A new report released by the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD) highlights how Rosatom remains a major revenue source for Russia and is helping Russian President Vladimir Putin fund his invasion of Ukraine. The report found that while the United States and the European Union tightened sanctions on Russia, these nations have reportedly purchased $1.7 billion in nuclear products and services from Rosatom. The FDD asserts that the United States should sanction Rosatom under Executive Order 14024, as well as sanction all 14 members of Rosatom’s supervisory and management boards.

The Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry reported that Russian forces are increasing pressure on the Ukrainian personnel at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. The Russian forces are coercing Ukrainian personnel to obtain Russian passports and sign contracts with Rosatom, as well as selectively depriving them of access to workplaces without warning. Dissatisfaction is also growing among Russian energy specialists deployed at Zaporizhzhia over unfulfilled promises about the terms of their deployment to the Russian-occupied facility. The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant has remained under Russian control since March 2022.

Ukraine’s Energy Minister, Energoatom’s President, and Westinghouse's CEO signed an agreement for the purchase of equipment for what will become Khmelnitsky nuclear power plant unit 5. The AP1000 reactor will add more than 1100 MWe to Ukraine’s energy grid and will be the first Western nuclear reactor in the country, an important step in moving away from Russian technology and strengthening Ukraine’s energy independence. They also discussed further collaboration in the coming years, with Energoatom planning for a total of nine AP1000 reactors, as well as using Westinghouse-supplied fuel for its VVER reactors.

Early discussions between Rolls-Royce and DTEK, an industrial group in Ukraine, were held concerning the construction and deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs) at sites currently operated by coal power stations within Ukraine. According to DTEK CEO Maxim Timchenko, he believes that “nuclear power will form an important part of DTEK’s future portfolio as Ukraine is rebuilt and his country switches away from fossil fuels.” These talks are held as Ukraine is attempting to deploy less centralized and more renewable sources of energy in the face of a targeted Russian bombing campaign aiming to take out grid infrastructure during harsh winter months.

Despite the challenges created by the ongoing Russian invasion, Energoatom and Holtec announced that Ukraine’s new Centralized Spent Fuel Storage Facility (CSFSF) is now operational and receiving spent nuclear fuel from the country’s nuclear power plants after an almost two decade long journey. Energoatom stated that the facility will save $200 million a year that used to be spent on transporting spent fuel to Russia for storage. The CSFSF is located within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone and is designed to have a total storage capacity of 16,530 used fuel assemblies.

China General Nuclear Power Corp. (CGN) has halted funding for the United Kingdom’s Hinkley Point C nuclear power station. It is unclear whether the funding halt is temporary or permanent, with representatives from Électricité de France (EDF) stating that the project will continue regardless. However, this means that EDF may have to pay for the rest of the power station’s completion, which is estimated to cost $41 billion. CGN’s withdrawal comes after the United Kingdom took over CGN’s stake in a similar nuclear project in Sizewell last year amid national security concerns. CGN’s plan to build the Bradwell B nuclear power station in southern England is also up in the air.

UAE’s Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) signed multiple memoranda of understanding (MoU) with small modular reactor (SMR) developers during the COP28 climate summit. These developers include the UK developer MoltexFLEX, and US developers X-energy and Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation (USNC). ENEC’s MoU with MoltexFLEX centers around forming a joint working group to examine the commercial viability of deploying their 60MWt/24MWe FLEX reactor. Similarly, the MoU’s with both X-energy and USNC focus on forming joint groups to examine the potential commercial viability of deployment of their SMR and microreactor designs, the Xe-100 and Micro-Modular Reactor (MMR).

Egypt’s Nuclear Power Plants Authority (NPPA) and the UAE’s Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) regarding the exploration of potential areas for cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy. According to the NPAA, the two organizations “expressed their wish to further enhance the cooperation between the two countries, in particular, with respect to the peaceful applications of nuclear energy.” This is one of many MoU’s signed by ENEC during the COP28 summit.

Following the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the South Korean and Dutch governments for cooperation on nuclear energy, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) has been contracted to conduct a feasibility study for the construction of two Korean-supplied reactors at the Borssele nuclear power plant site in the Netherlands. The Dutch government said that the study will consider whether the reactor design complies with Dutch legislation and regulations, whether it can be fit into the preferred location at Borssele and will develop a more detailed time and cost estimate for the constructions of the two new units.

France and Sweden’s energy ministers have signed a letter of intent to strengthen the two countries' cooperation in nuclear energy. According to the letter, France and Sweden will facilitate technical exchanges for the participation of the industry in support of reactor maintenance, life extension and power upgrades of the reactors. The partnership also covers both the exchange of experience on possible financing models for the construction of new nuclear reactors and various aspects of the nuclear fuel cycle. This letter comes after French President Emmanuel Macron and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson signed a joint declaration in January to give nuclear energy a prominent place in bilateral cooperation between the two nations.

Turkish President Recep Erdogan stated that Turkey is interested in developing cooperation with neighboring Greece on nuclear energy following meetings between the two countries in Athens. Erdogan elaborated that Turkey could provide an opportunity to Greece to collaborate with Turkey on a future nuclear power plant that is currently planned near the city of Sinop. While meeting in Athens, Turkey and Greece agreed to establish a roadmap designed to usher in a new era of closer relations following decades of conflict and distrust.

The COP28 climate summit published its Global Stocktake calling for transitioning away from fossil fuels and an acceleration of zero- and low-emission technologies, including nuclear. The text of the agreement says that the parties recognize that limiting global warming to 1.5°C requires reductions in global greenhouse gas emissions of 43% by 2030 and 60% by 2035. During COP28, 24 countries backed a Ministerial Declaration calling for the tripling of global nuclear energy capacity by 2050.

According to the annual World Nuclear Industry report, nuclear energy’s share in global electricity production fell by 4% in 2022, reaching its lowest share since the 1980s. The primary hurdles facing current nuclear energy deployment are aging nuclear power plants that are nearing shut-down and new projects facing delays and cost hurdles. In 2022, nuclear energy was responsible for generating 2,546 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity globally, representing 9.2% of total global electricity production.

Poland’s Ministry of Climate and Environment has issued decisions-in-principle for the construction of GE Hitachi’s BWRX-300 small modular reactors (SMR) at six locations, with a total of 24 BWRX-300 reactors planned. The decision-in-principle is the first decision in the process of administrative permits for investments in nuclear power facilities in Poland that an investor may apply for, and subsequently allows Orlen Synthos Green Energy (OSGE) to apply for a number of further administrative arrangements. Poland has already issued decisions-in-principle for the construction of two large nuclear power plants in Pomerania and Patnów Konin.

IAEA chief Rafael Mariano Grossi stated that Saudi Arabia’s nuclear research reactor is almost complete as Saudi Arabia aims to establish a civilian nuclear energy capacity. The IAEA is now discussing the necessary inspections with Riyadh, and Grossi added that Saudi Arabia is getting close to signing an updated IAEA safeguards agreement. Saudi Energy Minister Abdulaziz bin Salman said the kingdom has decided to switch to full-scale safeguards. Saudi Arabia has a nascent nuclear program that it wants to expand to eventually include activities such as proliferation-sensitive uranium enrichment.

South Africa’s Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) confirmed it will go ahead with the procurement of 2,500 megawatts electrical (MWe) of new nuclear capacity with plans to issue requests for proposals by 2024. The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) said the DMRE can proceed with the procurement process after it satisfies a set of “suspensive conditions” imposed by the regulator. Nuclear power is an important part of South Africa’s Integrated Resource Plan, which called for the country to make preparations for new nuclear capacity.

The European Council and Parliament reached a provisional agreement to reform the European Union’s electricity market design. The reform aims to make electricity prices less dependent on volatile fossil fuel prices, accelerate the deployment of renewable and low-emission energy, and improve protection of consumers. In October, the European Council reached an agreement on a proposal to amend the EU’s electricity market design, agreeing to include nuclear power plants in these reforms.

The Emirati nuclear operator Nawah Energy Company finished the loading of fuel into the core of unit 4 at the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant. Nawah will now run a series of tests where operators will gradually raise the reactor’s power generation levels. Following the successful completion of these tests, unit 4 will enter commercial operation. Once unit 4 enter operation, the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant will be the largest single source of clean electricity in the Middle East region.

Kazakhstan has reported record-breaking exports of processed uranium in the first ten months of 2023. The total value of Kazakh uranium sales abroad surged to an impressive $2.46 billion, marking a 33% increase compared to the same timeframe in the previous year. The reported figures indicate the highest value recorded since 2015, highlighting Kazakhstan’s significant growth and prominence in the global uranium export market. Kazakhstan’s two largest customers for uranium in this period are Russia and China, which imported $1.2 billion and $922.7 million worth of uranium from Kazakhstan respectively.

Yellow Cake CEO André Liebenberg warned that China is making an aggressive push to tie up uranium supply amid a worldwide rush to secure nuclear fuel. Liebenberg added that the West was lagging behind in securing uranium as Chinese firms purchase supplies on the open market, sign long-term contracts, and buy up uranium mines. China is currently the world’s second largest producer of nuclear power and accounts for almost half of the reactors currently under construction globally.

Hyundai Engineering and the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on the commercialization of and export of the Korean-designed SMART small modular reactor (SMR) overseas. Under this MoU, Hyundai Engineering will be responsible for business development, financing, and engineering, procurement, and construction for SMART verification and commercialization. KAERI will be responsible for support tasks such as reactor design and licensing.

Urenco announced that it plans to increase its enrichment capacity at its plant in Almelo in the Netherlands by 15% to meet new commitments from its customers. The project plans to see multiple new centrifuge cascades added to the Almelo plant, adding approximately 750 tons of SWU per year. The first of the new cascades are scheduled to come online around 2027. Urenco stated that the capacity program is a long-term plan to meet increasing customer demand as more countries and utility companies turn to nuclear power.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France will give the green light to new investments in nuclear fusion, natural hydrogen, energy storage, and carbon capture while meeting with representatives from Airbus in Toulouse. Macron cited the need to explore fusion technology, as well as accelerate the development of small modular reactors. The president also mentioned hydrogen to speed up industrial decarbonization.

European Union member states in the EU Council included nuclear energy alongside renewables among the technologies promoted by the Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA). As a result, nuclear power will benefit from streamlined licensing procedures, ensuring that authorizations can be obtained within 9-12 months. This follows the European Commission adding nuclear power to the list of “strategic” technologies as part of their general approach to the NZIA, which aims to boost the EU’s capacity to manufacture technologies considered vital to reach carbon neutrality by 2050.

Turkey’s Nuclear Regulatory Agency (NDK) issued permission to the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant to commission its first power unit. The permit makes it possible to proceed with the start-up, set-up, and operation processes following the installation of all the reactor internals for the Akkuyu 1 unit. The Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant is Turkey’s first nuclear power plant, which will contain four Russian VVER-1200 reactors under Rosatom’s build-own-operate (BOO) model.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is facing pressure to reverse the country’s opposition to nuclear energy in order to forge a sustainable transition to net-zero emissions by 2050. French President Emmanuel Macron urged Australian policymakers to lift the moratorium on nuclear energy at the COP28 climate summit, and the head of the Australian Workers Union called on the government to put the nuclear option on the table to protect heavy industry jobs as the country transitions away from fossil fuels. Australia has maintained a nationwide moratorium on nuclear energy deployment since 1999.

The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) has given permission for the first approach to criticality of unit 4 at the Kakrapar Nuclear Power Plant. Once first criticality is reached, a series of experiments and tests will be carried out as the reactor’s unit is gradually increased before being connected to the Indian power grid. Construction of Kakrapar 4 began in 2010, and is the second of two Indian-designed 700 MWe pressurized heavy water reactors at the site.

Rosatom’s Mining and Chemical Combine produced the first three fuel assemblies with uranium-plutonium mixed oxide (MOX) fuel containing the transuranic elements americium-241 and neptunium-237. The fuel is due to be loaded into the BN-800 fast neutron reactor at Beloyarsk nuclear power plant in 2024. Minor actinides like americium-241 and neptunium-237 are transuranic elements other than plutonium with long half-lives and high levels of radiation that are formed through nuclear fission and found in irradiated nuclear fuel. Fast reactors can be fueled by both traditional sources of fuel, such as enriched uranium or plutonium, and by secondary products of the nuclear fuel cycle.

The California Public Utilities Commission voted to allow the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant to extend the shutdown date through 2030, an additional five years beyond the previously agreed date of 2025. Separately, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) accepted Diablo Canyon’s license renewal application to operate beyond 2024. California Governor Gavin Newsom previously stated that Diablo Canyon’s power is needed to ward off possible blackouts as California transitions to solar power and other renewable energy sources.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) gave approval to Kairos Power to start the construction of its Hermes advanced reactor in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The Hermes is a molten fluoride salt cooled reactor that is one of several new reactor technologies that the Department of Energy is supporting through its Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program. The commercial version of the reactor is expected to be deployed in the 2030s.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation that would bar imports of Russian uranium for nuclear power plants. The legislation would make it illegal to import low-enriched uranium from Russia 90 days after the bill becomes law, but also allows for the prohibition to be waived if there aren’t other viable sources of uranium to sustain nuclear reactors. The United States is attempting to wean itself off of Russian nuclear energy imports, which comprised 12% of U.S. nuclear fuel imports in 2022.

Scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory announced that they have successfully replicated a nuclear fusion reaction at least three times this year. This development marks a pivotal step in the quest for fusion energy, which could provide the world with a near-limitless source of clean power. The Lawrence Livermore Laboratory achieved the world’s first nuclear fusion energy reaction that released more than it used last year. Recently, U.S. climate envoy John Kerry launched an international engagement plan with the aim of boosting nuclear fusion to help tackle the climate crisis.

The Georgia Public Service Commission approved an additional 6% rate increase to pay for $7.56 billion in remaining costs at Georgia Power’s Vogtle Nuclear Power Plant. The rate increase is projected to add $8.95 a month to a typical residential customer’s current monthly bill of $157 bill. This vote was the final accounting for Georgia Power’s portion of the project to build the third and fourth reactors at the Vogtle site, with the current cost of the reactor projected at $31 billion. The Vogtle 4 reactor was originally projected to cost $14 billion.

The Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) announced that seven companies will be provided vouchers to accelerate the innovation and application of advanced nuclear technologies. The vouchers provide the companies access to the extensive research capabilities and expertise available across the Department of Energy’s national laboratory complex. The companies awarded vouchers are Westinghouse, SHINE Technologies, Aalo Atomics, ARC Clean Technology, Global Nuclear Fuels - Americas, Boston Atomics, and Energy Northwest.

Nuclear fuel companies Lightbridge Corporation and Centrus Energy announced a contract to conduct a front-end engineering and design (FEED) study to add a dedicated Lightbridge Pilot Fuel Fabrication Facility (LPFFF) at Centrus’s American Centrifuge Plant in Piketon, Ohio. The FEED study will identify infrastructure and licensing requirements as well as the estimated cost and construction for the LPFFF. Last month, Centrus and the Department of Energy announced that Centrus had produced 20 kilograms of high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) at the Piketon site, satisfying phase one of the DoE contract.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed legislation lifting a three-decade moratorium on the development of nuclear reactors in the state. The legislation adds a study on the risks of a new nuclear technology and puts a state agency in charge of oversight, which were issues missing from the original plan that Pritzker vetoed. With the moratorium lifted, small modular reactors are allowed to be built in the state of Illinois beginning in January 2026.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has scheduled a new virtual meeting to hear North Texans’ comments on Vistra’s application to extend its reactor licenses at the Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant for an additional 20 years. The meeting gives the public another chance to provide input on the agency’s draft environmental impact report before the December 26 comment deadline. The two Comanche Peak reactors’ current licenses are set to expire in 2030 and 2033 respectively. The Comanche Nuclear Power Plant has the capacity to power 1.2 million homes under normal electricity conditions.

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin announced that French utility Framatome is expanding its facility in Lynchburg. Framatome is expected to spend $49.4 million dollars to expand, enhance, and modernize its facilities, with Youngkin adding that the expansion will create over 500 new jobs. Framatome estimates that the facility’s expansion will take until 2027 to complete, but Framatome officials say that will not be the end of their expansion efforts.

The Department of Energy announced $42 million for a program that will establish multi-institutional and multi-disciplinary hubs to advance foundational inertial fusion energy (IFE) science and technology. Projects funded by the program - known as Inertial Fusion Energy Science and Technology Accelerated Research (IFE-STAR) - will bring together expertise and capabilities across the DoE’s laboratories, universities, and industry to advance IFE system components. The hubs will be led by researchers at Colorado State University, the University of Rochester, and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory’s (AFRL) selected Westinghouse, Northrop Grumman, and Astrobotic to power satellites with nuclear energy. The award supports the Joint Emergent Technology Supplying On-Orbit Nuclear (JETSON) High Power program. JETSON High Power is examining alternatives to current space power systems that consist of solar arrays, and a nuclear reactor system provides constant power without the operational limitations of the current system.

The Clean Air Task Force published a report on how nuclear energy can help tackle the global challenges of climate change and human development. The report proposes a suite of commercial and regulatory solutions that provide nuclear energy with a new pathway to future success in order to reduce development costs and streamline project deployment. The report provides six solutions, including shifting to standardized reactor products, establishing independent nuclear development organizations, creating a global licensing authority to provide globally accepted design certificates, and establishing an International Bank of Nuclear Infrastructure (IBNI).

The Nuclear Innovation Alliance (NIA) updated its Advanced Nuclear Energy Guide for State Policymakers. The Guide serves as an introduction to advanced nuclear energy technologies and policies for state-level policymakers and stakeholders. The first part describes advanced reactor technology and its benefits while reviewing state options to incentivize local development of advanced reactors. The second part provides case studies of emerging state leaders in these technologies, such as nuclear projects in Wyoming, Energy Northwest’s plans in Washington, and Texas’ leadership in deploying advanced nuclear energy. The last section is a compendium of topical briefs that elaborate the characteristics of advanced reactors.

The Breakthrough Institute published an article on the history of the U.S. uranium industry and the status of uranium mining in the present day. The article provides context by presenting an examination of the historical progression of uranium mining practices, spanning from the 1940s to the contemporary era. The Breakthrough Institute seeks to answer four questions: how was the uranium mining industry managed during the Cold War era, what are the consequences of inadequate safeguards in uranium mining, how was mining for nuclear weapons different from nuclear power, and what is the status of uranium mining in the present day?

The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists published two articles post-COP28 that are skeptical of the role of nuclear power in addressing climate change: Trumpism of tripling nuclear power and the nuclear energy numbers racket; and one on the geopolitics of Egypt-Russia nuclear cooperation.

Time to Bring Nuclear Energy Into the 21^st Century

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