Cold functional testing was completed yesterday at the second reactor of the demonstration high-temperature gas-cooled reactor plant at Shidaowan in China's Shandong province. Such tests have already been completed at the plant's first unit.

Synthos Green Energy has entered discussions with the Polish nuclear regulator about a potential GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy BWRX-300 small modular reactor project. SGE is seeking a general opinion from the regulator, Państwowa Agencja Atomistyki, which it described as the first step of the procedure before the regulatory process for the planned construction of a nuclear power plant in Poland.

China National Nuclear Corporation has announced completion of cold functional tests at the first reactor of the demonstration high-temperature gas-cooled reactor plant (HTR-PM) in Shandong province. Cold testing of the second unit at the plant has now begun. A further 18 such HTR-PM units are proposed for the same site in Shidaowan.

The US Department of Energy has approved a cost-share award of more than USD1 billion for the construction of the first NuScale small modular reactor power plant in the USA. Meanwhile, the US International Development Finance Corporation has signed a Letter of Intent to support NuScale in the development of nuclear generating capacity in South Africa.

The Canadian government is investing CAD20 million (USD15 million) of federal funds to accelerate development of Terrestrial Energy's Integral Molten Salt Reactor power plant. Small modular reactors are expected to play a key role in the country's efforts to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and in providing economic benefits as it emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Teams led by TerraPower and X-energy have been announced as the recipients of USD160 million in initial funding under the US Department of Energy's Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program. The companies get USD80 million each to build a demonstration plant that can be operational within seven years.

Framatome and General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems are to collaborate on the development of a new helium-cooled, 50 MWe fast modular reactor. A demonstration of the reactor could be constructed by 2030, with commercialisation of the design by the mid-2030s.

Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation is proposing to deploy its Micro Modular Reactor at sites in Idaho and Illinois by 2026 through partnerships with Idaho National Laboratory and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  

Nuclear - including advanced and small modular reactors - can play a positive role in helping to rebuild the post-COVID economy while also helping combat climate change, Urenco and U-Battery Ltd have said in a submission to the UK Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Select Committee inquiry on post-pandemic economic growth.

Bruce Power and Westinghouse Electric Company have agreed to pursue applications of Westinghouse's eVinci micro reactor programme within Canada. The companies said the agreement supports efforts by the federal and provincial governments to study applications for nuclear technology to reach their goal of a Net Zero Canada by 2050.

TerraPower has selected Bechtel as its design, licensing, procurement and construction partner in a federal grant application to build a demonstration plant for the Natrium reactor and energy system architecture. TerraPower and GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy launched the Natrium concept in August. It features a 345 MWe sodium fast reactor combined with a molten salt energy storage.
 

Nuclear energy could help the UK achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, not only through the generation of low-carbon electricity but also by fully utilising the generated heat, according to a policy briefing published yesterday by the Royal Society. This heat could be used to heat homes, produce hydrogen and decarbonise industry, it says.