Search Results

U.S. Department of Energy Extends Princeton University Contract to Operate PPPL

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Princeton University have extended the contract under which Princeton University manages and operates the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL). The laboratory is located on Princeton University's Forrestal Campus in Plainsboro, New Jersey. Under the new extension, the contract will be renewed for five years starting April 1, 2027. Princeton University expects to strengthen collaboration with faculty and research teams on campus during the contract period, explore next-generation fusion energy research facilities, and enhance laboratory infrastructure and safety to support ongoing operational needs. Princeton University's office for research affairs...

2026-08-25

US Advanced Light Source Upgrade Advances, Soft X-ray Brightness to Increase at Least 100-Fold

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in the US is advancing the Advanced Light Source (ALS) synchrotron upgrade project, planning to enhance soft X-ray experimental capabilities through next-generation light source technology, providing higher-precision data support for quantum materials, microelectronics, energy technologies, biological structure research, and AI-assisted scientific research. The project team is working toward the 2029 target. Since the Advanced Light Source began operation in 1993, it has long served research across soft X-ray, ultraviolet, infrared, and hard X-ray wavelength ranges. Researchers worldwide have used the facility's focused beams to observe molecular and material structures at the atomic scale, with results cited in over 18,000 papers...

2026-08-25

China's Nuclear Power Installed Capacity Up 8.5% Year-on-Year by End of July

On August 25, the National Energy Administration released national electricity statistics for January-July. By the end of July, the country's cumulative installed power generation capacity reached 4.08 billion kilowatts, up 11.0% year-on-year. Among this, nuclear power installed capacity stood at 66.14 million kilowatts, up 8.5% year-on-year. During January-July, the country added 3.62 million kilowatts of new nuclear power installed capacity. In the same period, the cumulative average utilization hours of power generation equipment nationwide were 1,671 hours, down 135 hours from the same period last year. The data also showed that by the end of July, thermal power installed capacity was 1.58 billion kilowatts, up 6.3% year-on-year; hydropower installed capacity was 456 million kilowatts, up 3.4% year-on-year; wind power installed capacity was 687 million kilowatts, up 19.5% year-on-year; solar power installed capacity was 1.288 billion kilowatts, up year-on-year...

2026-08-25

Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant's cumulative electricity generation exceeds 65.5 billion kWh

Belarusian Energy Minister Denis Moroz stated before the start of the Minsk-Ostrovets electric vehicle rally that the cumulative electricity generation of the Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant has exceeded 65.5 billion kWh, currently accounting for approximately 40% of the country's total electricity output. Moroz said that since the plant's commissioning, it has effectively replaced a portion of natural gas consumption, reduced foreign exchange expenditure pressure caused by energy imports, and is of great significance to Belarus's economic operation. Located in Ostrovets, Grodno Region, the Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant is the country's first nuclear power plant, constructed under the Russian AES-2006 design. The project commenced in 2013 and is being built with the participation of Rosatom...

2026-08-25

Russian team develops machine learning model to predict stability of rare earth and actinide complexes

Researchers from the Interdisciplinary Laboratory for Intelligent Chemical Design at the Department of Chemistry of Lomonosov Moscow State University, in collaboration with colleagues from the Department of Mechanics and Mathematics, have developed a new machine learning model for evaluating the stability of complexes of rare earth elements and trivalent actinides. The results have been published in the Journal of Chemical Physics. The research team stated that machine learning can reduce time and material costs in chemical research, which is particularly important for rare, expensive, or hazardous lanthanides and actinides. Lanthanides, along with scandium and yttrium, are commonly classified as rare earth elements and are widely used in permanent magnets, batteries, electronic components, lasers, and other applications. Since rare earth elements in nature...

2026-08-25

Russia has manufactured 15 RITM-200 reactors

Alexey Likhachev, CEO of Rosatom, presented plans for constructing nuclear power plants of various capacities at a nuclear energy development meeting, with small-capacity nuclear power systems being one of the key topics. According to the presentation, Russia has manufactured 15 RITM-200 reactors to date, with another 13 under construction. The RITM-200 is Russia's new-generation marine reactor, primarily used in Project 22220 nuclear-powered icebreakers. The most recent reactor equipment has been delivered to the nuclear-powered icebreaker Leningrad. Rosatom is developing small nuclear power plant solutions based on the RITM-200, covering both land-based and marine applications...

2026-08-25

Russia's SKIF "Microfocus" experimental station to conduct elemental and structural studies of ores

The Microfocus station, the first experimental station of the Siberian Circular Photon Source (SKIF) Phase 1, will be used to study the elemental composition and structural characteristics of samples in fields such as geology, geophysics, microelectronics, and materials science. The station is being created and integrated by Tomsk Polytechnic University and will in the future serve the exploration and development of hard-to-recover gold, platinum, rare earth elements, and oil reserves. According to reports, the first experiments at the Microfocus station will focus on ore sample studies. Such research is an important step in the development of new deposits, helping researchers more accurately assess deposit reserves, select more suitable extraction methods, and identify promising areas for subsequent exploration. The station employs...

2026-08-25

Ketterle Team: "Neutrino Laser" Based on Quantum-Entangled Atomic Clouds Theoretically Infeasible

Nobel laureate Wolfgang Ketterle and his team have conducted a theoretical examination of a neutrino laser concept and concluded that the scheme is fundamentally difficult to realize. The research findings have been published in *Physical Review Letters*. The concept was previously proposed by American physicists, with the core idea being the use of rubidium-87 atomic clouds or other unstable isotopes, placing them into specific quantum states to generate highly directional neutrino beams. According to the concept, if a neutrino source analogous to a laser could be constructed, it would help accelerate neutrino mass measurements and advance observational studies of the interconversion phenomena among different types of neutrinos. The Ketterle team's key focus this time was whether a large number of atoms could cooperatively emit neutrinos and other fermions, similar to the synchronized release of photons in a conventional laser.

2026-08-25

Vietnam's National Assembly Approves Agreement for Ninh Thuan 1 Nuclear Power Project

Vietnam's National Assembly on August 24 approved agreements related to the Ninh Thuan 1 Nuclear Power Plant project at the first extraordinary session of the 16th National Assembly, advancing the country's first commercial nuclear power project into a new preparatory phase. The project plans to build two Russian-designed VVER-1200 pressurized water reactor units with a total installed capacity of approximately 2,400 MW. The Vietnamese government news website reported that Vietnam and Russia signed an intergovernmental agreement in Moscow in March this year, establishing a framework for cooperation on the construction of the Ninh Thuan 1 Nuclear Power Plant. Under the current plan, Russia will participate in the supply and construction of the project. On the same day, the National Assembly also voted to pass a resolution to split the original Ninh Thuan nuclear power project into three independent projects, namely Ninh Thuan 1...

2026-08-25

Bulgaria to Build Danube Weir to Secure Cooling at Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant

Bulgaria plans to construct a weir approximately 250 to 300 meters long on the Danube River near the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant to ensure the stable operation of the plant's cooling system. Bulgarian Energy Minister Eva Petrova stated that the construction work is expected to take 10 to 15 days, with preliminary preparations already completed. Petrova noted that, due to the persistently low water level of the Danube, the Bulgarian side made this decision after analyzing hydrological conditions and conducting hydraulic model simulations. The weir will be used to improve water intake conditions for the nuclear power plant, ensuring the water supply required for the cooling system. Previously, due to the declining water level of the Danube, Unit 5 of the Kozloduy plant had its power output reduced by 120 megawatts to avoid potential operational risks...

2026-08-25

Three units at Hungary's Paks Nuclear Power Plant return to full-capacity operation

Of the four units at Hungary's Paks Nuclear Power Plant, three have returned to full-capacity operation, and grid connection work for Unit 4 is also progressing as planned. Hungarian authorities stated that all eight pumping systems at the plant are now in operation, with total generating capacity expected to approach 2,000 megawatts within two days. Previously, three units at the Paks plant were temporarily shut down due to declining water levels in the Danube River, which serves as a vital water source for the plant's cooling system. To improve water intake conditions, Hungary constructed a temporary weir in the river section near the Paks plant, using thousands of tons of rock and crushed stone during construction, with military engineering units also participating in the operations. The Paks Nuclear Power Plant is located approximately 100 kilometers south of Budapest on the banks of the Danube...

2026-08-25

Belarus and Russia Approve Program to Address Chernobyl Accident Consequences

The Council of Ministers of the Union State of Belarus and Russia recently approved a new Union State program to jointly carry out work from 2026 to 2030 to address the long-term negative consequences of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident. According to the resolution published on the website of the Permanent Committee of the Union State, the total funding for the program is set at 1,998.321 million Russian rubles, with funds sourced from the Union State budget. Of this amount, Russia's maximum contribution is 1,297.9904 million Russian rubles, while Belarus's maximum contribution is 700.3306 million Russian rubles. The program will support joint actions by the two countries in managing the consequences of the Chernobyl nuclear accident...

2026-08-25

Australia Plans Nuclear Submarine Maintenance Dockyard in Western Australia

Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles said Australia plans to build a dockyard in Western Australia by the early 2030s to maintain U.S. Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines. Marles said at a joint press conference with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese that Australia needs to complete a backup dockyard by the early 2030s to commence maintenance work on Virginia-class submarines. The Australian government confirmed on August 24 that the new defence complex will be located in Henderson, Western Australia. Under the trilateral security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States...

2026-08-25

US to Partner with UK Firm to Advance Nuclear-Powered Commercial Ships

Stephen Carmel, Administrator of the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD), stated that the United States will sign an agreement with Core Power, a UK-based marine nuclear energy company, to jointly advance the development of a fleet of nuclear-powered commercial ships. Under the arrangement, Washington plans to sign a public-private cooperation agreement with Core Power. The company will participate in promoting the research and development of nuclear propulsion systems in the shipping sector, accelerating the exploration of applications for this technology in commercial vessels. In June of this year, the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) approved a nuclear-powered ship design proposed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The design is regarded as a significant step forward in the U.S. technological pathway for nuclear-powered commercial ships...

2026-08-25

"Beita Tianyuan Industry-Academia-Research Innovation Demonstration Base" Inaugurated at the College of Nuclear Science and Technology, Harbin Engineering University

On August 19, Professor Li Ruo, Deputy Dean of the School of Mathematical Sciences at Peking University and Chief Scientist of Beita Zhenhuan, Liao Hanqing, General Manager of Beita Zhenhuan, and Yao Ling, Deputy General Manager of Kylin Software Co., Ltd., visited the College. Dean Tan Sichao, Cong Jianwei, Director of the University's Informatization Office, and Professor Shen Jihong from the School of Mathematical Sciences attended the meeting, which was chaired by Deputy Dean Li Lei. All parties held discussions on the in-depth application of domestic scientific computing software in the nuclear energy field, adaptation of domestic operating systems, interdisciplinary integration of mathematics and nuclear science, and collaborative talent cultivation, and jointly inaugurated the Beita Tianyuan Industry-Academia-Research Innovation Demonstration Base. During the discussion, the participants conducted in-depth exchanges on the coupling of complex multi-physics fields in nuclear energy systems...

2026-08-25