atw - International Journal for Nuclear Power | 10.2020

atw Vol. 65 (2020) | Issue 10 ı October
528
NEWS
existing nuclear reactors as well as the
construction of new ones. Furthermore,
around bn 90 € could also be
saved in relation to the additional
Transmission and Distribution grid
costs needed to accommodate the
new solar and wind capacity, if ever
built, which would replace the lost
nuclear capacity.
“It should be noted that the transition
is not just about saving costs, it’s
also about ensuring economic growth
and jobs” adds Mr Desbazeille. “Here
nuclear plays an important role as it
currently sustains more than 1 million
jobs in the EU-27. By 2050, this figure
could rise to 1.2 million”.
The European nuclear industry
stands ready to play its part in helping
the EU to decarbonise. To do this, EU
policy must treat all technologies in the
same way. As highlighted by several
Member States at the end of 2019, if
they are to progress towards such
ambitious targets then they must have
the freedom to include low- carbon
nuclear within their energy mix.
The European Atomic Forum
( FORATOM) is the Brussels-based trade
association for the nuclear energy
industry in Europe. The membership of
FORATOM is made up of 15 national
nuclear associations and through these
associations, FORATOM represents
nearly 3,000 European companies
working in the industry and supporting
around 1,100,000 jobs.
| www.foratom.org (202621426)
NEI: Small reactor design
approval is a big deal
for carbon-free energy
(nei) In a step forward for carbon-free
energy innovation, the U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission moved closer
to licensing a small modular reactor
(SMR) by issuing a final safety evaluation
report (FSER).
New nuclear technology moves
closer to becoming a reality
With this announcement, NuScale
Power LLC – which submitted its SMR
design for approval in 2017 – is on the
verge of getting NRC endorsement for
a fundamentally new concept in
reactor design and a plant that is
radically simpler.
At a time when reducing carbon
emissions has never been more urgent,
the announcement moves an important
new carbon-free technology
towards commercialization, so it can
provide electricity around the world.
In practical terms, the FSER makes
it easier for a U.S. utility to develop the
NuScale power plant. It also functions
as an American seal of approval for
countries around the world that are
looking for a flexible, appropriately
sized carbon-free power producer that
can be installed with relatively little
on-site construction and little local
regulatory experience.
NuScale is planning to supply its
first SMR plant in eastern Idaho, for
Utah Associated Municipal Power
Systems (UAMPS) and has exploratory
agreements with companies in
Canada, Romania, the Czech Republic
and Jordan.
“This is a significant milestone not
only for NuScale, but also for the entire
U.S. nuclear sector and the other advanced
nuclear technologies that will
follow,” said NuScale Chairman and
Chief Executive Officer John Hopkins.
NRC meets innovation in design
with innovation in regulation
With this announcement, NRC staff is
independently verifying the com pany’s
own safety analysis, which says that
the design meets all applicable standards.
“Applicable” is an important
detail here, because the staff is agreeing
that some of the requirements
that the agency imposes on existing
reactors simply don’t apply here.
For example, the SMR design
doesn’t need any emergency water
supplies for safety – instead relying on
natural forces for cooling – so there is
a whole complex of tanks, pumps,
valves and piping that don’t need to be
built, inspected, tested and evaluated.
Furthermore, there is no need for
an extensive system of emergency
diesel generators that are carefully
maintained at current plants in order
to operate those pumps and valves;
and finally, the inherent safety features
of the design will keep the reactor safe
in case of mechanical malfunction,
without action by control room operators.
Operators will be trained and
available, as at all reactors, but the
system is passively safe.
There are several steps remaining
in the regulatory process, including
public comment; however, the FSER
demonstrates that the NRC can
success fully evaluate an innovative
design that breaks with many of the
old assumptions about nuclear energy.
A regulator that can facilitate innovation
is essential to the future of nuclear
technology.
NuScale’s progress is a major
win for advanced nuclear and
the climate
There are a lot of good ideas emerging
from new reactor developers, and
NuScale’s SMR is poised to be the first
radical rethinking of reactor design
approved by the Commission in many
years. It is a positive sign for NuScale,
for UAMPS and the advanced reactor
industry as a whole.
As this innovative design moves from
concept to reality, it signals a new era
of advanced nuclear technology that
will be essential in meeting carbonfree
energy goals across the country
and making electricity more accessible
for all.
| www.nei.org (202621431)
Company News
Framatome partners
with ADAGOS to bring
artificial intelligence to the
nuclear energy industry
(fraatome) Framatome signed an
exclusive partnership agreement with
Adagos to bring advanced, parsimonious
artificial intelligence technology
to the nuclear energy industry. Adagos’
NeurEco architecture introduces a
third-generation neural network to
solve large and complex problems
using fewer computational and data
resources compared to pre vious
generations.
“Artificial intelligence is a game
changer for advancing technologies
and increasing the competitiveness
and efficiency of the nuclear energy
industry now and in the decades to
come,” said Catherine Cornand,
senior executive vice president of the
Installed Base Business Unit at
Framatome. “This partnership will
allow us to provide new digital solutions
for our customers worldwide,
contributing to reliable, economical,
low-carbon electricity.”.
Neural networks analyze data and
information in a way that mimics the
human brain. NeurEco addresses
common challenges to artificial intelligence
and deep-learning technology.
Its new neural network approach
based on parsimony reduces resources
such as the amount of learning data,
energy consumption, size of neural
network, requested memory and
computing time required to implement
deep-learning methods. It
generates new types of parsimonious
neural networks that provide answers
to non- linear questions while minimizing
resource size and complexity.
The NeurEco technology provides
robust solutions to historical challenges
to applying artificial intelligence
in the nuclear energy industry.
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