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Russia's Kola NPP Completes 2026 Maintenance Program

Unit 2 of Russia's Kola Nuclear Power Plant was reconnected to the grid at 15:58 Moscow time on August 31, 2026, following the completion of scheduled preventive maintenance and partial modernization. This marked the conclusion of the plant's 2026 maintenance program. It was also the first time since the plant's commissioning that the annual maintenance plan was completed during the summer season. The maintenance of Unit 2 lasted 29.5 days. During this period, plant personnel and contractors performed medium repairs and related maintenance on key equipment, covering multiple areas including the reactor building, turbine hall, and electrical systems. In the reactor building, the scope of work included major repairs of some steam generators, main circulation pumps, and primary circuit piping, as well as nuclear fuel reloading, reactor assembly disassembly, and in-vessel component maintenance. In the turbine hall, workers completed repairs of the turbine-generator unit, circulation pumps, low-pressure heaters, and moisture separator reheaters. The electrical scope included repairs of transformers and diesel generators.

2026-09-02

Three units at Hungary's Paks Nuclear Power Plant return to full-capacity operation

Of the four units at Hungary's Paks Nuclear Power Plant, three have returned to full-capacity operation, and grid connection work for Unit 4 is also progressing as planned. Hungarian authorities stated that all eight pumping systems at the plant are now in operation, with total generating capacity expected to approach 2,000 megawatts within two days. Previously, three units at the Paks plant were temporarily shut down due to declining water levels in the Danube River, which serves as a vital water source for the plant's cooling system. To improve water intake conditions, Hungary constructed a temporary weir in the river section near the Paks plant, using thousands of tons of rock and crushed stone during construction, with military engineering units also participating in the operations. The Paks Nuclear Power Plant is located approximately 100 kilometers south of Budapest on the banks of the Danube...

2026-08-25

Budapest Launches Feasibility Study for Long-Distance Heat Supply from Paks Nuclear Power Plant

On August 11, 2026, Budapest Public Services Company (BKM), in partnership with the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, launched a feasibility study to explore the delivery of thermal energy from the Paks Nuclear Power Plant to the city's district heating system via a hot-water pipeline of approximately 125 kilometers. The study focuses on the technical, economic, and construction feasibility of the project. The Paks Nuclear Power Plant is located about 100 kilometers from the capital, and the current heat load of Budapest's district heating system is approximately 100 MWth in summer, peaking at 1,000 MWth in winter. The core significance of this concept lies not only in providing a low-carbon heat source for the city but also in improving the efficiency of waste heat utilization at the nuclear power plant. The Paks Nuclear Power Plant currently...

2026-08-12

Finland's Loviisa Nuclear Power Plant Launches Turbine Island Upgrade to Support Operation Until 2050

Finnish utility Fortum has launched a large-scale modernization project for the turbine island at the Loviisa Nuclear Power Plant. The project aims to increase the plant's electrical output and ensure the continued, safe, and reliable operation of both units through the end of 2050 under the new operating licenses. The Loviisa plant consists of two VVER-440 pressurized water reactor units and is Finland's first nuclear power plant, currently supplying more than 10% of the country's electricity. Unit 1 entered commercial operation in 1977, followed by Unit 2 in 1981, and the Finnish government approved the extended operating licenses in February 2023. The core of this upgrade is the modernization of the low-pressure turbines, which is the largest single undertaking in the Loviisa turbine island upgrade...

2026-08-12

Unit 4 of Slovakia's Mochovce Nuclear Power Plant Reaches First Criticality

Slovenské Elektrárne stated that Unit 4 of the Mochovce Nuclear Power Plant reached first reactor criticality at 22:10 local time on August 6, and achieved minimum controllable power at 22:31. This is a key milestone in the pre-commissioning work of the unit, indicating that the reactor is ready for subsequent testing. First criticality refers to the first time the nuclear fuel in the core achieves a self-sustaining fission chain reaction. Slovenské Elektrárne stated that first criticality and reaching minimum controllable power are important steps in the commissioning process of a nuclear power plant, used to confirm the unit's readiness to enter the next phase of testing...

2026-08-08