Search Results

IAEA 70th General Conference to Host Nuclear Energy Side Events

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Department of Nuclear Energy will hold its regular Nuclear Power Plant Operators Forum and three nuclear energy-related side events during the 70th IAEA General Conference, to be held from 14 to 18 September 2026 in Vienna, Austria. The schedule of the side events will be announced once confirmed. The Nuclear Power Plant Operators Forum, themed "Microreactors: Shaping New Operational Landscapes and Applications," is scheduled to take place from 10:30 to 12:30 on 17 September 2026 in Meeting Room CR3, 7th Floor, Building C. The forum will feature panel discussions with industry and technical experts, presenting international progress in microreactor development and deployment, covering topics such as key design features, emerging technologies, fuel and deployment options, as well as practical considerations in installation and operation, and experience from projects under construction. The session will also address the diversification of microreactor designs, the evolving research and development landscape, and the impact of practical applications, societal factors, and market expectations on technology selection.

2026-08-26

IAEA Study: Five-Star Rating System Can Improve CT Imaging Safety and Reduce Unnecessary Radiation Exposure

A new study led by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in collaboration with Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, USA, shows that a five-star rating system can help hospitals optimize image quality, reduce radiation dose, and decrease unnecessary patient radiation exposure in computed tomography (CT) examinations. The study has been published in the European Journal of Radiology. CT imaging uses X-rays to obtain detailed images of internal body structures and is an important tool in diagnosing a wide range of diseases. The study notes that CT image quality is closely related to radiation dose—higher doses typically reduce image noise and improve clarity, but do not always yield additional diagnostic value. How to minimize radiation exposure while ensuring diagnostic accuracy is key to optimizing CT examination protocols.

2026-08-26

South Korean Lawmaker Proposes Designating SMRs as National Strategic Technology

Kim Jung-jae, a lawmaker from South Korea's People Power Party, recently proposed an amendment to the Special Tax Limitation Act, calling for small modular reactors (SMRs) to be included in the category of national strategic technologies, thereby supporting related R&D, talent development, and facility investment through tax credits. Kim believes that SMRs are a next-generation nuclear technology that balances carbon neutrality goals with stable energy supply. As global technological and industrial competition in the SMR market intensifies, South Korea needs to further improve its institutional foundation to promote the development of the related industry. According to the proposal's explanation, the commercialization and export competitiveness of SMRs depend not only on R&D outcomes but also on the facility level of the manufacturing supply chain, workforce capabilities, and international quality standards and certification...

2026-08-26

South Korea's Gijang County and KHNP Discuss Communication Issues with Residents near Kori Nuclear Power Plant

Gijang County, Busan, South Korea, said on August 25 that it held talks with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) that day on pending issues related to the Kori Nuclear Power Plant, focusing on resident communication, allocation of co-prosperity support funds, dry cask storage facilities for spent fuel, and the small modular reactor project. According to Gijang County, KHNP President Kim Hoe-cheon visited the Gijang County government that day and met with County Governor Woo Sung-bin. Since taking office on March 18, Kim Hoe-cheon has been visiting nuclear power plant sites to understand local concerns, and this visit to Gijang County, the site of the Kori Nuclear Power Plant, is part of that ongoing communication effort...

2026-08-26

U.S. Submits Civil Nuclear Agreement with Saudi Arabia to Congress for Review

U.S. government officials said on August 25 that President Donald Trump has submitted a proposed civil nuclear energy agreement with Saudi Arabia to Congress for review. The agreement, reached in July this year, includes provisions allowing U.S. companies to export civil nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia. Under the relevant procedures, Congress will have 90 session days to review the agreement. Two congressional sources said the agreement has been submitted to congressional leadership and is expected to be referred to relevant committees for consideration. If Congress raises no objections within the specified period, the agreement will enter into effect; if Congress rejects the agreement, Trump may still exercise his veto power, and Congress would need a two-thirds majority to override the presidential veto...

2026-08-26

Singapore team develops deuterated silicon nitride waveguides for wafer-scale broadband light generation

A research team from the Singapore University of Technology and Design and the Institute of Microelectronics at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) in Singapore has recently developed a low-loss deuterated silicon nitride waveguide capable of on-chip broadband light generation. By replacing hydrogen with its heavier isotope deuterium, the team fabricated silicon nitride waveguides at low temperatures, demonstrating potential for integration with CMOS-compatible semiconductor processes and wafer-scale mass production. The related paper, "Octave-spanning supercontinuum generation in wafer-scale low-loss deuterated silicon nitride waveguides," was published in *Optics Letters*. The study shows that this chip-scale waveguide can broaden infrared laser pulses to cover a spectral range from visible red light to deep infrared. Traditionally, silicon nitride thin films are grown from silane gas, and residual silicon-hydrogen bonds in the material absorb light in the telecommunications band, requiring high-temperature annealing that is incompatible with integrated electronic circuits.

2026-08-26

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

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

US NuScale Deploys Nuclear-Specific AI to Advance Small Modular Reactor Projects

NuScale Power Corporation announced on August 25 that it is deploying nuclear-specific artificial intelligence tools to support its engineering and knowledge management efforts, accelerating the development of its advanced small modular reactor projects. The initiative combines NuScale's technical expertise in advanced reactors, Nuclearn's AtomAssist nuclear AI platform, and NPX's experience in nuclear project delivery and AI implementation, aiming to establish specialized tools tailored for nuclear scenarios that help engineering teams retrieve, understand, and apply critical technical information more efficiently. As advanced...

2026-08-26

Thermo Fisher Scientific Launches First Orbitrap Mass Spectrometers for Isotope Ratio Analysis

Thermo Fisher Scientific recently launched the Thermo Scientific Orbitrap Isora mass spectrometer and Orbitrap Isora Pro mass spectrometer in Waltham, Massachusetts, USA. The company stated that these are its first Orbitrap instruments equipped with a dedicated isotope ratio analysis mode. The two mass spectrometers launched this time will form an integrated workflow together with the Thermo Scientific Vanquish Duo ultra-high performance liquid chromatography system and the new Isotope Discoverer software, providing molecular-level isotope ratio analysis capabilities to laboratories and researchers worldwide. Isotope ratio analysis can help researchers determine the source of compounds and their formation processes by measuring natural variations in isotopes within samples, helping...

2026-08-26

NuCube Energy and Canadian Nuclear Laboratories Launch Microreactor R&D Collaboration

NuCube Energy, Inc. announced on August 25 that it has initiated research and development activities under an agreement signed with Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL). The two parties will conduct research on the NuCube reactor design, focusing on advancing data identification, modeling, and analysis efforts to support the validation of its microreactor technology. Under this R&D program, Canadian Nuclear Laboratories will validate existing experimental data and benchmark computational models used to predict heat pipe performance in high-temperature environments exceeding 900 degrees Celsius. The qualified experimental data provided by Canadian Nuclear Laboratories will be used to expand the NuCube computational mo...

2026-08-26

Molecular Partners Advances DLL3 Radiopharmaceutical MP0712 to Higher Dose Cohort

Swiss clinical-stage biotechnology company Molecular Partners AG recently announced its business progress and financial results for the first half of 2026. The company stated that its DLL3-targeting radioactive DARPin therapy MP0712 has advanced to the second therapeutic dose level in a U.S. multicenter Phase 1/2a clinical study, and patient enrollment for the new dose cohort is currently underway. MP0712 is a radiopharmaceutical targeting the tumor-associated antigen DLL3, carrying a therapeutic alpha-emitting radionuclide lead-212 (Pb-212) payload, co-developed by Molecular Partners and Orano Med, primarily for small cell lung cancer and other neuroendocrine tumors. According to the company's disclosure, the first dose cohort of MP0712...

2026-08-26