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Repeated Power Outages at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant Raise Concerns over Equipment Aging and Safety Risks

August 13 news, the issue of repeated interruptions to the external power supply at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant continues to draw attention. Relevant data shows that since February 2022, the plant has experienced 26 power outages, 14 of which occurred in the first 8 months of 2026. The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. Once the external power supply is interrupted, the plant must switch to backup power to maintain the operation of essential safety systems. Frequent switching of power supply modes not only increases operational pressure but also poses additional risks to nuclear safety and radiation safety. Relevant parties have stated that signs of equipment aging at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant are intensifying, with the condition of diesel generator sets being particularly concerning. The backup diesel generator sets are generally...

2026-08-15

RES Engineering to Supply HVAC and Water Treatment Equipment for Egypt's El Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant

August 12 news, RES Engineering has won the bid to supply refrigeration units, ventilation systems, and water treatment equipment for the under-construction El Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant in Egypt. According to the project schedule, the scope of supply covers multiple systems and equipment in the main buildings and public areas of the nuclear power plant, including central and zoned air conditioning, standalone air conditioning, ventilation equipment, water-cooled chiller units, fans, control cabinets, humidifiers, electric heaters, steam generators, and water treatment equipment. RES Engineering stated that this project involves not only a large supply scale but also a complex variety of equipment types. Different equipment needs to be matched in terms of technical parameters, project requirements, quality standards, and delivery schedules...

2026-08-15

UK National Nuclear Laboratory Secures Nuclear Safeguards Programme Contract

The UK National Nuclear Laboratory (UKNNL) has been awarded the Nuclear Safeguards Programme (NSP) contract by the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ). The contract has an initial term of 3.5 years with committed funding of £10.5 million, with the possibility of further extensions. This contract continues the UK's 45 years of support for the global nuclear safeguards system, as well as the UK National Nuclear Laboratory's nearly 20 years of core work within that system. The UK National Nuclear Laboratory's responsibilities include providing technical support to the UK government in the nuclear field and driving the development of the UK's nuclear energy industry. The Nuclear Safeguards Programme is an important platform for fulfilling this responsibility, primarily providing nuclear safeguards and non-proliferation expertise to UK government departments and international partners...

2026-08-16

U.S. Department of Energy Awards $271 Million to Support Extended Operation of Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently awarded $271 million to Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) to support the continued operation of the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant. The funding will be used to ensure the plant maintains safe and reliable power generation during the license extension period and to support workforce stability. In April of this year, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approved a 20-year extension of the operating licenses for both units at Diablo Canyon. Under the previous schedule, the plant's two units were originally slated to cease commercial operation in 2025. Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy Ted Garrish stated that keeping Diablo Canyon operational is of great significance in meeting California's growing demand for affordable, reliable, and safe electricity. The Civil Nuclear Credit Program is helping protect this critical baseload power source and prevent premature retirement of reliable generation facilities from the grid.

2026-08-15

Oak Ridge National Laboratory marks 80 years of isotope research and production, with applications spanning medicine, industry, and scientific research

On August 2, 1946, the Clinton Laboratories in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, held the first formal ceremony to deliver reactor-produced radioactive isotopes. A shipment of carbon-14 was sent from there to the Barnard Free Skin and Cancer Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri. Over the past 80 years, this event has been regarded as the starting point of Oak Ridge National Laboratory's isotope research and production endeavors, and also marked the beginning of broader civilian applications for reactor-produced radioactive isotopes. After World War II, the U.S. scientific community began exploring peaceful uses of atomic energy, with radioactive isotopes becoming an important direction. As unstable variants of elements, radioactive isotopes release radiation during decay and can be used...

2026-08-15

Radiant's Kaleidos Microreactor Shipped to Idaho National Laboratory for Testing

On August 13, Radiant announced that its 1-MW-class portable microreactor Kaleidos has departed its facility in El Segundo, California, and is being transported by trailer to Idaho National Laboratory (INL). The unit will undergo testing at INL's Microreactor Experimental Demonstration Facility (DOME). According to Radiant, the Kaleidos transport distance exceeds 1,000 miles. The company stated that the unit shipped to INL is not a scaled test article, but rather a reactor model consistent in design, dimensions, and commercial fuel loading with the units planned for delivery to customers. The DOME facility has completed modifications for microreactor testing. According to...

2026-08-15

SLAC team observes progressive melting of copper under extreme heat in real time

Researchers at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, under the U.S. Department of Energy, and their collaborators used the Mega-electron-volt Ultrafast Electron Diffraction (MeV-UED) facility to observe in real time the melting process of copper atoms under extreme temperatures. The study was published in Nature Communications. Future fusion power plants will need to replicate fusion reactions that occur inside stars here on Earth. The core plasma can reach temperatures of hundreds of millions of degrees Celsius, while surrounding structural materials must withstand sudden, intense thermal shocks. Copper and its alloys, owing to their excellent thermal conductivity, are considered capable of serving as "heat sinks" in fusion systems...

2026-08-15

Bac Ninh Province, Vietnam, Issues Plan for Peaceful Use of Atomic Energy

The People's Committee of Bac Ninh Province, Vietnam, recently issued Plan No. 299/KH-UBND, deploying the implementation of the province's strategy for the peaceful use of atomic energy through 2035, with a vision toward 2050. Signed by Mai Son, Standing Vice Chairman of the Bac Ninh Provincial People's Committee, the plan aims to implement national strategic tasks in line with local conditions, enhance management efficiency in the atomic energy sector, and promote atomic energy in serving socioeconomic development while ensuring radiation safety, nuclear safety, and nuclear security. Under the plan, Bac Ninh Province will focus on advancing research and applications of radiation technology and radioisotopes in fields such as healthcare, agriculture, natural resources and environment, and industry, while strengthening the safety management of radiation sources. Relevant applications will serve...

2026-08-15

The Ecological Environment Code of the People's Republic of China Officially Takes Effect Today

On August 15, 2026, coinciding with the fourth National Ecology Day, the Ecological Environment Code of the People's Republic of China officially took effect. The promulgation and implementation of this Code marks the formal entry of China's ecological environment protection legal system into a new stage of codification, representing a major milestone in the rule of law for advancing ecological civilization construction and the building of a Beautiful China. The Code's promulgation: A historic leap in the rule of law for ecological civilization construction. The Ecological Environment Code of the People's Republic of China is the second foundational law named as a "Code" after the Civil Code. The Code systematically integrates existing effective laws and regulations in areas including environmental protection, air pollution prevention and control, water pollution prevention and control, soil pollution prevention and control, solid waste pollution prevention and control, radioactive pollution prevention and control, and noise pollution prevention and control. It abolishes 10 separate laws, incorporates the essential provisions of more than 20 laws into the Code system, and makes comprehensive provisions on basic principles of ecological environment protection, supervision and management systems, pollution prevention and control, ecological protection and restoration, green and low-carbon development, and climate change response, establishing a complete and logically rigorous legal norm system. The Code also makes comprehensive provisions on radioactive pollution prevention and control...

2026-08-15

NRC to Hold Online Public Meeting on Proposed Medical Use Licensing Rule

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission recently announced it will hold an online public meeting from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time on August 20 to introduce the proposed rule aimed at reducing barriers to medical use licensing. The proposed rule was published in the Federal Register on July 27. During the meeting, NRC staff will outline the key provisions of the rule and related implementation activities, and answer questions from the public. The meeting is open to the public and will focus on regulatory processes related to medical use licensing, with the goal of explaining and discussing the proposed rule and subsequent implementation arrangements...

2026-08-16

Faculty and Students from King Abdulaziz University Visit CNECC Langfang Base

On August 12, 2026, a delegation of faculty and students from King Abdulaziz University in Saudi Arabia visited the CNECC Langfang R&D Base for an on-site tour and academic exchange. Yuan Yidan, Chief Expert of the company, received the visiting delegation. This event promoted talent exchange between China and Saudi Arabia in the nuclear energy sector, further deepened mutual connectivity in areas such as nuclear energy technology R&D, talent cultivation, and scientific research innovation, and contributed to win-win international cooperation in nuclear energy. During the exchange, technical experts at the base warmly received the Saudi delegation and provided detailed introductions to CNECC's achievements and core strengths in nuclear power engineering design, advanced nuclear energy technology R&D, nuclear safety system development, and the implementation of overseas nuclear power projects...

2026-08-15

Korea Eximbank to Promote Financial Cooperation with TerraPower on Small Modular Reactors

The Export-Import Bank of Korea (KEXIM) is in talks on financial cooperation with TerraPower, a U.S. next-generation nuclear energy company, with both sides planning to establish a support mechanism centered on the commercialization of small modular reactors (SMRs) and overseas market expansion. According to KEXIM, bank Chairman Hwang Gi-yeon recently met with TerraPower Chairman Bill Gates, and the two sides exchanged views on expanding the global SMR ecosystem and advancing Korea-U.S. next-generation nuclear energy cooperation. TerraPower was founded by Bill Gates in 2008 and focuses on developing next-generation nuclear energy technologies. The company has developed the "Natrium" next-generation reactor using sodium-cooling techn...

2026-08-16

Chinese Team Achieves Full Technical Chain Integration in Wall Treatment for the World's Largest "Artificial Sun"

Recently, the team from the Southwestern Institute of Physics under the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) has made significant progress in the wall treatment technology of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER): not only successfully passing the Delta Final Design Review (Delta FDR) for the supplementary design of the Glow Discharge Cleaning (GDC) system permanent electrode project, but also, leading and jointly with CNI23, winning the bid and signing contracts in France for the design and manufacture of the boronization system and the X-ray Crystal Spectrometer (XRCS) gas supply system. This marks a new expansion of the Chinese team's core technology in ITER wall treatment, extending the scope from the original glow discharge cleaning to boronization wall treatment, achieving a full technical chain from impurity removal to surface pre-treatment...

2026-08-15

Public Security Ministry's Economic Security Department holds thematic conference on national security safeguards for nuclear energy in Khanh Hoa Province

On the morning of August 14, the Economic Security Department of the Ministry of Public Security, in coordination with the Khanh Hoa Provincial Police Department, held a thematic conference to assess national security safeguards in the process of Vietnam's nuclear energy development. The conference was co-chaired by Lieutenant General Nguyen Sy Quang, Director of the Economic Security Department of the Ministry of Public Security, and Major General Nguyen Huu Phuc, Director of the Khanh Hoa Provincial Police Department. Representatives from relevant professional units of the Ministry of Public Security, Lam Dong Provincial police authorities, Dong Nai City police authorities, relevant departments of the Khanh Hoa Provincial Police Department, and grassroots police forces in Phuoc Vinh and Vinh Hai attended the conference. The conference focused on discussing the potential impacts of nuclear energy development on national security, social order, and public safety, and assessed the role of nuclear power in Vietnam's national energy development strategy from the perspective of energy security.

2026-08-15

Function Health Secures $450 Million in Funding to Expand Laboratory Testing and Medical Imaging Platform

U.S. health technology company Function Health recently secured $450 million in growth funding from General Catalyst's Customer Value Fund. The company stated that the funds will be used to expand user coverage of its testing and medical imaging platform. Function Health launched as a beta version in 2023, with a platform integrating laboratory testing, medical imaging, and health data analytics services. Its membership includes over 160 laboratory tests, with testing scheduled twice a year, and annual plans starting at $365. Testing coverage encompasses cardiovascular health, hormones, thyroid and kidney function, inflammation, nutritional levels, and certain cancers...

2026-08-16