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UK's largest nuclear power station Sizewell B placed on standby due to nearby wildfire

On July 30, the UK's largest nuclear power station, Sizewell B, was placed on "standby" status due to a heathland fire at Dunwich Heath, less than 5 kilometers from the plant site. There is currently no risk of the fire spreading toward the facility given wind direction. EDF stated it is "continuously monitoring, with no threat to facility safety," but approximately 120 firefighters and 18 fire engines were deployed to tackle the blaze in the Liston area. Suffolk Fire Service assessed the fire as "active and changing," warning it could last two days, with hundreds of homes evacuated. Suffolk Fire Service warned the fire is expected to last two days and described it as an active and evolving situation. Hundreds of properties have been evacuated as firefighters continue to battle the raging forest fire. Experts noted...

2026-07-31

Hungary's Paks Nuclear Power Plant Faces Full Shutdown Due to Record Low Danube Water Level

Affected by persistent drought and high temperatures, the water level of the Danube River at the Budapest section dropped to 23 cm (fixed datum reading, a record low), restricting cooling water intake at the Paks Nuclear Power Plant. Starting Wednesday, July 29, Unit 3 was the first to be shut down; the operator, MVM Paks Nuclear Power Plant Ltd, subsequently stated on its official website that all four units would inevitably be disconnected within the next 24 to 72 hours, with power generation coming to a complete halt. MVM explained that the existing water volume of the Danube is still sufficient to cool the reactors, but the intake pumps can no longer draw water because the riverbed is exposed and the pump inlets are too far from the water surface—an equipment failure rather than an absolute shortfall in cooling water volume. To this end, the Hungarian side deployed 4 pumping barges and 2 floating cranes near the plant as an emergency measure, but with water levels expected to continue falling, a preventive full shutdown remains unavoidable.

2026-07-31

France's Golfech nuclear power plant shut down for third time this summer due to high temperatures

France's Golfech nuclear power plant has been shut down three times this summer. Located approximately 100 kilometers northwest of Toulouse, the plant is operated by Électricité de France (EDF). On the evening of July 29, one of its reactors was shut down again due to extreme heat. EDF had previously shut down the reactor twice, from June 23 to July 3 and from July 9 to 27, to prevent cooling water discharged into the Garonne River from exceeding the 28-degree Celsius limit set by a 2006 decree. The Golfech nuclear power plant is located in the Tarn-et-Garonne department, and its cooling water is discharged into the Garonne River. Currently, another reactor at the plant is also shut down for maintenance and refueling. France has experienced its fourth heatwave since the start of summer...

2026-07-31

IAEA Training Course for Owner/Operator Organizations of New Nuclear Power Projects Concludes in Russia

On July 30, the Interregional Training Course on the Establishment of Owner/Operator Organizations for New Nuclear Power Projects, jointly organized by Rosatom and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), concluded at the Rosatom Technical Academy. Eighteen experts from 15 countries in Asia and Africa completed the five-day training. The participants were primarily from national nuclear energy institutions, regulatory bodies, and relevant competent authorities responsible for nuclear infrastructure development in their respective countries. The course focused on the establishment and capacity building of owner/operator organizations for new nuclear power projects, covering topics such as license applications, change management, feasibility study preparation, personnel competency development, organizational structure design, and contract management.

2026-07-31

Vietnam and Russia Join Forces to Accelerate Nuclear Science and Technology Research Center Project

On the afternoon of July 30, Vietnamese Minister of Science and Technology Vu Hai Quan received a delegation led by Ilja Vergizajev, General Director of Rosatom Construction Technology Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Russia's State Atomic Energy Corporation (Rosatom), in Hanoi. During the meeting, the Vietnamese side put forward three specific requests: accelerating the construction of the Vietnam Nuclear Science and Technology Research Center (CNST); supporting Vietnam in gradually mastering small modular reactor (SMR) technologies; and training human resources for Vietnam in the fields of atomic energy, radiation, and nuclear safety. Both sides confirmed that nuclear cooperation holds strategic significance and has long been a focus of high-level attention between the two countries. The CNST has been defined by the Vietnamese side as a...

2026-07-31

Crusoe and Aalo Atomics Forge Strategic Partnership: First Nuclear-Powered AI Facility Planned

U.S.-based Crusoe and Aalo Atomics have reached a strategic partnership aimed at deploying the first nuclear-powered artificial intelligence facility. This commercial collaboration builds on Aalo's recent criticality achievement, underscoring U.S. leadership in AI and energy. Crusoe's Spark modular AI data centers will be co-located with Aalo Atomics' nuclear reactor buildings at Idaho National Laboratory. The project aims to validate the effectiveness of nuclear energy for AI workloads. Cully Cavness, co-founder, president, and chief strategy officer of Crusoe, stated that next-generation AI infrastructure requires reliable, abundant, clean, and scalable power, and Aalo's reactors are designed precisely for that purpose. Crusoe's core value is "bending the energy arc toward sustainability," guided by the principle of leveraging its market position to support and accelerate energy innovation...

2026-07-31

Unit 4 of Leningrad NPP Phase II completes installation of first major equipment

Unit 4 of Russia's Leningrad NPP Phase II recently completed the installation of the core melt catcher vessel. This is the first major equipment of the unit to enter the installation stage, and also the first passive safety system equipment to be installed. The steel structure weighs 157 tonnes, and the installation was carried out using a heavy crawler crane, taking about one work shift of approximately 8 hours, nearly 3 months ahead of the original schedule. Valery Zhemchugov, Acting Director of Leningrad NPP, stated that the installation of the core melt catcher vessel is a key milestone in the construction of Unit 4, a VVER-1200 pressurized water reactor unit, and that the relevant work was completed in accordance with quality requirements, providing more time for subsequent reactor building civil and installation works.

2026-07-31

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

NuAlaska Initiative Launched: Long-Life Nuclear Microreactors Target Remote Alaskan Regions

An initiative in Alaska called NuAlaska is working to bring long-life nuclear microreactors to remote areas. This collaboration, co-launched by NuCube Energy Inc. and the Alaska Fund, aims to develop, finance, own, and operate advanced nuclear energy projects in Alaska. The plan combines NuCube's NuSun-1 micro-modular reactor technology with the Alaska Fund's mission to support projects that meet Alaska's unique energy and infrastructure needs. The initiative targets remote communities, mines, military installations, and other isolated locations where harsh weather, long transportation routes, and reliance on imported diesel fuel...

2026-07-31

UK Interim Report on Fission Materials Roadmap Highlights New-Generation Nuclear R&D Priorities

The UK National Nuclear Laboratory (UKNNL) and the Henry Royce Institute recently released the "UK Fission Materials Roadmap Interim Report." The report states that the UK needs to clarify as soon as possible the priority technology routes and operating environments for next-generation nuclear reactors, so as to concentrate materials research resources on key directions and support future nuclear power development. The report argues that the UK should decide within the next one to two years whether to build a domestic materials test reactor; within the next five years, the government should also establish a national materials archive to preserve irreplaceable irradiated material samples. The report also recommends making long-term funding commitments of at least five years for relevant research projects...

2026-07-31

Japan Atomic Industrial Forum Chairman: Overseas SMR Projects Help Sustain Supply Chain, but Japan Still Needs to Build New Nuclear Plants

Hideki Masui, Chairman of the Japan Atomic Industrial Forum (JAIF), stated on May 31 that Japanese companies are playing a significant role in global small modular reactor (SMR) projects through design and equipment supply, but the long-term maintenance and development of Japan's nuclear technology base ultimately requires the construction of new nuclear power plants domestically. At a regular press conference, Masui reviewed international developments in the SMR field. He noted that approximately 30 countries currently use nuclear energy, and about 20 countries are studying the deployment of SMRs in some form. Projects involving Japanese companies include GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy's BWRX-300 and NuScale Power's VOYGR SMR, whi...

2026-06-06

Russia says its nuclear power plant designs can adapt to construction requirements in seismically active regions

On June 25, Dmitry Ivanov, Chief Engineer of the Atomenergoproekt Integrated Design Institute under the engineering division of Rosatom, stated that Rosatom incorporates seismic requirements into its nuclear power plant designs, enabling relevant units to be constructed and operated in seismically unstable regions. Ivanov noted that Rosatom is currently building or overseeing the construction of nuclear power plants in Russia as well as in India, Bangladesh, Hungary, Egypt, Turkey, and Iran. The seismic impacts faced by different project sites vary, with some regions potentially experiencing higher seismic intensity. Drawing on experience from past projects, the company implements corresponding seismic resistance into nuclear power plant designs in accordance with regulatory document requirements to ensure safe plant operation.

2026-06-26

South Korean Presidential Office: Expanding Renewable Energy Does Not Mean Abandoning Nuclear Power; New Nuclear and SMR Projects Already Decided

On July 3, Kim Woo-chang, Secretary for National AI Policy at the South Korean Presidential Office, responded on a program to external concerns over the power supply capacity of the semiconductor cluster in the Honam region, stating that the southwestern region of South Korea already possesses sufficient renewable energy conditions, with further room for expansion in the future. Kim Woo-chang said that South Korea's power generation resources are generally concentrated in the southwestern region, the Busan–Ulsan–Gyeongnam area, and the vicinity of nuclear power plants in Gangwon-do; the Seoul metropolitan area and central regions such as Chungcheong-do rely primarily on transmission networks for electricity. Therefore, locating large-scale power-consuming projects near power sources is one of the realistic options. In response to whether renewable energy alone is sufficient to support the semiconductor industry...

2026-07-03

Rosatom Says Small Nuclear Power Development Requires Regulatory Reform

Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev said on July 5 that if Russia hopes to maintain its global leadership in the small nuclear power market, nuclear regulations and standards also need to keep pace with technological changes, particularly by revisiting the licensing and approval process for small nuclear power plants. In an article published in the Rosatom Corporate Newspaper, Likhachev stated that small nuclear power plants are expected to become a significant new form of energy in the coming decades, but their deployment still faces considerable regulatory challenges. Due to the relative novelty of such facilities to regulators, approval approaches tend to be cautious. He believes that accelerating the licensing and construction process while ensuring safety has become a task of national importance.

2026-07-06

Mangoceuticals to Merge with Nuclea to Advance Morpheus Microreactor to Market

Mangoceuticals announced on July 30 that it has signed a definitive business combination agreement with advanced nuclear technology company Nuclea Energy Inc., aiming to bring the latter's Morpheus microreactor to the public capital markets. Nuclea was founded in August 2023 and is headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, focusing on the development of lead-cooled, factory-fabricated micro-modular reactors. Under the agreement, a newly formed subsidiary of Mangoceuticals will merge with Nuclea, and the combined company will operate as an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Mangoceuticals. Upon completion of the transaction, holders of Nuclea common shares will receive...

2026-07-31