Small Modular Reactors

DOE pushes ahead with SMR certification Companies mentioned: US Department of Energy, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Research, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Education Cluster-TECOM Investments, Duke Energy, Nuclear Energy Institute and S&R Engineering

Nuclear Energy Insider Policy and Commission Update 6 – 18 January 2012

DOE backs SMR certification

The US Department of Energy will be moving forward this year toward development and design certification of small modular nuclear reactors, said Peter Lyons, the Department of Energy assistant secretary of nuclear energy.

According to The News Tribune, Lyons, the primary policy adviser to Energy Secretary Steven Chu on nuclear energy research and international nuclear activities, visited Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland on Tuesday and then spoke at a meeting of the Eastern Washington Chapter of the American Nuclear Society.

He is interested in the development of small modular reactors as an alternative to the trend of developing increasingly larger nuclear plants, he said.

UAE expands energy academic programmes

Academic institutions in the UAE, such as the University of Sharjah and the UAE University, have recently started introducing energy-related disciplines of study, according to Dr Ayoub Kazim, Managing Director of Education Cluster-TECOM Investments, a member of Dubai Holding.

Kazim, who is responsible for strategically steering the education and human resource development clusters, Dubai International Academic City and Dubai Knowledge Village, wrote in an for Khaleej Times: “There is also an imperative need for programmes on non-renewable energy to focus on oil, gas, coal, nuclear energy, future needs, reserves, and conservation measures. I further believe that the curriculum must encompass global energy trends and the Middle East energy resources.”

He said in the article that even though the UAE currently lacks nuclear energy sources, it is “indeed timely for our academic institutions to provide such programmes at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

The UAE government set up in 2009 the Emirates Nuclear Energy Cooperation (ENEC) to deliver policies to govern safe, clean and efficient nuclear energy to the country.

As previously reported, Abu Dhabi has awarded contracts valued up to $20bn to South Korean firms to build the first nuclear energy plant in the country, which is anticipated to be completed in 2017.

Nuclear power will account for 23-25 per cent of Abu Dhabi’s electricity supply in 2020, as predicted by ENEC’s officials, said Kazim.

Schultz joins NRC Reactor Safeguards committee

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has appointed Stephen P. Schultz  to the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) for a four-year term.

Schultz is a nuclear engineering consultant in Charlotte, North Carolina, having retired from Duke Energy Corporation after 33 years of leading technical engineering services teams in the nuclear utility business.

As a consultant to the International Atomic Energy Agency, he developed guidance on reactor technology assessment and selection for near-term deployment. 

NRC regulatory conference set for March

The NRC is holding its 24th annual Regulatory Information Conference on March 13th through 15th, 2012, at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel and Conference Center in Maryland.

The forum, which is free to attend,  is aimed at government, industry, international agencies, and other stakeholders who want to meet and discuss nuclear safety topics and significant regulatory activities.

In addition to the Commissioner and other senior members of the Commission speaking at the event, a special plenary session with Martin Virgilio, the Deputy Executive Director for Reactor and Preparedness Programs, and industry will be moderated by Eric Leeds, Director of the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.

There will also be several sessions addressing topics associated with the Fukushima Dai-ichi accident and NRC’s response to lessons learned as well as tours of the Headquarter’s Operation Center.

Nuclear Energy Institute launches FLEX approach

Last month the US Nuclear Energy Institute laid out the nuclear power industry’s “FLEX” approach to addressing several recommendations. “FLEX” would create a diverse, flexible set of strategies for counteracting the effects of severe natural events that could exceed a plant’s design limits.

The NRC staff believes this approach is a reasonable starting point, although more work is needed on defining these strategies. The NRC said in its blog that “We also must ensure the NRC can inspect how plants put the strategies in place and that we can hold plants accountable for keeping those strategies ready and available.”

NRC proposes $14,000 fine for engineering firm

The NRC is proposing fines of $14,000 for a Puerto Rico firm, which according to the NRC has failed to properly transfer a nuclear gauge to an authorized possessor once its license to use the device was no longer valid.

In addition, the NRC is considering fines of $100 daily for the firm, S&R Engineering, if the gauge is not transferred within 30 days.

S&R was issued an NRC license on June 21, 2004, allowing it to possess, use and store radioactive material contained in portable moisture density gauges.  The gauges are used for such purposes as measuring the amount of moisture in soil at construction sites.  S&R possesses a single gauge.

S&R has not yet paid the required fees or transferred the gauge.  Several NRC inspections and investigations, including an inspection conducted on Oct. 3, 2011, verified that the company still possessed the device.