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Fire alarm triggered for fifth time at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station in August; no fire confirmed on site

At 7:14 a.m. on August 18, a fire alarm was triggered on the first basement floor of the turbine building of Unit 5 at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) stated that after fire department personnel arrived and conducted inspections, no fire was confirmed on site at 7:55 a.m. Readings from radiation monitoring stations around the plant showed no significant fluctuations. This was the fifth time a fire alarm had been triggered at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station since the beginning of August. Previously, related alarms had occurred on August 8 at the maintenance building for Units 5 and 6, on August 12 at the emergency diesel generator room for the high-pressure core spray system of Unit 6, on August 13 at the main administration building, and on August 15 at the southwest stairwell of the turbine building of Unit 5. After each of the above alarms was triggered, the fire department confirmed that no fire had occurred...

2026-08-18

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

U.S. nuclear company TerraPower partners with Korean firms to advance Natrium advanced nuclear deployment in America

U.S. nuclear company TerraPower, backed by Bill Gates, is accelerating the commercialization of its advanced nuclear reactors. The company announced on August 14 that it has reached cooperation agreements with South Korea's Hyundai Engineering & Construction and SK Innovation, aiming to advance the deployment of up to eight 345 MW Natrium reactors in the U.S. nuclear expansion. The first plant is expected to be completed by 2030, a timeline that underscores the urgency of deploying next-generation nuclear technology in the United States. Under the agreement, Hyundai Engineering & Construction has been selected as the engineering, procurement, and construction contractor for up to eight future Natrium reactor projects. The cooperation arrangement also includes related financing guarantee mechanisms, intended to enhance project bankability and reduce uncertainties in the early stages of large-scale construction. TerraPower President and CEO Chris Levesque stated that this marks a new phase of international cooperation with leading Korean institutions, reflecting the growing reliance of advanced nuclear projects on cross-border supply chains and engineering capabilities.

2026-08-15

HD Hyundai Chairman to Meet Bill Gates to Advance SMR Cooperation

HD Hyundai Chairman Chung Ki-sun will meet Bill Gates, who is visiting South Korea, on August 14, with the two sides planning discussions on cooperation in small modular reactors (SMRs). Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, also serves as chairman of TerraPower, a U.S. small modular reactor company. This will be the latest round of communication between Chung and Gates on related cooperation, following their meeting earlier this year at the Davos Forum in Switzerland. HD Hyundai and TerraPower have been steadily strengthening cooperation in SMR and advanced reactor manufacturing in recent years. In November 2022, HD Korea Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering invested $30 million in TerraPower. In December 2024, HD Hyundai secured an order to manufacture the reactor vessel for TerraPower's 345 MW sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR) to be built in Wyoming, U.S.

2026-08-13

Syria Confirms IAEA Delegation to Visit Damascus for Talks on Nuclear Material Handling and Peaceful Use Cooperation

The Syrian Atomic Energy Commission issued a written statement confirming that a delegation from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will arrive in Damascus in the coming days to discuss progress in Syria's nuclear energy sector and international nuclear cooperation. The visit was announced following reports that the IAEA is preparing to remove nuclear materials from secret facilities in Syria. The statement said Syria is cooperating with the United States and friendly countries on addressing the nuclear legacy left by the former regime, and is committed to promoting the peaceful use of nuclear energy in fields such as health, food, and scientific research. The statement noted that Syria is working to activate its full membership status in the IAEA, and emphasized that Syria, after liberation, has...

2026-08-12

"Triple-Arrow Assault" Confirms a Cosmic "Natural Accelerator" Ejecting Protons at Energies 100 Times That of the Large Hadron Collider

Astronomers, using three observation facilities operating in different wavelength bands, have confirmed a mysterious celestial body in the direction of the Aquila constellation in the Milky Way as a natural cosmic accelerator. This object is continuously ejecting high-speed particles with energies far exceeding any man-made accelerator on Earth, equivalent to 100 times that of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). This discovery provides key clues for tracing the origin of the highest-energy cosmic rays in the Milky Way, and the research findings were published in the latest issue of The Astrophysical Journal. A size comparison between the gamma-ray source (large circle) and the Moon (small circle). Image credit: The Astrophysical Journal. PeV (peta-electronvolt) energy cosmic rays are high-energy diffuse gamma-ray radiation, and...

2026-08-11

CNNC Delegation Visits Chen Dexin, Party Secretary and Chairman of China Minmetals

On August 7, Shen Yanfeng, Party Secretary and Chairman of CNNC, led a delegation to China Minmetals Corporation to meet with Chen Dexin, Party Secretary and Chairman of China Minmetals, where both parties exchanged views on further strengthening strategic cooperation. Wang Jiezhi, Deputy Party Secretary and Director of China Minmetals, Wang Xingquan, Party Member and Vice President, Liu Jianping, Deputy Party Secretary and Director of CNNC, and Chen Junli, Party Member and Vice President, attended the meeting. Chen Dexin welcomed the visit of Shen Yanfeng and his delegation, and introduced the business segments of China Minmetals. He stated that since the signing of the strategic cooperation agreement between China Minmetals and CNNC, fruitful cooperation results have been achieved in multiple fields, including uranium resource development, overseas nuclear power construction, and scientific research project breakthroughs...

2026-08-08

Liu Mingsheng, Party Secretary and Chairman of SPIC, Conducts Research Visit to SPIC Laiyang

On August 6, Liu Mingsheng, Party Secretary and Chairman of State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC), conducted a research visit to SPIC Laiyang, where he conveyed and studied the spirit of the State Council Executive Meeting held on July 31, inspected the site of the Laiyang Nuclear Power Project, and chaired a research symposium. Liu Mingsheng affirmed the overall work approach of SPIC Laiyang. Liu Mingsheng pointed out that Laiyang Nuclear Power, as the first implementation project for the standardization and batch construction of "Guohe No.1", is of extremely significant importance to the Group's high-quality development of nuclear power. It is essential to conscientiously implement the spirit of the State Council Executive Meeting on July 31, construct and operate nuclear power units in accordance with the world's highest safety standards, always adhere to the principle of "safety first, quality first", prioritize nuclear safety at the highest level, and ensure absolute safety in nuclear operations. It is necessary to unify thinking, strengthen confidence, scientifically grasp opportunities and challenges, continuously enhance the maturity of the "Guohe No.1" reactor design, accelerate the improvement of its competitiveness, strengthen nuclear power construction management capabilities and talent team development, build the Laiyang Nuclear Power Project to high standards and high quality, polish the "Guohe No.1" brand, develop replicable and scalable management models and experience, and promote large-scale development.

2026-08-08

BESIII Experiment First Confirms the Existence of Glueballs

On August 6, Beijing time, the international collaboration of the Beijing Spectrometer III experiment (BESIII) at the Beijing Electron-Positron Collider announced at the International Conference on High Energy Physics (ICHEP 2026) held in Brazil, in the form of a special plenary report: after 15 years of sustained research, the BESIII experiment has established a complete chain of evidence proving the existence of glueballs, unraveling the mystery that has puzzled the academic community for nearly half a century. This discovery not only provides a decisive validation of the theory of quantum chromodynamics, but also demonstrates the existence of a completely new form of matter—matter composed purely of force. Atomic nuclei are composed of protons and neutrons, which in turn are composed of quarks. Gluons mediate the strong interaction between quarks...

2026-08-06

US Firm Standard Nuclear's Two New TRISO Fuel Plants to Enter Production by 2026, Expanding Independent US Capacity

US nuclear fuel manufacturer Standard Nuclear announced that "major construction is substantially complete" at its two TRISO fuel production facilities, SN-TN in Tennessee and SN-ID in Idaho, and that the US Department of Energy has approved the Preliminary Documented Safety Analysis (PDSA) for both plants. The two facilities share an identical design and are expected to sequentially commence commissioning and licensing before the end of 2026. Authorized under the DOE's "Fuel Line Pilot Program," each plant will initially produce up to 1 metric ton of uranium (MTU) per year of TRISO fuel, with a combined ramp-up target of 5 MTU/year in the long term, forming a tiered supply alongside the company's existing SN-0 facility (0.5 MTU/year) operating in Oak Ridge. Standard Nuclear describes itself as "the only independent TRISO fuel manufacturer in the US," having been restructured from the fuel business of Ultra Safe Nuclear following its bankruptcy in 2024 (with USNC's reactor business acquired by Nano Nuclear). Its operations cover power reactor fuel as well as space and defense radioisotope power sources. The company also participates in the DOE's Fuel Line Pilot and Surplus Plutonium Disposition programs, has been allocated HALEU by the DOE for fuel fabrication, and has established a joint-venture TRISO line at Framatome's NRC-licensed fuel facility in Richland, Washington.

2026-08-06

Han Bing, Chairman of Hefei Municipal CPPCC, Leads Delegation to CYC Ion for Research and Guidance

On the afternoon of August 4, Han Bing, Chairman of Hefei Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), led a delegation to CYC Ion for research and guidance, and held a symposium. Yong Fengshan, Deputy Director of the Standing Committee of the Municipal People's Congress; Su Xiang, Secretary-General of the Municipal CPPCC; Jiang Xin, Chairman of the Municipal Industrial Investment Group; Zhang Xiaofeng, Director of the Education, Science, Health and Sports Committee of the Municipal CPPCC; and Guo Mei, Deputy Director of the Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology, participated in the event. Song Yuntao, Deputy Director of the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Liu Lu, Chairman of CYC Ion; Chen Yonghua, General Manager; and Deputy General Managers Ding Kaizhong, Li Jun, and Guang Ruohuai accompanied the delegation. The delegation was briefed in detail on CYC Ion's industrial layout and business operations, with discussions focusing on key technological breakthroughs in nuclear medicine and high-end equipment, technology transfer and commercialization, and industrial development.

2026-08-06

Zhang Yiming, Chairman of HTA: Tackling the "Last Mile" of Nuclear Pharmacy Network Delivery to Bring Domestic Radiopharmaceuticals to Patients in Western and County-Level Regions

On July 28, the 2026 Radiopharmaceutical Innovation and Development Conference was held in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province. Zhang Yiming, Party Committee Secretary and Chairman of HTA, told reporters that the company is restructuring its short half-life radiopharmaceutical delivery system through "regional layout + standardized logistics + grassroots empowerment," striving to ensure that cancer patients in western and county-level regions can access domestically produced radiopharmaceuticals within the drug's effective half-life window. Currently, multi-dimensional policy dividends are being continuously released, and China's radiopharmaceutical industry is entering a critical window of opportunity. Alpha nuclide drugs represent the future direction of therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals. Zhang Yiming introduced that HTA has already made early arrangements for drug research in this field, jointly conducting research on actinium-225 labeled...

2026-08-05

Water Leak at Pipe Joint of Primary Cooling Pump in Unit 2 of Takahama Nuclear Power Plant; Kansai Electric Confirms No Radioactive Impact

Kansai Electric Power announced on August 3 that a water leak was found at a cooling water pipe joint in Unit 2 of the Takahama Nuclear Power Plant in July. According to Kansai Electric Power, an inspection crew discovered the issue during a check inside the intermediate building on July 11, with a leak volume of approximately 3.4 liters, and repairs were carried out on the 14th. The leak occurred at the pipe connection of the No. 1 cooling water pump during a periodic inspection. The pipe has an outer diameter of 2 centimeters, is secured by threaded fittings, and was sealed with sealing tape. Kansai Electric Power preliminarily determined that the leak may have been caused by tape deterioration due to friction or insufficient wrapping. Currently, Kansai Electric Power re-wrapped the sealing tape on the 14th, and Unit 2 of the Takahama Nuclear Power Plant resumed normal operation on July 16, with no other abnormalities identified to date. It is worth noting that the taped section had undergone a disassembly inspection in 2018, when the plant was in a long-term shutdown state.

2026-08-04

Japanese research team experimentally confirms full-gap spin-triplet superconductivity in UBe13

On July 30, 2026, Kobe University and the Japan Atomic Energy Agency announced that a research team led by Professor Hideki Higashibata of the Graduate School of Science at Kobe University, along with Shoko Minami, who was a master's student at the time of the research, in collaboration with Yoshinori Haga, Research Director at the Japan Atomic Energy Agency, and researchers from Osaka University, experimentally confirmed for the first time the existence of a spin-triplet superconducting state with full-gap characteristics in the intermetallic compound UBe13. The findings were published in the Journal of the Physical Society of Japan on June 26 and were selected as an Editor's Choice paper. Since its discovery in 1983, UBe13 has been regarded as an important candidate material for spin-triplet superconductivity. Unlike conventional spin-singlet superconductivity...

2026-08-03

South Korea Confirms Operating Nuclear Power Units Unaffected by Strong Earthquake in Kyushu, Japan

Following the strong earthquake in the Kyushu region of Japan, related aftershock signals have been detected in southern South Korea. The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC) of South Korea stated that inspections confirmed all operating nuclear power units within the country remain unaffected. The NSSC noted that after the earthquake, inspections were conducted on all 27 operating nuclear power units, including the Kori Nuclear Power Plant in Busan and the Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant in Gyeongju, with no significant abnormalities or safety issues found. Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) also stated that no reports of damage to nuclear facilities have been received so far. The NSSC will continue to monitor the operational status of nuclear power plants to respond to potential subsequent aftershocks....

2026-07-31