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South Korean research team reveals that water storage capacity of cold subducting slabs has been underestimated using synchrotron radiation sources

A research team led by Professor Yongjae Lee of the Department of Earth System Sciences at Yonsei University in South Korea has recently found that in cold, rapidly descending tectonic subduction zones, crustal rocks may transport up to 1 trillion kilograms of water to the mantle each year—approximately twice the previous estimate. The findings have been published in Nature Communications. Subduction zones are regions where Earth's tectonic plates converge and one plate descends beneath another, often accompanied by volcanic and seismic activity. For a long time, the academic community has generally believed that serpentinite, a water-bearing rock, gradually dehydrates as it descends with the plate due to increasing pressure and temperature, and the released water further promotes melting of the overlying plate and is associated with the formation of volcanic arc chains.

2026-09-07

China officially promotes Hualong One 2.0 Gen-III+ nuclear power technology to the global market

Nine key safety indicators of the Hualong One 2.0 Gen-III+ nuclear power technology have been significantly improved, the number of cabinets in the new-generation Harmony system has been reduced by approximately 40%, and the world's first 8.6-meter-aperture solar thermal collector, Yuanyao-1, can achieve a photoelectric efficiency of 17%... These were the highlights reported by this journalist at the CGN 2026 Sustainable Development Conference held in Shenzhen on September 7. At the conference, CGN officially released the "2025 CGN Sustainable Development Report," and simultaneously launched its global responsibility brand, the "CGN Firefly Plan." As the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting draws near, Shenzhen is becoming the focus of Asia-Pacific attention. On September 7, CGN, headquartered in Shenzhen, hosted a sustainable development conference themed "Green Energy Illuminating Mountains and Seas, Joining Hands to Create the Future," showcasing China's clean energy development landscape and its latest progress in going global to think tanks, media, and other stakeholders from APEC member economies and countries jointly building the "Belt and Road."

2026-09-07

Kenya seeks IAEA review support to advance nuclear power project by 2034

Kenya is seeking a new round of review and expanded technical support from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to advance its long-planned nuclear power program toward construction readiness by 2034. According to relevant meeting briefings, Kenya hopes the IAEA will conduct a Phase 2 Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review (INIR) mission in the fourth quarter of 2026, along with support in training nuclear engineers and nuclear scientists. Kenya also plans to leverage the IAEA's 70th General Conference, to be held in Vienna from September 14 to 18, to secure advisory services, skills training, and technical assistance for advancing its nuclear power project and nuclear research reactor construction. Kenya is expected to send a high-level delegation of approximately 30 people...

2026-09-07

Russia masters production technology of ultra-pure germanium for gamma detectors

The Giredmet Research Institute, part of Rosatom, recently announced that its researchers have developed technology for producing high-purity germanium (HPGe) for gamma-ray detectors. This breakthrough is expected to replace imported crystals and promote the formation of a complete production cycle for detector equipment within Russia. According to reports, experts at Giredmet have designed and manufactured experimental equipment, and based on this, developed a process for preparing ultra-high-purity germanium single crystals. The purity of the germanium material reaches at least 7N, i.e., 99.99999%, equivalent to only one impurity atom per 10 million atoms of the primary material. The institute stated that the first batch of experimental samples has been obtained, verifying the effectiveness of the adopted deep germanium purification method in achieving the purity level required for detector applications.

2026-09-07

Turkey's Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1 to Generate Electricity by End of 2026

Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar stated that Unit 1 of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant has entered the testing phase, with Turkey aiming to complete commissioning and begin electricity generation by the end of 2026. Bayraktar said construction of the remaining units at the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant is still progressing, and the project team also plans to build a data center near Units 3 and 4. He also noted that due to factors such as the pandemic, rising commodity prices, and increased construction costs, the total cost of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant has exceeded the initially planned $20 billion. However, the project has made progress in localization, including equipment, materials, and services...

2026-09-07

Taishan Nuclear Power Plant Deploys Specialized Underwater Robot for Cold Source Intake to Enhance Water Intake Operation and Maintenance Safety

Recently, at the seawater reservoir of Taishan Nuclear Power Plant, the cold source operation and maintenance team remotely operated a specialized underwater robot to complete an underwater inspection. After entering the water, the robot descended steadily, maintained stable posture at a depth of approximately 10 meters, transmitted clear real-time images, and maintained normal communication links throughout the process, successfully completing the preventive underwater inspection of the seawater reservoir interception net. Underwater inspection of the interception net conducted via the underwater robot. Since its first underwater operation on March 12 this year, the robot has replaced manual labor in dozens of underwater interception net inspections, becoming an important initiative for Taishan Nuclear Power Plant to enhance the intrinsic safety level of cold source water intake operation and maintenance and to advance intelligent operation and maintenance. The cold source interception net is a critical facility ensuring the safety of unit cold source water intake, and its condition and structural gaps directly affect the reliability of cold source water intake. During high-risk periods for the cold source, operation and maintenance personnel are required to conduct underwater inspections of the interception net weekly to confirm facility integrity and operational status.

2026-09-07

U.S. ZC Institute Unveils "Kardashev One" Fusion Prototype Reactor Plan to Independently Test Neutron Recovery Concept

ZC Institute, a fusion energy company headquartered in Atlanta, USA, announced on September 4 the launch of the Kardashev One program, aiming to develop a fusion prototype reactor to explore recovering energy lost to radiation and neutron escape during fusion reactions. As an early validation step of the program, ZC Institute has commissioned Professor Jason Cassibry and his team at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) to conduct independent testing of the related field distortion technology. According to ZC Institute, existing fusion approaches, including inertial confinement fusion and magnetic confinement fusion, lose energy in forms such as electromagnetic radiation and neutron escape. Magnetic fields can confine charged...

2026-09-05

Canada's AtomVie Opens Large-Scale Radiopharmaceutical R&D and Manufacturing Facility in Hamilton

On September 4, AtomVie Global Radiopharma, a radiopharmaceutical contract development and manufacturing organization, announced the official opening of its new state-of-the-art production facility at 10 Aeropark Boulevard, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The facility is designed to support the full-spectrum translation of radiopharmaceuticals from early-stage research and development, through clinical development, to commercial manufacturing. According to reports, the new facility represents an investment of over $160 million and spans 72,300 square feet, making it one of the largest single-site radiopharmaceutical R&D CDMO facilities in North America. The facility offers production capabilities ranging from low-throughput to high-throughput, increasing AtomVie's overall production capacity by more than tenfold, with dedicated spaces configurable to meet clients' subsequent R&D and commercialization needs.

2026-09-05

Germany's BEST and Luvata Partner to Expand Supply of RRP Superconductors for Fusion

Bruker Energy & Supercon Technologies (BEST) of Germany and Luvata Materials & Solutions, part of the Luvata Group, have announced a strategic partnership to expand the industrial supply capacity of high-performance RRP® superconductors for next-generation magnetic confinement fusion power demonstration projects worldwide. According to information released by the two companies, the collaboration will focus on enhancing the industrial readiness and availability of RRP superconductors, expanding manufacturing capabilities, and strengthening supply chain resilience to meet the large-scale demand for superconducting materials in high-field magnetic confinement fusion projects...

2026-09-05

Hitachiomiya City Assembly in Japan Hears Briefing on Literature Survey for High-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Site

On September 4, the Hitachiomiya City Assembly in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, held a closed-door briefing session regarding the central government's request for the city to initiate a literature survey for the final disposal site selection of high-level radioactive waste. Representatives from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the Nuclear Waste Management Organization of Japan (NUMO) attended the meeting to explain the national energy policy, an overview of the geological disposal project, and the background behind the survey request. All 16 members of the Hitachiomiya City Assembly participated in the briefing, with Mayor Suzuki Sadayuki attending as an observer. The meeting was originally scheduled for approximately two hours but actually lasted about three and a half hours due to the large number of questions from assembly members. After the meeting, Yokote Hiroki, Director of the Radioactive Waste Policy Division at METI's Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, stated that assembly members raised questions covering multiple aspects, including technical details of geological disposal and the site selection procedure for disposal facilities, and that the government side would continue its outreach efforts. Should the City Assembly make a request, METI would provide further explanations.

2026-09-06

South Korean civic groups oppose construction of spent fuel storage facility at Hanbit Nuclear Power Plant site

On September 4, the Joint Action Organization Against Hanbit Nuclear Power Plant in the Honam region of South Korea held a press conference in front of the high-level radioactive waste forum venue in Gochang County, North Jeolla Province, demanding the cancellation of plans to build a storage facility at the Hanbit Nuclear Power Plant site and proposing fundamental measures to address nuclear waste issues. The organization stated that Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) is pushing forward with the construction of temporary storage facilities at the plant site on the grounds that the spent fuel pools at Hanbit Nuclear Power Plant may reach saturation by 2030. The organization argued that this move fails to adequately respond to the opinions of residents near the plant and amounts to unilaterally shifting the burden of nuclear waste onto the local community. The organization stated that the current plan involves building storage facilities at the existing nuclear power plant site...

2026-09-06

First Application and Verification of Intelligent Monitoring and Adjustment System for Nuclear Power Plant Personnel Status at "Hualong One" Nuclear Power Plant

On September 4, CGN Engineering, in collaboration with Cangnan Nuclear Power, successfully completed the testing, verification, and on-site data collection of the Intelligent Monitoring and Adjustment System for Nuclear Power Plant Personnel Status at the San'ao Nuclear Power Base. The CGN Engineering departments participating in this testing and verification included CGN Design Institute, the National Key Laboratory of Nuclear Power Safety Technology and Equipment (hereinafter referred to as the National Key Laboratory), CGN Engineering Cangnan Project Department, and Huasheng Technology. This joint test marks an important milestone in the project's transition from technology research and development to engineering application, providing key technical support for the quantitative analysis transformation of human factors safety management in China's nuclear power industry. The system, built upon the personnel fatigue status monitoring principle prototype developed under the Intelligent Nuclear Power strategic special project, has been iteratively improved with continuous support from the Yangjiang Chuangbao High-tech Research Project and the National Key Laboratory research projects, and has now evolved into a mature product suitable for engineering and large-scale application. Previously, relevant functional modules of the system had been deployed and data collected in applications such as human factors verification in the main control room of Yangjiang Nuclear Power Base and simulator training at Taishan Nuclear Power Base. The on-site testing and data collection at the San'ao Nuclear Power Base further verified the system's environmental adaptability and reliability across multiple nuclear power base scenarios, laying a solid foundation for subsequent industry-wide promotion and application.

2026-09-05

Radionuclide Ward Officially Launched at Xuguan Campus of Suzhou Nuclear Industry General Hospital under CNNC Medical

On September 3, the radionuclide ward of the Nuclear Medicine Department at the Xuguan Campus of Suzhou Nuclear Industry General Hospital, affiliated with CNNC Medical, was officially inaugurated and put into operation. The ward addresses the standardized radionuclide therapy needs of patients with tumors, thyroid diseases, and endocrine disorders, providing inpatient treatment services with isolation and protection conditions. According to reports, the newly launched radionuclide ward is equipped with radiation protection facilities and intelligent monitoring systems, enabling fully enclosed ward management, treatment process monitoring, and multi-level protection. Following the ward's commissioning, the Nuclear Medicine Department will expand from its previous examination-focused service model into a closed-loop service chain integrating radionuclide diagnosis, drug therapy, isolated hospitalization, and research follow-up, enhancing its capacity to manage complex and critically ill patients...

2026-09-05

Site Construction Officially Launched for Phase I of Shandong Laiyang Nuclear Power Project

On September 1, the pre-work meeting and construction mobilization meeting for the main plant area site leveling of Phase I of the State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC) Shandong Laiyang Nuclear Power Project was held at the project site, marking a key step forward in the construction of the Laiyang Nuclear Power Project and the full launch of site leveling works for Phase I. Before the meeting, the construction crew organized a pre-work briefing, during which responsible persons from all participating construction parties inspected the site on location, verified the operating conditions of construction machinery and equipment one by one, and conducted inspections and evaluations of pre-work preparations, solidifying the foundational conditions for construction commencement from the source. At the construction site, engineering machinery stood in orderly formation, and the construction teams were in high spirits. The responsible person of SPIC Laiyang stated that the Laiyang Nuclear Power Project will strictly implement the "four strictest" work requirements, coordinate all aspects of safety, quality, and schedule, and that all participating construction units will work in synergy, strive for excellence, and promote high-quality project development throughout the full lifecycle, injecting strong momentum into the Group's nuclear energy business for greater strength, optimization, and expansion.

2026-09-04

Gyeongsangbuk-do lawmakers demand stronger nuclear power plant accident notification and oversight

On September 3, Gyeongsangbuk-do lawmaker Kim Jae-jun spoke at the 365th provisional session of the Gyeongsangbuk-do Council, criticizing the delayed notification and inadequate response to the recent boric acid solution leak at Unit 6 of the Hanul Nuclear Power Plant, and calling for stronger resident safety protection mechanisms in areas with concentrated nuclear power plants. Kim stated that on August 3, a boric acid solution containing radioactive materials leaked from Unit 6 of the Hanul Nuclear Power Plant during spent fuel transfer, but local residents were not informed of the incident until approximately three weeks after it occurred. He argued that Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) failed to disclose information about the incident promptly and transparently, undermining residents' trust in nuclear safety management...

2026-09-04