Search Results

Radioactivity Levels in Arctic Archipelagos Within Background Range, Russian Research Team Reports No Anomalies

On August 13, Andrei Puchkov, senior researcher at the Environmental Radioactivity Laboratory of the N.P. Laverov Federal Arctic Integrated Research Center, Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, stated that measurements taken during the 2026 Arctic Floating University expedition's landings on Novaya Zemlya and Franz Josef Land showed very low radioactivity levels, with no anomalies detected. Puchkov noted that the expedition measured radon concentrations at all landing sites, with radon flux densities ranging from below 1 millibecquerel per square meter per second to 200 millibecquerels per square meter per second, all recorded values remaining within background levels. He indicated that permafrost acts as a barrier and shield in the region, preventing radioactive gases from reaching the surface; relatively higher radon fluxes in some areas may be associated with geological features such as fault zones and fracture zones.

2026-08-14

Module 5 of Containment Steel Liner Successfully Lifted at Unit 3 of Guangdong Taipingling Nuclear Power Plant

On August 10, the construction of Unit 3 at CGN's Guangdong Taipingling Nuclear Power Plant reached a critical milestone. A Zoomlion 2,000-tonne crawler crane, serving as the core lifting main force, successfully completed the precise positioning of Module 5 of the containment steel liner. This lifting operation involved significant technical challenges and demanding working conditions. The steel liner Module 5 weighed nearly 280 tonnes, with a component diameter of 45 meters, a height of nearly 6 meters, and a wall thickness of only 6 millimeters, making it a typical ultra-large thin-walled flexible component. The module's lateral windward area exceeded 300 square meters, making it susceptible to wind-induced sway during lifting, which imposed extremely high requirements on the crane's operational stability, control precision, and heavy-load adaptability. The Zo...

2026-08-14

Liaoning Zhuanghe Nuclear Power Phase I Project Approved, Zhuanghe Goes All Out to Accelerate Project Implementation

Recently, the State Council held an executive meeting and decided to approve the Liaoning Zhuanghe Nuclear Power Phase I Project. Located in Lizifang Town, Zhuanghe City, Liaoning Province, the Liaoning Zhuanghe Nuclear Power Project is the first nuclear power project in Northeast China to adopt China's self-developed third-generation nuclear power technology, the Hualong One, injecting core momentum into the high-quality development of regional clean energy. The overall plan for the Liaoning Zhuanghe Nuclear Power Project includes the construction of six million-kilowatt-class Hualong One third-generation pressurized water reactor nuclear power units, with unified planning and construction in three phases. The Phase I project approved this time will build two new nuclear power units with a total installed capacity of 2.5 million kilowatts. Upon completion and commissioning, the project will deliver outstanding comprehensive benefits and strong driving effects. In terms of clean energy supply security, each...

2026-08-14

First unit of Türkiye's Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant expected to generate power within months

Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar stated on August 13 at the Bosphorus Diplomatic Forum held in Istanbul that the first reactor at Türkiye's Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant is expected to begin generating electricity within the coming months. Bayraktar said that four reactors are currently being constructed simultaneously at the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant, and Türkiye hopes to achieve power generation from the plant's first unit in the coming months. He noted that developing nuclear power has been a long-term goal for Türkiye, and the Akkuyu project will bring Türkiye into the ranks of countries utilizing nuclear energy. Previously, Bayraktar had stated that Türkiye plans to launch the first power unit of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant by the end of this year...

2026-08-14

Finland's Onkalo Spent Nuclear Fuel Final Disposal Facility Expected to Receive Operating License by Year-End

Finland's spent nuclear fuel final disposal project has entered the critical stage of operating license review. The Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority of Finland (STUK) issued a statement saying that the design and emergency response procedures of the Onkalo final disposal facility meet the safety requirements for granting an operating license. The Finnish government is expected to decide whether to approve the facility's operation before the end of the year. Onkalo is located on Olkiluoto Island in southwestern Finland. "Onkalo" means "cave" in Finnish. If licensed and operational, the facility will become the world's first deep geological final disposal facility for spent nuclear fuel from nuclear power plants, serving as a reference for other countries considering similar facilities...

2026-08-14

Bill Gates Visits South Korea to Deepen SMR Cooperation with Korean Companies

Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, founder of TerraPower, and chairman of the Gates Foundation, visited South Korea on August 13. This marks his first visit to the country since August last year, with the primary agenda of expanding cooperation in the field of small modular reactors (SMRs). At approximately 9:20 p.m. local time on the 13th, Gates arrived at Gimpo Business Aviation Center at Seoul Gimpo Airport via private jet. During his visit, he plans to meet with figures from the South Korean government, the National Assembly, and the business community. It is reported that Gates is scheduled to meet with South Korean Prime Minister Han Seong-sook on the 14th, with the meeting having been proposed by Gates' side...

2026-08-14

Rosatom Says Paks Nuclear Power Plant Expansion Project Progressing as Planned

Alexey Likhachev, Director General of Rosatom, stated that the construction of the Paks nuclear power plant expansion project in Hungary, with Russian participation, is progressing well, and Rosatom is carrying out related work in accordance with the plan agreed upon with the Hungarian owner. Likhachev noted that Russia is fully organizing equipment production for the two new units at the Paks nuclear power plant. Currently, enterprises under Rosatom have initiated manufacturing work related to the reactors for both units. Among these, the forging blanks for the reactor of Unit 5 at the Paks nuclear power plant have been completed, and the shell assembly stage will begin shortly. He also stated that the casting of the reactor blank for Unit 6 at the Paks nuclear power plant is progressing as planned.

2026-08-14

Unit 2 of Romania's Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant shut down for at least 10 days due to falling Danube River water levels

Romeo Urjan, head of Romania's Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant, said that due to the continuous decline of Danube River water levels, Unit 2 of the plant has been shut down since August 13 for at least 10 days. Romania's Ministry of Energy stated on August 12 that Unit 2 of the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant required a temporary shutdown. As planned, the shutdown operation began on the morning of August 13 and was completed before noon that day. Urjan stated that Danube River water levels are expected to continue declining over the next 10 days, so the plant currently has no plans to restart Unit 2. He emphasized that this shutdown is unrelated to nuclear safety issues or emergencies, with the main reason being...

2026-08-14

Shimane Nuclear Power Station Unit 2 restarted and reached criticality

Chugoku Electric Power Co. announced on August 13 that it started up the reactor of Unit 2 at the Shimane Nuclear Power Station at 10:00 that day, and the unit reached a critical state at 12:14. Unit 2 of the Shimane Nuclear Power Station is a boiling water reactor with a rated electrical output of 820,000 kilowatts. Criticality refers to the state in which nuclear fission reactions in the reactor core can be sustained, and is one of the key milestones in the unit restart process. According to the plan, the unit will resume power generation, i.e., synchronize the generator to the grid, on August 18, 2026, and is expected to resume commercial operation on September 16, 2026. Chugoku Electric Power Co. stated that it will continue to prioritize safety and steadily advance all subsequent procedures.

2026-08-13

Construction Advances at Denison's Phoenix Uranium Project in Canada

Denison Mines Corp. of Canada recently filed its quarterly and semi-annual financial documents for the period ending June 30, 2026, and disclosed the latest progress on its Phoenix uranium project construction, uranium sales, and exploration activities. According to the company's disclosure, site preparation work has continued to advance since on-site construction commenced at the Phoenix project in March 2026. To date, more than 20% of the site civil works have been completed, with roadbed civil works for the process plant and wellfield areas nearing full completion. Construction management facilities and temporary camp facilities have also been installed and put into operation. With the temporary camp now in service, accommodation capacity at the Wheeler River project site has increased to nearly 400 people, providing conditions for a larger construction workforce in the coming phases. Denison stated...

2026-08-13

Russian and South African energy company representatives exchange nuclear emergency response cooperation

On August 11, the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry held an off-site information briefing. The event was organized by ATC JSC, a subsidiary of Rosatom, and attended by senior management representatives from Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd (ESKOM) of South Africa. The meeting aimed to establish professional contacts and exchange experience on topics including nuclear energy utilization, nuclear and radiation safety, and emergency response operations. During the event, a representative delivered a report titled "Current Status and Capabilities of the Rosatom Nuclear Emergency Response System in Conducting Emergency Response Operations at Fire Stations," presenting the operational framework and technical capabilities of the Rosatom nuclear emergency response system. Radiation monitoring equipment used by the emergency response system was also demonstrated during the event.

2026-08-13

Heat Exchangers and Mechanical Filters for Russian Nuclear-Powered Icebreakers Complete Testing

On August 11, 2026, the manufacturing project for equipment supporting Russian nuclear-powered icebreakers achieved a milestone. InterPolaris has completed testing of multiple key equipment items, including two shell-and-tube heat exchangers and two mechanical filters. The shell-and-tube heat exchangers that completed testing this time are primarily used to heat water containing purification solutions using heating steam. Compared with conventional heat exchange equipment, the operating environment of marine nuclear power platforms is more complex, imposing higher requirements on structural strength, sealing performance, and operational stability. The horizontal heat exchanger is designed to accommodate prolonged vessel inclination conditions, with mounting brackets capable of withstanding loads from different directions and maintaining stable equipment parameters under complex operating conditions.

2026-08-13

Energoatom and IAEA Strengthen Cooperation on Nuclear Power Emergency Preparedness

Acting CEO of Energoatom, Pavlo Kovtoniuk, recently held a working meeting with representatives of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) coordination and technical team at the company's subsidiary, the Emergency Technical Center. During the meeting, Kovtoniuk briefed the IAEA representatives on the operational status of Energoatom under the current circumstances and the main challenges facing Ukraine's nuclear power operator. He stated that the safe operation of nuclear power plants and emergency response preparedness remain among the company's top priorities, and enhancing the capabilities of the Emergency Technical Center is a key component of these efforts. Uk...

2026-08-13

EIC and CERN Strengthen Cooperation to Advance International Scientific Exchange for the Electron-Ion Collider

August 12, 2026 - The collaboration between the Electron-Ion Collider (EIC) project and the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) is deepening further. On May 28, CERN hosted a workshop themed around the EIC to introduce the project's scientific goals, construction progress, and future research opportunities to its international scientific community. Luisella Lari (right), Deputy Director for Strategic Partnerships of the Electron-Ion Collider (EIC) project, poses with Matthew Chalmers, organizer of the CERN lecture series, after delivering a talk titled "The Road to the Electron-Ion Collider" at CERN. Luisella Lari, senior scientist on the EIC project, delivered a talk titled "The Road to the Electron-Ion Collider" at the workshop.

2026-08-13

Spanish ENRESA visits CIEMAT to advance safety research on radioactive waste covers

Technical staff from the Spanish National Radioactive Waste Company (ENRESA) recently visited facilities of the Environmental Department at the Spanish Research Centre for Energy, Environment and Technology (CIEMAT) to review the progress of joint research projects in the field of radioactive waste safety management. The visit focused on two projects, VEBIOCA and CARCOB, whose research supports the optimization of the safety cover system and long-term environmental protection at the El Cabril waste storage facility in the province of Córdoba. During the visit, ENRESA technical staff first toured CIEMAT's Soil Conservation and Remediation Department. The research team presented the progress of the VEBIOCA project, which primarily analyzes the influence of vegetation on the behavior of the bio-intrusion layer within the pilot vegetation cover at the El Cabril waste storage facility. Researchers are conducting plant species identification and assessment at two locations, Madrid and Córdoba, with particular focus on the growth characteristics of different plants at the site and in the surrounding environment, as well as their interactions with the vegetation cover system. The results will provide a basis for ENRESA's selection of plant species in subsequent pilot trials.

2026-08-13