people from the state's Gopalganj district and recovered 50 gm of a "radioactive substance" worth crores of rupees from their possession. Pakistan's foreign ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch in a statement on Tuesday had raised concerns over effectiveness of the measures taken by New Delhi to ens
Iran has started up new cascades of advanced centrifuges and plans to install others in the coming weeks after facing criticism over its nuclear programme, the United Nations' atomic watchdog said Friday. The US called the moves nuclear escalations. Spinning up new centrifuges further advances Iran's nuclear programme, which already enriches uranium at near-weapons-grade levels and boasts a stockpile enough for several nuclear bombs if it chose to pursue them. However, the acknowledgement from the International Atomic Energy Agency did not include any suggestion Iran planned to go to higher enrichment levels amid wider tensions between Tehran and the West as the Israel-Hamas war rages in the Gaza Strip. The IAEA said its inspectors verified Monday that Iran had begun feeding uranium into three cascades of advanced IR-4 and IR-6 centrifuges at its Natanz enrichment facility. Cascades are a group of centrifuges that spin uranium gas together to more quickly enrich the uranium. So far,
The nation's first two nuclear reactors at the Tarapur Atomic Power Station (TAPS) that have been closed for repairs since 2020 will take another five months to resume operation due to a delay in the delivery of an essential component, officials said on Friday. Officials said they were waiting for some special metal pipes from Italy but the tubes did not arrive in time. The manufacturer is finding it difficult to produce the pipes as the order is quite small, they said. Initially scheduled for reactivation on May 9, the reactors will remain offline until October, pending the awaited supplies, an official said. The two Boiling Water Reactors (BWRs), each with a capacity of 160 megawatts, were installed in 1969 at TAPS, about 100 km from Mumbai on the country's western coast. The BWRs boil water which is converted into steam to run the turbine for electricity production and then recycled back to water through a condenser to be re-used in the heat-generation process. The overhaul, ..
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised salvo launches of the country's super-large multiple rocket launchers that simulated a nuclear counterattack against enemy targets, state media said Tuesday, adding to tests and threats that have raised tensions in the region. The report by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency came a day after the South Korean and Japanese militaries detected the North firing what they suspected were multiple short-range ballistic missiles from a region near its capital, Pyongyang, toward its eastern seas. Analysts say North Korea's large-sized artillery rockets blur the boundary between artillery systems and ballistic missiles because they can create their own thrust and are guided during delivery. The North has described some of these systems, including the 600mm multiple rocket launchers that were tested Monday, as capable of delivering tactical nuclear warheads. KCNA said Monday's launches represented the first demonstration of the country
Australia is set to provide 4.6 billion Australian dollars (USD 3 billion) to British industry to support the construction of nuclear-powered submarines and ensure its new fleet arrives on time, the two countries said Friday. The announcement came a day after the two countries signed a defense and security pact to better meet challenges such as China's increased activity in the South China Sea and South Pacific. UK Defense Minister Grant Shapps said the submarine program was expensive but necessary. Nuclear-powered submarines are not cheap, but we live in a much more dangerous world where we are seeing a much more assertive region with China, a much more dangerous world all around with what's happening in the Middle East and Europe, Shapps told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Countries need to invest in making sure that adversaries see we are serious about our security, defending freedom of navigation, for example. The 10-year deal announced at an annual ministers' gather
Japan on Monday marked 13 years since a massive earthquake and tsunami hit the country's northern coasts. Nearly 20,000 people died, whole towns were wiped out and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was destroyed, creating deep fears of radiation that linger today. As the nation observes the anniversary, AP explains what is happening now at the plant and in neighbouring areas. WHAT HAPPENED 13 YEARS AGO? A magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck on March 11, 2011, causing a tsunami that battered northern coastal towns in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures. The tsunami, which topped 15 meters (50 feet) in some areas, also slammed into the nuclear plant, destroying its power supply and fuel cooling systems, and causing meltdowns at reactors No. 1, 2 and 3. Hydrogen explosions caused massive radiation leaks and contamination in the area. The operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, says that the tsunami couldn't have been anticipated. Government and independent investigati