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Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant Loses External Power for Six Days
On August 25 local time, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) stated that it had lost external power since August 20 and had been relying on backup diesel generators to meet on-site electricity demand for six consecutive days. The plant's existing fuel reserves can still ensure operation, but difficulties in fuel resupply have not yet significantly eased. Yevgeniya Yashina, head of communications at ZNPP, stated that plant staff are monitoring nuclear safety parameters and the operation of backup diesel generator units around the clock. She noted that fuel transportation still faces difficulties due to shelling on roads leading to the plant; to improve the efficiency of existing reserve utilization, the plant has optimized the operation of diesel generators...
2026-08-26
Japan's Mihama Nuclear Power Plant Unit 3 Receives Preliminary Approval for Operation Plan Beyond 50 Years
On August 25, Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) gave preliminary approval to Kansai Electric Power Co. (KEPCO) for the long-term facility management plan for Unit 3 of the Mihama Nuclear Power Plant. Located in Mihama Town, Fukui Prefecture, the unit will mark its 50th anniversary of commercial operation on December 1. In May of this year, the metal top cover of the high-pressure turbine at Mihama Unit 3 suffered damage, resulting in steam leakage. At the NRA meeting held that day, KEPCO explained that the cause of the incident was believed to be thinning of the inner wall of the top cover due to steam flow. The company stated that this phenomenon falls under previously anticipated aging and degradation management for turbine equipment, and that the existing plan already includes corresponding management measures. Visual inspection and other examination methods were also deemed applicable, thus no revision to the long-term facility management plan was required.
2026-08-26
Westinghouse eVinci Microreactor Completes Zero-Power Criticality Testing
Westinghouse Electric Company announced on August 25 that its eVinci microreactor has completed zero-power criticality testing, validating relevant models and key assumptions in the core design. The test was completed at 10:39 a.m. Pacific Time on August 24, 2026, at the National Criticality Experiments Research Center (NCERC) at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS). The center is operated under the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). The test was conducted by Westinghouse Electric in collaboration with Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and Idaho National Laboratory (INL). Zero-power criticality is typically used to verify that a reactor core can achieve a self-sustaining chain fission state at extremely low power levels, serving as a critical step in reactor physics testing and design validation...
2026-08-26
US NuScale Deploys Nuclear-Specific AI to Advance Small Modular Reactor Projects
NuScale Power Corporation announced on August 25 that it is deploying nuclear-specific artificial intelligence tools to support its engineering and knowledge management efforts, accelerating the development of its advanced small modular reactor projects. The initiative combines NuScale's technical expertise in advanced reactors, Nuclearn's AtomAssist nuclear AI platform, and NPX's experience in nuclear project delivery and AI implementation, aiming to establish specialized tools tailored for nuclear scenarios that help engineering teams retrieve, understand, and apply critical technical information more efficiently. As advanced...
2026-08-26
Thermo Fisher Scientific Launches First Orbitrap Mass Spectrometers for Isotope Ratio Analysis
Thermo Fisher Scientific recently launched the Thermo Scientific Orbitrap Isora mass spectrometer and Orbitrap Isora Pro mass spectrometer in Waltham, Massachusetts, USA. The company stated that these are its first Orbitrap instruments equipped with a dedicated isotope ratio analysis mode. The two mass spectrometers launched this time will form an integrated workflow together with the Thermo Scientific Vanquish Duo ultra-high performance liquid chromatography system and the new Isotope Discoverer software, providing molecular-level isotope ratio analysis capabilities to laboratories and researchers worldwide. Isotope ratio analysis can help researchers determine the source of compounds and their formation processes by measuring natural variations in isotopes within samples, helping...
2026-08-26
Molecular Partners Advances DLL3 Radiopharmaceutical MP0712 to Higher Dose Cohort
Swiss clinical-stage biotechnology company Molecular Partners AG recently announced its business progress and financial results for the first half of 2026. The company stated that its DLL3-targeting radioactive DARPin therapy MP0712 has advanced to the second therapeutic dose level in a U.S. multicenter Phase 1/2a clinical study, and patient enrollment for the new dose cohort is currently underway. MP0712 is a radiopharmaceutical targeting the tumor-associated antigen DLL3, carrying a therapeutic alpha-emitting radionuclide lead-212 (Pb-212) payload, co-developed by Molecular Partners and Orano Med, primarily for small cell lung cancer and other neuroendocrine tumors. According to the company's disclosure, the first dose cohort of MP0712...
2026-08-26
FSG to Provide Electrical and Control Systems Support for Oklo's Groves Isotope Test Reactor Project
American Facility Solutions Group, LLC (FSG) announced on August 25 that it will support Oklo's Groves Isotope Test Reactor project, providing electrical, instrumentation, control, testing, and verification-related work. According to reports, the Groves Isotope Test Reactor achieved first criticality on August 5, 2026, reaching a controlled, self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction. The reactor is the fifth reactor to achieve this milestone among projects authorized under the U.S. Department of Energy's Reactor Pilot Program, and the first to reach criticality on private land under the program. The low-power test reactor is designed to lay the foundation for domestic commercial isotope production...
2026-08-26
Ministry of Ecology and Environment North China Regional Office of Nuclear and Radiation Safety Supervision Conducts Supervision of First Fuel Loading at Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant Unit 7
Recently, the first fuel loading of Unit 7 at Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant was officially initiated, with the first fuel assembly successfully loaded into the reactor core, marking the unit's formal transition into the commissioning phase with nuclear operation. This unit is a key cooperative project witnessed by the heads of state of China and Russia via video link at its groundbreaking ceremony. This fuel loading marks a significant milestone achievement in the largest strategic cooperation project in China-Russia nuclear energy cooperation. As a core and critical procedure in nuclear power engineering, the first fuel loading serves as a comprehensive and holistic verification of the unit's engineering construction quality, system commissioning effectiveness, and safety control capabilities, and is of decisive significance to the subsequent safe and stable operation of the unit. The Ministry of Ecology and Environment North China Regional Office of Nuclear and Radiation Safety Supervision (hereinafter referred to as the North China Regional Office) has consistently upheld the nuclear safety regulatory work style of "rigorous, prudent, meticulous, and practical," closely focusing on the core and critical aspects of the first fuel loading, and implementing full-coverage, full-chain, and whole-process supervision and control over this fuel loading operation, effectively safeguarding the safety and quality defense line of the loading operation.
2026-08-26
Sweden's Blykalla applies to build eight lead-cooled SMRs in Tierp
Swedish nuclear engineering company Blykalla submitted an application to the Swedish government on August 25 for approval to build a new nuclear power plant, planning to construct up to eight SEALER-type lead-cooled small modular reactors in the Önterå area of Tierp, Sweden. The project is proposed to be located between Uppsala and Gävle, near the Önterå and Söderfors hydropower stations. Blykalla CEO Jacob Stedman stated that the company surveyed approximately 50 to 70 potential sites across Sweden before finalizing the location, with a focus on finding areas where power could be generated locally and connected directly to the grid. According to the plan, the total installed capacity of the Tierp project is expected to reach up to...
2026-08-25
Japan Completes Cryogenic Test of World's Largest Superconducting Toroidal Field Coil for ITER
Japan's National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST) and Toshiba Corporation announced on August 25 that they had successfully completed the first cryogenic current test of the world's largest superconducting toroidal field coil at the construction site of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). The test was conducted at an operating temperature of approximately minus 269 degrees Celsius, marking a critical technical milestone before ITER's commissioning. The superconducting toroidal field coil, also known as the TF coil, installed in the test facility is a key component of ITER's superconducting magnet system, used to generate the strong magnetic field required to confine plasma. During the test, the team cooled the coil from room temperature to cryogenic conditions, confirmed its transition to the superconducting state, and for the first time achieved stable conduction of 10,000 amperes of current while the coil was in the superconducting state.
2026-08-25
North Gyeongsang Provincial Council Establishes Special Committee on Nuclear Power
On August 25, the North Gyeongsang Provincial Council in South Korea established a Special Committee on Nuclear Power on the first day of its 365th special session, electing provincial council member Kim Jae-jun as committee chairman and Lee Dong-hyeop as vice chairman. According to reports, the committee will focus on addressing major nuclear power-related issues in the region, while also working to enhance the competitiveness of the nuclear power industry in North Gyeongsang Province and safeguard the safety and rights of provincial residents. North Gyeongsang Province is one of the regions in South Korea with a relatively high concentration of nuclear power facilities, having already developed a certain base of nuclear institutions and industrial infrastructure. With the recent confirmation of two new nuclear reactor projects in Yeongdeok County, the committee plans to strengthen on-site investigations and legislative activities to promote the nuclear power industry as a new growth driver for the region's underdeveloped areas.
2026-08-25
South Korea's SEC Joins National R&D Project for Active Dose Distribution Control Radiotherapy Equipment
South Korean electron beam source technology company SEC announced on August 25 that it has been selected as a joint research institution for the world's best active dose distribution control radiotherapy machine R&D project, and will participate in the development of core technologies related to next-generation radiotherapy equipment. The project is a newly established task under the Global Flagship Medical Device R&D Program of the South Korean government's medical device R&D fund, with a duration of 6 years and 6 months, starting from July this year and planned to continue until December 2032. The total project budget is 35.2 billion KRW, of which 28 billion KRW is government funding. Radexel serves as the lead institution, with SEC participating as a joint research institution. Other participating organizations include the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Korea Testing Laboratory...
2026-08-25
South Korea Launches Next-Generation Energy Leader Training Program in Nuclear Energy
The Next-Generation Energy Leader Training Program in the nuclear energy sector, supported by the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment and the Korea Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning Institute (KETEP) and implemented by the Korea Association for Radiation Promotion (KARA), has been officially launched. On August 25, the association held an inauguration ceremony at the 2026 Climate and Energy Job Fair held in Changwon, marking the program's entry into the implementation phase. The program targets young researchers who have recently obtained doctoral degrees, focusing on enhancing their research capabilities and industrial adaptability in the nuclear energy field, while promoting closer talent cultivation linkage mechanisms among universities, enterprises, and research institutions...
2026-08-25
South Korean team develops biodegradable microgel for localized radiation therapy
Pusan National University announced on August 25 that a research team led by Professor Yang Seung-yun from the Department of Biomaterials Science, in collaboration with Professor Kim Hoon-soo from the Department of Dermatology and Professor Kim Geun-young from the Department of Nuclear Medicine at Pusan National University Hospital, as well as SNBIA Co., Ltd., has developed a precision localized radiation therapy technology based on biodegradable radioactive isotope materials for the treatment of refractory keloids that tend to recur after surgery. Conceptual diagram of precision treatment technology for refractory keloids. Provided by Pusan National University. Keloids are caused by abnormal proliferation of fibroblasts and excessive accumulation of collagen after skin injury. Existing treatment methods include surgery, steroid injections, laser therapy, etc., but...
2026-08-25
Liaoning Zhuanghe Nuclear Power Enters Construction Preparation Phase, Expected to Complete 2 Billion Yuan in Project Investment by Year-End
On August 22, 85 heavy and light engineering machinery units entered the site simultaneously to carry out topsoil clearing work on 179,000 square meters of land, marking the official entry of the Liaoning Zhuanghe nuclear power project into the construction preparation phase. Rendering of the Liaoning Zhuanghe nuclear power project. The Liaoning Zhuanghe nuclear power project is the first nuclear power project in Northeast China to adopt the Hualong One, China's self-developed third-generation nuclear power technology. The project plans to build six million-kilowatt-class nuclear power units in three phases, with a total investment of approximately 125 billion yuan. The first phase will construct two units with a total investment of approximately 44.56 billion yuan. It was approved at the executive meeting of the State Council on July 31, received formal approval from the National Development and Reform Commission on August 13, and obtained the advance land use approval from the Liaoning Provincial Department of Natural Resources on August 20, meeting the legal conditions for land construction.
2026-08-25