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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

Construction Management Practice of Unbonded Prestressed Tendons in the Containment of the Reactor Building

As a landmark project of China-Russia nuclear energy cooperation, Units 7 and 8 of Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant were the first in China to apply unbonded prestressing technology to the inner containment of the reactor building. There was no domestic construction experience with unbonded prestressing in containments to draw upon, and the installation of large-diameter prestressing ducts, as well as the strand threading, grouting, and tensioning of greased and sheathed strands, presented considerable difficulty, exposing construction to significant risks and challenges. As a "first-of-a-kind new process," to complete this pioneering project to high quality and high standards, China Nuclear Power Engineering Co., Ltd., as the general contractor, worked in close coordination and collaboration with all participating units to carry out innovative work, guided by strategy, driven by technology...

2026-10-09

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

Pressurizer of Lufeng Nuclear Power Unit 1 Successfully Hoisted into Place

On September 30, the pressurizer of Lufeng Nuclear Power Unit 1, constructed by China Nuclear Industry 23 Construction Co., Ltd., was successfully hoisted into place. The success of this hoisting marks major progress in the installation of the primary circuit main equipment in the nuclear island of Lufeng Nuclear Power Unit 1, laying a solid foundation for the subsequent surge line welding, system equipment installation, and commissioning work. The pressurizer is a core main equipment of the nuclear island reactor coolant system and a Class 1 nuclear safety equipment. It undertakes the tasks of pressure regulation and overpressure protection for the primary circuit system and is key equipment for ensuring the safe and stable operation of the reactor. This equipment is a vertical cylindrical pressure vessel with a body height of more than ten meters and a total hoisting weight of over one hundred tons. It is installed in the pressurizer compartment of the CA01 module, with stringent design and manufacturing standards...

2026-09-30

Civil Construction of Huizhou Heavy Ion Medical Center Passes Completion Acceptance and Transitions to Accelerator No-Load Commissioning

Recently, according to public information from the Huizhou Municipal Health Bureau, all approval procedures for the Heavy Ion Medical Center project of Huizhou Municipal Central Hospital have been completed, civil construction is 99.6% complete and has passed completion acceptance, and internal decoration and accelerator no-load commissioning are currently underway; the accelerator equipment investment is 480 million yuan, of which 303 million yuan has been disbursed. The project is planned to launch clinical trials in March 2027 and be officially put into operation by the end of the year. The center is adjacent to the Jinshan Campus of Huizhou Municipal Central Hospital, with a land area of approximately 12,000 square meters and a total floor area of 15,450 square meters; all heavy ion treatment rooms are located underground; 150 supporting inpatient beds are planned, with 2 treatment rooms to be opened initially, capable of treating approximately 900 cancer patients per year. The center...

2026-09-30

Bechtel and Westinghouse Consortium Formally Signs EPC Turnkey Contract for Poland's First Nuclear Power Plant, Construction Scheduled to Begin in 2027

A consortium comprising U.S. engineering giant Bechtel and nuclear technology supplier Westinghouse Electric Company has formally signed an Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) contract with Poland's state-owned nuclear power company Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (PEJ) to advance the construction of Poland's first-ever commercial nuclear power plant. The nuclear project is located in Choczewo on the Baltic Sea coast in the Pomerania province of northern Poland. PEJ officially stated that the site is planned to host 3 Westinghouse AP1000 Generation III+ advanced pressurized water reactor units, with a designed total installed capacity of 3750 megawatts (3750 MWe), and the first unit is expected...

2026-09-30

China Nuclear Engineering & Construction Group Co., Ltd. Holds the Fourth Safety Production and Quality Committee (Expanded) Meeting of 2026

On September 28, Yin Weiping, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the Company, and Director of the Safety Production and Quality Committee, presided over the fourth Safety Production and Quality Committee (Expanded) Meeting of 2026. The meeting heard the report on the Company's safety, environmental protection, and quality work in the third quarter, and in response to the current safety and quality management situation and risks, deployed and arranged key fourth-quarter safety and quality breakthrough tasks. The meeting pointed out that the Company currently faces a severe and complex situation in safety and quality, with heavy production and operation tasks in the fourth quarter compounded by seasonal construction risks. All cadres and employees must raise their political stance, maintain clear awareness, continue to firmly build the ideological defense line for safety and quality, and deeply understand the extreme importance and urgency of doing a good job in safety and quality work...

2026-09-30

Russia is conducting high-level technical consultations with Iran on the construction of brand-new nuclear power plants

According to a comprehensive report by Azerbaijan News Network (AzerNews) and several mainstream Iranian media outlets, Alexey Likhachev, Director General of Rosatom, recently disclosed to the media in Yerevan, Armenia that Russia is conducting high-level technical consultations with Iran on the construction of brand-new nuclear power plants, with the cooperation planning scope covering both large commercial reactor types and small modular reactors (SMRs). At the same time, Rosatom's engineering team is conducting comprehensive geological and engineering assessments of multiple candidate new sites in Iran that have the conditions for nuclear power grid connection. Likhachev specifically pointed out that the strategic binding between Moscow and Tehran in the field of civilian nuclear energy...

2026-09-30

Construction of BOP Sub-item Installation Works for Units 1 and 2 of Zhejiang Jinqimen Nuclear Power Plant Officially Commences

On September 29, the BOP sub-item installation works (Lot 1 and Lot 2) for Units 1 and 2 of Zhejiang Jinqimen Nuclear Power Plant, contracted by Beijing Zhongyan Dadi Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Zhongyan Dadi), officially commenced, marking the full launch of the project construction. Jinqimen Nuclear Power Plant is located in Xiangshan County, Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province. It is a benchmark clean energy project under national key planning. Once fully completed, its annual power generation capacity will reach 55 billion kWh, which is of great strategic significance to the optimization of the energy structure and green low-carbon transformation in the Yangtze River Delta region. The BOP (nuclear power plant supporting facilities) sub-item is an important foundation for ensuring the safe and stable operation of nuclear power units, and its construction precision and quality control standards are far...

2026-09-30

Uzbekistan and Turkey Discuss Cooperation on Civil Construction and Infrastructure Works for the First Nuclear Power Plant

The Uzbek Atomic Energy Development Agency (Uzatom) and a delegation from Turkey's large engineering and construction group Özaltın Holding held high-level working talks in Tashkent on September 25, focusing on the feasibility of multi-faceted engineering cooperation in the construction of Uzbekistan's first nuclear power plant project. It is understood that the talks were chaired by Azim Axmedxadjayev, Director of Uzatom, and Muzaffer Özdemir, CEO of Özaltın Holding, led the delegation. The two sides held discussions centered on the full-cycle construction...

2026-09-28

Unit 2 of State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC) Guangxi Bailong Nuclear Power Project starts construction

At 18:27 on September 27, the nuclear island of Unit 2 of State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC) Guangxi Nuclear Power Bailong Nuclear Power Project began its first concrete pour (FCD), marking that Phase I of the Bailong Nuclear Power Project has shifted from single-unit construction to a new stage of comprehensive dual-unit construction. The FCD for Unit 2 of the Bailong Nuclear Power Project adopted a single-side pushing continuous one-time integral pouring method, with approximately 6,637 cubic meters of concrete planned to be poured over approximately 58 hours. In view of the multiple overlapping construction difficulties such as the large bottom slab size, irregular shape, and high difficulty of temperature control and curing, the project team prepared a special construction plan in advance and implemented all-round safeguard measures. The single-side pushing pouring path and process parameters were optimized, and the owner, supervisor and general contractor exercised full-process on-site supervision and control

2026-09-28

Ethiopia Plans to Join Forces with Russia to Accelerate the Construction of Its Nuclear Power Project

Alexey Likhachev, Director General of Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation (Госкорпорация «Росатом» / Rosatom), stated that Ethiopia (Эфиопия / Ethiopia) is actively seeking to accelerate the development of its nuclear power industry. Likhachev noted that the two sides had previously reached a preliminary cooperation agreement, but before formally launching the construction of the nuclear power plant project, multiple statutory and technical preparatory procedures in the early preparation stage still need to be completed. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali (Абий Ах...

2026-09-24

France's Nuward plans to start construction of small modular reactor in 2030

The CEO of Nuward stated that the European Industrial Alliance on Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) is evaluating applications for the second round of projects, and the company plans to begin construction of its first small modular reactor in 2030 as part of an initial plan for 10 units. Nuward is a wholly owned subsidiary of EDF Group, focused on developing small modular reactor technology. At a related event during the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) General Conference in Vienna, Nuward CEO Julien Garrel detailed the development progress of the Nuward small modular reactor. He noted that the project has entered its next phase, with the goal of building the first batch of 10 Nuward small modular reactor series in five European countries.

2026-09-22

Holtec SMR project receives regulatory approval to proceed with early site construction

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has granted Holtec International a regulatory exemption allowing the company to advance certain early construction activities for two small modular reactor (SMR) units at the Palisades Energy Center in Michigan before obtaining a Limited Work Authorization (LWA). Palisades SMR, a wholly owned subsidiary of Holtec International, submitted the first part of a phased construction permit application to the NRC last December for the dual-unit SMR-300 project (Units Pioneer 1 and 2). The application included a request for a Limited Work Authorization to allow construction activities to begin before a construction permit or combined...

2026-09-17

Kazakhstan is negotiating with potential suppliers on the construction of a second nuclear power plant

Gumar Sergazin, Vice Chairman of the Atomic Energy Agency of Kazakhstan, stated at the 70th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that Kazakhstan is currently engaged in active negotiations with potential suppliers regarding the construction of the country's second nuclear power plant. In his remarks, Sergazin emphasized that within the framework of implementing the national nuclear energy program, Kazakhstan is not only preparing for the construction of its first nuclear power plant, but is also consulting with potential partners on preparations for a second nuclear power plant. Sergazin noted that Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev approved in April 2026 the...

2026-09-17