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US Issues Construction Permit for Advanced High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor

Recently, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) officially issued a construction permit for the Xe-100 high-temperature gas-cooled reactor to the Long Mott project in Texas, marking an important milestone in the history of commercial high-temperature reactor development in the United States. The project is led by X-energy, with Fluor serving as the engineering, procurement, and construction contractor, and has been incorporated into the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP). It plans to build 4 Xe-100 modules with a total electric power capacity of 320 MW, focusing on industrial cogeneration of heat and power, and will provide stable electricity and high-temperature process steam at 565°C to the Dow chemical complex. With the two core reviews—safety assessment and environmental impact assessment—both fully...

2026-11-13

MIT Scholar Advances Space Nuclear Power and Radiation Monitoring Research

Recently, Jake Hecla, Assistant Professor in the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering (NSE) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), is working to develop a series of innovative technologies aimed at solving the heat dissipation challenges of space nuclear reactors, enhancing radiation detection capabilities, and providing technical support for addressing emerging nuclear technology challenges and space arms control and nonproliferation. As humanity expands its ambitions for deep space exploration, energy-intensive missions will not be able to rely entirely on traditional solar power or chemical combustion, and nuclear energy has become a key power source for propulsion and surface survival. However, the lack of an atmosphere in space for convective heat transfer...

2026-11-13

South Korea and France Hold Joint Nuclear Energy Meeting in Saclay

Recently, South Korea and France officially launched the 27th Joint Coordinating Committee Meeting on Nuclear Energy in Saclay, southwestern France, to conduct in-depth discussions on deepening cutting-edge technological cooperation between the two countries in nuclear energy R&D, nuclear safety, and the nuclear industry. South Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT stated that, as the two countries mark the 140th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, this mechanism, founded in 1982, has become an important platform for advancing the upgrade of the bilateral civilian nuclear energy strategic partnership. It is reported that this bilateral mechanism was established the year after the signing of the Agreement for Cooperation in the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy in 1981, and for decades has continued to provide an efficient communication channel for the two governments and research institutions. It is understood that at this...

2026-11-13

U.S. Company Submits Letter of Intent for Reactor Upgrade Technology

Recently, U.S. nuclear technology company HGP Intelligent Energy (headquartered in Dallas, Texas) formally submitted a Letter of Intent to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), marking the company's software and coolant control technology developed for its pressurized water reactors (PWRs) officially entering the regulatory pre-review stage. This move aims to assist existing U.S. commercial nuclear power plants in achieving stable operation at higher power levels through technological upgrades, in order to meet the surging demand for clean baseload electricity on the grid. The technical solution proposed by HGP focuses primarily on tapping the incremental power potential of operating nuclear assets through digitalization and flow control means. In the current...

2026-11-12

Russia Submits Small Reactor Carbon Credit Framework to the United Nations

Recently, ahead of the 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Rosatom officially submitted a draft international carbon credit methodology for small modular reactors (SMRs) to the UNFCCC Secretariat. The framework aims to incorporate the low-carbon electricity generated by small reactors and the greenhouse gas emissions they avoid into the UN-administered international carbon market under Article 6.4 of the Paris Agreement. This is the world's first carbon credit methodology application for nuclear energy projects. The draft is not tied to any specific reactor design and applies comprehensively to land...

2026-11-12

U.S. NRC Issues First High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor Construction Permit in Nearly Sixty Years

Recently, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) formally issued a construction permit to Dow's Long Mott Generating Station in Seadrift, Texas. The plant will be equipped with four Xe-100 small modular reactor units developed by X-energy, marking the first high-temperature gas-cooled reactor construction permit issued in the United States in nearly 60 years and representing a historic breakthrough in the commercial deployment of advanced nuclear energy in the country. The Long Mott Generating Station is being developed by Long Mott Energy, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dow, in partnership with X-energy, as part of the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program...

2026-11-11

US NRC Issues First Construction Permit for High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor

Recently, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) formally issued a construction permit to the Long Mott Generating Station in Texas. This is the first approval of high-temperature gas-cooled reactor construction in the United States in more than half a century, and the third advanced reactor construction permit issued this year, marking a historic step forward for fourth-generation advanced nuclear technology on the path to commercialization. The project is jointly advanced by advanced nuclear developer X-energy and chemical giant Dow, with plans to build four Xe-100 High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactors at Dow's Seadrift Operations site in Texas...

2026-11-10

U.S. Microreactor Project Submits All Eighteen Chapters of Safety Analysis Materials

Recently, all 18 chapters of the preliminary safety analysis report for the SOLO micro modular reactor have been submitted to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), entering the readiness review prior to formal application. Project developer Terra Innovatum had previously provided 14 of the chapters, and this submission of the remaining materials further completes the safety analysis documentation, advancing one step toward the subsequent formal submission of a construction permit application. The readiness review focuses on assessing the completeness and quality of the application materials, helping to identify content that needs to be supplemented or improved before formal submission. Throughout this process, the project team will continue technical exchanges with regulatory staff, addressing review comments and information requests, so that the react...

2026-11-05

Canada Approves Increased Operating Limits for Two Bruce Nuclear Units

Recently, the CNSC approved an adjustment to the licensing basis for the Bruce Nuclear Generating Station, allowing Units 7 and 8 of Bruce-B to operate up to 310,000 effective full-power hours, an increase of 10,000 hours over the previous 300,000-hour limit. The Commission reviewed submissions from Bruce Power, regulatory staff, and nine intervenors, assessing the operator's qualifications and safety assurance measures for continuing the relevant activities. The Commission confirmed that Bruce Power is qualified to carry out the adjusted licensed activities and will take appropriate measures to protect human health, safety, and the environment. The decision concerns adjustments to the licensed operating conditions of the units. This change pertains to the licensing basis and does not constitute a change to the licence itself...

2026-11-05

Wyoming Signs MOU to Accelerate Uranium Mine Permitting

Recently, Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon and Emily Domenech, Executive Director of the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council (Permitting Council), formally signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) aimed at comprehensively accelerating the federal and state permitting processes for infrastructure and uranium mining projects in the state. It is reported that the agreement was developed under the framework of Chapter 41 of the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act (FAST-41). By signing the memorandum, Wyoming becomes the 10th state in the nation to join the FAST-41 coordination mechanism. This mechanism allows federal and state regulatory agencies to synchronize on a unified dashboard...

2026-11-04

America's First "Large Reactor in a Chemical Plant" Clears the Hurdle: X-energy Xe-100 Ushers in the Conclusion of Safety Review and a Key Springboard to Commercialization

In the global race to industrialize advanced nuclear energy technologies, the high-temperature gas-cooled reactor is reaching a milestone. In late October 2026, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) formally issued the Final Safety Evaluation Report (FSER) for the construction permit application of the Long Mott Generating Station, proposed to be built at Dow Chemical's Seadrift site along the Texas Gulf Coast. This means that the Xe-100 high-temperature gas-cooled reactor, developed by X-energy with an installed capacity of 320 megawatts electric, has successfully passed the most central safety examination at the U.S. nuclear regulatory level, clearing...

2026-11-03

Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe Submits Application for Pre-construction Permit for First Nuclear Power Plant

Recently, Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (PEJ) has formally submitted an application to the Governor of Pomorskie Voivodeship in northern Poland to obtain a construction permit for the pre-construction works of Poland's first nuclear power plant. It is understood that this phase of works mainly involves site preparation and large-scale earthworks and rock excavation at the proposed site. Poland plans to build three AP1000 pressurized water reactor units designed by Westinghouse of the United States at this site. The pre-construction works cover major infrastructure construction, including the onshore section of the plant's cooling water channel, deep foundation pit excavation, pit wall reinforcement, and special protective measures to prevent groundwater infiltration...

2026-10-31

Russia-Africa Summit Concludes with Both Sides Agreeing to Strengthen Cooperation in Nuclear Energy and Fertilizers

Recently, the third Russia-Africa Summit officially concluded in Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin received nearly twenty African heads of state, and the two sides signed multiple cooperation agreements, agreeing to further deepen the strategic partnership in nuclear energy development and fertilizer trade. It is reported that in terms of nuclear energy cooperation, the priorities reached between Russia and multiple African countries cover the entire nuclear energy industry chain, including uranium mining and processing, construction of nuclear power plants of various power scales, and providing full-lifecycle operation and maintenance support for Africa's existing nuclear facilities. In addition to deep binding in the nuclear energy sector, both sides also committed to expanding trade in agricultural products and fertilizers,...

2026-10-30

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

MIT Startup Develops "Desktop" Dual-Laser Fusion Device, Targeting Tritium Fuel Gap

Recently, Cambridge Heavy Industries, a startup based at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) laboratory in the United States, has emerged from stealth, publicly disclosing for the first time its previously confidential micro "desktop" inertial confinement fusion (ICF) technology scheme. It is understood that, unlike the National Ignition Facility (NIF), which employs a massive third-generation spatial array of 192 laser beams, Cambridge Heavy Industries has developed a unique two-dimensional dual-laser ignition device. The first laser irradiates the fuel pellet in a concentric ring pattern to generate an inwardly propagating shock wave, while the second laser precisely irradiates the shock wave...

2026-10-19