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TEPCO replaces faulty motor of robotic arm at Fukushima Daiichi Unit 2

Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) began replacing the faulty motor of the robotic arm used for fuel debris retrieval trials at Unit 2 of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station on August 26. The robotic arm, approximately 22 meters long, is planned for use in the third fuel debris retrieval trial. During a previous operational inspection inside the reactor building of Unit 2, TEPCO found that the motor driving the robotic arm had malfunctioned, preventing the brake from releasing and the arm from extending. As the robotic arm is already installed on site, workers will enter the "front chamber" in front of the containment vessel to perform the replacement manually. The company stated that radiation levels in the work area will be strictly controlled to prevent workers from receiving excessive exposure. After this replacement, TEPCO will...

2026-08-27

Training Launch for First Batch of Operators for Units 1 and 2 of Xudabao Nuclear Power Plant on Full-Scope Simulator

Recently, the first batch of operator training on the full-scope simulator for Units 1 and 2 of Xudabao Nuclear Power Plant was officially launched. The training program lasts 6 months, with 48 candidate Reactor Operators (ROs) and 24 candidate Senior Reactor Operators (SROs) participating. Centering on the five fundamental operator skills, the training conducts systematic hands-on exercises on the simulator platform, building a reserve of operations personnel for subsequent project construction and safe unit operation. The simulator for Units 1 and 2 can highly replicate the real working environment of the main control room and covers various operating conditions, making it an important platform for operations personnel to enhance their practical capabilities. The training is structured around five fundamental skills—close monitoring, precise control, conservative decision-making, teamwork, and knowledge mastery—integrating job conduct standards and team...

2026-08-27

Fifth Mega Saltstone Disposal Unit Approved for Operation at U.S. Savannah River Site

The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management announced on August 25 that it has approved the operation of the fifth mega saltstone disposal unit at the Savannah River Site in Aiken, South Carolina. Designated as SDU 10, the facility will receive purified material for final disposal, marking a new milestone in the site's cleanup program. According to reports, SDU 10 completed construction in June 2024, nearly 10 months ahead of schedule. Its leak-tightness testing was completed in December 2025, and the test results verified that the unit can safely store up to 33 million gallons of purified, solidified salt solution generated at the Savannah River Site. Saltstone disposal units are the end-stage facilities in the salt waste treatment process.

2026-08-26

Hanford Site Resumes Certification Work for Permanent Disposal of Transuranic Waste

The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management recently stated that its contractor, Central Plateau Cleanup Company, has resumed transuranic waste characterization and disposal certification work at the Hanford Site in Washington State, preparing for the future shipment of relevant waste to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad, New Mexico, for permanent disposal. The Hanford Site had suspended its transuranic waste treatment program in 2011 due to higher priorities for other cleanup tasks, and resumed related work in 2018. According to the plan, the site will resume shipping contact-handled transuranic waste to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant by September 30, 2028. Hanford Site Office of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management...

2026-08-26

U.S. STREAMLINE Project Advances Nuclear Quantum Many-Body Research with Artificial Intelligence

On August 25, 2026, a new project named STREAMLINE is combining artificial intelligence, machine learning, and supercomputing to address the nuclear quantum many-body problem in nuclear physics research, aiming to more accurately simulate the interactions between protons and neutrons within atomic nuclei and provide theoretical support for frontier topics such as neutron stars and fundamental interactions. The difficulty of the nuclear quantum many-body problem lies in the fact that as the number of particles increases, the possible interactions among them grow rapidly, and traditional computational methods quickly hit the ceiling of computing power. Even with high-performance supercomputers, only quantum systems of relatively limited scale can typically be handled. The STREAMLINE project hopes to...

2026-08-26

Bitumen Solidification Facility at Unit 2 of Japan's Ikata Nuclear Power Plant Returns to Normal

Shikoku Electric Power Co. reported on August 25, 2026, that the bitumen solidification facility at Unit 2 of Japan's Ikata Nuclear Power Plant, currently in a decommissioned state, had returned to normal operation at 10:45 a.m. that day. The gasket at the joint of the mixer top cover, where the earlier abnormality had been detected, had been replaced, and trial operation results showed no abnormalities. The incident occurred on April 28. On that day, when operators started the bitumen solidification facility in the controlled area of the reactor auxiliary building, they observed a steam-like phenomenon near the mixer thermometer, which subsequently disappeared on its own. Maintenance personnel later inspected and confirmed at 3:05 p.m. that the steam-like gas originated from inside the mixer and had escaped through the joint of the mixer top cover; at 5:06 p.m., the bitumen solidification facility was shut down.

2026-08-26

Four Units of Egypt's Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant Under Simultaneous Construction

Alexey Likhachev, President of Rosatom, and Mahmoud Esmat, Egypt's Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy, recently discussed the construction progress of the Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant. As Egypt's first nuclear power plant, the Dabaa project is planned to feature four VVER-1200 reactor units, which are expected to provide electricity for approximately 20 million people once completed. Likhachev stated that the project has entered a critical construction phase, with all four units progressing simultaneously. Among them, Unit 1 serves as the pilot unit for the project and is scheduled to be connected to the grid in 2028. To achieve this goal, the project team still needs to complete several tasks, including the delivery of nuclear fuel in 2027.

2026-08-26

Electron Beam Processing Can Reduce Poultry Pathogens, Study Shows Turkey Meat Quality Remains Well Preserved

A study on electron beam treatment of poultry meat products shows that electron beam irradiation has the potential to reduce the risk of foodborne pathogens in poultry while preserving meat quality as much as possible. The paper, titled "Effects of Electron Beam (eBeam) Treatment on the Texture and Sensory Attributes of Chicken and Turkey Meat Batters," was published in the journal Poultry Science. Electron beam is a non-thermal processing technology that uses high-energy electrons to cause irreversible damage to pathogen DNA or RNA, making it difficult for bacteria to replicate. Like X-rays and gamma rays, electron beam has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for cold pasteurization that does not rely on heating. The research team used the electron beam irradiation facility at Texas A&M University...

2026-08-26

DARPA Ships Insect Sterility Technique Irradiator to the United States with Panamanian Cooperation

An insect irradiator used for the sterile insect technique program was recently transshipped to the United States via Panama, where it will support U.S. efforts to address the New World screwworm threat. The equipment was acquired by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) on July 8, 2026, and arrived in Panama, where it was subsequently transferred from the port to the airport with the assistance of Panamanian partners. The New World screwworm is a parasitic pest whose flies lay eggs in warm-blooded animals, with larvae burrowing into tissue and feeding, posing a threat to livestock production. Jon O’Rullian, president of the equipment manufacturer Foss Therapy Services, Incorporated, stated that threats of this kind are significant to all types of livestock producers.

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

IAEA Study: Five-Star Rating System Can Improve CT Imaging Safety and Reduce Unnecessary Radiation Exposure

A new study led by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in collaboration with Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, USA, shows that a five-star rating system can help hospitals optimize image quality, reduce radiation dose, and decrease unnecessary patient radiation exposure in computed tomography (CT) examinations. The study has been published in the European Journal of Radiology. CT imaging uses X-rays to obtain detailed images of internal body structures and is an important tool in diagnosing a wide range of diseases. The study notes that CT image quality is closely related to radiation dose—higher doses typically reduce image noise and improve clarity, but do not always yield additional diagnostic value. How to minimize radiation exposure while ensuring diagnostic accuracy is key to optimizing CT examination protocols.

2026-08-26

Russian Kursk NPP VVER-TOI Unit Completes Annual Power Generation Plan Ahead of Schedule

The new VVER-TOI unit at Russia's Kursk Nuclear Power Plant has completed its annual power generation plan four months ahead of schedule. As of August 25, the unit had delivered over 4.46 billion kWh to Russia's Unified Energy System, bringing the plant's total generation nearly 50% above the national plan target. The unit is the most powerful innovative VVER-TOI unit under Rosatom, and is a Generation III+ nuclear power unit. According to Kursk NPP, its output is equivalent to approximately two years of electricity demand for the residents of the city of Kursk. The new unit was first connected to the grid on December 31, 2025, and entered the electricity and capacity market on May 1, 2026...

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

Thermo Fisher Scientific Launches First Orbitrap Mass Spectrometers for Isotope Ratio Analysis

Thermo Fisher Scientific recently launched the Thermo Scientific Orbitrap Isora mass spectrometer and Orbitrap Isora Pro mass spectrometer in Waltham, Massachusetts, USA. The company stated that these are its first Orbitrap instruments equipped with a dedicated isotope ratio analysis mode. The two mass spectrometers launched this time will form an integrated workflow together with the Thermo Scientific Vanquish Duo ultra-high performance liquid chromatography system and the new Isotope Discoverer software, providing molecular-level isotope ratio analysis capabilities to laboratories and researchers worldwide. Isotope ratio analysis can help researchers determine the source of compounds and their formation processes by measuring natural variations in isotopes within samples, helping...

2026-08-26

Molecular Partners Advances DLL3 Radiopharmaceutical MP0712 to Higher Dose Cohort

Swiss clinical-stage biotechnology company Molecular Partners AG recently announced its business progress and financial results for the first half of 2026. The company stated that its DLL3-targeting radioactive DARPin therapy MP0712 has advanced to the second therapeutic dose level in a U.S. multicenter Phase 1/2a clinical study, and patient enrollment for the new dose cohort is currently underway. MP0712 is a radiopharmaceutical targeting the tumor-associated antigen DLL3, carrying a therapeutic alpha-emitting radionuclide lead-212 (Pb-212) payload, co-developed by Molecular Partners and Orano Med, primarily for small cell lung cancer and other neuroendocrine tumors. According to the company's disclosure, the first dose cohort of MP0712...

2026-08-26