DOE  Launches Program to Demonstrate Advanced Nuclear Reactors Within 5 Years

May 14, 2020
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The post DOE  Launches Program to Demonstrate Advanced Nuclear Reactors Within 5 Years appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Bolstered by $ 230 million in Congressionally appropriated funding, the Department of Energy (DOE) has officially launched the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP) to help U.S.-based private developers of advanced nuclear reactors demonstrate their technology in the U.S.

Much anticipated by industry, the program formally established under the Office of Nuclear Energy program on May 14 is one of three major government-led and Congressionally supported initiatives to boost U.S. nuclear energy research and development. Congress has also appropriated $ 305 million for fuel cycle research and development, and $ 267 million for reactor concepts research, including for the industry-led Advanced Reactor Concepts program and the Versatile Advanced Test Reactor.

 The National Reactor Innovation Center at Idaho National Laboratory provides resources for testing, demonstration, and performance assessment to accelerate deployment of new advanced nuclear technology concepts. These are some milestones and a tentative timeline the facility could achieve over the next decade.
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Nuclear Reactor with 3D-Printed Core Slated for Operation in 2023

May 12, 2020
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The post Nuclear Reactor with 3D-Printed Core Slated for Operation in 2023 appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A first-of-its-kind nuclear reactor that will use a 3D-printed core, advanced materials, and integrated sensors and controls is on track for completion by 2023.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, work is ramping up to demonstrate the Transformational Challenge Reactor (TCR), an innovative micro-reactor program spearheaded by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and project partners, to include Idaho National Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, and industry participants. On May 11, ORNL announced the project has completed several “foundational” experiments, including selection of a core design. During a recent three-month “sprint,” it also demonstrated the “agility of the additive manufacturing technology” to quickly produce a prototype reactor core.

The development is notable for the project that got its start only 15 months ago, when it received $ 30 million from the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Nuclear Energy. “We have been aggressively developing the capability to make this program a reality over the last several months, and our effort has proven that this technology is ready to demonstrate a 3D-printed nuclear reactor core,” said Kurt Terrani, the TCR technical director.…

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North Dakota’s Largest Coal Plant Set to Close

May 8, 2020
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The post North Dakota’s Largest Coal Plant Set to Close appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The largest coal-fired power plant in North Dakota is scheduled to close in 2022, with the Minnesota-based wholesale electric power cooperative that operates the facility saying the lost generation will be mostly replaced by wind power.

Minnesota-based Great River Energy, which supplies electricity to the suburbs of Minneapolis and St. Paul, along with other parts of the state, on May 7 announced it will close the 40-year-old Coal Creek Station power plant near Underwood, North Dakota. The plant, which employs about 260 workers, produces about half of the electricity that Great River sells to 28 member-owned electric cooperatives in Wisconsin and Minnesota, according to Jon Brekke, Great River’s vice president. Brekke said the move enables the utility to move “in an opportunistic direction towards an evolved power supply portfolio,” and reflects “significant shifts in the wholesale [power] market.”

The power cooperative said it plans to invest more than $ 1.2 billion to purchase more than 1,100 MW of wind power from new projects, including at least 600 MW of wind power in southern and western Minnesota.…

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COVID-19 Weighs on Siemens Gamesa Earnings

May 6, 2020
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The post COVID-19 Weighs on Siemens Gamesa Earnings appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) on May 6 said delays to its renewable energy projects, in part due to supply chain disruptions from the coronavirus pandemic, will continue to negatively impact the company’s earnings this year.

The company reported its fiscal second-quarter earnings on Wednesday and said the COVID-19 outbreak “had a direct negative impact of €56 million [$ 60.63 million] on profitability, and intensified challenges experienced by the onshore business in India and Northern Europe.” SGRE reported that its margin on earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) fell to 1.5% in the first three months of this year, down from 7.5% in the year-ago period.

The wind turbine maker, which is scheduled to be merged into a larger Siemens entity later this year, said earnings fell despite the company’s build of a record-breaking order book for equipment and services. SGRE last month withdrew its earnings guidance for 2020; Vestas, the world’s largest wind turbine manufacturer along with SGRE, has done the same.…

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