SONE Newsletter 311 – October 2025

Posted by Wade Allison on 13 October 2025 in Newsletters

Tagged with: AGM, Austria, Fusion, Malaysia, Norway, SMR, Shipping, Switzerland, USA.

This month

With the growth of the Nuclear Renaissance there is far more news than can be summarised in the SONE Newsletter. In this edition we concentrate on news directly affecting UK and historical matters. Wider coverage can be found on the daily postings of the World Nuclear Association https://world-nuclear-news.org/

SONE Visit to Springfields 23 September 2025

Virginia Crosbie and Trudy Harrison in front of Westinghouse Springfields reception office.

A party of 14 members of SONE, including 3 of our patrons, Chris, Virginia and Trudy, visited the only site in the UK where nuclear fuel is manufactured, as it has been since 1946. Never two to miss an opportunity for wider publicity Virginia and Trudy posted thanks to the Westinghouse management with a video. This has received 162 plaudits (and counting) https://www.linkedin.com/posts/virginiacrosbie_sone-nuclearenergy-springfieldsfuels-activity-7377248097833476096-ZizA
With advertising like this and support from all UK political parties the future of nuclear looks encouraging, hopefully including export opportunities too.

The Annual General Meeting and a dinner for SONE members

The AGM will be held online on October 24th at 2 pm and will consider suggestions for coming change. Papers are on their way by email or hardcopy to members who are encouraged to attend and also to join the Committee. This meets four times a year online and organises events such as the visit to Springfields, above. The link to join the AGM is on the Agenda.

Members should also receive an invitation to a dinner on Nov 3rd in Oxford. This is an in-person occasion at which to meet and discuss ideas and events. Some members of the Nuclear Institute YGN who have also been invited. Applications close on October 19th.

Malaysia

World Nuclear reports that Malaysia is considering nuclear power https://world-nuclear-news.org/articles/malaysia-launches-nuclear-energy-feasibility-study

Switzerland

One of a number of countries where legislation lags public opinion changes are in hand to lift the ban on new reactors. https://world-nuclear-news.org/articles/legislative-changes-proposed-to-remove-swiss-new-reactor-ban

Svalbard

Norway is considering siting an SMR in Svalbard.
https://world-nuclear-news.org/articles/plans-for-smr-plant-on-svalbard-progress
No doubt there are strong international security motives involved too.

Fusion News

Tokamak Energy Inc - the US subsidiary of Tokamak Energy of the UK - has been selected for the US Department of Energy’s Fusion Innovative Research Engine (FIRE) Collaboratives, a USD128 million initiative aimed at accelerating core fusion energy science and technology. As part of a University of Houston-led project, Tokamak Energy Inc is helping to develop advanced superconducting tapes designed to withstand neutron irradiation. In addition, Tokamak Energy Inc is serving as technical advisor on eight FIRE projects, partnering with leading US national laboratories and universities to help guide early-stage fusion research toward commercial viability, including pilot plant design, fusion blanket development, and advanced materials for fusion environments. [WNN 9/10/25]

[Editor: There is much activity, in the UK and elsewhere, surrounding the prospect of commercial nuclear fusion in the medium term. Personally, I think that this is far off and over-hyped at this stage. Perhaps a SONE member who is following the detail might write a piece to explain why I am wrong.]

Austria

The European Union’s General Court has dismissed Austria’s attempt to annul the European Commission’s inclusion of certain gas and nuclear activities in its list of officially approved “green” investments. Perhaps, even Austria will see the light in the end. The competition to be the last is hotly contested, for instance by Australia.

United States

As a result of the lockdown and the vindictive political situation there, hundreds of energy contracts are being cancelled, particularly if they are in “blue” states. Nuclear energy is least affected although it is difficult to see how general political and economic stability can be maintained by the current arbitrary autocratic regime. Political developments should be observed through appropriate safety glasses at a distance. Meanwhile, it is interesting to read that the US is looking at laser enrichment to make its HALEU fuel https://world-nuclear-news.org/articles/companies-join-forces-for-possible-us-haleu-project

Nuclear shipping

Discussion of plans and regulations that would permit the widespread deployment of nuclear shipping and floating power plants continues with the International Maritime Organisation and the IAEA. Meetings of the Nuclear Energy Maritime Organisation have been held at Lloyd’s Register in London https://www.nemo.ngo/news/security-by-design-for-maritime-workshop
A new video provides illustrations https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmxKTk0gnvs and an article by COREPOWER goes into more detail https://www.corepower.energy/library/marine-civil-nuclear-propulsion
It is very encouraging to see the UK playing a major role in this international development.

RR SMR news

The Nuclear Industry Association (NIA) applied in July 2024 to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) for a justification decision for the Rolls-Royce SMR, marking the first ever application for justification of a UK reactor design. DEFRA has now opened a public consultation on the NIA’s application, which will close on 1 December.

Graphite developments

Four British universities, Manchester, Oxford, Loughborough and Plymouth, have been awarded funding to collaborate on research on securing a domestic supply of nuclear graphite and finding solutions to managing the country’s stockpile of irradiated graphite waste,.
https://www.neimagazine.com/news/uk-to-study-nuclear-graphite/

History that I am reading

Among those books that I never got round to reading until now, may I recommend “Churchill’s Bomb: How the United States overtook Britain in the first nuclear arms race”? Profoundly researched and extremely well written, its author is Graeme Farmelo. He also wrote “The Strangest Man”, the outstanding biography of Paul Dirac, the only 20th C physicist comparable to Einstein. I am learning much as I read “Churchill’s Bomb” – though the title does not seem right in my view.

Wade Allison, Hon. Sec
October 2025