Search Results

U.S. ZC Institute Unveils "Kardashev One" Fusion Prototype Reactor Plan to Independently Test Neutron Recovery Concept

ZC Institute, a fusion energy company headquartered in Atlanta, USA, announced on September 4 the launch of the Kardashev One program, aiming to develop a fusion prototype reactor to explore recovering energy lost to radiation and neutron escape during fusion reactions. As an early validation step of the program, ZC Institute has commissioned Professor Jason Cassibry and his team at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) to conduct independent testing of the related field distortion technology. According to ZC Institute, existing fusion approaches, including inertial confinement fusion and magnetic confinement fusion, lose energy in forms such as electromagnetic radiation and neutron escape. Magnetic fields can confine charged...

2026-09-05

U.S. NANO Nuclear and Enveniam to Advance Microreactor and Nuclear Fuel Cycle Cooperation

U.S. advanced nuclear energy company NANO Nuclear Energy Inc. announced on September 4 that it has signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding with Enveniam, LLC, a project integration and engineering technology services provider, to explore cooperation in areas such as nuclear fuel cycle infrastructure, microreactor commercialization, advanced manufacturing, and end-user energy solutions. Under the MOU, the parties will evaluate how to leverage Enveniam's experience in nuclear engineering, project integration, safety analysis, licensing support, project controls, operational readiness, and complex energy infrastructure development to support NANO Nuclear...

2026-09-05

U.S. Completes Mechanical Property Measurements of Irradiated HALEU TRISO Fuel Particles

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have completed mechanical property measurements of irradiated high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) TRISO fuel particles, providing new experimental data for the development and qualification of next-generation nuclear fuels. This is an optical cross-sectional image of an irradiated AGR-2 TRISO fuel particle in the Irradiated Fuels Examination Laboratory at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Image credit: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy. TRISO fuel, or tri-structural isotropic fuel, features particles coated with multiple protective layers, typically including pyrolytic carbon layers and a silicon carbide layer. This structure provides strong fission product retention capability and is considered one of the key fuel options for advanced reactors, particularly high-temperature gas-cooled reactors. Understanding the property changes of these coatings after irradiation is a critical step in predicting fuel performance under reactor operating conditions.

2026-09-04

Sweden's First New Nuclear Reactor Could Be Operational by Mid-2030s

Sweden's Minister for Energy and Industry, Ebba Busch, who also leads the Christian Democrats (KD), stated at a public hearing on September 3 that the country's first newly built nuclear reactor could be operational by the mid-2030s. When asked when the new nuclear unit could be connected to the grid, Busch indicated the mid-2030s. She also noted that the new nuclear project would not rely on direct state funding. However, the Swedish government has previously prepared a support framework for new nuclear construction. The arrangements could involve financial support amounting to hundreds of billions of Swedish kronor, including loans and electricity price guarantees totaling approximately 400 billion Swedish kronor. Busch stated that this is indeed a substantial sum, but its nature is that of loans and price hedging arrangements targeting critical infrastructure.

2026-09-04

Iowa Releases Final Report of Nuclear Energy Task Force

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds announced on September 3 that the Iowa Nuclear Energy Task Force has completed its final report. The task force was established in January of this year under Executive Order No. 17, with the mission of assessing opportunities for advancing nuclear energy technology and related infrastructure development in Iowa. The task force is composed of representatives from utility companies, power generators, local governments, academia, the Iowa Utilities Commission, industry associations, national laboratories, and the state legislature, and is supported by the Iowa Economic Develop...

2026-09-04

Pre-commissioning WANO Peer Review Launched at Türkiye's Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant

The planning phase of the pre-commissioning peer review by the World Association of Nuclear Operators Moscow Centre (WANO-MC) has been launched at the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) site in Türkiye. The plant, being constructed by Rosatom, is the first nuclear power plant under construction in Türkiye. This mission focuses primarily on Unit 1 of the Akkuyu NPP. Upon completion of the review, the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO) will conduct an independent assessment of the operational readiness of the unit's systems, equipment, and operating personnel, providing a reference for the subsequent safe operation of the unit. The review is led by Wang Tingkui, head of the WANO-MC Crew Performance Observation (CPO) and peer review team. According to...

2026-09-04

Seoul National University of Science and Technology and Doosan Enerbility Deepen Nuclear Design Cooperation

Seoul National University of Science and Technology (SeoulTech) and Doosan Enerbility recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to conduct industry-academia cooperation in next-generation nuclear power plants, small modular reactors (SMRs), and core nuclear equipment technologies, aiming to enhance competitiveness in nuclear design technology and jointly cultivate specialized research talent. The signing ceremony was held on September 2 at SeoulTech. Attendees included Seo Young-bin, Senior Vice President of Nuclear Design at Doosan Enerbility, Kim Jong-in, Department Head, along with relevant university officials. Under the MOU, the two parties will integrate the university's research capabilities with the company's expertise in nuclear power...

2026-09-04

Key steam turbine components for UK Rolls-Royce SMRs to be produced in Newcastle

Key steam turbine components for the first three small modular reactors planned by Rolls-Royce SMR for the Wylfa project on Anglesey, North Wales, will be manufactured in the UK. Siemens Energy's Newcastle facility will undertake the production of components including high-pressure turbines and valve casings. This marks the first time in Europe that such components have been produced domestically for small modular reactors. Under the arrangement, the Siemens Energy Newcastle facility is also planned to become the company's key component service centre for the Rolls-Royce SMR UK project fleet. The facility is located on the historic...

2026-09-04

South Korea Exports Molten Salt Reactor R&D Technology to Denmark

The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) announced on September 4 that it has signed a two-year contract worth USD 2.26 million (approximately KRW 3 billion) with Danish nuclear energy company Saltforce to provide molten salt reactor-related R&D services, covering areas such as nuclear fuel manufacturing, molten salt testing, and material corrosion assessment. Molten salt reactors are a class of next-generation reactors that typically use high-temperature molten salt as a fuel carrier or coolant medium. Based on the molten salt chemical system, this type of technology is mainly divided into fluoride-based and chloride-based systems. Under the contract arrangement, KAERI will provide support for the fluoride-based...

2026-09-04

US NANO Nuclear KRONOS MMR Main Helium Circulator Enters Detailed Design Phase

NANO Nuclear Energy Inc. announced on September 3 that new progress has been made in the development of the main helium circulator for its KRONOS MMR energy system. The engineering collaboration with Howden, a Baker Hughes company, has advanced from preliminary engineering design to the detailed design phase. The main helium circulator is a critical mechanical subsystem of the KRONOS MMR energy system, primarily responsible for driving the helium coolant circulation within the reactor to efficiently transfer heat generated in the core to downstream systems. The performance of this equipment directly affects the reactor's thermal-hydraulic performance, overall efficiency, and long-term operational reliability. According to NANO Nuclear...

2026-09-04

KN Energies joins Baltic Energy Initiative

Lithuanian international energy terminal operator KN Energies announced on September 3 that it has joined the Baltic Energy Initiative launched by Poland's ORLEN Group. The initiative currently brings together 14 energy companies and institutions from 9 countries in Northern and Central Europe, with plans to enhance energy security, infrastructure resilience, and industrial competitiveness in the Baltic Sea region through regional cooperation. Under the relevant arrangements, the Baltic Energy Initiative will serve as a cross-border cooperation platform, promoting the sharing of professional expertise among members and the joint development of energy projects with regional impact. Key areas of cooperation include offshore wind, liquefied natural gas and bio-LNG market integration, regional hydrogen...

2026-09-04

Sweden's 1.2 GW BWRX-300 Nuclear Power Project Identifies Strategic Partners

Studsvik AB announced on September 3 that it has selected GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy and Samsung C&T as strategic partners for its first nuclear power project in Sweden following a competitive evaluation. The project is planned to proceed at Studsvik's existing licensed site in Nyköping or at the Målma site in Valdemarsvik. Under the arrangement, the parties will work with GE Vernova's financial services business and DS Investment Partners to advance Sweden's first nuclear power project comprising four BWRX-300 units, ...

2026-09-03

Romania's Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant unlikely to restart before September 10

Romania's Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant is expected to be unable to resume operations before September 10. Cristian Bușoi, State Secretary of the Romanian Ministry of Energy, stated that although the Danube River flow is recovering, water levels around the plant have not yet reached the conditions required for a safe and stable restart. In a recent interview, Bușoi said that to avoid creating unrealistic expectations, it can currently be confirmed that the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant does not yet meet the conditions for restart before September 10. He explained that the plant's operation depends on a stable water source to ensure the reactor...

2026-09-03

U.S. Think Tank Recommends European Nuclear Power Adjust Cooling Configurations to Address High Temperatures and Drought

The U.S. Boston-based think tank Clean Air Task Force (CATF) recently stated that extreme heat and drought are placing new pressure on Europe's energy infrastructure, with nuclear power plant operations also affected. The organization believes the nuclear industry needs to place greater emphasis on climate resilience in energy planning and assess the impact of different cooling configurations on long-term plant operations. CATF noted that for nuclear power plants, temperature changes, water resource availability, environmental conditions, and related regulatory requirements over the coming decades could all affect unit operations. The selection of cooling schemes for nuclear power plants should be determined based on site-specific conditions, including local water resource availability, environmental regulations, geographical conditions...

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