The yearly U.N. climate agreement conference of the parties long ago devolved into a cacophonous circus. But this year in Dubai, it at least added a dedicated ring for the clean energy attributes of nuclear power. The IAEA’s Atoms 4 Climate pavilion alone hosted over 40 events.

The issue now is whether the “aspirational goal” of tripling nuclear energy by 2050 as a climate solution can become a reality without allowing Russia and China to remain as the ringmasters.

The threefold nuclear power expansion commitment was endorsed by 24 countries. Another 120 nuclear companies and NGOs endorsed the Net Zero Nuclear Industry Pledge. But there was no representation from Russia or China in either agreement.

Russia is currently the world’s largest nuclear reactor exporter, and China has the most ambitious plans for nuclear power expansion. China just started operation of a gas-cooled next-generation reactor, beating by years the plans of the U.S. and its allies for deployment of similar small nuclear units.

The U.S. and its colleague nations agreed to Jump Start SMR deployments around the world by sharpening the U.S. Export-Import Bank’s financial tools, and they will work to mobilize “at least $4.2 billion in government-led investments” to juice the ability of democratic countries to produce nuclear fuel and wean themselves from dependence on Russia.

The Breakthrough Institute offered a wake-up call about next-gen nuclear’s prospects based on three failures - the demise of the NuScale-UAMPS deal, the end of X-Energy’s plan to go public, and the NRC’s rejection of OKLO’s initial license application.

The other BTI issues are supply chain bottlenecks and the lack of fuel production capability. The nuclear supply chain atrophy in America is well documented and it will be difficult to reverse. But the government is making strides to produce fuel for next-gen reactors, with Centrus having just completed a run of kilogram quantity HALEU and the COP announcement on future fuel development with its allies. An adequate supply of HALEU is a critical issue for next-gen success.

A collaboration between the EFI Foundation, Clean Air Task Force, and Nuclear Threat Initiative, resulted in a six dimension playbook to support nuclear energy development in new nations.

The United States and more than 20 other countries pledged to triple nuclear power by 2050 to achieve net-zero carbon emissions and limit the impacts of climate change. This declaration is a significant concrete step, taken by major nations, to position nuclear power as a centerpiece in the clean energy transition. Other major economies that signed on to the agreement include Canada, France, the United Kingdom, and Japan. IAEA chief Rafael Mariano Grossi added that studies confirm that the goal of global net zero carbon emissions can only be reached by 2050 with significant investments in nuclear energy. The pledge is also backed by 120 companies.

U.S. Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Bonnie Jenkins and U.S. Export-Import (EXIM) Bank Chair Reta Jo Lewis announced key measures to increase U.S. access to safe and secure nuclear energy. The State Department and EXIM launched a suite of financial tools to support small modular reactor (SMR) deployment and help U.S. exporters compete in the global market.

The United States and four other countries also announced their collective intent to expand nuclear fuel production capacity, working to mobilize at least $4.2 billion investment in the five nations’ collective enrichment and conversion capacity over the next three years.

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi called on leaders at the COP28 climate summit to deploy more nuclear energy in order to fight climate change. Grossi argued for the inclusion of nuclear power at the summit while acknowledging the challenges his agency faces in monitoring international nuclear programs, managing countries like Iran, and addressing the new nuclear threats posed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The IAEA opened its Atoms4Climate pavilion at the annual UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai amid a rising wave of international support for scaling up the use of nuclear power. IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi kicked off the start of activities and events at the IAEA pavilion aimed at raising awareness of the benefits of nuclear technology and applications in both mitigating and adapting to the effects of the climate crisis. Earlier, Mr. Grossi unveiled an IAEA statement supported by dozens of countries that underscored the need for expanded use of nuclear power to fight climate change and achieve energy security and sustainable development.

The IAEA launched a new climate adaptation project at the COP28 summit. The project will use the IAEA’s existing climate adaptation activities in food and water security to harness the interregional networks of laboratories and facilitate international collaboration. Attendees heard how nuclear techniques work in combination with conventional techniques to help countries to tackle harsh climate conditions, providing accurate data that allows decision-makers to assess the evolving situation, and also offering a range of effective adaptation options.

U.S. special climate envoy John Kerry launched an international engagement plan to boost nuclear fusion. Kerry said the plan involves 35 nations and would focus on research and development, supply chain issues, and regulation and safety. Among the countries pursuing nuclear fusion include the United States, China, Germany, and Japan. Thus far, scientists have only achieved scattered instances where fusion experiments produce more energy than is required to make them happen.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris announced a series of initiatives during her remarks at the COP28 climate summit. Initiatives of the Biden-Harris Administration include Powering Forward with Ambitious Domestic Climate Action, Bolstering Global Climate Resilience, Responding to the Impacts of Climate Change in the Most Climate-Vulnerable Countries and Communities, and Accelerating Global Climate Action to Keep the 1.5°C Goal Within Reach. Within these initiatives, the United States hopes to launch a new clean energy supply chain collaborative, deliver on hydrogen, and scale global renewables and energy efficiency.

The UAE’s Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) signed agreements with multiple small modular reactor (SMR) and microreactor vendors during COP28. The agreements include a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with GE Hitachi to explore potential deployment of its BWRX-300 reactor. Another MoU was with TerraPower to explore potential opportunities for commercialization and global deployment of Natrium technology. A third MoU was with Westinghouse to analyze the potential opportunities for technical and commercial deployment of the eVinci microreactor. These agreements are part of the ENEC’s new ADVANCE program, whose purpose is to “strengthen the UAE’s position as a leading nation in delivering climate action by accelerating the global clean energy transition to Net Zero.”

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo jointly announced an international summit-level conference on nuclear energy that will take place in Brussels in March of next year. This summit will be the first ever of its kind following the Ministerial Declaration setting a goal of tripling the world’s nuclear energy capacity by 2050. Macron added, “If you want to reconcile job creation, strategic autonomy and sovereignty and low carbon emission, there is nothing more sustainable and reliable than nuclear energy.”

Despite the European Union implementing sanctions against Russia and efforts to reduce dependence on Moscow, the EU increased its imports from Russia of nuclear fuel and services for their Russian-designed reactors in 2023 compared to 2021 according to the Euratom Supply Agency (ESA). This increase comes after overall imports from Russia’s nuclear industry remained steady in 2022 despite a rise in demand for nuclear power driven by high energy costs and a push to cut carbon emissions. This rise is driven in part by countries operating Russian-designed VVER reactors.

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was forced to rely on emergency diesel generators for nearly five hours this past weekend. This is the first time the plant has lost off-site power since May and has sparked renewed concerns for its safety amidst the on-going invasion. According to the IAEA, the plant lost its connection to its last remaining back-up 330kV line at 22:26 on Friday “due to an external grid fault” and then proceeded to lose its main 750kV line five hours later at 03:32 on Saturday. The main line was restored shortly after 08:08 on Saturday; however, IAEA Director General Grossi said, “the most recent external power outage is yet another reminder about the precarious nuclear safety and security situation at the plant…”

On the same day that the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant lost its main off-site power line, IAEA staff reported that they heard what sounded like rockets “fired from a Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) nearby.” IAEA Director General Grossi said that the developments over the weekend “once again clearly demonstrate the extremely fragile nuclear safety and security situation at Zaporizhzhia.” He added, “I remain deeply concerned about nuclear safety and security at the plant, both when it comes to its vulnerable off-site power supplies, which can be affected by attacks far away from the site, and the more direct military risks it is facing, potentially undermining the principles that I set out at the UNSC in May.”

Électricité de France (EDF) made an offer to Slovenian power company Gen Energija for the construction of next-generation nuclear reactors in Slovenia after years of discussion. EDF submitted a set of technical and commercial proposals to support the construction of two EPR1200 reactor units in Slovenia. EDF has been active in proposing its EPR reactors to Poland and the Czech Republic, as well as discussing potential offers with several other European states.

A contract between Urenco and Ukraine’s Energoatom was recently signed during the World Nuclear Exhibition 2023 in Paris. The contract stipulates that Urenco will continue to supply Energoatom with enriched uranium products until 2035, replacing a contract between the two that was set to expire in 2035. This new agreement also contains the option to extend the contract until 2043. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Urenco has been the sole provider of enriched uranium to Energoatom and this contract builds upon their history of cooperation.

Ontario Power Generation (OPG) and Électricité de France (EDF) signed a letter of interest during the World Nuclear Exhibition in Paris. The letter covers a plan to assess the feasibility of deploying EDF’s large-scale nuclear reactor technology in Canada with the two companies initially exploring the technical and licensing requirements for European Pressurized Reactor (EPR) technology within Canada’s regulatory landscape. The EPR was developed by EDF, in partnership with Framatome, and is a four-loop design with numerous safety systems.

The French company EDF signed a series of cooperation agreements regarding the potential deployment of its technology and the involvement of local supply chains on the first day of the World Nuclear Exhibition in Paris. It has signed agreements with Canada, the Czech Republic, and India. EDF Chairman and CEO Luc Rémont said the agreements “demonstrate our ambition to secure robust partnerships with local supply chains for EPR technology-based projects, as well as for NUWARD SMR.”

Ontario Power Generation (OPG) and Westinghouse signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to establish a framework for the two organizations to identify potential areas of cooperation for the deployment of nuclear technologies. The MoU states that the two organizations will explore potential commercial opportunities for Westinghouse’s AP1000, AP300, and eVinci reactors, licensing and regulatory pathways for new nuclear projects in Canada, and any additional areas for potential collaboration in the new-build market.

Romania’s Nuclearelectrica and France’s Framatome signed a cooperation agreement to explore the possibility of producing the medical isotope lutetium-177 at the Cernavoda nuclear power plant. Using Framatome’s work on isotope production in Canada, a technical feasibility study will be conducted to look at how to “maximize the existing infrastructure to convert target into medical isotopes”. Lutetium-177 is a beta-emitting radioisotope that is used in targeted radionuclide therapy to treat prostate cancer by destroying cancer cells and leaving healthy cells unaffected.

Framatome and Ultra Safe Nuclear Corp. (UNSC) signed an agreement establishing a joint venture to manufacture nuclear fuel for UNSC’s gas-cooled microreactor and other advanced reactor designs during the World Nuclear Exhibition in Paris. Through this collaboration, the two companies plan to produce commercial quantities of TRISO fuel particles and UNSC’s proprietary Fully Ceramic Microencapsulated (FCM) fuel, which contains TRISO fuel particles within ceramic fuel pellets. The agreement plans to leverage Framatome’s expertise, proven infrastructure, and mature programs with UNSC’s technical manufacturing capabilities and expertise with plans to begin manufacturing of TRISO particles and FCM fuel in 2026.

Kazakhstan’s Kazatomprom and UAE’s Emirates Nuclear Energy Corp. (ENEC) signed a commercial uranium fuel supply contract for UAE’s Barakah nuclear power plant at COP28 during the official visit of Kazakhstan’s President, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. ENEC CEO Mohamed Al Hammadi said that “ENEC has a comprehensive strategy for fuel management at Barakah, signing contracts back in 2012 with a number of global suppliers to ensure a sustainable and secure fuel supply. Signing this agreement with Kazakhstan, the largest global uranium producer, is strategically important for ENEC in further diversifying and securing fuel supplies.

China’s high temperature gas-cooled reactor – the pebble-bed module (HTR-PM) – entered commercial operation, making it the world’s first modular HTR nuclear power plant. The reactor was a partnership between Tsinghua University, China Huaneng Group, and China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC). The design features 2 small 250 MWt reactors that drive a single 210 MWe steam turbine. The reactor is helium cooled and graphite moderated and is the successor to China’s HTR-10 experimental 10MWt high-temperature gas-cooled reactor at Tsinghua University.

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) launched its new Innovative SMR (i-SMR) technology during COP28. The i-SMR is an integrated pressurized water reactor (PWR) with an electrical capacity of 170 MWe and is being developed according to a development roadmap with a goal of finalizing the standard design by 2025. KHNP CEO Hwang Joo-ho said, “i-SMR has excellent safety, economic feasibility, and flexibility.” Additionally, he said, “For countries with aging coal power plants, i-SMR can be a solution to promote the transition to safe and economically beneficial clean energy.” KHNP has also signed memoranda of understanding (MoU) with Nusantara Power, a power generation subsidiary of the Indonesian Electric Power Corporation (PLN NP), and the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC).

Poland’s Ministry of Climate and Environment issued a decision-in-principle for the country’s second large nuclear power plant. The power plant will be located in the Patnów-Konin region and consist of two South Korean-supplied APR1400 reactors. PGE Pak Energia Jadrowa submitted an application for the plant to the ministry in August, which included a description of project characteristics, the maximum installed capacity, the planned operating period, and details of the APR1400 technology being used.

International Energy Agency (IEA) executive director Fatih Birol stated that the global nuclear industry is in the middle of a renaissance, but added that the industry still faces financial challenges and needs government support for projects. He expressed his hopes that nuclear investments be facilitated by multilateral investment banks despite their lack of interest in investing in reactor extensions and advanced reactors. Fatih made these statements during the opening ceremony of the World Nuclear Exhibition in Paris.

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi stated that a dozen countries are expected to start producing electricity from nuclear power sources within the next few years. Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Namibia, the Philippines, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan were cited by Grossi as potential new nuclear countries, with several other countries currently in the evaluation process. According to IAEA calculations, it is necessary to double the number of nuclear reactors in the world to achieve the objectives of the Paris climate agreement.

Électricité de France (EDF) CEO Luc Remont announced that the French utility aims to build at least one large nuclear reactor a year during the 2030s. Remont added that the pace of reactor construction is expected to increase gradually, with the objective of achieving one reactor per year during the next decade. EDF is currently working on the construction of 6 new EPR2 reactors in France, 2 new EPRs in Britain, as well as other projects in India, the Czech Republic, and Poland.

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) selected a consortium led by Hyundai Engineering Construction for the construction of the main facilities at units 3 and 4 of the Shin Hanul Nuclear Power Plant. The main facility construction refers to the installation and commissioning of civil engineering, architecture, machinery, electricity, piping, and measurement for the major facilities of a nuclear power plant. Construction is expected to begin in April next year, with unit 3 and unit 4 scheduled to be completed by 2032 and 2033 respectively.

The IAEA hosted a symposium on floating nuclear power plants (FNPPs), bringing together legal experts, regulators, and industry leaders, to discuss the benefits and challenges of floating plants and exactly what role they could play in fighting climate change. Among the concerns raised over FNPPs are how licensing and the regulation process work when an FNPP is built and field in one country and then transported to another jurisdiction. Numerous countries are currently working on marine small modular reactor designs, with the only operational FNPP being Russia’s Akademik Lomonosov reactor.

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe awarded $80 million to the Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC) to pursue the demonstration of Westinghouse’s eVinci microreactor. Subject to licensing and regulatory requirements, the reactor is expected to be operational by 2029, with the location of the reactor to be determined as the project progresses. Through this project, the SRC is Westinghouse’s first customer for the eVinci microreactor.

The world’s biggest experimental nuclear fusion reactor was inaugurated in Japan on December 1. The goal of the JT-60SA reactor is to investigate the feasibility of fusion as a safe, large-scale and carbon-free source of net energy. This is a joint project between the European Union and Japan, who are developing the JT-60SA reactor and the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) in France.

Ontario Power Generation (OPG) has selected suppliers Cameco, Urenco USA, Orano, and Global Fuel Americas for the first fuel contracts for its planned small modular reactor (SMR) units at the Darlington New Nuclear Project site. Cameco will be contracted to supply natural uranium hexafluoride, Urenco will provide uranium enrichment services, Orano will provide additional enriched uranium products, and Global Nuclear Fuel-Americas will provide fuel fabrication and related technical services and fuel assemblies. OPG plans to finish building the first fleet of four GE-Hitachi BWRX-300 SMRs by the end of 2028.

Sweden’s parliament approved a bill allowing more reactors to be built than previously planned, scrapping the previous cap of 10. The new law will also allow for the construction of nuclear reactors at sites other than the current nuclear plants. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has made expanding nuclear power generation a key goal for his government, with the government aiming to have 10 new reactors in place by 2045.

Électricité de France (EDF) is selling the first green bond in Europe that could be used to finance nuclear energy projects. The French utility intends to raise at least $548 million from bond notes, then allocating the net proceeds to EU taxonomy-aligned nuclear energy capital expenditures in existing French nuclear reactors. EDF updated its green financing framework last year to include nuclear after EU lawmakers voted to give certain nuclear projects a sustainable level.

The IAEA conducted its Operational Safety Review Team (OSART) mission to Russia’s Beloyarsk Nuclear Power Plant. The OSART team reviewed operating practices at unit 4 of the power plant in the areas of leadership and management for safety, training and qualification, operations, and maintenance. The IAEA observed that the staff at the plant are committed to improving the operational safety and reliability of the plant while also providing some suggestions to further improve safety. This marked the first time an OSART mission assessed a fast neutron reactor.

The Hungarian Parliament has reportedly supported an amendment to the country’s nuclear energy policy that would allow alternative sources to be used for fuel at the Paks Nuclear Power Plant. While the Hungarian government has said that it does not intend to change its fuel supplier as long as deliveries remain stable, it is considering alternatives keeping in mind the European Union’s sanctions against Rosatom. The Paks Nuclear Power Plant consists of VVER-440 reactors that have relied on Russian-supplied nuclear fuel.

Framatome is planning the construction of a nuclear fuel fabrication facility in the United Kingdom as part of its plans to scale-up its operations in the country. The company says that the proposed facility will manufacture nuclear fuel for large pressurized water reactors and for small modular reactors. Consultation about possible locations is taking place with the British Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, with the company aiming for site justification and pre-licensing studies with the Office for Nuclear Regulation in 2024.

Canadian engineering company AdkinsRéalis unveiled the Candu Monark, a Generation III+ 1000 MW nuclear reactor, at the World Nuclear Exhibition in Paris. The Candu Monark is currently in the definition phase and will feature simplified construction and a 70-year operating life. The Ontario government is currently working to develop and deploy more nuclear reactors in the province, with the government announcing the start of pre-development work to build up to 4,800 MWe of nuclear capacity at Bruce Power’s existing site.

Senator Shelley Moore Capito stated that the Accelerating Deployment of Versatile, Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy (ADVANCE) Act will not be part of the National Defense Authorization Act. The ADVANCE Act fell victim to procedural objections from the House Energy and Commerce Committee which considered that nuclear legislation was not the right fit for a defense bill. The ADVANCE Act seeks to jump-start the United States’ development and deployment of advanced reactors.

The Department of Energy plans to award one or more contracts to de-convert high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) from its post-enrichment gaseous uranium hexafluoride state to other chemical forms. The DoE’s final request for proposals (RFP) for deconversion services was issued as one part of the agency’s effort to establish a reliable domestic supply of advanced reactor fuel. The Department plans to issue a second RFP later this year focused on acquiring and storing enriched uranium hexafluoride and then transporting it for deconversion.

Holtec International announced it would start the program to build two SMR-300 reactor units at the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant, as well as intending to file a construction permit application in 2026. Holtec hopes to have the small reactor units up and running by mid-2030, pending the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC) review. Holtec submitted paperwork in October to make the shuttered Palisades Nuclear Power Plant the first in the United States to reverse the decommissioning process, aiming to bring the plant back online in later 2025.

Reuters reported that the U.S. nuclear power industry is pressuring the Biden administration to include existing reactors in a subsidy program for hydrogen, arguing that U.S. goals to jumpstart a “clean hydrogen” economy would fail without nuclear power. Proponents say that excluding existing nuclear electricity from hydrogen production would leave a gap in power generation that would have to be made up by burning fossil fuels. The U.S. Treasury is expected to issue guidance later this month on a hydrogen tax credit known as 45V that was outlined in the Inflation Reduction Act.

The Department of Energy awarded a contract to TRIGA International to fabricate fuel for the MARVEL microreactor at the Idaho National Laboratory. Under this contract, Framatome will manufacture a fuel similar to the TRIGA fuel used in U.S. university reactors. The MARVEL is a sodium potassium-cooled microreactor that will generate roughly 85 kW of thermal energy, and the reactor recently achieved 90% final design which allows the project to move forward with fabrication and construction.

TerraPower and Uranium Energy Corp signed a memorandum of understanding to explore the potential supply of uranium for TerraPower’s demonstration reactor in Kemmerer, Wyoming. Uranium Energy holds extensive uranium resources in Wyoming that could be a source of uranium that would fuel TerraPower’s reactor. The Natrium is a sodium-cooled fast reactor with molten salt energy storage system that can boost power output to 500 MWe to serve peak demand.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued a final rule and associate regulatory guide providing an alternative avenue for small modular reactors (SMR) and advanced reactors to satisfy emergency preparedness requirements. The rulemaking allows SMRs and advanced reactor license applicants to develop performance-based emergency preparedness programs instead of using the current prescriptive offsite radiological emergency planning requirements designed for large reactors. The NRC concurrently issued an associated regulatory guide on the emergency preparedness for SMRs, non-light water reactors, and non-power production facilities.

Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has fabricated roughly two dozen commercial-grade fuel pellets of high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) oxide. INL said researchers at the Experimental Fuel Facility fabricated about two dozen pellets containing fuel enriched to 15% uranium-235. The facility is now planning for the fabrication of another 100 to 150 pellets to support testing of a specialized cladding developed by General Electric’s Global Nuclear Fuels (GNC) at INL’s Advanced Test Reactor. The project aims to improve the performance of existing light water reactors and future advanced reactors.

Hearings at the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) began to determine how much of the remaining costs of Plant Vogtle’s long-delayed and over-budget expansion will fall to Georgia Power ratepayers. Commissioners will hear testimony from Georgia Power management and PSC staff who have monitored the project, plus expert witnesses called by environmental and consumer watchdog groups. The expansion of the Vogtle power plant was originally supposed to cost $14 billion, but the total tab of the project has soared to more than $35 billion due to multi-year delays to the commissioning of the two units.

Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy published a report that examines the economics of new nuclear facilities for electricity generation and whether building them makes sense financially as part of efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Studies reviewed in this report estimate new U.S. reactor costs will generally range from $3,000 per kilowatt (kW) to $6,200 kW based on a variety of reactor designs and cost reduction curves assumed for subsequent years. Within this cost range, nuclear’s ability to play a substantial role in the United States could depend on other factors such as whether strong decarbonization policies are enacted or whether other viable low-carbon options emerge as competitive alternatives.

The EFI Foundation, Clean Air Task Force (CATF), and the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) launched a new report at this year’s COP summit outlining pathways for the responsible, sustainable, and effective development of new nuclear energy projects. The new Playbook focuses on “embarking countries”, which are defined as countries that do not currently have nuclear infrastructure but plan to deploy nuclear energy projects. The comprehensive approach in the Playbook aims to guide countries in scaling up new nuclear energy projects to meet national goals for clean energy and growing electricity demand.

The Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) released an analysis of Russia’s nuclear threats and the international responses to them. CSIS examines three critical questions: to what ends has Russia used nuclear threats and what impact have they had, have Western efforts to prevent nuclear use been effective, and would Putin consider using nuclear weapons if Russia were losing in Ukraine? The CSIS Project on Nuclear Issues (PONI) compiled a data set of Russian nuclear activities, including nuclear threats, along with NATO and Western responses, during the first 18 months of the invasion.

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