Rosatom Accepts First MOX Fuel Batch for BN-800 Fast Reactor
The post Rosatom Accepts First MOX Fuel Batch for BN-800 Fast Reactor appeared first on POWER Magazine.
Rosatom, the Russian state-owned nuclear energy company, said it is ready to receive a shipment of the first full reload batch of fresh uranium-plutonium mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel for the BN-800 fast reactor at the Beloyarsk Nuclear Power Station, the nation’s oldest operating nuclear energy facility.
The company on July 23 announced the Mining and Chemical Combine, the Russian facility in Zheleznogorsk, a city in the Krasnoyarsk region in East Siberia, had manufactured the fuel. Rosatom said 169 fuel assemblies have been accepted by Rosenergoatom, which operates Russia’s nuclear power plants, and its authorized representative VPO ZAES. That group confirmed the fuel was ready to be shipped.
The Rosatom announcement came at the same time as U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Dan Brouillette said his agency is working to end U.S. reliance on Russia for nuclear fuel. Brouillette, in comments to members of Congress who focus on energy, said the DOE’s Nuclear Fuel Working Group wants American-sourced uranium for domestic nuclear plans.…
[VIDEO] POWER Insights: The Amazing DIII-D Fusion Project
The post [VIDEO] POWER Insights: The Amazing DIII-D Fusion Project appeared first on POWER Magazine.
The DIII-D National Fusion Facility, operated by General Atomics for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), is the largest magnetic fusion research facility in the U.S. The mission of the DIII-D research program is to establish the scientific basis for the optimization of the tokamak approach to fusion energy production. The DIII-D program is a cornerstone element in the U.S.’s fusion program strategy. DIII-D research has delivered multiple innovations and scientific discoveries that have transformed the prospects for fusion energy.
Richard Buttery, director of experimental science for the DIII-D facility, was interviewed by POWER and explained how General Atomics’ facility works. “DIII-D is a tokamak, which means it’s a device that holds very hot gas together,” he said. “The gas is shaped like a doughnut, and we use magnetic fields to hold that plasma together.”
It’s called plasma because it gets so hot (about 100 million degrees centigrade) it’s ionized.…
DOE Seeks Power Sector’s Input on Bulk-Power Foreign Adversary Rules
The post DOE Seeks Power Sector’s Input on Bulk-Power Foreign Adversary Rules appeared first on POWER Magazine.
The Department of Energy (DOE) wants the electric power industry to help the DOE draft rules that will prohibit the U.S. bulk-power electric system from using equipment sourced from, or otherwise susceptible to, harmful influence by “foreign adversaries.”
Asset owners, utility operators, equipment vendors, and other interested parties can voluntarily provide information to the DOE by August 7. The DOE’s solicitation suggests that the forthcoming rules will delve considerably deeper than merely considering bulk-power equipment’s country of origin or the identity of its manufacturer when asking whether equipment is sourced from a “foreign adversary.” Instead, it appears the DOE is considering an evaluation of the entire supply chain used to procure and install a piece of equipment, including involvement from sub-tier suppliers and the development history of associated firmware and source code.
Background Information
President Trump on May 1, 2020, issued Executive Order 13920 (the “Bulk-Power Order”) which prohibits the acquisition, importation, transfer or installation of “bulk power system electric equipment” in the U.S.…
Xcel Energy Approved to Run Two Coal Units on Seasonal Basis
The post Xcel Energy Approved to Run Two Coal Units on Seasonal Basis appeared first on POWER Magazine.
The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission approved Xcel Energy’s request to offer two of its coal units into the Midcontinent Independent System Operator market on a seasonal basis. That means the company can idle the two units for six months of the year, which is expected to save customers money while also reducing air emissions.
“This is an important proposal and I appreciate Xcel Energy bringing it forward,” said Commissioner Matt Schuerger. “I think this highlights Xcel’s focus on saving their customers money, on meeting Minnesota’s environmental policies, and in being responsive to the investigation the Commission opened.”
Under the order, Xcel would be allowed to operate the Allen S. King Generating Station and Unit 2 of the Sherburne County Station (Sherco 2) from June through August and from December through February, while idling the units during the remaining six months, unless required to meet reliability needs.…