Pekka Pyy’s Post

Facts and information about the nuclear power!

Want to know the #data behind #nuclear performance? To better understand #nuclearpower and its potential for addressing global #cleanenergy and #climate needs, check out the IAEA’s power reactor information system (PRIS).

Newly released annual data collected by the IAEA’s Power Reactor Information System (PRIS) paint a picture of a clean energy technology at a crossroads amid the emergence of a new global consensus to accelerate its deployment. In 2023, while new grid connections were made at nuclear power plants in 5 countries, these clean energy gains were offset by reactor shutdowns.  Despite this, electricity production from nuclear power rose by 2.6% compared to 2022, according to PRIS, the IAEA’s comprehensive and publicly available database on nuclear power.  Find the latest about nuclear power development and operating experience here: atoms.iaea.org/46Sjqhk

𝐀 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞 𝐆𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐍𝐮𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐅𝐮𝐞𝐥 {𝐏𝐃𝐅} 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐃𝐅:-  https://lnkd.in/dhU33nYV 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐍𝐮𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐅𝐮𝐞𝐥? Nuclear fuel is material used in nuclear power stations to produce heat to power turbines. Heat is created when nuclear fuel undergoes nuclear fission. Nuclear generates more than half of the country’s clean energy by using uranium instead of burning fossil fuels. 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐍𝐮𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐅𝐮𝐞𝐥: The future of nuclear fuel is all about green innovation. With a growing focus on carbon-neutral solutions, next-gen nuclear technologies promise cleaner and more efficient energy production. 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐝: Cameco Corporation Orano Westinghouse Electric Company State Atomic Energy Corporation "Rosatom" Exelon CHINA NATIONAL NUCLEAR CORPORATION #nuclearenergy #cleanenergy #sustainablefuture #nuclearinnovation #energysecurity #greentech #futureofenergy #nuclearpower #fuelingthefuture #renewablenuclear

Interesting read here from Semafor on Italy reconsidering nuclear power some 35 years after shutting down the country's last nuclear reactor. Many factors will lead to countries around the world revisiting nuclear power, such as the raw energy demand that the AI revolution adds to the equation. Some server farms / data centers use as much energy in a year as a medium-sized city. Here in the U.S., data center energy usage is expected to DOUBLE by 2030. We gotta find more juice somewhere. From the article: "Italy’s energy minister told the Financial Times that the government would introduce legislation to support investment in small modular reactors, which could be operational within 10 years. He said that nuclear energy could make up at least 11% of the country’s electricity mix by 2050 as it works to reduce reliance on fossil fuels." "As the world moves to phase out fossil fuels, nuclear power is gaining ground: More than 20 countries plan to triple nuclear capacity by midcentury, and uranium prices are up 50% year-on-year. " Link: https://lnkd.in/ee8-mVQB #supplychain #tech #energy Supply Chain Now

ARTICLE: Ground was broken on the world’s first potential coal-to-nuclear power plant transition in June. Existing transmission lines and water infrastructure (necessary for cooling both coal-fired power equipment and nuclear reactors), means developers could cut significant time and costs off of plant construction. The World Nuclear Association finds that costs associated with the lifespan of nuclear plants are heavily weighted toward the capital required to construct the facility, making up at least 60 percent of their levelized cost of electricity. A 2022 Department of Energy report found new nuclear power plants could cut construction costs by more than one-third.

Why choose small nuclear reactors? https://lnkd.in/eUkEq9ZB "Google bets big on ‘mini’ nuclear reactors to feed its AI demands" Modern small nuclear reactors, or SMRs, are a departure from the cylinder behemoths most people think of when they imagine a nuclear power plant. These “mini” reactors are typically capable of producing just one-third of the power of their larger predecessors. #AI #SMR

ARTICLE: Ground was broken on the world’s first potential coal-to-nuclear power plant transition in June. Existing transmission lines and water infrastructure (necessary for cooling both coal-fired power equipment and nuclear reactors), means developers could cut significant time and costs off of plant construction. The World Nuclear Association finds that costs associated with the lifespan of nuclear plants are heavily weighted toward the capital required to construct the facility, making up at least 60 percent of their levelized cost of electricity. A 2022 Department of Energy report found new nuclear power plants could cut construction costs by more than one-third.

Westinghouse has reached a key milestone by completing the first pressing of its Low Enriched Uranium (LEU+) ADOPT™ nuclear fuel pellets for commercial application at its Springfields Fuel Manufacturing Facility in the UK. Achieved in partnership with Southern Nuclear and the support of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the first commercialization of LEU+ ADOPT nuclear fuel pellets is expected in spring 2025 at Vogtle Unit 2 in the U.S. LEU+ ADOPT fuel contains up to 8% by weight uranium-235 (U-235) and additives that improve the safety performance of the fuel compared to standard UO2. Comparatively, LEU+ ADOPT allows more power generation with fewer replacement bundles within the reactor core, which offers improved nuclear fuel cycle economics for operating reactors. Learn more about LEU+ ADOPT fuel and this milestone here: https://bit.ly/4dcI1zH

China to build the first-ever thorium molten salt nuclear power station ⬇️ Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is reporting that China is planning the world's first-ever nuclear power station using molten salt as the fuel carrier and coolant, and thorium instead of uranium as a fuel source. Thorium molten salt reactors (TSMR) are designed to be safer and can be smaller than existing reactor designs: "Australian Nuclear Association president Mark Ho said because molten salt reactors did not need to be pressurised, they could be smaller than water-cooled reactors." https://lnkd.in/eYT57CDF The Cove has a great short read providing a Nuclear Energy 101 from Jasmin Diab CSC GAICD that is worth your time as well ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/e-q_Ub95