“The discovery of 2.34 billion metric tons of rare-earth elements near Wheatland, Wyo., signals the beginning of a new era in the competition for the raw materials that power the global economy. If wisely exploited, this find—estimated to be the richest in the world—will give the U.S. an unparalleled economic and geopolitical edge.”
From Wall Street Journal.
“Officials with Kenya’s Nuclear Power and Energy Agency (NuPEA) said the country is on track to start construction on its first nuclear power plant by 2027. The group at a parliamentary hearing this month said the facility would begin generating power by 2034.
Kenya’s move is the latest by an African nation as more countries on the continent consider building nuclear power stations to supply electricity amid burgeoning demand for power. Rwanda last year signed a deal with Canada’s Dual Fluid Energy for a test reactor that would use liquid fuel and lead coolant, resulting in less radioactive waste, the Rwanda Atomic Energy Board said in a statement at that time. Officials said the country has a goal of at least 1 GW of nuclear power generation by 2031.”
From POWER.
“Appalachian Power, an American Electric Power (AEP) company, said Nov. 14 it plans to file an application with the Virginia State Corporation Commission in spring 2025 to bring small modular reactors (SMRs) to Virginia.
In addition, Appalachian Power will apply for part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s $900 million grant program to hasten deployment of SMRs and help reduce customer costs, the company said.
‘SMR technology is a key component to providing perfect power to our customers,’ said Bill Fehrman, AEP president and chief executive officer. ‘Appalachian Power and AEP are committed to working with our states to develop energy solutions that align with state policy goals and reliably serve our customers.’
Representatives with Charleston, W.Va.-headquartered Appalachian Power have already identified a potential site for an SMR project on company-owned Joshua Falls property in Campbell County, Va. The site provides access to existing electrical infrastructure that is necessary for a generation project, according to the company, which plans to start the early site permit application process.”
From Daily Energy Insider.
“A company using artificial intelligence-driven methods announced a significantly expanded find of a large deposit of palladium, platinum and nickel in southeastern Australia, the company’s founder first told Axios on Thursday.
Why it matters: Palladium and other related metals are vital to the transition to cleaner energy technologies, with uses in catalytic converters, hydrogen fuel cells and solar panels.
Zoom in: The find could make it the largest such discovery in Australia to date, Earth AI’s CEO and founder Roman Teslyuk told Axios.”
From Axios.
“The push to commercialize solid-state batteries (SSBs) is underway with industries from automotive to storage betting on the technology. But while the hype around full solid-state batteries has somewhat subsided, with the technology taking longer than expected to take off, semi-solid-state batteries, which use a hybrid design of solid and liquid electrolyte, have been making steady progress toward commercialization.
TrendForce’s latest findings reveal that major manufacturers across the globe – such as Toyota, Nissan, and Samsung SDI – have already begun pilot production of all-solid-state batteries. It is estimated that production volumes could have GWh levels by 2027 as these companies race to scale up production.”
From ESS News.
