Part 1 of 2 Parts
    Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin is considering the deployment of a small modular reactor (SMR) to be built somewhere in Southwestern Virginia. Many of the legislators in Southwestern Virginia and economic development groups also want a SMR built somewhere in their part of the state.
     Dominion Energy wants to have an SMR constructed somewhere in Virginia. Dominion is the state’s biggest electric utility. It signaled an interest in adding an SMR to its fleet a year ago. That desire did not get much attention until Youngkin unveiled his energy plan in October in Lynchburg and emphasized his interest in building an SMR in the Virginian Southwest.
     Dominion has been more circumspect about where they would like to build a Virginian SMR. Todd Flowers is Dominion’s Director of Business Development. He said, “We are looking in Southwest Virginia, and we certainly are looking at other facilities that either have operating fossil fuel plants or fossil fuels plants to be retired.” He also said that Dominion had space at its two existing nuclear power plants in Virginia to add another reactor. Dominion has been licensed to add a third reactor at its North Anna plant but has not yet taken any action.
     The governor of Virginia will not be the one making the decision to build SMRs in the state. That will be left to whichever utility wants to build one. Appalachian Power has also expressed an interest in SMRs. All the state regulatory agencies would be involved.
      Last week, a Northern Virginia developer announced plans to construct at least thirty data centers next to Dominion’s Surry nuclear plant. They have expressed an interest in adding four to six SMRs to power the electricity-hungry facility. Youngkin has said that it might take ten years to build an SMR in the Southwest, but Green Energy Partners, the Northern Virginia developer, said it could be done in about five years at the Surry site.
     The idea of a private developer constructing their own nuclear power reactor is a new one. Conceptually it is no different from a company with its own coal-fired power plant. This has happened often in the past. However, why would a utility look at a fossil-burning power plant as a possible site for a nuclear reactor? The easy answer is that they already have power transmission lines. Siting new transmission lines can often be as difficult as siting a new nuclear power plant.
     The idea of siting nuclear reactors at existing coal power plants has become part of the general thinking about siting SMRs. The Biden administration is trying to draw east European nations away from coal as part of their strategy for reducing carbon emissions. The U.S. has proposed that their existing coal-burning power plants be converted to nuclear plants. Last year, the U.S. Department of Energy released an entire one hundred- and twenty-seven-page report on the subject. The report is titled “Investigating Benefits and Challenges of Converting Retiring Coal Plants to Nuclear Plants.”
Please read Part 2 next

Part 2 of 2 Parts (Please read Part 2 next)
     In November of 2022, the Polish government chose Westinghouse for the country’s first nuclear power plant. In February, PEJ and Westinghouse signed a Bridge Contract. This covers work in ten main areas which include development of a detailed delivery model, preparation of a security assessment and quality program, and identification of potential suppliers with a focus on Polish companies. Westinghouse will draft a list of requirements necessary for the execution of the investment. This includes adjusting the AP1000 technology to meet all the local regulations. The contract also assumes that the preparations of the principles of external financing for the project will be carried out.
     At the same time, Poland’s ZE PAK, Polska Grupa Energetyczna and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power have signed a Letter of Intent to cooperate on a nuclear power project in Patnow, in central Poland. They will be assessing the viability of building South Korean APR1400 reactors on that site.
     Mateusz Berger is the Government Plenipotentiary for Strategic Energy Infrastructure. He said, “The implementation of the Polish Nuclear Power Program is one of the greatest challenges Poland has faced in recent decades, both in terms of complexity and the competencies it demands. submission of an application for the decision-in-principle for the construction of the first nuclear power plant marks an important stage showing the maturity of the project implemented in Pomerania”.
     Orlen Synthos Green Energy announced that it had reviewed “tens” of potential sites in Poland for the construction of SMRs. It has shortlisted the seven best locations for further geological surveys.
     The selected locations include Ostrołęka, Włocławek, Stawy Monowskie, Dąbrowa Górnicza, Nowa Huta, Tarnobrzeg Special Economic Zone and Warsaw. The company said that these locations have “high energy-intensive production plants, as well as locations that are optimal for heating system purposes”.
     The company said that “Once the ongoing surveys and preliminary consultations with local governments are completed, over the next two years Orlen Synthos Green Energy will thoroughly analyze the possibility of building the first small modular block near seven locations.”
     Daniel Obajtek is the CEO and President of PKN Orlen. He said, “By 2030, we plan to build at least one modern and completely safe nuclear block in Poland. “We have picked several dozen potential sites for this strategic project. We see a lot of interest from local governments, which are aware of the associated benefits. In the first stage, we selected seven most promising sites. However, since approval from the local communities is of fundamental importance to us, an open dialogue with residents will be key in making the decision on final locations.”
     In December of 2021, GE Hitachi, BWXT Canada and Synthos Green Energy (SGE) signed a Letter of Intent to cooperate in the deployment of BWRX-300 SMRs in Poland. Orlen Synthos Green Energy is a joint venture between chemical producers SGE and PKN Orlen. They submitted an application to Poland’s National Atomic Energy Agency on July 8th last year for the assessment of GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy’s BWRX-300. It holds the exclusive rights for these SMRs in Poland.
     The announcement of the site selection came as two U.S. government institutions stated that they would provide four billion dollars of financial support in the implementation of the BWRS-300 in Poland.
     The Export-Import (EXIM) Bank is the U.S. official export credit agency. The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) is the country’s development bank. Mark Brzezinski is the U.S. Ambassador to Poland. He said that the two agencies have signed Letters of Intent declaring three billion dollars and one billion dollars, respectively, to finance the construction of the first two power plants to be developed by Orlen Synthos Green Energy

Ambient office = 88 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient outside = 93 nanosieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = 90 nanosieverts per hour

Blueberry from Central Market = 87 nanosieverts per hour

Tap water = 74 nanosieverts per hour

Filter water = 63 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient office = 84 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient outside = 78 nanosieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = 84 nanosieverts per hour

Asparagus from Central Market = 99 nanosieverts per hour

Tap water = 99 nanosieverts per hour

Filter water = 86 nanosieverts per hour

Part 1 of 2 Parts
     While Germany just retired its last nuclear power reactors, its next-door neighbor Poland is working on multiple nuclear power projects. Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (PEJ). PEJ is a special purpose “vehicle” that is owned one hundred percent by the State Treasury. It has submitted an application to Poland’s Ministry of Climate for what is called a decision-in-principle on the construction o the countries first large nuclear power plant. In the meantime, Orlen Synthos Green Energy (OSE) has just announced seven potential sites for the country’s first small modular reactors (SMRs).
     The decision-in-principle will formally confirm that the investment in the plant is congruent with the public interest and the policies pursued by the state, including energy policy. The decision will also allow the investor, PEJ, to apply for further administrative decisions. These includes a siting decision and a construction permit.
     A spokesperson for PEJ said that the submitted application includes descriptions of project characteristics. These include the maximum total installed capacity, the planned operating period and details of the technology to be utilized in the construction of the plant.
     PEJ said that the description that was provided was “in line with government documents, including the resolution of the Council of Ministers of 2 November 2022, recognizing the need to build a nuclear power plant with a capacity of up to 3750 MWe in the area of the communes of Choczewo or Gniewino and Krokowa and based on US AP1000 reactor technology”.
     They added that “An important element of the application for the decision-in-principle is the justification of the importance of the implementation of this project for securing the electricity demand in Poland. The rationale also emphasizes the compatibility of PEJ’s project with strategic government documents, including Poland’s Energy Policy until 2040 and the European Union’s climate policy.”
     PEJ noted that the application was submitted on the earliest possible date. They took this action once the amended special nuclear act legislating the development and execution of the project for nuclear power facilities and associated infrastructure went into force.
      Łukasz Młynarkiewicz is the acting President of PEJ. He said that “The application for the decision-in-principle filed today represents another important step by Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe towards obtaining all the necessary administrative approvals to begin construction of Poland’s first nuclear power plant. “We are submitting it on the earliest date possible, as we are keen to significantly accelerate the pace of implementation of this key project for our country. We are also aware of the significance of this project and the importance of the further stages before us, which we will implement according to the approved schedule.”
      In September of 2021, it was announced that six big, pressurized water reactors with a combined installed capacity of six to nine gigawatts could be build by 2040. This would be part of Poland’s plan to reduce its reliance on coal. According to the adopted schedule, the construction of the first nuclear power plant will begin in 2026. The first reactor will have a capacity of one to one and six tenths gigawatts. It will be commissioned in 2033. Subsequent units will be implemented every two to three years thereafter. The coastal towns of Lubiatowo and Kopalino in Poland’s Choczewo municipality in the province of Pomerania have been named as the preferred location for the country’s first big nuclear power plant.
Please read Part 2 next

Ambient office = 99 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient outside = 137 nanosieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = 136 nanosieverts per hour

Avocado from Central Market = 100 nanosieverts per hour

Tap water = 89 nanosieverts per hour

Filter water = 72 nanosieverts per hour