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A delicate EU mission to Iran this week failed to secure a commitment from Tehran’s new hardline administration to resume negotiations over reviving a teetering nuclear deal, according to EU officials. 



Politico

EU, US try to lure Iran back to nuclear talks as hopes fade

South Africa is looking to step up its power generation capacity and commission new coal and nuclear plants as it deals with an energy crisis.

Scheduled power cuts, or "load shedding" as national electricity utility Eskom calls it, have darkened homes and shut down industries for up to nine hours a day during the past week.

The National

Why South Africa is turning to nuclear energy to plug its power shortage

Long-shot money is flowing into start-ups that seek the energy of the stars. Driving the investments is a rising alarm about global warming.

The New York Times

Nuclear Fusion Edges Toward the Mainstream

Energy Trend

Despite Experts’ Opinions to the Contrary, Britain Is Set to Achieve 100% Self-Generated Renewable Energy within 14 Years

The UK government will announce plans to fund a new nuclear power plant before the 2024 election as a part of its Net Zero strategy, The Telegraph reported.

in-cyprus

UK to fund new nuclear power station as part of net zero drive

UK ministers will put nuclear power at the heart of Britain’s strategy to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 in government documents expected as early as this week, the Financial Times reported.


Energy Voice

UK Net Zero strategy to focus on nuclear power: Report

The ‘green’ label for nuclear power has caused a spat between the EU’s two most powerful members.

The Business Standard

Is nuclear power ‘green’?

Rolls-Royce-led consortium already has £210m in private backing for plans to build 16 reactors across the country. The government is poised to approve funding for a fleet of Rolls-Royce mini nuclear reactors that the prime minister hopes will help the UK reach his target of zero-carbon electricity by 2035. A consortium led by the British engineering firm had already secured £210m in backing from private investors for the small modular reactor (SMR) project, a sum that the government is expected to match or better. Confirmation is expected before the spending review on 27 October, according to well-placed sources. 

The Guardian

UK poised to confirm funding for mini nuclear reactors for carbon-free energy

Government to publish fresh details of decarbonisation plan and funding model as early as next week.

Financial Times

UK to put nuclear power at heart of net zero emissions strategy

Australia has declared that the national nuclear waste storage facility, more correctly referred to as a radioactive waste site, will be at Napandee, near Kimba, on South Australia's Eyre Peninsula. The choice was widely expected as the government had already picked Napandee as its preferred site.

Forbes

Australia Picks A Nuclear Waste Disposal Site - Now The Dance Begins

Though renewable energy could meet 100% of demand by 2025, the nuclear option still looms over discussions on how to rapidly lower emissions. Is it worth it?Get our free news app; get our morning email briefingWeeks out from the Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow, political figures and commentators have again suggested Australia should consider nuclear energy as part of its future power grid. Though renewable energy could meet 100% of demand by 2025 at certain times of day at current rates of progress – a trend that could be turbocharged with active support from the federal government – the prospect of an Australian nuclear power station still looms large in the public conversation. Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning 

Explainer: should Australia build nuclear power plants to combat the climate crisis?

French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday unveiled a 5-year, 30 billion-euro ($35 billion) investment plan for developing innovative technology and industrial activity, including building small nuclear reactors, electric cars and greener airplanes.

Tech Xplore

France's $35B innovation plan includes nuclear reactor funds

Emmanuel Macron expected to announce ‘mini-reactors’ as political and public opinion shifts

France bets on more nuclear power in face of Europe energy crisis

This year nuclear fuel has risen in price to its highest level since 2012

Hedge funds snap up uranium in bet on green energy shift

Franco-German split over what constitutes green technology has returned 

Energy crisis reignites EU divisions over nuclear power

For its supporters, nuclear energy is the world's best—perhaps only—hope to avoid catastrophic climate change. Opponents say it is too expensive, too risky and totally unnecessary.

Nuclear option: Earth's climate panacea or poison?

Beyond carbon emissions and safety, the debate must also confront how the choices we make now constrain the kind of world we can build in the future.

Boston Review

Is Nuclear Power Our Best Bet Against Climate Change?

After languishing at historical lows for the better part of the last decade, uranium suddenly came back from the dead.

Prices have surged about 40% just in September, outpacing all other major commodities. In just a few weeks, millions of pounds of supply was scooped up by the Sprott Physical Uranium Trust. It’s a massive bet on nuclear energy’s prominence in a carbon-free future. The problem is — at least for the investors who poured more than $240 million into the fund — the debate is still raging over whether and how nuclear can come to the forefront.

Moneyweb

Uranium rally is a high-stakes bet on nuclear’s future

In virtually every country that has closed nuclear plants, clean electricity has been replaced with dirty power.

Foreign Policy

In Global Energy Crisis, Anti-Nuclear Chickens Come Home to Roost

Students and young professionals from around the world joined the IAEA to explore careers in nuclear energy in the Agency’s third and final All4Climate-Italy2021 event held in connection with the Pre-COP26 climate meeting hosted this month by Italy, the final ministerial gathering before the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in November.

IAEA

IAEA's Final Pre-COP26 Event Encourages Youth to Join Nuclear Field for Climate Change

Clean Core Thorium Energy announced that the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station’s Nuclear Engineering and Science Center has successfully fabricated the first fuel pellets of Clean Core’s proprietary Th-U advanced nuclear fuel technology in partnership with the Idaho National Laboratory (INL).

Atoms For Peace – ANEEL To Sustain It

Fusion is the process that powers the sun and the stars, and scientists are getting a lot closer to replicating it here on Earth. ITER, the $22 billion dollar international fusion megaproject in the south of France, is the most well-funded endeavor, paid for by the governments of its member nations. But VC’s and private investors are also pouring money into fusion start-ups, with hopes to commercialize fusion power within the next decade. With a number of breakthroughs already this year, the race is on to prove that fusion power is not only possible, but integral to a clean energy future.

CNBC

Can This $22 Billion Megaproject Make Nuclear Fusion Power A Reality?

Growing fears of energy security are leading a rethink on Chinese involvement in atomic plans. But what alternative are there?. Among the subjects preoccupying delegates at the Conservative party conference in Manchester on Monday, energy will be near the top of the list. Soaring global gas prices, a lack of windpower and surging household bills have focused minds on Britain’s energy needs – and the role of nuclear power in particular. 

Surging gas prices and fuel bills focus Tory minds on the nuclear option

Japanese Government Plans to Mandate PV Installations on New Homes

Fusion is the process that powers the sun and the stars, and scientists are getting a lot closer to replicating it here on Earth. ITER, the $22 billion dollar international fusion megaproject in the south of France, is the most well-funded endeavor, paid for by the governments of its member nations. 

But VC’s and private investors are also pouring money into fusion start-ups, with hopes to commercialize fusion power within the next decade. With a number of breakthroughs already this year, the race is on to prove that fusion power is not only possible, but integral to a clean energy future.

California is not keeping up with the energy demands of its residents.

In August 2020, hundreds of thousands of California residents experienced rolling electricity blackouts during a heat wave that maxed out the state’s energy grid.

The California Independent System Operator issues flex alerts asking consumers to cut back on electricity usage and move electricity usage to off-peak hours, typically after 9 p.m. There were 5 flex alerts issued in 2020 and there have been 8 in 2021, according to CAISO records.

Why California is shutting down its last nuclear plant

In Kazakhstan, the topic of nuclear energy comes wrapped in the legacy of the Semipalatinsk, the Soviet nuclear testing site.

The Diplomat

Nuclear Energy in Kazakhstan? The Problem of Accountability

Daily capacity outages at U.S nuclear power plants averaged 3.1 gigawatts (GW) during the summer of 2021 (June 1 through August 31), 22% less than the 4.0 GW average in summer 2020. Nuclear capacity outages were lowest in August, when they averaged 1.7 GW for the month.

Capacity outages at U.S. nuclear power plants averaged 3.1 gigawatts this summer

The infamous Indian Point nuclear plant, located roughly 30 miles north of Manhattan, shut down earlier this year. To some, the shutdown was a victory following decades of protests about safety and environmental concerns. Here’s the problem: When operating, Indian Point provided more electricity than is produced annually by all solar and wind in New York state. And Indian Point is not the only plant closing. Cleo Abram explores why so many nuclear plants are shutting down - by taking a closer look at Indian Point.

Why nuclear plants are shutting down

Energy consumption is known to play a huge role in economic transformation. Will the progress in solar energy produce a similar transformation of our economy in the years ahead?

Could Solar Power The Next Industrial Revolution?

This summer NASA marked the 60th anniversary of a nuclear-powered spaceflight. The Transit IV-A was an experimental navigational satellite with a radioisotope-powered generator, launched by Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory from Cape Canaveral on 29 June 1961. But that was just the beginning.

60 Years Of Nuclear In Space Is Just The Beginning

The UK's newest nuclear power station is on track to open by the end of 2026, the company building it has said.

Hinkley nuclear power station on track for 2026 opening

EDF and British government close in on deal that forces China’s CGN to give up 20% stake in proposed Sizewell C plant.

UK examines plan to sell nuclear stake to institutional investors 

Nuclear power generated more than a sixth of the world’s electricity at its peak. In the following quarter of a century, safety and cost concerns pushed its contribution down to a tenth.

Now, soaring fuel prices and the push to decarbonise are strengthening the case for a nuclear renaissance.

Australian Financial Review

Energy price spike renews case for low-carbon nuclear power

But if it is to have a successful future, developers must reduce costs and shorten schedules

Nuclear: energy price spike renews case for low-carbon maverick 

A new submarine deal between the US, UK, and Australia should further the development of cutting-edge nuclear power technology, but it could come at the cost of relations with France.

AUKUS Sub Deal Could Sink Relations With France, Buoy Nuclear Tech Advances

It is a year since Horizon Nuclear Power, a company owned by Hitachi, confirmed it was pulling out of building the £20 billion Wylfa nuclear power plant on Anglesey in north Wales. The Japanese industrial conglomerate cited the failure to reach a funding deal with the UK government over escalating costs, and the government is still in negotiations with other players to try and take the project forward.

What the explosion in uranium prices means for the nuclear industry

Snow isn’t something we picture when we think of Pacific Island countries, with their stretches of crystal-clear water, warm sand and palm trees. But as ash fell from the sky onto the Marshall Islands in 1954, it floated down like snow.

Scoop

Why A World Free From Nuclear Weapons Is Worth Fighting For

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called Saturday on the United States to take a more active approach to help resume stalled talks aimed at reviving the Iran nuclear deal.

Inquirer

Russia calls on US to ‘be more active’ to revive Iran nuclear deal

Copper producer to build small modular reactors to ensure self-sufficiency and protect it from volatile energy prices.

Poland’s KGHM turns to nuclear as alternative power source

Exclusive: deal in which UK government would take stake in Sizewell C would risk inflaming geopolitical tensions. Ministers are closing in on a deal that could kick China off a project to build a £20bn nuclear power station on the Suffolk coast and pump in tens of millions of pounds of taxpayer cash instead – a move that would heighten geopolitical tensions. The government could announce plans to take a stake in Sizewell C power station, alongside the French state-backed power giant EDF, as early as next month, ahead of the Cop26 climate summit. 

Ministers close to deal that could end China’s role in UK nuclear power station

The U.S. Department of Defense is taking input on its plan to build an advanced mobile nuclear microreactor prototype at the Idaho National Laboratory in eastern Idaho.

US military eyes prototype mobile nuclear reactor in Idaho

Jonathan Ford reports from Sellafield, centre of a debate over Britain’s energy past — and future.

The UK faces an energy crisis. Could nuclear play a vital role?

Cameco (TSX: CCO; NYSE: CCJ) signed a memorandum of understanding with GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH), GEH SMR Technologies Canada, and Synthos [&#8230;]

Mining.com

Cameco inks deals to supply fuel for small modular reactors

French electricity giant EDF is in talks with General Electric to buy its steam turbine business for nuclear plants, the companies confirmed Wednesday, the latest move by the American conglomerate to streamline its operations and cut debt.

France's EDF in talks with GE to buy nuclear turbine ops

DOE Commences a Program to Cut the Cost of Long-Duration Energy Storage by 90% in a Decade

The Republic of Zimbabwe pledged its commitment to nuclear safety and security this weekend by depositing legal instruments, thereby becoming a party to various international treaties under the auspices of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).



ESI Africa

Zimbabwe pledges commitment to nuclear safety

France’s top diplomat said Monday (20 September) that he hoped a meeting of foreign ministers in New York this week would build positive momentum towards kick-starting stalled talks over the Iran nuclear deal.

Euractiv

France eyes momentum at UN on Iran nuclear deal talks

The Philippines is backing a new defence partnership between the United States, Britain and Australia, hoping it can maintain the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific region, a view that contrasts sharply with some of its neighbours.

Reuters

Philippines supports Australia nuclear sub pact to counter China

Power & Utilities | Nuclear

Government to study measures to rein in record prices amid power squeeze

China coal futures drop on threat of state intervention in energy crisis

As home heating costs soar, it is increasingly absurd that so much heat is pouring out of our windows and doors, but national governments have been slow to respond.

Energy Monitor

Europe’s energy price crisis shows urgency of building renovation

As the world readies itself for COP26 in November, countries in Africa are walking a fine line between confronting market challenges and regulatory issues while acknowledging climate change is influencing our energy sectors.



What do Africa’s energy systems want and need out of COP26?

Plunging temperatures across parts of China have sparked an early start to the winter heating season, likely lifting power demand and intensifying the nation’s energy crisis.


Early freeze across China adds to the nation’s energy crisis

The company's customers will be transferred to another supplier and funds they have paid into their energy accounts will be protected.

Sky News

Goto Energy becomes 13th supplier to collapse as gas prices surge

It’s vital that unions and employers join forces to ensure staff can transfer their skills into low-carbon businesses. • Paul Clarke is a former engineer in a coal-fired power station. In the past, industrial change was poorly managed, leading to skilled staff being made redundant, withdrawing from work or drifting into less skilled employment. Anyone who remembers the dole queues after the closure of our country’s coalmines in the 1980s may be rightly wary of promises of a “just transition” for fossil fuel workers as we move into a net-zero future. But, it doesn’t have to be this way, and I’d like to share my story as a testament to what is possible when we come together to properly prepare for the future. Three years ago, I worked at Cottam, an EDF coal-fired power station in Nottinghamshire, as a professional engineer. I was proud of my job. My skills kept the country’s lights on and kettles boiling. It was more than a career for me, it gave me a sense of purpose. 

How I switched from a career in coal to working in renewables | Paul Clarke

Further supply chain shortages, inflation, and public discontent are on horizon for China as energy crisis continues.

China’s Energy Crisis Deepens With Potentially Fatal Consequences

Renews Ltd provides news-focused coverage through unrivalled insights into the inner workings of offshore and onshore wind, wave and tidal power and other generation technologies.

Renews

Hellenic, CRP wrap up floater cable tests

ACWA Power, the water and electricity company in which Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund has a 44% stake, expects to take part in about $30 billion worth of renewable projects with partners Saudi Aramco and the fund, the company's CEO, Paddy Padmanathan told S&P Global Platts.



Saudi's ACWA to develop $30 billion of renewable projects by 2030 with Aramco, PIF

ACWA Power, the water and electricity company in which Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund has a 44% stake, expects to take part in about $30 billion worth of renewable projects with partners Saudi Aramco and the fund, the company's CEO, Paddy Padmanathan told S&P Global Platts.

S&P Global

Imagine your future home as an energy hub storing electricity from the grid when clean wind power is plentiful, and then selling it back - at a profit - when demand surges elsewhere.

How energy flexibility can save us money and cut carbon

We expect 22% more U.S. coal-fired generation in 2021 than in 2020, according to our latest Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO). The U.S. electric power sector has been generating more electricity from coal-fired power plants this year as a result of significantly higher natural gas prices and relatively stable coal prices. This year, 2021, will yield the first year-over-year increase in coal generation in the United States since 2014.

Annual U.S. coal-fired electricity generation will increase for the first time since 2014

China Power Crunch Causes EV Charging Problems, Industrial Investment and Development Might be Affected

An energy price shock is serving as a reminder of the world’s continued dependency on fossil fuels—even amid efforts to shift to renewable sources of energy.

Demand for oil, coal and natural gas has skyrocketed world-wide in recent weeks as unusual weather conditions and resurgent economies emerging from the pandemic combine to create energy shortages from China to Brazil to the U.K.

The Wall Street Journal

Behind the Energy Crisis: Fossil Fuel Investment Drops, and Renewables Aren’t Ready

India's electricity demand grew 4.9% during the first half of October, with supply falling short of demand by 1.4% despite a 3.2% rise in coal-fired generation and 30% rise in solar output, a Reuters analysis of government data showed.

India's electricity demand picks up in Oct as coal shortage lingers

The coal crisis in the power sector seems to be easing as supply stabilised, more fuel-starved generation projects came online - including one based on imports - while cooler weather in north India and an extended weekend dampened demand.



Economic Times

Stable coal supplies to power units, cooler weather and long weekend ease crisis

As coal supply falls short in our country, power generators seem to be making a killing, by selling on exchanges at places where price has tripled.
Power Secretary Alok Kumar has warned states in this regard and has asked them to take legal action in case imported coal-based power plants refuse capacity on any pretext, a TOI report said.


The biggest winner in India's power crisis  

Power cuts in China. Coal shortages in India. Spikes in electricity prices across Europe. A scramble for petrol in Britain. Blackouts and fuel blazes in Lebanon. Symptoms of dysfunction in global energy markets are everywhere.

The Economist

Don’t expect big oil to fix the energy crunch

The availability of abundant fossil fuels, as well as the development of technologies to extract and exploit them, was one of the determining factors in the emergence of our industrial society. Global energy consumption increased by a factor of 28 between 1800 and 2019, and accelerated even more during the 20th century, with an almost sixfold increase between 1950 and 2019. Given past trends, a question rises about how this past trend will continue (or not) in the future. This is the question that Zenon Research has studied in its latest report.

Zenon Research 

Powering the world: how much energy will the world need?

Next month world leaders will gather at the cop26 summit, saying they mean to set a course for net global carbon emissions to reach zero by 2050. As they prepare to pledge their part in this 30-year endeavour, the first big energy scare of the green era is unfolding before their eyes. 

The first big energy shock of the green era

China's energy crisis deepened on Friday as cold weather swept into much of the country and power plants scrambled to stock up on coal, sending prices of the fuel to record highs.

Electricity demand to heat homes and offices is expected to soar this week as strong cold winds move down from northern China. Forecasters predict that average temperatures in some central and eastern regions could fall by as much as 16ºC in the next two to three days.

China's energy woes pile up as winter comes early and coal prices hit record highs

A villain is emerging in China’s efforts to rein in its energy prices: inefficient, power-hungry industry.

With flooding in the coal hub of Shanxi province driving prices up to 1,508 yuan ($234) a metric ton even as the government tries to kickstart extra production, further measures are clearly needed to prevent more generators cutting off their turbines and causing blackouts through the cold of northern China’s winter. That means a crackdown on the factories that still consume the lion’s share of electricity.

The Washington Post

China’s Power Crisis Will Affect Industries Worldwide

Soaring energy prices in the UK are squeezing many businesses, with “household names” reportedly only days away from going bust. Energy-intensive sectors like steel, paper, glass and fertilisers are leading calls for government support to subsidise operations.

The Conversation

High energy prices: most businesses don’t deserve a bailout – here’s why

Producer price index climbs 10.7% cent in September on a year earlier as energy crunch tightens.

China factory gate prices rise at fastest rate since 1995

Are extreme price swings part of a longer-term trend in the transition towards a greener future?

The energy sector dilemma for high-yield debt investors

China's state planner, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), said on Tuesday it will fully liberalise pricing for electricity generated from coal and that industrial and commercial users will all have to buy from the market.

China to liberalise thermal power pricing to tackle energy crisis

The price of coal used in China's power plants has surged to a new record high as another of the country's key mining regions is hit by flooding.

China floods: Coal price hits fresh high as mines shut

Rules that prioritise the export of green power to Europe could lead to a reliance on coal for domestic needs

Clean energy dividend evades Moroccan citizens

Risen Energy unveils n-type solar panel with output of 700 W

Mine closures intensify power crunch that has forced rationing and rattled global markets.

China’s coal futures hit all-time high as floods worsen energy crisis

The UAE’s “net zero by 2050” emissions plan begs the question: Can they do that? The world No. 7 oil producer is also a huge carbon emitter. But the UAE also has surprising advantages

The ‘Carbon Neutral Petro-State:’ An Oxymoron? The UAE Thinks Not

Eco Wave Power forges Chinese alliance

Bitcoin’s Enormous Environmental Cost – One Transaction Costs the Equivalent of Two iPhones

As the next UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) approaches, calls from the international community to step up the efforts to combat climate change are getting ever louder. While the issue of renewable energy sources has been high on the agenda for most developed economies for quite a while now, the only agent of radical change seems to be some serious crisis—something that would push the energy community out of their comfort zone. This time has seemingly come, with prices for natural gas, coal and electricity hitting record highs in Europe over the past few weeks, and analysts from Europe expecting the factors that drive these prices to persist in the coming weeks.

Modern Diplomacy

A Renaissance of Fossil Fuels: Consequences of Europe’s Energy Market Panic

The chief minister of Delhi on Saturday warned that the power crisis which has already caused electricity cuts in some eastern and northern states is about to impact the Indian capital and its 20 million citizens.

Russia Today

 India faces a power crisis as coal stocks decline – Delhi chief minister

The government has failed to find solutions to halt soaring energy prices, UK Steel boss Gareth Stace has said.

He was speaking after leaders of energy-intensive industries met with Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng.

"We can't wait until Christmas and beyond. Or even a few weeks. We need action now, it needs to be swift, decisive action," Mr Stace said.

Energy prices: Steel boss says government offers no solution

The Wood Mackenzie report reflects the key role that storage plays in the electric grid's transition to renewable generation. Storage projects — including lithium-ion batteries — can help mitigate the intermittency of wind and solar and help deliver power when it is needed. The Biden administration, as part of its campaign to decarbonize the grid by 2035, has worked to boost the storage industry, putting market incentives and research and development efforts behind the technology. 

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