The US Department of Energy (DOE) has commenced a $6 billion Civil Nuclear Credit Programme (CNC) to support the continued operation of the country’s nuclear reactors.

The plan aims to provide financial support to nuclear plant owners and operators that are planning to shut due to economic pressures.

By submitting a bid for the allocation of credits, operators can apply for funding to avoid early closure, thereby maintaining an important source of clean energy and job creation.

The funding forms part of President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and supports the Biden-Harris Administration’s view of the US fleet of reactors as necessary to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

According to the DOE, energy market pressures caused 12 commercial reactors to close since 2013. This has had a negative impact on the local economy as jobs were lost and resulted in a rise in emissions and drop in air quality.

The first CNC award cycle will therefore prioritise reactors that have already announced their intention to stop operating.

The announcement has received mixed reactions from industry, with critics highlighting that nuclear power is not 100% green and results in challenges around nuclear waste disposal.

Independent power producers (IPPs) operating in India’s wind power sector need to exploit digital tools to ensure a more strategic approach to Operations and Maintenance (O&M).

This is according to the latest research from analytics company ONYX Insight which suggests, India’s focus on acquiring assets that come with maintenance packages has led to limitations on the industry reaching its potential.

Research suggests that average O&M costs account for 60% of wind farm operating expenses, and in India, this average is higher, according to ONYX.

Instead of being able to take ownership of their own O&M workflow, many owner–operators are relying on the often-inconsistent fulfilment of OEM maintenance obligations to ensure asset longevity.

OEM servicing in India is not always fully reliable, compounded by a low supply of spare parts and a lack of asset health insights, leaving the wind industry underserviced and inefficient.

This is leading IPPs to look for an alternative to regain independence and become empowered to develop their own operations and maintenance strategies.

Sixty-two percent of wind industry stakeholders believe that access to data is the biggest barrier to digital advancement.

But by harnessing digital solutions and taking ownership of their own maintenance, ONYX research suggests that operators can reduce downtime and unplanned repairs for up to 10 years and reduce their levelised cost of energy by up to 12%.

Digital solutions enable fleet-wide asset condition to be monitored and predictive maintenance to be applied.

Workflows can be streamlined to assign priority and severity to individual cases and enable smoother communication between servicing teams.

With so much potential left to tap into, Indian IPPs must build on prior learning to avoid the mistakes made on the global community’s, and India’s, journey to full-fledged wind energy reliance.

Forward-looking technological investment can and will accelerate India’s growth much closer to the levels seen on the global stage.

Global hydrogen company Nel has launched its fully automated electrolyser production facility in Herøya, Norway.

The facility is named after its location, Herøya, and aims to decrease the costs associated with green hydrogen production while scaling up the use of hydrogen by identifying new application areas.

The plant’s current production capacity is 500MW, with plans to increase to 10GW capacity by 2025, depending on market appetite.

Nel plans to deliver renewable hydrogen at $1.5/kg by 2025 by lowering the unit cost of electrode production.

Masdar has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Kyrgyz Republic’s Ministry of Energy to explore the development of renewable energy opportunities in Kyrgyzstan and support the country’s clean energy objectives.

Under the terms of the MOU, Masdar will explore the development of and investment in ground-mounted solar photovoltaic (PV), floating solar PV and hydropower projects, with a potential capacity of up to 1 GW. The specific projects to be developed were not disclosed.

Energy Minister Bekmurzaev Doskul Djumagulovich and Abdulla Zayed, head of Development and Investment for Central Asia and Russia at Masdar, signed the MoU.

Kyrgyzstan is targeting reducing greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 44% by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. The country already generates around 90% of its electricity from clean energy resources, almost exclusively from aging hydropower plants.

Established in 2006, Masdar, Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company, develops renewable energy projects in the Middle East and North Africa and international markets. The company is wholly owned by the Abu Dhabi government’s Mubadala Investment Company.

Unit 3 of the Karachi nuclear power plant in Pakistan has reached full power operation for the first time, a milestone reached on 31 March 2022.

The 1014MW power plant includes an HPR1000 pressurised water reactor and is owned and operated by Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission.

HPR 1000 or Hualong One is a 3rd-generation nuclear power brand jointly developed by the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) and the China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN).

According to CNNC, the HPR 1000 design was based on more than 30 years of nuclear power research and is capable of mass production.

Karachi unit 3 is the world’s fourth Hualong One unit and China’s second unit overseas. Units 2 and 3 are the result of nuclear cooperation between China and Pakistan, a country participating China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

The nuclear project not only provides stable electricity to Karachi, but is also viewed as a way to enhance confidence in Hualong One across countries and regions participating in the Belt and Road Initiative.

According to the World Nuclear Association, Pakistan has six operable reactors supplied by China.

Zipline, an American company that specializes in using autonomously flying drones to deliver medical supplies, has taken off in Japan.

They’re flying, starting Thursday, across the tiny Goto Islands, off the western coast of Kyushu, in southwestern Japan, delivering to pharmacies and hospitals.

Other parts of Japan may follow, including urban areas, although the biggest needs tend to be in isolated rural areas.

Zipline, founded six years ago, already is in service in the U.S., where it has partnered with Walmart Inc. to deliver other products at the retail chain as well as drugs. It is also delivering medical goods in Ghana and Rwanda.

Its takeoff in Japan is in partnership with Toyota Tsusho, a group company of Japan’s top automaker Toyota Motor Corp.

Although drones have been used in Japan for photography and aerial exhibitions, such as the Tokyo Olympics last year, they’re not in wide use, especially in urban areas because of regulations. It remains to be seen if Zipline’s health care service will help win over skeptics.