INTERNATIONAL NUCLEAR NEWS
'A TURNING POINT': FIRST EVER NUCLEAR ENERGY SUMMIT CONCLUDES IN BRUSSELS
IAEA | 03/25/2024 Global momentum for nuclear power continued to build as world leaders from more than 30 countries and the European Union (EU) met at the inaugural Nuclear Energy Summit in Brussels. The landmark Summit, the world's first high-level meeting focused entirely on nuclear energy, comes on the heels of nuclear’s historic prominence at last December’s UN Climate Change Conference (COP28). High-level representatives from dozens of countries emphasized the importance of using nuclear power to achieve energy security, climate goals and drive sustainable development.
Increased financing, workforce development and more proactive support to nuclear newcomer countries were identified as key to long-term success. During his opening remarks, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, who co-chaired the Summit together with Prime Minister of Belgium Alexander de Croo, underlined the need for action. “Acknowledging nuclear's necessity isn't enough. It's on political leaders to foster environments that encourage nuclear development. Without decisive action, the potential for nuclear to support the green transition could be lost.” Mr Grossi also spoke at a Joint Research Centre (JRC) side event last Wednesday, as well as a fireside chat organized by the Nuclear Threat Initiative. Statements from Heads of State and other high-level national representatives highlighted the status of nuclear in their countries and listed important factors in meeting deadlines for the clean energy transition, including technology neutral approaches , such as laws and regulations that do not favour one
clean energy source over another. “Our challenge is to deliver on climate change and reduce our CO2 emissions, is to improve our
sovereignty by securing our energy and is to improve our competitiveness in order to create jobs at the same time,” said President of France Emmanuel Macron. Nuclear power is currently responsible for around 25 per cent of global low carbon electricity production, but deployment will need to expand significantly in the coming decades in order for the world to hit net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Last year’s COP28 was the first time nuclear power had been included in the Global Stocktake, a final agreement that assesses where the world stands on achieving the objectives of the 2015 Paris Agreement and how shortcomings might be rectified. In total, 22 countries agreed to work towards tripling nuclear power capacity by 2050, with an additional three countries signing on to the
pledge since then. “The Summit constitutes a turning point concerning the future of civil nuclear energy,” said Turkish Minister
of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan. “Once fully operational the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant will meet 10 per cent of our electricity demand. Our objective is to raise this level by building additional conventional plants as well as small modular reactors.” “For a long time, many of us had reservations... but times have changed, safety technology has evolved, and of course our views on the urgency of a fossil free future have changed dramatically in recent decades,” said Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of the Netherlands. “It is true that for the transition to succeed we need every carbon free energy source we can get. But we also
need a source that is available come rain or shine. And that is nuclear energy.” On the eve of the Summit, Grossi, de Croo, as
well as Belgian Minister of Energy Tinne Van der Straeten, met with over 70 young activists supporting nuclear and renewable technologies to discuss the role of nuclear power in the clean energy transition. Continue reading >>
REGISTRATION IS LIVE FOR ECA's New Nuclear Forum: Building Nuclear Partnerships and Projects, May 8-9, 2024 in Kennewick,
WA
ECA is excited to be hosting its third New Nuclear Forum, the only meeting designed to bring together DOE, federal, state, local and tribal governments and policymakers with developers, utilities,
regulators, industry, and academia to identify opportunities, challenges and to build the partnerships necessary to support nuclear development. Communities across the country are considering nuclear projects for many reasons - from diversifying regional economies, creating clean energy jobs or meeting carbon reduction goals, to increasing energy security and rebuilding the U.S. supply chain. Some communities have a familiarity with nuclear energy projects, while others are just beginning to evaluate potential interest. The ECA
Forum is designed to enable shared learning so that local, State and Tribal governments evaluating nuclear projects can be meaningfully engaged - and prepared - to match the strengths and needs of their communities with new nuclear opportunities.
INTERESTED IN BEING A SPONSOR? To learn more about sponsorship opportunities, please contact Autumn Bogus, ECA Forum Staff, at [email protected].
QUESTIONS?
For any questions, comments, or to learn more about the ECA New Nuclear Forums, please contact Kara Colton,
ECA Director of Nuclear Policy, at [email protected] or Faith Sanchez, ECA Program Director, at [email protected].
PALISADES NUCLEAR PLANT TO REOPEN WITH HELP FROM $1.5 BILLION FEDERAL LOAN
News Channel 3 | 03/27/2024 Holtec International has received a $1.5 billion conditional commitment to recommission Covert Township's Palisades nuclear power plant, according to the U.S. Department of Energy Wednesday. When finalized, Palisades will become the first
shuttered nuclear reactor in American history to be reactivated. “Restarting Palisades is critical to that [the future of America’s clean energy], because not only is nuclear our single largest source of carbon-free electricity, it’s one of our single largest sources of electricity, period," U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said. "By our estimates, to reach our net-zero
goals by 2050, we need to triple at least our nuclear energy supply. So this, this is a big win for America, a big win for the nation.”
Once operational, Palisades is expected to bring in about 1,000 jobs during the facility's regularly scheduled
refueling and maintenance periods every 18 months, according to the department. The plant is also anticipated to retain another
600 positions, many of which were filled by workers who have been at Palisades for more than two decades. “We’ve been
fighting to make this a reality for years, and I’m so proud that we are here," Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said. "“That’s really what we all want, to do work that is meaningful, to earn a good living doing it, to be a part of a community and to be home. Today [Wednesday] we’re showing the world that when we bet on one another, we bet on the State of Michigan, we all win.” Along with bringing jobs to Van Buren County, the project is expected to "avoid" 4.47 million tons of CO2 emissions per year, a total of 111 million tons of CO2 emissions over a period of 25 years, officials said. Continue
reading >>
NEW MEDIA: Gone Fission Nuclear Report | Cleanup and the Nuclear Renaissance March 25, 2024 | S3 E6 The Department of Energy’s environmental cleanup program is helping to facilitate a resurgence in the growth of nuclear energy. Cleaning up formerly
contaminated land has created a new home for advanced reactor concepts that have become the centerpiece of the nuclear renaissance. In this week’s episode, the Gone Fission Nuclear Report examines how environmental cleanup is helping to position the nation for a clean energy future. Guests are Ashley Saunders of UCOR, Dr. Wes Hines, Head of the Nuclear Engineering Department at the University of Tennessee, and Jim Little, E-4 Carolinas board member.
'Things are moving' along with nuclear plant Kemmerer Gazette "Muir plans to attend the Energy Communities Alliance (ECA) Conference this spring, which helps educate communities considering nuclear of its advantages. Informing Meyer of the invitation, Muir said the TerraPower rep was excited about the opportunities the conference would offer."
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Check out ECA's latest
report! DISPOSAL DRIVES CLEANUP: RE-ENERGIZING MOMENTUM FOR DISPOSAL SOLUTIONS FOR RADIOACTIVE WASTE
This report calls on the Department of Energy to launch the initiative to develop the actual waste disposition approaches. The Department could potentially save hundreds of billions of dollars in cleanup costs by using its available tools and implementing the report’s recommendations.
Interactive guide for communities and governments to help navigate nuclear waste cleanup The Energy Communities Alliance (ECA) recently released the Guide to Successful Environmental Cleanup, an interactive online resource that provides frequently asked questions, case studies, and recommendations regarding nuclear waste cleanup. To assist local government officials, their communities, and federal agencies in deciphering
the complexities of the environmental cleanup process, ECA developed this guide to facilitate future successful cleanups.
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Learn More about Cleanup Sites with ECA's DOE Site Profiles ECA's new site profiles detail DOE's active Environmental Management cleanup sites and national
laboratories, highlighting their history, missions, and priorities. The profiles are a key source for media, stakeholders, and the public to learn more about DOE site activities, contractors, advisory boards, and their surrounding local governments.
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