All articles by James Varley
James Varley
Fukushima-Era Shutdowns Ease as Japan Restarts Two Reactors
During 2024, Japanese utilities restarted two additional nuclear reactors that had been suspended from operations in response to the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi accident, taking the total number of restarted reactors to 14 since the accident. Tohoku Electric Power Co restarted its 796 MW Onagawa unit 2 reactor in November, and in December Chugoku Electric Power Co restarted Shimane unit 2 (789 MW). Onagawa is the nuclear power plant located closest to the epicentre of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
Adapting Tactics for Nuclear: Embracing Resilience in a Changing Climate
The climate crisis has prompted a reappraisal of nuclear generation with its low- carbon credentials but to deliver on this promise means a robust approach to embracing resilience too. Nuclear has inherent capabilities to address growing climate risk – the industry needs to make sure that the message is getting through
Delivering Eraring: Wärtsilä to Add 700 MWh in Australia’s Largest Battery Project
Wärtsilä has been selected by Origin Energy to deliver the third stage of the Eraring battery facility at Origin’s Eraring 4 x 720 MW coal fired power station site in New South Wales, Australia. Under this agreement, Wärtsilä will add a further 700 MWh of energy storage capacity, taking the Eraring battery facility to 700 MW / 2 800 MWh, once completed. This makes it the largest battery project in Australia and one of the largest in the world.
mtu 20V 4000 L64 FNER Gas Genset Installation for WOTECH — Beheira, Egypt
Rolls-Royce has commissioned ten mtu 20V 4000 L64 FNER gas-fuelled gensets in the Beheira province in northern Egypt to supply the Egyptian Wood Technology Company’s (WOTECH) production plant with electricity. Since there is no access to the public grid, WOTECH relies entirely on the ten 20-cylinder mtu gas gensets, which together have a total output of 25 MW.
HALEU UF6: Implications for SMR Fuel Fabrication
Enriched uranium hexafluoride (UF6) is considered one of the main input materials for future fuel production plants for the coming SMR revolution. How can fuel fabrication plants of the past inform their design?
MAN ES and Bonatti collaborate on EDF PEI bioenergy plant
MAN Energy Solutions and Bonatti have signed a contract with EDF PEI to construct a 130 MW bioenergy plant in Corsica, powered by liquid biomass.
Wärtsilä supplies engines for hybrid power plant in Kazakhstan
Wärtsilä is to supply engines plus other engineered equipment for a new 120 MW power plant under construction in Kazakhstan. The order was placed by Kazakhstan Caspian Offshore Industries (KCOI) and the order scope includes six Wärtsilä 46TS-SG gas-fuelled large bore engines, as well as mechanical and electrical auxiliary equipment.
Powering future with public private fusion
To bring fusion onto a commercial footing will require both state bodies and private enterprise to join forces and boost investment in innovation. A new European Commission report explores some of the key mechanisms to build public private partnerships, but that is not the only model to accelerate fusion beyond the laboratory.
Analysing role of hydrogen in energy transition and decarbonisation
Hydrogen is no longer seen as the answer to every tough question in the low-carbon energy transition, but it is still expected to have a role in helping manage a low-carbon electricity sector. By Janet Wood