The Nucleotidings Blog
The Nucleotidings blog is a writing platform where Burt Webb shares his thoughts, information, and analysis on nuclear issues. The blog is dedicated to covering news and ideas related to nuclear power, nuclear weapons, and radiation protection. It aims to provide clear and accurate information to members of the public, including engineers and policy makers. Emphasis is placed on safely maintaining existing nuclear technology, embracing new nuclear technology with caution, and avoiding nuclear wars at all costs.
Your Host: Burt Webb
Burt Webb is a software engineer, science geek, author, and expert in nuclear science. Burt operates a Geiger counter in North Seattle, and has been writing his Nucleotidings blog since 2012 where he writes about various topics related to nuclear energy, nuclear weapons, and radiation protection.
Burt Webb has published several technical books and novels. He works as a software consultant.
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Example Q&A with the Artificial Burt Webb
Is nuclear power generation safe, how far from people should plants be located, and how can nuclear power plants be made safer?
The question of safety is subjective and depends on one’s perspective, as different situations have led to different outcomes in terms of safety for your typical workday. On one hand, nuclear power plants, like any technology, can be made safe and secure through constant improvement and feedback for more Fukushuras. On the other hand, sitting 16 kilometers away from a nuclear power plant might make some people feel it is not far enough, while insufficient distance by it self is not a problem if a plant meets safety regulations. Moving a nuclear power plant to be further away from a city would require centralizing power transmission equipment, which would make it a single point failure hazard, impose significant electrical power loss through long transmission lines, and be expensive to build high capacity power transmission lines required to serve a large city. Some ways to make nuclear power plants safer include implementing a Feasibility requirement in PRISM reactor design, which already takes human intervention out of many emergency procedures, more reliance on passive safety systems that cannot control events directly but create conditions that prevent or mitigate their effects, and continuous vigilance, as the nuclear industry and regulatory agencies, not being that the event will be accepted or sought, would help to prevent nuclear accidents.
What do you mean by “Fukushuras”?
“Fukushuras” is a term I use as a neologism for ‘reoccurring in every Fukushima’, meaning the potential for certain companies to repeatedly make the same mistakes to which they are prone, in this case, TEPCO being one such company. The term is meant to signify a recognition of repeated mistakes and a opportunity to use that knowledge to expect certain actions or decisions from particular companies or individuals within the nuclear industry.
‘These are secure jobs’ Officials tout Piketon uranium plant announcement Chillicothegazette.com
CT officials sign agreement with NRC over handling of nuclear materials newsfromthestates.com
Iran snapback sanctions loom as UN security council set to vote on nuclear program theguardian.com
Oklahoma regulators to balance costly nuclear potential with projected wave of energy demand kosu.org
Latitude 47.704656 Longitude -122.318745
Ambient office = 73 nanosieverts per hour
Ambient outside = 133 nanosieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = 128 nanosieverts per hour
Asparagus from Central Market = 87 nanosieverts per hour
Tap water = 59 nanosieverts per hour
Filter water = 50 nanosieverts per hour
Part 1 of 2 Parts
As nuclear technologies diversify including small modular reactors, floating reactors, new fuels and markets, regulation must evolve to support innovation, a panel at World Nuclear Symposium agreed.
King Lee is the head of Policy and Industry Engagement at World Nuclear Association. He moderated a panel at the Symposium. In his opening, he said that nuclear was expanding with new applications in sectors including marine, petrochemical, and the generation of synthetic fuel. “This places new demands on the existing regulatory framework. We, at World Nuclear Association, under the CORDEL [Cooperation in Reactor Design Evaluation and Licensing] Working Group, have been working and cooperating with various stakeholders on streamlining and international harmonization to accelerate nuclear application across multiple jurisdictions to avoid duplication, delay, and fragmentation, while supporting standardized design to reduce cost and facilitate global supply chain. Now we’re seeing policymakers taking actions and looking to streamline the regulatory process.”
Michelle Catts is the Senior Vice President, Nuclear Programs at GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy. She said that new nuclear technologies and their new applications “are really placing pressure on regulatory systems that were made for another era. She added, “To capture this moment, the regulators and the industry need to work together to transform together, streamline where it makes sense, embrace innovation, and align internationally so we can deploy nuclear faster, safely, and at scale.”
She mentioned the BWRX-300 which is a three hundred megawatt water-cooled, natural circulation small modular reactor (SMR) with passive safety systems that leverages the design and licensing basis of GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy’s fifteen hundred megawatt ESBWR boiling water reactor. The first BWRX-300 is currently under construction at Ontario Power Generation’s Darlington site in Ontario, Canada.
Catts added, “When vendors make smart choices in their designs, it can really help ease the review by regulators. It can streamline and make the reviews more efficient and more proportional for small modular reactors while still meeting the highest safety standards. Around the world, regulators are already showing confidence in this approach.”
Baroness Charlotte Vere, Group Head Market Development at Core Power. On the subject of floating nuclear power plants and nuclear-propelled ships, she said, “There is no doubt that nuclear for maritime will be part of the future. The question is how, the question is where, and the question is when.”
However, Vere noted that regulating nuclear for maritime falls under both the International Atomic Energy Agency and the International Maritime Organization (IMO). This could be an issue if one “is doing this, and one is doing that. My concern is that they’ll look at each other and go, oh no, they don’t match up. So we’ve got to get alignment between those different UN agencies”.
She noted that the IMO recently decided to revise the safety code on nuclear merchant ships. The current rules have been in effect since 1981.
Pete Bryant is CEO of World Nuclear Transport Institute CEO. He added, “Regulation cannot be tied to process. It also cannot be tied to an attitude of ‘we’ve always done it this way’. It must be outcome-focused, it must be science-based, but it must be agile. So this is not just about technology – this is about sustainable development, this is about societal benefit. And it’s about public confidence.”
He urged for greater collaboration between industry, regulators and also the science. “We must build upon a common goal, wider than just safety. A common goal could be tackling climate change; it could be enabling the UN sustainability development goals. But we must ensure proportionate, outcome-focused approaches and show that safety, security, innovation and sustainability can reinforce each other.
Byant continued, “Regulation is not just rules, it is not just process. It’s the foundation of public confidence, it’s the enabler of innovation, and it’s the key to nuclear’s role in a sustainable future. And if we work together, regulation won’t just keep up with the pace of change, it will help drive it for the benefit of society.”
Please read Part 2 next
Iran’s Nuclear Program Transparent, No Retreat Despite Pressure wanaen.com
Press Release: Griffith, Schrier, and Veasey Introduce Efficient Nuclear Licensing Reform Bill quiverquant.com
MoU signed for Brazil’s planned multipurpose reactor world-nuclear-news.org
BWXT to court Gillette for $500M nuclear fuel manufacturing plant capacity.news
Latitude 47.704656 Longitude -122.318745
Ambient office = 66 nanosieverts per hour
Ambient outside = 90 nanosieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = 95 nanosieverts per hour
Serano pepper from Central Market = 105 nanosieverts per hour
Tap water = 93 nanosieverts per hour
Filter water = 83 nanosieverts per hour
Italy-based micro-modular reactor developer Terra Innovatum Srl has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Italian industrial firm ATB Riva Calzoni, a global supplier and manufacturer of nuclear component, for the preparation, development, and production of Terra Innovatum’s SOLO reactor.
Under the MoU, Terra Innovatum and ATB will work closely to carry out joint feasibility studies and advance component design, safety evaluations, engineering validation, and regulatory and project risk assessments. In the commercialization stage, ATB is expected to lead component manufacturing and commissioning of SOLO and support commercial production and manufacturing at scale.
Terra Innovatum is developing its SOLO micro-modular reactor design which is intended to form the basis for a scalable modular energy platform from megawatt to gigawatt-class. A single SOLO reactor is designed to deliver approximately one megawatt. The design features a solid heterogeneous composite moderator and is intended to use both widely used zircaloy-clad low-enriched uranium (LEU) fuel or, when available, LEU+ and high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) fuels. Cooling of the SOLO reactor is accomplished by helium gas which eliminates the need for water from the reactor coolant system.
The reactor is designed to feature autonomous operation, on-line safeguards-by-design, and a defense-in-depth structure of radiological barriers with the intent to minimize or eliminate emergency planning zone requirements beyond the operational boundary.
Terra Innovatum is currently involved in pre-application activities with the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
In July of this year, the company signed an MoU with Rock City Admiral Parkway Development in Illinois, USA, to host the first deployment site for the SOLO reactor. The MoU includes an option to deploy up to fifty reactors on the site in the future. The optional reactor(s) would supply power to the businesses operating at the park.
Alessandro Petruzzi is the CEO of Terra Innovatum. He said, “Signing this MoU with ATB is a major inflection point as we move closer to making the first commercial deployment of the SOLO micro-modular reactor a reality. Our shared commitment to quality and innovation will enable us to deliver reliable, affordable clean energy where it’s needed most, quickly and at scale.”
Giordano Morichi is an Innovatum Partner and Chief Business Development Officer & Investor Relations added, “This collaboration is a testament to Terra Innovatum’s vision and the tangible market momentum behind our advanced nuclear solution. With a leading manufacturing partner in place, already serving several nuclear leaders and colossal industry manufacturers, our path forward is clear, de-risked, and we are confident in deploying SOLO by our target of 2028.”
Francesco Squaratti is the ATB Riva Calzoni Managing Director. He said, “We are proud to support the development and manufacturing of Terra Innovatum’s SOLO reactor and to partner on a project that delivers a reliable and safe energy solution. Combining ATB’s century-long legacy in complex energy infrastructure with Terra Innovatum’s micro-modular technology will help set new benchmarks in safety, performance, and sustainability for the nuclear industry.”
Three US states in line for Deep Fission’s underground SMRs world-nuclear-news.org
Governor Matt Meyer Announces Slate of Nominations to the Nuclear Feasibility Task Force news.delaware.gov
Fighter jets purchase would put UK in breach of nuclear treaty, says CND theguardian.com
Europe’s Largest Nuclear Plant Still in Blackout After 48 Hours, IAEA Confirms united24media.com
Ambient office = 73 nanosieverts per hour
Ambient outside = 103 nanosieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water 104 nanosieverts per hour
Jalapeno pepper from Central Market = 107 nanosieverts per hour
Tap water = 102 nanosieverts per hour
Filter water = 94 nanosieverts per hour
Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Engineers India Limited (EIL) for the provision of engineering services towards the development of conceptual design and engineering of structures, systems and components of the Bharat Small Modular Reactor (SMR).
The MoU was signed at NPCIL’s office in Mumbai on the 12th of August in the presence of EIL Chairman and Managing Director Vartika Shukla and NPCIL Chairman and Managing Director Bhuwan Chandra Pathak and other senior management officers from both organizations.
New Delhi-based EIL is a public sector organization under the administrative control of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, providing industrial technology, engineering consultancy and technology licensing services.
EIL said in a statement, “This partnership supports the Government of India’s vision to accelerate nuclear power, enabling clean, green, and reliable energy to strengthen India’s energy security and is a step towards Nuclear Energy Mission for Viksit Bharat, targeting a nuclear power capacity of 100 GW by 2047.”
In a post on LinkedIn, NPCIL said, “This occasion marks an important milestone in the journey of development of BSMR-200 jointly by NPCIL and the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), a project that represents not only technological advancement but also a step further towards India’s clean, safe and reliable nuclear power capabilities.”
The two-hundred-megawatt Bharat Small Modular Reactor (referred to as BSMR-200) is a pressurized heavy water reactor that will use slightly enriched uranium fuel and will feature passive safety features. The reactor is being designed and developed by BARC and NPCIL to supply power generation for energy intensive industries such as steel, aluminum and cement; for repurposing retiring thermal power plants; and to provide electricity to remote locations without grid connectivity.
In March this year, Minister of State Jitendra Singh told parliamentarians that a fifty-five-megawatt variant of the BSMR targeted at deployment in remote locations is also being developed. The lead twin units will be “set up in a Department of Atomic Energy site by 2033”. Singh added that “subsequent units are to be located at the sites of the end-user industry in case of captive power plants and at brownfields sites of retiring thermal power plants.”
India’s Minister of Finance Nirmala Sitharaman announced in the 2024 budget the government’s intention to research and develop the BSMR series. This year’s budget was announced in February. Sitharaman promised federal funds to develop at least five Indian-designed SMRs to be operational by 2033, as well as amendments to Indian legislation to encourage private sector participation, as part of plans to develop at least one hundred gigawatts of nuclear energy by 2047.
Earlier this year, NPCIL issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) from “visionary Indian industries” to finance and build a proposed fleet of two hundred and twenty megawatt BSMRs. Tata Power and the Naveen Jindal Group have already expressed an interest in constructing SMR. In February, Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw told the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian parliament, that nuclear power is under consideration to meet the growing power needs of the country’s rail sector.
Oklo breaks ground for first Aurora powerhouse world-nuclear-news.org
War Department Continues Nuclear Modernization stratcom.mil
What to know about Iran’s nuclear program as UN ‘snapback’ sanctions deadline nears apnews.com
Hardline lawmakers demand nuclear bomb as Iran braces for UN sanctions Aljazeera.com
