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US and OECD Nuclear Energy Agency Call for Unified Regulatory Standards to Break the Vicious Cycle of Cost Overruns and Delays in New Nuclear Power Plants

The U.S. Department of Energy stated that it is engaged in close communication with partner countries, aiming to promote the unification of global nuclear power regulatory standards, thereby accelerating nuclear power capacity expansion and reducing construction costs. During the New Nuclear Roadmap conference organized by the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) in Paris, U.S. Department of Energy Deputy Secretary James Danly emphasized to the media that countries should establish a unified regulatory mechanism. He pointed out that many countries have decades of mature experience in nuclear power regulation, and it would be very regrettable if unnecessary obstacles were placed on nuclear power development due to a lack of consistency in regulatory systems. The United States is currently actively promoting greater regulatory consensus among countries. The OECD Nuclear Energy Agency...

2026-09-18

Westinghouse eVinci Microreactor Achieves Significant Breakthrough in Zero-Power High-Temperature Criticality Test

Westinghouse Electric Company recently announced that its eVinci microreactor achieved a significant breakthrough in a zero-power high-temperature criticality test, successfully achieving criticality at a temperature of 663 degrees Celsius, marking an important milestone in the project's development. This test is an important practice of the build-test-learn development model, providing key data for accelerating subsequent prototype design. The test was conducted at the U.S. Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)'s National Criticality Experiments Research Center (NCERC) in Nevada, with active cooperation and support from Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS). The selection of the test site has sign...

2026-09-16

Denmark's Region East Denmark to expand Sectra One imaging platform, unifying regional nuclear medicine and other medical imaging services

Swedish medical imaging IT and cybersecurity company Sectra has recently signed a contract to expand the application of its Sectra One enterprise imaging solution from hospitals in Denmark's Capital Region to the entire Region East Denmark. Region East Denmark was formed by merging the Capital Region and Region Zealand, and this expansion aims to promote unified operation of imaging services across hospitals in the entire region. Under the contract, Sectra One will be delivered as a fully managed cloud service, covering all hospitals in Region East Denmark for the review and storage of radiology medical images, including breast imaging, nuclear medicine, and clinical physiology. Hospitals in Region Zealand will migrate to the system currently in use in the Capital Region,...

2026-09-11

US Inertia Fusion Fuel Preparation Time Significantly Reduced

US fusion startup Inertia Enterprises said it has made progress in inertial fusion energy fuel preparation in collaboration with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), reducing the time required for the critical step of forming a cryogenic deuterium-tritium fuel layer from potentially several days in the past to tens of minutes. The company said this achievement completes a key task in the first phase of its commercial fusion power plant development goals. The fundamental approach of inertial fusion energy involves using high-energy lasers to compress and heat small targets containing deuterium-tritium fuel, bringing the fuel to ignition conditions and releasing energy. The National Ignition Facility (NIF) has already...

2026-08-21

University of Missouri Receives $1 Million Grant to Research New FLASH Radiotherapy System

On August 11, researchers at the University of Missouri School of Medicine received a $1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study a new technology in cancer radiotherapy—the TheryQ FLASHKNiFE system. The project is funded through June 2027. A long-standing challenge in cancer treatment is how to kill tumor cells while protecting surrounding healthy tissue as much as possible. Existing radiotherapy can already achieve millimeter-level precision, but radiation damage and related side effects still limit the dose patients can safely receive. Unlike conventional approaches, FLASH radiotherapy does not primarily alter the direction of radiation beams, but instead delivers irradiation in an extremely short time at an ultra-high dose rate...

2026-08-12

Fractionated radiotherapy did not significantly alter surface properties of two types of dental restorative composites

On August 5, a recently published in vitro study showed that under a simulated clinical head and neck cancer radiotherapy regimen, the surface microhardness and roughness of two modern dental restorative composites did not change significantly. The study focused on the effects of therapeutic ionizing radiation on the durability of dental restorative materials. After head and neck cancer patients receive radiotherapy, the oral environment may change, including reduced saliva secretion, mucositis, radiation caries, and other issues, which may affect the surface condition and long-term performance of restorations. To this end, the research team selected Giomer resin composite based on glass ionomer technology and Or...

2026-08-10

LLNL Research in the U.S. Reveals New Mechanisms of Laser Polarization Effects in NIF Inertial Confinement Fusion Experiments

Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have recently discovered in studies related to the National Ignition Facility (NIF) that the polarization state of lasers may influence the cross-beam energy transfer (CBET) process in inertial confinement fusion experiments and could help reduce backscatter and the risk of damage to optical components. The related paper, titled "Effects of Laser Polarization on Cross-Beam Energy Transfer in Inertial Confinement Fusion," was recently published as a featured article in the journal Physics of Plasmas. NIF experiments demand extremely high precision in laser control. The facility's 192 laser beams must be focused to a width of a few millimeters and enter the target area through holes approximately 3 millimeters in diameter located at the top or bottom of a gold hohlraum. The hohlraum is about 2 centimeters in diameter. After the lasers enter the plasma, different beams cross each other and undergo energy transfer, a process known as cross-beam energy transfer. When designing NIF inertial confinement fusion experiments, scientists carefully tune the laser wavelengths to use CBET to balance energy distribution and improve implosion symmetry.

2026-08-10

"Academician Lomonosov" Floating Nuclear Power Plant Passes Two-Week Audit by International Experts, with Significantly Fewer Findings Compared to 2022

An international team of inspectors at the Arctic port of Pevek conducted a two-week safety assessment of the Akademik Lomonosov, the world's only operating floating nuclear power plant. The experts observed daily operations and studied documentation in key areas. The audit focused on management organization, engineering support, maintenance and repair, radiation protection, and preparedness for various emergency scenarios. The final report shows a significant reduction in the number of findings compared to inspections prior to 2022. This is attributed to the professionalism of management and staff, who followed domestic and international best practices, thereby achieving a high level of safety and operational culture. The plant's nuclear...

2026-08-06

NRC Preliminary Assessment Finds No Significant Environmental Impacts from Duane Arnold Nuclear Plant Restart

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued a draft environmental assessment for the restart of the Duane Arnold nuclear power plant, preliminarily concluding that the project would not result in significant environmental impacts. NextEra Energy plans to restart the Duane Arnold nuclear power plant in Palo, Iowa, as early as 2029, and has made significant progress. The U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Advantage Financing participated as a cooperating agency in drafting the environmental assessment, as the department is considering providing financial support for the restart project. According to a notice in the Federal Register, NRC staff evaluated the potential impacts of restarting the 615-megawatt Duane Arnold nuclear power plant on land use, meteorology, air quality and...

2026-08-05

US Utility Xcel Energy's Nuclear Plant Life Extension Boosts Q2 Earnings Significantly

Xcel Energy, a multi-state regulated electric and gas utility headquartered in Minneapolis, USA, achieved significant earnings growth in the second quarter, primarily driven by reduced depreciation expenses resulting from extended operating lives of its nuclear power plants. The company extended the expected operating lives of its nuclear plants to 2050 and beyond, thereby lowering quarterly depreciation costs and positively impacting its financial performance. Despite a decline in operating revenues, net income still grew by 32% to $586 million, with diluted earnings per share rising from $0.75 to $0.93. The extension of nuclear plant operating lives does not imply an immediate increase in cash flow or power generation...

2026-08-03

Xinhua Exclusive Interview | China Makes Significant Contributions to the "Artificial Sun" Project — Interview with Alain Bécoulet, Deputy Director-General and Chief Scientist of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor Organization

On July 26, 2027, Xinhua News Agency published an exclusive interview with Alain Bécoulet, Deputy Director-General and Chief Scientist of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) Organization, on China's significant contributions to the "Artificial Sun" project and its role in accelerating global fusion research. Bécoulet noted that China plays a fundamental role in supplying ITER components (superconducting technology, cables, magnet manufacturing, cryostats, etc.), and that the tokamak installation work undertaken by the Chinese consortium "exceeded expectations in terms of time and cost." He also stated that facilities such as EAST, HL-3, and BEST provide ITER with experimental predictions, component testing, and technical twin validation. He believes that through sustained investment and international cooperation, China has begun to play a leading role in the global fusion field.

2026-07-27

Inertia Announces Commercialization Roadmap for Laser-Driven Indirect-Drive Fusion

Inertia, a fusion energy company, recently unveiled its vision for commercializing laser-driven indirect-drive fusion. The company plans to advance the engineering and scaling of inertial confinement fusion (ICF) power generation systems, building upon th

2026-07-23