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Bulgaria's Kozloduy NPP Addresses Challenges of Low Danube River Water Levels

Bulgaria's Ministry of Energy stated on August 16 that the Kozloduy NPP is currently operating as planned. In response to the persistently rare low water levels in the Danube River, the plant has further studied and implemented preventive arrangements based on existing technical and organizational measures to ensure stable unit operation under complex hydrological conditions. The Bulgarian Ministry of Energy stated that the Kozloduy NPP has established a dedicated working group to evaluate various options for ensuring the plant's normal operation, with a focus on facilities related to the riverbank pumping station. The working group is continuously optimizing the riverbank pumps, reactor unit cooling systems, spent fuel storage facilities, and the overall water...

2026-08-17

US experiment reveals diamond melting behavior under high pressure, potentially advancing inertial confinement fusion research

Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory published a new study in Nature Physics documenting the melting process of diamond at pressures approximately three times greater than those at Earth's core. The experiments showed that under high-pressure conditions, diamond floats in liquid metallic carbon, similar to how ice floats in water. This finding helps improve inertial confinement fusion experimental models and provides new evidence for understanding the potential "diamond rain" phenomenon inside ice giant planets such as Neptune and Uranus. The latest melting experiments confirmed that under high pressure, diamond floats in liquid metallic carbon, just as ice floats in a glass of water. (Concept image: James Wickboldt/LLNL) The research team stated...

2026-08-17

4.4-Magnitude Earthquake Hits Fukuoka Area; Kyushu Electric Says No Abnormalities at Genkai and Sendai Nuclear Plants

At around 6:37 a.m. on August 17, an earthquake struck the Fukuoka area of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, with a maximum seismic intensity of 4, a focal depth of approximately 10 kilometers, and a magnitude of 4.4. Kyushu Electric Power Co. (KEPCO) subsequently announced that the operational status of its Genkai and Sendai nuclear power plants was unaffected, with no abnormalities detected in the relevant units. According to Kyushu Electric Power, Unit 4 of the Genkai Nuclear Power Plant in Saga Prefecture continued normal operation, while Unit 3 was undergoing periodic inspection; Units 1 and 2 of the Sendai Nuclear Power Plant in Kagoshima Prefecture continued normal operation. The company stated that no impact on power supply had been confirmed. During the earthquake, Itoshima City in Fukuoka Prefecture...

2026-08-17

Danube Water Levels Continue to Drop, Hungary's Paks Nuclear Power Plant May Reduce Output Again

Hungary's Paks Nuclear Power Plant may reduce its power generation output again early next week due to the continued decline in Danube water levels. Péter Magyar stated on social platform X that Tuesday and Wednesday will be critical periods, with the Danube water level expected to drop by another 14 to 15 centimeters, while the current level is only 9 centimeters away from the threshold that would force the shutdown of the second-to-last turbine at the Paks plant. Magyar noted that this critical phase is expected to end on August 20, when the water level in the Hungarian section of the Danube is expected to recover, influenced by inflows from the Austrian catchment area. Previously, on August 12, Magyar stated that the Hungarian government had decided to build temporary water-retention structures near the Paks Nuclear Power Plant and sink two barges to raise local water levels and ensure the plant's water intake conditions.

2026-08-17

Steel Containment Vessel Ring 1 of Unit 1 at Guangxi Bailong Nuclear Power Plant Successfully Hoisted into Place

At 11:38 on August 16, after 4 hours and 01 minutes of continuous and stable operation, the steel containment vessel ring 1 (CV1R) of the nuclear island of Unit 1 at Guangxi Bailong Nuclear Power Plant was successfully hoisted into place. This hoisting marks another successful installation of a key module following the CVBH and CA20 modules for Unit 1 of Bailong Nuclear Power Plant, signifying a critical breakthrough in the construction of the main structure of the nuclear island of Unit 1. The steel containment vessel consists of five major modules: the bottom head, the intermediate cylindrical shell (rings 1 to 3), and the top head, serving as the third physical safety barrier of the reactor. The CV1R hoisted this time is the core component with the largest volume and heaviest weight among the five major components of the steel containment vessel, measuring approximately 15.5 meters in height and up to 39.6 meters in maximum inner diameter, integrating equipment...

2026-08-17

Repeated Power Outages at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant Raise Concerns over Equipment Aging and Safety Risks

August 13 news, the issue of repeated interruptions to the external power supply at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant continues to draw attention. Relevant data shows that since February 2022, the plant has experienced 26 power outages, 14 of which occurred in the first 8 months of 2026. The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. Once the external power supply is interrupted, the plant must switch to backup power to maintain the operation of essential safety systems. Frequent switching of power supply modes not only increases operational pressure but also poses additional risks to nuclear safety and radiation safety. Relevant parties have stated that signs of equipment aging at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant are intensifying, with the condition of diesel generator sets being particularly concerning. The backup diesel generator sets are generally...

2026-08-15

Energoatom and the E.O. Paton Electric Welding Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine Sign Scientific and Technical Cooperation Agreement

On August 13, Pavlo Kovtoniuk, head of Ukraine's national nuclear energy company Energoatom, and Ihor Kryvtsun, director of the E.O. Paton Electric Welding Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, signed a scientific and technical cooperation agreement. Under the agreement, the two parties will integrate scientific research and engineering technical resources to provide technical support for the safe operation of nuclear power units and other nuclear energy facilities, and will cooperate in areas such as extending the service life of reactor installations and the feasibility study and implementation of new nuclear power unit projects...

2026-08-15

RES Engineering to Supply HVAC and Water Treatment Equipment for Egypt's El Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant

August 12 news, RES Engineering has won the bid to supply refrigeration units, ventilation systems, and water treatment equipment for the under-construction El Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant in Egypt. According to the project schedule, the scope of supply covers multiple systems and equipment in the main buildings and public areas of the nuclear power plant, including central and zoned air conditioning, standalone air conditioning, ventilation equipment, water-cooled chiller units, fans, control cabinets, humidifiers, electric heaters, steam generators, and water treatment equipment. RES Engineering stated that this project involves not only a large supply scale but also a complex variety of equipment types. Different equipment needs to be matched in terms of technical parameters, project requirements, quality standards, and delivery schedules...

2026-08-15

UK National Nuclear Laboratory Secures Nuclear Safeguards Programme Contract

The UK National Nuclear Laboratory (UKNNL) has been awarded the Nuclear Safeguards Programme (NSP) contract by the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ). The contract has an initial term of 3.5 years with committed funding of £10.5 million, with the possibility of further extensions. This contract continues the UK's 45 years of support for the global nuclear safeguards system, as well as the UK National Nuclear Laboratory's nearly 20 years of core work within that system. The UK National Nuclear Laboratory's responsibilities include providing technical support to the UK government in the nuclear field and driving the development of the UK's nuclear energy industry. The Nuclear Safeguards Programme is an important platform for fulfilling this responsibility, primarily providing nuclear safeguards and non-proliferation expertise to UK government departments and international partners...

2026-08-16

Oak Ridge National Laboratory marks 80 years of isotope research and production, with applications spanning medicine, industry, and scientific research

On August 2, 1946, the Clinton Laboratories in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, held the first formal ceremony to deliver reactor-produced radioactive isotopes. A shipment of carbon-14 was sent from there to the Barnard Free Skin and Cancer Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri. Over the past 80 years, this event has been regarded as the starting point of Oak Ridge National Laboratory's isotope research and production endeavors, and also marked the beginning of broader civilian applications for reactor-produced radioactive isotopes. After World War II, the U.S. scientific community began exploring peaceful uses of atomic energy, with radioactive isotopes becoming an important direction. As unstable variants of elements, radioactive isotopes release radiation during decay and can be used...

2026-08-15

SLAC team observes progressive melting of copper under extreme heat in real time

Researchers at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, under the U.S. Department of Energy, and their collaborators used the Mega-electron-volt Ultrafast Electron Diffraction (MeV-UED) facility to observe in real time the melting process of copper atoms under extreme temperatures. The study was published in Nature Communications. Future fusion power plants will need to replicate fusion reactions that occur inside stars here on Earth. The core plasma can reach temperatures of hundreds of millions of degrees Celsius, while surrounding structural materials must withstand sudden, intense thermal shocks. Copper and its alloys, owing to their excellent thermal conductivity, are considered capable of serving as "heat sinks" in fusion systems...

2026-08-15

Korea Eximbank to Promote Financial Cooperation with TerraPower on Small Modular Reactors

The Export-Import Bank of Korea (KEXIM) is in talks on financial cooperation with TerraPower, a U.S. next-generation nuclear energy company, with both sides planning to establish a support mechanism centered on the commercialization of small modular reactors (SMRs) and overseas market expansion. According to KEXIM, bank Chairman Hwang Gi-yeon recently met with TerraPower Chairman Bill Gates, and the two sides exchanged views on expanding the global SMR ecosystem and advancing Korea-U.S. next-generation nuclear energy cooperation. TerraPower was founded by Bill Gates in 2008 and focuses on developing next-generation nuclear energy technologies. The company has developed the "Natrium" next-generation reactor using sodium-cooling techn...

2026-08-16

Morocco Conducts 18 Expert Missions with IAEA in 2025, Civil Nuclear Cooperation Expands to African Level

Morocco's cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency is shifting from mere technical assistance to more active participation in regional capacity building. In 2025, Moroccan experts completed 18 international expert missions under the IAEA Technical Cooperation framework, with the agency's assistance to Morocco reaching €1.17 million in the same year. This indicates that Morocco has established a certain foundation in nuclear science, nuclear technology applications, and regulatory capabilities, and is beginning to play a more significant role in Africa's nuclear technology cooperation network. The National Center for Energy, Nuclear Science and Nuclear Technology in Rabat was granted the status of IAEA Collaborating Centre in September 2024, with a cooperation cycle covering 2025 to...

2026-08-15

KHNP Maps Out SMR Security System to Address Drone and Nuclear Material Threats

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) is preparing to establish a new security response system for Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and decommissioned nuclear power plants. Due to their smaller size and more flexible deployment methods, SMRs may be distributed across different regions in the future, and the security risks they face are not entirely identical to those of traditional large-scale nuclear power plants. KHNP plans to launch a research service on physical protection implementation plans related to new nuclear energy projects in September, focusing on assessing risks such as terrorist attacks, external intrusion, theft of nuclear materials, facility sabotage, and drone attacks. Physical protection refers to a nuclear security system established for nuclear materials and nuclear facilities, encompassing prevention, detection, interdiction, and emergency response.

2026-08-15

Public Security Ministry's Economic Security Department holds thematic conference on national security safeguards for nuclear energy in Khanh Hoa Province

On the morning of August 14, the Economic Security Department of the Ministry of Public Security, in coordination with the Khanh Hoa Provincial Police Department, held a thematic conference to assess national security safeguards in the process of Vietnam's nuclear energy development. The conference was co-chaired by Lieutenant General Nguyen Sy Quang, Director of the Economic Security Department of the Ministry of Public Security, and Major General Nguyen Huu Phuc, Director of the Khanh Hoa Provincial Police Department. Representatives from relevant professional units of the Ministry of Public Security, Lam Dong Provincial police authorities, Dong Nai City police authorities, relevant departments of the Khanh Hoa Provincial Police Department, and grassroots police forces in Phuoc Vinh and Vinh Hai attended the conference. The conference focused on discussing the potential impacts of nuclear energy development on national security, social order, and public safety, and assessed the role of nuclear power in Vietnam's national energy development strategy from the perspective of energy security.

2026-08-15