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Second Phase of Decommissioning for Unit 1 of Japan's Ikata Nuclear Power Plant Approved by Prefectural Committee

The Environmental Safety Management Committee for the Ikata Nuclear Power Plant in Ehime Prefecture, Japan, held a meeting in Matsuyama City on September 2 to discuss plans by Shikoku Electric Power to proceed with the second phase of decommissioning for Unit 1 of the Ikata Nuclear Power Plant. The unit, located in Ikata-cho, Ehime Prefecture, is currently in the process of being decommissioned. The decommissioning of Unit 1 at the Ikata Nuclear Power Plant has been divided into four main phases. Shikoku Electric Power had previously conducted prior consultations with Ehime Prefecture and Ikata-cho regarding the transition to the next phase, obtained local consent, and submitted relevant applications to Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA). In July of this year, the NRA approved the application...

2026-09-03

Japanese regulator plans budget for research on next-generation reactor reviews

The Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) of Japan has included research costs required for reviewing next-generation nuclear reactors in its budget request for the next fiscal year. The funds will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of new safety measures, providing a review basis for potential future construction or replacement applications. The Japanese government is promoting the development of next-generation nuclear reactors, including innovative light-water reactors that further enhance safety performance based on existing light-water reactor technology. Since November 2025, Kansai Electric Power Company (KEPCO) has been conducting geological surveys at the Mihama Nuclear Power Plant in Fukui Prefecture, in preparation for possible future plans to replace existing units with next-generation reactors. At a meeting held on September 2...

2026-09-03

Japan considers expanding reuse of decontaminated soil from Fukushima

Japan's Environment Minister Ishihara stated after a Cabinet meeting on September 1 that the government is considering and coordinating efforts to continue the decontaminated soil reuse project from Fukushima Prefecture at government offices and other locations in other regions, in order to raise public awareness of the relevant systems and safety management approaches. Following the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station accident, large volumes of soil removed during decontamination operations in Fukushima Prefecture are currently stored at an interim storage facility within the prefecture. Under Japanese law, this soil must be finally disposed of outside the prefecture by March 2045. To reduce the volume of final disposal, the Japanese government is promoting the reuse of decontaminated soil with lower radiation levels. Late last month, construction work was carried out at national government joint office buildings in Sendai City and Saitama City, with soil for flower beds and other areas delivered to the sites. This marked the first time decontaminated soil was reused at such government facilities outside the Tokyo region.

2026-09-03

Belarusian Radioactive Waste Disposal Facility Site Selection May Be Determined by Year-End

Belarusian Energy Minister Denis Moroz recently stated that the site selection for Belarus's radioactive waste disposal facility is expected to be determined by the end of this year. The relevant announcement was made during events marking the 25th anniversary of the Belarusian Ministry of Energy. Moroz noted that Belarus began studying radioactive waste management issues before the final commissioning of its nuclear power plant. Following feasibility studies, Belarus decided to construct a radioactive waste disposal facility and established a dedicated Belarusian radioactive waste management organization to oversee the relevant work. Preliminary work on the disposal facility is currently underway. Moroz stated that radiation safety is of paramount importance to Belarus, and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) documents have already...

2026-09-03

Russian personnel to participate in routine maintenance of Unit 1 at Iran's Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant

Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev stated during the Eastern Economic Forum that Russian personnel plan to participate in the routine preventive maintenance work at Unit 1 of Iran's Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, which is scheduled to begin in mid-September. Likhachev said another group of workers has already arrived at the Unit 1 site of the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant. Nuclear fuel for replacing some fuel assemblies has also been delivered to Iran. In addition to participating in the construction of Units 2 and 3 at the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, Russian personnel will also provide services for the operating unit. According to him, 45 Rosatom employees are currently working at the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, with another...

2026-09-03

External power supply interruption at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant has lasted for 14 days

Yashina, head of communications at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, stated that the external power supply interruption at the plant has lasted for 14 days, with power currently provided by diesel generators, and that on-site personnel are still able to ensure the safe condition of the plant. According to an earlier statement from the plant, on August 20, the "Ferroalloy-1" power line was damaged, causing the external power supply interruption at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. The damage site is located in an area where repair work cannot currently be carried out. After the loss of external power, the plant activated its backup power system. Fuel reserves remain available on site, but to conserve these reserves and maintain stable equipment operation, the operating mode of the diesel generators needs to be optimized. Yashina stated that the plant has been powered by diesel generators for 14 consecutive days...

2026-09-03

Uzbekistan Proposes Joint Venture to Manage Nuclear Power Plant Construction Project

The press service of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev announced that Uzbekistan has proposed establishing a joint venture to manage the construction of a domestic nuclear power plant with the participation of Russia's State Atomic Energy Corporation (Rosatom). On September 2, Mirziyoyev was briefed on the progress of the comprehensive nuclear power plant in the Jizzakh region and the construction of a supporting modern satellite city. According to the relevant arrangements, to improve project management, strengthen technical control, and conduct independent reviews of technical solutions, Uzbekistan plans to establish a joint venture in cooperation with leading foreign engineering companies. The statement also noted that the project will promote the alignment of relevant standards with Uzbekistan's national system, with plans to introduce approximately 100...

2026-09-03

Qinshan Nuclear Power Completes Overhaul Validation of Grille Cleaning Robotic Arm

The grille cleaning robotic arm, an integrated system of UAV-based intelligent inspection and robotic arm automatic cleaning independently developed by the Mechanical Team of the Fourth Maintenance Division at Qinshan Nuclear Power, recently completed on-site validation during the Unit 2 312 overhaul at Qinshan Phase II. Designed for seawater system intake grille cleaning scenarios, this equipment transforms the original manual operation requiring entry into deep wells into an unmanned operation conducted under ground-based remote monitoring. The intake grille serves as a critical barrier for the cooling water system of a nuclear power plant, and its unobstructed condition is directly related to the stable operation of the unit. In traditional cleaning methods, workers were required to enter narrow shafts more than twenty meters underground to perform inspection and cleaning in confined spaces, which involved high labor intensity, low efficiency, and safety risks such as falls from height...

2026-09-03

SNPAS Successfully Completes Batch Shipment of 45 Nuclear-Grade Paperless Recorders

On August 27, SNPAS successfully completed factory acceptance and shipment of 45 nuclear-grade paperless recorders. This batch delivery marks that the product has completed full-process technical iteration, with all production links across the entire chain moving toward standardization. Domestic nuclear-grade display and control equipment now possesses sustained and stable batch supply capability, with continuously growing market recognition. The nuclear-grade paperless recorder is a core product of the high-reliability display and control platform based on FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) architecture. The entire product operation process involves no CPU or operating system, fundamentally resolving the industry pain points of traditional display and control equipment, namely difficult operating system verification and vulnerability to virus attacks. It inherently features virus resistance, no system freezes, instant startup, and fast response...

2026-09-03

Chinese Research Team Develops Novel Adsorbent Material for Uranium Extraction from Seawater

On September 2, it was learned from the Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (hereinafter referred to as "QIBEBT") that the research team has recently made a series of advances in the field of uranium extraction materials from seawater. The team introduced discrete molecular topological design into porous organic cage systems for the first time, synthesizing the phosphate-functionalized material PhosCage, and further compounded it with aramid nanofibers to prepare composite aerogel microspheres AC-POC possessing high selectivity, high capacity, and anti-biofouling capability. The relevant results were published in the international academic journals Journal of Hazardous Materials and Separation and Purification Technology. The deep ocean harbors a vast uranium reservoir, but how to economically and efficiently extract uranium from it remains...

2026-09-03

Guangdong Taipingling Nuclear Power Unit 3 Completes Lifting of Reactor Cavity Pool Wall Module

According to CGNPC Huizhou Nuclear Power Co., Ltd., the reactor cavity pool wall module of Unit 3 at the CGN Guangdong Taipingling Nuclear Power Project was recently successfully lifted, creating conditions for the advancement of subsequent engineering construction. The reactor cavity pool wall is a key stainless steel cladding structure within the reactor building and serves as an important safety cooling barrier for the reactor. Following the completion of this lifting, phased progress has been achieved in the construction of key structures related to the reactor building of Unit 3, laying the foundation for the safe operation of the unit after it is put into service...

2026-09-03

Argentina's Atucha II Nuclear Power Plant Ranks First in National Installed Capacity

Atucha II Nuclear Power Plant is located in Lima, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, and is part of the Atucha nuclear power plant complex, adjacent to Atucha I, the first nuclear power plant in Latin America. The unit has an installed capacity of 745 megawatts, making it the largest nuclear power unit in Argentina by installed capacity. The recent phase of the Atucha II project's construction process began in 2006, when relevant parties initiated engineering completion work. Unit installation was completed in 2011, followed by a pre-commissioning testing phase during which systems were verified item by item. On June 3, 2014, the Atucha II reactor was first started up. Several weeks later, the plant supplied electricity to Argentina's national grid for the first time, and obtained its commercial operation license in May 2016...

2026-09-02

Chornobyl NPP Advances Phase 2 of Decommissioning

The decommissioning of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant (ChNPP) is currently in the second of four phases, with the primary task being the final shutdown and decommissioning preparation of Reactors 1, 2, and 3. To date, ChNPP staff are advancing on-site preparation work within the protected area of the first-stage units. Among these, site preparation for Unit 2 is 94% complete, while Unit 1 stands at 44%. Related work includes dismantling systems and components within the protected area, removing thermal insulation and combustible materials, stripping electrical, signal, and control cables, and sealing wall penetrations, mounting holes, and process openings at the boundary between the protected and controlled areas, as well as installing fire-resistant panels and fire barriers on wall openings and ventilation ducts within the protected area.

2026-09-02

DOE Officials Visit Fort St. Vrain Spent Fuel Storage Facility in Colorado

Tim Walsh, Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Environmental Management (EM), recently visited the Fort St. Vrain spent nuclear fuel storage facility near Platteville in northern Colorado. The facility is managed by the DOE's Idaho Cleanup Project (ICP) and its contractor, Idaho Environmental Coalition (IEC). During the visit, Walsh inspected the storage facility and multiple supporting buildings to learn about the operational mission and historical background of the Fort St. Vrain facility. The facility currently stores spent nuclear fuel from the former Fort St. Vrain power station, which operated using gas-cooled reactor technology and was shut down in 1979...

2026-09-02

New Monitoring Well Characterizes Hexavalent Chromium Plume at Los Alamos National Laboratory

LOS ALAMOS, New Mexico — The U.S. Department of Energy Environmental Management Los Alamos Field Office continues to advance characterization efforts for the hexavalent chromium plume at Los Alamos National Laboratory to inform future remediation alternative selection. According to reports, its legacy cleanup contractor, Newport News Nuclear BWXT-Los Alamos LLC, has completed drilling of a new groundwater monitoring well. Designated R-80, the well reaches approximately 1,030 feet below ground surface and will be used to further characterize the northeastern extent of the hexavalent chromium plume and evaluate different remediation alternatives. Completion of this monitoring well also marks the achievement of a Fiscal Year 2026 consent order milestone for the hexavalent chromium remediation project...

2026-09-02