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India plans to build at least five domestically designed small modular reactors by 2033, and reports on nuclear power plant safety assessments

In a written reply to the Lok Sabha on August 12, Jitendra Singh, India's Minister of State for Atomic Energy, stated that a key objective of the Indian government under its nuclear energy mission is to develop and operationalize at least five domestically designed small modular reactors by 2033. According to the briefing, the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) is advancing the design and development of indigenous small modular reactor (SMR) technology, with projects including the 220 MWe Bharat Small Modular Reactor (BSMR-200) and the 55 MWe SMR-55 for power generation. BARC is also developing a High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (HTGCR) with a capacity of up to 5 MW, which can be coupled with suitable thermochemical cycles for hydrogen production. Singh stated that India...

2026-08-13

Third International Nuclear Science Olympiad Held in Saudi Arabia

From August 2 to 9, 2026, the Third International Nuclear Science Olympiad was held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Sixty secondary school students from 19 countries participated, joining team leaders and representatives from academia and nuclear research institutions for a week of scientific competition, hands-on learning, and cultural exchange activities. The Third International Nuclear Science Olympiad (INSO) was held from August 2 to 9, 2026, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with 60 participants and representatives from academia and nuclear research institutions. (Image: Mawhiba) The event was hosted by the King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity, in cooperation with the Saudi Ministry of Education,...

2026-08-13

International Team Determines Critical Safety Parameter Ranges for Magnetic Liquid Cooling Systems

South Ural State University (SUSU) recently announced that researchers from its Polytechnic Institute, in collaboration with colleagues from Moscow and Baghdad, have determined the safe and unsafe ranges of the Hartmann number and Brinkman number in magnetic liquid cooling systems. Based on this, they developed a computer program to optimize the operation of high-power heat exchangers in devices such as supercomputers and nuclear reactors. According to the introduction, this research focuses on two key parameters in magnetohydrodynamics: the Hartmann number characterizes the resistance exerted by a magnetic field on fluid motion, while the Brinkman number reflects the internal heat generated by the fluid due to viscous effects and electrical resistance. The researchers noted that under specific conditions, a strong magnetic field does not necessarily...

2026-08-13

IAEA Expert Team Acknowledges Safety Progress of Philippine Research Reactor

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) conducted a follow-up Integrated Safety Assessment of Research Reactors (INSARR) mission to the Philippine Research Reactor-1 (PRR-1) Subcritical Assembly for Training, Education and Research (SATER) facility in Quezon City, approximately 10 kilometers northeast of Manila, Philippines, from August 10 to 12, 2026. The review was conducted at the request of the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) to examine the implementation status of safety recommendations made during the initial INSARR mission in 2023. The mission team consisted of two experts from Romania and the United States, along with one IAEA official. During the visit, they conducted an on-site inspection of the assembly facility, reviewed relevant documents, and engaged with the facility's management, operations, and technical staff...

2026-08-13

Aegis to Develop Digital Twin Control Platform for Marine Nuclear Hybrid Energy with Ontario Tech University

Aegis Critical Energy Defence Corp. announced on August 12 that it will undertake a multi-year research collaboration with Ontario Tech University through the Mitacs Accelerate program. The project, valued at CAD 480,000, aims to develop and test a digital twin-based control platform to support the safe, reliable, and robust operation of small modular reactor and micro modular reactor (SMR/MMR) hybrid energy systems in marine environments. Under the project arrangement, the research team will simulate changing loads, system faults, and...

2026-08-13

South Korea Sets 2035 Commercialization Target for Small Modular Reactors

The Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) of South Korea announced on August 12 its "Seven Future Growth Engines SEED" promotion plan, designating small modular reactors, nuclear fusion, and next-generation renewable energy as key focus areas for the future clean energy sector. Among these, nuclear power-related content primarily centers on the commercialization of small modular reactors, research and development of non-light water reactor-type reactors, nuclear fuel supply security, and fusion demonstration power generation. According to the plan, South Korea will advance the development of light water reactor-type small modular reactors, targeting commercialization in Gijang County, Busan by 2035. The innovative small modular reactor (i-SMR) will undergo detailed design through public-private cooperation starting next year...

2026-08-13

HD Hyundai Chairman to Meet Bill Gates to Advance SMR Cooperation

HD Hyundai Chairman Chung Ki-sun will meet Bill Gates, who is visiting South Korea, on August 14, with the two sides planning discussions on cooperation in small modular reactors (SMRs). Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, also serves as chairman of TerraPower, a U.S. small modular reactor company. This will be the latest round of communication between Chung and Gates on related cooperation, following their meeting earlier this year at the Davos Forum in Switzerland. HD Hyundai and TerraPower have been steadily strengthening cooperation in SMR and advanced reactor manufacturing in recent years. In November 2022, HD Korea Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering invested $30 million in TerraPower. In December 2024, HD Hyundai secured an order to manufacture the reactor vessel for TerraPower's 345 MW sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR) to be built in Wyoming, U.S.

2026-08-13

Completion of World's First Domestic CAP1000 50Hz Canned Motor Reactor Coolant Pump for Guangdong Lianjiang Nuclear Power Phase I

Recently, the world's first domestically manufactured CAP1000 50Hz canned motor reactor coolant pump for the Guangdong Lianjiang Nuclear Power Phase I project was successfully completed and ready for shipment. The completion of this equipment marks significant new progress in the independent development and localization of China's Generation III nuclear power core equipment. Harbin Electric Group provided the canned motor for this reactor coolant pump. The Guangdong Lianjiang Nuclear Power Phase I project plans to construct two domestically developed CAP1000 Generation III passive pressurized water reactor units, each with a single-unit capacity of 1.25 million kilowatts. The project is based on the independent CAP1000 Generation III passive nuclear power technology, adopts a seawater secondary circulation cooling scheme, promotes the coordinated development of nuclear power development and coastal ecological protection, and serves the green and low-carbon development needs of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. This...

2026-08-13

Australia's OPAL Multipurpose Reactor Marks 20 Years of Operation: Supporting Nuclear Medicine, Industrial Silicon Irradiation, and Neutron Science

The OPAL multipurpose reactor at the Lucas Heights campus of the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), located south of Sydney, has marked the 20th anniversary of achieving first criticality. On August 12, 2006, OPAL achieved a self-sustaining controlled nuclear chain reaction, marking the facility's transition from the construction phase to the scientific operations phase. ANSTO stated that over the past 20 years, OPAL has become one of Australia's key nuclear science infrastructures, serving multiple fields including medicine, industry, and scientific research. OPAL is not a power reactor and is not used for electricity generation. According to available information, Australian federal law and relevant state and territory legislation prohibit the construction of nuclear power reactors, fuel fabrication, and waste disposal facilities. Unlike power reactors used for...

2026-08-12

Kazakhstan's National Nuclear Center Advances Material Testing Research for Future Reactors

On August 11, the National Nuclear Center of the Republic of Kazakhstan presented its progress in research on structural materials for advanced reactors. Yerzhan Ernatuly Sapataev, head of the Radiation Materials Science Laboratory at the center's Institute of Atomic Energy, stated that the development of next-generation reactors and fusion technologies has imposed higher requirements on structural materials in terms of high-temperature resistance, radiation tolerance, and corrosion resistance, and that material reliability will directly determine the safety and service life of future nuclear energy systems. Materials inside future reactors typically need to...

2026-08-12

"High-Precision Analysis Technology and Engineering Application of Multi-Physics, Multi-Scale, Strongly Coupled High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor" Passes Scientific and Technological Achievement Appraisal, Reaching Internationally Leading Level

On August 7, the China Nuclear Energy Association organized a scientific and technological achievement appraisal meeting in Beijing for the high-precision analysis technology and engineering application of multi-physics, multi-scale, strongly coupled high-temperature gas-cooled reactors. Ye Qizhen, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, served as the leader of the project review panel. The expert group unanimously agreed to pass the achievement appraisal, recognizing it as reaching an internationally leading level. Xu Weiqiang, General Manager of the Nuclear Energy Research Institute, attended the meeting, and Liu Wei, Director of the Reactor Engineering Institute, delivered a special report. This achievement was completed through five years of joint research by Huaneng Nuclear Energy Technology Research Institute and Xi'an Jiaotong University, targeting world-class challenges such as strong multi-physics coupling in the core of pebble-bed high-temperature gas-cooled reactors, limited in-core temperature measurement points, and complex bypass flow paths. For the first time internationally, it established...

2026-08-12

Poland Plans State Capital Injection to Accelerate GE Vernova Hitachi SMR Deployment

The Polish government is seeking to accelerate the development of small modular reactor (SMR) projects. Polish Energy Minister Miłosz Motyka stated that the government is in negotiations regarding the Polish Development Fund (PFR) taking a stake in Orlen Synthos Green Energy (OSGE), with a focus on restructuring the company's shareholding. OSGE, jointly established by Polish energy giant Orlen and chemical company Synthos, plans to build a cluster of small nuclear reactors using GE Vernova Hitachi technology from the United States. Motyka noted that the core of the current negotiations is to avoid deadlock in corporate governance. If one company holds a 50% stake, the other party or other shareholders may find it difficult to form effective checks and balances on key decisions...

2026-08-12

India's Bihar signs memorandum of understanding for $2.3 billion small modular reactor project

The government of Bihar, India recently signed investment memorandums of understanding totaling approximately $6 billion (about €5.2 billion) with several industrial enterprises, covering sectors such as steel, textiles, food processing, pharmaceuticals, and nuclear energy. Among these, the nuclear energy project investment amounts to approximately $2.3 billion, making it the largest investment proposal among the signed agreements. According to a statement issued by the office of Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, Global Renewable Advanced Clean Energy, a recently registered company headquartered in Hyderabad in central India, signed the nuclear energy memorandum of understanding. Further details...

2026-08-12

Russia Approves Chinese Academy of Sciences' Accession to International Research Organization at PIK Reactor

Mikhail Kovalchuk, Director of the Kurchatov Institute National Research Centre in Russia, recently stated that Russia has approved the Chinese Academy of Sciences' accession to the International Centre for Synchrotron Radiation, Neutron and Laser Research, which is being established around the PIK high-flux research reactor. Speaking at a meeting of the Science and Education Committee held in Novosibirsk, Kovalchuk said that three Chinese institutions have successively submitted applications to join the international organization, with the application from the Chinese Academy of Sciences having completed review and received approval. In June of this year, he had indicated that the Chinese side was interested in participating in this international research cooperation mechanism. The PIK high-flux research reactor is located in Gatchina, Russia, and was developed by the Konstantinov Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute...

2026-08-12

U.S. Moves to Relax Oversight of Small Maritime Nuclear Reactors, Promoting Civilian Floating Nuclear Energy Applications

The U.S. government is pushing to remove or simplify regulatory barriers to deploying civilian nuclear reactors on floating platforms and vessels, aiming to pave the way for small modular reactors to enter maritime shipping and offshore energy applications. The relevant topics will be highlighted during the International Atomic Energy Agency's ATLAS initiative event from August 26 to 27, with the U.S. also planning to showcase reactor technologies suitable for waterborne operations. The day prior, the U.S. will host an industry day, inviting nuclear and maritime sector companies to present their solutions. This move reflects the strategic importance the U.S. energy sector places on small modular reactors. Compared to traditional large-scale nuclear power plants, small modular reactors emphasize high energy density,...

2026-08-12