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UK Public Accounts Committee Assesses Financial Risks of Sizewell C Project

Recently, the UK Public Accounts Committee (PAC) published a report warning that the government's planned Sizewell C nuclear reactor project in Suffolk is a bad deal for taxpayers and consumers, with total construction costs potentially soaring to between £40.5 billion and £47.7 billion, exposing the public to extremely high risk of cost overruns. It is understood that under the currently approved financing structure, the UK government holds a 44.9% stake, Électricité de France (EDF) holds 12.5%, and the remaining shares are held by private investors including Centrica (15%), La Caisse (20%) and Amber Infrastructure (7.6%).

2026-10-28

U.S. NRC Issues New Rule Allowing Use of Demonstration Data to Accelerate Commercial Licensing

Recently, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) finalized a major new regulatory rule that explicitly allows applicants for commercial nuclear reactors to cite analyses, test data, and operating experience from reactor demonstration projects previously authorized by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) or the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) as technical support basis for commercial licensing applications. It is reported that the rule implements Executive Order 14300 and amends relevant provisions of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Part 50 (adding new Section 50.43(f)) and Part 53....

2026-10-27

Strengthening Foundations to Build a Solid Defense Line, Tackling Root Causes to Promote Development — A Sidelight on SNPAS's Three-Year Action for Fundamental Safety Production Improvement

Since 2024, SNPAS System Engineering Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as SNPAS) has fully implemented the deployment requirements of the three-year action for fundamental safety production improvement of the Work Safety Committee of the State Council and State Power Investment Corporation, anchored on the overall goal of "zero accidents, zero fatalities," adhered to the work mainline of "strengthening supervision and ensuring implementation, strengthening foundations and focusing on construction," systematically implemented measures around the four core elements of people, equipment, environment, and management, and cumulatively implemented 143 action measures, safeguarding high-quality development with high-level safety. Focusing on the intrinsic safety of people, strengthening the team through Party building. SNPAS adheres to Party management of safety, incorporates General Secretary Xi Jinping's important expositions on safety production into the "first agenda item," establishes a responsibility checklist for "Party management of safety" and "joint management," and compacts safety production responsibilities...

2026-10-27

Final Environmental Impact Statement Issued for U.S. Laser Enrichment Facility

Recently, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) officially released the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed Paducah Laser Enrichment Facility (PLEF) of Global Laser Enrichment (GLE), recommending the formal issuance of a construction and operating license for the proposed plant. It is understood that the facility, located in Kentucky, will use the proprietary SILEX laser uranium enrichment technology of Silex Systems Ltd. to re-enrich depleted uranium tailings from previous gaseous diffusion enrichment plant operations of the U.S. Department of Energy. The project will not only produce conventional low...

2026-10-27

Holtec Successfully Recovers Tilted Fuel Assembly at Palisades Nuclear Power Plant

Recently, the engineering team of Holtec International has successfully used a specially manufactured device—conceived, designed, and delivered in just two weeks—to safely retrieve and recover a previously tilted fuel assembly from the Reactor Pressure Vessel at the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant in Michigan. It is reported that the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant, a single-unit Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) retired in 2022, officially commenced fuel loading operations in late August this year. However, on September 21, due to a fuel assembly...

2026-10-27

Vesta Engineering Deploys Industrial Television System for Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant

Recently, engineering equipment supplier Vesta Engineering is integrating the latest industrial television system into the infrastructure of Units 1 and 2 of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant under construction in Turkey. The system complies with high safety class 3 and 4 standards, and is designed to provide comprehensive continuous monitoring of nuclear power plant processes, delivering real-time information support and emergency response assurance for operating personnel. It is reported that the industrial television system consists of plant-wide and unit-level process video monitoring subsystems, as well as a dedicated video recording subsystem for operating personnel behavior (VDOP). The hardware architecture integrates power supply and digital trans...

2026-10-26

World's Largest Stellarator W7-X Launches New Experimental Campaign to Pursue Long Pulses

Recently, Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X), the world's largest and most complex stellarator fusion device operated by the Max-Planck-Institute for Plasma Physics (IPP) in Germany, has officially launched its latest OP2.4 experimental campaign. This three-month experiment has attracted over one hundred top scientists from approximately 20 laboratories across Europe and around the world, jointly advancing stellarator technology toward longer pulses and higher performance. It is understood that the OP2.4 experiment will focus on three key research areas: high-performance plasmas, fast ions and turbulent transport, and long-pulse operation. Sci...

2026-10-26

Hefei Energy Research Institute Achieves Progress in Research on Compatibility Between Fusion Materials and Liquid Metals, Providing a Basis for Cladding and First Wall Material Selection

The research team at the Neutron Technology Application Research Center of the Institute of Energy, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, has recently made important progress in research on material compatibility and performance evolution mechanisms under liquid metal environments in nuclear fusion reactors. The team conducted in-depth research on the long-term corrosion characteristics of austenitic heat-resistant stainless steel and iron-nickel-based heat-resistant alloys in high-temperature static liquid lead-lithium, as well as the contact damage mechanisms between tungsten fiber-reinforced tungsten matrix composites and liquid lithium. The related results were not only published in top academic journals in the field of nuclear materials, but also presented at the 9th International Symposium on Liquid Metal Applications in Fusion. Liquid lithium and lead-lithium eutectic alloys, due to their...

2026-10-25

Hainan Nuclear Power, CNNC Jianzhong, and CNNC Precision Sign Special Cooperation Agreement to Jointly Tackle the Full Process of Core Components for Nuclear Fuel Assemblies

To implement the relevant special deployments of CNNC and strengthen the independent controllability of the nuclear fuel industry chain and supply chain, Hainan Nuclear Power Co., Ltd., CNNC Jianzhong Nuclear Fuel Element Co., Ltd., and CNNC (Yibin) Precision Manufacturing Co., Ltd. officially signed a special cooperation agreement on nuclear fuel assembly grid strips and springs on October 22 in Yibin, Sichuan. This move marks substantive progress by CNNC in advancing the coordinated strengthening and consolidation of the two major sectors of the nuclear fuel cycle and nuclear power generation. Grid strips and springs are the core supporting and positioning structural components of nuclear reactor fuel assemblies, and their manufacturing precision and mechanical durability directly determine the operational stability of fuel elements under extreme in-core neutron irradiation and strong scouring...

2026-10-25

Steam Generator for Zhangzhou Nuclear Power Phase II Unit 4 Manufactured by Harbin Electric Power Equipment Co., Ltd. Successfully Shipped

On October 24, 2026, the steam generator for Zhangzhou Nuclear Power Phase II Unit 4, manufactured by Harbin Electric Power Equipment Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "HEPE"), was successfully shipped. The steam generator for this unit successfully carried forward the good momentum of early delivery achieved for Unit 3, completing delivery 3 months ahead of the contractual delivery date. This marks the successful fulfillment of the "Hualong One" steam generator contract for Units 3 and 4 of Zhangzhou Nuclear Power Phase II, laying a solid foundation for a good start to the "15th Five-Year Plan" period with stable production capacity and outstanding quality. The steam generator is the core equipment of the "Hualong One" nuclear power unit, undertaking the core functions of core energy conversion and ensuring stable power generation of the unit. A single steam generator weighs 370 tons, with sophisticated structure and complex manufacturing processes, featuring high manufacturing standards and stringent process parameters...

2026-10-25

Russia Launches Pilot Operation of Predictive Analytics System, Achieving Advance Unit Fault Warning Based on Digital Foundation

The Novovoronezh Phase II Nuclear Power Plant, Leningrad Phase II Nuclear Power Plant, and Beloyarsk Nuclear Power Plant under the Electric Power Division of Rosatom officially launched the pilot operation of a new-generation domestically developed industrial-grade predictive analytics system on October 22. The system is designed to identify potential anomalies in advance before substantive mechanical or electrical failures occur in equipment, marking Russia's entry into a stage of in-depth application of digital intelligent operation and maintenance for in-service nuclear power units. The system is built on the "AtomIntellect" industrial digital foundation independently developed by the Fuel Division of Rosatom, integrating cutting-edge machine learning algorithms and deep neural network modeling technologies, and possesses strong large-scale multi-dimensional operating condition...

2026-10-25

CGN Biodiversity Protection Case Selected for Report of the 17th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity: Daya Bay Base Demonstrates Harmonious Coexistence of Nuclear Power and Marine Ecology

At the China Pavilion event of the 17th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China officially released the "Beauty of Diversity: Nature-Positive Solutions Report of Chinese Enterprises." The typical case submitted by China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN), "Advancing Habitat Protection to the Decision-Making Stage of Clean Energy Development," was successfully selected, systematically presenting on the international multilateral stage the innovative governance achievements of Chinese energy enterprises in coordinating zero-carbon electricity supply with ecological habitat restoration. According to the practical experience disclosed in the report, CGN deeply integrates the concept of nature conservation into the entire lifecycle of corporate investment decisions and production operations, strictly aligning with Targets 1...

2026-10-25

Pulsed Fusion Technology Race Drives U.S. High-Voltage Semiconductor R&D; Helion Secures $225 Million to Build Domestic Supply Chain

U.S. commercial fusion developer Helion Energy has recently reached a preliminary funding agreement with the U.S. Department of Commerce to receive up to $175 million in federal funding support under the framework of the CHIPS and Science Act (CHIPS Act). Combined with $50 million in matching funds from private investors, the total joint investment of $225 million will be dedicated to establishing dedicated manufacturing bases and production lines in the United States, with a full-scale push to develop high-voltage, high-power pulsed semiconductor power devices and integrated modules required for commercial fusion reactor operation. Helion's technology pathway is fundamentally based on high-power pulsed power systems, a physical approach...

2026-10-24

Repair Completed on Damaged Power Supply Facilities Near Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Reducing Risk of External Grid Power Outage

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) officially announced on October 23 local time that emergency repair work has been successfully completed on the previously damaged critical external power supply infrastructure near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. The repair has significantly improved the operational stability of the plant's sole remaining external transmission line, alleviating to a certain extent the severe safety risk of the plant once again experiencing a complete station blackout. The power facility repaired in this operation is located in the switchyard area of the Zaporizhzhia Thermal Power Plant, approximately two kilometers from the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant site. This critical electrical hub was attacked and severely damaged during military conflict in September this year...

2026-10-24

Successful Removal of Toppled Fuel Assembly at Palisades Nuclear Reactor in the United States

Holtec International, the owner of the Palisades nuclear reactor located in Covert, Michigan, announced on Wednesday that it had successfully removed the nuclear fuel assembly that had previously toppled during refueling through technological innovation, and stated that it would continue to advance the restart of the nuclear unit. Fadi Diya, Chief Nuclear Safety Officer of Holtec International, said the team consistently upheld safety standards and technical rigor in addressing this challenge. The Palisades nuclear reactor was originally commissioned in 1971, was acquired by Holtec International after its retirement in 2022, and now...

2026-10-24