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TU Delft participates in innovative projects on compact reactors and molten salt reactors

The MOOI Kernenergie nuclear funding programme, operated by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), has recently selected four innovative projects to support research and development in reactor and fuel cycle technologies, radioactive waste storage, and geological disposal solutions. TU Delft is involved in three of these projects, with researchers from its Reactor Institute participating in the MARLIN and PRONTO projects. The MARLIN project focuses on compact modular high-temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGRs) for industrial, maritime, and offshore applications. Based on measurement data and models, the project consortium will develop and validate a reactor prototype capable of simultaneously providing electricity and high-temperature process heat, with a focus on industrial clusters as well as maritime and offshore scenarios.

2026-08-26

South Korea Develops AI Model for Prioritizing Post-Earthquake Inspections at Nuclear Facilities

A joint research team from the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS) and Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) has developed a deep learning model that can assist nuclear facilities in rapidly identifying priority inspection areas after an earthquake. The model uses seismic wave signals collected from a single seismometer to predict in real time the vibration responses at multiple locations within a nuclear power plant and quantitatively ranks potential risks. The research was jointly conducted by the team of Jae-Beom Lee, senior researcher at KRISS, and Young-Ju Lee, professor at UNIST. The researchers stated that this technology can, without installing sensors at every critical location...

2026-08-26

Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant Loses External Power for Six Days

On August 25 local time, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) stated that it had lost external power since August 20 and had been relying on backup diesel generators to meet on-site electricity demand for six consecutive days. The plant's existing fuel reserves can still ensure operation, but difficulties in fuel resupply have not yet significantly eased. Yevgeniya Yashina, head of communications at ZNPP, stated that plant staff are monitoring nuclear safety parameters and the operation of backup diesel generator units around the clock. She noted that fuel transportation still faces difficulties due to shelling on roads leading to the plant; to improve the efficiency of existing reserve utilization, the plant has optimized the operation of diesel generators...

2026-08-26

Egypt and Rosatom Consult on Expanding Nuclear Energy Cooperation

Egypt's Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy, Mahmoud Mostafa Esmat, stated that Egypt will hold regular consultations with Russia's Rosatom on cooperation in nuclear energy and related fields, with meetings potentially taking place in either Egypt or Russia. Esmat said he would maintain regular meetings with Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev to exchange updates on the construction and commissioning progress of the El Dabaa nuclear power plant project and discuss directions for expanding cooperation. Currently, both sides are studying the addition of new units at the El Dabaa nuclear power plant, the construction of seawater desalination facilities, and the expansion of other areas of cooperation...

2026-08-26

Japan's Mihama Nuclear Power Plant Unit 3 Receives Preliminary Approval for Operation Plan Beyond 50 Years

On August 25, Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) gave preliminary approval to Kansai Electric Power Co. (KEPCO) for the long-term facility management plan for Unit 3 of the Mihama Nuclear Power Plant. Located in Mihama Town, Fukui Prefecture, the unit will mark its 50th anniversary of commercial operation on December 1. In May of this year, the metal top cover of the high-pressure turbine at Mihama Unit 3 suffered damage, resulting in steam leakage. At the NRA meeting held that day, KEPCO explained that the cause of the incident was believed to be thinning of the inner wall of the top cover due to steam flow. The company stated that this phenomenon falls under previously anticipated aging and degradation management for turbine equipment, and that the existing plan already includes corresponding management measures. Visual inspection and other examination methods were also deemed applicable, thus no revision to the long-term facility management plan was required.

2026-08-26

US Pacific Fusion Breaks Ground on $1 Billion Fusion Facility in New Mexico

On August 25, local time, Pacific Fusion launched construction of a research and manufacturing campus in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. The project involves an investment of approximately $1 billion and will be used to build the company's fusion demonstration system, with goals including achieving net facility gain and producing high-yield fusion energy pulses. The campus is located in the Mesa del Sol area of Albuquerque. According to Pacific Fusion's plan, the demonstration system aims to achieve net energy gain at the facility level by 2030, meaning the fusion device outputs more energy than the total energy initially stored in the equipment. The company stated that if this goal is achieved, it will mark a significant technological milestone in the commercialization of fusion energy...

2026-08-26

Westinghouse eVinci Microreactor Completes Zero-Power Criticality Testing

Westinghouse Electric Company announced on August 25 that its eVinci microreactor has completed zero-power criticality testing, validating relevant models and key assumptions in the core design. The test was completed at 10:39 a.m. Pacific Time on August 24, 2026, at the National Criticality Experiments Research Center (NCERC) at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS). The center is operated under the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). The test was conducted by Westinghouse Electric in collaboration with Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and Idaho National Laboratory (INL). Zero-power criticality is typically used to verify that a reactor core can achieve a self-sustaining chain fission state at extremely low power levels, serving as a critical step in reactor physics testing and design validation...

2026-08-26

FSG to Provide Electrical and Control Systems Support for Oklo's Groves Isotope Test Reactor Project

American Facility Solutions Group, LLC (FSG) announced on August 25 that it will support Oklo's Groves Isotope Test Reactor project, providing electrical, instrumentation, control, testing, and verification-related work. According to reports, the Groves Isotope Test Reactor achieved first criticality on August 5, 2026, reaching a controlled, self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction. The reactor is the fifth reactor to achieve this milestone among projects authorized under the U.S. Department of Energy's Reactor Pilot Program, and the first to reach criticality on private land under the program. The low-power test reactor is designed to lay the foundation for domestic commercial isotope production...

2026-08-26

Dry Spent Fuel Storage Facility Planned at Hanbit Nuclear Power Plant in South Korea

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) held a resident briefing session on August 25 at the Hongnong-eup Community Center in Yeonggwang-gun, South Jeolla Province, to introduce its plan to build an on-site interim spent fuel storage facility at the Hanbit Nuclear Power Plant. Approximately 200 residents from villages near the plant, along with officials from Yeonggwang-gun and Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), attended the meeting, which proceeded in an orderly manner. KHNP stated that the existing wet spent fuel storage pools at Hanbit Nuclear Power Plant have reached 86% capacity and are expected to approach saturation by 2030, necessitating the construction of a new on-site storage facility. According to the plan, the proposed facility will be located within the Hanbit Nuclear Power Plant site, covering approximately 7,328 square meters, and will employ dry storage methods for interim spent fuel storage...

2026-08-26

South Korea's Ulju County Seeks to Streamline Procedures for Support Projects Around Nuclear Power Plants

Ulju County, Ulsan Metropolitan City, South Korea, announced on August 26 that it will propose simplifying the procedures for implementing support projects in areas around power plants at the administrative meeting of local governments hosting nuclear power plants to be held next month, and will push for institutional adjustments to expand the scope of support for electricity bill subsidy projects. According to the Enforcement Decree of South Korea's Act on Support for Areas Around Power Plants, basic support projects for areas around power plants include profit-generating projects, public and social welfare projects, education projects, resident welfare support projects, investment attraction support projects, electricity bill subsidy projects, and other support projects. The first institutional improvement proposal put forward by Ulju County this time is to simplify the procedures for using basic support funds generated during the construction of small-capacity power plants.

2026-08-26

Guohe Series Nuclear Power Engineering Modular Quarterly Meeting and Construction Technology Innovation Application Exchange Conference Successfully Held in Qidong

On August 21, the Guohe Series Nuclear Power Engineering Modular Quarterly Meeting and Construction Technology Innovation Application Exchange Conference, hosted by Shanghai Nuclear Engineering Research and Design Institute (SNERDI) and organized by China Nuclear Industry Fifth Construction Co., Ltd. (CNF), was successfully held in Qidong, Jiangsu Province. Zhang Shoulong, Deputy General Manager and Safety Director of SNERDI, Li Jun, Deputy General Manager of China Nuclear Engineering Corporation (CNEC), and Liu Weihua, Chief Engineer of CNF, attended the meeting. More than 50 representatives from various nuclear power construction participating units gathered to discuss the innovation and practical application of nuclear power modular construction technology. At the meeting, the implementation of action items from the previous quarter was first reviewed, followed by progress reports on key work items including dry construction, plugging modularization, module design guidance manual, and multi-discipline shared rack design optimization. Each nuclear power project department then reported on quarterly work progress and subsequent work plans in turn; participating construction units including China Nuclear Industry 22nd Construction Co., Ltd., China Nuclear Industry 23rd Construction Co., Ltd., and CNF conducted thematic exchanges on modular construction, automatic welding technology, implementation of innovative technologies, and the "7050" plan (70% of all plant welding joints as prefabricated joints, and 50% of all plant prefabricated joints welded by automatic welding). Departments of SNERDI and participating partner units conducted in-depth discussions, exchanging views on key challenges in nuclear power modular construction and building consensus on technical breakthroughs. During the meeting, all attending representatives visited the Jiangsu Heneng Qidong Intelligent Manufacturing Base for on-site inspection, observing the intelligent manufacturing production line construction and gaining direct insight into the practical achievements of modular prefabrication and intelligent manufacturing processes. The meeting fully affirmed the phased achievements made by all participating units in the field of Guohe series nuclear power modular construction, pointed out that modular construction is a key driver for improving quality and efficiency in nuclear power engineering, and made arrangements for the next phase of work, emphasizing that all participating units should continue to deepen EC (Engineering-Construction) collaboration and integrated construction-installation development, and strengthen collaborative coordination to fully guarantee the high-quality construction of Guohe series nuclear power projects.

2026-08-26

Ministry of Ecology and Environment North China Regional Office of Nuclear and Radiation Safety Supervision Conducts Supervision of First Fuel Loading at Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant Unit 7

Recently, the first fuel loading of Unit 7 at Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant was officially initiated, with the first fuel assembly successfully loaded into the reactor core, marking the unit's formal transition into the commissioning phase with nuclear operation. This unit is a key cooperative project witnessed by the heads of state of China and Russia via video link at its groundbreaking ceremony. This fuel loading marks a significant milestone achievement in the largest strategic cooperation project in China-Russia nuclear energy cooperation. As a core and critical procedure in nuclear power engineering, the first fuel loading serves as a comprehensive and holistic verification of the unit's engineering construction quality, system commissioning effectiveness, and safety control capabilities, and is of decisive significance to the subsequent safe and stable operation of the unit. The Ministry of Ecology and Environment North China Regional Office of Nuclear and Radiation Safety Supervision (hereinafter referred to as the North China Regional Office) has consistently upheld the nuclear safety regulatory work style of "rigorous, prudent, meticulous, and practical," closely focusing on the core and critical aspects of the first fuel loading, and implementing full-coverage, full-chain, and whole-process supervision and control over this fuel loading operation, effectively safeguarding the safety and quality defense line of the loading operation.

2026-08-26

Japan Completes Cryogenic Test of World's Largest Superconducting Toroidal Field Coil for ITER

Japan's National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST) and Toshiba Corporation announced on August 25 that they had successfully completed the first cryogenic current test of the world's largest superconducting toroidal field coil at the construction site of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). The test was conducted at an operating temperature of approximately minus 269 degrees Celsius, marking a critical technical milestone before ITER's commissioning. The superconducting toroidal field coil, also known as the TF coil, installed in the test facility is a key component of ITER's superconducting magnet system, used to generate the strong magnetic field required to confine plasma. During the test, the team cooled the coil from room temperature to cryogenic conditions, confirmed its transition to the superconducting state, and for the first time achieved stable conduction of 10,000 amperes of current while the coil was in the superconducting state.

2026-08-25

South Korea's SEC Joins National R&D Project for Active Dose Distribution Control Radiotherapy Equipment

South Korean electron beam source technology company SEC announced on August 25 that it has been selected as a joint research institution for the world's best active dose distribution control radiotherapy machine R&D project, and will participate in the development of core technologies related to next-generation radiotherapy equipment. The project is a newly established task under the Global Flagship Medical Device R&D Program of the South Korean government's medical device R&D fund, with a duration of 6 years and 6 months, starting from July this year and planned to continue until December 2032. The total project budget is 35.2 billion KRW, of which 28 billion KRW is government funding. Radexel serves as the lead institution, with SEC participating as a joint research institution. Other participating organizations include the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Korea Testing Laboratory...

2026-08-25

South Korean team develops biodegradable microgel for localized radiation therapy

Pusan National University announced on August 25 that a research team led by Professor Yang Seung-yun from the Department of Biomaterials Science, in collaboration with Professor Kim Hoon-soo from the Department of Dermatology and Professor Kim Geun-young from the Department of Nuclear Medicine at Pusan National University Hospital, as well as SNBIA Co., Ltd., has developed a precision localized radiation therapy technology based on biodegradable radioactive isotope materials for the treatment of refractory keloids that tend to recur after surgery. Conceptual diagram of precision treatment technology for refractory keloids. Provided by Pusan National University. Keloids are caused by abnormal proliferation of fibroblasts and excessive accumulation of collagen after skin injury. Existing treatment methods include surgery, steroid injections, laser therapy, etc., but...

2026-08-25