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Bulgarian Environmental Groups Demand Public Review of Water Engineering Project Near Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant

WWF Bulgaria has called for the prompt public disclosure of the technical plans and final design selection for the proposed hydraulic structures near the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant, as well as for public discussions to be organized before construction work begins in the Danube riverbed. The organization stated that the purpose of the proposed project is to raise local water levels during prolonged droughts and historically low Danube water levels, ensuring the stable operation of the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant's cooling system. The organization has sent an open letter to Bulgaria's Minister of Energy, Minister of Transport and Communications, and Minister of Environment and Water, raising these demands. WWF Bulgaria noted that the Danube is an international waterway, and any engineering intervention involving the riverbed requires careful assessment of environmental, socio-economic, hydro-morphological, and transboundary impacts. Given the complexity of the factors involved in the project, relevant analyses, model results, and design justifications should be made public in a timely manner and subjected to transparent public discussion.

2026-08-27

Thailand Plans to Include Small Modular Reactors in Power Development Plan, Targeting 9 GW by 2050

Thailand's new draft Power Development Plan (PDP) is expected to be released in September and enter the public consultation phase. All four power supply scenarios under discussion incorporate small modular reactors (SMRs) and large-scale energy storage systems, covering the planning period from 2026 to 2050. According to the draft's vision, Thailand plans to connect its first 300 MW-class small modular reactor to the national power grid by 2037, with nuclear power installed capacity reaching 9,000 MW by 2050. Based on a single-unit capacity of 300 MW, this target is roughly equivalent to approximately 30 reactors of similar scale, though the actual number may be adjusted depending on technology pathways and electricity demand. The main objectives of the new plan include reducing greenhouse...

2026-08-27

KHNP Advances Nuclear Process Heat-Based Hydrogen Production Ecosystem

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) held a preparatory meeting in Daejeon on August 26 to establish an advisory body for building the Korean solid oxide cell industrial ecosystem, and discussed R&D strategic alliances and industry-academia-research cooperation frameworks. The collaboration will bring together industry, academia, and research institutions, including the Korea Institute of Ceramic Engineering and Technology (KICET). KHNP plans to use the advisory body as a platform to connect R&D, demonstration, and commercialization, promoting the self-reliance of Korean solid oxide cell (K-SOC) related technologies. According to the meeting agenda, KHNP will serve as the lead enterprise, proposing technology development directions needed for demonstration applications and commercialization; the Korea Institute of Ceramic Engineering and Technology will play a supporting role in supplying core industrial technologies.

2026-08-27

U.S. Interlune injects helium-4 into lunar soil simulant, simulating 15,000 years of solar wind exposure on the Moon in 4 hours

U.S. space infrastructure and resources company Interlune announced on August 26, 2026, that it has successfully injected helium-4 into and released it from simulated lunar soil material, with experimental results consistent with the behavior of real lunar samples collected by the Apollo program. The company stated that this capability can simulate nearly 15,000 years of solar wind exposure on the lunar surface in approximately 4 hours, providing a material basis closer to real conditions for testing lunar resource development equipment on Earth. The experiment focused primarily on ilmenite. According to studies of Apollo mission samples, ilmenite is the main helium-bearing mineral in lunar soil. Interlune formed a plasma by ionizing helium gas in a vacuum environment, then...

2026-08-27

AMPERA and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Collaborate to Develop Advanced Nuclear Fuel

AMPERA announced on August 26 that it has established a strategic partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), which operates under the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) system. The two parties will collaborate on next-generation advanced nuclear fuels, with a focus on applications such as compact nuclear energy systems and subcritical reactor platforms. Under the collaboration arrangement, the two parties will jointly advance the development of manufacturing processes related to tristructural isotropic (TRISO) fuel. Project objectives include improving the reliability, licensability, and scalability of fuel manufacturing,...

2026-08-27

U.S. SuperCritical Materials Corp. Completes Independent Engineering Assessment of Seawater Uranium Extraction Platform

SuperCritical Materials Corp. announced on August 26 that Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR) has completed an independent engineering assessment of its seawater uranium extraction platform. The assessment covered the uranium extraction platform, deployment architecture, offshore operation plans, uranium recovery process, commercialization pathway, and key engineering conditions required for future large-scale deployment. The assessment reviewed SuperCritical Materials' conceptual production plan. Under this plan, the system would use approximately 10,000 metric tons of adsorbent and operate on a continuous 21-day deployment cycle, capable of supporting a uranium processing facility with an annual output of 1.85 million pounds of triuranium octoxide (U3O8)...

2026-08-27

Japan to Allocate Funds to Accelerate Preparations for Next-Generation Nuclear Reactor Reviews

The Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) of Japan has decided to include funding in its budget request for the next fiscal year to investigate the effectiveness of safety measures for next-generation nuclear reactors and to make advance preparations for future review work. The Japanese government is promoting the development of next-generation nuclear reactors, including innovative light-water reactors that enhance safety design based on existing light-water reactor technology. Since November last year, Kansai Electric Power Co. has been conducting geological surveys at the Mihama Nuclear Power Station in Fukui Prefecture as part of preliminary preparations for potentially replacing existing units with next-generation reactors in the future. It has been reported that the NRA plans to include in its budget request for the next fiscal year...

2026-08-27

TEPCO replaces faulty motor of robotic arm at Fukushima Daiichi Unit 2

Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) began replacing the faulty motor of the robotic arm used for fuel debris retrieval trials at Unit 2 of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station on August 26. The robotic arm, approximately 22 meters long, is planned for use in the third fuel debris retrieval trial. During a previous operational inspection inside the reactor building of Unit 2, TEPCO found that the motor driving the robotic arm had malfunctioned, preventing the brake from releasing and the arm from extending. As the robotic arm is already installed on site, workers will enter the "front chamber" in front of the containment vessel to perform the replacement manually. The company stated that radiation levels in the work area will be strictly controlled to prevent workers from receiving excessive exposure. After this replacement, TEPCO will...

2026-08-27

Chubu Electric Power Suspected of Falsifying Decommissioning Progress at Hamaoka Nuclear Power Plant

According to disclosures, Japan's Chubu Electric Power Company (CEPCO) is suspected of submitting improper reports to the Japan Spent Fuel Reprocessing and Decommissioning Promotion Organization (NuRO), which manages decommissioning funds, during the cost declaration process for the decommissioning of Units 1 and 2 at the Hamaoka Nuclear Power Plant, overstating project progress and settling related costs accordingly. The Hamaoka Nuclear Power Plant is located in Omaezaki City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. Chubu Electric Power decided to shut down Units 1 and 2 of the plant in 2008, with related decommissioning work commencing in 2009. Sources say that when declaring decommissioning project costs, the company is suspected of reporting project progress as faster than actual conditions and using inaccurate data in documents submitted to the fund management organization...

2026-08-27

Belarus Advances Preparations for Radioactive Waste Disposal Facility

Belarus is advancing preliminary work on the construction of a centralized radioactive waste disposal facility. Mikhail Kisel, Director of the Belarusian Radioactive Waste Management Organization, recently stated at a public discussion on the environmental impact assessment report held in Mstsislaw that, according to the country's radioactive waste management strategy through 2050, existing storage facilities will need to be decommissioned in the future, and the new radioactive waste disposal facility is planned to be completed by 2030. Kisel noted that the sources of radioactive waste are not limited to the nuclear energy sector, but also include healthcare, industrial, and scientific research activities. Currently, centralized long-term storage of such waste is handled by the specialized enterprise Ekores. Belarusian radioactive waste...

2026-08-27

Hualong One Pressurizer Electric Heaters Achieve Coverage of Two Major Technical Routes

The pressurizer electric heater is an important safety-class component of the reactor coolant system (primary loop) in pressurized water reactor nuclear power plants, directly affecting unit pressure regulation and safe, stable operation. The localized pressurizer electric heater developed by Chuanyi Instrument Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of SINOMACH Instrumentation Group under SINOMACH Group, has been applied to China's self-developed Generation III nuclear power units such as "Hualong One." The photo shows the qualification prototype of the Hualong One pressurizer electric heater. With the batch construction of Hualong One units advancing, units adopting different technical routes have imposed new customized operating condition requirements on pressurizer electric heaters. In October 2019, Chuanyi Instrument, together with China General Nuclear Power Engineering Co., Ltd., initiated the development of the CGN-version Hualong One pressurizer electric heater...

2026-08-27

Construction of Access Tunnels Commences for Phase III of Taipingling Nuclear Power Project

On August 26, 2026, CGN's Guangdong Taipingling Nuclear Power Plant held a mobilization meeting for the construction of its Phase III project. At the meeting, the "Safety and Quality Responsibility Agreement for the Construction and Operation of CGN Guangdong Taipingling Nuclear Power Plant Phase III Project" was unveiled, aiming to further consolidate safety and quality responsibilities in nuclear power engineering construction, strengthen project quality management, and ensure the safe and orderly progress of project construction. At the mobilization meeting, Zhang Guoqiang, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of CGN Huizhou Nuclear Power Co., Ltd., announced the official commencement of access tunnel construction for the Phase III project. Upon completion of the access tunnel construction, it will help improve the organizational efficiency of project construction in areas such as material transportation and module hoisting, and create conditions for the subsequent pouring of the first batch of nuclear island concrete.

2026-08-27

Symposium on Marine Radiation Monitoring and Emergency Response Technology Exchange Successfully Held

To further enhance the technical support capability for marine radiation environment monitoring and promote scientific research innovation and practical application in marine radiation monitoring and emergency response, the National Marine Environmental Monitoring Center (hereinafter referred to as the Marine Center) recently conducted a technical exchange with the Jinan Zhongke Nuclear Technology Research Institute. The two sides engaged in comprehensive discussions on technology development, equipment application, data analysis, and standards development, focusing on the new situation and new requirements facing marine radiation environmental safety. The Marine Center systematically presented its operational system, technical capabilities, and practical experience in the field of marine radiation monitoring and emergency response. The Jinan Zhongke Nuclear Technology Research Institute highlighted its core...

2026-08-27

Lanzhou Taiji Completes Key Commissioning of First Domestic Multi-Ion Therapy Device HiTS400

The first domestically produced multi-ion therapy device HiTS400, independently developed by Lanzhou Taiji and installed at Shandong Cancer Hospital, recently completed phased joint commissioning. After one week of operational testing, all beam parameters of the device met or exceeded contractual requirements, laying the foundation for subsequent clinical registration work. According to reports, HiTS400 is a medical ion accelerator independently developed by Lanzhou Taiji with full intellectual property rights. It can stably deliver four ion species: C^6+, H^+, He^2+, and O^8+, and is equipped with multi-angle fixed treatment nozzles and a lightweight superconducting heavy-ion rotating gantry, integrating modulated scanning technology to advance the development and application of multi-ion combined therapy devices. On August 14, 2026, the device obtained an amendment to its Radiation Safety License from the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, granting qualification for commissioning and operation. In the early morning of August 20, the equipment achieved stable acceleration and precise extraction of carbon ion beams. Measured data show that the particle number after synchrotron acceleration reached 3.26E9 ppp, the terminal particle number reached 3.02E9 ppp, the extraction efficiency was 92%, and beam stability was no less than 95%.

2026-08-26

US Advances Preparations for High-Burnup Spent Fuel Shipment to Idaho for Research

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently stated that the Idaho Cleanup Project (ICP) is participating in preparations for transporting a high-burnup spent nuclear fuel research cask. The cask is planned to be shipped from Dominion Energy's North Anna Nuclear Power Station in Virginia to the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) for subsequent spent fuel-related research. INL was selected as the receiving site primarily because it possesses the specialized facilities, equipment, and personnel expertise required for handling spent nuclear fuel. The DOE noted that these capabilities are typically not part of routine commercial nuclear power plant configurations. High-burnup fuel refers to nuclear fuel that remains in the reactor for a longer period to increase energy output...

2026-08-26