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Finland's Olkiluoto 3 nuclear reactor reduces output by 450 MW due to fault

Finland's largest nuclear reactor, Olkiluoto 3 (OL3), is currently operating at a reduced power level of approximately 300 MW. The unit's normal net power output is around 1,600 MW, and its generation accounts for about 14% of Finland's total electricity demand. According to Teollisuuden Voima (TVO), as reported by Tekniikka & Talous, the power reduction is due to a fault in one of the reactor-side circulation pumps. The damaged circulation pump has been repaired and is under monitoring, and the power level of Unit 3 is expected to return to normal on August 18. The circulation pump's function is to circulate cooling water through the reactor core. Meanwhile, Olkiluoto 2 has also been operating at a reduced power level of approximately 155 MW since mid-July...

2026-08-14

Blue Energy and GVH Advance 2.5 GW Gas-Plus-Nuclear Project in Texas

Blue Energy and GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GVH) announced on August 13 that they have signed an agreement to launch the next phase of deploying a 2.5 GW gas-plus-nuclear power project in Texas, United States. The project is located in Victoria, Texas. Under the agreement, the two parties will advance project engineering, licensing applications, and safety analyses, with a final investment decision planned for 2027. The project is expected to utilize GE Vernova's 7HA.02 gas turbine and GVH's BWRX-300 small modular reactor...

2026-08-14

X-energy says U.S. Department of Energy plans to add up to $1 billion in funding for Texas advanced nuclear reactor project

X-energy CEO Clay Sell said during an earnings call on August 13 that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has informed the company it will add up to $1 billion in public funding for the advanced nuclear energy project it is advancing with Dow Inc. in Texas. Sell stated that total available public funding for the Dow project in Seadrift, Texas, will reach up to $2.15 billion since 2021. The additional funding will carry the same 50-50 cost-sharing requirement as the initial award. The project is supported by the DOE's Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP)...

2026-08-14

First unit of Türkiye's Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant expected to generate power within months

Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar stated on August 13 at the Bosphorus Diplomatic Forum held in Istanbul that the first reactor at Türkiye's Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant is expected to begin generating electricity within the coming months. Bayraktar said that four reactors are currently being constructed simultaneously at the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant, and Türkiye hopes to achieve power generation from the plant's first unit in the coming months. He noted that developing nuclear power has been a long-term goal for Türkiye, and the Akkuyu project will bring Türkiye into the ranks of countries utilizing nuclear energy. Previously, Bayraktar had stated that Türkiye plans to launch the first power unit of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant by the end of this year...

2026-08-14

Doosan Enerbility Secures Manufacturing Contract for Key Equipment for TerraPower's Small Modular Reactor

Doosan Enerbility announced on August 14 that it has signed a manufacturing contract with TerraPower to produce key equipment for the latter's Natrium advanced reactor project. TerraPower, founded by Bill Gates, is one of the advanced nuclear energy technology companies in the United States. Under the contract, Doosan Enerbility will be responsible for manufacturing key components required for the Natrium reactor, including the reactor protection vessel, reactor support structures, and reactor internal structures. The two parties have previously collaborated. In December 2024, Doosan Enerbility and TerraPower signed a manufacturability review contract for key equipment for the first unit of the initial small modular reactor, and...

2026-08-14

Bill Gates Visits South Korea to Deepen SMR Cooperation with Korean Companies

Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, founder of TerraPower, and chairman of the Gates Foundation, visited South Korea on August 13. This marks his first visit to the country since August last year, with the primary agenda of expanding cooperation in the field of small modular reactors (SMRs). At approximately 9:20 p.m. local time on the 13th, Gates arrived at Gimpo Business Aviation Center at Seoul Gimpo Airport via private jet. During his visit, he plans to meet with figures from the South Korean government, the National Assembly, and the business community. It is reported that Gates is scheduled to meet with South Korean Prime Minister Han Seong-sook on the 14th, with the meeting having been proposed by Gates' side...

2026-08-14

Rosatom Says Paks Nuclear Power Plant Expansion Project Progressing as Planned

Alexey Likhachev, Director General of Rosatom, stated that the construction of the Paks nuclear power plant expansion project in Hungary, with Russian participation, is progressing well, and Rosatom is carrying out related work in accordance with the plan agreed upon with the Hungarian owner. Likhachev noted that Russia is fully organizing equipment production for the two new units at the Paks nuclear power plant. Currently, enterprises under Rosatom have initiated manufacturing work related to the reactors for both units. Among these, the forging blanks for the reactor of Unit 5 at the Paks nuclear power plant have been completed, and the shell assembly stage will begin shortly. He also stated that the casting of the reactor blank for Unit 6 at the Paks nuclear power plant is progressing as planned.

2026-08-14

Shimane Nuclear Power Station Unit 2 restarted and reached criticality

Chugoku Electric Power Co. announced on August 13 that it started up the reactor of Unit 2 at the Shimane Nuclear Power Station at 10:00 that day, and the unit reached a critical state at 12:14. Unit 2 of the Shimane Nuclear Power Station is a boiling water reactor with a rated electrical output of 820,000 kilowatts. Criticality refers to the state in which nuclear fission reactions in the reactor core can be sustained, and is one of the key milestones in the unit restart process. According to the plan, the unit will resume power generation, i.e., synchronize the generator to the grid, on August 18, 2026, and is expected to resume commercial operation on September 16, 2026. Chugoku Electric Power Co. stated that it will continue to prioritize safety and steadily advance all subsequent procedures.

2026-08-13

Idaho National Laboratory's Hot Fuel Examination Facility Named U.S. Nuclear Historic Landmark

The American Nuclear Society (ANS) recently designated the Hot Fuel Examination Facility (HFEF) at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) as a Nuclear Historic Landmark. Since becoming operational in 1975, the facility has conducted post-irradiation examination of nuclear fuel and materials, and continues to support research on advanced reactors, commercial nuclear fuel, and related energy security. HFEF is located within the Materials and Fuels Complex (MFC) at Idaho National Laboratory and houses the largest inert-atmosphere hot cell in the United States dedicated to nuclear materials research. The hot cell operates in an argon environment and features approximately 4-foot-thick shielding walls, enabling remote, non-destructive, and high-precision examination of highly irradiated fuel and material samples while reducing worker radiation exposure.

2026-08-13

Jellyfish Blockage Forces Shutdown of French Nuclear Units; Experts Say Shutdown Demonstrates Effectiveness of Safety Systems

France's Gravelines Nuclear Power Plant recently shut down some of its units again after large numbers of jellyfish entered the water intake system. On August 11, reactors 2, 3, and 4 at the plant were forced to shut down due to blockage in the seawater cooling pump system, reactor 1 was reduced to half power operation, reactor 5 was under maintenance at the time, and only reactor 6 continued normal operation. EDF (Électricité de France) stated that the incident had no impact on nuclear safety, personnel, or the environment, and the affected units would be restarted in phases. Located in northern France, the Gravelines Nuclear Power Plant is one of the largest nuclear power plants in Western Europe. Similar situations have occurred before. In the 20...

2026-08-13

South Korea's Wolsong Nuclear Power Plant Units 2, 3, and 4 Pressure Tube Procurement Pushed for Preliminary Feasibility Study Exemption, Sparking Controversy

The lifetime extension issue for South Korea's Wolsong Nuclear Power Plant Units 2, 3, and 4 has not yet been finalized, yet the procurement of pressure tubes—the core equipment—is being pushed to be excluded from the preliminary feasibility study, triggering a direct confrontation between industry circles and environmental groups. The Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power labor union recently submitted a proposal to Democratic Party lawmaker Song Young-gil, requesting that the government grant a preliminary feasibility study exemption for the relevant procurement and initiate ordering at the earliest opportunity. Song subsequently forwarded the opinion to the Office for Government Policy Coordination. It is understood that the government is internally considering submitting the matter as an exemption case for deliberation at the September State Council meeting. Supporters argue that Wolsong Units 2, 3, and 4 are pressurized heavy water reactors, and pressure tubes are critical equipment determining unit operation, from order placement...

2026-08-13

Study Reveals Three-Dimensional Pore Networks Inside Uranium-Zirconium Metallic Nuclear Fuel

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), in collaboration with Idaho National Laboratory (INL), conducted three-dimensional imaging studies on irradiated uranium-10 zirconium metallic fuel, revealing the internal pore networks within the fuel and their relationship with chemical changes and fuel-cladding interactions. The researchers believe these results will help improve metallic fuel performance models, providing references for extending the operating cycles of certain reactors and for the design of next-generation sodium-cooled fast reactor fuel systems. Uranium-10 zirconium (U-10Zr) is a uranium-zirconium alloy metallic fuel containing 10% zirconium, which has been extensively tested in sodium-cooled fast reactors such as Experimental Breeder Reactor II (EBR-II) and the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF). As advanced reactor research and development progresses, this type of metallic fuel has regained attention, but the details of pore formation, swelling, heat transfer, and interactions with cladding materials under reactor irradiation conditions still require further clarification.

2026-08-13

Egypt Plans to Expand Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant, Talks on New Reactors Signal Energy Transition

Egypt's Minister of Electricity Mahmoud Esmat stated that President Sisi has instructed to increase the number of reactors at the Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant. The Egyptian side is in negotiations with relevant companies, planning to add two new reactors to the existing project, with the possibility of increasing to four in the future. This means that the Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant is not only Egypt's first nuclear power project, but may also be further expanded into a core project in the country's energy structure adjustment. Located on the Mediterranean coast of Matrouh Governorate in northwestern Egypt, the Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant currently has plans for 4 nuclear power units, each with an installed capacity of 1,200 megawatts, totaling 4,800 megawatts. According to the timeline previously disclosed by the Egyptian government, the project is expected to begin power generation in 2028...

2026-08-13

Türkiye Maps Out Small Modular Reactors, Targeting 5,000 MW Installed Capacity by 2050

Türkiye is positioning small modular reactors (SMRs) as a new breakthrough in its nuclear energy strategy. Under relevant plans, Türkiye aims to achieve approximately 5,000 MW of SMR installed capacity by 2050, a scale that would surpass the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant project. For Türkiye, which has long sought to reduce its external energy dependence, SMRs are seen as a strategic opportunity combining energy security, industrial upgrading, and technological competitiveness. Compared with traditional large-scale nuclear power plants, SMRs feature smaller installed capacity and more flexible deployment, typically ranging from 10 MW to 300 MW; micro modular reactors below 10 MW are even smaller and can be transported by truck. Reports note that such reactors can be deployed in...

2026-08-13

25 experimental stations of the PIK high-flux nuclear reactor at the Kurchatov Institute to be commissioned in December 2026

At a meeting of the Science and Education Committee, Mikhail Kovalchuk, Director of the National Research Centre "Kurchatov Institute," announced that 25 experimental stations of the PIK high-flux nuclear reactor at the Konstantinov Nuclear Physics Institute in Gatchina, Leningrad Oblast, Russia, will be commissioned in December 2026. According to reports, the project is being implemented pursuant to a presidential decree. Currently, construction of these 25 experimental stations is nearing completion, and the associated waveguide hall is planned to open in December of the same year. As a large-scale research facility, the PIK reactor will provide experimental conditions for related nuclear physics research once its experimental stations are commissioned...

2026-08-13