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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

Japan aims to rebuild up to 5 retired nuclear power plants by the 2040s

The Japanese government held a ministerial meeting on nuclear power on July 31 and decided to rebuild up to 5 retired nuclear power plants by the 2040s. This is the first time since the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident that the Japanese government has set a specific numerical target for nuclear plant reconstruction. Kansai Electric Power Company's Mihama Nuclear Power Plant Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae stated at the meeting that to steadily advance nuclear power investment, the Takaichi cabinet will continue to promote nuclear energy policy. According to the direction set at the meeting, Japan plans to rebuild 2 to 5 nuclear power plants by the 2040s, with a total installed capacity of approximately 2.2 million to 5.5 million kilowatts; by the 2050s, the reconstruction scale will expand to 11 to 14 plants, with a total installed capacity of approximately 12.7 million to 16 million kilowatts. The Japanese government plans to...

2026-08-01

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

U.S. Navy Awards General Dynamics Electric Boat Contract for Construction of 14 Nuclear Submarines

General Dynamics Electric Boat announced that the U.S. Navy has awarded it a contract package for the construction of 14 nuclear submarines, with a total contract value of $76.6 billion. According to information released by the company, under this announced U.S. Navy contract framework, General Dynamics Electric Boat will receive $29.5 billion for the construction of five Columbia-class submarines, and an additional $42.1 billion for the construction of nine Virginia-class submarines. The contract also includes funding to support shipyard infrastructure construction. General Dynamics Electric Boat serves as the prime contractor for the program. A portion of the construction work will be subcontracted to Newport News Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries. ...

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

CATL Again Leads New Funding Round for Beta Fusion

On July 31, CATL continued to lead a new funding round for fusion frontier technology company Beta Fusion with an investment of several hundred million yuan. Corporate information query platforms showed that relevant details of Beta Fusion's latest funding round had been updated that day. This marks CATL's renewed commitment to the company following its lead investment of several hundred million yuan in Beta Fusion's seed round in early June this year. Beta Fusion (Beijing) Energy Technology Co., Ltd. was established in late 2025 with a registered capital of 1 million yuan, focusing primarily on the pulsed field-reversed configuration (FRC) magneto-inertial confinement route to explore commercialization pathways for controlled nuclear fusion. The company's founder, Cao Zhiping, is among the early domestic researchers engaged in pulsed FRC route development...

2026-08-01

First Editorial Board Meeting of *Research & Design of Nuclear Engineering* Held in Beijing

On July 31, the first editorial board meeting of *Research & Design of Nuclear Engineering*, a high-standard English-language journal in the nuclear engineering field, was successfully held at the Beijing Nuclear Energy Building. Academician Lei Zengguang of CNNC, Editor-in-Chief, and Academician Tu Shandong of East China University of Science and Technology, Associate Editor-in-Chief, along with editorial board representatives from domestic and international universities and research institutes, including the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Sweden and Tsinghua University, attended the meeting. Relevant leaders from China Nuclear Power Engineering Co., Ltd. and CGN Engineering Co., Ltd., the journal's sponsors, as well as representatives from Science Press, the publisher, participated on-site. The meeting was chaired by Liu Liping, Director of the Science and Technology Department of CNNC Engineering. At the meeting, CNNC...

2026-08-01

North China Regional Office of Nuclear and Radiation Safety Supervision under the Ministry of Ecology and Environment Conducts Supervisory Radiation Environmental Monitoring at Tongliao Uranium Industry

To further strengthen the radiation environmental monitoring management of uranium mining and metallurgy facilities, consolidate the primary responsibility of enterprises for radiation environmental monitoring, and fortify the radiation environmental safety defense line of uranium mining and metallurgy facilities, the North China Regional Office of Nuclear and Radiation Safety Supervision under the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (hereinafter referred to as the North China Regional Office) recently organized and carried out supervisory radiation environmental monitoring work at CNNC Tongliao Uranium Industry Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Tongliao Uranium Industry). Personnel from the Nuclear and Radiation Monitoring Center of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region were simultaneously dispatched to collaborate on the work. This monitoring work strictly adhered to the standard requirements of the "Regulations on Radiation Environmental Monitoring for Uranium Mining and Metallurgy" and the regulatory requirements of "three full coverages" in radiation environmental monitoring, closely focusing on the rad...

2026-08-01

The Nuclear and Radiation Safety Center of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment Successfully Held a Technical Seminar on Performance Testing of Iodine Adsorbers in Nuclear Facilities

Recently, the technical seminar on performance testing of iodine adsorbers in nuclear facilities, hosted by the Nuclear and Radiation Safety Center of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (hereinafter referred to as "the Center") and organized by the Key Laboratory of Radioactive Gas Purification Technology of CNNC, was held in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province. Representatives from domestic nuclear facility operation, design, testing and inspection organizations, as well as relevant personnel from the Center's Reactor Department, Event Assessment Department, and General Operations Department attended the meeting. The seminar focused on core topics such as periodic testing methods for iodine adsorbers in ventilation systems of nuclear facilities, acceptance criteria, and test cycle requirements under long-term operation. Participants conducted in-depth exchanges on the advantages and disadvantages of radioactive versus non-radioactive test methods for iodine adsorber adsorption efficiency, 2-inch...

2026-08-01

Hefei Institute of Energy and Xianchu Nuclear Assembly Jointly Establish a Joint Laboratory for Tritium-Related Environmental Control Equipment for Fusion

On July 23, the Institute of Energy, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, and Shijiazhuang Xianchu Nuclear Energy Equipment Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Xianchu Energy Development Group, held a signing ceremony in Hefei, Anhui Province, for the Joint Laboratory for Tritium-Related Environmental Control Equipment for Fusion. The collaboration will focus on the development of tritium-related environmental control equipment for nuclear fusion devices, advancing key technology breakthroughs and industrial applications. Hu Haomin, Deputy Director of the Institute of Energy, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center; Chen Kun, Chairman of Xianchu Energy Development Group; Fang Yongsheng, Executive Deputy General Manager of Shijiazhuang Xianchu Nuclear Energy Equipment Co., Ltd.; and Zhao Xinhua, General Manager of China-Ukraine Xianchu Nuclear Energy Technology Co., Ltd., attended the signing ceremony. The Institute of Energy, Hefei Comprehensive...

2026-08-01

State Council Approves Four Nuclear Power Projects, Eight Units Granted Construction Approval

On July 31, the State Council's executive meeting reviewed and approved four nuclear power projects, including the Phase I project of Zhuanghe in Liaoning Province. The meeting noted that nuclear power units should be constructed and operated in accordance with the highest global safety standards, with strengthened safety oversight across the entire chain and all sectors, to ensure absolute nuclear safety. According to reports, the approved projects comprise a total of 8 units across 4 projects, specifically: 2 units for Phase II of CNNC's Jinqimen Nuclear Power in Zhejiang, 2 units for Phase I of Zhuanghe Nuclear Power in Liaoning, 2 units for Phase III of CGN's Taipingling Nuclear Power in Guangdong, and 2 units for Phase I of SPIC's Laiyang Nuclear Power in Shandong. According to the approvals previously issued by the National Nuclear Safety Administration for the Environmental Impact Reports (site selection stage) of the above four projects...

2026-07-31

On-site assembly of the 50MW heat exchange station for Unit 4 of Xudabao Nuclear Power Plant successfully completed

On July 30, the 50MW heat exchange station for Unit 4 of Xudabao Nuclear Power Plant completed on-site assembly, providing solid equipment support for heating in the front plant area this winter. The heat exchange station measures 16 meters in length, 9 meters in width, and 7.4 meters in height, with a total weight of 150 tons. The equipment integrates heat exchangers, circulating water pumps, water treatment devices, and electrical control instruments, forming a complete integrated heating system. The system is arranged on the zero-meter floor of the turbine hall and is responsible for heating the office areas in the front plant area. To ensure the winter heating milestone, the Equipment Procurement Division of Liaoning Nuclear Power, together with the on-site Equipment Department of the engineering company, equipment manufacturers, and installation units, established a special working group, implementing mechanisms such as weekly leadership meetings, daily morning briefings for teams, and daily progress reports, and successively coordinated and resolved issues related to equipment transportation, pipeline hoisting, scaffold erection and dismantling, power supply assurance, and cross-construction coordination, completing all assembly work of the heat exchange station as planned.

2026-07-31

Japan's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station launches 22nd release of radioactive wastewater into the ocean, approximately 7,800 tons this time

On the morning of July 30, 2026, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) initiated a new round of nuclear-contaminated water discharge into the ocean at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. This marks the 4th release within 2026 and the 22nd since the discharge plan began in August 2023. According to data released by TEPCO, this discharge is expected to continue until the 17th of next month, with a total volume of approximately 7,800 tons. The total amount of radioactive substance tritium contained therein is as high as approximately 1.3 trillion becquerels. Prior to this, Japan had conducted a total of 21 rounds of radioactive wastewater discharge by the 24th of this month, with a cumulative discharge volume reaching approximately 165,000 tons. This action continues to draw attention and concern from neighboring countries and the international community. This time...

2026-07-31

Ukraine's Nuclear Power Plants Generate 26.8 Billion kWh in First Half of Year

On July 29, Ukraine's national nuclear energy company Energoatom reported that from January to June 2026, the country's nuclear power plants generated a cumulative 26.8201 billion kWh (26.82 TWh), an increase of 163.1 million kWh compared to the same period in 2025. Nuclear power continues to serve as the backbone of Ukraine's electricity system baseload, with its share exceeding 67% during certain periods between 2019 and 2025 (according to data from Ukraine's National Energy and Utilities Regulatory Commission, NKREKP), supporting system stability amid repeated attacks on the power grid during wartime. Data shows that from 2019 to 2025, the share of electricity generated by Ukraine's nuclear power plants even exceeded 67% of the country's total energy output during certain periods. This stable power supply capability remains effective in maintaining the stable operation of the energy system even as Ukraine's energy sector faces persistent challenges...

2026-07-31

Helong-2 Magnet Coil Project Kickoff Meeting Successfully Held at Lanzhou Taiji

On July 29, 2026, the Helong-2 magnet coil project kickoff meeting was successfully held at Lanzhou Taiji. This project involves core components of ENN's third-generation spherical torus hydrogen-boron fusion device, featuring extremely high technical precision, massive system integration complexity, and stringent engineering development standards. Undertaking this core development task represents ENN Group's high recognition and full trust in Lanzhou Taiji's technical capabilities, manufacturing strength, and quality control competence, laying a solid foundation for further deepening cooperation between the two parties. In the next step, Lanzhou Taiji will coordinate its premium R&D and production resources to focus on tackling core fusion technologies, implementing strict review and meticulous control throughout the entire process from structural design, multi-physics simulation, process trial production, to manufacturing...

2026-07-31