Displaying items by tag: nuclear

France: Lafarge France has signed a nuclear production allocation contract (CAPN) with EDF to secure a long-term supply of low-carbon electricity for its cement plants. The deal allocates part of the capacity from EDF’s operating nuclear fleet to Lafarge France for more than 10 years under a cost and risk-sharing mechanism tied to actual volumes produced.

The partnership aims to cover part of the electricity consumption of Lafarge’s most energy-intensive sites in France, reducing the company’s carbon footprint while ensuring competitiveness and local presence, according to EDF.

Xavier Guesnu, CEO of Lafarge France, said “At Lafarge, we are already activating all levers to reduce the carbon footprint of cement, from research and development to the industrialisation of new low-carbon products and the use of alternative energies, such as biomass. This partnership gives us visibility and access to decarbonised energy, which are essential elements for continuing our investments aimed at large-scale production of very low-carbon or even carbon-neutral cements.”

Italy: France-headquartered nuclear reactor developer Newcleo has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Federbeton, the Italian cement association, to explore the company's technologies and potential synergies with the cement industry.

Newcleo says the lead-cooled advanced modular reactors (AMRs) that it is developing will offer carbon-free energy and could play a strategic role in helping heavy industries to achieve carbon neutrality. Through the MoU, Newcleo and Federbeton will also explore opportunities for research and development in the field of high-performance construction materials, designed to meet the requirements of next-generation nuclear technologies.

"The agreement between Newcleo and Federbeton confirms the construction materials industry's strong commitment to achieving climate neutrality," the partners said in a joint statement. "This collaboration addresses the dual challenge of decarbonisation and energy efficiency."
The agreement with Federbeton follows other partnerships that Newcleo has signed with key players in hard-to-abate sectors, including Danieli (for green steel production), Maire (for green chemical plants), Fincantieri (for naval propulsion), and Saipem (for offshore nuclear platforms).

UK: The University of Sheffield, the Sellafield power station, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and the UK National Nuclear Laboratory have launched a €1.2m research partnership to explore the use of limestone calcined clay cement (LC3) in nuclear waste encapsulation. The project will study how characteristics and amounts of calcined clays can produce cement encapsulants that support safe and reliable nuclear waste conditioning and disposal at Sellafield.

Head of the Sheffield research team Brant Walkley said “This partnership will enhance our overall programme of work focused on development of new cement technologies for the nuclear sector, and will enable our cross-sector team based at both the University of Sheffield and Sellafield to further strengthen its position as a global leader in cement science and engineering.”

UK: Hanson UK says that its planned installation of a carbon capture system at its Padeswood cement plant in Flintshire has proceeded to the due diligence and negotiations stage. The project aims to achieve net zero CO₂ cement production by capturing 800,000t/yr of CO₂. It is part of the HyNet North West array of projects, which combines green hydrogen and carbon capture to build a first-of-its-kind industrial decarbonisation cluster.

Hanson UK CEO Simon Willis said “I would like to thank the government and all of those that supported us in our bid to receive funding which will enable us to help decarbonise the construction industry and meet our overall ambition to become a net zero business. This global exemplar project will provide net zero construction materials for major projects across the country, from new offshore wind farms and nuclear power stations to clean transport infrastructure.”

UK: Hanson says it has become one of the first companies in the UK to be certified to the new ISO 19443 standard, for companies supplying products and services that are important to nuclear safety. The subsidiary of Germany-based Heidelberg Materials is a supplier to the nuclear sector and is currently working with three of the delivery teams on the Hinkley Point C (HPC) project.

Stewart Cameron, head of nuclear at Hanson UK said “It has taken our HPC team a year to complete the ISO 19443 process.” He added, “Although it is not a requirement for our supplies to the project, it recognises the efforts we make – and helps others understand – why nuclear needs to be different.”