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Mutsu City in Japan agrees to study receiving fuel from other companies at interim spent fuel storage facility

On August 7, Mutsu City in Aomori Prefecture, Japan, notified Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO Holdings) and Japan Atomic Power Company (JAPC) that it agreed to allow the two companies to study a plan to receive spent nuclear fuel from other electric power companies at the local interim spent fuel storage facility. The facility, promoted and constructed by entities related to the two companies, is the only facility in Japan located outside nuclear power plant sites for interim storage of spent nuclear fuel. Under the current arrangement, the facility only accepts spent nuclear fuel from TEPCO Holdings and JAPC, and spent nuclear fuel from other companies is not permitted to be transported in. On the same day, Mutsu City Mayor Tomoya Yamamoto met with senior executives of the two companies at City Hall...

2026-08-07

Sevmash Advances Production of Main Thrust Bearings for Icebreaker "Stalingrad"

Sevmash, a subsidiary of the United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC), is continuing production of the main thrust bearings for the Stalingrad, the sixth serial universal icebreaker of Project 22220. One set of bearings for this vessel comprises three bearing units. Currently, two of these units have been delivered to Workshop 16 for bearing housing machining; the bearing raceways are also being machined and assembled in this workshop. The housing of the third unit is being assembled in the plant's hull welding shop. Meanwhile, in a dedicated area of Sevmash Workshop 4, bearing internal filling operations are underway, including the manufacture of bushings and bearing housings with anti-friction layers and filling with hot Babbitt metal. Each unit requires the installation of 24 bearing housings. This stage is one of the most labor-intensive processes in bearing manufacturing.

2026-08-07

Rostec's RosEl Delivers First Batch of Vulkan Magnetic Contact Sensors

RosEl Holding Company (RosEl), a subsidiary of Rostec, has delivered the first batch of Vulkan magnetic contact sensors to customers. The product is designed for high-pressure steam pipeline applications and can be used in automation and signaling systems, including those at nuclear power plants. According to reports, Vulkan sensors are installed inside steam pipeline valves and are primarily used to monitor and control the valve closing process. The device can operate at temperatures up to 350 degrees Celsius, withstand mechanical shock acceleration of 150g, and achieve seismic category 1 rating, maintaining operational capability under strong earthquake conditions. The sensor features a stainless steel housing and has a design service life of up to 12 years. Its core reed switch...

2026-08-07

Rosatom Completes First Batch of Certification for Energy Critical Information Infrastructure Products

Rosatom has recently completed the first batch of product certification for critical information infrastructure in the fuel and energy sector under the KII-Sert voluntary certification system. The certification system has been operating in Russia's nuclear energy and aerospace industries since 2024, primarily used to assess the reliability, technological independence, and sustainability of solutions related to critical information infrastructure. The certification was carried out by Atomenergoproekt JSC, part of Rosatom's engineering division. As an authorized certification body for trusted products and processes within the KII-Sert system, the company, in cooperation with the industrial testing laboratory Avtomatika-Servis LLC, certified a software and hardware system used in the oil and gas industry.

2026-08-07

Newcleo Initiates U.S. Regulatory Pre-Application Engagement for MOX Fuel Facility, Accelerating Advanced Reactor Fuel Supply Chain Development

Advanced reactor and nuclear fuel company Newcleo has initiated regulatory pre-application engagement with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for a mixed oxide (MOX) fuel fabrication facility, with plans to advance construction at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina. This move indicates that the company is not only advancing the licensing of its advanced reactor itself but also seeking to establish supporting fuel supply capabilities in parallel, aiming to mitigate fuel bottlenecks in future commercial deployment. The submitted regulatory engagement plan represents a key step prior to formal license application, with the core objective of communicating with regulators in advance on facility design, safety standards, review scope, and key technical issues. Newcleo previously submitted its regulatory engagement plan for the LFR-AS-200 lead-cooled fast reactor to the NRC in July...

2026-08-07

Chinese Nuclear Safety and Nuclear Industry Delegation Visits Russian Floating Nuclear Thermal Power Plant

From July 28 to 30, representatives from China's National Nuclear Safety Administration, China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), and the Chinese Embassy in Russia, together with officials from the Federal Service for Environmental, Technological and Nuclear Supervision of the Russian Federation (Rostechnadzor), jointly visited the floating nuclear thermal power plant located in Pevek, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. The plant is operated by Rosenergoatom, the power generation division of Rosatom. During the visit, the delegation inspected the floating power unit and onshore facilities, and learned about the operation of key equipment. Chinese experts focused on spent fuel storage, refueling procedures, and related equipment configurations...

2026-08-07

Seoul National University NEXFO Workshop: Exploring Sustainable Solutions for SMR and MMR

On August 7, the Nuclear Policy Center at Seoul National University's Institute for Future Nuclear Energy Policy announced that it will host the Nuclear Energy Sustainability NEXFO Workshop on the afternoon of September 16 at the Seoul National University Global Engineering Education Center. The event, coinciding with the center's 10th anniversary, is themed "Embracing the Era of Full-Scale SMR and MMR Deployment" and will discuss the policy, industrial, and technological conditions for the commercialization of small modular reactors and micro modular reactors. The workshop will first revisit the public discourse framework on nuclear energy sustainability, and analyze global nuclear fuel cycle trends as well as the domestic challenges facing South Korea. As SMRs and MMRs transition from technology demonstration to practical application, nuclear fuel...

2026-08-07

South Korea's Taesung advances order for Unit 2 of US TerraPower SMR, pivoting to new track in nuclear power and gas turbine forgings

South Korean open-die forging company Taesung is accelerating its entry into the small modular reactor (SMR) supply chain. Data shows that Taesung secured its first order in June this year for rotating plug components of the primary equipment for Unit 1 of US-based TerraPower's SMR, and is expected to advance follow-up orders for related components of Unit 2 of the same project in September. The rotating plug is installed on the upper section of the reactor to support nuclear fuel replacement and in-vessel equipment maintenance, requiring high material resistance to high temperatures and radiation, as well as large-scale forging capabilities. This order therefore not only carries revenue significance but also demonstrates the company's technical validation value in the high-end nuclear power forging segment. TerraPower, founded by Microsoft founder Bill Gates, is developing...

2026-08-07

KHNP's "Integrated Nuclear Power Plant Maintenance Personnel Qualification System" Receives Official Government Recognition

On August 7, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) announced that its integrated nuclear power plant maintenance personnel qualification system has officially received government recognition from the Korea Human Resource Development Service for Emerging Industries, an affiliate of the Ministry of Employment and Labor. This recognition signifies that the qualification system, used internally by the company to enhance employee job competencies, has received official confirmation in terms of evaluation standards, operational frameworks, and management mechanisms, providing a more credible institutional foundation for nuclear power plant equipment operation and maintenance capability building. The core of this recognized system lies in integrating the qualification frameworks previously operated separately by various nuclear maintenance partner companies into unified standards. This marks the first time such a standardized model has been established in Korea's nuclear maintenance sector...

2026-08-07

New Decommissioning Plan for Fukushima Daiichi: Priority on Internal Investigation of Unit 3 Before Fuel Debris Retrieval

The Nuclear Damage Compensation and Decommissioning Facilitation Corporation of Japan released on August 6 an outline of the 2026 edition of the "Decommissioning Strategic Plan," proposing technical approaches for the decommissioning of Tokyo Electric Power Company's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. The plan highlights that, for the large-scale retrieval of melted fuel debris at Unit 3, expected to commence in or after fiscal year 2037, priority should currently be given to internal investigations of the reactor building to provide a more reliable basis for subsequent engineering plans. The plan states that the fuel debris retrieval method being studied by TEPCO still requires further improvement in certainty, with the key prerequisite being an understanding of the actual internal conditions of the reactor. Due to the high radiation levels of the water inside the unit following the accident...

2026-08-07

Radiation detector malfunction at Unit 2 of Japan's Onagawa Nuclear Power Plant causes hundreds of abnormal reading fluctuations

Tohoku Electric Power Company of Japan announced on August 6 that a detection equipment malfunction occurred at Unit 2 of the Onagawa Nuclear Power Plant, located in Onagawa Town and Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture. The issue involved detectors used to measure radiation levels in the main steam lines, which transport steam generated by the reactor to the turbine. Among the four detectors, one displayed readings in the central control room that surged and dropped sharply, repeating hundreds of times. Based on publicly available information, Tohoku Electric has classified this incident as a detector malfunction rather than an abnormal release of radioactive materials or a sudden change in reactor operating conditions. The company stated that the situation does not constitute a problem under security regulations, meaning that from...

2026-08-07

U.S. Environmental Groups Sue, Claiming Turkey Point Nuclear Plant License Renewal Requires Additional Environmental Review

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) faces a legal challenge over its renewal of operating licenses for Units 3 and 4 at the Turkey Point nuclear power plant near Miami, Florida. Florida environmental group Miami Waterkeeper Inc. has petitioned the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, arguing that the agency failed to follow proper procedures during the license renewal process and overlooked significant environmental concerns. At the heart of the lawsuit is Miami Waterkeeper's assertion that the NRC should not have proceeded with the license renewal after denying the group's hearing request. The organization had participated in the related administrative proceedings and raised objections concerning the plant's environmental impact review, but the NRC concluded those proceedings in March of this year...

2026-08-07

Three U.S. Nuclear Energy Companies Explore Manufacturing Next-Generation Reactor Fuel from Recycled Nuclear Materials

U.S. nuclear energy companies Curio, NuScale Power, and Framatome have signed a memorandum of understanding to evaluate the feasibility of converting recycled nuclear materials into next-generation reactor fuel and related products. The tri-party collaboration is not focused on immediate commercial production, but rather on research into technical feasibility, fuel development, manufacturing capabilities, supply chain integration, and future commercial deployment, seeking to connect spent fuel recycling, fuel fabrication, and advanced reactor applications into a more complete industrial chain. Under this collaboration, Curio will provide its NuCycle nuclear fuel recycling technology, aiming to recover reusable strategic nuclear materials from spent fuel, with claims of reducing residual waste volume by up to 97%.

2026-08-07

US DOE Approves Nuclear Safety Design Agreement for Deep Fission Underground SMR

Deep Fission, a US advanced nuclear energy company, announced on August 6 that the US Department of Energy (DOE) has approved the Nuclear Safety Design Agreement (NSDA) for its Gravity reactor. The company stated that this milestone means its reactor design meets the requirements for continued advancement under the DOE's Reactor Pilot Program. Deep Fission is developing a small modular pressurized water reactor concept, with plans to place the reactor in a borehole approximately 1 mile, or about 1.6 kilometers, underground. The approved Nuclear Safety Design Agreement will serve as the safety framework for subsequent reactor development work. According to the company's plans, the project will proceed into the DOE authorization process...

2026-08-07

Canadian Nuclear Waste Management Organization Publishes Final Design for Centre of Expertise in Ontario

The Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) has published the final design for its Centre of Expertise, to be located in the Township of Ignace, Ontario. Ignace is one of the host communities for Canada's deep geological repository project for used nuclear fuel. With an investment of approximately CAD 50 million and expected to open in 2028, the centre is positioned as a key platform supporting the construction and long-term operation of the repository. According to the NWMO, the Centre of Expertise design incorporates input from the local community and will feature flexible multi-purpose spaces, educational areas, public viewing galleries, interactive exhibits, and learning zones, while emphasizing integration with the natural environment and a location that facilitates connection to community amenities...

2026-08-07