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☆ Russia was making big plans for Ukraine's nuclear power plants before its invasion fell apart
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Those plans depended in part on seizing Ukraine's nuclear power plants and using them for leverage. Dmytro Smolyenko/Future Publishing via Getty ImagesAccording to the RUSI report, Russia's war plans viewed Ukraine's nuclear power plants as a means to achieve Moscow's larger aims. The Kremlin's plan envisioned three uses for the Ukrainian nuclear power facilities once the invasion was underway. Moscow also incorporated Ukraine's nuclear power facilities into its information operations. Fighting in a nuclear plantThe Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on August 29.

☆ Hungary will veto EU sanctions on Russian on nuclear energy - PM Orban
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BUDAPEST, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Hungary will veto any European Union sanctions against Russia affecting nuclear energy, Prime Minister Viktor Orban told state radio on Friday. Ukraine has called on the 27-nation EU to include Russian state nuclear energy company Rosatom in sanctions but Hungary, which has a Russian-built nuclear plant it plans to expand with Rosatom, has blocked that. read moreOrban reiterated in an interview that sanctions on nuclear energy "must obviously be vetoed". "We will not allow the plan to include nuclear energy into the sanctions be implemented," the Hungarian premier said. Under a deal signed in 2014 with Russia, Hungary aims to expand the Paks plant with two Russian-made VVER reactors with a capacity of 1.2 gigawatts each.

☆ Oliver Stone's new film puts nuclear energy in the spotlight. These stocks are ready to hop on the trend
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

In his latest documentary "Nuclear Now," Stone argues for the use of nuclear energy as an environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuels. "We had the solution [nuclear power] … and the environmental movement, to be honest, just derailed it. For investors, the film adds to growing interest in nuclear power as a fossil fuel alternative beyond renewables. These funds invest in a variety of stocks tied to nuclear power throughout the value chain. Other global nuclear energy ETFs such as Sprott Uranium Miners (URNM) and the VanEck Uranium+Nuclear Energy (NLR) have gained more than 13% and 4% in 2023, respectively.

☆ U.S. to test nuclear-powered spacecraft by 2027
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Joey Roulette | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Jan 24 (Reuters) - The United States plans to test a spacecraft engine powered by nuclear fission by 2027 as part of a long-term NASA effort to demonstrate more efficient methods of propelling astronauts to Mars in the future, the space agency’s chief said on Tuesday. NASA will partner with the U.S. military's research and development agency, DARPA, to develop a nuclear thermal propulsion engine and launch it to space "as soon as 2027," NASA administrator Bill Nelson said during a conference in National Harbor, Maryland. NASA officials view nuclear thermal propulsion as crucial for sending humans beyond the moon and deeper into space. DARPA in 2021 awarded funds to General Atomics, Lockheed Martin and Jeff Bezos' space company Blue Origin to study designs of nuclear reactors and spacecraft. By around March, the agency will pick a company to build the nuclear spacecraft for the 2027 demonstration, the program's manager Tabitha Dodson said in an interview.

☆ Jim Cramer says to consider an analyst's call timeframe when investing
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Krystal Hur | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

CNBC's Jim Cramer on Tuesday reminded investors to pay close attention to the scope of an analyst's calls. A day later, Bernstein downgraded the company's stock to market perform from outperform, citing concerns over a worsening PC market. Cramer said that in this case, neither analyst is necessarily wrong, because their arguments rely on different timeframes. Cramer added that while those periods of trading can be confusing, they can also be advantageous to investors, as long as they don't act rashly. However, it can also be wrong," he said, adding, "Either way, if you have conviction, the reaction can often be a great opportunity to buy, buy, buy, or sell."

☆ U.S. approves design for NuScale small modular nuclear reactor
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Timothy Gardner | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Companies Nuscale Power Corp FollowWASHINGTON, Jan 20 (Reuters) - The U.S. nuclear power regulator has certified the design for the NuScale Power Corp's (SMR.N) small modular reactor, the first such approval in the country for the next generation technology. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's approval, published in the Federal Register late on Thursday, clears a hurdle for NuScale. The company plans to build a demonstration small modular reactor (SMR) power plant at the Idaho National Laboratory. The U.S. Department of Energy has provided more than $600 million since 2014 to support the design, licensing and siting of NuScale's power plant and other small modular reactors. "SMRs are no longer an abstract concept," said Kathryn Huff, assistant secretary for nuclear energy at the Energy Department.

☆ Strike reduces French power supply, halts refinery shipments
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

EDF's (EDF.PA) outage table showed a 4.5 GW nuclear supply reduction at eight reactors, 460 megawatts (MW) of reduced hydropower and 2.8 GW of lower thermal production. This is how strikes work in France : strikers are not allowed to put security of supply at risk," analyst Emeric de Vigan said. Meanwhile, deliveries of refined oil products were blocked from leaving refineries operated by TotalEnergies , the company said. There would be no disruption to fuel supplies at service stations if the unions maintained their strike timetable, TotalEnergies has said. The CGT refineries federation has called for a single day of strike this week and further walkouts next week and the week after.

☆ Utility company executives acquitted of negligence in Fukushima nuclear disaster
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power plant after a massive earthquake and subsequent tsunami on March 14, 2011 in Futaba, Japan. DigitalGlobe | Getty ImagesA Japanese court on Wednesday found three former utility company executives not guilty of negligence over the 2011 Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster and the subsequent deaths of more than 40 elderly residents during their forced evacuation. watch nowThe acquittal disappointed and angered dozens of Fukushima residents and their supporters who attended the ruling or rallied outside the court. It's so irresponsible," said Yuichi Kaido, a lawyer representing the Fukushima residents. The Supreme Court in June, however, said the disaster was unforeseeable and dismissed compensation demands by thousands of residents.

☆ Energy startups touting everything from solar-powered cars to next-gen nuclear reactors are red hot right now. Here are 32 to watch in 2023, according to VCs.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russia's invasion of Ukraine thrust energy companies into the spotlight in 2022. We asked European investors to name energy startups poised to take off in 2023. European energy companies raised a record $3 billion in 2022, a marked increase on the $1.96 billion secured in 2021, according to PitchBook. Insider asked investors which European startups were ones to watch in 2023. Here are the 32 companies investors named, in alphabetical order.

☆ Filmmaker Oliver Stone slams environmental movement over 'destructive' actions on nuclear
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Anmar Frangoul | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The environmental movement's stance on nuclear power was "wrong" and derailed the sector's development, according to the filmmaker Oliver Stone. "Passion comes from the fact that … it's my children, hopefully grandchildren soon," Stone, who was speaking to CNBC on Tuesday afternoon, replied. It's going to be a miserable existence if we have worse and worse hurricanes, fires, droughts. "We had the solution [nuclear power] … and the environmental movement, to be honest, just derailed it. I think the environmental movement did a lot of good, a lot of good ... [I'm] not knocking it, but in this one major matter, it was wrong.

☆ Tokyo court upholds not guilty verdict for ex-Tepco execs over Fukushima disaster
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Wrongful judgment" after the The Tokyo High Court upheld a not guilty verdict for former Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) executives of negligence over the 2011 Fukushima nuclear power station disaster, in front of the court in Tokyo, Japan, January 18, 2023. REUTERS/Issei KatoTOKYO, Jan 18 (Reuters) - The Tokyo High Court on Wednesday upheld a not guilty criminal verdict by a lower court that cleared former Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) (9501.T) executives of negligence over the 2011 Fukushima nuclear power station disaster. The ruling on Wednesday to uphold the not guilty verdict sits at odds with a separate civil case brought to the Tokyo court by Tepco shareholders, which found four former executives responsible for the 2011 nuclear disaster. Judges ordered the former executives to pay 13 trillion yen ($99.14 billion) in damages in the civil lawsuit. The court judged that the executives could have prevented the disaster if they had exercised due care.

☆ French nuclear waste agency applies for new storage site
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, Jan 17 (Reuters) - France's national agency for managing nuclear waste has applied to the ministry of ecological transition for the creation of a project for the long-term storage of high-level radioactive waste, the agency said on Tuesday. Construction could begin as soon as 2027 if the French nuclear safety authority approves the application. Finland, Sweden, Switzerland, Belgium and the Netherlands are also examining the construction of long-term high-level radioactive waste storage sites. Andra, the nuclear waste treatment agency, said this latest application for the storage site did not include the six new EPR nuclear reactors currently under consideration for construction by French power giant EDF (EDF.PA), citing the lack of a final decision to embark on the new build. Pierre-Marie Abadie, director general for Andra, said that the agency has in the past published a report saying waste from six new nuclear reactors could be encompassed in the future storage project "without difficulty."

☆ Rolls-Royce seeks to progress mini nuclear plants by site visits
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Companies Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC FollowLONDON, Jan 13 (Reuters) - British engineering company Rolls-Royce (RR.L) has begun to assess potential sites for mini nuclear reactors it aims to connect to the country's power grid by the end of the decade. Britain also needs to replace ageing nuclear plants as all but one of its nuclear sites, which generate around 13% of the country's electricity, are scheduled to close by 2030. The power plants will be about the size of two soccer fields and power one million homes. Rolls-Royce has short-listed three sites for the factory to make the SMRs, two in the northeast of England and one in north Wales. Reporting by Sarah Young Editing by David Goodman and Tomasz JanowskiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Poland, Lithuania want nuclear curbs in new EU sanctions on Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Gabriela Baczynska | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustrations/File PhotoBRUSSELS, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Poland and Lithuania want the European Union to impose restrictions on Russia's nuclear sector as part of new sanctions against Moscow and Minsk for the war in Ukraine, senior diplomats from the two EU countries said on Friday. They said the 10th EU package of sanctions since Russia invaded Ukraine should be ready in time for the first anniversary of the invasion on Feb. 24. They wanted new sanctions against Russia's ally Belarus, where they said loopholes allowed it to bypass European sanctions against Moscow in trading goods including furniture. They proposed that Rosatom and/or its leadership be blacklisted as a first step that should then lead to winding down cooperation in the EU with Russia's nuclear industry. The senior diplomats said they would also try again to end Belgium's diamond trade with Russia through new EU sanctions and expand bans on trade in goods that can be used for military purposes.

☆ Column: Europe's mild weather reprieve this winter may come to bite by summer
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Gavin Maguire | Thomson Reuters | Gavin Maguire Is The Global Energy Transition Columnist. He Was Previously Asia Commodities | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

In Switzerland - one of Europe's top winter sports destinations - many ski resorts have been forced to close due to a lack of snow. KINDLINGBeyond lost tourism revenues, the unusually low snow totals and warm temperatures pose a potential threat to several European sectors later this year. For power producers, the low snow totals come on the back of a drier-than-normal 2022, and leave hydro power production potential sharply below normal in several key countries. Last July, a prolonged heat wave pushed river temperatures above the level that can help cool reactors, and forced power producers in France to curb nuclear output. If snow totals remain well below usual, river temperatures may stay warmer than normal in 2023 and pose a fresh risk to nuclear operators.

The proposed new legislation, which still needs to be passed by parliament, would allow new reactors to be constructed at additional locations across Sweden and was seen being in place in March next year. "We have an obvious need for more electricity production in Sweden," Kristersson told a news conference. "What we are doing today is changing legislation to allow for the construction of more nuclear reactors at more places." Any expansion of nuclear power in Sweden could take many years given the complexity of such projects while energy demand is expected to rise sharply in coming years. Sweden currently has six operational reactors, half of what it once had, and temporary closures for maintenance of some of them have contributed to push up electricity prices in the Nordic country in recent months.

☆ Belgium to extend life of two nuclear reactors by 10 years
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Companies Engie SA FollowBRUSSELS, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Belgium has reached an agreement with French utility Engie to extend the life of two nuclear reactors by 10 years, the prime minister said on Monday, overturning a plan to exit nuclear power in 2025 as the war in Ukraine has changed energy strategy. "The extension of these two nuclear reactors is crucial to guarantee our energy security," Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo told a news conference after meeting cabinet members. Belgium had planned to exit nuclear power entirely in 2025, but Russia's invasion of Ukraine has forced the government to rethink plans to rely more on natural gas. Belgium's six operating nuclear reactors have a combined capacity of about 5 gigawatt and generate about half of the country's electricity, World Nuclear Association data show. The cost of the future dismantling of the Belgian reactors will remain Engie's responsibility, De Croo added.

☆ Cramer's lightning round: I'm very concerned about Veru
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Krystal Hur | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Loading chart...Veru Inc : "I'm very concerned about it." I think we're going to have to take a major league pass." Suburban Propane Partners LP : "[The] propane market is historically, let's say, too volatile and erratic for me." Loading chart...Axon Enterprise Inc : "It's a terrific law enforcement package that I think is really good for everybody. Loading chart...Nuscale Power Corp : "If you want small, nuclear modular reactors, I'm going to have to say, the Constellation Energy group.

FRANKFURT, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Germany exported more electricity to its neighbours than it imported in 2022, even with an energy crisis at home, thanks to more more weather-driven renewable power and greater demand from France. The trade figures show that Germany's neighbours remain dependent on surplus power from Europe's biggest economy if their own generation supplies fall short. In detail, German power imports in 2022 totalled 51 TWh, 2.6% down from 2021, while exports rose 7.3% year-on-year to 78.5 TWh, giving a net export surplus. France, Switzerland and Austria increased energy imports from Germany year-on-year, as did the Czech Republic, Belgium and Norway. Volumes originating in Switzerland, Austria, Poland, among others, fell last year.

☆ In 2023, China's appetite for LNG set to rise amid tepid demand across Asia
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Emily Chow | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Summary China's 2023 LNG demand seen rising 9-14% - analystsNuclear power to dampen Japan, South Korea LNG demandLimited LNG supplies to come online globally next yearSINGAPORE, Jan 5 (Reuters) - China's liquefied natural gas (LNG) demand is forecast to recover in 2023 as the country emerges from COVID-19 controls to become the bright spot in Asia's consumption for the super-chilled fuel. This led Europe to import record amounts of LNG, pushing Asian spot LNG prices to historical highs. Asia LNG and Europe gas price chartNUCLEAR SWITCHChina's 2023 demand rebound would be offset by lower consumption from Japan, South Korea and South Asian nations, analysts said. As a result, Asia's share of global LNG demand would remain just above 60% for a second straight year. In response to high LNG prices, Japan and South Korea aim to increase nuclear power's contribution to their energy supply, leading analysts to cut estimates of 2023 LNG demand from those countries.

Transmutex is a nuclear-energy startup based in Geneva, Switzerland. It aims to provide clean, safe nuclear energy using its transmuter solution. Insider has a copy of the pitch deck it used to raise $8 million. The startup's aim is to provide clean nuclear energy by solving the nuclear-waste problem. Insider has a copy of the 17-slide pitch deck Transmutex used to raise the funds.

☆ Green surge is circuit breaker on nuclear revival
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Robert Cyran | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

NEW YORK, Jan 4 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Nuclear power received what seem like two plum gifts for 2023. Nuclear plants are expensive to build, and their complexity often causes projects to go way over budget. The cost of a new nuclear power station is around $168 per megawatt hour according to Lazard. China has 22 nuclear reactors under construction, but built renewables about twice as fast. CONTEXT NEWSVogtle 3 and 4 will be the first new nuclear reactors built in the United States in more than three decades.

☆ Top Putin aide visits Ukraine's Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, Dec 28 (Reuters) - One of President Vladimir Putin's most powerful Kremlin aides has visited the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in a part of southern Ukraine Russia says it has annexed, a Moscow-installed official in the region said. "Sergei Kiriyenko visited the nuclear power plant — he checked the safety of the facility and the working conditions of Rosatom employees," Rogov said on Telegram. Special Russian military units guard the facility and Russian nuclear specialists are on site. The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has six Soviet-designed VVER-1000 V-320 water-cooled and water-moderated reactors containing Uranium 235, which has a half-life of more than 700 million years. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi has proposed the establishment of a nuclear safety and security protection zone around the plant.

☆ The Subsidy Tango of Bill Gates and Joe Manchin
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Bill Gates sold West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin on this year’s Democratic climate spending blowout as a way to put unemployed coal workers to work building advanced nuclear reactors. Now we learn, belatedly, that these projects depend on Russia for fuel and will cost taxpayers more than advertised. The Energy Department last year awarded up to $2 billion for an advanced nuclear reactor “demonstration” project in Wyoming being developed by TerraPower, a company Mr. Gates founded. These advanced reactors have been promoted because they take up significantly less space than conventional reactors and could theoretically use reprocessed nuclear fuel.

☆ Startup Plans to Make Synthetic Natural Gas With Green Hydrogen
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Giulia Petroni | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +7 min

Hydrogen company Tree Energy Solutions plans to provide low-emission fuels for businesses in Europe as they struggle with energy shortages and higher prices. PREVIEWRoughly 96% of the hydrogen in Europe is produced using natural gas, resulting in significant CO2 emissions, according to the European Commission, the European Union’s executive arm. Marco Alverà, head of TES and former chief executive officer of Italian gas grid operator Snam SpA, spoke with WSJ Pro Sustainable Business about a green-hydrogen-based process to create synthetic natural gas. Mr. Alverà: I’m a fan of hydrogen, but not of hydrogen in itself. Suddenly, we’ve turned something problematic and illiquid like hydrogen into something very fungible like natural gas.

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