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Changwon City Advances SMR Industry Support System

Changwon City Advances SMR Industry Support System

Changwon City in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea, is advancing a local nuclear industry support system centered on Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), and will formulate its first mid-to-long-term nuclear industry plan. Changwon City announced on August 5 that it plans to conduct consulting services for the "Changwon City Nuclear Industry Development Plan (2027–2030)" from October this year to April next year. The project, with a budget of 45 million KRW, will be entrusted to the Changwon Industry Promotion Agency, focusing on systematically supporting the local nuclear industry and improving the relevant institutional framework. The "Changwon City Nuclear Industry Promotion and Support Ordinance," which underpins this effort, was enacted in 2023. South Korea has recently designated SMRs as one of its national strategic directions. In February of last year, the South Korean government proposed in the "11th Basic Plan for Power Supply and Demand" to achieve commercialization of a 0.7 GW-class SMR demonstration unit by 2035. Meanwhile, the "Special Act on SMRs," passed by the National Assembly, is expected to take effect next month. On the 4th, the government also revised the "Special Tax Limitation Act" and its enforcement decree, designating SMRs with an output of 300 MW or less, as well as Micro Modular Reactors (MMRs) of 20–30 MW class and below, as national strategic technologies. In addition to existing projects, Changwon City also plans to conduct research on "Strategy Formulation for an SMR R&D Special Zone" in cooperation with relevant agencies. The city hopes to create synergies with the "Changwon Second National Industrial Complex," which is currently attracting investment, and to promote the establishment of an SMR industry manufacturing hub. Changwon City is home to Doosan Enerbility and its cluster of partner companies, with Doosan Enerbility being one of South Korea's major manufacturers of nuclear power plant key components. In terms of infrastructure, the "Gyeongnam Nuclear Industry Comprehensive Support Center," which provides office space for businesses, broke ground in February of last year and is scheduled for completion in September next year; the "Small Modular Reactor Robot Manufacturing Support Center," which will handle R&D support and workforce training, is planned for completion by December 2028; and the "Small Modular Reactor Manufacturing Parts Testing and Inspection Support Center," which received national funding in April of last year with a budget of 27.4 billion KRW, is currently undergoing conceptual architectural design and is scheduled for completion by December 2029.

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 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

Site Handover for Poland's First Commercial Nuclear Power Plant to Bechtel

Site Handover for Poland's First Commercial Nuclear Power Plant to Bechtel

New progress has been made in the construction of Poland's first commercial nuclear power plant. The Lubiatowo-Kopalino site in the Pomerania region of northern Poland has been handed over to Bechtel of the United States, and earthworks at the project site are underway. Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (PEJ), Poland's state-owned project company, stated that Bechtel has replaced PEJ as the site coordinator for the project. Under the Polish government's earlier arrangement, the nuclear power plant will feature three Westinghouse Electric Company AP1000 pressurized water reactor units. In 2023, Westinghouse Electric Company and Bechtel formed a consortium to jointly advance project implementation. The nuclear power plant is sited in the Lubiatowo-Kopalino area along the Baltic Sea coast in Poland.

2026-08-06

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

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

Smolensk NPP Passes Special Safety Inspection by Rosenergoatom

Smolensk NPP Passes Special Safety Inspection by Rosenergoatom

A team of experts from Rosenergoatom has recently completed a special safety inspection at the Smolensk Nuclear Power Plant. The inspection results will be used to further enhance safety management at the plant and at other NPPs operated by the company. The inspection was carried out by a commission comprising representatives from Rosenergoatom's headquarters and the Leningrad, Rostov, and Balakovo NPPs. Similar special inspections are conducted at Russian nuclear power plants on a regular basis, with methodologies referencing the relevant standards of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO), to assess compliance of the plants with domestic and international safety requirements...

2026-08-06

Novovoronezh NPP Unit 6 Exceeds 79 Billion kWh in a Decade of Operation

Novovoronezh NPP Unit 6 Exceeds 79 Billion kWh in a Decade of Operation

Since Unit 6 of Russia's Novovoronezh Nuclear Power Plant was first connected to the grid in 2016, it has delivered over 79 billion kWh of electricity to the Unified Energy System of Russia. The unit is the world's first Generation III+ nuclear power unit equipped with a VVER-1200 reactor, and also the first new nuclear unit built from scratch in Russia under the NPP-2006 project. The Novovoronezh NPP currently operates four units, namely Units 4, 5, 6, and 7. Unit 6 accounts for 31.2% of the plant's total electricity generation from operating units. The unit entered commercial operation in February 2017. Its construction began in 2007, with about 200 contracting organizations involved in the project. Russia...

2026-08-06

Oak Ridge National Laboratory Licenses Cryogenic Fuel Pellet Technology to Type One Energy

Oak Ridge National Laboratory Licenses Cryogenic Fuel Pellet Technology to Type One Energy

The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has licensed a suite of cryogenic fuel pellet injection technologies to Type One Energy to advance fuel supply capabilities needed for high-performance fusion plasma operations. The two parties signed the licensing agreement on August 5 in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. The license covers four ORNL inventions, primarily related to the design and operation of cryogenic fuel pellet injection systems. The technology forms solid hydrogen isotope fuel pellets at cryogenic temperatures near absolute zero and injects them into fusion plasma at high speeds. Compared with methods such as gas injection, pellet injection is more effective at delivering fuel deeper into the plasma...

2026-08-06

Thor Medical Commences Commercial Supply with First Delivery of High-Purity Thorium-228 from AlphaOne

Thor Medical Commences Commercial Supply with First Delivery of High-Purity Thorium-228 from AlphaOne

Thor Medical ASA announced on August 5 that it has completed the first customer delivery of high-purity thorium-228 (Th-228) from its AlphaOne production facility at the Herøya industrial park. This marks the first customer shipment following the facility's production start announced last week, and signifies AlphaOne's entry into the commercial supply phase. Thor Medical CEO Jasper Kurth stated that commercial production represents the beginning of the company's industrial-scale manufacturing, and the first customer delivery demonstrates the company's transition from capacity building to serving customers through its first industrial-scale facility. The company stated that as production capacity gradually ramps up, it will continue to meet the growing demand for high-purity isotopes in the targeted alpha therapy field...

2026-08-06

Leonardo DRS to Build New Facility in Connecticut, U.S. to Support Growth in Naval Nuclear Propulsion-Related Business

Leonardo DRS to Build New Facility in Connecticut, U.S. to Support Growth in Naval Nuclear Propulsion-Related Business

Leonardo DRS announced on August 4 that it has signed an agreement to build a new facility in Brookfield, Connecticut, U.S., to expand and consolidate its naval electric power systems operations. The project aims to increase production capacity, support key U.S. Navy-related programs, and provide space and infrastructure for the company's future growth in the nuclear energy sector. According to the company's disclosure, the new facility is located at 120 Park Ridge Road in Brookfield, covering approximately 141,087 square feet. Once completed, the facility will consolidate operations currently spread across three locations in Danbury and Bethel, Connecticut. The facility is expected to be operational in early 2027, with partial occupancy potentially available by late 2026 if final design and tenant fit-out work proceed smoothly.

2026-08-06

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

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

Two Advanced Materials Research Projects by 1st American Nuclear Co. Supported by U.S. Department of Energy Nuclear Science User Facilities Program

Two Advanced Materials Research Projects by 1st American Nuclear Co. Supported by U.S. Department of Energy Nuclear Science User Facilities Program

1st American Nuclear Co. (FANCO) announced on August 3 that two research proposals submitted by its scientists have been selected for support under the Nuclear Science User Facilities (NSUF) program of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy. Both selected projects come from the NSUF Fiscal Year 2026 Rapid Turnaround Experiment (RTE) review cycle, with research focused on next-generation reactor materials and fuel-related issues. The NSUF Rapid Turnaround Experiment program is open to nuclear energy researchers and primarily provides irradiation testing, post-irradiation examination capabilities, and related technical support...

2026-08-06

KEPCO E&C seeks government R&D project for offshore SMR "BANDI"

KEPCO E&C seeks government R&D project for offshore SMR "BANDI"

KEPCO E&C is accelerating the development of its proprietary offshore small modular reactor BANDI. Under relevant plans, the company intends to include BANDI in a government R&D project led by the private sector, leveraging national R&D funding to advance standard design, engineering verification, and subsequent commercialization preparation. It is understood that KEPCO E&C is organizing a government R&D initiative for offshore SMRs, with the company aiming to serve as the lead organization to develop a standard design for offshore SMRs applicable to power generation ships and nuclear-powered vessels. The project is currently in the preliminary planning stage, with plans to submit a project proposal and tender documents early next year, and following review, to secure...

2026-08-06

Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Restarts Nuclear Plant Plans to Build New Small Modular Reactors

Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Restarts Nuclear Plant Plans to Build New Small Modular Reactors

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) plans to build Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) at the abandoned Bellefonte Nuclear Plant, receiving $400 million in federal funding support. This initiative aims to meet growing electricity demand and leverage advanced nuclear energy technology. The project will adopt NuScale's Small Modular Reactor technology, with an expected total installed capacity of up to 6,000 megawatts. TVA Interim CEO Mike Skaggs stated that the Bellefonte Nuclear Plant is an ideal site for building these small reactors, as the site already possesses the necessary infrastructure and cooling water resources. Small modular react...

2026-08-06

Trump Administration Revives Spent Fuel Disposal Plan, Seeks State Cooperation

Trump Administration Revives Spent Fuel Disposal Plan, Seeks State Cooperation

The Trump administration is reshaping spent fuel policy, attempting to restart a long-stalled permanent disposal program through a combination of administrative and legislative measures. This initiative aims to address the growing accumulation of spent fuel, a long-standing issue that has lacked an effective solution. To fund the Nuclear Waste Fund and restore the Department of Energy's access to its $50 billion in resources, the draft legislation proposes reinstating surcharges on nuclear power plants. The core of this policy shift lies in seeking state government participation and cooperation, hoping that states will proactively assume a leading role in spent fuel disposal. While at least two states have already expressed willingness to serve as potential candidate sites, long-time advocates and researchers monitoring the issue warn that significant political resistance and logistical challenges lie ahead.

2026-08-06

South Korea's Woori Technology Completes KRW 40 Billion Convertible Bond Financing to Bolster Nuclear Power and SMR Businesses

South Korea's Woori Technology Completes KRW 40 Billion Convertible Bond Financing to Bolster Nuclear Power and SMR Businesses

Woori Technology, a South Korean company specializing in nuclear power plant Man-Machine Interface Systems (MMIS) and related instrumentation and control equipment, announced on August 6 that it has decided to issue the 20th series of unregistered, unsecured private convertible bonds (CBs) totaling KRW 40 billion. The raised funds will be primarily used for nuclear power, small modular reactor (SMR), offshore wind power, and resource recycling businesses. The maturity date of these convertible bonds is August 13, 2031, with a conversion price of KRW 10,717 per share. Both the coupon rate and yield to maturity are 0%, which helps the company secure long-term funding for core business investments while controlling financial costs. Woori Technology stated that the raised funds...

2026-08-06