US Senate Passes Historic Act Banning Russian Uranium🚫

This is Nuclear Update, your essential guide in the nuclear energy landscape – we keep it radiant, insightful, and straight to the core.

This is what we got for you this week:

• US Senate Passes Historic Act Banning Russian Uranium🚫

• Italian Nuclear Revival 👼

• Alberta and Saskatchewan Forge Nuclear Partnership🤝

• Dominion Energy Sees Power Demand Surge⚡

• US pressure Russia not to deploy nuclear weapons in space🚀

US Senate Passes Historic Act Banning Russian Uranium🚫

The US Senate passed the Prohibiting Russian Uranium Imports Act, which bars the importation of low-enriched uranium (LEU) from Russia or Russian entities, which is now waiting for President Biden to sign it into law. The bill also blocks LEU obtained through circumvention tactics but allows waivers for national interest or reactor operation needs, limited until 2028. The import ban starts 90 days after enactment, ending in 2040. Senators praised the bill for enhancing energy security and revitalizing the US nuclear sector. US uranium producers like Energy Fuels Inc and Uranium Energy Corp welcomed the move, emphasizing its benefits for national security and industry growth. NEI President Korsnick stressed the need for a domestic fuel supply program, emphasizing the long-term effort required to bolster US capacity. Minister of Energy Herman Halushchenko described the US Senate's "historic decision" as a "decisive step towards sanctions against Russia".

Italian Nuclear Revival👼

Italy’s Environment and Energy Security Minister Gilberto Pichetto announced plans to enable Italy's return to nuclear power by the current parliamentary term's end. Italy shut down its nuclear plants in 1990 after a referendum prompted by the Chernobyl disaster. However, Premier Giorgia Meloni's administration advocates reconsidering this stance due to nuclear energy's low carbon footprint and the imperative to cut greenhouse gas emissions to meet climate targets and to enhance energy security post-Russia's Ukraine invasion. Pichetto affirmed commitment to legislative changes for nuclear energy, noting ongoing efforts within a working group to address legal frameworks, especially for small, modular reactors of the IV generation, targeted for production by the decade's end.

Alberta and Saskatchewan Forge Nuclear Partnership🤝

Alberta and Saskatchewan have teamed up to push forward nuclear power development, aiming for sustainable electricity by 2050. Their memorandum of understanding focuses on key areas like nuclear workforce, fuel supply security, and small modular reactors (SMRs). They've been collaborating since 2019, with Alberta formally joining in 2021. The provinces plan to enhance grid capabilities and industrial decarbonization. Saskatchewan, a major uranium producer, is investing in a microreactor demonstration, while Alberta explores SMRs for its oil sands operations. A recent agreement between Capital Power Corporation and Ontario Power Generation will assess the feasibility of grid-scale SMRs in Alberta within two years.

Dominion Energy Sees Power Demand Surge⚡

Dominion Energy Inc. are receiving request from Data center developers in Northern Virginia for power capacity equivalent to several nuclear reactors. CEO Bob Blue highlights "several gigawatts" needed for data center campuses, each akin to a nuclear reactor's output. This energy demand surge complicates utility efforts to meet climate goals, amid grid strains from AI computing, new factories, and EVs. Dominion linked 94 data centers in five years, consuming four gigawatts. Future projects could exceed this, emphasizing the pivotal role of nuclear energy in meeting escalating power demands.

Nuclear Nuggets🧽

US pressure Russia not to deploy nuclear weapons in space after obtained information that the device is not developed for peaceful scientific purposes.

Coal-to-nuclear transition would benefit dozens of US regions states National Association of State Energy Officials and the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners.

Energoatom Ready to Start Installation at Khmelnitski-3 Nuclear Plant. Kyiv planning to deploy four new reactors at the site.

Meme of the week🤣