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U.S. NRC Expedites Review of License Amendment for Palisades Nuclear Plant Fuel Loading Tilt Incident: Advancing Vanguard SMR Construction Permit Review in Parallel

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is reviewing an emergency operating license amendment request (LAR) submitted by Holtec International. The request was triggered by a nuclear fuel loading tilt incident at the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant (Palisades NPP) in Covert, Michigan, during its restart process, which has resulted in the temporary suspension of some on-site restart recovery operations. According to the application documents publicly available in the NRC's public records system, fuel assembly number DD41 tilted after being released by the fuel handling machine. The lower nozzle of the assembly remains in the core grid position H-1, but the upper portion forms an approximately 30-degree tilt angle with the core plate...

2026-10-09

Final Design Review Completed for ITER Neutron Flux Monitor System #7

Recently, the Final Design Review (FDR-2) for the ITER Neutron Flux Monitor System #7 (NFM#7), led by the Southwestern Institute of Physics (SWIP), was successfully held, and the system design scheme was fully affirmed by the review expert panel. The successful passage of this review marks an important milestone achievement in China's development of key ITER diagnostic systems, laying a solid foundation for subsequent system manufacturing and overall delivery. At the review meeting, the project team comprehensively reported the overall and component-level design schemes of the NFM#7 system, and responded item by item to the inquiries raised by ITER international review experts. The expert panel unanimously agreed that the final design of the NFM#7 system...

2026-10-09

CGN Begood's Two Self-Developed CT Security Inspection Devices Obtain CAAC Use License

The BGCT-0824 medium-sized CT security inspection device and the BGCT-1050S large-sized CT security inspection device, independently developed by CGN Begood Technology Co., Ltd. (CGN Begood), have recently officially obtained the "Civil Aviation Administration of China Security Inspection Equipment Use License." The acquisition of this qualification marks that CGN Begood has officially entered the core field of civil aviation passenger checked baggage security inspection, achieving a key access breakthrough in the high-end equipment field of civil aviation aviation security. Both devices certified this time are X-ray computed tomography (CT) explosive detection security inspection devices for passenger checked baggage. Prior to certification, both models had successfully passed the full-process on-site rigorous qualification testing conducted by the Aviation Security Research Institute of the China Academy of Civil Aviation Science and Technology (CAST)...

2026-10-09

Startorus Fusion Completes 20 K Cryogenic Rapid Discharge Test of Central Solenoid Model Magnet (CSMC) for Spherical Tokamak Device

Startorus Fusion (HTS) recently announced that its independently developed central solenoid (CS) model magnet for a spherical tokamak device (tokamak) successfully completed a 6350 A cryogenic current-carrying and rapid discharge test under harsh cryogenic conditions. Test results showed that the magnet achieved a maximum magnetic field of 10 T and a magnetic field change rate of up to 63 T/s, setting a new record for the magnetic field change rate of known fusion superconducting magnets. This test was conducted at 20 K (-253 °C). The magnet not only successfully reached a maximum magnetic field strength of 10 T, with a central magnetic field of 7.6 T, but also smoothly completed the rapid discharge test required for tokamak ohmic discharge. As a...

2026-10-09

Global Major SMR Project Progress Review

As of now, global SMR competition has already formed several different tiers: Linglong One is advancing pre-operational testing, Darlington and Russia's land-based projects have entered the construction phase, Clinch River has just crossed the threshold for a U.S. commercial SMR construction permit, Long Mott is still under licensing review, and representative projects in the UK and South Korea are mainly advancing design and regulatory approval. In subsequent comparisons of these projects, the most valuable indicators will be first fuel load, first criticality, first grid connection, commercial operation, and whether construction can be replicated after the first-of-a-kind unit. Project progress: China's Linglong One is one of the more advanced projects among land-based SMR commercial demonstration projects. In December 2025, the project completed non-nuclear steam testing, verifying the functions of conventional island-related systems; public information in early 2026 shows that the project is still conducting pre-operational testing. The project adopts a 125 MWe pressurized water reactor design, mainly targeting applications such as power generation, heating, industrial steam, and seawater desalination.

2026-10-09

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

Hinkley Point B Nuclear Power Station Formally Handed Over to Nuclear Restoration Services: Becomes England's First Advanced Gas-Cooled Reactor Transferred by EDF for Decommissioning

On 1 October 2026, the UK Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) formally approved the transfer of the nuclear site licence, and Hinkley Point B Nuclear Power Station was officially handed over from Électricité de France (EDF) to Nuclear Restoration Services (NRS), a subsidiary of the UK government. This marks Hinkley Point B as the first Advanced Gas-Cooled Reactor (AGR) nuclear power station in England to formally enter the national specialist decommissioning sequence, and the second AGR unit in the UK to complete such a transfer, following Hunterston B Nuclear Power Station in Scotland earlier this year. Hinkley Point B Nuclear Power Station is located in Somerset and was built between 196...

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

IAEA Hosts Global Dosimetry Symposium in Vienna: Focusing on Frontiers of Precision Radiation Medicine and Metrological Quality Control

From 5 to 9 October 2026, the International Symposium on Standards, Applications and Quality Assurance (IDOS 2026), hosted by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), was held at IAEA Headquarters in Vienna, Austria. More than 500 medical physicists, radiation metrology experts and researchers from 120 countries around the world gathered to discuss precision measurement of radiation doses in radiotherapy, medical imaging and nuclear medicine. With the rapid evolution of radiotherapy technologies, radionuclide therapy and interventional radiology, ionizing radiation in the diagnosis and treatment of malignant tumors and major diseases...

2026-10-08

The North China Regional Office of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment organized the 2026 North China Regional Radiation Safety Regulatory Experience Exchange Activity

In October 2026, the North China Nuclear and Radiation Safety Supervision Station of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (hereinafter referred to as the North China Supervision Station) officially organized the 2026 North China Regional Radiation Safety Regulatory Experience Exchange Activity in Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province, aiming to further deepen the cross-regional collaborative regulatory mechanism for nuclear and radiation safety. Relevant officials from the Nuclear Facility Safety Regulation Department and the Radiation Source Safety Regulation Department of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment made special trips to the site to provide guidance, conducted in-depth exchanges with frontline regulatory representatives from North China and surrounding key provinces, and put forward clear guidance on current and future regulatory directions. During the exchange activity, representatives from Beijing Municipality, Tianjin Municipality, Hebei Province, Shanxi Province, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Shandong...

2026-10-08

South China Regulatory Station Strengthens Fusion Device Regulation to Empower New Technology Development

Recently, the South China Nuclear and Radiation Safety Regulatory Station of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (hereinafter referred to as the South China Regulatory Station) conducted a radiation safety regulatory inspection of the J-TEXT tokamak fusion experimental device at Huazhong University of Science and Technology. As the only large and medium-sized tokamak experimental device among Chinese universities, J-TEXT bears the important mission of fusion talent cultivation and frontier physics experiments. The South China Regulatory Station focused on key aspects including equipment operation, radiation protection, and authorization management, meticulously investigated safety hazards, verified the implementation of safety management systems, and urged Huazhong University of Science and Technology to promptly plug safety loopholes and standardize device operation procedures, effectively fortifying the defense line for the safe and stable operation of the fusion experimental device, thereby providing a solid safety guarantee for the orderly conduct of scientific research experiments...

2026-10-08

Blue Energy becomes the first small nuclear power developer to apply for grid connection in Texas, aiming to provide baseload power for AI data centers

According to local U.S. media reports, nuclear energy startup Blue Energy Global Inc. has formally submitted a grid connection application to the Texas grid operator, becoming the first developer in the United States to apply to connect next-generation small modular reactor (SMR) power to the Texas main grid (ERCOT). The move is aimed at addressing the explosive growth in baseload electricity demand in Texas driven by the construction of artificial intelligence (AI) and supercomputing data centers. According to the relevant project plans submitted by Blue Energy, the company is advancing the development of a large energy complex in partnership with data center operator Crusoe Inc. The hybrid energy base is initially planned to first rely on natural gas units for rapid commissioning and power generation to address the urgent short-term power shortage of computing clusters; subsequently, small nuclear reactors will be gradually added and deployed to comprehensively build a long-term stable energy supply architecture featuring "gas-nuclear synergy and carbon-free transition."

2026-10-07

US-based Geenex Power Unveils SMR Nuclear Plan for Amherst County, Virginia: Up to 650 MW Capacity, Construction Targeted for 2030

Charlotte, North Carolina-based clean energy developer Geenex Power officially announced on October 6, 2026, that it plans to build an advanced small modular reactor (SMR) nuclear project with a capacity of up to 650 megawatts — Beck Creek Energy — in Amherst County, Virginia. During the routine public inquiry session held by the Amherst County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, Geenex Project Development Manager Delany Bolton and Director of External Affairs Chris Hallameyer...

2026-10-07

U.S. Department of Energy Commits $4.2 Billion Loan to Support Vistra Nuclear Plant Expansion and Upgrade

On October 5, 2026, the Office of Energy Dominance Financing of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced a commitment to provide a conditional loan of up to $4.2 billion to fund the expansion and modernization of nuclear power plants owned by Vistra Corp. in Pennsylvania and Ohio. It is understood that this investment aims to implement U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order on revitalizing the nuclear industrial base. U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright stated that by increasing the power generation of existing nuclear power plants, affordable...

2026-10-06