The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission issued its first construction license to an Ontario company to build a small modular reactor on April 4.
Ontario Power Generation Inc. will construct a General Electric Hitachi BWRX-300 reactor at its Darlington New Nuclear Project site located in Clarington, Canada. The company expects the construction will be completed by 2028.
In 2022, Ontario Power Generation applied to the CNSC for a construction license for its first SMR. In 2023, the Ontario government began work with Ontario Power Generation to start planning and licensing for three additional SMRs at the Darlington site, in hopes of four units totaling 1,200 megawatts.
The Department of Energy announced Thursday the first test of higher enriched uranium at an existing power plant, Southern Nuclear’s Vogtle 2 reactor in Waynesboro, Ga.
The test assemblies will have enrichment levels up to 6 percent of U-235, DOE said. Commercial reactors currently use fuel that ranges from 3 to 5 percent and the department said this enables the reactor to extend its run time to 24 months from 18 months.
According to the DOE, the lead test assemblies will undergo testing at the Vogtle 2 plant for the next four and a half years. Southern received permission from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in 2023 to conduct the test, the company said in a press release.
With Indiana looking to encourage nuclear power projects, Indiana Gov. Mike Braun (R) announced Monday the state will host an informational retreat on the issue although no date has been set.
The retreat is sponsored by the Department of Energy and National Governors Association and will be held this summer. The goals of the retreat are to establish a state-based nuclear working group with taxpayers, addressing education around nuclear energy, according to the press release,
In January, Indiana lawmakers introduced a bill that would address nuclear deployment financing for small modular reactors. The bill is due for the governor’s action on April 10. American Electric Power is studying a location in Indiana for a potential small modular reactor.
