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Palisades Nuclear Power Plant Restart: After Removing a Tilted Fuel Assembly, How Far Remains to Grid Connection?

At the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, Holtec manufactured a specialized lifting rig and transfer cask for a tilted fuel assembly. On October 21, the company confirmed that the assembly had been removed from the reactor pressure vessel and transferred to the spent fuel pool. On October 29, U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright visited the plant, and Holtec's project update on the same day still listed fuel loading completion, testing, inspections, and operational readiness as return-to-service work. Palisades was shut down in 2022 and had entered the decommissioning pathway. This removal allowed the fuel loading project to continue, and also exposed a period in the restart plan that is easily underestimated—after equipment is brought back to condition...

2026-11-09

US NAC to Provide Spent Fuel Container Solutions for Norway

Recently, NAC International (NAC) of the United States formally signed a contract with the Norwegian Nuclear Decommissioning (NND) to provide advanced dry storage containers and transport solutions for spent nuclear fuel from the former research reactors at Halden and Kjeller in Norway, marking substantive progress in the decommissioning of Norway's legacy nuclear facilities. Over the past sixty years of operation, Norway has accumulated approximately 16.5 tonnes of spent nuclear fuel from research reactors, covering various types including metallic uranium fuel, aluminum-clad fuel, and experimental fuel. Following an international tendering process and comprehensive evaluation...

2026-11-07

Environmental Impact Assessment for Site Selection of Haiyang Xin'an Nuclear Power Project in China Enters Pre-Approval Public Notice

Recently, the Environmental Impact Report for the Site Selection Phase of Units 1 and 2 of the Shandong Haiyang Xin'an Nuclear Power Project has entered the pre-approval public notice period. The project is located in Haiyang City, Shandong Province, and is being constructed by CNNC (Shandong) Second Nuclear Energy Co., Ltd. It plans to adopt two Hualong One Version 2.0 pressurized water reactor nuclear power units with a single-unit capacity of 1,220 megawatts, with a planned total installed capacity of 2,440 megawatts. This public notice centers on the environmental impact assessment at the site selection phase, disclosing the project overview, environmental protection measures, and public participation. The total project investment is approximately 44.5 billion yuan, of which environmental protection facility investment is approximately 1.236 billion yuan, accounting for 2.77% of the total investment. Environmental protection arrangements cover both construction and operation phases: during construction, measures such as water spraying for dust suppression...

2026-11-07

China's Qinshan Nuclear Power Expands Isotope Production and Medical Application Industry Chain

Recently, the commercial heavy water reactors at Qinshan Nuclear Power have been producing isotopes such as cobalt-60, carbon-14, lutetium-177, and yttrium-90 while continuing to supply electricity, expanding the comprehensive utilization pathways of nuclear power units. Qinshan possesses the only two commercial heavy water reactor units in China, with an annual power generation of approximately 12 billion kWh, and their reactor irradiation capability also provides production conditions for isotope preparation. Isotope production utilizes neutrons within the reactor to irradiate specially designed targets, forming target nuclides through nuclear reactions and subsequent decay. Different nuclides require different target materials, irradiation conditions, and processing procedures. After irradiation is completed, targets must undergo corresponding processing and quality inspection before entering subsequent product manufacturing...

2026-11-07

Haiyang Nuclear Power Phase III Commencement: From First Concrete to the Real Threshold of China's Batch Nuclear Power Construction

The moment a nuclear power plant first enters public view is often when concrete begins to be poured. The reactor pressure vessel is not yet on site, nor is the turbine operating, but rebar, embedded parts and construction equipment have already been organized according to design. Part of the structural foundation on which decades of subsequent operation depend begins to take shape here. On October 31, the nuclear island of Unit 5 at Shandong Haiyang Nuclear Power Plant began pouring first concrete, marking the commencement of the Haiyang Nuclear Power Phase III project. Phase III plans to build two units, Units 5 and 6, adopting domestically produced third-generation advanced passive pressurized water reactor technology. For a site that already has operating and under-construction units, the value brought by new units is not only future...

2026-11-06

Spain Successfully Develops AI Early Warning System for Algae at Nuclear Power Plants

Recently, Spanish energy services group GDES and the Asociación Nuclear Ascó-Vandellós II (ANAV) jointly announced that the two parties have successfully developed an artificial intelligence (AI)-based early warning system named iAlgae. The system is designed to monitor in real time the accumulation of planktonic vegetation and algae at the cooling water intake of nuclear power plants, marking an important breakthrough in O&M technology for nuclear facilities to cope with natural environmental interference. For power generation facilities that use natural surface water for cooling, the accumulation of algae and planktonic vegetation at water intakes is a common natural challenge. iAlgae ...

2026-11-06

CNNC 23 and CNNC Uranium Hold Talks to Deepen Industrial Chain Synergy

Recently, Xing Yongguo, General Manager and Deputy Party Secretary of China Nuclear Uranium Co., Ltd., and his delegation visited China Nuclear Industry 23 Construction Co., Ltd. and held a working exchange with Qu Qiang, General Manager and Deputy Party Secretary of CNNC 23. The two sides focused their discussions on the construction of relevant projects and subsequent deep synergy. It is understood that CNNC Uranium, as the national team for natural uranium resource development in China, bears the core strategic mission of serving as the cornerstone of nuclear strength and the granary of nuclear power. The two sides have natural complementary advantages in fields such as natural uranium mine engineering construction and nuclear facility decommissioning and remediation. By further broadening the dimensions of cooperation and leveraging sophisticated nuclear engineering construction capabilities, they will powerfully advance the high-quality implementation of relevant major infrastructure...

2026-11-06

Recycled chloride salt fuel prepares to enter research reactor: Can spent fuel become a resource, and what data must be obtained first?

Turning nuclear material into another kind of fuel. Idaho National Laboratory (INL) announced on November 2 that it will lead the IMPACT project to fabricate and test chloride salt fuel containing recycled transuranic elements. The project has received $7 million in support from the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) and plans to use nuclear materials already available at the laboratory to complete fabrication and property testing, and to conduct irradiation in the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR). This research advances the improvement of spent fuel utilization to a specific question: after recovered materials form new fuel, how exactly do they change in the reactor environment? Moltex participates in modeling and design-related work.

2026-11-05

U.S. Society Publishes Research Progress on Interpretation of Brain Amyloid Imaging

Recently, SNMMI released information on a real-world interpretation study of amyloid PET. The study compared interpretations of nearly 1,500 scan images by routine clinicians and expert panels, providing support for the application of this nuclear medicine examination in daily clinical practice. The study used data from the IDEAS project, selecting approximately 500 scan images for each of three imaging agents, which were visually interpreted by the corresponding expert panels; the majority opinions of the expert panels were then compared with the interpretation results of local clinicians. The results showed that the interpretation concordance rate was 86.6% for positive scans and 91.5% for negative scans; no significant differences in concordance were observed among different imaging agents, suggesting that image interpretation in routine clinical settings has relatively...

2026-11-04

Australian Company Finalizes Phase III Protocol for Brain Metastasis Imaging Radiopharmaceutical

Recently, Radiopharm Theranostics announced that it has received the final meeting minutes from the FDA End-of-Phase 2 meeting, during which both parties reached agreement on the design of the pivotal Phase III imaging trial for RAD101, advancing registration development preparations for this investigational radiopharmaceutical imaging agent. The study is planned as a single-arm, multicenter Phase III trial designed to enroll approximately 280 patients with previously irradiated brain metastases of indeterminate nature. The co-primary endpoints are the sensitivity and specificity of RAD101 PET relative to an established reference standard. RAD101 is labeled with Fluorine-18, and its development goal is to help identify brain metastasis lesions and improve the differentiation between tumor recurrence and treatment-related changes. Si...

2026-11-04

First Concrete Pour Completed for Nuclear Island of Unit 5 at China's Haiyang Nuclear Power Plant

Recently, the first concrete pour (FCD) for the nuclear island of Haiyang Nuclear Power Unit 5 was completed, with a cumulative concrete placement of 7,008 cubic meters, marking that the main works of the nuclear island have fully entered the construction phase and laying the foundation for the subsequent construction of Phase III of the Haiyang Nuclear Power Project. The nuclear island base slab of this unit is a raft foundation shared by Zone 5 of the reactor building, auxiliary building and annex building, adopting a cast-in-place reinforced concrete structure. The pouring operation was carried out in four stages and organized as a one-time monolithic pour. Shandong Nuclear Power, together with the supervision, general contracting and construction units, established a dedicated organizational structure to implement safety and quality management throughout the pouring process. The project team, drawing on experience feedback from Phase II, optimized construction organization and process interfaces to ensure continuous pouring of mass concrete.

2026-11-04

Beyond 5% Uranium Enrichment: Why Does Nuclear Power Fuel Upgrading Require an Integrated Delivery Chain?

Nuclear Power Operational Needs Behind a Single Product Container On November 2, Urenco USA announced the completion of production of the first commercial LEU+ enriched uranium product container in New Mexico. This development brings fuel upgrading to a concrete industrial milestone: enrichment plants are beginning to supply new products, downstream enterprises need to process them into fuel, and power plants must demonstrate that these fuels can improve operations within established safety boundaries. For operators seeking to extend refueling cycles, higher enrichment levels provide more options, but whether these options can be translated into benefits still depends on whether manufacturing, transportation, licensing, and in-core use can be linked together. Urenco uses LEU+ to...

2026-11-04

Steel Containment Vessel Second Ring of Guangdong Lianjiang Nuclear Power Unit 2 Hoisted into Place

Recently, the second ring of the steel containment vessel (CV) for Guangdong Lianjiang Nuclear Power Unit 2, manufactured by State Nuclear Equipment, was successfully hoisted into place, creating favorable conditions for subsequent main construction of the nuclear island. It is reported that the second ring of the steel containment vessel hoisted this time is assembled from four layers of curved steel plates, with an overall height of approximately 16 meters, an inner diameter of nearly 40 meters, and a total hoisting weight of up to 1,124 tons. Throughout the assembly and hoisting process, the project team fully drew on the engineering and construction experience of Unit 1, strengthened on-site coordination and quality control, and ensured that the entire hoisting process was safe, smooth, and precisely positioned. The Lianjiang Nuclear Power Project, as a key batch construction project independently built by China based on CAP1000 third-generation nuclear power technology...

2026-11-04

The National Development and Reform Commission Deploys the 15th Five-Year Plan to Designate Nuclear Fusion as a Future Industry

Recently, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) held the first press conference of the "Striving for the 15th Five-Year Plan" series, systematically introducing the strategic planning and key task deployments for cultivating and strengthening new growth drivers during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, marking the official unveiling of China's macro-level blueprint for emerging and future industries in the next stage. It is reported that Ren Zhongbao, Deputy Director of the Department of Innovation and High-Tech Development, stated at the meeting that the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, after comprehensively assessing technological trends, have explicitly designated fusion energy, together with quantum technology, biomanufacturing, hydrogen energy, brain-computer interfaces, embodied intelligence, and sixth-generation mobile communications, as the main directions for future industry development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. The state will adhere to a nationwide coordinated approach and support regions with favorable conditions in selecting sub-sectors for development in accordance with local conditions.

2026-11-04

The "Chain-Building" Lessons from Europe's Fusion Supply Chain: An Industrial Paradigm Leap from "Building Devices" to "Nurturing Chains"

When examining the global race toward commercializing controlled nuclear fusion, external attention is often drawn to record-breaking plasma temperatures, confinement times, and device scales. However, as the industry gradually enters the deep waters of transitioning from physics experiments to engineering construction, what ultimately determines whether parties can cross the commercialization chasm is often no longer merely theoretical breakthroughs in the laboratory, but rather the thickness of the industrial supply chain hidden behind the spotlight. Recently, Europe's "Fusion for Energy" organization (F4E, Fusion for Energy) officially released the research report "Building Europe's Fusion Supply Chain: 2007–2026." This report, which systematically reviews nearly two decades of construction history, discloses that through more than €7 billion...

2026-11-02