Russia Completes Manufacturing of Second RITM-200 Reactor Unit for Leningrad Nuclear-Powered Icebreaker

On July 29, Rosatom's ZiO-Podolsk Mechanical Plant in the Moscow Region completed the manufacturing of the second RITM-200 reactor unit for the Leningrad nuclear-powered icebreaker. With this, the manufacturing of all major equipment for the reactor compartment of this under-construction 22220-type universal nuclear-powered icebreaker has been fully completed. The Leningrad nuclear-powered icebreaker began construction in January 2024. The naming of the vessel is linked to the 80th anniversary of the lifting of the Siege of Leningrad, with veterans and survivors of the siege proposing that this new-generation nuclear-powered icebreaker be named Leningrad. Following Rosatom's tradition of naming reactor units, the two completed reactor units of the Leningrad have been named "Iskra" and "Grom," commemorating the operations that broke and ultimately lifted the Siege of Leningrad between 1943 and 1944.

2026-07-30

Rosatom says 13 small reactor pressure vessels at various production stages

Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev recently stated that 13 small reactor pressure vessels are currently at various production stages, and the equipment will be used for nuclear-powered icebreakers and small nuclear power plant projects. Likhachev noted that the batch includes reactor pressure vessels for the Uzbekistan nuclear power plant, which is planned to start construction in 2026. He said that the simultaneous manufacturing of 13 small reactor pressure vessels is unprecedented in the history of Russia's nuclear industry. The reactor pressure vessel is one of the core components of the primary circuit of a nuclear reactor, used to house the core and related internal structures, and withstand high temperatures and pressures during operation.

2026-07-30

Construction of Kola Nuclear Power Plant Phase II Starts in Murmansk Region

On July 29, Murmansk Region Governor Andrey Chibis announced the start of construction of the Kola Nuclear Power Plant Phase II, located near the town of Polyarnye Zori in the region. Chibis stated that the Kola NPP is the most powerful nuclear power plant north of the Arctic Circle, having supplied energy to the Arctic region for over half a century. The newly launched Phase II project is situated adjacent to the existing plant, with a planned installed capacity of 1,200 megawatts. He noted that the Kola NPP Phase II is the second major energy facility built in the Murmansk Region in the past seven years, and will provide energy support for key regional projects over the coming decades, including the construction of new production facilities, mining projects, and the development of the trans-Arctic transport corridor and the resource base of the Northern Sea Route.

2026-07-30

Danube River water levels continue to drop, Romania's only nuclear power plant to shut down completely

Affected by prolonged drought and high temperatures, the water level of the Danube River has been continuously declining, impacting the operation of multiple nuclear power plants along its banks. Romanian authorities have confirmed that both units of the country's only nuclear power plant, the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant, will be completely shut down to prevent damage to the cooling system. Romania's Acting Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan has called on residents and large industrial users to voluntarily reduce electricity consumption, especially by controlling the load between 8:00 PM and 11:00 PM. He stated that Romania often faces electricity shortage pressure during this period. Bolojan noted that the Danube River flow rate during the same period in previous years was typically 3,900 to 4,500 cubic meters per second, but it has now dropped to 1,600 cubic meters per second, and is expected to continue decreasing in the coming days.

2026-07-30

Japan Nuclear Fuel Company Says It Will Propose New Schedule for Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant as Soon as Possible

Naohiro Masuda, President of Japan Nuclear Fuel Company (JNFL), stated at a regular press conference on July 29 that the spent nuclear fuel reprocessing plant in Rokkasho Village, Aomori Prefecture, may be difficult to complete within the current fiscal year. The company will propose a new overall schedule as soon as possible after continuing consultations with regulatory authorities on the treatment of liquid waste within the facility. Masuda said that earlier this month, when an official from the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry met with Aomori Governor Soichiro Miyashita, Miyashita had informed the official that completing construction of the reprocessing plant within the current fiscal year would be challenging. Masuda stated that the company needs to make every effort to avoid the risk of schedule delays becoming a reality, and will manage the project construction progress from multiple aspects...

2026-07-30

Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority to Revise Seismic Review Guidelines for Nuclear Power Plants

Following the exposure of Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc.'s alleged tampering with data related to earthquake assumptions at the Hamaoka Nuclear Power Plant in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) has decided to revise certain seismic review guidelines for nuclear power plants to strengthen prevention of similar misconduct. At a regular meeting held on July 29, the NRA decided to proceed with revisions to the guidelines concerning seismic assumption reviews. Previously, the review process primarily focused on the calculation results submitted by nuclear power plant operators. The revision will extend the scope of verification to include the calculation process and the data used therein, in order to prevent companies from intentionally selecting, adjusting, or manipulating data.

2026-07-30

Public Meeting Held on Restart Plan for Three Mile Island Unit 1

As electricity demand from AI-related data centers rises, multiple locations across the United States are reassessing the value of nuclear reactors originally slated for decommissioning. Recently, the restart plan for Unit 1 of the Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant in eastern Pennsylvania has entered the public engagement phase. The Three Mile Island plant has long been under scrutiny due to the 1979 accident at Unit 2, which involved a nuclear fuel meltdown and the release of radioactive materials. The proposed restart involves the adjacent Unit 1, which has been in the decommissioning process since 2019. Upon restart, it will operate under the name "Crane Clean Energy Center." On July 28, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission...

2026-07-30

Japan's Ikata Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1 Decommissioning Plan to Enter Second Phase

The Environmental Safety Management Committee for the Ikata Nuclear Power Plant, established by the Ehime Prefectural Government, recently held a meeting to review the progress of the decommissioning plan for Unit 1 of the Ikata Nuclear Power Plant. The unit ceased operation in 2016 and is currently in the decommissioning implementation phase. Unit 1 of the Ikata Nuclear Power Plant is operated by Shikoku Electric Power Co. The company began decommissioning the unit in 2017, planning to carry out the work in four phases over a total period of approximately 40 years. Currently, the first phase has been largely completed, primarily involving the removal of nuclear fuel. Shikoku Electric Power Co. has applied to the Japanese central government to enter the second phase, which involves dismantling equipment around the reactor area, and has...

2026-07-30

TEPCO says cooling interruption of spent fuel pool at Fukushima Daini Unit 1 due to human error

Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) announced on July 29 that the event in April 2026, where the spent fuel pool cooling system at Unit 1 of the Fukushima Daini Nuclear Power Plant was shut down for approximately 32 hours, was determined to be caused by human error. At the time of the incident, the plant was in the decommissioning phase. On April 5, a fault alarm was triggered by the cooling water circulation pump of Unit 1 at Fukushima Daini. After on-site personnel confirmed smoke from the equipment, the pump was stopped, resulting in an interruption of the spent fuel pool cooling system for about 32 hours. TEPCO previously stated that the cause was damage to the cable connecting the pump motor. According to TEPCO's latest explanation, the cable melting may be related to the installation method when the cable was replaced in 2012...

2026-07-30

NextEra and Brookfield Plan $100 Billion Data Center Campus at Former Paducah Uranium Enrichment Site in the U.S.

NextEra Energy and Brookfield Asset Management plan to develop a data center campus and supporting power generation facilities with a total investment exceeding $100 billion at a federally owned former uranium enrichment site in Paducah, Kentucky, USA. The project is located on or near the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Paducah site. According to relevant announcements, the campus is expected to provide over 1.2 gigawatts of data center computing capacity and deliver up to 1.8 gigawatts of power to the grid. The project is scheduled to begin operations in 2028 and reach full development approximately four years later; other information indicates that overall construction is expected to be completed around 2031.

2026-07-30

SK Innovation Proposes LNG and Small Modular Reactor Cooperation in Vietnam

South Korea's SK Innovation has proposed a phased energy cooperation plan for Vietnam, initially using liquefied natural gas (LNG) power generation to ensure electricity supply, and later expanding to next-generation nuclear energy technologies such as small modular reactors (SMRs), in response to growing electricity demand driven by Vietnam's artificial intelligence and high-tech industry development. On July 29, SK Innovation announced that its CEO, Choo Hyeong-wook, visited Vietnam from the 16th to the 17th and met with officials from the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Vietnam Oil and Gas Group (PVN), and its power generation subsidiary, PetroVietnam Power Corporation (PV Power), to discuss cooperation in the energy and high-tech sectors. According to SK Innovation's...

2026-07-30

Yeongdeok-gun, South Korea, Signs Cooperation Agreement with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power for New Nuclear Power Plant Construction

On July 29, Yeongdeok-gun, North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea, signed the "Mutual Cooperation Agreement for New Nuclear Power Plant Construction and Regional Development" with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) at the KHNP headquarters in Gyeongju. Under the agreement, both parties will strengthen collaboration in the process of advancing the new nuclear power plant, including expanding local enterprise participation, creating job opportunities, cultivating local talent, improving education and welfare infrastructure, and cooperating in administrative support and licensing procedures. At the same time, both sides will establish a mechanism for continuous communication with the local community to align project construction with regional development. In June 2025, Yeongdeok-gun was selected as the site for two new large-scale nuclear power plants promoted by the South Korean government and KHNP...

2026-07-30

Bill Gates May Visit South Korea Next Month, Advanced Nuclear Energy and AI Cooperation Expected to Be on Agenda

Industry insiders revealed on July 29 that Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft and chairman of the Gates Foundation, plans to visit South Korea as early as next month and has requested a meeting with South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo's office. Currently, both sides are coordinating the meeting time and agenda, with the specific visit date and meeting arrangements yet to be confirmed. If the visit proceeds, it will be Gates' second engagement with South Korea on advanced industrial cooperation following his trip last year. In August last year, Gates visited South Korea, focusing on discussing cooperation plans in areas such as artificial intelligence and next-generation small modular reactors (SMRs). During the visit, Gates also...

2026-07-30

Hoisting in Place! Global Largest "Artificial Sun" Core Module Installation Progress Exceeds Two-Thirds

On July 28, local time in France, the sixth vacuum vessel module of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) tokamak device—Sector Module 1—successfully completed its overall hoisting and precise positioning. Thus, the assembly progress of ITER vacuum vessel modules has exceeded two-thirds. As the general assembly enters a new phase of multi-disciplinary cross-construction, the China Nuclear Engineering Consortium led the coordination of the international team to successfully complete this critical hoisting, laying a solid foundation for subsequent assembly tasks, while fully demonstrating the cross-cultural project management and overall coordination capabilities of the Chinese team in international mega-science projects. The vacuum vessel is a core component of the tokamak device, consisting of nine large sector modules installed and connected sequentially,...

2026-07-30

CEO of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited to Step Down After Term Ends in 2027

Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) announced on July 28 that, after consultation with the Chair of the Board, the company's President and Chief Executive Officer, Fred Dermarkar, has informed the Board that he will not seek reappointment after his term ends on February 7, 2027. AECL stated that Dermarkar believes that as the company enters a new and important phase of development, now is the appropriate time to initiate a leadership transition. He will continue to serve until the end of his term to ensure management continuity while the company advances its key strategic priorities and to support a smooth handover to new leadership. This personnel announcement comes at a time of active development in Canada's nuclear energy industry. Previously, the Canadian government...

2026-07-29

Romanian National Nuclear Power Company Responds to Review Comments on the Doicești SMR Project

SN Nuclearelectrica SA (SNN) responded on July 28 to the content involving the Doicești Small Modular Reactor (SMR) project in the summary of a report by the Romanian Prime Minister's supervisory body. The company stated that strategic nuclear energy projects should be comprehensively evaluated based on technological maturity, economic conditions, and regulatory requirements. Such projects remain in a complex development phase, with schedules and plans subject to updates as engineering, licensing, and technical verification work progresses. SNN noted that the initial development plan for the Doicești SMR project was based on information available at the project's launch, with an estimated timeline jointly developed with technology partners NuScale and Fluor (...

2026-07-29

Europe Completes Manufacturing of JT-60SA Pellet Centrifuge Accelerator

The European Fusion Energy Organization (F4E) recently announced progress on key components of a new pellet injection system for the upgrade of the JT-60SA device. The centrifuge accelerator, manufactured by Sener, has been completed and delivered to the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (IPP). It will subsequently be integrated with other components of the pellet injection system and undergo testing. The operation of fusion devices relies on the continuous supply of hydrogen isotope fuel. In devices such as JT-60SA and the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), the pellet injection system is used to fuel the plasma and assist in controlling plasma instabilities. The system typically consists of three parts: preparation...

2026-07-29

Chugoku Electric Power Submits Third Amendment to Reactor Installation Change Permit Application for Shimane Nuclear Power Plant Unit 3 to Regulatory Authority

Chugoku Electric Power Co., Inc. announced on July 29 that it had submitted the third amendment to the reactor installation change permit application for Unit 3 of the Shimane Nuclear Power Plant to the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) on the same day. The company stated that this amendment adjusts the application content for related equipment at the plant based on previous review findings. This includes reclassifying certain equipment already installed for Unit 2, such as the emergency response center, for shared use between Unit 2 and Unit 3. According to reports, Chugoku Electric Power had previously submitted two amendments to the reactor installation change permit application for Unit 3 of the Shimane Nuclear Power Plant, on December 22, 2021, and June 29, 2022, respectively.

2026-07-29

DOE's Oak Ridge National Laboratory and REV Advance Shared Fusion Test Platform Construction

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and fusion energy consulting and investment firm Rutherford Energy Ventures (REV) have officially launched a new public-private partnership framework development effort to build shared fusion test platform infrastructure at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The collaboration framework, named the Fusion Accelerated Scaling Leverage Alliance (FULCRA), aims to explore new design and financing models for the proposed Fulcrum test facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, addressing critical capability gaps identified in the DOE's Fusion Science and Technology Roadmap...

2026-07-29

Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant states that water supply from wells is sufficient to maintain equipment cooling and nuclear safety.

On July 24, Yevgeniya Yashina, Head of Communications for the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, stated that despite ongoing restrictions on the centralized water supply in Energodar—the city where the plant is located—the systems ensuring the plant

2026-07-27

Trump to meet with heads of advanced nuclear reactor companies; projects from four firms reaching critical stage.

U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet with executives from several advanced nuclear reactor companies at the White House on July 24 (local time) to highlight key technological breakthroughs.According to White House officials, the CEOs of Antare

2026-07-27