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Framatome and EDF Renew Long-Term Operations and Maintenance Service Agreement for Sizewell B Nuclear Power Station, Safeguarding the UK's Only PWR Unit's Life Extension into the 2040s

Framatome of France and Électricité de France (EDF) have recently formally renewed a 15-year Long-Term Service Agreement (LTSA). The agreement will comprehensively cover integrated routine operations and maintenance as well as refueling outage services for Sizewell B Nuclear Power Station (Sizewell B NPP) in Suffolk, UK, to support the unit's ongoing long-term operation and life extension development strategy. Framatome has been continuously responsible for core overhaul and technical maintenance work at Sizewell B since 2008. The renewed long-term service contract extends directly to 2040, and Framatome will mobilize its global technical expertise in the pressurized water reactor (PWR) field and its UK-dedicated...

2026-10-10

U.S. Department of Energy Plans to Provide Vistra with $4.2 Billion Conditional Loan to Support Power Uprates and Life Extensions at Operating Nuclear Plants: Safeguarding Nearly 4 GW of Baseload Power to Meet Surging Electricity Demand from AI Data Centers

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced a conditional loan commitment of up to $4.2 billion to Vistra Corp., an independent power producer headquartered in Irving, Texas. The funds will be dedicated to financing power uprates and equipment modernization projects at three of Vistra's nuclear power plants located in Pennsylvania and Ohio——Beaver Valley, Davis-Besse, and Perry——to meet the explosive growth in electricity demand driven by artificial intelligence and data centers. According to the project plan, this technical upgrade project is expected to add a cumulative 433 megawatts (MW) of nuclear generating capacity, and...

2026-10-08

Armenia and Rosatom Coordinate the Second Life Extension of Metsamor NPP Unit 2: Reviewing Phase Results and Locking In Key Tasks for 2027–2030

On October 7, 2026, the fifth working meeting of the Joint Coordination Committee of the Republic of Armenia and Rosatom was held in Yerevan, comprehensively reviewing the phased implementation results of the major project for the second life extension (LTO-2) of Unit 2 of the Armenian NPP (ANPP, located in Metsamor), and formally countersigned the execution agreement for advancing engineering tasks from 2027 to 2030. Kirill Komarov, First Deputy Director General and Director for International Business Development of Rosatom, led the Russian delegation, while Narek Apitonyan, Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of Armenia, led the Armenian delegation.

2026-10-08

Joint Institute for High Temperatures of the Russian Academy of Sciences Discovers a New Phase Transition in Cesium Plasma: Abrupt Conductivity Jump and a Rare Double Critical Point

A research team from the Joint Institute for High Temperatures of the Russian Academy of Sciences (JIHT RAS / ОИВТ РАН) has achieved an important physics advance in the study of extreme high-temperature and high-pressure states: researchers have discovered a previously undescribed phase transition in cesium (Cesium) under dense plasma conditions, accompanied by a dramatic jump-like change in electrical conductivity. The study focuses on the microscopic physical behavior of matter at temperatures from 500 to 20,000 Kelvin (K) and pressures ranging from about 1 hectopascal (hPa) to several terapascals (TPa). Under such severe extreme conditions, interatomic distances are greatly compressed, matter undergoes multiple deep ionizations, and the traditional criteria for distinguishing solid, liquid, and gas states can no longer...

2026-10-08

Chest CT Can Measure Bone Density and Warn of Brain Aging Risk: Latest Research Reveals Link Between Skeletal and Cognitive Decline

Chest computed tomography (CT), routinely used to screen for lung lesions, may hold important clues for assessing brain health. A research team from Johns Hopkins University in the United States explored approaches to using existing chest imaging to assess bone health and link it to brain aging, with the related findings published in September 2026 in the authoritative journal Radiology. The study showed that subjects with lower thoracic vertebral bone density experienced faster cognitive decline during subsequent follow-up, and specific white matter microstructural changes also showed associated degeneration. Chest CT is widely used in lung cancer screening and pulmonary nodule follow-up...

2026-09-30

MOST Sets the Pathway for Hard-Core Science and Technology Breakthroughs in the "15th Five-Year Plan": Comprehensive and Systematic Deployment of Major Basic Research on Controlled Nuclear Fusion to Solidify the Foundation of Future Strategic Energy

At the series-themed press conference on "Getting Off to a Good Start in the '15th Five-Year Plan'" held by the State Council Information Office, the Ministry of Science and Technology officially released the top-level design and core breakthrough roadmap for building a science and technology powerhouse over the next five years. When outlining the layout for major science and technology breakthroughs and original innovation, Minister of Science and Technology Yin Hejun explicitly emphasized that, in strengthening the strategic depth of basic research, China will closely anchor itself to the frontiers of the global energy revolution and, centering on underlying scientific bottlenecks in key fields such as energy and materials, comprehensively and systematically deploy major basic research tasks including controlled nuclear fusion (Controlled Nuclear Fusion), so as to seize the future...

2026-09-30

Weilan Stellar Completes China's First Stellarator Magnet Cryogenic Comprehensive Test Platform in Three Months, First Round of Magnet Testing Launched

Weilan Stellar recently completed the construction of China's first stellarator magnet cryogenic comprehensive test platform, and the first round of magnet testing has been launched. Qiu Lilong, a review expert for the cryogenic system, stated that from independent design and system integration to domestically sourced supporting equipment, Weilan Stellar took only three and a half months to integrate vacuum, cryogenics, power supply, measurement, and protection into a comprehensive test platform. The test platform fully demonstrates the team's outstanding capabilities in scientific research, engineering, and project management. As the foundation for stable operation of a stellarator, the cryogenic system's vacuum level, sealing performance, and cooling capacity are all crucial. Unlike conventional paced R&D models, Weilan Stellar has always adhered to a pragmatic,...

2026-09-23

Russia's Kalinin Nuclear Power Plant Unit 2 begins scheduled comprehensive overhaul, equipment upgrades to be carried out

On September 19, 2026, Kalinin Nuclear Power Plant Unit 2 officially entered a period of scheduled maintenance according to plan. The unit belongs to Rosenergoatom, a branch of the Electric Power Division of Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation. The maintenance will involve nuclear fuel replacement, routine inspection and repair of the reactor and turbine generator set, as well as a comprehensive assessment of the technical condition of the metal materials of core equipment. During the maintenance period, technical personnel from the Kalinin Nuclear Power Plant will work closely with experts from Atomenergoremont Company. While carrying out routine maintenance, they will also implement nine upgrade and modification projects on some key nodes and process systems of Unit 2. The entire overhaul process requires...

2026-09-20

Terrestrial Energy Submits Graphite Topical Report to U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Advancing Integrated Molten Salt Reactor Licensing Process

Terrestrial Energy, a leading company in fourth-generation molten salt reactor technology, announced on September 10 that it has submitted the Graphite Topical Report to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The submission of this report is intended to establish a solid regulatory certification basis for the application of nuclear-grade graphite—a core component of the IMSR core unit—in commercial power plants, marking an important step in the company's commercialization process. The IMSR reactor is a graphite-moderated molten salt reactor. Although graphite has a relatively long history of application in the nuclear power field, regulators require independent performance verification for each specific reactor design to ensure safety and reliability. This submission...

2026-09-16

Armenia and the IAEA discuss the extension of the Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant and the selection of the reactor type for a new nuclear power plant

On September 15, Armenian Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure David Khudatyan and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi held talks in Vienna, during which the two sides held in-depth discussions on the progress of the life extension project for Unit 2 of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant (ANPP) and the selection of the reactor type for a new nuclear power plant. According to a message posted by Khudatyan on social media, the talks were held during the 70th IAEA General Conference. We discussed with Rafael Grossi the ongoing and planned projects under the framework of industry cooperation with the IAEA...

2026-09-16

Sweden's Blykalla Partners with Microsoft to Use AI to Advance Licensing Review of Lead-Cooled Advanced Nuclear Reactor

Swedish advanced nuclear technology developer Blykalla recently announced a partnership with Microsoft to apply artificial intelligence (AI) technology to one of the most challenging bottlenecks in the nuclear power industry——project licensing and regulatory review. Blykalla has begun deploying Microsoft's GenAI for Energy Permitting Solution Accelerator and Agentic AI tools in its regulatory business processes, aiming to significantly shorten the licensing approval cycle for its Swedish Advanced Lead-cooled Reactor (SEALER) in Sweden and the United States. Microsoft's solution demonstrates how generative AI and AI agent...

2026-09-16

KHNP Hanul Nuclear Power Plant Conducts High-Intensity Comprehensive Drill to Address Safety Threats Including Earthquakes, Wildfires, and Drones

On the 14th, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) Hanul Nuclear Power Plant conducted a high-intensity comprehensive emergency drill aimed at responding to compound disasters such as earthquakes, wildfires, and radioactive material leaks, as well as new safety challenges including information system failures and drone threats. The Hanul Nuclear Power Plant announced that it jointly held the "2026 Disaster Response Safety Korea Drill" with multiple relevant departments at Hanul Unit 1. The Safety Korea Drill is a nationwide comprehensive emergency exercise designed to establish a disaster management system and cross-departmental coordination mechanism involving South Korea's central ministries, local governments, and public institutions, ensuring efficient joint response capabilities during major emergencies. This drill was...

2026-09-14

Lower likelihood of restart for Belgium's Doel 3 and Tihange 2 reactors

According to a September 11 report by Le Soir, samples collected nearly two years ago from the reactor pressure vessels of Belgium's Doel 3 and Tihange 2 reactors indicate that the possibility of restarting these two nuclear reactors is extremely low. In the winter of 2024 to 2025, operator Engie successively took samples from the Doel 3 reactor pressure vessel and the Tihange 2 reactor pressure vessel. The sampling work was carried out at the request of the Belgian Federal Agency for Nuclear Control (FANC) and the Belgian National Agency for Radioactive Waste and Enriched Fissile Materials (NIRAS), which is responsible for radioactive waste management, with the aim of measuring in detail the radiation levels at different parts of the pressure vessels so as to classify and dispose of the related waste.

2026-09-13

Hanbit Unit 2 in South Korea Shut Down as Operating License Expires, Four Nuclear Units Temporarily Off the Grid

On September 11, 2026, Hanbit Nuclear Power Plant Unit 2 in Yeonggwang County, South Jeolla Province, South Korea, stopped generating electricity as its 40-year operating license expired. Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) said the same day that the generator of Hanbit Unit 2 was disconnected from the grid at 10 a.m., after which it entered a phase of routine inspection and planned preventive maintenance. Hanbit Unit 2 began commercial operation on September 12, 1986. Previously, Hanbit Unit 1 had been shut down in December 2025 for the same reason. With this, about 1.9 gigawatts of installed capacity from Hanbit Units 1 and 2 has temporarily withdrawn from the grid. In addition to Kori Units 3 and 4, which have already been shut down due to license expiration and are awaiting subsequent review decisions...

2026-09-11

US-based Terrestrial Energy Submits IMSR Graphite Topical Report to Advance Molten Salt Reactor Licensing Preparation

US fourth-generation molten salt nuclear power plant developer Terrestrial Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: IMSR) recently announced that it has submitted a graphite topical report to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The report is intended to provide a regulatory basis for the use of graphite, a key core component of the Integral Molten Salt Reactor (IMSR), in commercial power plant operation. Terrestrial Energy CEO Simon Irish stated that this is the second of at least three IMSR topical reports the company plans to submit to the NRC in 2026, and is part of its structured regulatory engagement plan, ultimately...

2026-09-11