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Multinational Team Reveals Mechanisms of Lithiation in Modulating the Structural and Electronic Properties of Borophene Using Synchrotron Techniques

A research team from the Institute of Physics in Zagreb, Croatia, Elettra Synchrotron in Trieste, Italy, Shimane University, and Tokyo University of Science recently conducted a study on the interaction between lithium atoms and borophene, revealing the mechanisms by which lithiation affects the atomic structure and electronic properties of borophene. The findings were published in *ACS Nano* and selected as the journal cover article. (a) Shift of the B 1s core level toward higher binding energy; (b) reduction of the sample work function due to charge transfer from Li atoms to B atoms; (c) lithium atoms (yellow) deposited on borophene (magenta) induce deformation of the borophene lattice, attributed to significant charge redistribution within the system...

2026-08-03

Danube Water Levels Continue to Drop, Putting Pressure on Romania's Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant Operations

Romanian official Sorin Lindasu said on August 1 that if the Danube River water level continues to decline, the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant in Constanța County, southeastern Romania, may only be able to continue operating for 4 to 5 days. To ensure the water level required for continuous plant operation, relevant parties have begun implementing hydraulic engineering works on the Danube. Lindasu stated that the Danube water level is currently dropping at a rate of about 2 to 3 centimeters per day. A flow rate of 1,590 cubic meters per second has been recorded at the Baziaș inlet where the Danube enters Romanian territory, and this figure is expected to continue declining, potentially falling to about 1,450 cubic meters per second by August 7. Under these conditions, Cernavodă...

2026-08-03

Units 3 and 4 of Dukovany Nuclear Power Plant to Undergo Joint Maintenance of Shared Systems

Dukovany Nuclear Power Plant staff will initiate a planned extended outage for Unit 4 on the evening of August 1, while Unit 3 will remain in its outage state. Both units will be offline simultaneously in August, and the plant will use this window to conduct comprehensive inspections, maintenance, and modernization of the shared facilities of Units 3 and 4. Bohdan Zronek, member of the Board of Directors of ČEZ Group and head of the nuclear energy division, stated that the simultaneous shutdown of Units 3 and 4 at Dukovany will place the plant under an intensive work schedule over the coming weeks. Experts from ČEZ and its suppliers will handle hundreds of tasks, and the effectiveness of the outage work depends on precise coordination across all stages. According to...

2026-08-01

Portuguese Parliament Advised to Assess Feasibility of Small Modular Reactors in the Country

On July 30, the Portuguese Parliament received a draft resolution recommending that the government adopt a pro-nuclear stance and conduct an assessment of the feasibility of using small modular reactors in the country. The draft emphasizes that, against the backdrop of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, successive wars in the Middle East, and the increasing fragility of international supply routes, energy security is no longer merely an economic or environmental issue but a core element of national sovereignty and strategic autonomy. Portugal should not ideologically exclude any low-carbon technology without objective research. The draft resolution points out that Portugal's current energy policy should balance supply security, economic competitiveness, consumer protection, and emission reduction goals, without preemptively rejecting any technology that could contribute to these...

2026-08-01

Follow-up consultations on ROK-US nuclear-powered submarine and nuclear cooperation agreement progress slowly

According to a South Korean diplomatic source on July 31, South Korea and the United States have yet to finalize the schedule for the second working-level consultation, and the follow-up talks originally planned for July have not yet taken place. The consultations are aimed at implementing the security-related agreements outlined in the joint statement issued at last year's summit between the two countries, including South Korea's introduction of nuclear-powered submarines and the revision of nuclear cooperation arrangements regarding uranium enrichment and spent nuclear fuel reprocessing. The two sides previously held their first working-level consultation in Seoul on the 2nd and 3rd of last month. U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker led a cross-agency delegation to South Korea at the time to discuss the implementation of the security agreement with the South Korean side. Observers...

2026-08-02

Russia Suspends Payments to Nuclear Agency, Redirects Funds to Rosatom

The Russian government has decided to continue suspending membership fee payments to the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) under the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), redirecting the funds to Rosatom, Russia's state atomic energy corporation. According to the latest resolution, approximately 61.3 million rubles (equivalent to nearly $773,500) originally allocated for the 2026 NEA membership fees will be reallocated to Rosatom. This marks the second consecutive year Russia has failed to fulfill its financial obligations to the agency. As early as 2025, Moscow had already ceased paying membership fees, following the suspension of its membership. Russia's membership in the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency was suspended in May 2022, which occurred following the...

2026-08-01

NEA Advances SFCOMPO Database Upgrade to Support Spent Nuclear Fuel Nuclide Inventory and Decay Heat Validation

The Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) held the ninth annual meeting of the Technical Review Group (TRG) for the International Spent Nuclear Fuel Analysis Data Database (SFCOMPO) on July 9 in Boulogne-Billancourt, France. Thirty-three experts from research institutions, regulatory bodies, waste management organizations, and industry across 12 countries attended the meeting. The experimental and evaluated data contained in SFCOMPO are primarily used to validate computational tools related to nuclear safety and the nuclear fuel cycle, with applications including reactor physics, criticality safety, radiation shielding, and radioactive waste management. Accurate characterization of spent nuclear fuel is an essential foundation for supporting decisions on storage, transportation, reprocessing, and disposal, and is also relevant to...

2026-08-01

Japan's Chugoku Electric Power swings to loss in FY2026 Q1 as nuclear shutdown raises costs

Japan's Chugoku Electric Power Co. announced its consolidated financial results for the first quarter (April-June) of fiscal year 2026 on July 31. During the reporting period, the company's sales increased 4.4% year-on-year to 343.9 billion yen, up 14.3 billion yen from the same period last year, mainly driven by growth in electricity sales volume. Profit performance, however, came under significant pressure. The company posted an operating loss of 5.3 billion yen, an ordinary loss of 3.2 billion yen, and a net loss of 3.7 billion yen for the first quarter, compared with a net profit of 26.8 billion yen in the same period last year, a year-on-year decrease of 30.5 billion yen. This marks the first time since the first quarter of fiscal year 2022 that the company has recorded simultaneous losses in operating profit, ordinary profit, and net profit over a four-year period. The company stated...

2026-08-02

Danube water levels continue to decline, Unit 4 of Hungary's Paks Nuclear Power Plant reduces power output

Affected by persistent drought, water levels of the Danube in Hungary have dropped to low levels, impacting the operation of the Paks Nuclear Power Plant, which relies on Danube water for cooling. The plant's operator announced on July 31 that, due to a further drop in the water level at the Paks section to -126 cm, experts would reduce the power output of Unit 4 by 50% starting from 22:45 local time on July 31. The Paks Nuclear Power Plant is Hungary's only operating nuclear power plant, generating approximately half of the country's total electricity. Earlier announcements had mentioned that, due to the extremely low Danube water level, shutdowns of some units at the plant had become difficult to avoid. Peter Magyar stated on social media on July 30...

2026-08-01

Canadian nuclear fuel supplier Cameco announces Westinghouse Electric IPO plan

Canadian nuclear fuel supplier Cameco Corporation has announced that its joint venture, Westinghouse Electric Company, has confidentially submitted a preliminary registration statement for a proposed initial public offering. The IPO aims to further advance Westinghouse's business development in the nuclear power sector and bring new sources of funding to the company. Currently, Cameco holds a 49% stake in Westinghouse, with Brookfield Renewable Partners owning the remaining 51%. Westinghouse is one of the world's largest nuclear services companies and the supplier of the world's first commercial pressurized water reactor (PWR). Its technology platform covers the entire nuclear power value chain, with 41 of the...

2026-08-01

The Second Symposium on Frontier Issues of Ion-Matter Interactions Successfully Held at the School of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of South China

From July 3 to 6, the Second Symposium on Frontier Issues of Ion-Matter Interactions was held in Hengyang, Hunan Province. More than 40 experts and scholars from 15 institutions, including Beijing Normal University, Wuhan University, National University of Defense Technology, Beijing Institute of Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Lanzhou University, Xi'an Jiaotong University, North China Electric Power University, the Institute of Modern Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Beijing Institute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics, conducted in-depth exchanges and discussions on the latest experimental and theoretical research progress in the mechanisms of energetic ion beam-matter interactions. This symposium was organized by the School of Nuclear Science and Technology of the University of South China, the School of Nuclear Science and Technology of Lanzhou University, and the Key Laboratory of Beam Technology of the Ministry of Education...

2026-07-31

German state of Lower Saxony approves production of Russian-designed VVER nuclear fuel at Lingen plant under additional strict conditions

The government of Lower Saxony in northwestern Germany has approved a nuclear project linked to Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom. The project, operated by French company Framatome, aims to produce Russian-designed nuclear fuel rods and fuel assemblies in the city of Lingen, with key components to be supplied by Rosatom's subsidiary TVEL. Nevertheless, to address potential security risks, particularly threats of espionage and sabotage from Russian participants, the approval was granted with strict conditions. Under the terms of the approval, employees of Rosatom and TVEL will be barred from entering the facility, except in exceptional circumstances and when accompanied by nuclear regulatory authorities. Additionally, all...

2026-07-31

UK's largest nuclear power station Sizewell B placed on standby due to nearby wildfire

On July 30, the UK's largest nuclear power station, Sizewell B, was placed on "standby" status due to a heathland fire at Dunwich Heath, less than 5 kilometers from the plant site. There is currently no risk of the fire spreading toward the facility given wind direction. EDF stated it is "continuously monitoring, with no threat to facility safety," but approximately 120 firefighters and 18 fire engines were deployed to tackle the blaze in the Liston area. Suffolk Fire Service assessed the fire as "active and changing," warning it could last two days, with hundreds of homes evacuated. Suffolk Fire Service warned the fire is expected to last two days and described it as an active and evolving situation. Hundreds of properties have been evacuated as firefighters continue to battle the raging forest fire. Experts noted...

2026-07-31

Hungary's Paks Nuclear Power Plant Faces Full Shutdown Due to Record Low Danube Water Level

Affected by persistent drought and high temperatures, the water level of the Danube River at the Budapest section dropped to 23 cm (fixed datum reading, a record low), restricting cooling water intake at the Paks Nuclear Power Plant. Starting Wednesday, July 29, Unit 3 was the first to be shut down; the operator, MVM Paks Nuclear Power Plant Ltd, subsequently stated on its official website that all four units would inevitably be disconnected within the next 24 to 72 hours, with power generation coming to a complete halt. MVM explained that the existing water volume of the Danube is still sufficient to cool the reactors, but the intake pumps can no longer draw water because the riverbed is exposed and the pump inlets are too far from the water surface—an equipment failure rather than an absolute shortfall in cooling water volume. To this end, the Hungarian side deployed 4 pumping barges and 2 floating cranes near the plant as an emergency measure, but with water levels expected to continue falling, a preventive full shutdown remains unavoidable.

2026-07-31

France's Golfech nuclear power plant shut down for third time this summer due to high temperatures

France's Golfech nuclear power plant has been shut down three times this summer. Located approximately 100 kilometers northwest of Toulouse, the plant is operated by Électricité de France (EDF). On the evening of July 29, one of its reactors was shut down again due to extreme heat. EDF had previously shut down the reactor twice, from June 23 to July 3 and from July 9 to 27, to prevent cooling water discharged into the Garonne River from exceeding the 28-degree Celsius limit set by a 2006 decree. The Golfech nuclear power plant is located in the Tarn-et-Garonne department, and its cooling water is discharged into the Garonne River. Currently, another reactor at the plant is also shut down for maintenance and refueling. France has experienced its fourth heatwave since the start of summer...

2026-07-31