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KHNP's "Integrated Nuclear Power Plant Maintenance Personnel Qualification System" Receives Official Government Recognition

On August 7, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) announced that its integrated nuclear power plant maintenance personnel qualification system has officially received government recognition from the Korea Human Resource Development Service for Emerging Industries, an affiliate of the Ministry of Employment and Labor. This recognition signifies that the qualification system, used internally by the company to enhance employee job competencies, has received official confirmation in terms of evaluation standards, operational frameworks, and management mechanisms, providing a more credible institutional foundation for nuclear power plant equipment operation and maintenance capability building. The core of this recognized system lies in integrating the qualification frameworks previously operated separately by various nuclear maintenance partner companies into unified standards. This marks the first time such a standardized model has been established in Korea's nuclear maintenance sector...

2026-08-07

New Decommissioning Plan for Fukushima Daiichi: Priority on Internal Investigation of Unit 3 Before Fuel Debris Retrieval

The Nuclear Damage Compensation and Decommissioning Facilitation Corporation of Japan released on August 6 an outline of the 2026 edition of the "Decommissioning Strategic Plan," proposing technical approaches for the decommissioning of Tokyo Electric Power Company's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. The plan highlights that, for the large-scale retrieval of melted fuel debris at Unit 3, expected to commence in or after fiscal year 2037, priority should currently be given to internal investigations of the reactor building to provide a more reliable basis for subsequent engineering plans. The plan states that the fuel debris retrieval method being studied by TEPCO still requires further improvement in certainty, with the key prerequisite being an understanding of the actual internal conditions of the reactor. Due to the high radiation levels of the water inside the unit following the accident...

2026-08-07

U.S. Environmental Groups Sue, Claiming Turkey Point Nuclear Plant License Renewal Requires Additional Environmental Review

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) faces a legal challenge over its renewal of operating licenses for Units 3 and 4 at the Turkey Point nuclear power plant near Miami, Florida. Florida environmental group Miami Waterkeeper Inc. has petitioned the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, arguing that the agency failed to follow proper procedures during the license renewal process and overlooked significant environmental concerns. At the heart of the lawsuit is Miami Waterkeeper's assertion that the NRC should not have proceeded with the license renewal after denying the group's hearing request. The organization had participated in the related administrative proceedings and raised objections concerning the plant's environmental impact review, but the NRC concluded those proceedings in March of this year...

2026-08-07

X-Energy and Centrus Sign HALEU Supply Agreement, Accelerating U.S. Advanced Nuclear Fuel Supply Chain

X-Energy and Centrus Energy have signed a low-enriched uranium and high-assay low-enriched uranium supply agreement, marking a more concrete commercialization phase in fuel assurance for U.S. advanced nuclear reactors. Under the agreement, Centrus will provide uranium enrichment services at its American Centrifuge Plant in Pike County, Ohio, with the HALEU to be supplied to X-Energy's fuel subsidiary TRISO-X for the production of TRISO-coated particle fuel at its Oak Ridge, Tennessee fuel fabrication facility, serving the Xe-100 high-temperature gas-cooled small modular reactor. The significance of this agreement lies not only in the supply itself but also in its phased advance payment arrangement. X-Energy will support Centrus through advance payments...

2026-08-07

KHNP's Comprehensive Nuclear Power Plant Maintenance Qualification System Recognized by South Korean Government

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) announced on August 7 that its comprehensive nuclear power plant maintenance qualification system has received government recognition from the Human Resources Development Service of Korea, an affiliate of South Korea's Ministry of Employment and Labor. The system is primarily designed for nuclear power plant maintenance positions, aiming to enhance the professional knowledge and on-site technical capabilities of practitioners. Government recognition refers to the formal confirmation by the government of a qualification certification system used within a company to improve employee skills. KHNP believes this signifies that the objectivity and credibility of its qualification assessments have been recognized at the national level, contributing to...

2026-08-07

New Chair Takes Office for ASME BPV III China International Working Group

On August 4, the 2026 First Working Meeting and the Fourth Chairmanship Election Conference of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code Section III (BPV III) China International Working Group (hereinafter referred to as the "Working Group") were held at Shanghai Nuclear Engineering Research and Design Institute (SNERDI). Following a vote by attending committee members, Jiao Ming, Deputy General Manager of the company, was unanimously elected as the new Chair of the Working Group, while Zhou Zhou, Director of the Nuclear Equipment Safety and Reliability Center at China Productivity Center for Machinery, and Jiang Cailin, Vice President of Shanghai Electric Nuclear Power Group, were elected as Vice Chairs. Jiao Ming stated that the Working Group will continue to establish regular communication channels between the domestic industry and ASME, leverage key domestic nuclear power projects, and lead the industry in tackling cutting-edge technologies such as radiography testing of ultra-thick forgings, phased array ultrasonic testing, and additive manufacturing of nuclear equipment...

2026-08-07

Huaneng Hainan Changjiang Nuclear Power Plant Unit 4 Secondary Loop Combined Hydrostatic Test Successfully Completed

At 04:29 on August 6, 2026, witnessed jointly by Huaneng Changjiang Nuclear Power Company and all participating construction units, the secondary loop combined hydrostatic test of Unit 4 was completed, laying a solid critical prerequisite foundation for the comprehensive implementation of subsequent cold functional tests of the unit. Hydrostatic test curve diagram The secondary loop hydrostatic test is the core critical test following the blasting purging process in the unit's secondary loop system, and constitutes a mandatory acceptance procedure during the construction and installation phase of the Hualong One nuclear power unit. The test primarily targets the steam generator secondary side system, main steam pipelines, feedwater system, auxiliary valves, supports and hangers, and all associated piping, comprehensively verifying the overall structural pressure resistance, weld and flange sealing performance, and...

2026-08-07

Dark Energy Survey Releases Six-Year Results: Data from 669 Million Galaxies Helps Constrain Cosmic Accelerated Expansion

On August 4, the Dark Energy Survey (DES) project released its six-year findings on dark energy detection. The project compiled 18 related papers, based on nearly 300,000 astronomical images captured between 2013 and 2019, recording information on 669 million galaxies, thousands of galaxy clusters, and more than 3,000 supernovae to study the accelerated expansion of the universe and the evolution of cosmic structure. To carry out DES, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory built an extremely sensitive 570-megapixel digital camera, DECam, which was installed on the Blanco 4-meter telescope at the National Science Foundation's Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in the Chilean Andes. (Image courtesy of Reidar Hahn/Fermi National Acceler...

2026-08-06

U.S. Laboratories Plan "Materials Discovery Cloud" to Use AI to Predict Impact of Defects in Microelectronic Devices

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Northwestern University are planning to develop a Materials Discovery Cloud platform that leverages a physics-based artificial intelligence framework to predict how tiny defects affect the performance and lifespan of microelectronic devices. Visualization of the Materials Discovery Cloud, a physics-based AI framework that integrates experimental data, simulations, and high-performance computing to predict how tiny defects affect the performance and lifespan of microelectronic devices. (Image provided by ChatGPT.) Microelectronic devices are widely used in smartphones, laptops, secure communications, and artificial intelligence hardware. As device dimensions continue to shrink and operating speeds increase, tiny defects within materials and at interfaces have a more pronounced impact on device stability. These defects can cause overheating, leakage current, switching instability, and other issues, or in certain conditions, improve electrical or thermal performance. Identifying critical defects and understanding their evolution under real-world operating conditions has become a key challenge in the design of next-generation microelectronic materials.

2026-08-06

Vietnam Issues 470 International Nuclear Energy Standards Covering the Full Chain of Nuclear Power Plants, Research Reactors, SMRs, and Radiation Protection

Vietnam is preparing for nuclear energy development, with the Ministry of Science and Technology recently issuing a list of 470 international and foreign standards directly applicable to the atomic energy sector. These standards cover multiple aspects including safety, design, operation, equipment, personnel, radiation protection, nuclear security, and accident response, aiming to ensure the safe and reliable operation of nuclear facilities throughout their entire lifecycle. The list encompasses requirements across a wide range of fields, from nuclear power plants and research reactors to fuel technology, monitoring systems, radioactive waste management, and nuclear security. For nuclear power plants, the standards cover analysis, safety assessment, design, commissioning, equipment classification, accident management, aging management, maintenance...

2026-08-06

Czech industrial valve manufacturer MSA expands into the full nuclear energy supply chain

Czech industrial valve manufacturer MSA is actively expanding its business, aiming not only to participate in the construction of the Dukovany nuclear power plant but also to enter the supply chains related to small modular reactors (SMRs) and nuclear submarine projects. The company is one of the representatives of Czech industrial valve manufacturers, with years of industry experience and technical expertise. MSA specializes in the manufacture of industrial valves designed for the control of media such as liquids and gases. Its products have a long history and have undergone significant technological advancements. Modern industrial valves have become a highly specialized field, relying on contemporary research, innovative materials, and stringent technical and legal requirements. In particular, valves used in nuclear power plants must meet the highest standards of quality, safety, and operational reliability...

2026-08-06

Construction of inner containment begins at Unit 4 of Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant II

Construction of the inner containment of the reactor building at Unit 4 of the Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant II in Russia has commenced. The unit features a VVER-1200 reactor, and the inner containment is a key component of the unit's passive safety system, as well as part of the plant's confinement safety system. Construction workers have installed the first tier of vertical sealed steel liner to its design position. The steel structure weighs approximately 97 tonnes, and the lifting and positioning operations were carried out using a heavy crawler crane, with the entire installation process lasting about 7 hours. The contractor, TITAN-2 Holding Company, stated that the preparatory work took several months, including component fabrication, protective coating application, on-site assembly and welding, and structural quality inspection...

2026-08-06

Terra Innovatum Selected for Global X Uranium ETF Tracking Nuclear Index, Microreactor SOLO™ Gains Passive Fund Exposure

Terra Innovatum Global N.V. (NASDAQ: NKLR), a Netherlands-registered micro modular reactor developer, will be included in the Solactive Global Uranium & Nuclear Components Total Return Index effective from the market open on August 3, 2026 — the benchmark tracked by the Global X Uranium ETF (NYSE Arca: URA, with over $5 billion in assets under management), taking effect with Solactive's periodic rebalancing. Co-founder and CEO Alessandro Petruzzi stated that this enables passive/thematic investors to directly access its SOLO™ microreactor story through the index, alongside Cameco, Kazatomprom, Centrus, Oklo, NuScale, X-energy, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and others in the nuclear fuel cycle and reactor development tier.

2026-08-06

Japan's Plutonium Stockpile Expected to Remain at 44.4 Tons by End of 2025

Japan's Cabinet Office reported to the Japan Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC) on August 5 that Japan's plutonium stockpile is expected to be 44.4 tons by the end of 2025, unchanged from the end of the previous year. By source, domestically sourced plutonium stockpile is expected to be 9.9 tons, while overseas-sourced plutonium stockpile is 34.5 tons. The overseas-sourced plutonium mainly comes from separated plutonium formed after Japan entrusted its spent fuel reprocessing operations to the United Kingdom and France. The report shows that in 2024, Kansai Electric Power Company (KEPCO) processed 1.3 tons of plutonium stored in France into mixed uranium-plutonium oxide fuel, namely MOX fuel, resulting in a decrease in overseas-sourced plutonium stockpile. Subsequently, this batch of MOX fuel was shipped to the Takahama Nuclear Power...

2026-08-06

CGN Technology joins forces with enterprises to build China's first fully self-developed electron beam curing coil coating industrial chain

On August 5, CGN Dasheng Accelerator Technology Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of CGN Technology, signed a strategic cooperation agreement on electron beam curing coil coating with Zhejiang Jiaguangshu New Material Technology Co., Ltd. Leveraging the electron accelerator equipment independently developed and manufactured by CGN Dasheng, combined with the partner's large-scale mass production process capabilities, the two parties jointly built China's first fully self-controlled, fully domestically produced complete industrial chain for electron beam curing coil coating, marking the official entry of China's color-coated steel industry into a new era of solvent-free, zero-VOC (volatile organic compounds), room-temperature green curing. CGN Dasheng and Zhejiang Jiaguangshu signed the strategic cooperation agreement on electron beam curing coil coating. Electron beam curing is...

2026-08-06