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Uzbekistan Prepares for Second Nuclear Power Plant Project

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said on August 17 at a ceremony launching investment projects in the Khorezm region that Uzbekistan is carrying out large-scale preparatory work for the construction of a second nuclear power plant. This marks the first time the country has publicly mentioned the second NPP project. Mirziyoyev said Uzbekistan has advanced a number of energy and infrastructure projects in recent years, with the nuclear power plant under construction in the Jizzakh region being one of them. He noted that the second NPP is still in the preparation stage, with the project site, installed capacity, construction timeline, and potential contractors yet to be announced. At the same event, U...

2026-08-21

Russia Marks 81 Years Since the Birth of Its Nuclear Industry: From the Soviet Nuclear Program to Modern Nuclear Talent Development

On August 20, 1945, the founding documents establishing the Special Committee and the First Main Directorate under the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR were officially signed, generally regarded as the starting point of the Soviet nuclear industry system. Eighty-one years later, Russia's nuclear energy community once again looks back at this historical milestone, linking it to nuclear science and technology development and talent cultivation. In August of that year, after the United States used atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Soviet Union accelerated the establishment of its own nuclear research and industrial system. On August 29, 1949, the Soviet Union completed the RDS-1 nuclear test. Thereafter, Soviet nuclear science gradually extended from military applications to peaceful uses, building the world's first grid-connected nuclear power plant and developing a fleet of nuclear-powered icebreakers. The establishment of the nuclear industry system also drove...

2026-08-21

Indonesia Holds Meeting with Russia on Regulatory Framework for Floating Nuclear Power Plants

On August 18-19, Russian and Indonesian agencies held working meetings in Jakarta to discuss the development of a regulatory framework for Indonesia's nuclear energy program, covering licensing, regulatory, and safety requirements for the implementation of floating nuclear power plant projects. Deputy Chairman of the Federal Service for Environmental, Technological and Nuclear Supervision (Rostekhnadzor) Alexey Ferapontov, the head of Indonesia's Nuclear Energy Regulatory Agency (BAPETEN), representatives of Rosatom, and representatives of Indonesia's Ministry of Transportation attended the meetings. The discussions focused on cooperation prospects between the two countries' regulatory bodies in the context of developing Indonesia's nuclear energy program...

2026-08-21

U.S. University Develops Laser De-icing Technology for Nuclear Power Plant Safety System Maintenance

An engineering team at the University of South Florida has developed a customized laser de-icing technology to address the issue of ice basket adhesion in the maintenance of critical safety systems at nuclear power plants. After four years of research, design, and testing, the technology has completed field testing at two nuclear power plants operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). Developed jointly by Ahmed Vaselbehagh, Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of South Florida, and postdoctoral researcher Ty Hagan, the technology is primarily aimed at ice condenser systems used in certain nuclear power plants in the United States, Japan, and Finland...

2026-08-21

U.S. SYNOPTICS Produces Large-Size Yb:YLF Crystal for Inertial Confinement Fusion Laser Systems

On August 19, SYNOPTICS, a subsidiary of Northrop Grumman, announced that it had successfully grown and harvested a large-size ytterbium-doped yttrium lithium fluoride crystal, namely a Yb:YLF crystal ingot. The crystal measures approximately 127 millimeters at its widest point, with a diameter three times the industry standard. SYNOPTICS stated that as laser engineering continues to expand toward higher efficiency and higher power, the demand for gain media with larger apertures and larger dimensions continues to grow. The Yb:YLF crystal produced this time is approximately 20% larger than the largest crystal the company had previously grown, and approximately 50% larger than the company's conventional product size. Kevin Stevens, General Manager of SYNOPTICS, stated that yttrium lithium fluoride is a commonly used host material for laser-active rare-earth ions, and scaling up the growth of YLF crystals will help laser engineers continue to raise the upper limit of achievable laser output power. He said that such materials are of significant importance for applications including directed energy, inertial confinement fusion, and industrial laser systems. Stevens also stated that Yb:YLF crystals can be used in applications requiring reduced thermal lensing effects and enhanced pulsed energy storage capability, while also leveraging their natural birefringent host to achieve polarization characteristics. According to information recently released by SYNOPTICS, some of the crystals will be used in the high-energy laser system at the German Electron Synchrotron Research Center (DESY) to support its inertial confinement fusion energy research. The company is currently studying the feasibility of further scaling up the size of Yb:YLF crystals, and plans to extend the relevant processes to other rare-earth-ion-doped YLF crystals, including holmium, thulium, and neodymium doping systems.

2026-08-21

South Korea Amends Nuclear Safety Act to Clarify Safety Responsibilities of Nuclear Facility Operators

The National Assembly of South Korea passed a partial amendment to the Nuclear Safety Act at its 438th special session on August 20, marking the first time that nuclear-related business operators' primary responsibility for nuclear facility safety has been explicitly established at the legal level. This move signifies that South Korea's nuclear safety management system will further transition from a licensing and regulation-centered approach to a responsibility system aligned with the safety principles of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The amendment was proposed by South Korean lawmaker Oh Se-hee. Prior to the revision, South Korea's Nuclear Safety Act primarily established safety standards and regulatory procedures around reactor construction and operating licenses, nuclear material use, and radioactive waste management facility operations, but lacked...

2026-08-21

Organizational Diagnostic Assessment Completed at Russia's Smolensk Nuclear Power Plant

Russia's Smolensk Nuclear Power Plant has recently completed an organizational diagnostic assessment under a support mission of the WANO Moscow Centre. The assessment was carried out by a team of eight experts from the WANO Moscow Centre, Rosenergoatom, Beloyarsk Nuclear Power Plant, and Atomflot, among other organizations. Organizational diagnostics is a type of assessment that WANO has been conducting in recent years, focusing not on a single topic but on a comprehensive review of the plant from the organizational and operational perspective. The assessment covered areas including employee...

2026-08-21

22 Atmospheric Radiation Automatic Monitoring Stations in Shaanxi Operate Stably, with National-Controlled Stations Achieving 99.9% Data Acquisition Rate

In recent years, Shaanxi Province has continuously strengthened the construction of its radiation environmental monitoring network. The 22 atmospheric radiation automatic monitoring stations across the province, including 12 national-controlled stations and 10 provincial-controlled stations, have maintained stable operation. These stations utilize high-pressure ionization chambers, ultra-high-flow aerosol samplers, gamma spectrometers, and other equipment to conduct continuous monitoring of atmospheric instantaneous gamma dose rates, aerosol samples, and gamma radionuclides. Relevant data are transmitted in real time to the system platform of the Shaanxi Provincial Nuclear and Radiation Safety Supervision Station. According to reports, Shaanxi has gradually established an automatic station operation and maintenance management system featuring strong organization, closed-loop responsibility, funding guarantees, standardized procedures, and digital-intelligent empowerment. In 2023, the 5-minute data acquisition rate of Shaanxi's 12 national-controlled stations reached 99.9%, ranking third nationwide.

2026-08-21

A Category IV Cobalt-60 (Co-60) radioactive source retired in Huangshi

Recently, under the coordinated deployment and on-site supervision of the Huangshi Municipal Ecological Environment Bureau in Hubei Province, a retired Category IV Cobalt-60 (Co-60) radioactive source was transported in a closed loop by a professionally qualified vehicle and safely delivered to the Hubei Provincial Urban Radioactive Waste Repository, where it was permanently sealed in a standardized manner. The collection and storage process for this waste source followed standard procedures with meticulous control, and no readings exceeding limits, equipment loosening, or other safety anomalies occurred throughout the entire transport process. It is understood that this Cobalt-60 radioactive source was originally the core component of a level gauge supporting an enterprise's kiln production line. As the production line was dismantled and scrapped, the related equipment ceased operation, increasing the safety management pressure of the idle radioactive source. Upon receiving the enterprise's disposal application, the Huangshi Municipal Ecological Environment Bureau...

2026-08-21

Norroy Bioscience's 68Ga-NYM096 Receives FDA Breakthrough Therapy and Fast Track Designations

China-based Norroy Bioscience announced on August 19 that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Breakthrough Therapy and Fast Track designations to its radiopharmaceutical imaging agent 68Ga-NYM096. The agent is a PET imaging tracer targeting carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX), intended for imaging clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). According to the company, 68Ga-NYM096 is being developed as a non-invasive PET imaging tool to characterize renal masses detected by CT or MRI and to help distinguish clear cell renal cell carcinoma from other non-ccRCC renal lesions. Clear cell renal cell carcinoma is the most common subtype of renal cell carcinoma...

2026-08-21

IAEA Launches New Project to Enhance Nuclear Fuel and Materials Testing Capabilities in Research Reactors

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recently launched a four-year coordinated research project aimed at optimizing the experimental design of nuclear fuel and structural materials testing in research reactors, enhancing the safety, effectiveness, and efficiency of irradiation experiments. Top view showing a materials testing reactor core loaded with two in-core materials testing devices. (Photo: Y. Ostrovsky/MIT) With the continued advancement of new nuclear reactor technologies, growing interest in small modular reactors, and existing nuclear power plants seeking long-term operation, the demand for reliable testing of new nuclear fuels and structural materials is increasing. Before being put into use in nuclear reactors, these fuels and materials must be tested and qualified under harsh conditions such as radiation and high temperatures...

2026-08-21

US Inertia Fusion Fuel Preparation Time Significantly Reduced

US fusion startup Inertia Enterprises said it has made progress in inertial fusion energy fuel preparation in collaboration with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), reducing the time required for the critical step of forming a cryogenic deuterium-tritium fuel layer from potentially several days in the past to tens of minutes. The company said this achievement completes a key task in the first phase of its commercial fusion power plant development goals. The fundamental approach of inertial fusion energy involves using high-energy lasers to compress and heat small targets containing deuterium-tritium fuel, bringing the fuel to ignition conditions and releasing energy. The National Ignition Facility (NIF) has already...

2026-08-21

Two US Companies Partner to Bring AI to Nuclear Power Plant Simulation Training

Nuclearn, a US artificial intelligence solutions company, and GSE Solutions, a supplier of high-fidelity simulation and operator training systems for nuclear power plants, announced a strategic partnership on August 20. The two companies will combine Nuclearn's AI capabilities with GSE Solutions' nuclear power plant simulator technology for applications such as plant simulation, operator training, and engineering analysis. According to information released by the two companies, the collaboration will proceed along two tracks. GSE Solutions plans to integrate Nuclearn's AI features into its simulator products, providing training instructors with tools such as natural language scenario development, automatic performance summaries after training scenarios, adaptive quiz and assessment generation, and plant-specific physics explanations during training...

2026-08-21

U.S. Apollo Atomics Secures $31 Million in Funding to Advance Commercialization of Compact Pressurized Water Reactor

U.S.-based Apollo Atomics recently announced the completion of a $31 million seed funding round to advance the commercialization of its next-generation compact pressurized water reactor. Incubated by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and backed by Y Combinator, the company plans to shift the reactor from the traditional one-off large-scale construction model to a factory-manufactured, scalable product. The round was led by FCVC, with participation from Y Combinator, Telesoft Partners, Alumni Ventures, Robinhood Ventures, Nucleation Capital, Pelion VC, and Duke Capital Partners. The company stated that the proceeds will be used to...

2026-08-21

South Korea Approves License Amendment for Gyeongju Low- and Intermediate-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Facility

The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC) of South Korea announced on August 21 that it held its 12th meeting of 2026 in written form on August 20, reviewing and approving the license amendment for the construction and operation of the near-surface disposal facility for low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste operated by the Korea Radioactive Waste Agency (KORAD). The near-surface disposal facility is located in Munmu-daewang-myeon, Gyeongju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, and is the second-phase project of the Gyeongju low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste disposal facility. Near-surface disposal refers to the disposal of low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste in near-surface facilities, rather than in deep underground caverns. The facility completed its pre-operational inspection in March this year. This license amendment is primarily intended to update the safety analysis report...

2026-08-21