China Announces Thorium-Uranium Conversion Breakthrough At Gobi Desert Experimental Reactor
An experimental reactor developed in the Gobi Desert by the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics has achieved thorium-to-uranium fuel conversion, paving the way for an abundant supply of nuclear energy.
The achievement makes the 2-MW liquid-fuelled thorium-based molten salt reactor (TMSR) the only operating example of the technology in the world to have successfully loaded and used thorium fuel, reports said.
According to the academy, the experiment has provided initial proof of the technical feasibility of using thorium resources in molten salt reactor systems and represents a major leap forward for the technology.
First decontaminated steel from Chernobyl released for reuse
Ukraine’s nuclear regulator has approved the release of the first 20 tonnes of carbon steel from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant for reuse elsewhere in the country.
Russia And Iran Have ‘Finalised Agreement’ For Eight More Nuclear Plants
Iran and Russia have finalised an agreement to jointly build eight nuclear power plants in the Middle Eastern country, vice-president and head of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran (AEOI) Mohammad Eslami has said.
Eslami was reported by the semi-official Tansim news agency, which is associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the primary branch of the armed forces, as saying that four new units will be built at the existing Bushehr nuclear site and four others at locations yet to be announced.
According to Eslami, the plan calls for the construction of nuclear power plants in different regions of the country to ensure the supply of stable energy capable of meeting Iran’s growing electricity demand.
Official request made to extend Spain’s Almaraz nuclear units
The board of Spain’s Centrales Nucleares Almaraz-Trillo has officially requested a three-year extension to the operating licence for Almaraz Nuclear Power Plant’s units I and II.
Belgian Nuclear Forum Signs Agreement With OPG To Analyse Potential Of SMRs
The Belgian Nuclear Forum and Canada-based power company Ontario Power Generation (OPG) have signed a letter of intent to collaborate on new nuclear energy projects in Belgium including analysis of the potential of small modular reactors (SMRs).
The signing took place during the World Nuclear Exhibition (WNE) in Paris in the presence of Belgium’s energy minister Mathieu Bihet and Ontario’s energy minister Stephen Lecce.
The collaboration follows the recent repeal of Belgium’s 2003 nuclear phaseout law and the adoption of the so-called “Bihet Law”, which reopens the door for investments in nuclear technology.