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Haiyang Nuclear Power Phase III Commencement: From First Concrete to the Real Threshold of China's Batch Nuclear Power Construction

The moment a nuclear power plant first enters public view is often when concrete begins to be poured. The reactor pressure vessel is not yet on site, nor is the turbine operating, but rebar, embedded parts and construction equipment have already been organized according to design. Part of the structural foundation on which decades of subsequent operation depend begins to take shape here. On October 31, the nuclear island of Unit 5 at Shandong Haiyang Nuclear Power Plant began pouring first concrete, marking the commencement of the Haiyang Nuclear Power Phase III project. Phase III plans to build two units, Units 5 and 6, adopting domestically produced third-generation advanced passive pressurized water reactor technology. For a site that already has operating and under-construction units, the value brought by new units is not only future...

2026-11-06

Swiss Study Assesses Role of New Nuclear Power in Winter Supply Security

A recently highlighted Swiss energy system study evaluates new nuclear power as an option for long-term electricity supply and low-carbon transition. The study, commissioned by the Swiss Foundation for Technology Assessment (TA-SWISS), shows that under conditions such as timely commissioning, affordable costs and secured financing, new nuclear power plants can increase domestic low-carbon electricity supply, reduce import dependence, and complement renewable energy, grid and storage development. The study sets out three scenarios—open market, self-sufficiency and continuation of existing trends—to compare the impact of nuclear power on the energy system under different development pathways. In the open market scenario, without building new nuclear power plants, net electricity imports in the winter half-year in the longer term would be...

2026-11-06

Spain Successfully Develops AI Early Warning System for Algae at Nuclear Power Plants

Recently, Spanish energy services group GDES and the Asociación Nuclear Ascó-Vandellós II (ANAV) jointly announced that the two parties have successfully developed an artificial intelligence (AI)-based early warning system named iAlgae. The system is designed to monitor in real time the accumulation of planktonic vegetation and algae at the cooling water intake of nuclear power plants, marking an important breakthrough in O&M technology for nuclear facilities to cope with natural environmental interference. For power generation facilities that use natural surface water for cooling, the accumulation of algae and planktonic vegetation at water intakes is a common natural challenge. iAlgae ...

2026-11-06

Copenhagen Atomics Plans to Build Uranium Conversion Production Facility in Denmark

Recently, Copenhagen Atomics and Urenco signed a memorandum of understanding to plan the construction of a dedicated production line in Copenhagen for converting uranium hexafluoride (UF₆) into uranium tetrafluoride (UF₄). The cooperation will focus on facility design, establishing a link for enriched uranium feedstock to enter the molten salt fuel manufacturing stage, and supporting Copenhagen Atomics in improving its fuel supply capability. The planned production line will be located within Copenhagen Atomics' fuel facility, where the company will procure enriched uranium hexafluoride, chemically convert it into uranium tetrafluoride, and then use it to formulate high-purity fuel salt. In addition to serving its own reactor research and development, the products are also planned to be supplied to other...

2026-11-06

China Xuwu Unit 3 Plans First Concrete Pour for Nuclear Island

Recently, Unit 3 of the Phase I project of the Jiangsu Xuwu Nuclear Heating and Power Plant has finalized the plan for the first concrete pour of the nuclear island, marking an important preparatory milestone for the project construction. The unit is constructed and operated by CNNC Suneng Nuclear Power Co., Ltd., which is controlled and invested by China National Nuclear Power Co., Ltd. The project intends to advance the main construction of the nuclear island through this engineering milestone, while the actual implementation status remains subject to confirmation by subsequent engineering information. Regulatory licensing has provided the prerequisite for the relevant construction. The National Nuclear Safety Administration completed the review of the application documents, issued a construction license to Unit 3, and through on-site readiness supervision and inspection, confirmed that the conditions for the first concrete pour of the nuclear island foundation are met, allowing the relevant work to proceed. The license...

2026-11-06

South China Regional Office and Zhanjiang Nuclear Power Conduct Regulatory Dialogue on Key Issues

Recently, the South China Regional Office of Nuclear and Radiation Safety Inspection of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and State Nuclear Power Zhanjiang Nuclear Power Co., Ltd. jointly held a regulatory dialogue on key issues. The principal responsible persons of the South China Regional Office, the principal responsible persons of Zhanjiang Nuclear Power, and relevant responsible persons of the general contracting unit attended the event. During the regulatory dialogue, the South China Regional Office comprehensively reported the prominent problems identified in recent supervisory inspections and the overall regulatory situation. Zhanjiang Nuclear Power and the general contracting unit respectively made detailed reports on the collaborative development of Party organization pairing, on-site resumption of work progress, the special nuclear safety management improvement action, and the special work plan and implementation progress for in-depth optimization of the design of Units 1 and 2 and subsequent units.

2026-11-06

Zhongke Qingneng Completes Development of China's First Ultra-Large Helium Refrigerator

Recently, Henan Zhongke Qingneng Technology Co., Ltd., in collaboration with the Institute of Plasma Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, successfully held in Hefei the development summary meeting for the 20kW@4.5K ultra-large helium refrigerator, marking that this first domestically produced ultra-large equipment has officially passed expert panel review and is ready for rollout and delivery. Helium refrigerators are indispensable core cryogenic equipment for frontier large-scale scientific facilities such as magnetic confinement controlled nuclear fusion devices. For a long time, key core technologies such as 20kW ultra-large cooling capacity equipment in the 4.5K temperature range and high-power cryogenic turbo-expanders have been monopolized by a few leading international enterprises such as France's Air Liquide and Germany's Linde Group. This time, the joint R&D team successfully broke through a series of bottleneck technologies, including high-power deep cryogenic refrigeration processes, cold box integration, and independent development of key rotating components, achieving full localization of the complete unit and key parts, with the procurement cost per unit significantly lower than that of imported comparable products. The successful development of this equipment has enabled China to achieve a historic transformation from "following" to "running abreast" in the field of core equipment for fusion reactor cryogenic systems, providing an independently controllable "cryogenic heart" for strategic emerging industries prioritized in China's 15th Five-Year Plan, such as controlled nuclear fusion energy, large superconducting accelerators, large-scale quantum infrastructure, and deep space exploration. Project leader Lu Xiaofei pointed out that this is a major leap from quantitative accumulation to qualitative transformation in China's deep cryogenic systems engineering. Pan Weiwei, General Manager of Zhongke Qingneng, stated that since its establishment, the company has built a diversified product family covering all temperature ranges. In the future, the company will continue to increase R&D investment, accelerate the construction of a full-chain ecosystem covering R&D, manufacturing, and operations, fully serve national strategic emerging industries and future industries, and provide strong technical support for China to seize the competitive high ground in high-tech industries.

2026-11-06

U.S. Department of Energy Approves Antares Mark-1 Microreactor Nuclear Safety Design Agreement

Recently, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) formally approved the Nuclear Safety Design Agreement (NSDA) for the Mark-1 microreactor of nuclear energy startup Antares Nuclear (Antares), establishing official safety standards, design requirements, and regulatory framework for the reactor's subsequent construction and testing phases. It is reported that the Mark-1 is designed to achieve continuous power output, with its design integrating a full-scale core and TRISO fuel, and equipped with a nitrogen closed-cycle Brayton power conversion system. Prior to this, its predecessor Mark-0 achieved zero-power criticality in June 2026, successfully validating the core physics characteristics. With the approval of the NSDA, Antares is expected to...

2026-11-06

North China Regional Office of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment Conducts Pre-Criticality Inspection of Shidao Bay High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor

Recently, in order to effectively consolidate the primary responsibility of the operating unit, closely focus on the important milestone of criticality following the overhaul, and comprehensively drive the improvement of the safety level of the demonstration project, the North China Nuclear and Radiation Safety Supervision Station of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (hereinafter referred to as the North China Supervision Station) organized and conducted the pre-criticality inspection of the reactor following the second overhaul of the High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor Demonstration Project at the Huaneng Shidao Bay Nuclear Power Plant. As the world's first fourth-generation nuclear power plant independently developed by China with fully independent intellectual property rights, the high-temperature gas-cooled reactor holds milestone significance for China in achieving scientific and technological self-reliance and leading the world in nuclear energy technology. The North China Supervision Station deeply recognizes the major mission of supervising the world's first reactor of its kind, and has carried out coordinated planning and formulated...

2026-11-06

CNNC 23 and CNNC Uranium Hold Talks to Deepen Industrial Chain Synergy

Recently, Xing Yongguo, General Manager and Deputy Party Secretary of China Nuclear Uranium Co., Ltd., and his delegation visited China Nuclear Industry 23 Construction Co., Ltd. and held a working exchange with Qu Qiang, General Manager and Deputy Party Secretary of CNNC 23. The two sides focused their discussions on the construction of relevant projects and subsequent deep synergy. It is understood that CNNC Uranium, as the national team for natural uranium resource development in China, bears the core strategic mission of serving as the cornerstone of nuclear strength and the granary of nuclear power. The two sides have natural complementary advantages in fields such as natural uranium mine engineering construction and nuclear facility decommissioning and remediation. By further broadening the dimensions of cooperation and leveraging sophisticated nuclear engineering construction capabilities, they will powerfully advance the high-quality implementation of relevant major infrastructure...

2026-11-06

Two Types of I&C Equipment for China's Zhangzhou Nuclear Power Unit 3 Pass Acceptance Synchronously

Recently, the "Longlin" safety-class and "Longqi" non-safety-class digital control system (DCS) equipment for Zhangzhou Nuclear Power Unit 3 completed factory acceptance synchronously. China Nuclear Power Engineering Co., Ltd., as the purchaser, organized and advanced the acceptance work for the two types of equipment, verifying the compliance of equipment technical specifications with design and engineering application requirements, laying the foundation for subsequent supply and on-site installation and commissioning. DCS performs monitoring, control and protection functions for relevant systems and equipment in nuclear power plants, and is an important component of the unit's instrumentation and control system. Safety-class and non-safety-class systems respectively undertake tasks of different safety levels, with different emphases in technical requirements, quality assurance and verification procedures. This synchronous org...

2026-11-05

UK Parliament Recommends Improving Fusion Planning Policy and Public Engagement Mechanisms

Recently, the House of Commons Energy Security and Net Zero Committee completed its scrutiny of the draft National Policy Statement for fusion energy EN-8, proposing recommendations including supplementary nuclear non-proliferation guidance, strengthened early public engagement, and clarified community benefit arrangements. The scrutiny focused on the institutional conditions required for fusion to develop from research devices to commercial facilities; the relevant opinions have been submitted for government response and do not yet constitute implemented new policy. Nuclear non-proliferation is a key area the Committee requires to be further improved. As fusion device scale expands, mechanisms for identifying and assessing facility-related risks also need to develop accordingly. The Committee recommends that the government provide guidance to developers preparing construction projects as soon as possible...

2026-11-05

Urenco USA Completes Production of First Commercial Upgraded Low-Enriched Uranium Product Cylinder

Recently, Urenco USA completed the production of its first upgraded low-enriched uranium (LEU+) product cylinder at the National Enrichment Facility in New Mexico, advancing this fuel feedstock from production readiness to the commercial product supply stage. This development provides a new enriched uranium option for operating light water reactors and some advanced reactors, but completing the production of enriched product does not equate to fuel assemblies having been manufactured or loaded into a reactor. LEU+ is Urenco's product name for enriched uranium with uranium-235 assays of approximately 5% to 10%, higher than the typical enrichment levels of fuel commonly used in operating commercial nuclear power plants. Fuel made from this material is expected to support longer operating cycles and reduce refueling outages...

2026-11-05

Bruce Nuclear Generating Station Unit 5 in Canada Launches Refurbishment and Life Extension Project

Recently, Unit 5 of Bruce Nuclear Generating Station B in Canada was taken off the grid and entered the Major Component Replacement (MCR) outage refurbishment phase. This unit is the fourth of the six units in Bruce Power's refurbishment program to undergo modification, and its launch marks that this privately funded nuclear refurbishment program has entered its second half, further advancing the long-term utilization of Ontario's existing nuclear assets. This refurbishment will replace key reactor equipment, including steam generators, headers, pressure tubes and feeder pipes, creating conditions for the unit's subsequent long-term operation. The overall life extension and major component replacement program aims to add approximately 30 to 35 years of operating life to each reactor...

2026-11-05

US Nuclear Energy Company Signs Letter of Intent to Acquire Uranium Resource Company

Recently, Eagle Nuclear Energy signed a binding letter of intent to acquire all shares of Noble Plains Uranium through an all-stock transaction, incorporating Wyoming uranium resource projects into its potential asset portfolio. The transaction remains subject to the execution of a definitive agreement and satisfaction of closing conditions, and aims to expand the company's resource base and provide support for synergies between uranium resource development and advanced nuclear energy business. Noble Plains Uranium's project portfolio includes Duck Creek and Shirley Central, which have in-situ leach development potential. If the acquisition is completed, Eagle Nuclear Energy will, beyond its existing Oregon resource position, further...

2026-11-05