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Romania's Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant Reactors to Remain Shut Down Until at Least October 15

Cristian Bușoi, State Secretary of Romania's Ministry of Energy, stated to the media through public channels that Romania is experiencing its most difficult energy situation in recent decades. The low flow of the Danube River and low water levels near Cernavoda have severely affected the nuclear power plant. Currently, both reactors remain shut down, and the Danube's flow is expected to reach a historic low within the next ten days. At least until October 15, Units 1 and 2 of Cernavoda cannot be restarted. The extreme low water level of the Danube has not only caused an interruption in nuclear baseload power supply but has also simultaneously impacted the hydroelectric power output of the country's hydropower stations. Romani...

2026-10-08

When the Water Runs Dry, the Reactors Stop: Behind Romania Losing One-Fifth of Its Electricity, Heavy-Industry Reactor Designs Are Suffering a Fatal "Cold Source Asphyxiation" — Examining the Physical Interrogation of High-Water-Consumption Baseload Plants by Extreme Drought Through the Prolonged Paralysis of the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant

For a long time, nuclear power has been regarded as the unwavering backbone of round-the-clock baseload electricity, immune to weather conditions, cloud cover, or lulls in wind. However, the nearly two-month total shutdown of Romania's Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant is breaking this industry paradigm in an extreme and brutal manner. Because the Danube River has experienced a historically rare drought exceeding warning thresholds and a cliff-edge collapse in water levels, the country's only nuclear power plant—which safeguards one-fifth of its electricity supply—has been paralyzed by the loss of cooling water assurance, with no prospect of near-term restart. This extreme case not only tears open a massive gap in winter energy security for Romania and even Southeastern Europe, but also sounds an alarm for the global energy community: in the face of increasingly...

2026-10-08

Romania's National Nuclear Power Company Plans to Borrow EUR 800 Million from the European Investment Bank: Full Speed Ahead on the Refurbishment of Cernavodă NPP Unit 1

Romania's National Nuclear Power Company (Nuclearelectrica) recently submitted a disclosure to the Bucharest Stock Exchange (BVB), announcing plans to obtain a long-term loan totaling EUR 800 million from the European Investment Bank (BEI), earmarked to finance the Unit 1 Refurbishment and modernization project at the Cernavodă NPP. This major external financing plan has been placed on the agenda and will be formally submitted to shareholders for approval and deliberation at an extraordinary general meeting to be held from October 29 to 30, 2026. The European Investment Bank's Board of Directors had previously formally approved on July 15, 2026, an EUR 800 million credit facility for the project, which is...

2026-10-08

Armenia and Rosatom Coordinate the Second Life Extension of Metsamor NPP Unit 2: Reviewing Phase Results and Locking In Key Tasks for 2027–2030

On October 7, 2026, the fifth working meeting of the Joint Coordination Committee of the Republic of Armenia and Rosatom was held in Yerevan, comprehensively reviewing the phased implementation results of the major project for the second life extension (LTO-2) of Unit 2 of the Armenian NPP (ANPP, located in Metsamor), and formally countersigned the execution agreement for advancing engineering tasks from 2027 to 2030. Kirill Komarov, First Deputy Director General and Director for International Business Development of Rosatom, led the Russian delegation, while Narek Apitonyan, Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of Armenia, led the Armenian delegation.

2026-10-08

US-based Geenex Power Unveils SMR Nuclear Plan for Amherst County, Virginia: Up to 650 MW Capacity, Construction Targeted for 2030

Charlotte, North Carolina-based clean energy developer Geenex Power officially announced on October 6, 2026, that it plans to build an advanced small modular reactor (SMR) nuclear project with a capacity of up to 650 megawatts — Beck Creek Energy — in Amherst County, Virginia. During the routine public inquiry session held by the Amherst County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, Geenex Project Development Manager Delany Bolton and Director of External Affairs Chris Hallameyer...

2026-10-07

California Signs Two Bills to Reshape Advanced Nuclear Fission and Fusion Energy Strategy

California Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed two bills aimed at comprehensively advancing the state's nuclear energy development by reassessing advanced nuclear fission technology and establishing a strategic plan for nuclear fusion. In the field of nuclear fission, Assembly Bill 2647 (A.B. 2647) requires the California Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (CEC) to conduct a formal assessment of advanced nuclear energy technologies by January 1, 2028. The bill, introduced by Assemblymember Lisa Calderon, directs the CEC to comprehensively consider factors such as cost, grid reliability, fuel cycle, and public health in determining whether new nuclear power plants can help California achieve its 2045 zero-carbon electricity goal. Calderon stated that given current grid demands, California needs to reassess the role of nuclear energy in ensuring a stable and clean electricity supply based on modern technology.

2026-10-04

Rosatom Proposes New VVER-1000 Nuclear Power Unit to Armenia

Alexey Likhachev, Director General of Rosatom, recently stated in Yerevan that the company has submitted specific proposals to the Armenian government for the construction of a gigawatt-class VVER-1000 nuclear power unit. The proposal is based on an assessment of Armenia's electricity demand through 2040 and plans to adopt Russia's mature pressurized water reactor technology, the VVER-1000, which features Generation 3+ safety systems and competitive electricity pricing advantages, and has already been built and commissioned in Russia, India, Iran, and other countries. The Russian side calls this option the optimal choice for the international market and is willing to develop the project into a comprehensive cooperation project attracting international suppliers. Previously, Likhachev held talks with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and...

2026-10-03

Miniature "Plug-and-Play" Platform Poised to Accelerate Development of New PET Radiotracers

A research team at the Keck School of Medicine of USC is working to develop a miniature plug-and-play chip platform aimed at significantly accelerating the synthesis and preparation of novel positron emission tomography (PET) radiotracers. The project aims to lower the barriers and costs of developing molecular imaging probes, and has received a four-year, $2.6 million research grant from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) under the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The project is led by Dr. Kai Chen, PhD, professor of radiology, radiation oncology, and pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences at USC...

2026-09-27

Miniaturized Plug-and-Play Platform R&D Accelerates, Poised to Revolutionize Novel Positron Emission Tomography Radiotracer Preparation Workflow

A research team at the Keck School of Medicine of USC is developing a miniaturized plug-and-play microfluidic platform aimed at significantly accelerating the synthesis and R&D cycle of novel positron emission tomography (PET) radiotracers. The project has received a four-year, $2.6 million dedicated research...

2026-09-24

Ukraine and Sweden Extend Nuclear and Radiation Safety Cooperation Agreement

On September 17, 2026, during the 70th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) held in Vienna, Ukraine and Sweden officially extended their cooperation agreement in the field of nuclear and radiation safety for five years. The heads of the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine and the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority jointly signed the extension document. The State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine confirmed this outcome in an official statement, noting that the heads of the two countries' national nuclear regulatory bodies had reached agreement on continued cooperation for the next five years, laying the foundation for further deepening bilateral nuclear safety technical collaboration. During the meeting, representatives of Ukraine and Sweden held in-depth discussions on the specific implementation of joint projects. The two sides' future cooperation...

2026-09-18

Romania and Argentina Nuclear Power Companies Sign Memorandum of Understanding to Deepen CANDU 6 Heavy Water Reactor Technology Cooperation

Romania's National Nuclear Power Company (SNN) and Argentina's Nuclear Power Company (NASA) signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding on Thursday. According to a press release issued by the Romanian company, the two parties will engage in in-depth cooperation in the operation and development of CANDU 6 heavy water reactor technology. Both companies possess strong technical strength and rich practical experience in the engineering design, daily operation, equipment maintenance, large-scale project management, life extension, nuclear safety analysis, and reactor operation of CANDU 6 technology nuclear reactors. Argentina's Nuclear Power Company had previously successfully completed the refurbishment and upgrade of the Embalse Nuclear Power Plant, which uses CANDU technology...

2026-09-18

Armenia and the IAEA discuss the extension of the Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant and the selection of the reactor type for a new nuclear power plant

On September 15, Armenian Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure David Khudatyan and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi held talks in Vienna, during which the two sides held in-depth discussions on the progress of the life extension project for Unit 2 of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant (ANPP) and the selection of the reactor type for a new nuclear power plant. According to a message posted by Khudatyan on social media, the talks were held during the 70th IAEA General Conference. We discussed with Rafael Grossi the ongoing and planned projects under the framework of industry cooperation with the IAEA...

2026-09-16

Germany to provide an additional 1 million euros to help address nuclear safety issues at the Zaporizhzhia NPP

Germany will provide an additional 1 million euros to help address nuclear safety issues at the Zaporizhzhia NPP. Recently, according to the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, the German government will provide an additional 1 million euros in aid to improve the safety level of Ukrainian nuclear power plants. Rita Schwarzelühr-Sutter, Parliamentary State Secretary at the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, is expected to formally announce this additional 1 million euros in funding on Tuesday at a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna. Previously, Germany had cumulatively provided 7.3 million euros in financial support to the IAEA's nuclear safety and security work in Ukraine. Since...

2026-09-16

Alexey Likhachev: The situation at the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant is severe; the IAEA should not merely stop at recording attacks and issuing danger warnings

Alexey Likhachev, Director General of Rosatom, told the media during the IAEA General Conference held in Vienna, Austria, that if a disaster occurs at the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, which is under continuous shelling by the Ukrainian military, a radioactive cloud could spread to Vienna within tens of hours. Likhachev pointed out that the Ukrainian attacks have created unbearable living conditions for the residents of Enerhodar, the city where the nuclear power plant is located, and that other Russian nuclear power plants are also currently frequently attacked by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Likhachev emphasized that the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, located within the territory of the Russian Federation and operated and maintained by Russian citizens, ...

2026-09-15

UK Nuclear Industry Association and Ukrainian Nuclear Forum Sign Nuclear Energy Cooperation Memorandum

On September 10, 2026, the UK Nuclear Industry Association (NIA) and the Ukrainian Nuclear Forum signed a memorandum of understanding to expand cooperation in areas including decommissioning of complex nuclear facilities, deployment of small modular reactors, and securing "trusted partner" status under the EU's Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA). Nuclear energy is an important source of Ukraine's wartime electricity supply, accounting for approximately 55% of the country's electricity supply. This cooperation builds on existing UK-Ukraine nuclear fuel cooperation. Urenco, one-third owned by the UK government, has supplied Ukraine with...

2026-09-12