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India's Bihar signs memorandum of understanding for $2.3 billion small modular reactor project

The government of Bihar, India recently signed investment memorandums of understanding totaling approximately $6 billion (about €5.2 billion) with several industrial enterprises, covering sectors such as steel, textiles, food processing, pharmaceuticals, and nuclear energy. Among these, the nuclear energy project investment amounts to approximately $2.3 billion, making it the largest investment proposal among the signed agreements. According to a statement issued by the office of Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, Global Renewable Advanced Clean Energy, a recently registered company headquartered in Hyderabad in central India, signed the nuclear energy memorandum of understanding. Further details...

2026-08-12

Bulgaria's Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant Faces Shutdown Risk Due to Low Danube Water Levels

On August 11, Bulgaria's Ministry of Energy warned that the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant is facing the risk of reduced output or even shutdown due to the continuously declining water level of the Danube River. The plant relies on the Danube to provide cooling water for its two 1,000 MW reactors. If the water intake capacity continues to be constrained, it will directly affect the safe operation of the reactors and the stability of power supply. Bulgaria's Ministry of Energy stated that measures have been taken to ensure water supply to the cooling system, including dredging the channels connecting the Danube to coastal pumping stations to maintain the necessary flow. This summer, the Danube's water level has dropped to historic lows due to prolonged drought. Near Ruse, Bulgaria, the river's flow is already more than one meter below the safe navigation level, and it has continued to decline over the past 24 hours...

2026-08-12

California Governor Says He Will Not Push for Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant Life Extension During His Term

California Governor Gavin Newsom said he will not push to extend the operating life of the state's only commercial nuclear power plant, Diablo Canyon, during his final months in office. This means the plant's fate after 2030 will be left at least to the next state administration to decide. Located in San Luis Obispo County, California, the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant has two units and is owned and operated by Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E). Under an arrangement PG&E reached in 2016, the two units were originally scheduled for phased retirement. However, after California's high temperatures in 2022 triggered power supply strain and blackouts...

2026-08-12

Vietnam's National Assembly Reviews Approval of Agreements Related to the Ninh Thuan Nuclear Power Project on the Afternoon of August 11

On the afternoon of August 11, the Vietnamese National Assembly continued the agenda of its first extraordinary session, with the latter half of the proceedings turning to the approval procedures for agreements related to the Ninh Thuan Nuclear Power Plant project. The Vice President of Vietnam, on behalf of the President, submitted a proposal regarding the approval of the relevant agreements; the Minister of Justice, authorized by the Prime Minister, delivered an explanatory report on the agreements; and the Chairman of the National Assembly's Committee for National Defense, Security, and Foreign Affairs submitted a review report. This arrangement indicates that the Ninh Thuan nuclear power project involves not only energy development but also a comprehensive assessment at the legal, diplomatic, security, and national strategic levels. Before the conclusion of the afternoon session, National Assembly deputies held group discussions on the proposal to approve the agreements related to the Ninh Thuan Nuclear Power Plant project. The group discussions...

2026-08-12

U.S. Moves to Relax Oversight of Small Maritime Nuclear Reactors, Promoting Civilian Floating Nuclear Energy Applications

The U.S. government is pushing to remove or simplify regulatory barriers to deploying civilian nuclear reactors on floating platforms and vessels, aiming to pave the way for small modular reactors to enter maritime shipping and offshore energy applications. The relevant topics will be highlighted during the International Atomic Energy Agency's ATLAS initiative event from August 26 to 27, with the U.S. also planning to showcase reactor technologies suitable for waterborne operations. The day prior, the U.S. will host an industry day, inviting nuclear and maritime sector companies to present their solutions. This move reflects the strategic importance the U.S. energy sector places on small modular reactors. Compared to traditional large-scale nuclear power plants, small modular reactors emphasize high energy density,...

2026-08-12

Ukraine and IAEA to Strengthen Nuclear Safety Coordination

Ukrainian Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal and IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi held an online meeting, focusing on further strengthening nuclear and radiation safety cooperation amid the war. Ukraine hopes to achieve independent assessments of risks and operational status of critical energy infrastructure and develop more protective measures through closer international coordination. The talks come against the backdrop of sustained security pressures on Ukraine's energy facilities. The Ukrainian side emphasized that a stably operating power system is not only vital to public electricity supply but also directly affects the safety assurance of nuclear power plants and related facilities. The IAEA has previously conducted expert work at multiple energy facilities in Ukraine...

2026-08-12

Rosatom Technical Academy Launches Development of Training Programs for Uzbekistan NPP Personnel

Rosatom Technical Academy has launched the development of training programs for personnel of the planned nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan. The foundation ceremony for this project was held in June this year, and training preparations will be aligned with the NPP construction schedule and subsequent operational requirements. Currently, Academy experts are developing teaching materials, refining training methodologies, and formulating course plans coordinated with the NPP construction phases for this new project. The training content will also be adapted to the characteristics of the small modular reactor technology adopted for the project to meet new technical requirements. At the Novovoronezh branch alone, about 50 experts are already involved in developing training programs for Uzbek personnel...

2026-08-12

Kyoto Fusioneering and Oak Ridge to Build World's First Fusion Blanket Verification Facility UNITY-3

Kyoto Fusioneering (KF), a Japanese fusion energy engineering company, announced that it will jointly build a facility named UNITY-3 with the U.S. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to verify the breeding blanket technology required for commercial fusion power plants. The project is described as the world's first facility dedicated to breeding blanket demonstration, and KF will also relocate its U.S. business base to Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The project has received support from the U.S. Department of Energy's relevant roadmap, Tennessee's nuclear energy supply chain investment fund, and the DOE, indicating that the fusion industry is shifting from purely plasma physics breakthroughs toward engineering, system integration, and supply chain development. The breeding blanket is a critical component for deuterium-tritium fusion power...

2026-08-12

Novovoronezh NPP Transfers New Equipment to On-Site Fire and Rescue Unit

A ceremony was held in Novovoronezh, Russia, marking the 40th anniversary of the Federal Fire Service Special Directorate No. 72 of the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry (EMERCOM of Russia), which is responsible for fire protection at multiple Russian nuclear power plants. During the event, Novovoronezh NPP Director Vladimir Povarov (Владимир Поваров) presented certificates for a new minibus and a batch of firefighting technical equipment to Fire and Rescue Unit No. 14, which provides fire protection for the plant. The NPP stated that this equipment will further strengthen the unit's material and technical base. Novo...

2026-08-12

French heatwave cuts nuclear output, day-ahead power prices surge 22%

A new heatwave in France is hitting its nuclear power supply, with effects quickly transmitting to the electricity market. On Tuesday morning local time, LSEG data showed French day-ahead power prices rose as much as 21.8% to €142.5 per megawatt-hour, equivalent to approximately $164.39. The direct cause of the price surge is that operators expect nuclear output to be constrained during the midday peak demand period on Wednesday. Data from French utility EDF shows that due to this week's heatwave, France's nuclear generation capacity on Wednesday is expected to be reduced by 7.3 gigawatts, equivalent to 12% of total installed capacity. This marks at least the fifth time France has experienced extreme heat since June. For a country where about 70% of electricity comes from nuclear power, nuclear...

2026-08-12

Balakovo NPP Completes Pre-Audit of Quality Management System

Balakovo Nuclear Power Plant in Russia recently completed a pre-audit of its quality management system, confirming its readiness to undergo the official certification audit within the year. The audit covered multiple international quality standards, including ISO 9001, ISO 9004, and ISO 19443. Balakovo NPP has previously conducted several audits in accordance with ISO 9001 with favorable results. This time, the plant will undergo audits against the ISO 9004 and ISO 19443 standards for the first time, making it one of the earlier nuclear power plants to be audited against these standards. The pre-audit is a key stage before the official certification audit, primarily aimed at assessing the plant's preparedness, checking the effectiveness of existing processes, documentation status, and staff understanding of the standard requirements...

2026-08-12

Scheduled Maintenance Launched for Units 3 and 4 of Kursk Nuclear Power Plant

Starting August 11, 2026, Russia's Kursk Nuclear Power Plant launched scheduled routine maintenance on Units 3 and 4. On the same day, the plant also commenced annual maintenance and preventive upkeep of the heat network at the standby boiler house. The operations are scheduled to continue until August 22. Due to the maintenance schedule, hot water supply in the city of Kurchatov has been temporarily interrupted. The Kursk Nuclear Power Plant stated that this is the first time in nearly 50 years of plant operation that local hot water supply has been temporarily suspended due to related maintenance. Hot water supply to Kurchatov will be restored after the maintenance is completed. Alexey Leonov, Deputy Chief Engineer for Operations of the main building at Kursk NPP, said that the plant is currently undergoing significant changes, including the decommissioning of units that have reached their design service life and the commissioning of new units. These changes are transforming the ways thermal energy is produced and delivered to consumers, and also require modernization of the plant and related city infrastructure. He noted that this maintenance cycle is relatively short, and the schedule has been arranged to minimize impact on residents' daily lives. In recent years, the plant has taken measures to avoid scheduling maintenance on Units 3 and 4 during the winter season.

2026-08-12

Solaris Invests in Deployable Energy, Pushing "Unity" Transportable Microreactor Toward Commercial SMR

Houston-based advanced nuclear startup Deployable Energy (CEO Bobby Gallagher, former Australian Army/offshore drilling background) has reached a strategic partnership with NYSE-listed U.S. energy infrastructure company Solaris Energy Infrastructure, Inc. (NYSE: SEI): Solaris will take an equity stake in Deployable and leverage its own experience in grid construction and operations under harsh conditions (defense bases, heavy industry, data centers) to help the latter bring the Unity Nuclear Battery—a roughly 1 MWe-class, container-sized, portable microreactor that fits in a pickup truck bed for highway transport—to commercial deployment. The Unity reactor has already achieved...

2026-08-12

Deep Fission Details 'One-Mile-Deep PWR' Roadmap at Canaccord Conference, Targeting First Commercial Operation by End of 2027

On August 11, Deep Fission (FISN) unveiled a differentiated nuclear commercialization pathway at Canaccord Genuity's 46th Annual Growth Conference: rather than reinventing nuclear fission technology, the company aims to deploy mature pressurized water reactors in underground boreholes approximately one mile deep. CEO Liz Muller emphasized that the core approach is to change where reactors are deployed, not to adopt an entirely new reactor physics model. Given that PWR technology has been used in commercial nuclear power for decades, the company hopes to shorten the validation cycle by leveraging mature technology and avoid the new fuel, new material, and new design licensing hurdles faced by some advanced nuclear projects. According to the company's plan...

2026-08-12

Sophelio Launches Fusion Equilibrium Challenge, Opening DIII-D and MAST Experimental Datasets

On August 11, Sophelio launched the Fusion Equilibrium Challenge. The competition has been accepted into the 2026 Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems (NeurIPS) competition track, making it the first fusion energy-related challenge to enter this track. The challenge is co-organized by Sophelio together with the DIII-D National Fusion Facility, the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) FAIR-MAST project, and the Institute for Fusion Studies (IFS) at the University of Texas at Austin, with data hosted on the Hugging Face platform. Open to the global machine learning community, the competition re...

2026-08-12