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Uzbekistan Plans to Raise Localization Rate of Nuclear Power Project to Over 30%

Uzbekistan plans to improve the localization level of the integrated nuclear power plant project in the Jizzakh region, aiming to increase the share of domestically produced goods and equipment from the preliminary estimate of 21% to at least 30%. The project has a total investment of approximately $9.5 billion and is regarded by Uzbekistan as one of the important future sources of baseload electricity. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev stated during an inspection of the project construction site and the planned satellite city for nuclear industry personnel that the current localization rate still needs to be raised, and called for expanding the participation of domestic enterprises in equipment supply, engineering construction, and supporting infrastructure. Based on the total project investment, if the localization rate reaches 30%, the value of domestically supplied goods and equipment will be approximately $2.85 billion. If the localization rate reaches 30%, the value of domestically supplied goods and equipment will be approximately $2.85 billion.

2026-09-03

U.S. Develops Refractory Metal Powder Atomization System to Support Fusion Energy Materials Research

U.S. researchers are developing a new refractory metal powder atomization system to produce high-temperature alloy powders for extreme-environment applications. The system will support new materials research in areas such as gas turbines, aerospace equipment, and fusion energy systems. Jordan Tiarks, a scientist at Ames National Laboratory, stated that the laboratory has long been engaged in specialty powder production research, and the new system will expand its materials processing capabilities to higher temperature ranges and more challenging material systems. The research team noted that metal powders are a critical foundation for advanced manufacturing technologies such as powder metallurgy and additive manufacturing...

2026-09-03

IAEA Confirms Undeclared Nuclear Facilities in Syria

A confidential report by a United Nations agency reveals that after IAEA inspectors visited multiple locations in Syria in August this year, they confirmed that the former Syrian authorities had failed to declare relevant nuclear materials, nuclear facilities, and nuclear activities as required by the safeguards agreement under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. The report states that the information includes a nuclear reactor that was under construction in Deir ez-Zor, a fuel fabrication facility, and another site used for fuel storage during the former government era. For a long time, there has been external suspicion that Syria had secretly pursued a nuclear program, with a facility in Deir ez-Zor province believed to be a nuclear reactor built with assistance from North Korea. The facility was destroyed by an Israeli airstrike in 2007...

2026-09-03

Rosatom Plans to Discuss Floating Nuclear Power Plant Project with Indonesia

Alexey Likhachev, CEO of Rosatom, said on September 2 that the company will continue talks with the Indonesian side on the construction of small-scale nuclear power plants during the Eastern Economic Forum, with a key focus on cooperation in floating nuclear power plants. Likhachev noted that Indonesia's economy is growing rapidly, its population continues to expand, and electricity demand is rising accordingly, while the country has shown strong interest in developing nuclear energy. He believes that Indonesia's geography, consisting of numerous islands with a long coastline, makes floating nuclear power plants practically applicable. According to him, floating nuclear power plants are a key area of international cooperation that Rosatom is advancing...

2026-09-03

New Monitoring Well Characterizes Hexavalent Chromium Plume at Los Alamos National Laboratory

LOS ALAMOS, New Mexico — The U.S. Department of Energy Environmental Management Los Alamos Field Office continues to advance characterization efforts for the hexavalent chromium plume at Los Alamos National Laboratory to inform future remediation alternative selection. According to reports, its legacy cleanup contractor, Newport News Nuclear BWXT-Los Alamos LLC, has completed drilling of a new groundwater monitoring well. Designated R-80, the well reaches approximately 1,030 feet below ground surface and will be used to further characterize the northeastern extent of the hexavalent chromium plume and evaluate different remediation alternatives. Completion of this monitoring well also marks the achievement of a Fiscal Year 2026 consent order milestone for the hexavalent chromium remediation project...

2026-09-02

Iran Still Denies IAEA Inspectors Access to Some Nuclear Facilities

A recent report shows that Iran has still not allowed International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors to access some of its nuclear facilities, including sites in Isfahan, Natanz, and Fordow that were previously damaged in airstrikes. The report states that the IAEA had previously detected over 440 kilograms of highly enriched uranium and nearly 8,600 kilograms of low-enriched uranium at these locations. Due to the current lack of sufficient information on the status and whereabouts of the relevant nuclear materials, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi has expressed concerns over nuclear non-proliferation risks and called on Tehran to allow inspectors to access the facilities for verification as soon as possible. The report also mentions that inspectors...

2026-09-02

FDA Grants Breakthrough Therapy Designation to JBS-003 for Guiding De-escalated Radiotherapy in HPV-Positive Oropharyngeal Cancer

On September 1, Juniper Biosciences announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation to its hypoxia tracer JBS-003. The product, 18F-Fluoromisonidazole (FMISO), is intended to identify tumor hypoxia and guide de-escalated radiotherapy in patients with HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer (OPC). JBS-003 is licensed from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK). According to information released by the company, the tracer is based on F-MISO PET molecular imaging technology and can visualize specific hypoxic features within tumors. Tumor hypoxia is considered to be associated with radioresistance; by imaging hypoxic regions, clinicians can stratify patients by risk and...

2026-09-02

Singapore to Seriously Evaluate Nuclear Energy Options to Safeguard Energy Autonomy

Singapore's Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on August 31, before concluding his official visits to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, that Singapore has not yet decided whether to adopt nuclear energy, but must seriously study whether nuclear energy is applicable to the country, preserving autonomous options for future energy supply and avoiding being constrained by external conditions during the energy transition. Both Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are oil and gas producers and are also advancing nuclear power projects to enhance the resilience of their energy systems. Kazakhstan is currently building its first nuclear power plant in cooperation with Russia; Uzbekistan has held the groundbreaking ceremony for its first small modular reactor nuclear power plant and initiated design work...

2026-09-01

First Russia-IAEA Small Modular Reactor Training Course Concludes in Murmansk

On August 31, the Small Modular Reactor training course jointly organized by Rosatom Technical Academy and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) concluded in Murmansk, Russia. The training focused on operational experience and future prospects of small modular reactors. The five-day training brought together participants from Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America, including representatives from national nuclear energy agencies, regulatory bodies, and organizations interested in developing small nuclear power projects. Participants exchanged views on the current state of small modular reactor technology, readiness for engineering application, and deployment prospects. The course highlighted Russia's...

2026-09-01

Japan Requests Hitachiomiya City in Ibaraki Prefecture to Conduct Literature Survey for High-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Site

Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) on August 31 requested Hitachiomiya City in Ibaraki Prefecture to conduct a literature survey, as the first step in siting a final disposal facility for high-level radioactive waste generated from nuclear power plant operations. If Hitachiomiya City agrees, it will become the fifth municipality in Japan to accept such a literature survey, and the second time the Japanese government has proactively requested a survey from a local government, following Minamitorishima in Ogasawara Village, Tokyo. On the same day, Takashi Kume, Vice Commissioner of Japan's Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, visited the Hitachiomiya City government and submitted the survey request to Mayor Sadanori Suzuki. Suzuki stated that he personally takes a positive stance toward accepting the literature survey, and noted that the city faces issues such as rapid population decline and a weak local economy, adding that if the area has favorable geological conditions, participating in the national geological disposal policy would be of "significant importance." He said he would make a decision after hearing the views of the city assembly, with the matter possibly being discussed at the regular assembly meeting as early as September.

2026-09-01

Japan Atomic Energy Agency discovers magnetic "strong-weak waves" in uranium semiconductor

The Japan Atomic Energy Agency announced on August 21 that its research team has discovered a special magnetic structure in the layered uranium semiconductor α-UTe3 (α-uranium tritelluride): the magnetism of uranium atoms not only alternates in opposite directions, but its magnetization intensity also periodically strengthens and weakens depending on the crystal position, forming a state resembling “strong-weak waves.” α-UTe3 is composed of uranium and tellurium atoms and belongs to van der Waals layered materials, where atomic layers are stacked through weak interlayer forces. Using high-quality α-UTe3 single crystals, the research team analyzed its low-temperature magnetic structure through resistivity, specific heat, and magnetization measurements, as well as nuclear magnetic resonance and single-crystal neutron diffraction techniques...

2026-08-31

Japan Plans to Include Hitachiomiya, Ibaraki Prefecture, in Nuclear Waste Disposal Site Selection Survey

According to sources familiar with the matter on August 31, Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is considering conducting a preliminary survey in Hitachiomiya, Ibaraki Prefecture, to designate the city as one of the potential candidate sites for a final disposal facility for high-level radioactive waste. The relevant plan is expected to be submitted to the Hitachiomiya municipal government. If the local government accepts the plan, Hitachiomiya will become the fifth location in Japan to undergo such a preliminary survey. The site selection process for Japan's high-level radioactive waste disposal facility involves multiple stages, and the entire screening process typically takes several years. The proposed preliminary survey is an early step to determine whether the area meets the conditions for further evaluation...

2026-08-31

India's Tata Consulting Engineers Calls for Expanded Private Sector Participation in Nuclear Energy R&D

Amit Sharma, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Tata Consulting Engineers (TCE), said that India's Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) should focus more on national strategic objectives and engage in deeper collaboration with the private sector in nuclear power generation-related fields. Sharma stated that TCE has partnered with India's nuclear program for over five decades. The DAE's original core mission was to serve national strategic needs rather than directly undertake power generation. He believes the DAE could draw on the experience of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in promoting private sector development, allowing enterprises greater scope for participation in nuclear energy R&D.

2026-08-31

Japan nuclear waste, geological disposal, literature survey, Hitachiomiya City

Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) is in the final stages of coordination regarding the site selection process for the final disposal of high-level radioactive waste, with plans to request Hitachiomiya City in Ibaraki Prefecture to conduct a literature survey. The literature survey is the first phase of Japan's screening process for selecting a final disposal site for high-level radioactive waste generated from nuclear power generation. It primarily relies on existing literature and materials to assess whether candidate areas have safety concerns such as volcanoes and active faults. Hitachiomiya City is located in the northwestern part of Ibaraki Prefecture, bordering Tochigi Prefecture, with a population of slightly over 35,000. The city does not face the sea, with the Kuji River and Naka River flowing through its territory. Forests account for approximately 60% of the city's total area, and agriculture and manufacturing are the main industries. In recent years, the city has been promoting tourism and emerging industries leveraging the natural environment, while also facing challenges such as population decline, aging, and fiscal pressure.

2026-08-31

Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant Relies on Emergency Diesel Generators to Maintain Operations

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recently stated that the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) has been relying on emergency diesel generators to maintain critical safety systems for over a week following the interruption of its external power supply. After inspections by the agency's on-site expert team, it was confirmed that as of the 23rd local time, the plant's diesel reserves could support approximately 10 days of operation, approaching the minimum regulatory requirement. According to the IAEA, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant lost its connection to the only remaining 330 kV Peresopravna-1 external transmission line starting on the 20th. Subsequently, the plant activated multiple emergency diesel generators to power critical equipment, including the six reactors and pumps related to spent fuel cooling and storage. The IAEA...

2026-08-31