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Global nuclear power generation hits record high in 2025, with net growth mainly driven by China

According to the latest release of the Statistical Review of World Energy, global nuclear power generation reached 2,845 TWh in 2025, an increase of approximately 30 TWh from 2024, up 1.3% year-on-year, setting a new record. Among this, China's nuclear power generation increased by more than 34 TWh, becoming the primary source of net global nuclear growth. This record needs to be viewed within a longer timeframe. The previous peak in global nuclear power generation occurred in 2006, when it reached 2,803 TWh. In other words, although 2025 global nuclear power generation has surpassed the previous peak, the cumulative increase over 19 years is only about 1.5%, which does not indicate rapid expansion on a global scale. Over the past decade, global nuclear power generation has risen from 2015...

2026-08-03

Türkiye to participate in International Nuclear Science Olympiad for first time

Türkiye will participate in the International Nuclear Science Olympiad (INSO-2026) as a competing country for the first time. The competition is scheduled to take place from August 2 to 9 in Jeddah, a city on the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia. According to Türkiye's Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, the high school students representing Türkiye have completed their final preparations in the capital Ankara. The participating students come from Istanbul Private Bahçeşehir Science High School, who were selected through a nationwide competition, standing out from 30 schools to earn the right to represent Türkiye. During the preparation period, students received training in atomic structure, atomic nucleus, radiation, fission, fusion, environmental radioactivity, radiation risks and safety, as well as nuclear energy and...

2026-08-03

Annual maintenance outage begins at Finland's Loviisa nuclear power plant, spanning August 2 to October 18

The annual maintenance of Finland's Loviisa nuclear power plant began on August 2. Energy company Fortum stated that this annual maintenance will be carried out from August 2 to October 18. During the maintenance period, several modernization projects related to extending the plant's service life will also be launched. The maintenance will first be carried out on Unit 2, followed by Unit 1. Fortum stated that while one unit is under maintenance, the other unit will continue normal power generation. The maintenance of Unit 2 is a large-scale annual inspection conducted once every eight years, which includes removing fuel from the reactor for inspection and pressure testing of the reactor vessel, as well as replacing...

2026-08-03

Argentine President Javier Milei Appoints Former Bariloche Mayor Gennuso as Vice President of the Atomic Energy Commission

Argentine President Javier Milei has appointed Gustavo Gennuso as the new Vice President of the Argentine National Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA) through Decree No. 673/2026. Gennuso previously served as Mayor of San Carlos de Bariloche (2015–2023), and this appointment brings the former mayor into a key institution in Argentina's nuclear sector, also reflecting the political expansion of the ruling party "La Libertad Avanza" in Río Negro Province ahead of the 2027 elections. Former Vice President Luis Alfredo Tomás Rovere has stepped down, as part of the restructuring published in the Official Gazette. Decree No. 655/2026 shows the CNEA undergoing major reorganization...

2026-08-03

Spain's two major nuclear power holders, Iberdrola and Endesa, paid approximately €360 million in taxes and fees for nuclear power in the first half of the year

Spain's two major nuclear power holders disclosed to the CNMV: Iberdrola's expenditure on the "production tax on spent fuel and radioactive waste derived from power generation" in the first half of 2026 was €52 million (compared to €56 million in the same period last year), plus €117 million in Enresa radioactive waste management fees (levied based on each unit's monthly gross nuclear generation) (compared to €118 million in the same period last year), totaling €169 million. Endesa paid €56 million in nuclear tax items during the same period (up €3 million year-on-year), and €135 million in radioactive waste treatment fees (up €7 million year-on-year). Due to its controlling stake in Catalan nuclear units, it also paid €76 million in the Catalan environmental tax, totaling €267 million; the two companies' combined nuclear-related taxes and fees for the first half of the year amounted to approximately €336 million (text...

2026-08-03

First Experimental Result Published from the High-Intensity Heavy-Ion Accelerator Facility

Recently, the research team from the Institute of Modern Physics (IMP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, together with collaborators, successfully produced and identified the rare isotope hafnium-153 using the High-Intensity Heavy-Ion Accelerator Facility (HIAF). This is the first physics result obtained during the commissioning of HIAF, demonstrating that China's new-generation high-intensity heavy-ion research facility is capable of exploring unknown nuclides and expanding the nuclear chart. It marks the official commencement of HIAF's scientific discovery journey. The result was published as a short communication in *Science Bulletin*. Figure: Position of hafnium-153 on the nuclear chart; the blue line indicates the boundary of known nuclides. Image | Hu Houyu, Li Hongfu. Atomic nuclei are composed of protons and neutrons, and different combinations of proton and neutron numbers form the diverse world of nuclides. Exploring unknown nuclides and investigating the boundaries of nuclear existence are important frontiers in nuclear physics. Hafnium-153 is located in the neutron-deficient heavy-mass region and is an important subject for studying the evolution of nuclear structure and the limits of nuclear stability. It had not been reported prior to this experiment. The discovery and precise measurement of this nuclide will help test nuclear theory models and deepen our understanding of nuclear structure regularities.

2026-08-03

Busan Gijang Southeast Radiation Medical Science Industrial Complex Simultaneously Advances Proton and Heavy Ion Therapy Centers

Within the Southeast Atomic Energy Medical Institute (Southeast Atomic Energy Medical Institute) in Gijang-gun, Busan, the proton therapy center and heavy ion therapy center projects are being advanced simultaneously, expected to form an integrated cancer treatment hub, alleviate medical concentration in the capital region, and attract patients from other regions and overseas. Busan's first proton accelerator project can also be used for industrial purposes, benefiting regional high-tech industries and investment attraction. According to Busan City and the Busan Institute of Science and Technology Advancement (BISTEP) on August 2, the Southeast Proton Therapy Center construction project will officially break ground in the second half of this year; BISTEP recently completed a commissioned study on the establishment strategy and implementation plan for the Southeast Proton Therapy Center (executed by the Southeast Atomic Energy Medical Institute) (Southeast...

2026-08-03

Philippine DOE launches nuclear power plant site screening with IAEA support

The Philippine Department of Energy (DOE) recently stated that it has begun preparing nuclear power plant site screening work in accordance with internationally recognized safety standards. Collaborating with experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the DOE is wrapping up an intensive workshop on site and external event design this week to strengthen the country's nuclear power plant site screening process. Energy Secretary Sharon Garin stated that selecting the right site is one of the most critical decisions in developing a nuclear power program, and that close collaboration with the IAEA ensures every step is guided by the highest international standards of science, rigorous technical assessment, and resilient public safety protection. The workshop brought together technical experts from the DOE and partner agencies alongside specialists from the IAEA's External Events Safety Section to share recognized methodologies for assessing potential sites against earthquakes, floods, volcanic activity, extreme weather, and other natural and human-induced risks.

2026-08-03

Progress and Cost Performance Management of the ITER Project Enhancement

The ITER Organization reported on July 29 that, regarding the construction progress and cost control of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), the project team has established a more detailed monthly tracking mechanism, and regularly reports key performance indicators, updated estimates at completion, and milestone trend analyses to the ITER Council. The ITER project is large in scale with complex interfaces; management efforts involve not only overall schedule and budget but also continuous assessment of thousands of activities including design, manufacturing, component installation, commissioning, and operational readiness. For tasks on the critical path, even delays of a few weeks can have cascading effects on multiple construction work packages. To identify...

2026-08-03

Japanese research team experimentally confirms full-gap spin-triplet superconductivity in UBe13

On July 30, 2026, Kobe University and the Japan Atomic Energy Agency announced that a research team led by Professor Hideki Higashibata of the Graduate School of Science at Kobe University, along with Shoko Minami, who was a master's student at the time of the research, in collaboration with Yoshinori Haga, Research Director at the Japan Atomic Energy Agency, and researchers from Osaka University, experimentally confirmed for the first time the existence of a spin-triplet superconducting state with full-gap characteristics in the intermetallic compound UBe13. The findings were published in the Journal of the Physical Society of Japan on June 26 and were selected as an Editor's Choice paper. Since its discovery in 1983, UBe13 has been regarded as an important candidate material for spin-triplet superconductivity. Unlike conventional spin-singlet superconductivity...

2026-08-03

Russian research team reveals submicroscopic pore structure of chernozem using ion beam scanning electron microscopy

Researchers at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology and their collaborators have recently used focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM) to perform detailed characterization of the microstructure of chernozem soil samples. The study shows that this technique can identify pores smaller than 1 micron, pore morphology, and specific organic components in soil, providing a new observational tool for understanding the mechanisms of chernozem fertility formation and maintenance. The research was supported by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation and published in the 17th series "Soil Science" of the Moscow University Bulletin. Soil science research typically requires extending from the field scale to the microscopic scale. Computed tomography (CT) has been widely used to...

2026-08-03

Kairos Power Advances Flibe Molten Salt Applications to Support KP-FHR High-Temperature Reactor Development

Kairos Power announced on July 29 that its Fluoride Salt-Cooled High-Temperature Reactor (KP-FHR) will be among the early adopters of a fluoride salt coolant. This coolant, commonly referred to as Flibe, is composed of lithium fluoride (LiF) and beryllium fluoride (BeF₂). In the 1960s, Oak Ridge National Laboratory used this material as a coolant in the Molten Salt Reactor Experiment. According to Kairos Power, Flibe has a high specific heat capacity, enabling it to effectively absorb and transfer heat generated in the reactor core. Compared with some sodium-cooled or helium-cooled reactor systems, fluoride salt offers certain advantages in heat transport...

2026-08-03

Bolivia Advances Legislative Process for Peaceful Nuclear Technology Applications

EL ALTO, Bolivia, July 29 - The Bolivian Nuclear Energy Agency (ABEN) recently held working exchanges with relevant committees of the Plurinational Legislative Assembly to discuss the reactivation of related legislative agendas, focusing on the continued advancement of Bolivia's nuclear energy program and peaceful nuclear technology application projects. René Soria Sausedo, Executive Director of ABEN, stated that as the primary operating entity of Bolivia's nuclear program, ABEN bears the responsibility of driving the implementation of peaceful nuclear technology application projects. These efforts require modern legal instruments to define institutional mandates, technical standards, and the fundamental legal framework for project development. The parliamentary delegation, led by the President of the International Policy and Migration Protection Committee, visited ABEN facilities...

2026-08-03

U.S. to Resume Shipping Transuranic Waste Drums from Savannah River Site to WIPP for Permanent Disposal

The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (EM) will resume shipping remote-handled transuranic waste drums from the Savannah River Site (SRS) in South Carolina to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in New Mexico for permanent disposal on July 28, 2026. Prior to resuming shipments, relevant teams have completed flammable gas analysis, confirming that these waste containers meet safety requirements for transport to the underground disposal facility. Flammable gas sampling is a critical safety step before transuranic waste transportation. Workers assess potential combustion risks inside containers by detecting gases such as hydrogen, methane, and volatile organic compounds, and confirm their safety during transport and disposal...

2026-08-03

Utah Finalist for DOE Nuclear Fuel Cycle Site, with Great Salt Lake Rescue as Bargaining Chip

Utah is seeking an agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), hoping to secure federal nuclear hub status while also gaining assistance in addressing the Great Salt Lake crisis. Governor Spencer Cox and U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright signed a memorandum agreeing to collaborate on realizing the full value of the nuclear fuel cycle. However, this agreement does not mean Utah has decided to build the nuclear hub, and the state will decline if it is deemed unsafe or disadvantageous. Currently, Utah is one of five states competing for the federal Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Park, which aims to consolidate all aspects of the nuclear fuel cycle in one location, including fuel fabrication, enrichment,...

2026-08-03