Search Results

Bulgaria's Kozloduy NPP Addresses Challenges of Low Danube River Water Levels

Bulgaria's Ministry of Energy stated on August 16 that the Kozloduy NPP is currently operating as planned. In response to the persistently rare low water levels in the Danube River, the plant has further studied and implemented preventive arrangements based on existing technical and organizational measures to ensure stable unit operation under complex hydrological conditions. The Bulgarian Ministry of Energy stated that the Kozloduy NPP has established a dedicated working group to evaluate various options for ensuring the plant's normal operation, with a focus on facilities related to the riverbank pumping station. The working group is continuously optimizing the riverbank pumps, reactor unit cooling systems, spent fuel storage facilities, and the overall water...

2026-08-17

SPIC Shandong Nuclear Power's Total Intellectual Property Achievements Surpass 1,000

Recently, the total intellectual property achievements of SPIC Group Shandong Nuclear Power surpassed 1,000, and the company was also recognized as a "Yantai Intellectual Property Advantage Enterprise." It is reported that these 1,000 achievements include over 800 patents (including 5 international patents), 194 software copyrights and work copyrights, and 3 registered trademarks. Focusing on the new scenario of nuclear energy heating, Shandong Nuclear Power has formed over 100 patent achievements covering key areas such as system design, equipment optimization, and operation control, promoting clean nuclear energy's transition from power generation to heating, and creating China's first nuclear energy comprehensive utilization brand, "Nuanhe No.1." Focusing on the technical breakthrough of reheat control valves in the conventional island under the large-scale heating scenario of AP/CAP1000 pressurized water reactor nuclear power plants, the company has overcome key technical challenges and formed a series of patent achievements, supporting the innovative development of nuclear power equipment. The main pump frequency converter is known as the "heart" of nuclear power operation. Around its technical breakthroughs, the company has established a patent portfolio, driving control optimization and equipment reliability improvement, providing strong support for innovation in nuclear power equipment.

2026-08-17

US experiment reveals diamond melting behavior under high pressure, potentially advancing inertial confinement fusion research

Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory published a new study in Nature Physics documenting the melting process of diamond at pressures approximately three times greater than those at Earth's core. The experiments showed that under high-pressure conditions, diamond floats in liquid metallic carbon, similar to how ice floats in water. This finding helps improve inertial confinement fusion experimental models and provides new evidence for understanding the potential "diamond rain" phenomenon inside ice giant planets such as Neptune and Uranus. The latest melting experiments confirmed that under high pressure, diamond floats in liquid metallic carbon, just as ice floats in a glass of water. (Concept image: James Wickboldt/LLNL) The research team stated...

2026-08-17

Installation of the fifth tier of the inner containment shell begins at Unit 1 of Egypt's El Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant

The Egyptian Nuclear Power Plants Authority (NPPA) recently announced that installation of the fifth tier of the inner containment shell in the reactor building of Unit 1 at the El Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant has commenced. This marks a significant milestone in the civil construction and installation work for the unit. The inner containment shell is a cylindrical structure designed to house the nuclear reactor and related primary circuit equipment of the nuclear power plant. The fifth tier being installed consists of 12 components, all prefabricated on-site at the El Dabaa plant. Each component is 7.5 meters high and weighs approximately 40 to 45 tons, depending on its structural configuration. As planned, the installation of the fifth tier is expected to be completed within two weeks. Subsequently, the remaining tiers will continue to be assembled to form the complete annular inner containment structure. A heavy-duty crane with a lifting capacity of 2,200 tons will be used for the lifting operations at the construction site...

2026-08-17

4.4-Magnitude Earthquake Hits Fukuoka Area; Kyushu Electric Says No Abnormalities at Genkai and Sendai Nuclear Plants

At around 6:37 a.m. on August 17, an earthquake struck the Fukuoka area of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, with a maximum seismic intensity of 4, a focal depth of approximately 10 kilometers, and a magnitude of 4.4. Kyushu Electric Power Co. (KEPCO) subsequently announced that the operational status of its Genkai and Sendai nuclear power plants was unaffected, with no abnormalities detected in the relevant units. According to Kyushu Electric Power, Unit 4 of the Genkai Nuclear Power Plant in Saga Prefecture continued normal operation, while Unit 3 was undergoing periodic inspection; Units 1 and 2 of the Sendai Nuclear Power Plant in Kagoshima Prefecture continued normal operation. The company stated that no impact on power supply had been confirmed. During the earthquake, Itoshima City in Fukuoka Prefecture...

2026-08-17

Danube Water Levels Continue to Drop, Hungary's Paks Nuclear Power Plant May Reduce Output Again

Hungary's Paks Nuclear Power Plant may reduce its power generation output again early next week due to the continued decline in Danube water levels. Péter Magyar stated on social platform X that Tuesday and Wednesday will be critical periods, with the Danube water level expected to drop by another 14 to 15 centimeters, while the current level is only 9 centimeters away from the threshold that would force the shutdown of the second-to-last turbine at the Paks plant. Magyar noted that this critical phase is expected to end on August 20, when the water level in the Hungarian section of the Danube is expected to recover, influenced by inflows from the Austrian catchment area. Previously, on August 12, Magyar stated that the Hungarian government had decided to build temporary water-retention structures near the Paks Nuclear Power Plant and sink two barges to raise local water levels and ensure the plant's water intake conditions.

2026-08-17

Steel Containment Vessel Ring 1 of Unit 1 at Guangxi Bailong Nuclear Power Plant Successfully Hoisted into Place

At 11:38 on August 16, after 4 hours and 01 minutes of continuous and stable operation, the steel containment vessel ring 1 (CV1R) of the nuclear island of Unit 1 at Guangxi Bailong Nuclear Power Plant was successfully hoisted into place. This hoisting marks another successful installation of a key module following the CVBH and CA20 modules for Unit 1 of Bailong Nuclear Power Plant, signifying a critical breakthrough in the construction of the main structure of the nuclear island of Unit 1. The steel containment vessel consists of five major modules: the bottom head, the intermediate cylindrical shell (rings 1 to 3), and the top head, serving as the third physical safety barrier of the reactor. The CV1R hoisted this time is the core component with the largest volume and heaviest weight among the five major components of the steel containment vessel, measuring approximately 15.5 meters in height and up to 39.6 meters in maximum inner diameter, integrating equipment...

2026-08-17

Controlled Nuclear Fusion Specialized Power Supply Industry Matchmaking Conference Held in Hefei High-tech Zone

On August 14, a major industry event focused on the fusion core equipment track — the "Fusion Power Source, Chain Linkage, New Journey" Controlled Nuclear Fusion Specialized Power Supply Industry Matchmaking Conference — was held at the Zhongke Hefei Technology Innovation Engineering Institute. The conference was guided by the Hefei High-tech Zone Science and Technology Bureau, co-hosted by the USTC Silicon Valley Service Platform and the Fusion Financial Institutions Alliance, organized by Hefei Tai'a Fusion Technology Co., Ltd., Science Island Hefei Technology Innovation Engineering Institute Co., Ltd., and the Anhui Science, Technology and Industry Integration Innovation Association, with exclusive support from the Bank of China Hefei Branch. Specialized power supplies are the core power hub supporting the stable operation of controlled fusion devices, and are also key hardware for achieving stable plasma confinement and advancing self-sustaining fusion reactions. In various fusion experimental devices, the overall cost of the power supply system accounts for a considerable proportion. Currently, the global controlled nuclear fusion industry has entered a stage where engineering demonstration and commercialization breakthroughs proceed in parallel, and the industry is facing a window of opportunity for development. However, the industry still faces practical development challenges such as long cycles for translating scientific research into technology applications, lack of information exchange between upstream and downstream supply and demand, and heavy R&D burdens on sci-tech innovation and manufacturing enterprises.

2026-08-17

Repeated Power Outages at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant Raise Concerns over Equipment Aging and Safety Risks

August 13 news, the issue of repeated interruptions to the external power supply at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant continues to draw attention. Relevant data shows that since February 2022, the plant has experienced 26 power outages, 14 of which occurred in the first 8 months of 2026. The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. Once the external power supply is interrupted, the plant must switch to backup power to maintain the operation of essential safety systems. Frequent switching of power supply modes not only increases operational pressure but also poses additional risks to nuclear safety and radiation safety. Relevant parties have stated that signs of equipment aging at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant are intensifying, with the condition of diesel generator sets being particularly concerning. The backup diesel generator sets are generally...

2026-08-15

Energoatom and the E.O. Paton Electric Welding Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine Sign Scientific and Technical Cooperation Agreement

On August 13, Pavlo Kovtoniuk, head of Ukraine's national nuclear energy company Energoatom, and Ihor Kryvtsun, director of the E.O. Paton Electric Welding Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, signed a scientific and technical cooperation agreement. Under the agreement, the two parties will integrate scientific research and engineering technical resources to provide technical support for the safe operation of nuclear power units and other nuclear energy facilities, and will cooperate in areas such as extending the service life of reactor installations and the feasibility study and implementation of new nuclear power unit projects...

2026-08-15

RES Engineering to Supply HVAC and Water Treatment Equipment for Egypt's El Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant

August 12 news, RES Engineering has won the bid to supply refrigeration units, ventilation systems, and water treatment equipment for the under-construction El Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant in Egypt. According to the project schedule, the scope of supply covers multiple systems and equipment in the main buildings and public areas of the nuclear power plant, including central and zoned air conditioning, standalone air conditioning, ventilation equipment, water-cooled chiller units, fans, control cabinets, humidifiers, electric heaters, steam generators, and water treatment equipment. RES Engineering stated that this project involves not only a large supply scale but also a complex variety of equipment types. Different equipment needs to be matched in terms of technical parameters, project requirements, quality standards, and delivery schedules...

2026-08-15

Kazakhstan's National Nuclear Center Introduces Computer Modeling Methods for Reactor Safety

The National Nuclear Center of the Republic of Kazakhstan (NNC RK) recently presented its modern computer modeling methods used in the safety justification of reactor facilities. Arthur Suraev, a leading researcher at the laboratory of the branch Institute of Atomic Energy, stated that high-precision computational models have become an important tool for assessing reactor normal operation, design-basis accidents, and beyond-design-basis accident conditions. Suraev noted that computer modeling enables preliminary evaluation of neutron physics, thermal-hydraulic, and structural response processes inside a reactor before conducting complex and expensive experiments. By analyzing interrelated physical processes,...

2026-08-16

SLAC team observes progressive melting of copper under extreme heat in real time

Researchers at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, under the U.S. Department of Energy, and their collaborators used the Mega-electron-volt Ultrafast Electron Diffraction (MeV-UED) facility to observe in real time the melting process of copper atoms under extreme temperatures. The study was published in Nature Communications. Future fusion power plants will need to replicate fusion reactions that occur inside stars here on Earth. The core plasma can reach temperatures of hundreds of millions of degrees Celsius, while surrounding structural materials must withstand sudden, intense thermal shocks. Copper and its alloys, owing to their excellent thermal conductivity, are considered capable of serving as "heat sinks" in fusion systems...

2026-08-15

Red Fort Address: Modi Reaffirms "Developed India" Vision for 2047, Sets 100 GW Nuclear Power Target

On August 15, India celebrated its 80th Independence Day, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort in Delhi. The core message centered on the national vision of building a developed India by 2047. He called on citizens to move beyond small-target thinking and embrace greater developmental ambitions, emphasizing that unwavering resolve could chart a path forward for the nation amid complex circumstances. This statement continues India's recent political narrative of using the 100th anniversary of independence as a long-term development milestone. In his address, Modi highlighted India's economic and industrial transformations over the past 12 years. He noted that India, once regarded as one of the fragile five economies, has now become one of the fastest-growing major economies globally...

2026-08-15

Morocco Conducts 18 Expert Missions with IAEA in 2025, Civil Nuclear Cooperation Expands to African Level

Morocco's cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency is shifting from mere technical assistance to more active participation in regional capacity building. In 2025, Moroccan experts completed 18 international expert missions under the IAEA Technical Cooperation framework, with the agency's assistance to Morocco reaching €1.17 million in the same year. This indicates that Morocco has established a certain foundation in nuclear science, nuclear technology applications, and regulatory capabilities, and is beginning to play a more significant role in Africa's nuclear technology cooperation network. The National Center for Energy, Nuclear Science and Nuclear Technology in Rabat was granted the status of IAEA Collaborating Centre in September 2024, with a cooperation cycle covering 2025 to...

2026-08-15