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IAEA Technical Meeting on Indicators for the Management of Disused Ionizing Radiation Sources

From 24 to 28 August 2026, a technical meeting was held at the IAEA headquarters, focusing on indicators for the status of disused ionizing radiation sources and their application in sustainable management. The meeting emphasized how these indicators can serve as measurement tools to support countries in the long-term, safe, and traceable management of disused radiation sources. The Ukrainian delegation participated in the meeting, including Oleksii Zhyvotenko, Head of the Department for Production and Technical Issues and Radioactive Material Management at the "Radon" Association of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, as well as representatives of the central nuclear power plant management. During the meeting, the Ukrainian side delivered a presentation on the practical experience of integrating key IAEA indicators into Ukraine's national management system for disused ionizing radiation sources.

2026-08-28

UK Fusion Energy Company Files 50th Patent Application

UK Fusion Energy (UKFE) filed its 50th patent application this week, marking new progress in the UK's efforts to advance fusion energy commercialization and related intellectual property development. UKFE is a government-backed organization responsible for developing and protecting intellectual property arising from the STEP fusion prototype plant project and driving the transfer of related innovations to industry. Since 2025, the organization has filed 52 patent applications and published 108 technical disclosures and 2 patent applications. These achievements cover key technologies required for the construction of the STEP prototype facility, as well as some innovations applicable beyond the fusion energy sector. UKFE stated that the intellectual property portfolio reflects the breadth and pace of the project's R&D activities.

2026-08-28

UK JET Decommissioning Project to Trial Asset-Based Decommissioning Approach

The JET Decommissioning and Repurposing (JDR) project recently announced that it will trial an asset-based decommissioning approach in three areas of the JET facility during the next phase of work. These areas were once part of the power supply infrastructure during JET plasma operations. This trial work will support the overall development of the Culham Campus and, in conjunction with the Strategic Investment and Development for Energy and AI (STRIDE) programme, facilitate land remediation to create conditions for the installation of a fourth supergrid transformer. JDR has signed a contract with Ramco UK to undertake the relevant trial work. JDR Engineering Integration Manager Steve...

2026-08-28

Hole of about 3 meters confirmed at bottom of reactor pressure vessel of Unit 3 at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station

Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) announced on August 27 that a hole approximately 3 meters in diameter has been confirmed at the bottom of the reactor pressure vessel of Unit 3 at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. The pressure vessel is a steel container that held nuclear fuel before the accident, with a cylindrical shape and a diameter of about 5.5 meters. This is the first time since the core meltdown accident at Units 1 to 3 of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station in 2011 that the specific size and shape of such a hole have been confirmed on the pressure vessel. The hole is believed to be related to the falling of melted nuclear fuel during the 2011 accident. After the accident, the containment vessel of Unit 3 has maintained a relatively high water level for an extended period, and access routes into the containment vessel are limited. TEPCO previously used a micro drone measuring approximately 12 centimeters per side...

2026-08-28

Fukui Prefecture in Japan Aims to Promote Local Utilization of Nuclear Power

On the 27th, Fukui Prefecture in Japan held a co-creation meeting to exchange views on development measures for areas hosting nuclear power plants. The meeting confirmed a new policy aimed at promoting the local use of electricity generated by nuclear plants to drive related industrial development, including attracting large-scale data centers and other high-power-consuming businesses. Fukui Prefecture has held co-creation meetings for the past five consecutive years, with participants including the Fukui Prefectural Government, local governments in areas within the prefecture hosting nuclear plants, Japan's central government, and representatives of electric power companies. The meeting focused on how to combine the stable power supply and carbon-dioxide-free operation of nuclear plants with regional industrial revitalization...

2026-08-28

Japan Extends Deadline for Anti-Terrorism Facility Construction at Onagawa Nuclear Power Plant Unit 2

The Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) of Japan has officially decided to revise relevant regulations to extend the deadline for installing anti-terrorism facilities, specifically "facilities for responding to specified severe accidents," at nuclear power plants. Under the new rules, the deadline will be adjusted from "within five years after the construction plan is approved" to "within five years after the start of commercial operation." The revised regulations are expected to take effect in September. This change will affect Tohoku Electric Power's Onagawa Nuclear Power Plant Unit 2. The unit, which had faced the possibility of shutdown by December 2026 due to difficulties in completing the required facilities by then, will now be able to continue operating beyond that date. Tohoku Electric Power...

2026-08-28

Czech nuclear power plants largely unaffected by summer heat and drought

The Czech State Office for Nuclear Safety (SÚJB) stated on August 26 that this summer's heat waves and drought only caused a slight decline in electricity generation at the Temelín and Dukovany nuclear power plants, without leading to reactor power reduction or raising nuclear safety concerns. Currently, both plants meet the conditions for safe operation, including adequate cooling and water supply guarantees. SÚJB noted that some European nuclear power plants reduced output or temporarily shut down during high-temperature periods, mainly due to their cooling methods. Some plants use once-through cooling, making their operation directly affected by river water temperature and flow rate. When water temperatures rise and river flows are low, plants may reduce output due to environmental discharge limits...

2026-08-27

Ukraine's Nurecab Nuclear Capacity Building Project Completes First Implementation Cycle

On August 20, 2026, the final seminar of the international project Nurecab (Nuclear Capacity Building in Ukraine through European Cooperation) was held in Kyiv. The project is funded by the European Union through the Euratom Research and Training Programme and is incorporated into the Horizon Europe framework. The seminar was held in a hybrid format, with a total of 76 experts, researchers, educators, and representatives of national institutions participating, of whom 26 attended in person in Kyiv and 50 joined via video link. The meeting showcased the project's implementation results and facilitated discussions on nuclear energy education in Ukraine, the development of nuclear science, and...

2026-08-27

UK's Babcock Adds Quest Global to Engineering Services Framework Including Nuclear Energy

Quest Global Engineering Services Limited announced on August 26 that it has been included in Babcock International Group's engineering services framework, further expanding engineering collaboration between the two companies in areas such as nuclear energy. Under the agreement, the engineering services framework has a term of five years. The two parties have been collaborating since 2023 across project areas including nuclear, marine, aviation, land, and mission systems. This inclusion in the framework is seen as part of Babcock's efforts to build closer, longer-term relationships with key suppliers. Gareth Watson, Quest Global's strategic business lead...

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

Korea's Daewoo E&C Discusses Nuclear Power Project Cooperation with Vietnam's Ministry of Industry and Trade

Daewoo Engineering & Construction (Daewoo E&C) said on August 27 that its Chairman Jung Won-ju met with Le Manh Hung, Minister of Industry and Trade of Vietnam, who was visiting South Korea. The two sides exchanged views on Daewoo E&C's participation in Vietnam's energy infrastructure projects, with topics including nuclear power plant construction and liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving terminals. The meeting was held on August 26. Jung Won-ju stated that Daewoo E&C has been operating in Vietnam for over 30 years, participating in various types of projects and accumulating local project experience and...

2026-08-27

UK's InHealth Deploys Europe's First Mobile Biograph Trinion PET/CT System

InHealth, a UK independent diagnostic service provider, has recently completed the first patient scan using Europe's first mobile Biograph Trinion PET/CT system. The system, supplied by Siemens Healthineers, is now in clinical use at Wrexham Maelor Hospital in northeast Wales to support cancer-related molecular imaging examinations. PET/CT is an important imaging technology in oncology diagnosis and treatment, applicable to the diagnosis, staging, treatment planning, and therapy response monitoring of various cancer types. Deploying the Biograph Trinion PET/CT system on a mobile platform means that advanced molecular imaging services can be delivered into clinical settings with greater flexibility, helping to improve patient access to...

2026-08-26

Lancaster University in the UK receives EPSRC funding to study antimatter production in intense laser pulses

Christopher Arran, a lecturer at Lancaster University and the Cockcroft Institute in the UK, has recently been awarded a three-year New Investigator Award from the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to study electron-positron pair production in the extremely intense electromagnetic fields of high-power lasers. The research focuses on matter-antimatter production processes under intense laser pulse conditions. Similar interactions are believed to exist in extreme cosmic environments, such as near pulsars and black hole accretion disks. Previously, such interactions had only been measured at large particle accelerator facilities such as Stanford University and the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), but the electric and magnetic field strengths used in those experiments were far weaker than the strong-field conditions achievable with current high-power lasers.

2026-08-26

Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant Loses External Power for Six Days

On August 25 local time, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) stated that it had lost external power since August 20 and had been relying on backup diesel generators to meet on-site electricity demand for six consecutive days. The plant's existing fuel reserves can still ensure operation, but difficulties in fuel resupply have not yet significantly eased. Yevgeniya Yashina, head of communications at ZNPP, stated that plant staff are monitoring nuclear safety parameters and the operation of backup diesel generator units around the clock. She noted that fuel transportation still faces difficulties due to shelling on roads leading to the plant; to improve the efficiency of existing reserve utilization, the plant has optimized the operation of diesel generators...

2026-08-26

Japan to Use Fukushima Decontaminated Soil at Government Office Buildings in Sendai and Saitama

At a Cabinet meeting held at the Prime Minister's Office on August 25, the Japanese government decided to use decontaminated soil generated from the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station accident for flower beds and other areas at joint government office buildings in Sendai City and Saitama City. This will mark the first use of such recycled soil outside Tokyo. According to the plan, the relevant office buildings will use a total of approximately 2 cubic meters of low-radioactivity "reconstruction recycled soil," with the specific construction schedule still being coordinated. The usage site in Saitama City is located at the government joint office building in the Saitama New Urban Center area, and Sendai City will also implement similar arrangements at its joint government office building. Under Japanese law, soil decontaminated after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station accident must be transported outside Fukushima Prefecture for final disposal by March 2045. The Japanese government hopes that by first using such soil in public facilities, it can promote the final disposal work outside Fukushima Prefecture and enhance public understanding of the safety and necessity of such soil.

2026-08-25