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U.S. Marathon Fusion Demonstrates Hydrogen and Lithium Isotope Enrichment Technology

U.S.-based Marathon Fusion announced on August 27 that it has successfully demonstrated hydrogen and lithium isotope enrichment technology using its proprietary plasma centrifuge. The company stated that this advancement addresses the fuel cycle needs of fusion energy and related isotope supply requirements. In the deuterium-tritium fusion pathway, hydrogen isotope processing is critical to the continuous operation of fusion devices, while lithium isotope enrichment is closely tied to tritium production. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) released its "Fusion Science and Technology Roadmap" in June of this year, which identifies tritium processing as one of the core challenges, noting that related progress is essential for achieving sustained deuterium-tritium fusion operation and validating fusion as a large-scale energy form...

2026-08-28

South Korean research team evaluates pipe rupture risk in nuclear power plants using probabilistic analysis

Researchers from Seoul National University of Science and Technology in South Korea have recently proposed a sensitivity analysis method based on probabilistic fracture mechanics to evaluate the rupture frequency of main coolant piping systems in nuclear power plants. This method can analyze the impact of uncertainties and modeling assumptions on prediction results, helping engineers distinguish extremely low-probability events from relatively more likely failure scenarios. In nuclear power plants, the main coolant piping system plays a critical role in maintaining structural integrity under normal reactor operating conditions. A pipe rupture could trigger a loss-of-coolant accident, and therefore this system has long been included in the key scope of nuclear power plant safety design and assessment.

2026-08-28

Bruce Power Aims to Generate Over CAD 13.3 Billion in Economic Impact in Canada Over Next 18 Months

Bruce Power recently stated that over the next 18 months, the company expects to generate more than CAD 13.3 billion in economic impact across Canada, with related investments primarily stemming from its nuclear plant operations and life extension programs, supporting businesses and jobs in Ontario and other regions of Canada. Bruce Power stated that since launching the "Canada First" program in 2025, the company has invested over CAD 6.6 billion in Canada between January 2025 and June 2026, and plans to invest an additional CAD 7.7 billion by the end of 2027. The company noted that its spending within Canada accounts for more than 95% of total expenditures. As a nuclear operator located in Bruce County, Ontario...

2026-08-28

South Korean Lawmaker Proposes Special Act on Nuclear-Powered Submarines

Yoo Yong-won, a lawmaker from South Korea's People Power Party (PPP), proposed a draft of the Special Act on the Nuclear-Powered Submarine Project on August 27, aiming to establish a dedicated legal basis for introducing nuclear-powered submarines to South Korea. The South Korean government is currently advancing the nuclear-powered submarine project as a national strategic initiative. At a press conference held at the National Assembly that day, Yoo stated that the existing Defense Acquisition Program Act and Nuclear Safety Act have limitations in fully reflecting the unique characteristics of military nuclear propulsion systems, making it necessary to enact a special law. The draft proposes establishing a Nuclear-Powered Submarine Strategic Committee under the president's leadership to deliberate on major related matters...

2026-08-28

Qinshan Nuclear Power Membrane Deoxygenation Retrofit Project Put into Operation

Recently, the membrane deoxygenation retrofit project at Qinshan Nuclear Power completed commissioning and was put into operation. The project applies membrane deoxygenation technology to the auxiliary feedwater system (ASG) and reactor boron and water makeup system (REA) of Units 1 and 2 at Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant Phase II, optimizing and upgrading the original deoxygenation process. Units 1 and 2 of Qinshan Phase II originally adopted thermal deoxygenation. During long-term operation, this method presented issues such as insufficient redundancy in single-train equipment operation, high temperature and humidity on site, and potential exceedance of auxiliary feedwater tank temperature limits during summer peak temperature periods. To enhance system operational reliability, Qinshan Nuclear Power initiated relevant technical retrofits, introducing membrane separation packaged units to form a parallel standby configuration with the original thermal deoxygenation system, allowing flexible switching...

2026-08-28

Lufeng Nuclear Power Unit 1 Nuclear Island Installation and High-Quality Cold Test Sand Table Exercise Successfully Concluded

From August 18 to August 21, 2026, the China Nuclear Energy Association (hereinafter referred to as the Association) organized relevant experts to successfully carry out the sand table exercise for the nuclear island installation and high-quality cold test of Lufeng Nuclear Power Unit 1. The sand table exercise was led by Hu Guofeng, former Director of Shanghai Nuclear Engineering Research and Design Institute Co., Ltd. and Deputy Director of the Science, Technology and Development Expert Committee, with Li Jingxi, former Director of the South China Nuclear and Radiation Safety Supervision Station of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Li Qibin, former Chairman of China Nuclear Industry 23 Construction Co., Ltd., Zeng Hao, former Chairman of CNNC Maintenance Co., Ltd., and Wang Mingliang, former Deputy General Manager of China Nuclear Industry Fifth Construction Co., Ltd., serving as advisors. A total of 24 external experts participated...

2026-08-28

CNNC Fuyuan (Beijing) Technology Co., Ltd. officially established, focusing on accelerator and radiation technology equipment

On August 26, 2026, CNNC Fuyuan (Beijing) Technology Co., Ltd. (abbreviated as: CNNC Fuyuan) was officially established. CNNC Fuyuan is a joint venture between China Isotope & Radiation Corporation (CIRC) and CNNC Atomic Energy Institute Technology Co., Ltd., with nuclear technology equipment as its core business and radiation technology empowering industrial upgrading. Leveraging the Atomic Energy Institute's profound accumulation in accelerator technology over more than 70 years, as well as CIRC's market-oriented industrialization capabilities, the company builds a deeply integrated industry closed loop encompassing research, education, application, and utilization, strengthening and complementing the nuclear technology equipment industry chain. Looking ahead, CNNC Fuyuan will adhere to the dual-drive approach of independent innovation and achievement transformation, starting with accelerators, breaking through the boundaries of single products, and extending toward full-spectrum radiation technology,...

2026-08-28

U.S. Advanced Light Source Upgrade to Enhance Nanoscale Research Capabilities for Quantum Materials

The Advanced Light Source (ALS) at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in the United States is enhancing its quantum materials research capabilities through an upgrade project. As a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science user facility, ALS has supported researchers worldwide over the past 30+ years in studying quantum materials such as superconductors, topological insulators, and correlated electron materials, leveraging its synchrotron soft X-ray, ultraviolet, and full-spectrum X-ray experimental capabilities. Doctoral students Wei Francis He (left), Kate Matthews (second from right), and Robin Greifke (right) from the University of California, San Diego, are from the Alex Frañó research group at the ALS COSMIC beamline (7.0.1)...

2026-08-27

NNSA Administrator Brandon Williams Visits Kairos Power to Review SMR Technology

Kairos Power, a U.S. small modular reactor developer, recently announced that Brandon Williams, Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), has visited the company's Manufacturing Development Campus in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to review its readiness for advanced reactor deployment. According to Kairos Power, Williams and his delegation toured the campus's advanced manufacturing, fuel development, molten salt production, modular systems, and large-scale hardware verification facilities. The campus serves as a key base for the company's advancement of fluoride salt-cooled high-temperature reactor technology and also supports the engineering validation and manufacturing capability development required for future reactor deployment.

2026-08-27

Czech nuclear power plants largely unaffected by summer heat and drought

The Czech State Office for Nuclear Safety (SÚJB) stated on August 26 that this summer's heat waves and drought only caused a slight decline in electricity generation at the Temelín and Dukovany nuclear power plants, without leading to reactor power reduction or raising nuclear safety concerns. Currently, both plants meet the conditions for safe operation, including adequate cooling and water supply guarantees. SÚJB noted that some European nuclear power plants reduced output or temporarily shut down during high-temperature periods, mainly due to their cooling methods. Some plants use once-through cooling, making their operation directly affected by river water temperature and flow rate. When water temperatures rise and river flows are low, plants may reduce output due to environmental discharge limits...

2026-08-27

Kansai Electric Power Revises Nuclear Emergency Disaster Prevention Business Plans for Three Nuclear Power Plants

Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc. announced on August 27 that it has revised the nuclear operator disaster prevention business plans for the Mihama, Takahama, and Oi nuclear power plants in accordance with Japan's Act on Special Measures Concerning Nuclear Emergency Preparedness, and filed them with the Prime Minister and the Nuclear Regulation Authority on the same day. The revisions pertain to nuclear emergency disaster prevention arrangements at the three nuclear power plants. Kansai Electric Power stated that it will continue to ensure the safety of the nuclear power plants and enhance nuclear emergency disaster prevention measures in accordance with the relevant plans. According to the documents, the consultation period prior to the revisions was from May 13 to July 30, 2026, totaling 79 days. The consultation parties included the local governments where the nuclear power plants are located and related neighboring local governments.

2026-08-27

Ikata Nuclear Power Station Unit 3 in Japan briefly deviated from operational limits due to abnormal signals in protection system instrumentation

Shikoku Electric Power Co. reported on August 27 that abnormal signals from safety protection system instrumentation appeared in the central control room of Ikata Nuclear Power Station Unit 3, which was in normal operation, indicating that one channel of the overtemperature ΔT related instrumentation was unreliable. The operator determined at 22:10 on August 26 that the unit had deviated from the operational limits stipulated in the Reactor Facility Security Regulations. On-site confirmation showed that the unreliable signal originated from 1 of the 4 channels of the overtemperature ΔT protection function. Overtemperature ΔT is one of the reactor automatic trip elements, used to protect in-core fuel; its limit value is calculated based on parameters such as reactor power, pressurizer pressure, and...

2026-08-27

Canada's Nuclear Energy Strategy Focuses on Project Financing and Risk Sharing

The Canadian federal government recently unveiled a new nuclear energy strategy, explicitly committing to advancing new nuclear power projects nationwide, strengthening domestic supply chains, expanding uranium resources and nuclear fuel supply, and continuing to support nuclear technology innovation in fission and fusion. The strategy also states that nuclear deployment requires more modern financing tools, more efficient regulatory processes, and closer collaboration among governments, Indigenous communities, and industry. The goal of this strategy is to serve Canada's economic, social, and climate objectives through nuclear energy projects, enhancing national energy security while creating jobs and fostering innovation. As the strategic direction becomes clearer, how to translate policy goals into projects that are financeable and ready for construction has become the key question for the next phase.

2026-08-27

Ukraine's Nurecab Nuclear Capacity Building Project Completes First Implementation Cycle

On August 20, 2026, the final seminar of the international project Nurecab (Nuclear Capacity Building in Ukraine through European Cooperation) was held in Kyiv. The project is funded by the European Union through the Euratom Research and Training Programme and is incorporated into the Horizon Europe framework. The seminar was held in a hybrid format, with a total of 76 experts, researchers, educators, and representatives of national institutions participating, of whom 26 attended in person in Kyiv and 50 joined via video link. The meeting showcased the project's implementation results and facilitated discussions on nuclear energy education in Ukraine, the development of nuclear science, and...

2026-08-27

Europe Advances Space Nuclear Power Research, Targeting Lunar and Mars Missions

The European Space Agency (ESA) is accelerating its assessment of nuclear energy applications in deep-space missions, focusing on using small nuclear reactors to power spacecraft electric propulsion systems, as well as providing stable energy for future fixed lunar surface facilities and subsequent Mars missions. Existing space missions primarily rely on chemical fuels and solar panels. The former is limited by the amount of propellant that can be carried, while the latter suffers from declining power generation efficiency as spacecraft move farther from the Sun. ESA believes that nuclear power systems could compensate for the shortcomings of both approaches, particularly in long-duration lunar operations and deeper space exploration. ESA completed a nuclear thermal propulsion study last year. In March this year, the agency...

2026-08-27