There are recent bright spots. These include the start-up of the fourth unit at the UAE’s Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant and the linking to the electric grid in Georgia of Vogtle’s Unit 4.

Vogtle’s Units 3 and 4, Westinghouse AP-1000’s, began construction in 2009 and are expected to be fully operational this year. That is seven years beyond the original estimate of 2017, and the cost of $30 billion was over double the original estimate of $14 billion.

Russia remains the world’s largest nuclear exporter. However, as a result of its invasion of Ukraine, it has lost potential customers for its VVER reactors in the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, and Finland. Its strategic advantage is that it offers very attractive state-backed financial and operational packages to its reactor customers, now including Egypt, Bangladesh, Turkey, Hungary, India, and China.

China is trying to expand into the international nuclear market using its Hualong One reactor. Its main customer has been Pakistan. Its once-promising collaborations with the U.K. and Romania have been terminated for geopolitical reasons. And its collaboration with Argentina has stalled.

France’s EDF is consumed with ensuring the steady domestic output from its very substantial stable of reactors. But it is collaborating with the U.K. on construction of new power station’s at Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C, despite both continuing to suffer from significant cost overruns and construction delays. It is also competing in other markets including Eastern Europe and the Middle East.

Beyond Barakah, South Korea is competing intensively for new reactor construction in the Czech Republic and other Eastern European nations. Its success in the UAE is a selling point.

In America, Westinghouse has a big deal with Poland for up to six new reactor units and is active elsewhere in Eastern and Central Europe.

Despite the challenges it has experienced, the U.K. is committed to a civil nuclear roadmap. It is pushing forward with the construction of Hinkley Point and Sizewell despite the cost escalation. It has agreed to purchase land for new nuclear development. And it has made a commitment to SMRs.

The U.S. is veering away from the construction of large-scale reactors at home, but is making a multi-billion dollar bet on smaller next-gen reactors for domestic and export applications. This is driven by the need to be competitive in the international nuclear market after decades of decline. But the technology race with China is driving electricity demand for AI and data center power to new heights and it must be steady and clean.

The COP28 nuclear expansion pledge leaves about twenty-six years to triple a global nuclear generation capacity that essentially has been steady for the past 20 years. The drivers for this goal are now established and market trends are coming into sharper focus. But the execution of the objective in this short time frame remains in question.

Poland, which has made a major commitment to building its first nuclear power plants, submitted a preliminary version of its updated National Energy and Climate Plan 2030 to Brussels. It aims to achieve 29.8% renewable energy in gross final energy consumption by 2030. The proposed renewable generation target and nuclear capacity target reflect the results of a Clean Air Task Force (CATF) study that underscored the need for Poland to manage risk and uncertainty in its decarbonization strategy through a technology optionality-based approach, incentivizing a diverse set of solutions such as wind, solar, nuclear, storage, demand response, and biomass, in order to accelerate its pace towards reaching climate targets.

Energoatom confirmed that there are no Ukrainian personnel left at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP). Despite employing 360 workers at the beginning of the year, the absence of any staff raises worries regarding the plant's safety. Additionally, the upcoming expiration of nuclear fuel is compounded by the absence of personnel available to manage its replacement, further heightening concerns about the plant's operational ability.

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine has operated without backup power for over 10 days, leaving it reliant on a single 750 kilovolt (kV) line for essential functions. Despite expectations of reconnecting a 330 kV backup line soon, the plant's reliance on a single line poses significant safety concerns. There have been eight instances of complete off-site power loss in the past 18 months. With ongoing military activity near the plant, ZNPP's preventative maintenance activities are on hold until the backup line is restored, while repair efforts led by Rosatom's specialist repair company, are underway to ensure the plant's safety and operational readiness.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi met with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the future operational status of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Putin told Grossi he was prepared to discuss particularly sensitive and important issues on the agenda, but very few details were given of the closed-door meeting between the two individuals. Grossi also held talks pertaining to the Zaporizhzhia power plant with Russian state nuclear power company Rosatom, as well as with the Russian defense and foreign ministries.

Ukraine is looking to cooperate with Japan to construct four new nuclear reactors in Khmelnytskyi. With the shutdown of Zaporizhzhia's six reactors, only nine remain operational. In response, Ukraine plans to resume construction on reactors No. 3 and No. 4 in Khmelnytskyi, partnering with Westinghouse Electric for the new units and exploring Japanese expertise in nuclear safety and energy technology.

The European Bank for Reconstruction & Development (EBRD) signed an agreement with Ukraine's State Specialized Enterprise Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (ChNPP) to restore ChNPP's infrastructure. This agreement signifies the initiation of the ChNPP security program and aims to support activities such as completing pre-design work on the New Safe Confinement (NSC) and procuring vehicles and equipment for NSC operation. With nearly €10 million received from 13 donors, the International Chornobyl Cooperation Account (ICCA) has expanded its remit to include measures supporting nuclear safety, security, and decommissioning efforts in the exclusion zone following the Russian military operation in Ukraine.

The head of Russia’s space agency Roscosmos, Yuri Borisov, stated that Russia and China are considering putting a nuclear power plant on the moon from 2033-35. Borisov added that Russia and China had been jointly working on a lunar program and that Moscow was able to contribute with its expertise on “nuclear space energy”. Moscow said it will launch further lunar missions and then explore the possibility of a joint Russia-China crewed mission and even a lunar base.

South Korea’s Hyundai Engineering & Construction, U.S. Holtec International, and British construction company Balfour Beatty and engineering firm Mott McDonald have agreed to cooperate on Holtec’s bid to construct a small modular reactor (SMR) in the United Kingdom. Although specific details about the agreement were not disclosed, Hyundai E&C said the partners will seek cooperation in submitting bids for Britain’s SMR technology selection project and establishing strategic partnerships for the future deployment of the first SMR reactor. The British government has plans to expand nuclear energy capacity to 24 GW by 2050, with a fleet of SMRs a key part of that strategy.

The European Commission launched an Industrial Alliance dedicated to small modular reactors (SMR) as part of its efforts to foster SMR development in Europe by the early 2030s. Established from the European SMR pre-Partnership, the alliance aims to accelerate SMR deployment while ensuring nuclear safety, environmental sustainability, and industrial competitiveness. The alliance also outlined plans to identify viable SMR technologies, address supply chain gaps, and explore funding opportunities. This initiative aligns with the EU's goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2050, emphasizing enabling policy conditions and strategic dialogue with stakeholders to pave the way for a low-carbon energy transition by 2040.

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) signed a letter of intent (LOI) with Centrus Energy to strengthen the nuclear fuel supply chain. The LOI aims to establish a framework for uranium resource security and nuclear energy cooperation between the two. KHNP seeks to stabilize the enriched uranium supply chain and diversify suppliers, while Centrus, the only U.S. company approved by the NRC for HALEU production for SMRs.

Bulgaria and France signed a declaration of intent to establish bilateral cooperation on nuclear energy. The agreement encompasses various aspects including nuclear construction programs, new technologies like SMRs, cooperation in all stages of the nuclear fuel cycle, European supply chain development, and strengthening nuclear training courses in both countries. This declaration emphasizes the importance of nuclear energy for achieving the EU's climate neutrality goal by 2050 and enhancing energy security.

Orano signed a uranium services contract with Czech utility CEZ during a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron to the Czech Republic. The contract will see Orano supply its uranium enrichment services for CEZ’s Dukovany Nuclear Power Plant. The Czech Republic previously signed another uranium enrichment contract with Orano for the Temelín Nuclear Power Plant, and the government also plans to build four new reactor units and small modular reactors (SMR).

The African Commission on Nuclear Energy (AFCONE) and DeepGeo have signed a partnership agreement which could see multinational deep geological repositories hosted in Africa, with a proportion of the income used to facilitate nuclear energy deployment. The agreement will see DeepGeo introduced to African financial institutions and gain enhanced access to African decision-makers, while AFCONE will start work on establishing a template for regional nuclear governance. AFCONE Executive Secretary Enobot Agboraw said the agreement offers the chance for African nations to take the development of nuclear power in Africa into their own hands.

Slovak power utility Slovenské Elektrárne (SE) hosted the 5th annual VVER Fuel Forum which focused on nuclear fuel for VVER 440 and VVER 1000 reactors and was sponsored by Westinghouse. Attendees from utilities like Ukraine’s Energoatom, Finland’s Fortum, and Hungary’s MVM Paks exchanged experiences on implementing Westinghouse fuel for VVER-440 and VVER-1000 reactors. SE's Board Chairman mentioned preparations for new VVER-440 fuel documentation in Slovakia, expecting the licensing process to conclude by 2026-2027.

Netherlands' Thorizon and Belgium's Tractebel entered a strategic three-year partnership to advance Thorizon’s molten salt reactor design, focusing on the Thorizon One reactor. Tractebel's engineering services will support the conceptual design, computational modeling, cost estimates, and design reviews for Thorizon One. Thorizon's reactor will be capable of providing 250MWt of industrial heat or 100MWe of electricity and will use a combination of long-lived elements from reprocessed used fuel and thorium.

IAEA Chief Rafael Mariano Grossi has asked global development banks and their government shareholders to fund new nuclear energy projects. Grossi said that the lack of funding for emissions-free nuclear energy by multilateral lenders such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank was “out of step” with the wishes of most of their shareholders. The IAEA estimates annual nuclear investment will need to more than double to $100 billion by 2030 to meet the Paris Agreement target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

The British government signed an agreement to buy Hitachi’s sites for new nuclear power plants at Wylfa in Wales and Oldbury-on-Severn in England. The two sites are expected to be used for a planned fleet of small modular reactors (SMR) that are a key part of the British nuclear and carbon reduction strategy.

The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) announced the successful start-up of the fourth unit at the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant. ENEC said that in the coming weeks, unit 4 will link to the national electricity grid, entering a testing phase to gradually increase its power output to full capacity. The United Arab Emirates embarked on a plan to implement a nuclear energy program in 2008 when its government decided to build and operate nuclear power plants to provide 25% of the country’s electricity needs.

French state-owned utility Électricité de France (EDF) has raised its cost estimate for the construction of six new nuclear reactors in France to €67.4 billion ($73.18 billion). The utility previously estimated their cost at €51.7 billion, though it acknowledged that figure could rise in later estimates. An EDF spokesperson did not comment on the reported sum, but stated that EDF is currently in a phase of cost and schedule optimization.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi witnessed the start of fuel loading at the 500 MWe Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor at Kalpakkam. The Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) has been developed by BHAVINI, a government enterprise under the Department of Atomic Energy, and is described as an advanced third generation reactor with inherent passive safety features. India has adopted a three-stage nuclear power program with the long-term goal of deploying a thorium-based closed nuclear fuel cycle. The plan involves reprocessing used fuel from the first stage to build fast breeder reactors.

India plans to build 18 more nuclear reactors by 2032, adding 13.8 GW of nuclear power to its national energy mix. The announcement follows the inauguration of two indigenously built 700 MW reactors at the Kakrapar Nuclear Power Plant and its connection to India’s electricity grid in February. India’s nuclear power expansion also includes four reactors being built at Kudankulam with Russian assistance and four reactors under construction at Rawatbhata and Gorakhpur.

Bechtel awarded the first procurement contracts for its construction of Poland’s first nuclear power plant at Lubiatowo-Kopalino. All three of the procurement contracts will go to Polish suppliers, including Energoproject-Katowice, Prochem, and Summa Linguae Technologies. Bechtel is overseeing the design and construction of Poland’s first nuclear power plant, with the plant expected to comprise three Westinghouse AP1000 reactors and cost around $20 billion.

Belgium’s Chamber of Representatives agreed to give the country’s nuclear phase-out law an urgent procedure status, meaning that the Energy Committee could discuss the bill as soon as March 12. Energy Minister Tinne van der Straeten stated that she hopes to complete the legislative process of reconsidering Belgium’s phase-out before the country’s upcoming elections in June. In December of last year, Belgian utility Engie reached a deal on extending the operational life of the Doel 4 and Tihange 3 nuclear reactors.

Unit 2 of France’s Cruas-Meysse Nuclear Power Plant was recently restarted with its first full core of recycled uranium fuel. The move marks a major milestone in France’s efforts to revive its domestic uranium reprocessing industry. Électricité de France (EDF) official Cédric Lewandowski said that EDF’s goal is to be able to reuse reprocessed uranium in certain reactors by 2027 and for over 30% reprocessed uranium usage in the French nuclear fleet by the 2030s.

The Estonian Nuclear Energy Working Group submitted its report to the Estonian government that backs the adoption of nuclear energy following a two-year study. The report concluded that although the introduction of nuclear energy requires extensive preparation and resources, the introduction of nuclear energy in Estonia is feasible with timely planning, adequate funding, and political and public support. If the government backs the adoption of nuclear energy, the climate ministry says the next phase would be to start preparing the regulatory and legal framework, training specialists and experts, and setting up an authority to oversee the planning of nuclear power plant construction.

Canadian Energy and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said that Canada will expedite the approval process for new nuclear projects while assuring that this acceleration will not come at the cost of addressing environmental concerns. The current government has promised to revise the existing Impact Assessment Act (IAA) after the Supreme Court ruled the law overstepped into provincial jurisdiction. If the approval time for nuclear projects is cut, it would help the Canadian government meet its goals of reducing the country’s carbon emissions to net-zero by 2035.

Canada wants to spend up to C$50 million ($36.8 million) to support pre-development work for a new nuclear power station at Bruce Power’s existing site in Ontario. Last year, Ontario’s provincial government provided cash to lay the groundwork for the project as both the federal and Ontario governments see nuclear power as a way of expanding grid capacity and reducing carbon emissions at the same time. A final decision on whether a new station will be built is still several years out, according to Bruce Power’s Executive Vice President James Scongack.

Finnish nuclear power plant consortium Fennovaima has denied Russian claims that there has been any decision by the arbitration court in its dispute with Rosatom over a canceled joint nuclear power plant project in Finland. Rosatom’s chief executive was quoted as saying that an arbitration tribunal in Paris recognized that Fennovaima’s actions were unreasonable and politically motivated, whereas Fennovaima denied that any such decision had been made in the arbitration case. In 2022, Fennovaima scrapped a $7.6 billion contract with Rosatom to build a nuclear power plant in Finland due to delays and increased risks from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with Rosatom seeking compensation for the project’s termination.

China’s National Nuclear Safety Administration has granted an operating license for unit 4 of the Fangchenggang Nuclear Power Plant. China General Nuclear Power Corp (CGN) also confirmed that the loading of fuel into unit 4’s core is about to start, and the unit is expected to be put into operation in the first half of this year. The unit is the second of two CGN-designed Hualong One reactors at the site.

Sweden’s Climate and Environment Minister Romina Pourmokhtari announced the launch of an investigation to abolish the country’s ban on uranium mining. The investigation will determine what rule changes are needed to enable and clarify the conditions for uranium extraction and analyze whether the requirement for the government’s admissibility review should be limited to cover uranium mining only when it is a nuclear activity. Although Sweden passed a 2018 amendment to the Environmental Code banning uranium exploration and mining in the country, Sweden’s current government has committed to expanding its nuclear power capacity.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has directed its staff to publish a proposed rule and draft guidance to create Part 53, a much-awaited licensing framework geared towards advanced nuclear technologies. In a staff requirements memorandum (SRM) made public on March 4, the commission directs staff to incorporate several changes to the March 2023 draft proposal, with a final version of the proposed rule expected by September of this year. The NRC’s decision to publish a proposed rule establishing Part 53 marks significant progress in its regulatory effort to deliver a new licensing process for advanced technologies and non-light-water reactors.

The U.S. House of Representatives has approved the Atomic Energy Advancement Act, which aims to bolster U.S. nuclear energy. The legislation would bolster the United States’ nuclear energy production by speeding up environmental reviews for new nuclear reactors and reducing fees that applicants for advanced nuclear reactor licenses must pay, as well as extend a law that limits the industry’s legal liability for nuclear accidents by 40 years. The Senate has its own nuclear energy bill, and reports indicate that both chambers have been in talks on how to reconcile the legislation.

The Department of Energy released a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) analyzing the potential impacts of the Department’s proposed action to acquire high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU). The DoE is now seeking public comment on its draft EIS and is inviting all interested parties to comment on the EIS through April 22. The Biden administration is committed to securing a domestic supply of HALEU, a key material needed for most U.S. advanced reactors.

Orano USA and SHINE Technologies signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate on the development of a pilot plant with commercial-scale technology for recycling used nuclear fuel from light water reactors. The pilot plant concept is expected to recycle 100 tons per year of used nuclear fuel, extracting 99% of usable uranium and plutonium. Site selection for the pilot facility is expected by the end of this year.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued annual letters to the nation’s operating commercial nuclear reactors assessing their performance in 2023. Of the 94 reactors currently in the agency’s Reactor Oversight Process, 88 reached the highest performance category in safety and security, while the remaining six reactors were in the second performance category which requires the resolution of one or two items of low safety significance. Later this year, the NRC will host public meetings and other events to discuss the details of the plant’s annual assessment results.

A working group run by the Public Utility Commission of Texas is exploring how to attract advanced nuclear reactors to the state. The Public Utility Commission of Texas has proposed that offering clean energy credits and federal incentives from the Inflation Reduction Act are among many options to accelerate the deployment of advanced reactors. Last year, an internal survey of the Advanced Nuclear Reactor Working Group’s members found most believe Texas will have to provide tax dollars to attract new nuclear resources, and the group is expected to deliver recommendations to Governor Greg Abbott by the end of the year.

Georgia Power has successfully connected the Vogtle Nuclear Power Plant’s Unit 4 to the state power grid, which is a critical component of the start-up testing currently under way. Operators are now focused on incrementally increasing the reactor’s power output, conducting tests at varying levels to eventually reach full power. Vogtle Units 3 and 4 are the first newly constructed nuclear reactors in the United States in more than three decades, with Vogtle 4’s anticipated in-service date set for quarter 2 of 2024.

The Kentucky Senate voted overwhelmingly to lay the foundation to attract nuclear energy projects to Kentucky. Senate Bill 198 would establish the Kentucky Nuclear Energy Development Authority, a non-regulatory agency dedicated to issues related to nuclear energy and its development in Kentucky. The bill would also set in motion a site suitability study to identify the best potential locations for nuclear reactors and related facilities.

U.S. company Energy Fuels is expected to start production at two additional uranium mines in Colorado and Wyoming this year. The Whirlwind and Nichols Ranch mines could raise Energy Fuels’ uranium production to more than two million pounds of U3O8 per year by 2024 if market conditions remain strong. Energy Fuels also opened three new uranium mines in Utah and Arizona at the end of last year.

Constellation Energy stated that federal nuclear production tax credits are providing the foundation for the company to continue to invest in nuclear growth opportunities. Constellation added that the Inflation Reduction Act’s nuclear production tax credit will allow the company to add clean energy generation to its fleet through measures including uprates, license extensions, and asset acquisitions. Constellation’s nuclear assets generated a total of 174,047 gigawatt hours (GWh) in 2023, with Constellation most recently filing an application with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a 20-year license renewal for the Clinton Nuclear Power Plant in Illinois.

Constellation Energy submitted an application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to renew the operating license for the Clinton Power Station for an additional 20 years. Constellation filed its application seeking to renew the license from 40 years to 60 years of operation, with the Clinton Power Station currently licensed to operate through 2027. The NRC staff will now review the application to determine if it is sufficiently complete to begin the agency’s detailed safety and environmental reviews before publishing a notice of opportunity for the public to request a hearing before the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board.

The IAEA released its annual outlook for nuclear power in the coming decades, revising up its global growth projections for a third straight year. In both its high and low case scenarios, the IAEA now sees a quarter more nuclear energy capacity installed by 2050 than it did as recently as 2020, with the high case scenario projecting nuclear capacity more than doubling to 890 GWe by 2050. IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi announced the new projections during the opening of the IAEA’s 2nd International Conference on Climate Change and the Role of Nuclear Power: Atoms4NetZero in Vienna.

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLC prepared a report, The Economic Impact of a Westinghouse AP1000 Reactor project in Canada, which was released at the Canadian Nuclear Association’s CNA 2024 conference in Ottawa. The report found that the deployment of four AP1000 units in Ontario could have an impact of more than C$28.7 billion ($21.2 billion) on Canada’s GDP enduring the manufacturing, engineering, and construction phase alone, as well as creating an additional $8.1 billion in GDP and supporting more than 12,000 jobs annually. The report uses Westinghouse’s estimates of capital expenditures, operating expenditures, and revenues associated with manufacturing, engineering, installing, and operating such a project.

The British Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) published a report finding that the British nuclear sector is at risk of failing to deliver the 13,000 extra skilled engineering construction workers needed by 2028 unless it better understands what motivates new entrants. The career motivations study shows that the sector is struggling to appeal to the general population to help plug looming workforce and skills shortage. When asked whether they would consider a career in the nuclear sector, 17% of non-engineering construction industry workers surveyed said they would, with 54% saying no.

​​The Long-Awaited Nuclear-Energy Revival Shows Progress                                                  

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