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U.S. Poll Shows Majority of Respondents Support Prioritizing Permanent Disposal of High-Level Waste

A recent survey conducted by market research and data analysis company YouGov shows that more than 80 percent of U.S. respondents believe finding a permanent disposal solution for high-level radioactive waste should be a national priority; after learning about relevant technical information, a significant number of respondents viewed deep geological disposal as a credible option. Prototype canister for borehole disposal (Image: Deep Isolation) The survey was commissioned by nuclear waste disposal technology company Deep Isolation Inc. and conducted in April this year among 1,000 U.S. adults with a nationally representative sample. The survey covered public attitudes toward nuclear energy, concerns about radioactive waste management...

2026-08-14

Finland's Onkalo Spent Nuclear Fuel Final Disposal Facility Expected to Receive Operating License by Year-End

Finland's spent nuclear fuel final disposal project has entered the critical stage of operating license review. The Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority of Finland (STUK) issued a statement saying that the design and emergency response procedures of the Onkalo final disposal facility meet the safety requirements for granting an operating license. The Finnish government is expected to decide whether to approve the facility's operation before the end of the year. Onkalo is located on Olkiluoto Island in southwestern Finland. "Onkalo" means "cave" in Finnish. If licensed and operational, the facility will become the world's first deep geological final disposal facility for spent nuclear fuel from nuclear power plants, serving as a reference for other countries considering similar facilities...

2026-08-14

Idaho National Laboratory's Hot Fuel Examination Facility Named U.S. Nuclear Historic Landmark

The American Nuclear Society (ANS) recently designated the Hot Fuel Examination Facility (HFEF) at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) as a Nuclear Historic Landmark. Since becoming operational in 1975, the facility has conducted post-irradiation examination of nuclear fuel and materials, and continues to support research on advanced reactors, commercial nuclear fuel, and related energy security. HFEF is located within the Materials and Fuels Complex (MFC) at Idaho National Laboratory and houses the largest inert-atmosphere hot cell in the United States dedicated to nuclear materials research. The hot cell operates in an argon environment and features approximately 4-foot-thick shielding walls, enabling remote, non-destructive, and high-precision examination of highly irradiated fuel and material samples while reducing worker radiation exposure.

2026-08-13

Kazakhstan Advances Nuclear Fuel Cycle from Resource Development to High-Value-Added Manufacturing

Kazakhstan is advancing its nuclear fuel cycle industry from natural uranium mining toward deep processing and high-tech product manufacturing. As one of the world's major natural uranium producers, Kazakhstan has in recent years not only maintained its advantage in resource development but also continued to build capacity in uranium conversion, nuclear fuel component manufacturing, scientific research capabilities, and professional workforce training. The nuclear fuel cycle encompasses the entire process of nuclear materials, from uranium ore mining and processing, to fuel use in reactors, and to the management of spent fuel and radioactive waste. Depending on the technical route, relevant stages may include uranium mining and processing, conversion, isotope enrichment, fuel pellet fabrication, fuel assembly production, and spent fuel storage...

2026-08-13

Dong Baotong, Director of the National Nuclear Safety Administration: China's nuclear safety level remains among the top internationally, and during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, the number of operating nuclear power units in China will rank first in the world

The State Council Information Office held a series of press conferences on August 13 themed "Starting the '15th Five-Year Plan' with a Strong Beginning," introducing the progress of comprehensively advancing the construction of a Beautiful China. Dong Baotong, Vice Minister of Ecology and Environment and Director of the National Nuclear Safety Administration, stated at the conference that ecological environment safety encompasses several key aspects, including ecological security, nuclear safety, and environmental risk prevention and control. The Ministry of Ecology and Environment serves as the lead coordinating body for both the national ecological security work coordination mechanism and the nuclear safety work coordination mechanism. Over the years, together with relevant departments, we have actively responded to various risks and challenges, effectively safeguarding the bottom line of ecological environment safety. Among these, in the area of nuclear safety, we have consolidated the primary responsibility of nuclear facility operators...

2026-08-13

Study Reveals Three-Dimensional Pore Networks Inside Uranium-Zirconium Metallic Nuclear Fuel

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), in collaboration with Idaho National Laboratory (INL), conducted three-dimensional imaging studies on irradiated uranium-10 zirconium metallic fuel, revealing the internal pore networks within the fuel and their relationship with chemical changes and fuel-cladding interactions. The researchers believe these results will help improve metallic fuel performance models, providing references for extending the operating cycles of certain reactors and for the design of next-generation sodium-cooled fast reactor fuel systems. Uranium-10 zirconium (U-10Zr) is a uranium-zirconium alloy metallic fuel containing 10% zirconium, which has been extensively tested in sodium-cooled fast reactors such as Experimental Breeder Reactor II (EBR-II) and the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF). As advanced reactor research and development progresses, this type of metallic fuel has regained attention, but the details of pore formation, swelling, heat transfer, and interactions with cladding materials under reactor irradiation conditions still require further clarification.

2026-08-13

Cameco says it can ramp up core uranium asset production when demand recovers

Canadian uranium producer Cameco has said it is well positioned to respond to rising market demand, and will prioritize increasing output from its core assets if demand becomes clearer. Grant Isaac, Cameco's President and Chief Operating Officer, said on a company podcast discussing long-term strategy that Cameco remains committed to supply discipline, focusing on meeting customers' actual needs rather than setting overly ambitious growth expectations in the absence of confirmed demand. Isaac said the company is prepared to increase production from Tier 1 assets such as the McArthur River uranium mine and the Key Lake mill when market demand rises, lifting output from the current approximately 10 million to 11.5 million pounds of U3O8 to 25 million pounds.

2026-08-13

TRISO-X and Oak Ridge National Laboratory Extend Advanced Nuclear Fuel R&D Collaboration

TRISO-X announced on August 11 that it has extended its Collaborative Research and Development Agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The newly signed agreement has a term of 30 months and will continue to advance commercial-scale development of TRISO fuel, manufacturing process optimization, and technology transfer, building on the collaboration established since 2016. TRISO-X is a wholly-owned subsidiary of X-energy, primarily engaged in advanced nuclear fuel manufacturing. Under the agreement, TRISO-X will continue to operate its existing pilot-scale facilities at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, with a focus on transitioning TRISO fuel from laboratory R&D to commercial-scale manufacturing. The collaboration includes optimizing fuel...

2026-08-12

Brazil's uranium imports from Russia hit highest since 1997 in July, reaching $84.5 million in a single month, a 168-fold surge month-on-month

Brazil's uranium imports from Russia in July this year reached $84.5 million, equivalent to approximately 430 million reais, the highest level since 1997. Compared with the import value of only $504,000 in June, the single-month increase was as high as 168-fold, indicating that this transaction was not a general monthly fluctuation but a concentrated procurement of exceptionally large scale. Looking at historical data, Brazil's uranium imports have typically remained at the level of hundreds of thousands of dollars per month, and even previous periodic peaks were far below the scale seen in July. Materials show that there was an import peak exceeding $1 million in August 2025, but it still pales in comparison with this $84.5 million figure. This means that the July data not only changes...

2026-08-12

U.S. and European Nuclear Fuel Markets Accelerate Adjustment, with Canada and Kazakhstan Remaining Leading Uranium Supply Sources

Annual reports recently released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration and the European Supply Agency show that the global nuclear fuel supply landscape in 2025 continues to be shaped by geopolitical and energy security factors. Canada remains the most important source of uranium for utility nuclear power operators in the United States and the European Union, followed closely by Kazakhstan, underscoring the two countries' central role in the Western nuclear fuel supply chain. Meanwhile, both the United States and the European Union are focusing on concerns over supply source concentration, dependence on Russian-related supplies, and security assurance issues arising from future growth in nuclear power demand. In the U.S. market, owners and operators of civilian nuclear power plants procured 46.9 million pounds U3O8e of uranium deliveries from domestic and foreign suppliers in 2025...

2026-08-12

First batch of experimental stations at Russia's Siberian Circular Photon Source expected to be operational by end of 2026

On August 11, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated at a meeting of the Council for Science and Education that the first research stations of the Siberian Circular Photon Source (SKIF) synchrotron are expected to be commissioned by the end of 2026. At the meeting, Putin noted that the Siberian Circular Photon Source is currently one of the world's most powerful particle accelerators, with some parameters being unique, capable of helping researchers conduct in-depth studies of the structure of matter at the atomic and molecular levels. He also stated that Russia needs to accelerate the development of future technologies, concentrate efforts on priority tasks, and make more efficient use of national strategic scientific resources, including research institutions, advanced digital computing resources, and unique biological resources. The Siberian Circular Photon...

2026-08-12

TAF-ID database 22nd edition released, expanding advanced nuclear fuel thermodynamic evaluation data

The International Thermodynamic Database for Advanced Fuels (TAF-ID) project has been running for over a decade. The project employs the CALPHAD (Calculation of Phase Diagrams) method to develop a thermodynamic database that supports computational analysis of advanced nuclear fuel materials, enabling prediction of phase diagrams and thermodynamic properties of relevant systems. According to project documentation, Version 22 of the TAF-ID database has been released. This update adds and revises assessment data for material systems including Na-U, Na-O, Na-UO₂, U-Ru, U-Si, Al-Si-U, Fe-Pu-U, and O-N-U, and updates gas-phase data based on the latest publicly available information. The database assessment scope has been expanded to 44 elements, 272 binary systems, 151 ternary systems, and 3...

2026-08-11

India's Nuclear Power Expansion Drives Up Uranium Demand, Annual Demand Could Reach 5,400 Tonnes

India is accelerating its nuclear energy development program, with uranium resource demand rising correspondingly. According to estimates by the Indian Parliament's Committee on Public Undertakings in its follow-up report on NPCIL performance rectification, India will require approximately 5,400 tonnes of uranium annually in the future as nuclear power projects expand. This figure reflects the urgency of India's energy structure adjustment and indicates the rising status of nuclear power in its long-term electricity planning. Currently, domestic uranium production in India can only meet about 30% of demand, with the remainder relying on imports, primarily from countries including Kazakhstan, Russia, Uzbekistan, and Canada. The Parliamentary Committee therefore emphasized...

2026-08-10

Türkiye Plans 17,000-Ton Uranium Drilling Program, Accelerating Nuclear Energy Autonomy Strategy

Türkiye is advancing a new round of exploration around a uranium deposit reportedly totaling 17,000 tons, planning drilling at 47 different points to further confirm ore body distribution, grade levels, and economic viability for extraction. This move is positioned within the context of Türkiye's energy supply security and nuclear energy development strategy, aiming to provide more domestic resource support for future nuclear fuel assurance. From an energy strategy perspective, uranium resource exploration is not merely a standalone mining project but part of Türkiye's efforts to reduce external energy dependence. Türkiye has long relied on imported energy, with external supplies of natural gas, oil, and other resources impacting its energy costs and macroeconomic performance. Globally...

2026-08-10

Belarusian NPP safe operation period may be extended to 100 years, with first spent fuel to be shipped to Russia for reprocessing in 2034

Stanislav Levitsky, head of the Rosatom representative office in Belarus, stated on the "Economic Environment" program of Belarusian TV Channel One that Belarusian nuclear energy development is backed by comprehensive safety assurances. He emphasized that while nuclear facilities can indeed have serious consequences if mismanaged, under the existing risk control system and modern technological support at the Belarusian NPP, nuclear power can become a low-cost, stable, and safe energy source. Levitsky believes that amid intense competition in the energy sector, some irresponsible players may use information tactics to create anxiety and attempt to provoke panic among the public...

2026-08-10