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Unit 4 of Leningrad NPP Phase II completes installation of first major equipment

Unit 4 of Russia's Leningrad NPP Phase II recently completed the installation of the core melt catcher vessel. This is the first major equipment of the unit to enter the installation stage, and also the first passive safety system equipment to be installed. The steel structure weighs 157 tonnes, and the installation was carried out using a heavy crawler crane, taking about one work shift of approximately 8 hours, nearly 3 months ahead of the original schedule. Valery Zhemchugov, Acting Director of Leningrad NPP, stated that the installation of the core melt catcher vessel is a key milestone in the construction of Unit 4, a VVER-1200 pressurized water reactor unit, and that the relevant work was completed in accordance with quality requirements, providing more time for subsequent reactor building civil and installation works.

2026-07-31

Chinese Jinshui River study reveals seasonal variations affect nitrogen removal capacity of forest streams

A new study shows that the capacity of forest streams to remove excess nitrogen varies with the seasons, influenced by different environmental factors in summer and winter respectively. This finding suggests that water quality management in forest watersheds needs to give greater consideration to seasonal differences. Figure 1. Location of study sites along the Jinshui River. (a) Watershed location; (b) Watershed topography and sampling point distribution; (c) Watershed land use types. Researchers focused on the Jinshui River in central China, analyzing water and surface sediment samples from 18 sites along forested riparian zones. The study combined nitrogen-15 isotope tracing, remote sensing monitoring, water and sediment chemical measurements, and microbial-based...

2026-07-31

U.S. Fusion Energy Company CFS Completes $1 Billion Equity Financing

U.S. fusion energy startup Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) announced on July 30 that it has completed $1 billion in new equity financing. The company stated that this is one of the largest single-round financings globally for a fusion energy company since its $1.8 billion Series B round in 2021. To date, CFS has raised a total of $4 billion, accounting for nearly 30% of the cumulative global fusion industry financing. Headquartered in Devens, Massachusetts, CFS was founded in 2018. The company is primarily advancing the SPARC fusion demonstration device and the ARC commercial fusion power plant project. Fusion reactions release energy by combining light atoms such as hydrogen under extremely high temperatures and pressures, and are considered a potential low-carbon energy pathway. However, fusion reactors are still in the experimental and engineering validation stage, with related technologies facing challenges such as material resistance to neutron bombardment and improving reaction efficiency.

2026-07-30

Ontario Invests Additional $4.6 Million in McMaster Nuclear Reactor to Expand Medical Isotope Production Capacity

The Government of Ontario, Canada, recently announced an additional investment of $4.6 million in the McMaster Nuclear Reactor to expand the production capacity of life-saving medical isotopes, supporting more cancer patients in accessing the critical radioisotopes needed for diagnosis and treatment. From left to right: Josip Zikic, Chief Nuclear Officer at McMaster University; Nolan Quinn, Minister of Colleges and Universities, Research Excellence and Security; Stephen Lecce, Minister of Energy and Mining; Susan Tighe, President and Vice-Chancellor of McMaster University; and Victor Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. (Georgia Kirkos/McMaster University) This investment builds on a previous $18 million...

2026-07-30

World Nuclear Association expects global large-scale nuclear power construction spending to peak between 2041 and 2045

The World Nuclear Association (WNA) expects global nuclear power industry spending to reach a phased peak between 2041 and 2045. At 2025 prices, approximately $1 trillion will be directed toward the construction of large nuclear power plants during this period. Sama Bilbao y León, Director General of the World Nuclear Association, stated that investment interest in the nuclear energy sector has significantly increased, with 50 countries having formulated relatively specific nuclear energy development plans. She believes that implementing these plans will require substantial financial support, with the required investment scale far exceeding current levels. According to the Association's estimates, in addition to large nuclear power plant construction, approximately $450 billion will be allocated globally to small modular reactor projects between 2041 and 2045, along with $84 billion for extending the operational lifetimes of existing reactors.

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

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

Seychelles Leverages Nuclear Technology to Improve Soil Management and Boost Fruit and Vegetable Production Capacity

With the support of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), researchers in Seychelles are collaborating with policymakers and farmers to utilize nuclear and isotopic techniques. These methods aim to improve soil nutrient and water management, there

2026-07-27

CNNC achieves end-to-end process integration for the production of the medical isotope Terbium-161.

Recently, the China Institute of Atomic Energy (CIAE) under the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) successfully established the entire production process for the emerging medical isotope Terbium-161 (161Tb), producing a 100-millicurie, high-purity

2026-07-27

South Korea's Doosan Enerbility wins order for steam generator forgings for Shandong Laiyang Nuclear Power Units 5 and 6.

South Korea’s Doosan Enerbility announced on the 27th that it has signed supply contracts with Dongfang Electric International (DEI) and Dongfang Heavy Machinery (DFHM)—subsidiaries of China’s Dongfang Electric Corporation—to provide u

2026-07-27

X-energy Joins Project Prometheus, Supporting AI-Driven Nuclear Energy R&D with Xe-100 and TRISO-X

On July 22, X-energy announced it had become a founding member of the "Prometheus" initiative and would participate as a Tier 1 partner. Led by Idaho National Laboratory (INL), NVIDIA, and Amazon Web Services (AWS), the initiative aims to levera

2026-07-23