💯Ontario Plans 10,000MW Nuclear Plant

💯Ontario Plans 10,000MW Nuclear Plant

The Ontario government is planning to build the largest nuclear power plant in the world, with a capacity of up to 10,000 MW at Wesleyville in Port Hope.

Under this vision, the plant would power 10 million homes—an important step toward meeting the province’s surging electricity demand, projected to rise by 75% by 2050.

Support from the Municipality of Port Hope and the Williams Treaties First Nations includes about USD 750,000 in immediate funding for consultations and growth readiness, plus up to USD 22.5 million for infrastructure.

According to the Conference Board of Canada, such a massive nuclear development could inject roughly USD 176 billion into Ontario’s GDP over its 95-year lifecycle.

The government, the operator, and local stakeholders aim to ensure that this record-breaking undertaking delivers significant economic, environmental, and job creation benefits.

📢Thousands March to Save Almaraz Nuclear Plant

Thousands of local residents, nuclear plant workers, and their families marched in Spain, chanting “Yes to Almaraz, Yes to the future,” to protest the Socialist Worker’s Party’s push to close the Almaraz nuclear plant.

Critics say the party opposes nuclear for ideological reasons—once favoring Russian fossil fuel imports—and for producing inexpensive, constant power that contrasts with intermittent renewables.

Despite this stance, many on the political left support nuclear energy as a means to achieve shared prosperity and zero-carbon emissions.

The protesters hope their demonstration will halt Spain’s planned nuclear phaseout and preserve Almaraz’s reliable, carbon-free power generation.

📥TerraPower Receives Permit for Natrium Reactor

TerraPower has received a state permit allowing construction to begin on non-nuclear facilities for the first-of-a-kind Natrium reactor in Kemmerer, Wyoming.

This marks the first time a commercial-scale advanced nuclear project has obtained a state-level approval in the United States and also represents the world’s only coal-to-nuclear transition project.

TerraPower will now move forward on infrastructure components such as molten-salt energy storage tanks and turbines, as its nuclear reactor application undergoes review by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).

The 345 MWe Natrium design integrates advanced sodium-cooled fast reactor technology with gigawatt-scale molten-salt energy storage—a unique feature that promises enhanced grid resilience and seamless compatibility with renewables.

With this regulatory milestone, TerraPower aims to start construction in 2025 and stay on track for NRC approval by late 2026.

📺US Energy Secretary Nominee Hearing

🚀UK Government Invest £410 Million in Fusion Energy

The UK government has unveiled a record-breaking £410 million (USD 500 million) investment to advance nuclear fusion, part of a plan to build the Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP) prototype power plant in Nottinghamshire by 2040.

The funding also covers the repurposing of the Joint European Torus (JET) facility in Oxfordshire, additional fusion R&D infrastructure, and workforce development for scientists, engineers, welders, and project managers.

Five engineering and construction consortia have been shortlisted to deliver the STEP project, which aims to demonstrate net electricity production and self-sustaining fuel cycles.

Officials say the UK is “within grasping distance” of harnessing fusion—the same process that powers the sun—offering “virtually limitless” clean energy.

🤑Orano Invests $1.6 Billion to Develop Uranium Mine in Mongolia

France’s nuclear fuel cycle company Orano has signed a USD 1.6 billion agreement to develop and operate the Zuuvch-Ovoo uranium mine in Mongolia’s southeastern Dornogovi province, marking a milestone 27-year partnership.

Under the deal, Badrakh Energy—Orano’s joint venture with Mongolia’s state-owned MonAtom—will oversee industrial operations at Zuuvch-Ovoo and the Dulaan Uul/Umnut deposits, which collectively hold an estimated 90,000 tonnes of uranium.

An initial USD 500 million investment will precede the deposit’s startup, with total spending reaching USD 1.6 billion over the mine’s projected 30-year lifespan.

Production is targeted at about 2,500 tU per year after a four-year development phase.

Orano said Mongolia’s move could position the country as a “strategic player” in meeting rising uranium demand and tackling climate challenges.

France, meanwhile, is securing fresh supply sources for its nuclear fleet amid Orano’s recent setback with its operations in Niger.

⚛️Nuclear Nuggets

Saudi Arabia plans to begin enriching and selling uranium, according to the Ministry of Energy. Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud said at conference in Dhahran that the move is part of a strategy to monetize all minerals.

President Biden has signed an executive order speeding AI data center development powered by zero-emissions electricity, directing the Defense and Energy departments to lease gigawatt-scale sites, expedite permitting, and advance transmission infrastructure around federal locations.

French nuclear generation climbed to the highest level in almost six years, compensating for lower wind-power output in western Europe.

Vietnam and Russia have signed an agreement to increase their cooperation on nuclear energy. The deal was signed between Russia’s state-owned nuclear energy firm Rosatom and Vietnam’s state power utility EVN.

😂Meme of the Week

That’s it for Nuclear Update!

Like spent fuel rods, it’s time for us to cool off, but we’ll return next week with a fresh burst of energy. Keep glowing!

Fredrik