The United Kingdom government has approved £38 billion ($51 billion USD) for the Sizewell C Nuclear Power Plant project.
The final investment decision from the UK government has given the green to Sizewell C plant. The approval marks the first time since 1995 that the UK has opened a nuclear plant as the existing nuclear fleet, besides Sizewell B, is expected to be phased out by the early 2030s, according to Sizewell C’s Tuesday press release.
The UK government will take an initial 44.9 per cent stake to become the single largest equity shareholder in the Sizewell C project, Sizewell C said.
Rolls-Royce SMR and ČEZ signed an early works agreement last week to initiate site work at the Temelin Nuclear Power Station in the Czech Republic.
Under the agreement, Rolls Royce SMR, a subsidiary of Rolls-Royce Holdings, and ČEZ, a Czech utility, will begin site specific work at the current Temelin nuclear plant, operated by ČEZ. According to Rolls-Royce SMR’s July 17 press release, the early tasks include site preparation, regulatory issues and an environmental assessment.
Rolls Royce SMR and ČEZ plan to deploy a small modular reactor at the Temelin site. Rolls-Royce SMR was selected as the preferred small modular reactor technology for CEZ’s plan to provide up to 3,000 megawatts of low-carbon energy for the Czech Republic.
BWX Technologies, a Lynchburg, Va.-based nuclear company, announced Tuesday that its subsidiary installed and tested a furnace to manufacture TRISO nuclear fuel for advanced reactor technology.
TRISO fuel comprises a uranium fuel core surrounded by carbon and silicone layers. The furnace solidifies molds for TRISO particles before the ingredients become an advanced form of fuel for an advanced reactor or a microreactor.
This piece of equipment is the final piece necessary for BWXT’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP) its subsidiary Advanced Technologies is conducting with the Department of Energy, according to a company release.