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Unit 3 of Beloyarsk NPP begins scheduled maintenance and equipment modernization

Unit 3 of Russia's Beloyarsk NPP entered scheduled preventive maintenance on August 18. This outage maintenance will be used for fuel reloading, equipment maintenance, and preventive repairs, along with partial modernization efforts to maintain reliable unit operation and improve equipment performance. The unit features a BN-600 sodium-cooled fast neutron reactor. During the maintenance period, the plant will carry out major repairs on the BN-600 reactor facility and replace 9 guide tubes in the control and protection system. Such operations are uncommon and are typically performed approximately once every 10 years. According to the maintenance schedule, the plant will also repair the unloading lift device and conduct operational monitoring inspections of the reactor pressure vessel metal...

2026-08-19

Germany pledges assistance in repairing the damaged reactor containment at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant

German Environment Minister Carsten Schneider stated during his visit to Kyiv on August 18 that Germany will assist in repairing the containment structure above the damaged reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Schneider said the containment above the damaged reactor must be repaired. He also noted that this work involves high technical difficulty and complex organizational processes, requiring joint participation and coordinated efforts from the international community. According to the itinerary, Schneider plans to visit the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone during his trip to assess the current status of the relevant facilities and subsequent repair needs. The containment repair work at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant involves multiple aspects including nuclear safety, radiation protection, and engineering construction, with further specific implementation arrangements still requiring additional consultation among all parties.

2026-08-19

TerraPower Plans to Deepen South Korean Supply Chain Cooperation to Advance K-Sodium SMR Business Model

TerraPower CEO Chris Levesque recently stated that South Korea possesses strong nuclear supply chain capabilities, with both a foundation in small modular reactor (SMR) construction and familiarity with the stable power demands of AI data centers, semiconductors, and other industries. TerraPower plans to further strengthen cooperation with South Korean companies in supply chain and project manufacturing. Levesque stated that small modular reactors are not a technology intended to replace traditional large-scale nuclear power plants, but rather a new class of energy solution targeting incremental electricity demand in the AI era. He recently met with TerraPower Chairman Bill...

2026-08-19

Atomic Canyon, in partnership with EPRI, INPO, and NEI, Launches NIVA, a Virtual Assistant for the North American Nuclear Industry

Atomic Canyon, a company developing artificial intelligence tools for the nuclear energy industry, announced on August 18 that the Nuclear Industry Virtual Assistant (NIVA) has transitioned from the pilot phase to full deployment and will be rolled out to nuclear power plants across North America. The platform was developed by Atomic Canyon in collaboration with the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO), the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), and the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), and is available to commercial nuclear power plants that are members of these organizations. NIVA is positioned as an AI platform dedicated to the nuclear power industry, primarily designed to help nuclear professionals find, integrate, and apply industry knowledge more quickly across complex workflows involving technical, regulatory, and operational management tasks.

2026-08-19

Syria Says Newly Discovered Nuclear Material Not Dangerous, Will Remain Under National Control

Syrian Foreign Minister Al-Shaibani said on August 18 that nuclear material discovered at an undisclosed location in Syria is not dangerous and will remain under Syrian control. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has provided assurances regarding the situation. Speaking at a joint press conference in Damascus with IAEA Director General Grossi that day, Al-Shaibani stated that Syria has the right to use this nuclear material for civilian and peaceful purposes. Grossi said the IAEA was able to access the relevant facility and carry out its work after receiving notification from the Syrian government. Following the end of the Assad government's rule in late 2024, Syria's new government has expressed willingness to...

2026-08-19

Kansai Electric says Rokkasho reprocessing plant delay does not change target of starting operation in fiscal 2027

On August 18, officials from Japan's Agency for Natural Resources and Energy (ANRE) and Kansai Electric Power Company (KEPCO) visited the Aomori Prefectural Government to explain the construction and operation schedule of the spent fuel reprocessing plant under construction in Rokkasho Village, Aomori Prefecture. The facility is a key project in Japan's nuclear fuel cycle system and is also listed as one of the receiving sites for spent fuel transported from nuclear power plants in Fukui Prefecture. Kansai Electric reiterated that even if the completion of the Rokkasho reprocessing plant is delayed from its original schedule within the current fiscal year, the target of starting operation within fiscal 2027 remains unchanged. The company stated that under the current spent fuel transport roadmap, the transport volume from fiscal 2028 onward is not expected to be significantly affected; if construction...

2026-08-19

The Second Working Meeting of 2026 of the Special Review and Supervision Task Force for the Hainan Changjiang Small Modular Reactor Demonstration Project Convened

To further strengthen the regulatory oversight of the Hainan Changjiang Multi-purpose Modular Small Modular Reactor Science and Technology Demonstration Project (hereinafter referred to as the Small Modular Reactor Demonstration Project), the Nuclear Power Safety Regulatory Department of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment recently organized and convened the Second Working Meeting of 2026 of the Special Review and Supervision Task Force for the Small Modular Reactor Demonstration Project. Representatives from the South China Regional Office of Nuclear and Radiation Safety Supervision, the Nuclear and Radiation Safety Center, the China Machinery Productivity Promotion Center, the operating organization, and the design organization attended the meeting. The meeting focused on dialogue and exchanges regarding unresolved review issues of the Small Modular Reactor Demonstration Project, and reviewed the implementation status of action items from the first task force meeting, the overall project review status, on-site supervision status...

2026-08-18

2026 Systematic Training Course on Radiation Safety Management Capability for the Irradiation Industry Successfully Held in Lanzhou

To thoroughly implement the Ecological Environment Code and continuously improve the standardized radiation safety management level of the irradiation industry, the 2026 Systematic Training Course on Radiation Safety Management Capability for the Irradiation Industry, hosted by the Nuclear and Radiation Safety Center of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (hereinafter referred to as "the Center"), was successfully held in Lanzhou, Gansu Province, from August 11 to 13. More than 80 trainees from over 60 irradiation operation, design and manufacturing, and regulatory departments across the country gathered together to study laws, regulations, and standards and share safety experience. This training closely focused on the new regulatory situation of the irradiation industry and industrial development needs, emphasizing both professionalism and practicality. The courses systematically covered the development status and trends of industrial irradiation facilities,...

2026-08-18

Kazakhstan Signs Memorandum of Cooperation on Atomic Industry Development

The Atomic Energy Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Atameken National Chamber of Entrepreneurs of Kazakhstan, and the Atomic Industry Development Association (AIDA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation, planning to jointly promote the development of the national atomic energy industry, expand industrial collaboration, and attract local enterprises to participate in major infrastructure projects. The memorandum was signed by Almasadam Satkaliyev, Chairman of the Atomic Energy Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and the Chairman of the Presidium of the Atameken National Chamber of Entrepreneurs...

2026-08-18

Finland's Olkiluoto 3 unit reduces power output due to main coolant pump fault

Finnish utility Teollisuuden Voima (TVO) said on August 17 that Unit 3 of the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant (OL3) will continue to operate at a stable power output of approximately 1,300 MW, about 84% of full capacity, for the coming weeks due to technical faults in two main coolant pumps in the nuclear island. The unit's rated generating capacity is approximately 1,600 MW. TVO stated that the faults were discovered during this summer. Since then, the unit has reduced its output power and investigations have been conducted into the causes of the faults and corrective measures. Under the latest arrangement, OL3 will continue operating at a reduced power level to monitor the effectiveness of corrective actions until the unit begins its scheduled annual outage on September 10, 2026. TVO...

2026-08-18

Decoding the Clinical-Radiological Paradox: Brain Network Mechanisms in Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 3 Revealed

On August 17, the team of Professor Liu Chen and Professor Wang Jian from the Department of Radiology at Southwest Hospital of Army Medical University, in collaboration with Professor Long Zhiliang's team from the Faculty of Psychology at Southwest University, systematically revealed for the first time the micro-level molecular pathological mechanisms underlying macroscopic brain network decoupling in patients with spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3) by integrating multimodal magnetic resonance imaging technology with high-resolution micro-biological atlases. This provides a novel perspective and objective imaging targets for resolving the clinical-radiological dissociation challenge in clinical diagnosis and treatment. The findings were published in the internationally leading journal in the field of movement disorders under the title "Putaminal Structure-Function Decoupling as an Early Candidate Imaging Biomarker for Motor Severity in Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 3."

2026-08-18

South Korea's Gyeongbuk East Coast Nuclear Power Belt Proposed as National AI Training Center

On August 17, the Gyeongbuk Research Institute proposed developing the nuclear power-concentrated region on the east coast of North Gyeongsang Province into a national artificial intelligence (AI) training center to accommodate high-energy computing demands such as large-scale model training and retraining. The research suggests that if the South Korean government expands AI data centers to 18.4 gigawatts in the long term, power supply and grid connection capacity in the capital area and metropolitan regions could approach their limits. To alleviate power and network load pressures, real-time inference and user-facing services could be deployed in the capital area and major cities, while large-scale training and retraining facilities could be located in developing regions with access to power sources. The east coast of North Gyeongsang Province is home to Hanul...

2026-08-18

Japan's Nuclear Power Revival Enters Supply Chain Rebuilding Phase, with Spent Fuel and Engineering Capacity as Key Constraints

As Japan advances energy security, reduces dependence on fossil fuel imports, and expands low-carbon electricity supply, the focus of the country's nuclear power market is shifting from mere reactor restarts to a comprehensive supply chain rebuild covering manufacturing, operations and maintenance, life extension, fuel cycle, and waste management. GlobalData estimates Japan's nuclear power generation at 101.0 TWh in 2025 and projects it to increase to 123.3 TWh by 2035. Japan's policy target is to maintain nuclear power at approximately 20% to 22% of the electricity generation mix. Based on total annual electricity demand of approximately 1,050 TWh, a 20% nuclear share corresponds to about 210 TWh, while a 22% share corresponds to about 231 TWh. Compared with the 2025 nuclear generation figure of 101.0 TWh, the estimated gap is approximately 109 TWh to 130 TWh.

2026-08-18

Removal of Highly Radioactive Spent Fuel Begins at Unit 2 of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station

Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO) said on August 17 that it has begun removing spent fuel assemblies with high radiation levels from the spent fuel pool of Unit 2 at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station in northeastern Japan, the site of a severe nuclear accident. Last month, TEPCO removed 28 unused nuclear fuel assemblies from the Unit 2 spent fuel pool. Compared with spent fuel, these unused fuel assemblies pose relatively lower risks. The company plans to complete the removal of spent fuel from Unit 2 by the end of fiscal year 2028. To date, the Unit 2 spent fuel pool contains a total of 587 spent fuel assemblies, of which TEPCO has completed the removal of...

2026-08-18

Hyundai E&C Signs Framework Agreement with TerraPower for Natrium Nuclear Power Plant Project

Hyundai Engineering & Construction announced on the 18th that it has signed a framework agreement with U.S. nuclear energy company TerraPower for the execution of the Natrium next-generation nuclear power plant project. Under the agreement, Hyundai E&C has been granted priority status to serve as the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) general contractor for up to eight additional Natrium nuclear units developed by TerraPower. The signing ceremony was attended by senior executives from both companies, including Hyundai E&C CEO Lee Han-woo and TerraPower CEO Chris Levesque. The two parties plan to expand cooperation in the nuclear energy sector and jointly explore new business opportunities...

2026-08-18