(Bloomberg Opinion) -- With billions of workers at home and factories idle, early April saw daily carbon emissions fall 17% compared to 2019 averages, according to a study by a team of international scientists published this month. That’s great. Unfortunately, it only takes us back to 2006 levels, and

Encased in steel cylinder weight 770 tons, the vessel is getting shipped by rail

October 8, 2018, marks the fiftieth anniversary of the operation of the Molten-Salt Reactor Experiment (MSRE) using uranium-233 as a fuel. U-233 does not occur naturally; it is formed when thorium absorbs a neutron undergoes a double beta decay to form U-233. U-233 is a superior nuclear fuel, producing enough neutrons through its fission (whether by a fast or thermal neutron) to allow sufficient conversion of thorium to U-233 to replace its consumption. That makes it very unique and very valuable.

Alvin Weinberg and the other researchers on the Molten-Salt Reactor Program (MSRP) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) recognized this property of U-233 and sought to demonstrate its actual use in a real nuclear reactor. The MSRE was designed for this purpose. When the MSRE was first brought to criticality in June 1965, this was a great accomplishment, but the MSRP researchers had something more in mind. Therefore, after a few years of operation, they removed the initial uranium inventory from the reactor by fluorination and replaced it with uranium-233.

To commemorate this accomplishment, they invited Dr. Glenn Seaborg to ORNL to be the one to first take the MSRE to a significant power level on uranium-233 fuel. Seaborg’s participation was significant on several levels. At that time, Seaborg was the chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) which had funded the development of the MSRE. But even more importantly, it was Seaborg who had a led of team of chemists at the University of California, Berkeley, to discover uranium-233 in the early days of the Manhattan Project. Seaborg was the first person to grasp the potential of thorium as an energy source when he received information about the performance of uranium-233 in the ORNL Graphite Reactor in late 1944.

If Russia can control half of the US nuclear fuel market, it will be problematic for national security and the economy. //

The Trump administration's recent Nuclear Fuel Working Group report provides a sobering view of the national security threat posed by Russia's aggressive global strategy to dominate the nuclear power and fuel industry to extend its geopolitical influence. The report warns of Russia's efforts to increase its market share of the U.S. nuclear fuel industry and the threat that its below-market prices pose to the survival of the U.S. nuclear fuel sector. If this is left unchecked, the U.S. may find itself dependent on Russia for its nuclear fuel.

Russia's steps to boost its nuclear fuel market share are taking place at a perilous time. The market for nuclear fuel in the United States has weakened considerably in the past decade and the country's production facilities are in danger of being driven out of business. The global industry has been hit with a one-two punch of decreased demand and increased supply; Japan and Germany have greatly reduced their nuclear power generation, and Russia's state-owned nuclear enterprise has expanded production and marketing without regard to profit in a bid to obtain a dominant market share here and around the world. //

Allowing Russia's nuclear import caps to expire would provide only minimal benefit to the struggling U.S. power industry and come at a great cost to future U.S. security. Congress should renew the Domenici Amendment and the Department of Commerce should conclude negotiations with Russia, to continue the caps and ensure that Russia never can dominate this energy market.

The world’s first floating nuclear power plant has been fully commissioned to begin operation in

There are 53 nuclear reactors currently under construction around the world. Only two are in the United States, once the world’s leader in nuclear energy development. And those two reactors represent expansions of a preexisting two-reactor facility, Plant Vogtle in Waynesboro, Ga.

New program aims to have two prototype reactors running within 7 years

That means tinier, better reactors in the near future.

The US Department of Energy has launched an <a href="https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/us-department-energy-launches-230-million-advanced-reactor-demonstration-program" target="_blank">advanced reactor development programme</a> with initial funding of $160m and the aim of building two reactors that can be operational within five to seven years.

The DOE said the programme, known as the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP), is designed to help domestic private industry demonstrate advanced nuclear reactors in the US.

For the fiscal year 2020 budget, Congress appropriated $230m to start a new demonstration program for advanced reactors. Through cost-shared partnerships with industry, the new programme will provide $160m for initial funding. //

Energy secretary Dan Brouillette said the next generation of nuclear energy is critical to US energy security and environmental stewardship. He said the US must pursue technological innovation and advanced nuclear RD&D investments to strengthen leadership in the next generation of nuclear technologies.”

In addition to the two reactors, the programme will make use of the National Reactor Innovation Centre (NRIC) to test and assess advanced reactor technologies.

Building a Uranium Reserve: The First Step in Preserving the U.S. Nuclear Fuel Cycle //

The U.S. nuclear industry is coming off its best year ever. Electricity production from nuclear plants hit at an all-time high in 2019 as we led the world in generating more than 809 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, which is enough to power more than 66 million homes.

Yet, despite operating the largest fleet of reactors in the world at the highest level in the industry, our ability to produce domestic nuclear fuel is on the verge of a collapse.

Our uranium miners are eager for work, the nation’s only uranium conversion plant is idle due to poor market conditions, and our inability to compete with foreign state-owned enterprises (most notably from China and Russia) is not only threatening our energy security but weakening our ability to influence the peaceful uses of nuclear around the world.

This is not an easy problem to fix, but the United States has a plan.

Restoring America’s Competitive Nuclear Energy Advantage

Heavy water is oxygen and the deuterium isotope of hydrogen. Here's a look at whether heavy water is radioactive and whether it is safe to drink. //

Just because heavy water isn't radioactive doesn't mean it's completely safe to drink. If you ingested enough heavy water, the biochemical reactions in your cells would be affected by the difference in the mass of the hydrogen atoms and how well they form hydrogen bonds.

You could consume a single glass of heavy water without suffering any major ill effects... //

Theoretically, you'd have to replace 20 to 50% of the regular hydrogen in your body with deuterium to experience symptoms ranging from distressing to catastrophic. For mammals, replacing 20% of the body's water with heavy water is survivable (although not recommended); 25% causes sterilization, and about 50% replacement is lethal.2

CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - South Africa will soon start developing a plan for a new 2,500 megawatt (MW) nuclear power plant, the energy ministry told lawmakers on Thursday.

Africa’s most industrialised economy, which operates the continent’s only nuclear power plant near Cape Town, said last year that it was considering adding more nuclear capacity in the long term, after abandoning in 2018 a massive nuclear expansion championed by former president Jacob Zuma.

For the first time in 30 years, high-temperature nuclear plants can use a new metal. //

Scientists working at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) have announced the approval of a new high-temperature metal after 12 years and a $15 million Department of Energy investment. Alloy 617, a “combination of nickel, chromium, cobalt and molybdenum,” is tolerant and strong at temperatures of more than 1,700 degrees Fahrenheit. The scientists say this means it could be used in existing high temperature nuclear facilities as well as cutting-edge applications like molten salt reactors.

For any new nuclear plant material, making the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code is like qualifying for the Olympics. Alloy 617 is the first new material to get into “The Code” in 30 years. And unlike the crowded field of materials for light water nuclear reactors, high-temperature reactors have very few options.

“In contrast to light water plants, the commercial fleet, where you might have 50 or 100 materials that you could use, there were exactly five you could use for high-temperature reactors,” INL project lead Richard Wright said in a statement.

Because of that, nuclear researchers and insiders have watched Alloy 617 with keen interest and crafted spinoffs that are even stronger.

The Trump administration wants to open up parts of the Mountain West to uranium production -- areas near the Grand Canyon. While nuclear energy is vital to U.S. energy security, the uranium is not needed: the mineral is both cheap and abundant -- and provided by foreign-owned businesses.

The atomic bomb and meltdowns like Fukushima have made nuclear power synonymous with global disaster. But what if we’ve got nuclear power wrong? An audience favorite at the Sundance Film Festival, PANDORA’S PROMISE asks whether the one technology we fear most could save our planet from a climate catastrophe while providing the energy needed to lift billions of people in the developing world out of poverty. In his controversial new film, Stone tells the intensely personal stories of environmentalists and energy experts who have undergone a radical conversion from being fiercely anti to strongly pro-nuclear energy, risking their careers and reputations in the process. Stone exposes this controversy within the environmental movement head-on with stories of defection by heavyweights including Stewart Brand, Richard Rhodes, Gwyneth Cravens, Mark Lynas and Michael Shellenberger. Undaunted and fearlessly independent, PANDORA’S PROMISE is a landmark work that is forever changing the conversation about the myths and science behind this deeply emotional and polarizing issue.

The UAE has announced that the first reactor of its under-construction Barakah nuclear power plant is scheduled to come online within “a few months”.

Southern has a big nuclear project in the works, and it has worked hard to get it done early -- which increasingly looks like a brilliant move. //

as much as we can as fast as we can is an enormous risk mitigator. You've heard us use the expression before, Fail Fast. We'd like to get our hands on major equipment and major systems and test them as early as we can, two big benefits. When we do that, we let in the opportunity for these systems when problems invariably occur that they don't impact our critical path, one; two, that we can minimize cost as a result of those things; and three, that we gain lessons learned that we can apply to other systems throughout the plant.

Essentially, pushing the envelope like this by working toward a deadline that's six months ahead of what regulators expect gives Southern breathing room. It can deal with some headwinds and still get the project completed as regulators expect. And if it gets done sooner, well, everyone ends up happy: The nuclear plants will be running, and Southern will trim the overall cost of the project.

In its latest move toward potentially embracing next-gen nuclear energy technology, the Tennessee Valley Authority has signed a memorandum of understanding with the state’s largest university to study it together. The University of Tennessee and TVA signed the MOU to evaluate development of advanced nuclear technologies such as small modular reactors. The project, if developed,...

Swapping out spent uranium rods requires hundreds of technicians—challenging right now. //

This is shameful all the way around. When this is over, those who fed this hysteria, both the academics who created bullsh**t models that drove elected officials to a state of panic and the politicians who decided is was easier to go along with the herd than obey commonsense must be called out, held to account, and shamed forever from the public life of the nation.

California-based Oklo Inc has submitted a combined licence application for its Aurora "powerhouse" to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. This is the first COLA to be submitted using a new application structure for advanced fission technologies and the first privately funded application for a commercial advanced reactor.