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Thailand Advances SMR Regulatory Preparedness to Strengthen Energy Security

On September 8, 2026, Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, Yodchanan Wongsawat, chaired the second meeting of the Nuclear Energy for Peace Committee in 2026 at Government House. The meeting discussed Thailand's long-term nuclear energy strategy and preparatory work on the regulatory framework, talent development, and industrial supply chain for Small Modular Reactors (SMRs). The Thai government emphasized that these efforts constitute preliminary capacity building and do not imply a decision to construct nuclear power plants. The meeting approved an SMR regulatory policy framework, which draws on relevant standards of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)...

2026-09-09

Gallium ion FIB-SEM sample preparation has a damage limit; low-energy argon ion beam cleaning is used to improve TEM sample quality

Gallium ion focused ion beam-scanning electron microscopy (Ga⁺ FIB-SEM) has become an important method for site-specific thin lamella sample preparation for transmission electron microscopy/scanning transmission electron microscopy (TEM/STEM), enabling cutting, extraction, and thinning of target regions at the nanometer scale. However, the literature indicates that while gallium ions provide high-precision machining capability, they also cause amorphization, ion implantation, and localized chemical modification on the sample surface, which can subsequently affect high-resolution imaging and energy dispersive spectroscopy analysis results. According to the literature, Ga⁺ FIB-SEM typically enables high-resolution site-specific machining at 30 keV, but high-energy gallium ions form a damage layer on the sample sidewalls. Taking silicon as an example...

2026-08-31

Japan's TEPCO Receives 4.8 Billion Yen in Nuclear Damage Compensation Funds

Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO Holdings) announced on August 24 that it received a fund disbursement of 4.8 billion yen from the Nuclear Damage Compensation and Decommissioning Facilitation Corporation (NDF) on the same day. The disbursement was made in accordance with the revised Special Business Plan approved on March 31, 2026. TEPCO stated that, to date, it has received 188.9 billion yen in compensation under the Act on Compensation for Nuclear Damage, and a cumulative total of 11.5524 trillion yen in fund disbursements from the NDF. As the total compensation payments expected by the end of September 2026 are projected to exceed the combined amount of the above funds, the company applied for the 172nd fund disbursement. TEPCO said that while receiving institutional financial support, it will continue to advance compensation efforts for nuclear accident victims and meet related compensation demands. Information on claims and payment status, changes in cumulative total payments, and agreement amounts by category is available through the company's public channels.

2026-08-24

Trial lifting of damaged fuel assembly completed at Unit 2 of Japan's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station

Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) announced on August 18 that a trial lifting of a damaged fuel assembly in the spent fuel pool of Unit 2 at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station has been completed. The assembly was damaged in a fall 45 years ago and was subsequently repaired with wire. This trial lifting was conducted to confirm whether it can be safely handled during the subsequent removal operation. A total of 615 fuel assemblies are stored in the Unit 2 fuel pool, including 587 spent fuel assemblies and 28 unused fuel assemblies. The removal work began on June 2, and the fuel assemblies will be transferred to the shared fuel pool within the plant site. As of August 17, 35 fuel assemblies had been removed. Despite interruptions during the operation, Tokyo Electric Power Company...

2026-08-20

Investigation into Automatic Shutdown of Unit 3 at Japan's Ohi Nuclear Power Plant: Damage Found in Exciter Rotating Rectifier

Kansai Electric Power reported on August 19 that Unit 3 of the Ohi Nuclear Power Plant experienced an automatic generator trip triggered by a generator loss-of-field alarm at 23:56 on August 8, followed by an automatic reactor shutdown. At the time of the event, the unit was operating stably at rated thermal power. The company stated that the event caused no radiological impact on the environment. The loss-of-field alarm is used to indicate an abnormal state in the magnetic field generated inside the generator. Following the incident, Kansai Electric conducted on-site inspections of equipment related to generator magnetic field establishment, including the generator, exciter, and automatic voltage regulator (AVR). Among these, the exciter is used to establish the magnetic field for the generator...

2026-08-19

Germany pledges assistance in repairing the damaged reactor containment at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant

German Environment Minister Carsten Schneider stated during his visit to Kyiv on August 18 that Germany will assist in repairing the containment structure above the damaged reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Schneider said the containment above the damaged reactor must be repaired. He also noted that this work involves high technical difficulty and complex organizational processes, requiring joint participation and coordinated efforts from the international community. According to the itinerary, Schneider plans to visit the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone during his trip to assess the current status of the relevant facilities and subsequent repair needs. The containment repair work at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant involves multiple aspects including nuclear safety, radiation protection, and engineering construction, with further specific implementation arrangements still requiring additional consultation among all parties.

2026-08-19

India Releases Draft Rules Accompanying SHANTI Act, Requiring Nuclear Power Operators to Provide Nuclear Damage Insurance or Financial Guarantees

The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) of India recently released the draft SHANTI Rules 2026 and the draft SHANTI Regulations 2026 for public consultation. The two documents set out provisions on nuclear project licensing, safety authorization, and nuclear damage liability, aiming to provide an institutional framework for India's expansion of nuclear power capacity and the introduction of more market players into nuclear energy development. Under the drafts, operators of nuclear power plants or reactors must purchase insurance, provide financial guarantees, or adopt both approaches for nuclear damage. Such financial security must remain in effect until all spent fuel has been removed from the corresponding storage pools. The drafts also propose the establishment of a nuclear liability fund, with funding sources linked to the civil liability limits borne by operators...

2026-08-17

Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant Launches Major Overhaul of Damaged Diesel Generator

On August 14 local time, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) stated that it has launched a major overhaul of a damaged diesel generator unit to ensure the plant's independent power supply capability in the event of an external power outage. The plant stated that maintenance work is currently progressing as planned, with a focus on the upkeep and repair of equipment related to safety systems. The diesel generator unit under repair is one of the independent power sources for the safety systems. Previously, during a complete interruption of external power supply, the backup diesel generator units provided power support for the plant to maintain essential safety functions. According to reports, experts on site have begun disassembling and inspecting the main components of the diesel generator unit to determine which parts need replacement or repair...

2026-08-15

Syria Confirms IAEA Delegation to Visit Damascus for Talks on Nuclear Material Handling and Peaceful Use Cooperation

The Syrian Atomic Energy Commission issued a written statement confirming that a delegation from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will arrive in Damascus in the coming days to discuss progress in Syria's nuclear energy sector and international nuclear cooperation. The visit was announced following reports that the IAEA is preparing to remove nuclear materials from secret facilities in Syria. The statement said Syria is cooperating with the United States and friendly countries on addressing the nuclear legacy left by the former regime, and is committed to promoting the peaceful use of nuclear energy in fields such as health, food, and scientific research. The statement noted that Syria is working to activate its full membership status in the IAEA, and emphasized that Syria, after liberation, has...

2026-08-12

IAEA Trains Ukrainian Experts in Non-Destructive Testing Techniques to Assess Damaged Infrastructure

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recently conducted non-destructive testing (NDT) training for Ukrainian civil engineering experts through the International Atomic Energy Agency Support and Assistance Mission to Kherson State (ISAMKO), to support infrastructure safety assessment and recovery efforts following the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam. The training was held in July 2026 at the IAEA Non-Destructive Testing Service Center in Seibersdorf, Austria, over a five-day period, with nine Ukrainian experts participating. This was also the first training program held at the center since its inauguration in 2024. The course focused on the application of NDT techniques in civil engineering for infrastructure inspection, structural diagnostics, safety assessment, and asset integrity evaluation, helping participants...

2026-08-12

Basic research cracks an application challenge that has persisted for nearly half a century: quantitative prediction of neutron irradiation swelling via ion irradiation

Whether advanced nuclear energy systems can operate safely over the long term depends on the ability of structural materials to resist neutron irradiation damage. Neutrons create numerous atomic-scale defects in materials, which gradually aggregate into nanoscale cavities, ultimately causing material swelling, dimensional instability, and performance degradation. However, obtaining high-dose neutron irradiation data often requires years or even more than a decade, with high costs and post-irradiation sample radioactivity; in contrast, ion irradiation can simulate years of accumulated damage within days and is therefore widely adopted (approximately 95% of irradiation experimental data in existing literature come from ion irradiation). But the dose rate of ion irradiation is typically 3—4 orders of magnitude higher than that of neutron irradiation, making direct conversion between the two results difficult. Recently, the research team of Wang Chenxu and Wang Yugang from the Institute of Heavy Ion Physics, School of Physics, and the State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Nuclear Technology at Peking University, in collaboration with researchers from the University of Tennessee and other institutions, established a quantitative relationship between material swelling and irradiation dose and dose rate at fixed temperatures based on cluster dynamics simulations, theoretical derivations, and ion irradiation experiments, achieving prediction of neutron irradiation swelling using rapid ion irradiation and providing a new tool for rapid screening and lifetime evaluation of nuclear materials.

2026-08-07

Multiple meetings focus on the *Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage* as the global nuclear liability regime continues to advance.

Several meetings centered on the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage (CSC) have recently taken place. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) stated that key topics of discussion included strengthening cooperation under the C

2026-07-27