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Romania Plans to Allocate 51 Million Lei for Danube Dredging to Ensure Operation of Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant

The Romanian government will allocate 51 million lei for Danube River dredging works, an arrangement specifically highlighted as crucial to the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant. The Danube is not only an important shipping route for Romania but is also closely linked to the operation of energy infrastructure—river water depth, flow conditions, and water intake safety all affect the stable operation of coastal industrial and power facilities. The Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant is a key asset in Romania's power system, and its operation requires stable water source conditions as cooling assurance. If the Danube experiences low water levels, sediment accumulation, or navigational obstructions, it could increase operational management pressure on the nuclear power plant and also affect the transport of fuel, equipment, and...

2026-08-11

South Korean Environmental Groups to Hold Nuclear Safety Seminar, Focusing on SMR Regulatory Independence and Institutional Gaps

The Korean Federation for Environmental Movement recently announced that it will hold a session of the Continuous Nuclear Safety Seminar Series, under the safety regulation domain, at 10:00 a.m. on August 21, 2026, in Conference Room 8 of the National Assembly Members' Office Building, under the theme "Moving Beyond Promotion-Centered Nuclear Policy Toward an Independent Safety Regulatory System." The event is hosted by National Assembly member Lee Ju-hee and co-organized by the Citizens' Institute for Environmental Studies and the Korean Federation for Environmental Movement, aiming to discuss structural issues in South Korea's nuclear safety regulatory system. According to available information, the South Korean government is accelerating the research and development, industrial support, and commercialization of small modular reactors (SMRs), with the i-SMR standard design approval application already accepted and the Special Act on SMR Development Promotion scheduled to take effect in September.

2026-08-11

Korea's Naju Artificial Sun Research Facility Expected to Receive Preliminary Feasibility Study Results in September

The project to build the Naju Artificial Sun research facility in Korea is expected to receive the results of the national preliminary feasibility study in September. With a total investment of approximately 1.2 trillion KRW, the project plans to construct large-scale nuclear fusion research and demonstration infrastructure in Wangok-myeon, Naju City, South Jeolla Province, and is regarded by local governments as a key pillar in the future industrial layout of the South Jeolla–Gwangju Integrated Special Zone. The Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) designated the "Nuclear Fusion Core Technology Development and Strategic Infrastructure Construction Project" as a national R&D project and included it in the preliminary feasibility study on January 30. According to the previous schedule, the evaluation period was approximately seven months. The results were originally expected to be announced in August, but...

2026-08-11

Fujita Health University in Japan Advances Research on Expanding BNCT Indications for Deep-Seated Cancers, to Conduct 18F-FBPA PET Exploratory Evaluation

On August 10, Stella Pharma Corporation of Japan announced that it is collaborating with Fujita Health University and other institutions to advance research and development aimed at expanding Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) to deep-seated cancers. As part of this project, Stella Pharma will participate in an exploratory study on 18F-FBPA uptake capacity in deep-seated cancers conducted by Fujita Health University. The study will use 18F-FBPA PET to evaluate the tumor accumulation of boron drugs used in BNCT in deep-seated cancers, and based on the findings, explore the possibility of expanding BNCT indications in the future. The study plans to collect data from 50 cases, including pancreatic cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, and biliary tract cancer, to accumulate foundational evidence needed for the development of BNCT for deep-seated cancers. BNC...

2026-08-11

South Korea to Launch Real-Time Query System for CT and MRI Records in December to Reduce Duplicate Tests for Patients Transferring Hospitals

The Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) of South Korea announced on August 10 that it has established the "Appropriate Medical Utilization Review Committee" and, at its first meeting, included computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations in the review scope of the real-time medical utilization management program. According to the plan, the program will be managed through the "Medical Care Benefit Details Confirmation System" following approval by the Minister of Health and Welfare. The system, built pursuant to Article 41-6 of the revised National Health Insurance Act, is expected to officially operate starting December 24. Once the system is in place, medical personnel will be able to query in real time the timing and relevant records of patients' CT and MRI examinations at other medical institutions before the patients undergo examinations, thereby reducing...

2026-08-11

U.S. nuclear energy company Holtec advances on two fronts this week: decommissioning aging nuclear plants and positioning small reactors in the southern U.S.

U.S. nuclear energy company Holtec recently announced two significant developments, reflecting the dual trend in the current nuclear power industry of retiring existing capacity while expanding new capacity. On one hand, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved the license termination plan for the Oyster Creek nuclear power plant, moving the decommissioning process of this veteran commercial nuclear facility in New Jersey, which began operations in 1969, past a key regulatory milestone. On the other hand, Holtec announced a partnership with Entergy and Hyundai Engineering & Construction to evaluate potential sites for deploying new reactors in the southern Gulf Coast region of the United States. The Oyster Creek plant ceased power generation in 2018 and was subsequently taken over by Holtec for decommissioning. The recently approved license termination plan...

2026-08-11

"Triple-Arrow Assault" Confirms a Cosmic "Natural Accelerator" Ejecting Protons at Energies 100 Times That of the Large Hadron Collider

Astronomers, using three observation facilities operating in different wavelength bands, have confirmed a mysterious celestial body in the direction of the Aquila constellation in the Milky Way as a natural cosmic accelerator. This object is continuously ejecting high-speed particles with energies far exceeding any man-made accelerator on Earth, equivalent to 100 times that of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). This discovery provides key clues for tracing the origin of the highest-energy cosmic rays in the Milky Way, and the research findings were published in the latest issue of The Astrophysical Journal. A size comparison between the gamma-ray source (large circle) and the Moon (small circle). Image credit: The Astrophysical Journal. PeV (peta-electronvolt) energy cosmic rays are high-energy diffuse gamma-ray radiation, and...

2026-08-11

Lockheed Martin Australia Authorized to Integrate Virginia-Class Nuclear Submarine Combat Systems, Marking a Key Step in AUKUS Technology Transfer

Lockheed Martin Australia has signed a multi-year A$29.3 million contract with the Australian Submarine Agency and has been officially designated as the combat systems integration partner for Australia's Virginia-class nuclear submarines. What makes this arrangement unique is that Australia will become the first national-level partner outside the United States authorized to integrate, maintain, and upgrade the classified combat systems of Virginia-class nuclear submarines. The relevant authorization covers approximately 40 classified subsystems, including critical capabilities such as sensors, target identification, weapon control, and underwater communications, marking a deepening of technology sharing under the AUKUS framework from platform procurement to the core combat systems level. The Virginia-class nucle...

2026-08-11

Russian Scientists Propose Fast Calculation Method to Simulate Plasma Ion Parameters in Seconds

Researchers from the HSE University and the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT) have developed an analytical method for calculating the behavior of heavy ions in helium under strong electric fields, which can accelerate the computation of ion mobility and ion–molecule reaction rates by thousands of times. The findings have been published in Physica Scripta. Plasma, composed of charged particles such as electrons, negative ions, and positive ions, is typically quasi-neutral and highly conductive. It exists not only in fluorescent lamps and welding arcs but is also used in controlled nuclear fusion devices such as tokamaks. Atmospheric plasma jets can also be applied to wound disinfection, work surface cleaning...

2026-08-11

International Team Measures Niobium-94 Neutron Reactions, Explaining Anomalous Molybdenum-94 Abundance in the Solar System

An international team of physicists has, for the first time, conducted a comprehensive study of the interactions between neutrons and the niobium-94 isotope. The findings have been published in Physical Review Letters. The study suggests that the elevated abundance of molybdenum-94 in the primordial material of the solar system can be explained by a series of neutron-involving nuclear reaction processes inside old stars, without requiring the introduction of previously unknown special formation mechanisms. The research was led by Alberto Mengoni, a researcher at the Italian National Institute for Nuclear Physics. The team conducted experiments using the n_TOF facility at CERN, focusing on tracking the interactions between neutrons and niobium-94 atoms. The n_TOF facility is used to...

2026-08-11

Installation of STT153A Tower Crane Completed at Jiangsu Xuwei Nuclear Heating and Power Plant by CEEC

On August 6, the installation and commissioning of the first special equipment STT153A tower crane was successfully completed for Section A of the natural draft cooling tower construction and installation project for Units 1, 2, and 3 of Phase I of the Jiangsu Xuwei Nuclear Heating and Power Plant, undertaken by CEEC Mechanization Company. The tower crane installed this time was manufactured by Fushun Yongmao Construction Machinery Co., Ltd., and is positioned at the rebar processing yard of the 1PB cooling tower, with a maximum rated lifting capacity of 10t. The jib length for this installation is 65m, and the standard section height is 37.5m. Based on the on-site machinery configuration, the installation of this tower crane was completed with the coordination of one 130t mobile crane and one 25t mobile crane. The technical team of the CEEC Mechanization Xuwei Project Branch, prior to the formal commencement of the tower crane installation...

2026-08-11

The 8th International Radiation Protection School Held in Stockholm

The Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, in collaboration with the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority (SSM) and the Centre for Radiation Protection Research (CRPR) at Stockholm University, will hold the 8th International Radiation Protection School (IRPS) in Stockholm, Sweden, from 10 to 14 August 2026. This five-day course is designed for early-career professionals in the nuclear and related fields, with a focus on helping participants systematically understand the international radiation protection system and master its practical application in emerging scenarios. The curriculum will cover the scientific foundations, historical evolution, development trajectory of the radiation protection system, and its translation into regulatory and national frameworks. According to the organisers, participants...

2026-08-11

TAF-ID database 22nd edition released, expanding advanced nuclear fuel thermodynamic evaluation data

The International Thermodynamic Database for Advanced Fuels (TAF-ID) project has been running for over a decade. The project employs the CALPHAD (Calculation of Phase Diagrams) method to develop a thermodynamic database that supports computational analysis of advanced nuclear fuel materials, enabling prediction of phase diagrams and thermodynamic properties of relevant systems. According to project documentation, Version 22 of the TAF-ID database has been released. This update adds and revises assessment data for material systems including Na-U, Na-O, Na-UO₂, U-Ru, U-Si, Al-Si-U, Fe-Pu-U, and O-N-U, and updates gas-phase data based on the latest publicly available information. The database assessment scope has been expanded to 44 elements, 272 binary systems, 151 ternary systems, and 3...

2026-08-11

Rostov NPP's Self-Developed Device Cuts Instrument Calibration Cycle from 60 Days to 5 Days

The metrology team at Russia's Rostov Nuclear Power Plant has recently developed and put into operation a device for calibrating high-precision measuring instruments, reducing the relevant instrument calibration cycle from approximately 60 working days to 5 working days—a twelvefold reduction in time. The project was completed by the plant's metrology personnel within the framework of the Rosatom Production System. Previously, some high-precision instruments at the plant requiring regular maintenance and calibration had to be sent to specialized laboratories, with the entire process involving document preparation, equipment transportation, cargo escort, and coordination with external personnel, typically taking about two months. With the new device in operation, calibration work can now be...

2026-08-11

UK's Harlette Capital seeks partners to develop lunar micro nuclear reactor

UK-based innovative company Harlette Capital has recently issued a Request for Information (RFI), seeking support from industry and research institutions for the development of a micro nuclear reactor for lunar missions. The company stated that the project aims to provide continuous power for long-term scientific research, communications, infrastructure construction, and future crewed exploration on the lunar surface. Harlette Capital is previously better known for its luxury fashion brand Harlette. The company also operates a separate innovation business segment, which is positioning itself in space and energy assets and advancing a small modular reactor (SMR) project named Alpha Moon. According to the company, the RFI has been sent to...

2026-08-11