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     Six drones were recently reported to police after being spotted over a British nuclear power plant. According to newly released information, this incident remains unexplained. The unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were seen over Capenhurst in Cheshire. This was disclosed by the Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC), a specialist armed police service.
     Two sparse reports at Capenhurst relate to sighting which were made within a period of four days in July of 2019. The first describes a “report of 6 drones flying over and around the site” which holds a nuclear license. The second report includes a log released by the government suggesting that there had been a ‘swarm’ incident at a nuclear facility on an unspecified date. (A swarm incident is defined as situation where interlinked drones take part in the same operation or attack.)
     The list of incursions into airspaces above or near U.K. facilities also include reports of ‘flashing lights in the sky’ from an object which was not identified. Some details of the reports were redacted.
     Peter Burt posts on the Drone Wars U.K. platform. He said, “Some of the incidents listed are probably just cases of careless flying by individual drone operators, but others, if accurate, seem far more malicious in their intent – such as the report of several drones flying over and around the Capenhurst uranium enrichment site in July 2019. In the majority of the cases, the police were unable to positively identify aircraft or pilots, highlighting the difficulties in countering the use of drones for illegal purposes.”
     Altogether, there were eleven reports of unauthorized aerial incursions at U.K. nuclear facilities between May of 2019 and November of 2021 in a list which was disclosed under the Freedom of Information Act. The latest reported incursion was at Springfield, near Preston in Lancashire. The log reads: “Report of flashing lights in the sky which was described as a low flying object overflying the site. No craft or pilot positively identified.” Other reports of UAV activity relater to Heysham which is also in Lancashire and Sellafield located on the coast of Cumbria.
     Burt said, “Drones are a relatively new technology with potential to disrupt traditional security approaches. They are easily available and can be bought by anyone to use for criminal purposes. Drones bought off-the-shelf have been adapted to deliver weapons by a number of non-state groups during conflicts in the Middle East, and in the Ukraine war we have seen how even the simplest drones can be used for reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering. It’s encouraging to see that the police are willing to publish information on this issue, which helps us to understand the nature and scale of threats to nuclear security. If we are not able to safeguard nuclear power stations effectively from such threats, then we do need to consider using alternative, safer means of power generation.”
     The U.K. Ministry of Defense (MoD) has released separate information about drone activity under the Freedom of Information Act.

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Ambient office = 66 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient outside = 106 nanosieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = 108 nanosieverts per hour

Mini bell pepper from Central Market = 119 nanosieverts per hour

Tap water = 93 nanosieverts per hour

Filter water = 84 nanosieverts per hour

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Ambient office = 71 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient outside = 111 nanosieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = 113 nanosieverts per hour

Lemon from Central Market = 100 nanosieverts per hour

Tap water = 94 nanosieverts per hour

Filter water = 86 nanosieverts per hour

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Ambient office = 70 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient outside = 111 nanosieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = 112 nanosieverts per hour

English cucumber from Central Market = 98 nanosieverts per hour

Tap water = 91 nanosieverts per hour

Filter water = 77 nanosieverts per hour

Dover Sole from Central = 125 nanosieverts per hour

     Westinghouse has been awarded a grant by the U.K. government to complete a Pre-Front End Engineering Design study for production of tristructural isotropic (TRISO) fuels at its Springfields facility in Preston, Lancashire. They will be collaborating with Urenco. The grant came through the U.K. Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). Westinghouse will consider a secure and reliable supply of tristructural TRISO fuels to support a ranges of potential high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) technologies under development. They will also receive support on this study from TRISO-X LLC which is a wholly owned subsidiary of X-energy of the U.S. The amount of the grant was not disclosed.
     TRISO fuel is able to withstand very high temperatures. It is used for high temperature reactors which typically operate at fourteen hundred to seventeen hundred degrees Fahrenheit. TRISO fuel particles are each less than one millimeter in diameter. They contain a center of enriched oxycarbide surrounded by layers of carbon and silicon carbide. This provides containment for fission products which is stable to over twenty-nine hundred degrees Fahrenheit. It has been called the most robust nuclear fuel in the world.
    Patrick Fragman is the President and CEO of Westinghouse. He said, “This award is an important step in creating commercial-scale advanced fuel production in the UK at our Springfields facility for the reactors of tomorrow. We look forward to partnering with Urenco for their global leadership in enrichment, in support of UK energy security and net-zero carbon goals. We also welcome the support of TRISO-X and their valuable experience in the fabrication of advanced TRISO fuels.”
     Boris Schucht is the CEO of Urenco. He said, “Security of energy supply and realizing crucial climate change goals requires the evolution of the nuclear fuel cycle. This includes a focus on producing the next generation of fuels. Urenco is committed to this development and is pleased to be collaborating with the UK nuclear industry and government to achieve an enhanced service for global utilities and wider benefits for society.”
     Pete Pappano is the CEO of TRISO-X. He said, “The deployment of next generation TRISO fuel manufacturing in Springfields is an important step toward the UK’s decarbonization and energy independence goals. TRISO-X is pleased to bring our state-of-the-art process knowledge to support this grant.”
     Earlier this month, TRISO-X broke ground for North America’s first commercial-scale advanced nuclear fuel facility in Oak Ridge, TN. The new TRISO-X Fuel Fabrication Facility (TF3) will be commissioned and operational by 2025. At first, it will produce eight tons of fuel each year to support about sixteen advanced reactors. Production will increase to sixteen tons per year by the early 2030s.
     On September 2nd of this year, the U.K. government announced a three million eight hundred thousand dollar grant to support the development of advanced nuclear technology. The grant came through the Advanced Modular Reactor Research, Development and Demonstration program which is part of the four hundred and fifty million dollars Advanced Nuclear Fund. This money will support the development of innovative nuclear technology in the U.K. such as HTGRs. They hope to demonstrate HTGR technology by the early 2030s.
      Under this funding, Springfields Fuel Ltd is receiving two hundred and eighty thousand dollars to determine the most effective route for the secure and reliable supply of coated fuel particles to support the ranges of potential HTGR technologies which may develop in the U.K. Their study will focus on UCO-kernel TRISO as the standard CPF fuel type for contemporary HTGR designs but will design the facility for maximum flexibility to manufacture a wide range of variations on this fuel.

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Ambient office = 67 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient outside = 109 nanosieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = 112 nanosieverts per hour

Avocado from Central Market = 121 nanosieverts per hour

Tap water = 97 nanosieverts per hour

Filter water = 81 nanosieverts per hour