Centrus to Begin HALEU Production in October

• Centrus to Begin HALEU Production in October
• WNA Nuclear Fuel Report – Nuclear Revival is Driving Demand
• Cameco Expects Uranium Production Shortfalls
• Japan’s Chubu Electric Power Takes Equity Position in NuScale
• Philippines / Revised Roadmap Plans for Large-Scale and Small Modular Reactors
• Testing Begins of TRISO Fuel Cells That Could Power Nuclear Reactors for Lunar Missions
• Space Nuclear Power & Propulsion: A Technology Gap Assessment

Centrus to Begin HALEU Production in October

Centrus Energy Corp (NYSE:LEU) announced last week that it expects to begin first-of-a-kind production of High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) in October 2023, approximately two months ahead of schedule, at the American Centrifuge Plant in Piketon, Ohio.

Under a competitively-awarded, cost-share contract signed with the U.S. Department of Energy in 2022, Centrus is required to begin production of HALEU by the end of this year.

In June, Centrus announced it had successfully completed its operational readiness reviews (ORR) with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and received NRC approval to possess uranium at the Piketon, Ohio site. This was the last major regulatory hurdle prior to beginning production. Centrus is now conducting final system tests and other preparations so that production can begin in October.

“This will be the first new U.S.-owned uranium enrichment plant to begin production since 1954,” said Centrus President and CEO Daniel B. Poneman.

Urenco, which operates a uranium enrichment plant in New Mexico,  is one-third owned by the UK government, one-third by the Dutch government and one-third by German utilities RWE Power AG and PreussenElektra GmbH.

HALEU is an advanced nuclear fuel required for most of the next-generation reactor designs currently under development. The capacity of the 16-centrifuge cascade that is expected to begin enrichment operations in October will be modest – about 900 kilograms of HALEU per year.

Plans for Future Production Depend on Funding

Centrus has repeatedly emphasized that with sufficient funding and offtake commitments, the firm could significantly expand production. A full-scale HALEU cascade, consisting of 120 centrifuge machines, with a combined capacity to produce approximately 6,000 kilograms of HALEU per year (6 MTU/year), could be brought online within about 42 months of securing the necessary funding.

Centrus said it could add an additional HALEU cascade every six months after that milestone was achieved. It would mobilize hundreds of union workers in Ohio to build and operate the plant and support thousands of direct and indirect jobs across a nationwide manufacturing supply chain.

Urenco to Expand US Production of Nuclear Fuel

Urenco has approved an investment to expand enrichment capacity at its US site in New Mexico, known as UUSA. The project will install multiple new centrifuge cascades in an existing plant which will strengthen the nuclear fuel supply chain both in the US and globally.

The first machines will come online in 2025. The firm did not disclose the total cost of the new production facilities. New commitments from US customers for non-Russian fuel underpin this investment, which will provide an additional capacity of around 700 tonnes of SWU per year, a 15% cent increase at UUSA.

An effort by France’s Areva to build a $3 billion uranium enrichment plant, at a site near Idaho Falls, ID, in 2009, never got off the drawing boards despite a $2 billion loan guarantee from the Department of Energy.

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WNA Nuclear Fuel Report – Nuclear Revival is Driving Demand for Uranium Fuel

(WNN) As uranium markets begin to recover from their long-term contraction, all projections in the latest edition of the World Nuclear Association’s flagship fuel cycle report show an increase in global nuclear generating capacity over the next two decades – with significant effects for the entire fuel cycle.

Geopolitical instability since the last edition of the report was published in 2021, resulting from the Russia-Ukraine war, has led to increased interest in nuclear power for energy security and sovereignty. The effects of these hostilities are having significant implications for the globalized market for nuclear fuel services.

Released at World Nuclear Symposium 2023 in London, ‘The Nuclear Fuel Report: Global Scenarios for Demand and Supply Availability 2023-2040’ sets out three scenarios for future nuclear generating capacity.

These are the the Reference Scenario, which is informed by government and utility targets and objectives; the Lower Scenario, which assumes delays to the implementation of these plans; and, the Upper Scenario, which considers the potential developments if more favorable conditions are applied. The report offers quantitative estimates, in great detail, for each scenario.

(Note to readers: WNA provided an ‘media only’ copy of the report to Neutron Bytes ahead of formal publication.)

In launching the report, ConverDyn CEO Malcolm Critchley, a co-chair of the working group responsible for drafting the report, said the nuclear sector has “almost overnight” seen a complete revival.

“There’s a growing acceptance that nuclear power has got to be part of the solution for climate change. The inventory overhang that was so damaging to the market for almost a decade has been largely consumed, and going forward, we’re going to have an increasing reliance on primary supply.”

Effect of SMRs and LWR Life Extensions

All three WNA scenarios envisage capacity from small modular reactors (SMRs) accounting for part of the 2040 nuclear generation, with 35 GWe of generic SMR capacity included in the 2040 Reference Scenario, 83 GWe in the Upper Scenario and 2 GWe in the Lower Scenario.

The scale of SMR deployment will depend on the success of delivering first-of-a-kind construction, demonstrating cogeneration capabilities, and establishing an industrialized and modularized supply chain. WNA said in its report that “hundreds of billions of dollars” of investment could be channeled into these technologies every year during the second half of the current decade.

Another positive change compared with previous editions of the report is the move towards extended operating lifetimes. Upwards of 140 reactors could be subject to extended operation in the period to 2040, driven by economics, emissions reduction targets, as well as security of supply.

New Uranium Mines Needed to Fuel Growth of Nuclear Energy

The increased interest in nuclear power means that overall projections for uranium reactor requirements are higher than the same scenarios in the 2021 edition of the report. Production volumes for existing mines are projected to remain fairly stable until 2030 in all three scenarios, before decreasing still further over the decade to 2040.

“To meet the Reference Scenario requirements from early in the next decade, in addition to restarted idled mines, mines under development, planned mines and prospective mines, other new projects will need to be brought into production. Considerable exploration, innovative techniques and timely investment will be required to turn these resources into refined uranium ready for nuclear fuel production within this timeframe.”

“Future demand cannot be met from identified supply sources, and from the beginning of the next decade, planned mines and prospective mines – as well as increasing amounts of so-called unspecified supply – will need to come into production to meet requirements under the Reference Scenario.”

“It takes 8-15 years to reach production after first discovery of a resource, and intense development of new projects will be needed in the current decade to avoid potential future supply disruptions.”

Similarly, the report says that new conversion capacity will be needed to meet the rising demand for nuclear fuel.

The situation has also changed for enrichment, with primary Western enrichers expected to expand capacity. Fuel fabrication capacity, while sufficient to cover anticipated demand, could also experience bottlenecks.

Also, S&P Global reported last January that ConverDyn has received a $14 million award for uranium conversion services from the US Department of Energy under its $75 million program to create a domestic uranium reserve to boost energy security.

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Cameco Expects Uranium Production Shortfalls

• Company lowering projections due to challenges at Cigar Lake mine and Key Lake mill

(NucNet) Expected production shortfalls at Cameco’s facilities in Canada highlight the growing security of supply risk at a time when the demand outlook is stronger and more durable than ever – and where the risk has shifted from producers to utilities. Uncertainty about where nuclear fuel supplies will come from to satisfy growing demand continues to drive long-term contracting, the Canada-based uranium company said.

It pointed to “clear evidence” that the broader uranium market is moving towards replacement rate contracts for the first time in over a decade. This is a type of contracting needed that is expected to incentivize investments in the supply needed to satisfy the growing long-term requirements, Cameco said.

Cameco said it is lowering its 2023 production guidance due to challenges at the Cigar Lake mine and Key Lake mill. The company expects the Cigar Lake mine to produce up to 16.3 million pounds of uranium concentrate at a 100% basis in 2023. Cameco previously estimated the mine would generate 18 million pounds of uranium.

In the second quarter of 2023, mining operations at the Cigar Lake operation, in the uranium-rich Athabasca Basin of northern Saskatchewan, started from a new zone in the ore body, which affected the mine’s productivity. Cameco said that as mining activities continued during the third quarter, equipment reliability challenges occurred which further affected performance. The mine is set to begin its annual maintenance closure, which will last until the end of September.

The McArthur River and Key Lake operations, also in Saskatchewan, are expected to produce 14 million pounds of uranium (100% basis) in the year, down from the earlier projected 15 million pounds of uranium. Even though rampup activities are continuing at the Key Lake mill, its performance is affected by personnel and supply-chain issues, Cameco said. The McArthur River mine is “performing well” and is on track to meet its production targets for 2023.

Cameco said in a statement it will be able to manage the expected production shortfalls and meet delivery commitments.

“The significant momentum seen in the nuclear energy industry and the heightened supply risk caused by geopolitical developments are translating into increased opportunities for Cameco,” Tim Gitzel, the company’s chief executive, said in a statement.

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Japan’s Chubu Electric Power Takes Equity Position in NuScale

Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc.has decided to invest in NuScale Power. CHUBU has entered into an agreement to acquire issued shares in NuScale from Japan Bank for International Cooperation. The value of the financial investment was not disclosed in press statements.

Chubu said it made the move due to NuScale’s marketing beachheads in more than 10 countries globally as well as its front runner position for a LWR type SMR to be built for a customer in the US.

The first NuScale VOYGR SMR plant (six 77 MWE SMRs) in the USA is expected to begin operating at a site at Idaho National Laboratory in 2029. It has been supported with more than $1.3 billion in cost shared funding and grants from the US Department of Energy.

Hiroki Sato, Division CEO of Global Business Division at CHUBU, commented: “Through our investment in NuScale, we aim to earn revenue from NuScale’s future business expansion. In addition, it is important to secure all options for the sustainable use of nuclear power generation, which is indispensable for realizing a decarbonized society and we will continue to promote social implementation of innovative technologies to enhance our corporate value.”

According to Reuters, Sato told journalists that, as an equity owner, the company is investing in NuScale to expand its revenue base. He said it would be “difficult” to deploy SMRs in Japan “anytime soon . . . but we have high expectations for the future development of next-generation reactors in Japan.”

World Nuclear News reported that the Japan Bank for International Cooperation(JBIC) the  made a strategic investment of $110 million in NuScale in 2022, through a purchase of equity from NuScale majority owner Fluor Corporation. The bank’s investment was via a special-purpose company established by Japanese engineering companies JGC Corporation and IHI Corporation to make equity investments in NuScale, Japan NuScale Innovation LLC.

Chubu owns the Hamaoka nuclear power plant in Shizuoka prefecture. The three operable units (Hamaoka 3 and 4 are boiling water reactors, Hamaoka unit 5 is an advanced boiling water reactor, or ABWR) are all in the process of seeking clearance to restart after the introduction of new regulatory requirements in 2013 by Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority.

Japan / UK Joint Development of an HTGR

(WNN) The UK’s National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL) and the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) have signed a memorandum of cooperation in the field of High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactors (HTGRs), as well as a memorandum for collaboration on the next stage of the UK HTGR Demonstration Reactor program.

The governments of the UK and Japan expect HTGRs to contribute to the decarbonization through the supplement of hydrogen and high-temperature steam to the processing, steelmaking and chemical industries, considered difficult to decarbonize, to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. JAEA is collaborating with NNL to demonstrate Japanese HTGR technology outside of Japan and to promote its social implementation with the aim of returning the decarbonization technology to Japan.

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Philippines / Revised Roadmap Includes Plans For Large-Scale And Small Modular Reactors

• Asian nation’s first ever nuclear plants could be online by 2032

(NucNet) The Philippines’ revised energy roadmap will include nuclear power with plans for the Asian nation’s first reactor units to be online by 2032 and more to follow by 2050.

The daily Philippine Star said the Philippine Energy Plan (PEP) 2023 to 2050 will include two scenarios: a reference scenario and a clean energy scenario.

Details of the PEP would appear to confirm recent comments by director of the energy policy and planning bureau Michael Sinocruz that the Philippines is considering a target of 2,400 MW of nuclear power capacity, including as many as eight SMRs, by 2035.

Sinocruz said the government is hoping to put up to eight 150 MW SMRs into operation by 2032 and establish a 1,200 MW large-scale facility on the archipelago’s main island of Luzon by 2035. The power ratings are assumed to be generic as the government has not issued an RFP with technical specifications.

President Bullish On Nuclear

Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos Jr has been bullish on nuclear, saying “this is the right time” to reexamine the country’s approach and policy towards using nuclear energy.

The Philippines has a nuclear station at Bataan, north of the capital Manila in Luzon, but it has never operated and has been mothballed. Construction of the single Westinghouse pressurized water reactor unit, the only nuclear energy facility in Southeast Asia, began in the late 1970s. Work was stopped due to issues regarding corruption and safety, compounded by concerns following the Chernobyl disaster in 1986.

According to data company Statista, about 57% of the Philippines’ energy generation comes from coal, 23% from renewables and 17% from natural gas.

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Nuclear In Space / Testing Begins Of Fuel Cells That Could Power Nuclear Reactors On Moon

• Researchers say TRISO fuel could be used to power micro nuclear generator

(NucNet) Researchers at Bangor University in Wales, UK, have developed small nuclear fuel cells that could be used to power “micro nuclear generators” and sustain life on the Moon for long periods of time.

The team of researchers has been working in partnership with UK-based engineering giant Rolls-Royce to develop a source of energy that could sustain long stays on the Moon.

Professor Simon Middleburgh from the university’s Nuclear Futures Institute said the team hoped to fully test the nuclear fuel “over the next few months.”

He told the BBC his team have just sent the tiny nuclear fuel cell, known as a TRISO fuel, to their partners for testing. TRISO stands for “tristructural-isotropic.” Each TRISO particle is made up of a uranium, carbon and oxygen fuel kernel. The kernel is encapsulated by three layers of carbon- and ceramic-based materials that prevent the release of radioactive fission products.

This TRISO fuel cell could be used to power a micro nuclear generator, created by Rolls-Royce. The company hopes to have a demonstration model for a modular micro-reactor ready to deliver to the moon by 2029. The generator is a portable device, the size of a small car and “something you can stick on a rocket,” Prof Middleburgh said.

The micro nuclear generator will now be fully tested and put through forces similar to being blasted up into space, ready for a Moon base in 2030.  A key safety issue is that the reactor is not turned on at blast off in case of a failed rocket launch.

Prof Middleburgh said: “You can launch them into space, with all the forces… and they’ll still function quite safely when they’re put onto the Moon.”

The university hopes the micro nuclear generators could also be used here on Earth, such as in disaster zones when electricity has been cut off.

Bangor University is leading one of eight projects funded by the UK Space Agency to revolutionize travel into deeper space – and potentially to Mars. In March the university was awarded €1.8 million funding to support its research. At the time a statement said researchers would use additive manufacturing techniques to create nuclear-based fuels for space propulsion.

India and Russia Reach for the Moon

Last month, India became the fourth nation to successfully land a spacecraft on the Moon after its €69 million Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft touched ground in a previously unexplored region of the natural satellite.

Earlier this month a Russian lunar probe crashed into the moon’s surface creating a 33 foot crater on the surface. Reuters reported that Russia’s first moon mission in 47 years failed when its Luna-25 space craft spun out of control and crashed into the moon after a problem preparing for pre-landing orbit, underscoring the post-Soviet decline of a once mighty space program.

Russia’s state space corporation, Roskosmos, said it had lost contact with the craft at 11:57 GMT on Saturday after a problem as the craft was shunted into pre-landing orbit. A soft landing had been planned for the spacecraft. “The apparatus moved into an unpredictable orbit and ceased to exist as a result of a collision with the surface of the Moon,” Roskosmos said in a statement.

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Space Nuclear Power & Propulsion: A Technology Gap Assessment

The International Space Exploration Coordination Group (ISECG) completed a technology gap assessment on space nuclear power & propulsion systems that could be used in future human exploration missions at the Moon and Mars.  The assessment was conducted by the ISECG’s Technology Working Group and performed by a team of subject matter experts representing ten ISECG space agencies and two nuclear energy organizations.

The final report is the culmination of about 18 months of analysis and deliberations. The team reviewed mission architectures, determined technology needs, and assessed the current status of space nuclear technologies to identify gaps.

In general, the shortage of radioisotope and reactor fuel supplies for space applications exists at the current time, which can develop to be a major impediment to the development and use of nuclear power and propulsion technologies.

There is significant mission pull for nuclear systems that spans the range from small science platforms to lunar habitats to industrial-scale mining to crewed Mars transportation vehicles; In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) was determined to be a major driver.

Nuclear launch safety is a key area for cross-agency collaboration; further efforts are needed to establish common policies that assure safe launch and operating practices for future space nuclear systems.

The team considered a variety of space nuclear technologies including radioisotope power systems, low-power fission systems, high-power fission systems, and nuclear propulsion systems. The final report included ten key findings and provided several recommendations of issues to be pursued further.

The report recommends the formation of a Nuclear Focus Group to monitor progress on nuclear technology programs across participating agencies, explore technology transfer opportunities with the terrestrial nuclear sector, and evaluate the potential for international standards on space nuclear systems.

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