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Romania in Talks to Purchase 300 Tons of Uranium from Niger, Nuclear Fuel Supply Diversification Faces Legal Uncertainties

Romania's state-owned nuclear power company Nuclearelectrica has initiated negotiations to purchase 300 tons of uranium from Niger, against the backdrop of Romania's push to diversify its external nuclear fuel sources. The talks began on April 13, 2026, with Niger's Minister of Mines Ousmane Abarchi responding positively, after which the Romanian delegation continued engagement with the Nigerien side. The transaction is valued at approximately $40 million, but Nuclearelectrica has emphasized that no final agreement has been reached yet. The potential appeal of this uranium supply lies in Romania's expanding nuclear power development plans, while domestic large-scale uranium mining has ceased. As the operator of the Cernavodă nuclear power plant...

2026-08-10

Vietnam's Nuclear and Radiation Safety Inspectorate Accelerates Year-End Efforts: Surprise Inspections + 20 National Standards + Institutional Closure

Vietnam's Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Inspectorate (ATBXHN) entered an accelerated implementation phase for key tasks in the final months of 2026, with work priorities including completing the annual inspection plan, strengthening surprise inspections of facilities showing signs of violations, strictly handling violations in accordance with the law, and promptly completing the legal framework for inspection, review, and supervision in the field of radiation protection and nuclear safety. Pham Xuan Linh, Chief Inspector of Nuclear Safety and Security of Vietnam, stated that the relevant inspections are not only aimed at detecting and handling violations but also at enhancing legal compliance awareness among organizations and individuals engaged in atomic energy activities, ensuring nuclear and radiation safety, and protecting public health and the environment. According to the year-end work arrangements, the inspectorate will concentrate...

2026-08-10

Fractionated radiotherapy did not significantly alter surface properties of two types of dental restorative composites

On August 5, a recently published in vitro study showed that under a simulated clinical head and neck cancer radiotherapy regimen, the surface microhardness and roughness of two modern dental restorative composites did not change significantly. The study focused on the effects of therapeutic ionizing radiation on the durability of dental restorative materials. After head and neck cancer patients receive radiotherapy, the oral environment may change, including reduced saliva secretion, mucositis, radiation caries, and other issues, which may affect the surface condition and long-term performance of restorations. To this end, the research team selected Giomer resin composite based on glass ionomer technology and Or...

2026-08-10

Ukraine's Radon Association Receives EU-Assisted Equipment to Enhance Operational Reliability of IASRM Radiation Monitoring System

On August 4, 2026, the Ukrainian state non-profit company Radon Association received five modern support systems to enhance the uninterrupted operation capability of the Integrated Automated Radiation Monitoring System (IASRM). The project is financially supported by the European Union through the Science and Technology Center in Ukraine, pursuant to Agreement No. INSC/2023/442-610 signed on May 22, 2023. Under the contractual arrangements, the relevant equipment has been delivered to the regional branches of the Radon Association and the central production base branch, with installation completed at the designated facilities. The systems installed this time mainly include backup power supply equipment such as diesel generators, which can provide continuous power to IASRM equipment during main power interruptions or shutdowns, thereby ensuring the normal operation of the radiation monitoring system under abnormal power supply conditions.

2026-08-10

"Nuclear Levee" Intelligent Foundation Empowers Wuhan Nuclear Technology Utilization Intelligent Review System Officially Launched

Recently, the Nuclear and Radiation Safety Center of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, in collaboration with software development enterprises, leveraged its independently developed nuclear safety regulatory "Nuclear Levee" intelligent review technology foundation to address the intelligent construction needs of radiation-related construction project environmental impact assessment (EIA) review at the Wuhan Ecological Environment Safety Center. The customized development of the Wuhan Nuclear Technology Utilization Intelligent Review System was successfully completed and officially deployed. The system carried out full-process technical research around three core directions: scenario adaptation, model iteration, and large-scale deployment. Key technical optimizations were completed for the EIA business scenarios, including dedicated parameter tuning and joint model training of the "Nuclear Levee" intelligent review foundation, successfully building an intelligent review system covering the entire EIA process. The system...

2026-08-10

Japanese research team demonstrates ion wakefield acceleration for the first time, accelerating protons to a maximum of 60 MeV

Kyushu University, the National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST), and Osaka University recently announced jointly that the research team used high-intensity laser irradiation on a foam target to experimentally demonstrate the ion wakefield acceleration mechanism for the first time, providing a new experimental foundation for research on next-generation laser-driven ion accelerators. The results were published in *Communications Physics* on August 3, Japan time. According to the report, the research aims to reproduce physical processes similar to high-energy particle acceleration in space within a laboratory setting. Traditional high-energy accelerators typically require long acceleration tubes or large ring-shaped facilities, while the strong electric fields generated by plasma waves are considered promising for advancing accelerator miniaturization. However, compared with electrons, protons and ions...

2026-08-10

Japanese research team uses PET imaging to find tau protein pathology may be involved in onset of hallucinations and delusions in middle-aged and elderly

A research team comprising the National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST), Keio University, Kyoto University, Tokyo University of Science, and other institutions recently announced that researchers used PET imaging to observe tau protein pathology in the living brains of middle-aged and elderly psychiatric patients, and believe that such pathology may be related to psychiatric symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions that first appear after age 40. Proportion of positive tau PET and amyloid PET results Middle-aged and elderly psychosis generally refers to diseases in which psychiatric symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions first appear after age 40. Previous epidemiological studies and postmortem brain tissue studies have suggested that such symptoms may be related to neurodegenerative changes associated with dementia, but due to limited techniques for precise visualization and quantification of abnormal proteins in living brains, relevant evidence has long been insufficient.

2026-08-10

India Announces INR 26.75 Trillion in Investments This Fiscal Year, with INR 6.5 Trillion Planned for Nuclear Power

According to a report released by the Economic Research Department of India's Bank of Baroda, total announced investments in India reached INR 26.75 trillion between April 1 and August 5 of the 2026-2027 fiscal year. Amid persistent uncertainties in the global economic landscape, Information Technology-enabled Services (ITeS) emerged as the dominant investment destination, accounting for 56% of total proposed investments. The report stated that the ITeS sector announced investments of INR 14.98 trillion, with nearly 99% concentrated in data centers and artificial intelligence, involving 13 companies. This indicates that digital infrastructure and AI-related industries remain a strategic focus for Indian enterprises and capital allocation. By sector, investment announcements remain highly...

2026-08-10

Taiwan's Nuclear Plant No. 3 safety inspection schedule extended to 2029, nuclear restart progress faces uncertainty

The latest report from the Audit Department shows that the actual progress of Taiwan's nuclear restart may be lower than expected by the public. Although the Ministry of Economic Affairs has determined that Nuclear Plant No. 2 and Nuclear Plant No. 3 are feasible for restart, and Taipower's restart plan for Nuclear Plant No. 3 has been submitted to the Nuclear Safety Commission for review, a gap has emerged in the progress of the critical self-conducted safety inspections. Although the five self-conducted safety inspection contracts for Nuclear Plant No. 3 have been awarded, the contract performance period may be extended to July 2029, casting uncertainty over the original goal of completing document review by the end of 2028. Nuclear Plant No. 3 is currently regarded as the plant with the best chance of advancing toward restart, but its restart process still must clear multiple hurdles including safety review, aging assessment, aging management, and related document review...

2026-08-10

KHNP President Visits Kori Nuclear Power Plant, Pledges Stable Power Supply

Amid sustained heat waves driving up electricity demand, Kim Hoi-cheon, President of Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP), recently conducted an on-site inspection at the Kori Nuclear Power Plant headquarters, focusing on the operational status of power generation facilities and frontline working conditions under high-temperature environments. The visit came as the South Korean government issued extreme heat warnings and strengthened its response posture, reflecting heightened attention to the stability of nuclear power as a baseload source in summer electricity supply. According to KHNP, Kim inspected work areas at the Kori plant that are vulnerable to high temperatures, reviewing employee health conditions, working environments, and the implementation of heat prevention and cooling measures. He also examined the operation of...

2026-08-10

U.S. Navy Decommissions Nuclear Submarine USS San Juan; Kittery Shipyard in Maine Helped Extend Its Service Life

The U.S. Navy recently held a decommissioning ceremony for the USS San Juan, as the Los Angeles-class fast attack nuclear submarine officially departed the fleet at Naval Base Kitsap in Washington State after nearly four decades of service. Named after the capital of Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory, the San Juan was commissioned on August 6, 1988, and its decommissioning coinciding with its commissioning anniversary carries notable symbolic significance. The San Juan had an important connection with Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine. Approximately 15 years ago, the submarine entered the shipyard for a major engineering overhaul, completing critical overhaul work between 2010 and 2012. Photographs released by the U.S. Navy in 2011 showed shipyard workers completing the submarine's undocking one day ahead of schedule, reflecting the maintenance progress and shipyard support capabilities at the time.

2026-08-10

Sea Temperature Approaching Shutdown Threshold, Nuclear Power Belt on South Korea's East Coast Faces Load Reduction Pressure

Climate change is pushing nuclear power plants on South Korea's east coast toward new operational boundaries. South Korean nuclear plants generally rely on seawater as cooling water; after the heat generated by the reactor drives the turbine, seawater is needed to condense the steam back into water. Once the intake water temperature approaches or exceeds the design seawater temperature set by the equipment, heat exchange efficiency declines, affecting the heat dissipation capacity of key safety systems, and the plant must reduce load or even shut down in accordance with safety regulations. The area currently at greatest risk is around Uljin in North Gyeongsang Province. Data from the National Institute of Fisheries Science shows that nearshore surface seawater temperatures along parts of the east coast have approached 30°C, with multiple observation points near Uljin recording approximately 29.6°C to 30.2°C on the afternoon of August 7.

2026-08-10

Unit 2 of Romania's Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant to Operate for at Least 9 More Days

Unit 2 of Romania's Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant is expected to continue operating for at least 9 more days. Romania's Acting Minister of Defense and Transport, Radu Miruță, stated that after blasting operations and the removal of underwater obstacles in the Danube River, the water level in the Cernavoda area rose by 4 centimeters over the past 24 hours. The previous day, the water level in the area had dropped by 3 centimeters. Recently, due to persistent drought, the Danube River's water level has fallen to historic lows, putting pressure on the plant's water intake and reactor cooling. To increase water supply in the river section near the Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant, Romania last week implemented unconventional engineering measures, including blasting a rock formation in the Danube and sinking barges loaded with cargo to alter...

2026-08-10

Cathode High-Voltage Power Supply for CFQS Device ECRH System Manufactured by CNNC Tongchuang Successfully Shipped

On August 3, the cathode high-voltage power supply for the Electron Cyclotron Resonance Heating (ECRH) system of China's first Quasi-Axisymmetric Stellarator (CFQS) device, manufactured by CNNC Tongchuang (Chengdu) Technology Co., Ltd., successfully passed factory acceptance and was officially shipped. The CFQS device is a major scientific and technological infrastructure project of Sichuan Province. The device adopts an advanced quasi-axisymmetric magnetic field configuration, combining the advantages of high confinement performance and steady-state operation. Under low-parameter operating conditions, the CFQS test platform confirmed that the quasi-axisymmetric magnetic field configuration can effectively reduce neoclassical transport losses in plasma and improve plasma confinement, marking the first international experimental verification of the superiority of the quasi-axisymmetric magnetic field configuration. Next, the CFQS stellarator...

2026-08-10

Consolidating Foundations·Sichuan: Accelerated Localization of Nuclear Medical Equipment Benefits the Public

On August 9, 2026, CCTV's "Morning News" program aired a feature titled "Consolidating Foundations·Sichuan: Accelerated Localization of Nuclear Medical Equipment Benefits the Public," reporting on Jiuyiyuan Company. Founded in February 2017, Sichuan Jiuyiyuan Particle Technology Co., Ltd. is a national high-tech enterprise integrating R&D, production, and services of high-end nuclear medical equipment, committed to providing overall solutions for radiopharmaceuticals. A cyclotron is a device that uses magnetic and electric fields to drive charged particles in a circular motion, repeatedly accelerating them via high-frequency electric fields during their movement. Low- and medium-energy cyclotrons applied in the medical field are devices that produce positron-emitting radionuclides, generating a variety of radionuclides that not only meet clinical PET/CT examination needs but also support the clinical positron drug and new drug development demands of the molecular imaging and precision medicine era. The report noted that core nuclear medicine equipment has long relied on imports, which is a key bottleneck constraining the development of nuclear medicine in China. In 2021, Jiuyiyuan successfully developed the first domestically produced medical cyclotron, breaking foreign technological monopoly. In June this year, the company launched the first domestically produced 30MeV multi-particle medium-to-high-energy cyclotron with fully independent intellectual property rights, with mass production planned for September, achieving internationally advanced product performance.

2026-08-10