Nuclear Power is advancing, just not here. These are all from the excellent World Nuclear News.
First - from Russia:
Russia targets 2030 for BN-1200
Russia plans to start construction of three BN-1200 sodium-cooled fast neutron reactors before 2030, the director general of Rosenergoatom, Evgeny Romanov, said on 21 July.
Russian nuclear engineering company OKBM Afrikantov is developing a BN-1200 reactor as a next step towards future reactor designs, commonly known as Generation IV.
"We associate fast reactors with our strategic goal of a closed nuclear fuel cycle," Romanov said. The first of these units will be located at the Beloyarsk nuclear power plant in Zarechny, in the Urals, he said.
This design is a breeder reactor and will have a much better yield from its fuel as well as be able to "burn" the spent waste from traditional uranium reactors. They operate at high temperature but at atmospheric pressure so there can be no loss of cooling. We built these back in the 1950's and almost built a commercial one in the 1970's (thanks Jimmy) but because their fuel does not go Ka-Boom, the development was abandoned.
Second - from Egypt:
Tender for Egyptian plant rescheduled
A tender to construct Egypt's first nuclear power plant will now be launched by the end of 2014. The tender for the El-Dabaa plant was originally scheduled for earlier this year.
Ibrahim El-Osery, the Ministry of Electricity's adviser for nuclear energy, told the Daily News Egypt newspaper that a global tender for the El-Dabaa plant would be launched by the end of 2014.
He was quoted as saying, "One of the tender's conditions is that whoever wins will take the responsibility of financing the project until its implementation." El-Osery said Egypt will pay for the implementation expenses after operations start. He noted, "The costs Egypt saves when using nuclear energy, as opposed to conventional energy, will be used to pay for the project."
Back in 1983 the El-Dabaa site on the Mediterranean coast was selected for a nuclear plant, but this scheme was scrapped after the Chernobyl accident. However, in 2006, the same site was named in plans to build a 1000 MWe reactor for electricity generation and water desalination by 2015, in a $1.5-$2 billion project that would be open to foreign participation.
Early in 2010 the proposal had expanded to four plants by 2025, the first costing about $4 billion and being on line in 2019 or 2020. However, plans were put on hold in 2011 until the political situation stabilised following the ousting of former president Hosni Mubarak.
Traditional Ka-Boom design but at least, they are resuming the design and construction process. Emphasis mine - the cost is that much lower when compared to traditional coal or gas plants. Compared to alt-energy? Without government subsidies? Fuggeddaboutit!
Third - from China:
China produces first AP1000 vessel
The manufacture of the reactor pressure vessel in China for Sanmen 2 has been completed - the first AP1000 vessel to be domestically produced.
The completed vessel, manufactured by China First Heavy Industries (CFHI) under the supervision of Westinghouse, successfully passed a pressure test on 8 June.
The vessel is destined for use in the second of two AP1000 under construction at the Sanmen site in Zhejiang province, eastern China. Two further AP1000s are under construction at Haiyang in Shandong province.
The first locally-produced AP1000 steam generator, also destined for Sanmen 2, passed testing on 21 May.
The manufacture of the reactor pressure vessel in China for Sanmen 2 has been completed - the first AP1000 vessel to be domestically produced.
The completed vessel, manufactured by China First Heavy Industries (CFHI) under the supervision of Westinghouse, successfully passed a pressure test on 8 June.
The vessel is destined for use in the second of two AP1000 under construction at the Sanmen site in Zhejiang province, eastern China. Two further AP1000s are under construction at Haiyang in Shandong province.
The first locally-produced AP1000 steam generator, also destined for Sanmen 2, passed testing on 21 May.
This is big news - China is building reactors like there is no tomorrow but they are all licensed from Westinghouse and built by Westinghouse contractors in South Korea. Good for them!