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112-521: The company's main product is the AP1000 , a modern pressurized water reactor (PWR) design with many passive safety features and modular construction intended to lower construction time and cost. Twelve AP1000 reactors are currently in operation with a further nineteen in various stages of planning. The company was initially formed as CBS Corporation spun off the remaining pieces of Westinghouse's industrial concerns, as part of Westinghouse's re-creation as

224-484: A 390 billion yen ($ 3.4 billion) loss, mainly in its US nuclear business which was written down by 712 billion yen ($ 6.3 billion). On 14 February 2017, Toshiba delayed filing financial results, and Toshiba chairman Shigenori Shiga, formerly chairman of Westinghouse, resigned. Toshiba considered selling the Westinghouse nuclear business. On 29 March 2017, Toshiba's Westinghouse filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy , citing

336-594: A National Company provides certain advantages, including, among other things, obtaining subsoil use agreements ( in-situ recovery mine licences) through direct negotiation with the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan. All of the company's mines and subsidiary processing operations are located in the Republic of Kazakhstan . The uranium is virtually all ultimately destined for export as Kazakhstan hasn't had

448-453: A National Company with a proportionate share of production from all of Kazakhstan's various uranium operations, became the world's largest single uranium producer in 2010. Production continued to grow, reaching a peak of 24,586 tU (~63.9 million lb U 3 O 8 ) in 2016. The global uranium market entered a state of oversupply beginning in 2012, following a drop in demand that resulted from the 2011 Japanese earthquake and tsunami, which crippled

560-591: A US$ 7.9   billion deal including debt. Brookfield Renewable and its institutional partners will own a 51% interest in Westinghouse, while Cameco will own remaining 49% as part of the deal. The acquisition was completed in November 2023. Although no longer associated with CBS Corporation (now Paramount Global ), Westinghouse Electric Company LLC has for some years used the trademarks owned by Westinghouse Electric Corporation , by then Viacom/CBS Corporation/ViacomCBS' brand management subsidiary, under license, as

672-679: A challenge to the Vogtle license. In May 2013, the U.S. Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). In February 2012, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved the two proposed reactors at the Vogtle plant. For VC Summer, a delay of at least one year and extra costs of $ 1.2 billion were announced in October 2014, largely due to fabrication delays. Unit 2

784-642: A design combining the features of the System 80+ with the AP600 started as the AP1000. BNFL in turn sold Westinghouse Electric to Toshiba in 2005. In December 2005, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approved the final design certification for the AP1000. This meant that prospective US builders could apply for a Combined Construction and Operating License before construction starts,

896-560: A further three at a later date. Westinghouse also has business locations in Italy, Germany, Spain, the UK, Russia, and Bulgaria. In South Korea, Westinghouse has been involved in the construction of new nuclear plants since 1972, with the first plant Kori Nuclear Power Plant starting up in 1977 and in commercial operation in 1978, followed by eight reactors under construction in the early 1980s. Combustion Engineering (now Westinghouse) entered into

1008-427: A lack of faith in its own technology. Finally, the record of UK governments building nuclear plants had been a commercial disaster. On October 16, 2006 the acquisition of Westinghouse Electric Company for $ 5.4 billion was completed, with Toshiba obtaining a 77% share, partners The Shaw Group a 20% share and Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Co. Ltd. a 3% share. On 13 August 2007 Toshiba sold 10% to Kazatomprom ,

1120-498: A local standardization of the AP1000 design, transitional to the CAP1400 . It is said to have reduced cost and improved operation and maintenance attributes. As of 2021, site preparations have been done for Haiyang , Lufeng , Sanmen , and Xudabao for the construction of eight additional CAP1000 units. However, most of these projects are at a standstill, as construction of all CAP-1000 units has been slowed down significantly. At

1232-541: A low-enriched uranium (LEU) Nuclear fuel bank , enabling IAEA member countries using nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, access to IAEA LEU reserves if uranium cannot be acquired in the commercial market. The LEU Bank , owned by the IAEA and located in Kazakhstan, holds a physical reserve of 90 metric tons of low-enriched UF 6 delivered to the facility by Orano of France, and Kazatomprom. JSC "Volkovgeology", which

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1344-515: A manufacturing supply chain capable of supplying international power projects. Industry analysts have highlighted a number of problems facing China's expansion in the nuclear market including continued gaps in their supply chain, coupled with Western fears of political interference and Chinese inexperience in the economics of nuclear power. Kazatomprom National Atomic Company Kazatomprom Joint Stock Company (Kazatomprom) ( Kazakh : Қазатомөнеркәсіп , romanized :  Qazatomónerkásip )

1456-487: A media company. Portions of their nuclear business were initially purchased by Siemens in 1998 before the remaining parts were purchased by British Nuclear Fuels Limited (BNFL) in 1999 and formed up as Westinghouse Electric. In 2005, BNFL sold the company to Toshiba . The company went bankrupt in 2017 primarily due to ongoing cost overruns at the Vogtle Electric Generating Plant expansion,

1568-430: A minority shareholder ( Santee Cooper ). Santee Cooper's board voted to cease all construction resulting in termination of the entire project. All four reactors were identical and the two projects ran in parallel, with the first two reactors (Vogtle 3 and Summer 2) planned to be commissioned in 2019 and the remaining two (Vogtle 4 and Summer 3) in 2020. After Westinghouse filed for bankruptcy protection on March 29, 2017,

1680-563: A nuclear fuel fabrication plant at Västerås , Sweden which has provided nuclear fuel for Russian VVER-1000 nuclear reactors. In 2000 Westinghouse started development of fuel for customers in Finland and Hungary, supported by cheap Export–Import Bank of the United States loans, but the business remained small-scale in competition from cheaper Russian suppliers. A 2008 contract was agreed to supply VVER-1000 fuel; however, in trial use

1792-659: A nuclear power plant since the shutdown of the Soviet built BN-350 reactor in Aktau in 1992. There is some debate regarding future use of nuclear power in Kazakhstan , however. In 2018, Kazatomprom adopted a Development Strategy for 2018–2028 based on the principles of sustainable development. In the wake of the Russo-Ukrainian war , the EU has focused on Kazatomprom for its uranium supplies to replace those from Russia, given

1904-537: A single reactor coolant pump with a steam generator in each of two, three, or four loops. Three completed reactors in the US and another four in South Korea made it the most successful Generation II+ design. ABB Group bought Combustion Engineering in 1990 and introduced the System 80+, with a number of design changes and safety improvements. As part of a series of mergers, purchases, and divestitures by ABB, in 2000

2016-496: A subsidiary of CBS Corporation. In July 2005, BNFL confirmed it planned to sell Westinghouse, then estimated to be worth $ 2 billion. This attracted interest from several companies, including Toshiba , General Electric and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries . When the Financial Times reported on January 23, 2006 that Toshiba had won the bid, it valued the company's offer at $ 5bn (£2.8bn). On February 6, 2006 Toshiba confirmed it

2128-792: A ten-year technology transfer program with the Korean nuclear industry aiming at self-reliance, which was extended in 1997. In December, 2006, China's State Nuclear Power Technology Company (SNPTC) selected Westinghouse to provide four new AP1000 nuclear power plants. The first was due to come on line in 2013, but has been delayed until the end of 2014. On 7 June 2016, Nuclear Power corporation of India have agreed to begin engineering and site design work for six nuclear power reactors in India and to conclude contractual agreements by June 2017. Westinghouse has been involved in South Africa through support of

2240-435: A wide range of uranium-containing materials for the production of ceramic-grade uranium dioxide powders with up to 5% enrichment (U235). In addition to fuel pellets, Kazatomprom and China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGNPC) are jointly implementing a project to construct a fuel assembly production facility at Ulba, serving future Chinese needs for finished nuclear fuel assemblies. Kazatomprom's Ulba Metallurgical Plant JSC

2352-563: A yearly loss for Toshiba that could exceed $ 9 billion, almost three times its previous estimate. The projects responsible for this loss were mostly the construction of four AP1000 reactors at Vogtle in Georgia and Virgil C. Summer Nuclear Generating Station in South Carolina. The Wall Street Journal reported that the four nuclear reactors being built in the southeastern U.S. would be left to an unknown fate. In July, 2017,

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2464-412: Is Kazatomprom's core business. Using ISR technology, mining is carried out without blasting or sending people underground to bring the uranium ore to the surface. A low-pH production solution is pumped down “injection wells” into the ore body and as the production solution passes through the uranium-bearing rock layers (ore horizon), it dissolves natural uranium compounds. With the solution now containing

2576-424: Is a pressurized water reactor with improved use of passive nuclear safety and many design features intended to lower its capital cost and improve its economics. The design traces its history to the Westinghouse 4-loop SNUPPS design, which was produced in various locations around the world. (Note: System 80 was a similar vintage nuclear steam supply system made by Combustion Engineering). Further development of

2688-409: Is activated, the water flows by gravity to the top of the reactor where it evaporates to remove heat. The system uses multiple explosively-operated and DC operated valves which must operate within the first 30 minutes. This is designed to happen even if the reactor operators take no action. The electrical system required for initiating the passive systems doesn't rely on external or diesel power and

2800-496: Is also involved in the production of certain rare metals, making the company among the world's largest producers of Tantalum , Niobium , and Beryllium . One of only three such enterprises in the world, the facility hosts a fully integrated beryllium production cycle and the only tantalum plant in the Commonwealth of Independent States. Today, UMP ranks second in the world in the production of beryllium products, and fourth in

2912-730: Is now in the decommissioning stage, while the remaining 13 deposits are being actively  developed and mined. Those 13 active deposits are further subdivided into 24 areas grouped into the 13 uranium-mining subsidiaries with varying ownership structures. Four additional deposits are at the advanced exploration stage and the remaining 42 deposits are yet to be fully delineated. Each of Kazakhstan's uranium deposits differ in terms of certain geological features, depth, and value. However, based on common geological settings, genetic traits, and territorial isolation, all are generally considered to be sandstone-hosted roll-front uranium deposits occurring in six provinces: Shu-Sarysu, Syrdariya, North Kazakhstan,

3024-431: Is that the construction time, and thus cost, does not differ significantly compared to larger designs, so these smaller designs often have less attractive economics. The AP600 addressed this through modular construction and aimed to go from first concrete to fuel load in 36 months. In spite of these attractive features, Westinghouse had no sales of the AP600. With the purchase of the company by BNFL and its merger with ABB,

3136-488: Is the case with other Westinghouse licensees . In 2021, ViacomCBS sold the Westinghouse licensing operation (including trademarks) directly to the now-independent Westinghouse Electric Corporation. A revived interest in the nuclear power generation field in the late 1980s led to Westinghouse's development of the AP600 reactor which received NRC approval. Interest in the Westinghouse design, but with larger power output led to

3248-479: Is the successor of Volkovskaya geological expedition that opened the original Kordayskoye field, provides geological support for all activities of Kazatomprom and conducts technological drilling of mining and preparatory work on the uranium mining subsidiaries of the company. Source: Kazakhstan has the largest uranium reserves in the world, with the first commercial deposit in the country (Kordayskoye) discovered and explored in 1951. With continued exploration through

3360-495: Is the world’s largest producer and seller of natural uranium , providing over 40% of global primary uranium supply in 2019 from its operations in Kazakhstan . Kazatomprom's uranium is used for the generation of nuclear power around the world. Kazatomprom is Kazakhstan’s national operator for the export and import of uranium and its compounds, nuclear power plant fuel, special equipment and technologies. The company's status as

3472-523: Is three-and-a-half to five times thicker than the liners used in current designs, and that corrosion would be readily apparent during routine inspection. Edwin Lyman , a senior staff scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists , has challenged specific cost-saving design choices made for both the AP1000 and ESBWR , another new design. Lyman is concerned about the strength of the steel containment vessel and

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3584-529: The 2005 Indo-US nuclear deal , there was also hope that India's plan of massive investment in nuclear plants would help to revive the U.S. nuclear power industry. Reasons in favor of a sale were: The commercial risk of the company's business in Asia may have been too high for a company then owned by taxpayers; if Westinghouse won the bid for any new nuclear stations in a UK competition, questions may be raised of favoritism, but if it lost, it might have been seen as

3696-510: The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant and led to the suspension of operations at all of Japan's 54 nuclear reactors. In 2017, recognizing the need for the world's largest primary uranium producer to take a leadership role in balancing global supply, Kazatomprom's management began to shift the company's strategy away from a focus on production volume, centering a new strategy on value and aligning production output with market demand. By

3808-538: The Koeberg Nuclear Power Station since the 1990s, both reactors are Westinghouse-licensed. In 2007, Westinghouse acquired IST Nuclear (Pty) Ltd, and won the final bidding process for new nuclear plants in South Africa, for which it signed an MOU in 2013. IST Nuclear provides services and systems for the pebble-bed reactor . AP1000 The AP1000 is a nuclear power plant designed and sold by Westinghouse Electric Company . The plant

3920-473: The Nuclear Regulatory Commission since 2005 said that computations submitted by Westinghouse about the building's design appeared to be wrong and "had led to more questions." He said the company had not used a range of possible temperatures for calculating potential seismic stresses on the shield building in the event of an earthquake, for example. The NRC asked Westinghouse not only to fix its calculations, but also to explain why it submitted flawed information in

4032-503: The Virgil C. Summer Nuclear Generating Station (Units 2 & 3). The project was abandoned in July 2017, 4 years after it began, due to Westinghouse's recent bankruptcy, major cost overruns, significant delays, and other issues. The project's primary shareholder ( SCANA ) initially favored a plan to abandon development of Unit 3, while completing Unit 2. The plan was dependent on approval of

4144-613: The Xudabao site, construction of two VVER-1200 units for Xudabao 3 & 4 was started in 2021 while the planned CAP1000 units for phase 1 & 2 are still on hold. On 20 April 2022, the construction of Haiyang 3 & 4 and Sanmen 3 & 4 was approved by the State Council. However, Lufeng 5, using a Hualong One unit, was decided to be built first instead of the CAP1000 units for Lufeng 1-4 which had already been approved by

4256-674: The 4-loop reactor and the ice-condenser containment initially led to the AP600 concept, with a smaller 600 to 700 MWe output, but this saw limited interest. In order to compete with other designs that were scaling up in size in order to improve capital costs , the design re-emerged as the AP1000 and found a number of design wins at this larger size. Twelve AP1000s are currently in operation or under construction. Four are in operation at two sites in China , two at Sanmen Nuclear Power Station and two at Haiyang Nuclear Power Plant . As of 2019 , all four Chinese reactors were completed and connected to

4368-535: The AP1000 buildings concrete walls in steel plates. Last year Ma, a member of the NRC since it was formed in 1974, filed the first "non-concurrence" dissent of his career after the NRC granted the design approval. In it Ma argues that some parts of the steel skin are so brittle that the "impact energy" from a plane strike or storm driven projectile could shatter the wall. A team of engineering experts hired by Westinghouse disagreed... In 2010, following Ma's initial concerns,

4480-513: The AP1000's safety is enhanced by fewer active components, not compromised as Ms. Vancko suggests. As in direct contrast to currently operating reactors, the AP1000 has been designed around the concept of passive nuclear safety . In October 2013, Li Yulun, a former vice-president of China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), raised concerns over the safety standards of the delayed AP1000 third-generation nuclear power plant being built in Sanmen, due to

4592-419: The AP600 was much simpler, with a huge reduction in the total number of parts, and especially pumps. It was also passively safe, a key feature of Gen III designs. The AP600 was at the small end of the reactor scale. Smaller plants are periodically introduced because they can be used in a wider variety of markets where a larger reactor is simply too powerful to serve the local market. The downside of such designs

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4704-506: The CEO resigning, Toshiba stated that the Westinghouse nuclear business was more profitable than at acquisition in 2006. In December 2016, Toshiba said it expected to write down its investment in Westinghouse by US$ 2.5 billion, adding that it was possible that their investment in Westinghouse could ultimately have a negative worth, due to cost overruns at U.S. nuclear reactors it was building. In February 2017, Toshiba revealed unaudited details of

4816-535: The Caspian, Balkhash, Ili. Over 65% of the world's proven uranium reserves that are suitable for ISR extraction are located in Kazakhstan, and all uranium resources developed by Kazatomprom will be recovered using the in-situ recovery method. Uranium , which is abundant in the earth’s rocks and soil, is referred to as “natural” uranium when it is initially extracted, containing 0.7% uranium 235 (U235 isotope) and 99.3% uranium 238 (U238 isotope). Mining natural uranium

4928-630: The Chinese State Nuclear Power Technology Corporation (SNPTC) and other institutes to develop a larger design, the CAP1400 of 1,400 MW e capacity, possibly followed by a 1,700 MW e design. China will own the patent rights for these larger designs. Exporting the new larger units may be possible with Westinghouse's cooperation. In September 2014, the Chinese nuclear regulator approved

5040-855: The Chinese supply chain. Westinghouse Electric Company fully owns several subsidiaries in Europe, such as the European Service Center, also called Westinghouse Electric Belgium located in Nivelles , Belgium, where equipment is prepared for projects throughout Europe. After Westinghouse's 1990 takeover of ABB Reaktor in Germany, it transferred radiological storage activities located in Ladenburg , Germany, to consolidate in Nivelles, which had to be extended. Soon afterwards another expansion

5152-699: The Energy Center in Monroeville, Pennsylvania , to Cranberry Woods in Cranberry Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania , as reported in a 2007 memo to its employees that stated the main reason was the rapid expansion of the global nuclear industry. Construction began in July 2007 and the move lasted from June 2009 to December 2010. The Repair, Replacement and Automation Services (RRAS) business segment moved to Cranberry Township earlier than other business segments to help alleviate space issues at

5264-561: The Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan. This program is aimed at generating a free and competitive economy in Kazakhstan, creating and developing national platforms for attracting international capital, stimulating private business initiatives, and creating a favorable business climate. To attain this objective, the stated goal of the Kazakh Government is to reduce the State’s substantial share in gross value added to GDP to 15% in

5376-549: The Kazakh government, at all of Kazatomprom's mines. Amid continued weak market conditions, the company subsequently extended its production reduction strategy through to 2022, after delivering on the commitment to reduce output by 20% against subsoil use contracts in its 2018 and 2019 results. Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, Kazatomprom worked to expand its presence in the front-end nuclear fuel cycle, including agreements, joint ventures and projects in uranium conversion, enrichment,

5488-596: The NRC approved the construction of two new reactors. In 2016 and 2017 cost overruns constructing AP1000 plants in the U.S. caused Westinghouse's owner Toshiba to write down its investment in Westinghouse by "several billion" dollars. On February 14, 2017, Toshiba delayed filing financial results, and Toshiba chairman Shigenori Shiga, formerly chairman of Westinghouse, resigned. On March 24, 2017, Toshiba announced that Westinghouse Electric Company will file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy because of US$ 9 billion of losses from nuclear reactor construction projects, which may impact

5600-432: The NRC questioned the durability of the AP1000 reactor's original shield building in the face of severe external events such as earthquakes, hurricanes, and airplane collisions. In response to these concerns Westinghouse prepared a modified design. This modified design satisfied the NRC, with the exception of Ma, hence the "non-concurrence". In contrast to the NRC's decision, Ma believed that the computer codes used to analyze

5712-722: The NRC. The report concluded that certification of the AP1000 should be delayed until the original and current "unanswered safety questions" raised by the AP1000 Oversight Group are resolved. In 2012, Ellen Vancko, from the Union of Concerned Scientists, said that "the Westinghouse AP1000 has a weaker containment, less redundancy in safety systems, and fewer safety features than current reactors". In response to Ms. Vancko's concerns, climate policies author and retired nuclear engineer Zvi J. Doron, replied that

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5824-582: The National Development and Reform Commission. On 14 September 2022, the State Council approved construction of Lianjiang 1 & 2. In October 2015 it was announced that technology for the İğneada Nuclear Power Plant in Turkey will come from US based firm Westinghouse Electric Company in the form of two AP1000 and two CAP1400 . In 2016, the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of

5936-723: The Republic of Turkey , Berat Albayrak , inspected the AP 1000 Shangdong Haiyang Nuclear Power Plant, which belongs to the China National State Nuclear Technology Corporation ( SNPTC ), a subsidiary of the China State Electricity Investment Corporation (SPIC). [2] Two reactors have been brought online at the Vogtle Electric Generating Plant in the state of Georgia (Units 3 & 4). In South Carolina , two units were being constructed at

6048-505: The US, and several other customers had chosen the AP1000, if they were to build new nuclear plants, for a combined total of at least 14 new plants, announced by the NuStart Consortium, Duke Power, Progress Energy, Southern Nuclear and SCE&G. In May 2011 after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster , US government regulators found problems with the design of the shield building of the new reactors. Gregory Jaczko , chairman of

6160-522: The Westinghouse Power Generation Business unit was sold to Siemens of Germany. In 1999, CBS Corporation sold its nuclear business ( Westinghouse Electric Company ) to British Nuclear Fuels Limited (BNFL) and a year later CBS Corporation was merged into Viacom (1971–2005) , putting an end to the original Westinghouse. Legally, Westinghouse Electric Corporation still exists, mainly for the purpose of licensing, as

6272-474: The amount of large diameter primary loop piping. Revision 15 of the AP1000 design has an unusual containment structure which has received approval by the NRC, after a Safety Evaluation Report, and a Design Certification Rule. Revisions 17, 18, and 19 were also approved. In April 2010, some environmental organizations called on the NRC to investigate possible limitations in the AP1000 reactor design. These groups appealed to three federal agencies to suspend

6384-623: The change of the project to the AP1000 in 1999 and shortly after became the first Generation III+ reactor to receive final design approval from the NRC in 2004. As of 2014, four of these units are under construction in China, though the first was due to come on-line in November 2013. and has been delayed until December 2014. The delay due to the constantly changing, and consequently untested, design prompted Li Yulun, former vice-president of China National Nuclear Corporation, in 2013 to raise concerns over

6496-534: The co-owners of the V.C. Summer plant announced that the project was terminated. On September 24, 2017, the Post & Courier reported that Westinghouse had hired unlicensed workers to create mechanical and electrical blueprints for the V.C. Summer expansion without having a professional engineer sign off on them which was in violation of state law. The blueprints were often faulty and led to significant delays. The U.S. government had given $ 8.3 billion of loan guarantees on

6608-609: The commission was asking Westinghouse not only to fix its calculations but also to explain why it submitted flawed information in the first place. Westinghouse said that the items the commission was asking for were not "safety significant". In November 2011, Arnold Gundersen published a further report on behalf of the AP1000 Oversight Group , which includes Friends of the Earth and Mothers against Tennessee River Radiation. The report highlighted six areas of major concern and unreviewed safety questions requiring immediate technical review by

6720-496: The company is not actively advancing any projects in these areas, it is prepared to expand into those segments of the fuel cycle, should the market signal that more refining and/or conversion capacity is needed. In 2013, Kazatomprom, through the Kazakh-Russian joint venture Uranium Enrichment Center JSC, became a shareholder of Ural Electrochemical Plant JSC , the world's largest uranium enrichment plant. This cooperation in

6832-420: The completion of the sale of Westinghouse's holding company to Brookfield Business Partners (a subsidiary of Canadian investment management company Brookfield Asset Management Inc.) and some partners for $ 4.6bn. In October 2022, Brookfield Renewable Partners (another subsidiary of Brookfield Asset Management) and Cameco announced the acquisition of Westinghouse Electric from Brookfield Business Partners in

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6944-439: The concrete shield building around the AP1000, claiming its containment vessel does not have sufficient safety margins. John Ma, a senior structural engineer at the NRC was quoted on his stance about the AP1000 nuclear reactor. In 2009, the NRC made a safety change related to the events of September 11, ruling that all plants be designed to withstand the direct hit from a plane. To meet the new requirement, Westinghouse encased

7056-435: The constantly changing, and consequently untested, design. Citing a lack of operating history, he also questioned the manufacturer's assertion that the AP1000 reactor's "primary system canned motor pumps" were "maintenance-free" over 60 years, the assumed life of the reactor and noted that the expansion from 600 to 1,000 megawatts has not yet been commercially proven. In 2008 and 2009, Westinghouse made agreements to work with

7168-569: The construction has stalled. On April 9, 2008, Georgia Power Company reached a contract agreement with Westinghouse and Shaw for two AP1000 reactors to be built at Vogtle. The contract represents the first agreement for new nuclear development since the Three Mile Island accident in 1979. The license request for the Vogtle site is based on revision 18 of the AP1000 design. On February 16, 2010, President Obama announced $ 8.33 billion in federal loan guarantees to construct

7280-718: The country to fulfill European Commission directives regarding international competition, Westinghouse started to expand its business in France with a Westinghouse team located in Metz in charge of repair, replacement and automation services. By 2005, Westinghouse had 160 employees in France and two-thirds of Westinghouse's business in France was fuel supply. Westinghouse Electrique France is located in Orsay and Manosque near Marseille (engineering development). As of 2014, about 400 employees are part of Westinghouse in France. Westinghouse owns

7392-415: The design of the shield building of the new reactors. The chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said that: computations submitted by Westinghouse about the building's design appeared to be wrong and "had led to more questions."; the company had not used a range of possible temperatures for calculating potential seismic stresses on the shield building in the event of, for example, an earthquake; and that

7504-474: The design safety analysis following a 17-month review. In May 2015 the CAP1400 design passed an International Atomic Energy Agency 's Generic Reactor Safety Review. In December 2009, a Chinese joint venture was set up to build an initial CAP1400 near the HTR-PM at Shidao Bay Nuclear Power Plant . In 2015, site preparation started, and approval to progress was expected by the end of the year. In March 2017,

7616-541: The design was purchased by Westinghouse Electric Company , who had itself been purchased in 1999 by British Nuclear Fuels Ltd (BNFL). Through the 1990s, Westinghouse had been working on a new design known as the AP600 with a design power of about 600 MWe. This was part of the United States Department of Energy’s Advanced Light Water Reactor program that worked on a series of Generation III reactor designs. In contrast to Generation II designs,

7728-448: The design without a strengthened containment structure to provide improved protection against an aircraft crash. China had officially adopted the AP1000 as a standard for inland nuclear projects. Following Westinghouse's bankruptcy in 2017, China decided in 2019 to build the domestically designed Hualong One rather than the AP1000 at Zhangzhou . After 2019, all plans for future AP1000 units were superseded by CAP1000 units, which are

7840-405: The dissolved uranium, it is brought back to the surface through “production wells”. The solution is processed on surface using conventional processing techniques to extract the uranium, before being pumped back to the wellfields to extract more uranium.   Unlike the underground shaft mining or open-pit mining methods, the development of uranium deposits by ISR does not have a negative effect on

7952-446: The financing of the four nuclear reactors being built in the U.S. Besides the issues with the AP1000 design, the fuel manufacturing division has been profitable, but not enough to cover corporate overheads and support the other divisions. Research and development investment in fuel manufacturing has been low, which has impacted the quality and comparative performance of its fuel compared to competitors. On 6 April 2018, Toshiba announced

8064-556: The firm is developing its own refinement facilities and new transportation routes avoiding Russian territory. Under a decree of Nursultan Nazarbayev , the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kazatomprom was established in 1997 as the national operator for the import and export of uranium, rare metals, and nuclear fuel for nuclear power plants. After more than 20 years as a National Company owned solely by Kazakhstan's National Wealth Fund, Samruk-Kazyna , Kazatomprom

8176-803: The first CAP1400 reactor pressure vessel passed pressure tests. Equipment for the CAP1400 is being manufactured, and as of 2020 preliminary construction is underway. In February 2019, the Shanghai Nuclear Engineering Research & Design Institute announced that it had begun the conceptual design process for the CAP1700. Four AP1000 reactors have been constructed in China, two at Sanmen Nuclear Power Plant in Zhejiang , and two at Haiyang Nuclear Power Plant in Shandong . The Sanmen 1 & 2 AP1000s were connected to

8288-416: The first US build of the company's AP1000 design. It emerged from bankruptcy after being purchased by Brookfield Business Partners , a Canadian private equity fund. They sold it to a consortium of Brookfield Renewable Partners and Cameco , a Canadian nuclear fuel and services company. Renewable Partners is the current majority owner of Westinghouse. Westinghouse Electric Company was formed in 1999, after

8400-476: The first place. Westinghouse countered that the "confirmatory items" that the commission was asking for were not "safety significant." In November 2011, the AP1000 Oversight Group published a report highlighting six areas of major concern and un-reviewed safety questions requiring immediate technical review by the NRC. The report concluded that certification of the AP1000 should be delayed until

8512-618: The fuel became deformed. In 2015, the European Union awarded $ 2 million in funding to a Westinghouse-led consortium to support the development of a more competitive fuel for the Russian built reactors. In 2018, the contract to supply VVER fuel was extended to 2025. In 2018, Westinghouse, under a further EU-funded project, started developing VVER-440 fuel. In October 2022, Westinghouse was selected to build Poland's first nuclear power plant based on three AP1000 reactors, with possibly

8624-632: The future of the AP1000. Westinghouse emerged from bankruptcy in August 2018. The AP1000 is a pressurized water reactor with two cooling loops, planned to produce a net power output of 1,117  MW e . It is an evolutionary improvement on the AP600 , essentially a more powerful model with roughly the same footprint. A design objective was to be less expensive to build than other Generation III reactor designs, by both using existing technology, and needing less equipment than competing designs that have three or four cooling loops. The design decreases

8736-406: The grid on July 2, 2018, and August 24, 2018, respectively. Haiyang 1 started commercial operation on October 22, 2018, and Haiyang 2 on January 9, 2019. In 2014, China First Heavy Industries manufactured the first domestically produced AP1000 reactor pressure vessel, for the second AP1000 unit of Sanmen Nuclear Power Station . The first four AP1000s to be built are to an earlier revision of

8848-507: The grid the next month. Further builds in China will be based on the modified CAP1000 and CAP1400 designs. The AP1000 design traces its history to two previous designs, the AP600 and the System 80 . The System 80 design was created by Combustion Engineering and featured a two-loop cooling system with a single steam generator paired with two reactor coolant pumps in each loop that makes it simpler and less expensive than systems which pair

8960-476: The grid, and as of 2024, 6 more are under construction. Two are in operation at the Vogtle Electric Generating Plant in the US, with Vogtle 3 having come online in July 2023, and Vogtle 4 in April 2024. Construction at Vogtle suffered numerous delays and cost overruns at Vogtle and V.C. Summer led to Westinghouse's bankruptcy in 2017. Construction of the two reactors at the Virgil C. Summer Nuclear Generating Station

9072-570: The headquarters in Monroeville and was completed in spring of 2008. As part of this move, Westinghouse piloted the first commuter shuttle running an all-day loop between Monroeville and Cranberry Township. The shuttle ceased operation after Westinghouse formally closed, and sold their Monroeville facility in 2012. In 2015, concerns were expressed that the value of assets and goodwill in Westinghouse were overstated. Following an accounting scandal in which profits were overstated at Toshiba, leading to

9184-588: The late 1960s, uranium discoveries in the Shu-Sarysu and Ili provinces in southern Kazakhstan became the world's largest reserves of uranium. With these discoveries, Kazakhstan became the world leader in explored uranium reserves suitable in-situ recovery. There are currently 56 identified deposits in the Republic of Kazakhstan that host reserves and resources in excess of 450,000 tonnes of uranium. Kazatomprom’s operations currently mine uranium from 14 of those deposits, of which one deposit has been fully depleted and

9296-460: The licensing of the two new AP1000 reactors to be built at Vogtle filed a new petition in April 2011 asking the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's commission to suspend the licensing process until more is known about the evolving Fukushima I nuclear accidents . In February 2012, nine environmental groups filed a collective challenge to the certification of the Vogtle reactor design and in March they filed

9408-411: The licensing process because they believed containment in the new design is weaker than existing reactors. In April 2010, Arnold Gundersen , a nuclear engineer commissioned by several anti-nuclear groups, released a report which explored a hazard associated with the possible rusting through of the containment structure steel liner. In the AP1000 design, the liner and the concrete are separated, and if

9520-519: The medium- and long-term, which is better aligned with OECD countries. After Samruk-Kazyna sold an additional 3.8% of the company's outstanding share capital in September 2019, and another 6.2% sold in June 2020, Samruk-Kazyna JSC remains the majority shareholder holding 75% of the outstanding share capital of Kazatomprom, while 25% are in free circulation and held by minority shareholders from around

9632-462: The modified design were not precise enough and some of the materials used were too brittle. A US consultant engineer has also criticized the AP1000 containment design arguing that, in the case of a design-basis accident , it could release radiation; Westinghouse has denied the claim. The NRC completed the overall design certification review for the amended AP1000 in September 2011. In May 2011, US government regulators found additional problems with

9744-462: The national uranium company for the Republic of Kazakhstan , for US$ 540 million, leaving Toshiba with 67%. Kazatomprom's ownership was entirely passive, with no voting or veto rights or presence on the board of directors. In September, 2011, Toshiba was reported to be in talks to acquire the Shaw stake and both companies confirmed the story soon thereafter. Shaw CEO James Bernhard said, that Toshiba

9856-457: The number of components, including pipes, wires, and valves. Standardization and type-licensing should also help reduce the time and cost of construction. Because of its simplified design compared to a Westinghouse generation II PWR, the AP1000 has: The AP1000 design is considerably more compact in land usage than most existing PWRs, and uses under a fifth of the concrete and rebar reinforcing of older designs. Probabilistic risk assessment

9968-431: The original and current "unanswered safety questions" raised by the AP1000 Oversight Group are resolved. In December 2011, the UK's Office for Nuclear Regulation published a design assessment report on the AP1000 reactor which highlighted 51 'Generic Design Assessment' issues remaining that must be addressed before the assessment would be completed. In October 2013, US energy secretary Ernest Moniz announced that China

10080-417: The original company with that name, George Westinghouse 's Westinghouse Electric , founded in 1886, ceased to exist due to a series of divestitures and mergers through the mid-to-late 1990s. These included Westinghouse Electric's purchase of CBS in 1995, expansion into communications and broadcasting, and the selling off of most non-broadcast operations by 1998, renaming itself CBS Corporation . In 1998,

10192-723: The peaceful use of nuclear energy enabled the company to gain access to uranium enrichment services. In 2020, following a strategic re-focusing on uranium mining, Kazatomprom sold its interest in the Uranium Enrichment Center JV to its partner, TVEL, while retaining access to enrichment services in Russia. At Kazatomprom's Ulba Metallurgical Plant (UMP) in Oskemen, Kazakhstan, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) established

10304-449: The production of UO 2 powders and fuel pellets, and the production of finished fuel assemblies for nuclear power plants. Although the company retains a certain degree of vertical integration in order to meet the requirements of its customers, the focus has since moved to uranium mining. Through its partnerships with the biggest players in the nuclear fuel cycle, Kazatomprom has gained access to refining and conversion technology. Although

10416-476: The production solution is well controlled between the injection and production wells. All of Kazatomprom's production is carried out via ISR extraction. Eight of the ten largest ISR mines in the world are operated by Kazatomprom. Kazatomprom's Subsidiary, Ulba Metallurgical Plant JSC, provides services for final processing, reconversion, and production of fuel pellets for light water nuclear reactors, which it has done for nearly 40 years. The facility can process

10528-583: The resource and completion of mining activities, Kazatomprom's remote mine site locations are restored to their pre-mining state, both above and below ground. Kazatomprom operates through its subsidiaries, JVs and Associates, 24 deposit areas grouped into 13 asset clusters ("subsidiaries"), all of which are located in Kazakhstan and utilize the in-situ recovery (ISR) mining method. Benefits of ISR over conventional mining methods include lower cost of extraction, smaller environmental footprint and inherently better health and safety performance. ISR uranium extraction

10640-482: The safety standards of the plant. Citing a lack of operating history, he questioned the manufacturer's assertion that the AP1000 reactor's "primary system canned motor pumps" were "maintenance-free" over 60 years, the assumed life of the reactor, and noted that Westinghouse had yet to receive approval from British authorities on an improved version of AP1000. As of 2019 all four AP1000 reactors in China are operating. As of January 2009, six AP1000 plants had been ordered in

10752-418: The same manner as the currently operating fleet of US power reactors. Power reactors of all types continue to produce heat from radioactive decay products even after the main reaction is shut down, so it is necessary to remove this heat to avoid meltdown of the reactor core. In the AP1000, Westinghouse's Passive Core Cooling System uses a tank of water situated above the reactor. When the passive cooling system

10864-435: The steel rusts through, "there is no backup containment behind it" according to Gundersen. If the dome rusted through the design would expel radioactive contaminants and the plant "could deliver a dose of radiation to the public that is 10 times higher than the N.R.C. limit" according to Gundersen. Vaughn Gilbert, a spokesman for Westinghouse, has disputed Gundersen's assessment, stating that the AP1000's steel containment vessel

10976-461: The surface: there is no soil subsidence and disturbance, and no surface storage of low-grade ores or waste rocks. In addition, ISR in Kazakhstan does not require liquid waste or tailings management facilities. The major processing steps to extract the uranium take place deep underground (hence the term “in-situ”), resulting in lower production costs and an inherently higher level of health and safety performance due to lower mining risks. Upon depletion of

11088-426: The time the company went public with an initial public offering in 2018, Kazatomprom had fully embraced a new value-driven strategy and refocused exclusively on its In-situ recovery (ISR) uranium production, the most profitable part of the nuclear fuel cycle. Under the strategy, for the period 2018-2020, production volumes were planned to be 20% lower than the volumes committed to under subsoil use contracts signed with

11200-408: The two AP1000 units at the Vogtle plant. The cost of building the two reactors was projected to be $ 14 billion, but has since increased to $ 30B with only one reactor online and the second remaining under construction. Georgia Power, which owns 45.7% of Vogtle, delayed the projected in-service dates to the fourth quarter of 2023, or first quarter of 2024, for Unit 4. Environmental groups opposed to

11312-400: The validity of which is conditional upon the plant being built as designed, and that each AP1000 should be identical. Its design is the first Generation III+ reactor to receive final design approval from the NRC. In 2008 China started building four units of the AP1000's 2005-design. In December 2011, the NRC approved construction of the first US plant to use the design. On February 9, 2012,

11424-403: The valves don't rely on hydraulic or compressed air systems. The design is intended to passively remove heat for 72 hours, after which its gravity drain water tank must be topped up for as long as cooling is required. The reactor uses canned motor pumps that are hermetically sealed, use no reactor coolant pump seals and are mounted directly on the bottom of the steam generators. This reduces

11536-414: The world. When Kazatomprom was founded in 1997, it was the 13th largest uranium producer in the world and by the early 2000s, the country had set a public objective to become the world's largest uranium producer by 2010. In 2009, production had reached 13,500 tU (~35 million lb U 3 O 8 ), making Kazakhstan the world's largest producer and achieving its target a year earlier than expected. Kazatomprom, as

11648-577: Was buying Westinghouse Electric Company for $ 5.4bn and announced it would sell a minority stake to investors. The sale surprised many industry experts who questioned the wisdom of BNFL selling one of the world's largest producers of nuclear reactors shortly before the market for nuclear power was expected to grow substantially; China , the United States and the United Kingdom were all expected to invest heavily in nuclear power. After

11760-574: Was cancelled in 2017 following Westinghouse's bankruptcy. Nineteen more AP1000s are currently being planned, with 6 in India, 9 in Ukraine, 3 in Poland, and 1 in Bulgaria. China is currently developing more advanced versions and owns their patent rights. The first AP1000 began operations in China at Sanmen, where Unit 1 became the first AP1000 to achieve criticality in June 2018, and was connected to

11872-467: Was first used in 1960s and by 2017, its application was providing more than 50% of global uranium production. However, the ISR mining method can only be employed under specific geological conditions: a porous uranium ore horizon is required, through which the production solution can be pumped to dissolve the uranium, and dense, non-porous “confining” layers must be present above and below the ore horizon to ensure

11984-571: Was necessary as employees in the Brussels office were transferred to Nivelles. It was estimated that 200 people were working in Nivelles at the end of 2011. In 2001, Westinghouse took over Logitest in Les Ulis , France, one of 3 companies qualified to inspect nuclear steam generator plants for Électricité de France . After the French nuclear market partially opened in 2004 to suppliers from outside

12096-636: Was paying US$ 1.6 Bn for the Shaw-owned 20% stake, and that it was the 50% rise in the yen on its yen-denominated debt over five years, which had led it to exercise its sale option. Toshiba said in late 2012 it was open to, and considering, having other partners invest in the business. The purchase closed in January 2013, and brought Toshiba's share in the company to 87% as a result of Shaw exercising its option. After several years of doing business there, Westinghouse decided to move its world headquarters from

12208-707: Was taken public with an IPO in November 2018 that placed 15% of the company's outstanding shares in free float on the Astana International Exchange (AIX) and on the London Stock Exchange (LSE). With the IPO, Kazatomprom became the first portfolio company of Samruk-Kazyna JSC to have shares offered on the international capital market as part of the Comprehensive Privatization Plan for 2016-2020 announced by

12320-466: Was then expected to be substantially complete in late 2018 or early 2019, with unit 3 about a year later. In October 2013, US energy secretary Ernest Moniz announced that China was to supply components to the US nuclear power plants under construction as part of a bilateral co-operation agreement between the two countries. Since China's State Nuclear Power Technology Corporation (SNPTC) acquired Westinghouses's AP1000 technology in 2006, it has developed

12432-410: Was to supply components to the US nuclear power plants under construction as part of a bilateral co-operation agreement between the two countries. Since China's State Nuclear Power Technology Co (SNPTC) acquired Westinghouses's AP1000 technology in 2006, it has developed a manufacturing supply chain capable of supplying international power projects. Industry analysts have pointed out that there are gaps in

12544-482: Was used in the design of the plants. This enabled minimization of risks, and calculation of the overall safety of the plant. According to the NRC, the plants will be orders of magnitude safer than those in the last study, NUREG-1150 . The AP1000 has a maximum core damage frequency of 5.09 × 10 per plant per year. Used fuel produced by the AP1000 can be stored indefinitely in water on the plant site. Aged used fuel may also be stored in above-ground dry cask storage , in

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