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IAEA Director General Unveils Upcoming New Initiative on Maritime Nuclear Energy

Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), recently stated that the Agency is preparing to launch a new initiative to promote the application of civilian nuclear technology in maritime settings. The initiative, named Atomic Technology Licensing for Maritime Applications (ATLAS), will be officially unveiled at an IAEA ministerial event scheduled for August 26-27 in Washington, D.C., United States. The initiative aims to support the deployment of maritime civilian nuclear applications such as nuclear-powered ships and floating nuclear power plants, while facilitating alignment in licensing and regulatory efforts. Grossi stated that the ATLAS initiative could support global trade and help provide energy to remote communities and industrial users...

2026-08-26

South Korean lawmaker calls for heavy ion therapy center in Daejeon to ease regional cancer treatment disparities

South Korean lawmaker Park Yong-gap recently called on the government to support the construction of a heavy ion therapy center in the central region of Daejeon, aiming to improve access to advanced radiation therapy for cancer patients outside the capital area and promote a balanced distribution of regional medical resources. Park stated that heavy ion therapy centers are often referred to as "dream cancer treatment centers." Compared with conventional radiation therapy, heavy ion therapy and proton therapy can target cancer cells more precisely while minimizing impact on surrounding normal tissues, making them advanced particle therapy technologies drawing attention in the current cancer treatment field. According to him, the relevant treatment centers currently in operation in South Korea are mainly concentrated in the capital area, including the heavy ion therapy center at Sinchon Severance Hospital of Yonsei University...

2026-08-26

Ontario Allocates Funding for Community Consultation on Lambton Nuclear Power Proposal

The Government of Ontario will invest CAD 500,000 to conduct further consultation with the Corunna community in Lambton County, southwestern Ontario, regarding a new power generation project. The project is proposed for the site of the decommissioned Lambton coal-fired power station, where future energy options will be compared and discussed between nuclear and natural gas. Under the arrangement, these funds will support local municipalities, Indigenous communities, and affected residents in participating in the consultation. Ontario Energy Minister Stephen Lecce stated that the province favors the development of clean energy and high-output power generation...

2026-08-26

Jamaica Launches Graduate Training Program in Radiation Protection and Safety, Poised to Become a Regional Center of Excellence in the Caribbean

Jamaica's newly established graduate training program in radiation protection and safety is being viewed as an important platform for enhancing nuclear technology safety capabilities in the Caribbean region. Chris Ardouin, an International Atomic Energy Agency expert and Senior Scientist and Technical Manager of Public Health and Forensic Science at the National Radiation Science Centre of New Zealand, stated that the program demonstrates Jamaica's potential to become a regional center of excellence for radiation protection and safety training. The six-month program, implemented as the first graduate education course in radiation protection and safety under the framework of the University of the West Indies' short-term academic resources, is currently training 12 professionals from seven CARICOM member states, with a focus on enhancing regional...

2026-08-26

China's Huanliu-4 High-Temperature Superconducting Magnet Development Roadmap Clarified

On August 25, during the 2026 Fusion Energy Conference and Fusion Energy Activity Week, the Yangtze River Delta Innovation Consortium, led by China Fusion Energy Co., Ltd., has clarified its development targets for high-temperature superconducting high-field tokamak magnets: to build the first 25T high-temperature superconducting high-field magnet development and testing line by 2028, and to complete prototype magnet development by 2030. The consortium is led by China Fusion Energy Co., Ltd., with members including Shanghai Superconductor, Eastern Superconductor, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai Electric Nuclear Power Group, Chaoci Xinneng, Energy Singularity, Hangyang Group, and Yixi Technology. The consortium will focus on building high-temperature superconducting high-field tokamak magnet development capabilities and engineering technology systems to provide key technical support for the subsequent construction of China's Huanliu-4.

2026-08-26

U.S. NRIC Selects 13 Nuclear Energy Launch Pad Projects

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s National Reactor Innovation Center (NRIC) announced on August 24 that 13 new projects have been selected for the Nuclear Energy Launch Pad program. NRIC is based at Idaho National Laboratory (INL). NRIC Director Brad Tomer stated that this round of selections reflects developers' growing commitment to advancing related technologies. The program will provide companies with a priority pathway to DOE authorization, as well as access to expert resources, facility conditions, and targeted regulatory support to adv...

2026-08-26

Two production lines at radiopharmaceutical plant in Russia's Kaluga Region enter trial production

Rosatom recently announced that two production lines at its modern radiopharmaceutical manufacturing facility in the Kaluga Region have entered trial production. The facility, built in accordance with the Eurasian Economic Union's international Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards, is equipped with high-level production equipment and is designed to supply safe, quality-controlled radiopharmaceuticals to the market. According to reports, Rosatom's subsidiary enterprises currently produce more than ten registered diagnostic and therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals, involving isotopes such as iodine-123, iodine-131, technetium-99m, and samarium-153. The new plant's production plan is based on the demand for radioisotope products from Russian medical institutions through 2030. The company...

2026-08-26

South Korea's Gijang County and KHNP Discuss Communication Issues with Residents near Kori Nuclear Power Plant

Gijang County, Busan, South Korea, said on August 25 that it held talks with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) that day on pending issues related to the Kori Nuclear Power Plant, focusing on resident communication, allocation of co-prosperity support funds, dry cask storage facilities for spent fuel, and the small modular reactor project. According to Gijang County, KHNP President Kim Hoe-cheon visited the Gijang County government that day and met with County Governor Woo Sung-bin. Since taking office on March 18, Kim Hoe-cheon has been visiting nuclear power plant sites to understand local concerns, and this visit to Gijang County, the site of the Kori Nuclear Power Plant, is part of that ongoing communication effort...

2026-08-26

U.S. Submits Civil Nuclear Agreement with Saudi Arabia to Congress for Review

U.S. government officials said on August 25 that President Donald Trump has submitted a proposed civil nuclear energy agreement with Saudi Arabia to Congress for review. The agreement, reached in July this year, includes provisions allowing U.S. companies to export civil nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia. Under the relevant procedures, Congress will have 90 session days to review the agreement. Two congressional sources said the agreement has been submitted to congressional leadership and is expected to be referred to relevant committees for consideration. If Congress raises no objections within the specified period, the agreement will enter into effect; if Congress rejects the agreement, Trump may still exercise his veto power, and Congress would need a two-thirds majority to override the presidential veto...

2026-08-26

Netherlands advances front-end engineering design for two new nuclear power plants

The Netherlands Nuclear Organization (NEO NL) has awarded contracts to Électricité de France (EDF) and Westinghouse Electric Company (Westinghouse) to conduct design studies for two proposed new nuclear power plants in the Netherlands. The work is seen as the next step in the construction preparation phase, with both companies set to launch the first phase of studies after the summer. These design studies, internationally referred to as Front-End Engineering Design Phase 1 (FEED 1), will be implemented in two stages. The first stage, FEED 1a, is independent of specific plant site selection, allowing work to proceed while the Dutch government advances its siting process...

2026-08-26

Singapore team develops deuterated silicon nitride waveguides for wafer-scale broadband light generation

A research team from the Singapore University of Technology and Design and the Institute of Microelectronics at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) in Singapore has recently developed a low-loss deuterated silicon nitride waveguide capable of on-chip broadband light generation. By replacing hydrogen with its heavier isotope deuterium, the team fabricated silicon nitride waveguides at low temperatures, demonstrating potential for integration with CMOS-compatible semiconductor processes and wafer-scale mass production. The related paper, "Octave-spanning supercontinuum generation in wafer-scale low-loss deuterated silicon nitride waveguides," was published in *Optics Letters*. The study shows that this chip-scale waveguide can broaden infrared laser pulses to cover a spectral range from visible red light to deep infrared. Traditionally, silicon nitride thin films are grown from silane gas, and residual silicon-hydrogen bonds in the material absorb light in the telecommunications band, requiring high-temperature annealing that is incompatible with integrated electronic circuits.

2026-08-26

South Korea Develops AI Model for Prioritizing Post-Earthquake Inspections at Nuclear Facilities

A joint research team from the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS) and Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) has developed a deep learning model that can assist nuclear facilities in rapidly identifying priority inspection areas after an earthquake. The model uses seismic wave signals collected from a single seismometer to predict in real time the vibration responses at multiple locations within a nuclear power plant and quantitatively ranks potential risks. The research was jointly conducted by the team of Jae-Beom Lee, senior researcher at KRISS, and Young-Ju Lee, professor at UNIST. The researchers stated that this technology can, without installing sensors at every critical location...

2026-08-26

South Korean 3D-Printed Nuclear Power Plant Component Operates Continuously for 18 Months

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) announced on August 26 that a nuclear power plant component manufactured using 3D printing technology has been in continuous operation for 18 months on a reactor unit. This marks the first time South Korea has completed long-term operational validation of a 3D-printed nuclear power plant component in actual service. The component is a multi-blade impeller used to cool the generator circuit breaker of a nuclear power plant. Traditional impellers typically consist of multiple blades mounted on a fixed plate, and the connection points between the fixed plate and blades are at risk of damage during long-term operation. KHNP completed the development of this impeller in 2024, switching to 3D printing to manufacture an integrated one-piece structure, thereby reducing weak connection points and improving component durability. Before being put into service, this 3D-printed impeller underwent...

2026-08-26

Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant Loses External Power for Six Days

On August 25 local time, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) stated that it had lost external power since August 20 and had been relying on backup diesel generators to meet on-site electricity demand for six consecutive days. The plant's existing fuel reserves can still ensure operation, but difficulties in fuel resupply have not yet significantly eased. Yevgeniya Yashina, head of communications at ZNPP, stated that plant staff are monitoring nuclear safety parameters and the operation of backup diesel generator units around the clock. She noted that fuel transportation still faces difficulties due to shelling on roads leading to the plant; to improve the efficiency of existing reserve utilization, the plant has optimized the operation of diesel generators...

2026-08-26

Japan's Mihama Nuclear Power Plant Unit 3 Receives Preliminary Approval for Operation Plan Beyond 50 Years

On August 25, Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) gave preliminary approval to Kansai Electric Power Co. (KEPCO) for the long-term facility management plan for Unit 3 of the Mihama Nuclear Power Plant. Located in Mihama Town, Fukui Prefecture, the unit will mark its 50th anniversary of commercial operation on December 1. In May of this year, the metal top cover of the high-pressure turbine at Mihama Unit 3 suffered damage, resulting in steam leakage. At the NRA meeting held that day, KEPCO explained that the cause of the incident was believed to be thinning of the inner wall of the top cover due to steam flow. The company stated that this phenomenon falls under previously anticipated aging and degradation management for turbine equipment, and that the existing plan already includes corresponding management measures. Visual inspection and other examination methods were also deemed applicable, thus no revision to the long-term facility management plan was required.

2026-08-26