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Japan's Tomari Nuclear Power Plant Unit 3 Restart Review Still Requires Additional Fire Safety Documentation

On September 3, a review meeting was held for the restart plan of Unit 3 at Japan's Tomari Nuclear Power Plant. The Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) pointed out that the explanations submitted by Hokkaido Electric Power regarding fire safety measures still contain issues requiring further confirmation, and requested the company to provide more detailed assessment materials. The equipment design and construction plan required for the restart of Tomari Unit 3 has been under review since last year. One of the current review priorities is whether relevant workers have adequate and feasible evacuation measures in the event of a fire on site. At the meeting that day, representatives of Hokkaido Electric Power explained the revised fire safety...

2026-09-04

Fire alarms triggered nine times in four weeks at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station

At 21:44 on September 3, a fire alarm was triggered in the water treatment control room building of Japan's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) stated that no open flames or smoke were found at the scene. After firefighters arrived and conducted inspections, it was confirmed shortly after 22:30 that evening that this was not a fire. TEPCO said it would subsequently inspect the relevant detectors. Including this incident, the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station has triggered a total of nine fire alarms in the past four weeks. Previously, on August 8, a fire alarm was triggered in the maintenance building for Units 5 and 6; on August 12, an alarm sounded in the emergency diesel generator room for the high-pressure core spray system of Unit 6; on August 13, an alarm sounded in the main office building; on August 15, an alarm sounded in the southwest stairwell area of the turbine building for Unit 5...

2026-09-04

Cause Identified for Automatic Shutdown of Unit 3 at Shin-Kori Nuclear Power Plant in South Korea

The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC) of South Korea reported on the 4th that it has completed its investigation into the automatic shutdown of Unit 3 at the Shin-Kori nuclear power plant during commissioning tests on the 11th of last month, and has approved the resumption of commissioning tests for the unit. The investigation confirmed that the direct cause of the incident was an operator error in inputting parameters during the process of restoring reactor power after the tests. According to the investigation findings, at the time of the incident, while setting the parameters for the turbine control valve position limiter, the operator mistakenly entered a value intended to limit the upper opening limit of the valve as a value in the valve closing direction. This limiter is used to prevent a rapid increase in the amount of steam entering the turbine for power generation within a short period. After the parameter error, the unit experienced an interruption in power output at approximately 80% power level, followed by an automatic shutdown.

2026-09-04

Royal Victoria Hospital Belfast Introduces Photon-Counting CT, Becoming Ireland's First Hospital to Adopt the Technology

Royal Victoria Hospital Belfast recently introduced the Siemens Healthineers NAEOTOM Alpha.Prime photon-counting CT scanner, becoming the first hospital in Ireland to adopt this next-generation CT imaging technology. The hospital is part of the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, and this installation is part of a long-term value partnership between the hospital and Siemens Healthineers. According to reports, the NAEOTOM Alpha.Prime photon-counting CT delivers ultra-high-resolution images and spectral data at lower radiation doses. Its 0.2 mm slice thickness helps clinicians visualize small blood vessels, fine anatomical structures, and early pathological changes, enabling more diagnostic information to be obtained in a single scan...

2026-09-03

New Fuel Delivery Completed at Japan's Sendai Nuclear Power Plant

Kyushu Electric Power Co. announced on September 2 that new fuel required for Units 1 and 2 of Japan's Sendai Nuclear Power Plant has been delivered. The transport operation began on August 30, 2026, and concluded on September 2. According to information released by Kyushu Electric Power, the new fuel delivered this time was manufactured by Nuclear Fuel Industries, Ltd. Specifically, Unit 1 of the Sendai Nuclear Power Plant received 24 new fuel assemblies transported in 12 shipping containers, while Unit 2 received 28 new fuel assemblies transported in 14 shipping containers. The new fuel transport was carried out using a combination of land and sea routes. Kyushu Electric Power stated...

2026-09-03

Commissioning of the CRAFT Cryogenic System 6 kW@4.5 K Helium Refrigerator Successfully Completed

Recently, significant progress has been made in the construction of the helium refrigeration system on the CRAFT magnet platform. The on-site commissioning and performance testing of the main body of the CRAFT cryogenic system 6 kW@4.5 K helium refrigerator have been successfully completed, with all indicators meeting the design acceptance requirements. The commissioning work focused on systematic verification of the cold box refrigeration performance, liquefaction capacity, control system, safety interlocks, and the operating status of key cryogenic equipment. During the acceptance tests, the helium refrigerator completed 12 hours of continuous stable operation under design conditions, achieving a refrigeration capacity of 6 kW@4.5 K + 50 K@GHe. In addition to design conditions, the project team also conducted performance tests under helium liquefaction conditions, with relevant temperature, pressure,...

2026-09-03

Bulgarian Energy Minister Calls for Coordinated Response to Low Danube Water Levels

Bulgarian Energy Minister Eva Petrova stated at a meeting of the National Assembly's Energy Committee in Sofia on September 2 that persistently low water levels in the Danube River have impacted the operation of nuclear power plants along its banks. While countries have taken individual response measures, there remains a need to strengthen coordination at the regional level. Petrova said the Danube is currently at extremely low water levels, leading to reduced electricity generation at nuclear power plants along the river, including Bulgaria's Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant. She noted that relevant forecasts indicate such severe conditions may become more frequent in the future. She explained that the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant has...

2026-09-03

IAEA 70th General Conference to Host Technical Cooperation Side Events Focusing on Radiotherapy Financing and African Nuclear Workforce Development

The 70th Regular Session of the International Atomic Energy Agency General Conference will be held from September 14 to 18, 2026, at the Vienna International Centre in Austria. During the session, delegates and technical experts from various countries will discuss the Agency's ongoing work and topics related to nuclear science and technology. The 70th Regular Session of the IAEA General Conference will take place from September 14 to 18, 2026, at the Vienna International Centre. (IAEA) As part of the arrangements related to the General Conference, the IAEA Department of Technical Cooperation will host two side events during the conference week, highlighting its technical cooperation support to Member States. One event will focus on financing for the expansion of radiotherapy services, while the other will...

2026-09-03

Study Says Neutrino Laser Physically Impossible Due to Mechanism Constraints

On September 2, physicists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology published two papers in Physical Review Letters analyzing a previously proposed neutrino laser concept. The research concludes that, due to atomic recoil effects and the fermionic nature of neutrinos, the scheme of using radioactive atomic clouds to produce laser-like neutrino beams is physically impractical. Neutrinos are elementary particles with extremely small mass and very weak interactions with ordinary matter. Earlier research had envisioned cooling radioactive atomic clouds to nanokelvin temperatures to form a Bose-Einstein condensate. According to this concept, atoms in a quantum coherent state might decay synchronously, producing neutrino beams with strong directionality through a quantum amplification effect similar to superradiance...

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

Bulgaria Approves Procurement of Russian-Made Equipment for Kozloduy NPP

Bulgaria's government press office reported on September 2 that the government has issued a special permit to Kozloduy NPP, allowing it to procure equipment and materials from Russia necessary for the continued safe operation of the plant. The Bulgarian government stated that ensuring nuclear safety and accident-free power generation requires regular procurement of spare parts from the designers, engineers, and manufacturers of the plant's equipment. Since most systems and equipment at Kozloduy NPP originate from Russia, multiple contracts concerning the supply of equipment needed for the reliable and safe operation of Units 5 and 6 have been or are about to be signed with Russian suppliers. The government also authorized Bulgaria's National Electric Company to...

2026-09-03

Russia says it has not yet received an invitation for negotiations on Hungary's Paks II nuclear power plant

On September 2, Alexey Likhachev, CEO of Russia's State Atomic Energy Corporation (Rosatom), said during the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok that Rosatom has not yet received an invitation from the Hungarian government for negotiations on the construction project of the Paks II nuclear power plant. Likhachev stated that Rosatom has expressed its willingness to participate in discussions on project parameters in any civilized manner. He noted that the company has always placed the interests of its partners and clients in a position of priority and is prepared to provide explanations and justifications regarding the effectiveness of the project's technical solutions as well as related financial and economic impacts...

2026-09-03

Russia plans to launch main construction of Primorsky Krai NPP in 2027

Alexey Likhachev, Director General of Rosatom, said recently during the Eastern Economic Forum that the first concrete pour for the Primorsky Krai nuclear power plant is planned for 2027, with the first batch of electricity to be connected to the grid in 2032. Likhachev stated that relevant work is progressing toward these target timelines. Following conventional practice in nuclear power project construction, the first concrete pour is generally regarded as a key milestone marking the transition of a nuclear project into its main construction phase. During the same forum, Dmitry Demeshin, Governor of Khabarovsk Krai, proposed that consideration be given to building nuclear power plants in parallel in both Khabarovsk Krai and Primorsky Krai...

2026-09-03

Second Phase of Decommissioning for Unit 1 of Japan's Ikata Nuclear Power Plant Approved by Prefectural Committee

The Environmental Safety Management Committee for the Ikata Nuclear Power Plant in Ehime Prefecture, Japan, held a meeting in Matsuyama City on September 2 to discuss plans by Shikoku Electric Power to proceed with the second phase of decommissioning for Unit 1 of the Ikata Nuclear Power Plant. The unit, located in Ikata-cho, Ehime Prefecture, is currently in the process of being decommissioned. The decommissioning of Unit 1 at the Ikata Nuclear Power Plant has been divided into four main phases. Shikoku Electric Power had previously conducted prior consultations with Ehime Prefecture and Ikata-cho regarding the transition to the next phase, obtained local consent, and submitted relevant applications to Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA). In July of this year, the NRA approved the application...

2026-09-03