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ASEAN countries are comprehensively assessing nuclear energy development and deployment options

On October 21, 2026, at the World Nuclear Supply Chain Conference held in Manila, participating delegates pointed out that with the substantial growth in electricity demand and deepening energy security considerations, Southeast Asian countries are assessing nuclear energy options with a pragmatic attitude to diversify their power generation mix and safeguard regional energy supply. It is understood that data from the International Energy Agency (IEA) shows that since 2015, Southeast Asia's electricity demand has grown at an average annual rate of about 6%, and this trend is expected to continue until 2035. Rajib Dawood, Executive Director of the ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE), stated that the geopolitical situation...

2026-10-22

CNNC Technology Delivers Nearly 1,000 Ultra-Low-Temperature Ball Valves, Achieving Breakthrough in New Processes

Recently, the Ball and Butterfly Valve Factory under CNNC Sufa Technology Industry Co., Ltd. successfully completed the delivery of an order for nearly 1,000 cast steel ultra-low-temperature metal-seated ball valves. The products for this project are required to meet the stringent ultra-low-temperature operating conditions of -196°C and are characterized by a large batch size, a tight schedule, and the adoption of entirely new processes. It is understood that this project involved 33 sets of entirely new designs. The technical team completed the pre-investment of blanks and product design in advance, and through tiered special technical briefings, clarified the quality standards for casting, machining, assembly, and inspection positions, ensuring that the products succeeded in pump installation testing on the first attempt and laying a solid foundation for subsequent mass production. Facing extremely high requirements for assembly and pressure testing precision, the factory established a special task force and coordinated continuous efforts across multiple departments including testing, production, procurement, and sales. The team closely monitored key processes throughout the entire process, including blank microstructure, non-destructive testing, and pump installation pressure testing, cleared production bottlenecks, and strictly controlled quality. Ultimately, the products successfully passed acceptance under both ambient and ultra-low-temperature operating conditions.

2026-10-20

Fangjiashan Nuclear Power Unit 109 Overhaul Successfully Concluded, Technology Empowers a Solid Safety Foundation

Recently, the Fangjiashan Nuclear Power Unit 109 overhaul was successfully concluded. During this overhaul, the maintenance project team of China Nuclear Industry 22nd Construction Co., Ltd. cumulatively executed 173 work orders (including 34 high-risk work orders), simultaneously covering two major areas—civil maintenance and pipeline anti-corrosion—spanning the National Day holiday, and fully ensuring the steady progress of all tasks with a professional team, laying a solid foundation for the safe operation of the plant. It is understood that civil maintenance and pipeline anti-corrosion, as important invisible defense lines for ensuring the integrity of structures, are the fundamental guarantee for the safe operation of the unit. In this overhaul, the confined space operation of the underwater culvert of the PX pump house and the anti-corrosion lining repair of the ATE wastewater neutralization tank were key high-risk concealed works. Facing...

2026-10-20

European Nuclear Medicine Congress Focuses on PET Nuclear Technology: Where Is the Boundary of Early Diagnosis

On October 19, 2026, at the plenary session of the European Association of Nuclear Medicine Congress (EANM 2026) held in Vienna, Austria, Professor Paola Anna Erba, President of the European Association of Nuclear Medicine, raised the major issue of when prevention is early enough. The conference held in-depth discussions on whether positron emission tomography (PET), a core nuclear medicine imaging technology, can detect cancer, cardiovascular disease, and Alzheimer's disease before symptoms appear. Regarding PET-based cancer screening in asymptomatic populations, Dr. Ken Herrmann of the University Hospital Essen in Germany clearly stated that currently, promoting fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG-PET)-based cancer screening in the general population is premature.

2026-10-20

NASA's SR-1 Freedom deep-space nuclear reactor progresses smoothly, planned to set sail in 2028

Recently, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced that its Space Reactor-1 (SR-1) Freedom has achieved a key breakthrough in the development of nuclear power modules and has reached an important contract consensus with partners. The reactor will become the first spacecraft to demonstrate nuclear fission power beyond Earth orbit, with launch planned for late 2028 en route to Mars. It is understood that Sierra Lobo will provide the closed Brayton cycle power conversion system for SR-1 Freedom, responsible for converting the thermal energy generated by the fission reactor into electricity to drive the nuclear electric propulsion system. The power conversion system will be deeply integrated with the fission reactor designed and developed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Idaho National Laboratory (Idaho National Lab...

2026-10-21

Norway and Sweden Sign Long-Term Agreement for Cross-Border Processing of Spent Fuel from Decommissioned Research Reactors

Recently, the Norwegian Nuclear Decommissioning (NND) and the Swedish nuclear technical service provider Studsvik formally signed a landmark agreement in Halden valid until 2055, under which the latter will take full responsibility for the cross-border transport, inspection, oxidation treatment, and interim storage of spent nuclear fuel from the former research reactors at Halden and Kjeller in Norway. It is understood that Norway has accumulated approximately 16.5 tonnes of spent research reactor fuel over the past 60 years, including metallic uranium fuel, aluminum-clad fuel, and various experimental fuels, the vast majority of which cannot be directly subjected to long-term safe disposal. Under the agreement, Studsvik will transport this spent fuel to its licensed facility outside Nykoping, Sweden, for oxidation and other key processing, after which it will be temporarily stored in Sweden until it is returned to Norway in the future for final geological disposal.

2026-10-17

The 5th National Nuclear Energy System Welding Vocational Skills Competition Was Successfully Held

Recently, the 5th National Nuclear Energy System Welding Vocational Skills Competition was successfully held in Nanjing, Jiangsu. The event was guided by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (National Nuclear Safety Administration), hosted by the China Nuclear Energy Association and the China Employment Training Technical Instruction Center, organized by China National Nuclear Corporation, and co-organized by China Nuclear Industry Construction Co., Ltd. and China Nuclear Industry Huaxing Construction Co., Ltd. A total of 129 contestants from 32 key units across the national nuclear energy industry competed on the same stage. After four days of intense competition, Zhang Chuangye from China Nuclear Industry 23 Construction Co., Ltd., and Li Wenjie and Zhou Wei from China Nuclear Industry Huaxing Construction Co., Ltd. won first prize in the individual awards; China Nuclear...

2026-10-17

Pre-Project Geotechnical Investigation Launched for Units 5 and 6 of Kakrapar Nuclear Power Station in India

Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) announced that geotechnical investigations have officially commenced at the site of Units 5 and 6 of the Kakrapar Nuclear Power Plant in Gujarat, marking a key early-stage development milestone for these two indigenously designed 700 MWe Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR) projects. Meanwhile, the Nuclear Fuels Complex is manufacturing steam generator tubes to support the fleet construction programme, and India's indigenous Small Modular Reactor programme has also reached an important...

2026-10-17

Russian MEPhI Successfully Develops Prototype Instrument for Aurora Research, to Be Launched Aboard CubeSat

Recently, the Geospace Research Laboratory of the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI (Moscow Engineering Physics Institute, abbreviated as MEPhI) in Russia announced the successful development of a prototype instrument for detecting high-energy electrons in Earth's outer radiation belt. This device is a key scientific payload for investigating the causes of auroras and will in the future be launched into orbit as part of a CubeSat 3U space platform from Geoscan LLC. In terms of technical architecture and core parameters, the detector is specifically designed for small spacecraft, overcoming strict size and power consumption constraints. Its core component uses a thallium-doped cesium iodide (CsI(Tl)) scintillation crystal, capable of highly...

2026-10-16

Review of Continued Operation for Kori NPP Units 3 and 4 Launched; Accident Management Plan Included in Review Process

The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC) of South Korea is scheduled to hold its 16th plenary meeting of 2026 on October 15, formally placing the continued operation license application for Units 3 and 4 of the Kori Nuclear Power Plant in Gijang, Busan, on its agenda for deliberation. Notably, these two nuclear units, which are currently in a shutdown state, have directly initiated the continued operation licensing procedure in parallel, even as the Accident Management Plan (AMP) has yet to complete final approval. According to the meeting schedule, the first agenda item of this plenary meeting...

2026-10-14

South China Regional Office organizes nuclear safety culture self-assessment

In order to thoroughly practice the nuclear safety concept of rationality, coordination, and progress, and to push regulatory bodies to turn their blades inward and deepen and solidify the development of their own nuclear safety culture, the South China Regional Office of Nuclear and Radiation Safety Supervision of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (hereinafter referred to as the South China Regional Office) recently, at an important juncture marking the implementation of a new round of institutional reform, commissioned the China Nuclear Safety and Environmental Culture Promotion Association (hereinafter referred to as the Promotion Association) to organize a nuclear safety culture self-assessment. This assessment is the first nuclear safety culture assessment of a regulatory body conducted after the release of the Guidelines for the Implementation of Nuclear Safety Culture Assessment (HJ1476-2026), and is of pioneering and landmark significance. To ensure that the assessment work is comprehensive, scientific, and effective, the Promotion Association assembled a team composed of...

2026-10-14

Hydraulic pressure test of containment penetration protection sleeves for Haiyang Nuclear Power Unit 3 in China succeeds on first attempt

Recently, the hydraulic pressure test of the containment penetration protection sleeves for the main steam and main feedwater pipelines of Haiyang Nuclear Power Unit 3 of State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC) Shandong Nuclear Power was completed, with all four sleeves passing the test on the first attempt. The protection sleeves are an important part of the containment pressure boundary and can safeguard the bellows expansion joints under abnormal pipeline conditions. It is understood that this test was relatively difficult. The sleeves had long been embedded in the containment, the original pipelines could not be damaged, and the on-site space was narrow, making it impossible to install the tooling. To address these challenges, the production preparation project team innovatively adopted the process of "removing the original guard plate + welding flanges to build a pressure chamber," and joined forces with the design institute and equipment manufacturer to form a special team, conducting multiple simulation verifications and reviewing...

2026-10-12

Fermi America's Project Matador Receives NRC Draft Environmental Assessment, Plans Four AP1000 Reactors to Power AI

Recently, Fermi America's advanced energy and intelligence campus, Project Matador, located in Carson County, Texas, has made significant progress. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has published a Federal Register notice releasing the draft environmental assessment for the four Westinghouse AP1000 reactors planned for the campus. NRC staff have preliminarily recommended approval of the project's combined license, subject to completion of the necessary safety review. It is understood that Project Matador plans 17 gigawatts of private energy infrastructure, with nuclear power generation as a key component...

2026-10-13

Steam Generator for Xudabao Nuclear Power Plant Unit 2 Successfully Arrives at Site

On October 10, the steam generator for Xudabao Nuclear Power Plant Unit 2 successfully arrived at the site, laying a solid foundation for the installation of the main equipment in the nuclear island of Unit 2. To ensure high-quality delivery of the equipment, Liaoning Nuclear Power adhered to systematic planning and penetrating management, took the lead in formulating construction support plans, maintained regular on-site coordination with the manufacturing end, and promoted optimization of resource allocation; closely tracked critical manufacturing paths and document circulation, and coordinated on-site resolution of bottlenecks and difficulties; meanwhile, jointly with the Nuclear Power Institute of China and China Nuclear Operation and Maintenance, carried out manufacturing process supervision, strictly controlled quality gates, and ensured controlled progress and reliable quality. Through the collaborative efforts of all units, the steam generator for Xudabao Nuclear Power Plant Unit 2 successfully left the factory and arrived at the site on schedule. Next, the project team...

2026-10-13

Nuclear Mutation Breeding Technology Helps Increase Rice Yield and Quality in Laos: Excellent New Varieties Combine Early Maturity with Stress Resistance

In the Lao People's Democratic Republic, rice is both the core staple food and main source of income for rural households, and a strategic cornerstone for maintaining national food security. Currently, more than 80% of the country's farming households are engaged in rice cultivation, and paddy fields account for about 60% of the nation's total cultivated land area. The Lao government has set the national paddy production target at 5.5 million tons. Facing multiple challenges such as climate warming, frequent flooding, crop diseases, and tightening agricultural resources, enhancing the climate resilience and scientific research capacity of the rice production system has become an urgent priority. Relying on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) technical cooperation program and the Joint FAO...

2026-10-12