what is the closest nuclear reactor to st.paul minnesota

• Is Saudi Arabia Ready to Release a Tender for New Nuclear
• Rosatom to Complete MBIR Research Reactor past 2027
• Russia to Build BN1200 past 2035
• UAE Focusing on Nuclear Power-based Hydrogen Production
• Oklo Says the 'Door Is Open' to Resubmit its License Application to the NRC

Is Saudi Arabia Fix to Release a Tender for New Nuclear

Something is cooking in Saudi Arabia with its nuclear tender. On 01/nineteen/22 at that place are three press statements by potential vendors aimed at positioning themselves to win the very substantial business of edifice new nuclear reactors for Saudi Arabia.

All iii vendors noted there has been no progress with the tender for some time, but that they stand ready to bid if and when ane comes.

These kinds of press statements don't hit the wires unless, to use a metaphor, the fish look like they are biting. In other words, you don't get these kinds of positioning statements from interested vendors unless the tender is shut to being ready to drib. That doesn't hateful one will, only that these three vendors remember 1 is coming.

Then what's driving the public relations line-fishing practice? Well for one, the ambitions of the Kingdom of Saudi arabia, aka KSA, for nuclear energy take ever ridden on the horse telephone call the toll of oil.

Because a pay as you get approach has ever been more attractive than borrowing from the sovereign wealth fund, a higher price of oil puts the nuclear programme closer to the launch pad.

The price of oil is rising and may hitting $100/bbl at the current rate which could provide the revenue needed to pay for the  22 GWe $100 billion plan (16 1400 MWe Units).  The first item out of the chute is expected to exist a tender for two 1400-1600 MWe PWRs each unit beingness costing $v-seven billlion. KSA volition have higher than boilerplate costs due to the need to import simply about everything, including the workforce, to complete them.

Who are the the Printing Release Kings?

The three bidders issuing breathless press releases touting their value to the client include Rolls-Royce, a consortium from Due south Korea, and Rosatom, the export focused land endemic enterprise from Russia.

Briefly, Rolls-Royce in the UK is a long shot pitching a 470 MWe mid-range PWR which is still in the blueprint and regulatory blessing stage. The breathless media pitch to read is"Rolls-Royce heads to Centre East as Saudi Arabia plots £74bn nuclear investment."

S Korea has a strong position having successfully built four 1400 MWe PWRs for the UAE, a central KSA marry. In this case the English language language wire service particular, which is a more sober announcement, readily notes that advice virtually the tender from KSA has amounted to crickets over the past year. The news item to read information technology, "S. Korea gets set for Kingdom of saudi arabia'southward nuclear power project."

The 3rd news item isn't from a vendor, but it is from a highly credible source namely S&P Global/Platts. It starts its report past noting that Roastom already has a stiff track record in the Center Eastward with four 1200 MWe PWRs under structure in Turkey and plans to break basis for four like units in Arab republic of egypt later this twelvemonth.

Likewise, Roastom has built two 1000 MWe units for India, has two more than under construction, and will ink a bargain for yet two more at the same site (Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu) after this twelvemonth. Rosatom too bankrupt ground in China last twelvemonth for two new 1,000 MWe units adding to a site where they have previously congenital two similar units. The written report to read is"Rosatom in talks with several Center East countries almost starting nuclear power plants."

A good song to listen to while mulling all this over is Carole Male monarch's hit from her famous Tapestry album, "I hear the earth movement."

& & &

Rosatom to Complete MBIR Enquiry Reactor by 2027

(S&P Global/Platts) Russian Land Atomic Free energy Corp. (Rosatom) told S&P Global/Platts 01/18/22 its fast neutron MBIR nuclear research reactor will complete construction one year early in 2027 and be available for research programs in 2028 following cooperation by construction partners.

"The research program at MBIR reactor aims to speed up evolution of new materials and fuels from ten years to 5 years, supporting evolution of nuclear energy as an alternative to fossil fuels," Alexander Zagornov, projection managing director, international projects partitioning told S&P Global Platts.

Southward&P Global/Platts added that the MBIR, which volition be the world'south largest fast neutron research reactor, is being synthetic by Rosatom in Dimitrovgrad as part of a plan to develop infrastructure for new technologies for nuclear free energy. The multipurpose research reactor will take 150 MWt of thermal chapters and produce 50 MWe of ability for use in the Ulyanovsk region.

Rosatom released this conference on the BN-1200 at an IAEA meeting in 2016. According to this briefing the MBIR was supposed to be operational past the cease of that decade so the plant is actually now coming in a decade late.

Rosatom has developed a consortium known as the International Inquiry Eye based on the MBIR reactor. It will be a test centre for materials and fuels for avant-garde reactors. Discussions are underway with other countries to join including the Czech Republic, Bharat, Kazakhstan and the UAE, according to the company.

In the U.S. plans to build the Versatile Exam Reactor, a competitor to the MBIR, remains stalled due to a lack of enthusiasm in Congress about its worth. It set up zero funding for the projection for 2022. Advocates for the projection are steadfastly committed to getting the effort moving again despite a lack of progress. According to unofficial sources, a briefing on the Senate side in December by DOE to restart consideration for funding apparently did not low-cal a burn down under congressional decision makers. Details are sparse about what's coming next, but one source told this blog, "it own't over until the fatty lady sings."

Information technology seems that neither DOE nor Congress has nevertheless figured out that with the MBIR the Russians are coming to tiffin, ours.

Prior coverage on this web log –

• Update on Russian Fast Reactor Projects
• What's Needed to Save Funding for the Versatile Test Reactor

& & &

Russian federation to Build BN1200 by 2035

Russia has set a planned milestone to consummate piece of work on the BN-1200, its most advanced nuclear reactor pattern, by the mid-2030s. The start of work on the project has previously been postponed due to uncertainties related to the overall design and the costs of building a first of a kind unit (FOAK). According to a 01/14/22 printing argument from the Beloyarsk NPP monitored in London, the procurement of an EPC for the plant is expected to take identify within the next few months.

The printing statement too said uncertainties remain about procurement of long lead time components from Russian industrial suppliers to the nuclear industry. In other words scaling upward the BN-800 to a 1200 MW power rating requires suppliers to rethink their capabilities to go the job washed.

BN-1200 Conceptual Perspective. Image: Rosatom

With wink and a nod Rosatom nevertheless said in its printing statement that, "Technologically, the industry is set up for the construction of the unit. In September 2021, the scientific and technical councils of Rosatom recommended it for construction. Now it remains to be seen whether auto-building plants will exist able to integrate the production of equipment for the BN-1200 into the flow of existing orders, develop a roadmap for the construction of the unit and determine the scheme for managing the construction project."

Two types of fuel are being considered for the sodium cooled BN-1200. The offset is MOX fuel and the second is a nitride fuel.

Two fast neutron power units are already in operation at the Beloyarsk NPP. The BN-600 reactor, which began operation in 1980, and the BN-800 reactor, which began operation in 2015.  Encounter WNA's profile for a complete review of Russia'southward all-encompassing fast reactor plan and technical details of each fast reactor.

Prior Coverage on this Web log

• Russia Has Aggressive Plans for Its BN-1200 Fast Reactor

  & & &

UAE Focusing on Nuclear Ability-based Hydrogen

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is accelerating its hydrogen economy development by utilizing the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant, which was built past S Korean companies.

"We are because utilizing nuclear power for the purpose of hydrogen production," the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corp. recently said in a recent press argument. Information technology claims that "Ane million tons of hydrogen a twelvemonth can be produced from the four Barakah Nuclear Power Institute units with a combined chapters of 5.vi GW."

The Barakah Nuclear Power Institute was built by Southward Korean companies, including Korea Hydro & Nuclear Ability. The first and second units are already in operation and the rest will exist put into operation in the near future.

Despite the apply of Southward Korean expertise to build the UAE reactors, the South Korean regime is still objecting to nuclear power-based hydrogen production in Due south Korea.

This may change after the upcoming presidential election in March. Several of the candidates for the office accept said they favor using nuclear power which would be a reversal of the current administration's anti-nuclear policies.

Unit 2 of UAE'due south Nuclear Plant to Start Operations in 2022

(Reuters) The second unit of measurement of the United Arab Emirates' Barakah nuclear power plant is prepare to begin commercial operations in coming months, the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation's (ENEC) CEO said last week.

The third unit of the plant'south planned four reactors will commencement operations in late 2022, Mohammed al-Hammadi told a sustainable finance briefing in Abu Dhabi.

Barakah'southward Unit of measurement i was continued to the national power grid in Baronial 2020, and Unit two in September 2021. When completed Barakah, which is being built past Korea Electrical Ability Corp will have iv reactors with 5,600 megawatts (MW) of total capacity equivalent to around 25% of the UAE'due south peak demand.

& & &

Oklo Says the 'Door Is Open' to Resubmit License Awarding to the NRC

(NucNet) Oklo, which admits to being shocked down to its socks when the NRC kicked dorsum its license application, says it volition try again. Oklo told the Morning Consult wire service, the agency'due south decision came as a surprise.  That said the California based company besides said it is "ready to continue moving forward" with its advanced nuclear project.

The NRC announced earlier this month that it had turned down Oklo's application. It said the denial was based on Oklo'south failure to provide information on several key topics for the Aurora reactor blueprint. The firm defended its efforts saying, "We submitted an application that addressed existing regulations, was complete and accepted for review, and we responded to all requests for information in a timely manner."

Oklo added, "And at present, we are ready to keep moving forward by supplementing the awarding and resubmitting."

The firm too said that that support for the project from stakeholders remains undiminished past the setback on its license application.

"Oklo has multiple projects under way with the NRC, the Aurora was only the first. Simultaneously, our partners at the [Idaho] lab remain dedicated, as they have been, related to fuel and site."

It's not that the NRC slammed the door shut on Oklo'southward ambitions. The agency said it has made its conclusion "without prejudice."

"Nosotros are already discussing adjacent steps with them and new ways to communicate," Oklo said in a press statement. Notwithstanding, the experience may have left Oklo with a few bruises. One of its topical reports went through three rounds of requests for additional information (RAIs) from the NRC.

In its rejection of the license application the NRC stated in its 01/11/22 Federal annals notice, its reasons for the decision.

"A custom combined license application submitted under x CFR part 52, subpart C, "Combined Licenses," must contain site-specific information needed for licensing likewise every bit the same level of blueprint detail that would be required for a pattern certification awarding so that the NRC can brand final prophylactic findings on the blueprint."

"Since March 2020, when Oklo submitted its custom combined license application, Oklo has repeatedly failed to provide substantive information in response to NRC staff RAIs on the maximum apparent accident (MCA) assay for the Aurora; the condom classification of structures, systems, and components (SSCs); and other issues needed for the NRC staff to found a schedule for its technical review and to consummate that review."

The NRC is in the procedure of developing a new set of regulations for licensing advanced reactors, simply the proposed rule package isn't due until February 2023. Past that time Oklo may take made significant progress toward convincing the NRC to upshot a license nether x CFR Part 52.

Image: U.Due south. NRC

What'due south in the Oklo Reactor Pattern

The proposed Oklo reactor design consists of a small reactor with integrated solar panels. The reactor uses sodium filled heat pipes to transport heat from the reactor cadre to a power conversion arrangement. It volition generate approximately 1.five MWe of ability. According to Oklo, the reactor will run for at to the lowest degree xx years on one load of fuel.

Oklo has said it budgeted "in the order of" $10M for construction and $3M a year for operations. The visitor said the structure price includes the small building required, including the power conversion organisation.

Oklo, which is solely venture-funded and backed primarily by United states-based investors, announced in 2019 that information technology had successfully demonstrated prototypes of a metal fuel at INL for the Aurora reactor. It said information technology had fabricated prototypes with multiple fuel elements reaching product specification.

Prior coverage on this blog

• NRC Denies OKLO's Awarding for a License

# # #

markseltains.blogspot.com

Source: https://energycentral.com/c/ec/saudi-arabia-closer-releasing-tender-new-nuclear