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Bulgarian Energy Minister Calls for Coordinated Response to Low Danube Water Levels

Bulgarian Energy Minister Eva Petrova stated at a meeting of the National Assembly's Energy Committee in Sofia on September 2 that persistently low water levels in the Danube River have impacted the operation of nuclear power plants along its banks. While countries have taken individual response measures, there remains a need to strengthen coordination at the regional level. Petrova said the Danube is currently at extremely low water levels, leading to reduced electricity generation at nuclear power plants along the river, including Bulgaria's Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant. She noted that relevant forecasts indicate such severe conditions may become more frequent in the future. She explained that the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant has...

2026-09-03

Uzbekistan Plans to Raise Localization Rate of Nuclear Power Project to Over 30%

Uzbekistan plans to improve the localization level of the integrated nuclear power plant project in the Jizzakh region, aiming to increase the share of domestically produced goods and equipment from the preliminary estimate of 21% to at least 30%. The project has a total investment of approximately $9.5 billion and is regarded by Uzbekistan as one of the important future sources of baseload electricity. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev stated during an inspection of the project construction site and the planned satellite city for nuclear industry personnel that the current localization rate still needs to be raised, and called for expanding the participation of domestic enterprises in equipment supply, engineering construction, and supporting infrastructure. Based on the total project investment, if the localization rate reaches 30%, the value of domestically supplied goods and equipment will be approximately $2.85 billion. If the localization rate reaches 30%, the value of domestically supplied goods and equipment will be approximately $2.85 billion.

2026-09-03

Romania's Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant unlikely to restart before September 10

Romania's Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant is expected to be unable to resume operations before September 10. Cristian Bușoi, State Secretary of the Romanian Ministry of Energy, stated that although the Danube River flow is recovering, water levels around the plant have not yet reached the conditions required for a safe and stable restart. In a recent interview, Bușoi said that to avoid creating unrealistic expectations, it can currently be confirmed that the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant does not yet meet the conditions for restart before September 10. He explained that the plant's operation depends on a stable water source to ensure the reactor...

2026-09-03

U.S. Develops Refractory Metal Powder Atomization System to Support Fusion Energy Materials Research

U.S. researchers are developing a new refractory metal powder atomization system to produce high-temperature alloy powders for extreme-environment applications. The system will support new materials research in areas such as gas turbines, aerospace equipment, and fusion energy systems. Jordan Tiarks, a scientist at Ames National Laboratory, stated that the laboratory has long been engaged in specialty powder production research, and the new system will expand its materials processing capabilities to higher temperature ranges and more challenging material systems. The research team noted that metal powders are a critical foundation for advanced manufacturing technologies such as powder metallurgy and additive manufacturing...

2026-09-03

U.S. PACMAN AI Framework Achieves Millisecond-Level Control of Fusion Plasma

The PACMAN AI framework, developed by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) and Princeton University, has completed five experimental validations in real fusion experimental systems. The framework can complete data processing, state prediction, and control command output in approximately 20 milliseconds, addressing rapidly developing instabilities in fusion plasma. This is an artist's rendition of the PACMAN AI framework for fusion systems. (Illustration credit: Kyle Palmer / PPPL Communications Department) PACMAN stands for Prediction and Control via Machine Learning. Related design and preliminary experimental results have been published in...

2026-09-03

2026 maintenance work completed at Russia's Kursk NPP

All 2026 maintenance work at Russia's Kursk NPP has been completed. In the final phase, the plant compressed the maintenance duration by 23.5 days, which is expected to increase electricity generation by approximately 500 million kWh. On August 27, 2026, Unit 4 of Kursk NPP returned to rated power operation after completing scheduled preventive maintenance with modernization upgrades ahead of schedule. The maintenance was completed 20 days ahead of the original plan while ensuring safety and quality. The main maintenance work this cycle was concentrated in the reactor building and turbine hall, including maintenance of multiple forced circulation loop equipment, the reactor emergency cooling system, the blowdown and cooling system, as well as Units 7 and 8...

2026-09-03

Russia's Kola NPP Launches Construction of Nuclear-Powered Hydrogen Production Pilot Complex

Kola NPP, a subsidiary of Rosatom, has commenced construction of a hydrogen production pilot test complex within its site, with the project scheduled for completion next year. The complex will be used to validate large-scale water electrolysis hydrogen production technology, as well as technical routes related to hydrogen handling, storage, and transportation. A key feature of the project is the use of low-carbon electricity supplied by the nuclear power plant to reduce the dependence of the hydrogen production process on hydrocarbon fuels. According to the design, the pilot test complex will have a hydrogen production capacity of 200 standard cubic meters per hour. The project will be implemented in two phases: the first phase will involve commissioning an electrolysis unit with a capacity of 50 standard cubic meters per hour and constructing hydrogen storage...

2026-09-03

India Urged to Adjust Green Finance Rules to Support Nuclear Power Expansion

Indian officials and industry insiders said recently that if India is to achieve its goal of increasing nuclear power installed capacity to 100 gigawatts by 2047, it needs to revisit existing green finance rules and accelerate the cultivation of professional talent in the nuclear energy sector. Abhay Karandikar, a member of India's NITI Aayog, stated at the India Power Expo held in New Delhi that India's sovereign green bond framework, green deposits, and related financing rules currently do not cover nuclear energy investments and should be reviewed and adjusted. He noted that some global financial institutions, including the World Bank, have begun reassessing relevant arrangements to support nuclear energy projects...

2026-09-03

U.S. Think Tank Recommends European Nuclear Power Adjust Cooling Configurations to Address High Temperatures and Drought

The U.S. Boston-based think tank Clean Air Task Force (CATF) recently stated that extreme heat and drought are placing new pressure on Europe's energy infrastructure, with nuclear power plant operations also affected. The organization believes the nuclear industry needs to place greater emphasis on climate resilience in energy planning and assess the impact of different cooling configurations on long-term plant operations. CATF noted that for nuclear power plants, temperature changes, water resource availability, environmental conditions, and related regulatory requirements over the coming decades could all affect unit operations. The selection of cooling schemes for nuclear power plants should be determined based on site-specific conditions, including local water resource availability, environmental regulations, geographical conditions...

2026-09-03

US Realta Fusion and MGE Plan to Jointly Develop 200 MW Fusion Power Plant

Realta Fusion, a company developing magnetic mirror fusion energy technology, announced on September 2 that it has established a strategic partnership with Madison Gas and Electric (MGE) and its parent company MGE Energy, Inc. The two parties will jointly evaluate the feasibility of co-developing a 200 MW electric-class fusion energy power plant in Wisconsin, USA. Under the collaboration arrangement, the first phase includes a direct equity investment by MGE Energy in Realta Fusion. MGE has also agreed to provide equipment, engineering, and technical support to Realta Fusion, as well as assistance in project siting, permitting, grid interconnection, and financing to advance preliminary work for the proposed 200 MW fusion power project.

2026-09-03

Bulgaria Approves Procurement of Russian-Made Equipment for Kozloduy NPP

Bulgaria's government press office reported on September 2 that the government has issued a special permit to Kozloduy NPP, allowing it to procure equipment and materials from Russia necessary for the continued safe operation of the plant. The Bulgarian government stated that ensuring nuclear safety and accident-free power generation requires regular procurement of spare parts from the designers, engineers, and manufacturers of the plant's equipment. Since most systems and equipment at Kozloduy NPP originate from Russia, multiple contracts concerning the supply of equipment needed for the reliable and safe operation of Units 5 and 6 have been or are about to be signed with Russian suppliers. The government also authorized Bulgaria's National Electric Company to...

2026-09-03

Uzbekistan's Integrated Nuclear Power Plant Completes Reactor Building Foundation Pit Excavation

The press service of the President of Uzbekistan announced on September 2 that the integrated nuclear power plant project being built by Rosatom has completed the excavation of the reactor building foundation pit, with over 1 million cubic meters of earth removed in total. President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev was briefed on the progress of the nuclear power plant construction. The project was officially launched in June this year, and construction workers have already completed site excavation at the 100-hectare construction and installation base, pouring 916 cubic meters of foundation concrete. A total of 450 workers and 100 pieces of equipment are involved in the construction at the site, with a total project investment of $9.5 billion...

2026-09-03

Russia says it has not yet received an invitation for negotiations on Hungary's Paks II nuclear power plant

On September 2, Alexey Likhachev, CEO of Russia's State Atomic Energy Corporation (Rosatom), said during the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok that Rosatom has not yet received an invitation from the Hungarian government for negotiations on the construction project of the Paks II nuclear power plant. Likhachev stated that Rosatom has expressed its willingness to participate in discussions on project parameters in any civilized manner. He noted that the company has always placed the interests of its partners and clients in a position of priority and is prepared to provide explanations and justifications regarding the effectiveness of the project's technical solutions as well as related financial and economic impacts...

2026-09-03

Rosatom Plans to Discuss Floating Nuclear Power Plant Project with Indonesia

Alexey Likhachev, CEO of Rosatom, said on September 2 that the company will continue talks with the Indonesian side on the construction of small-scale nuclear power plants during the Eastern Economic Forum, with a key focus on cooperation in floating nuclear power plants. Likhachev noted that Indonesia's economy is growing rapidly, its population continues to expand, and electricity demand is rising accordingly, while the country has shown strong interest in developing nuclear energy. He believes that Indonesia's geography, consisting of numerous islands with a long coastline, makes floating nuclear power plants practically applicable. According to him, floating nuclear power plants are a key area of international cooperation that Rosatom is advancing...

2026-09-03

Russia plans to launch main construction of Primorsky Krai NPP in 2027

Alexey Likhachev, Director General of Rosatom, said recently during the Eastern Economic Forum that the first concrete pour for the Primorsky Krai nuclear power plant is planned for 2027, with the first batch of electricity to be connected to the grid in 2032. Likhachev stated that relevant work is progressing toward these target timelines. Following conventional practice in nuclear power project construction, the first concrete pour is generally regarded as a key milestone marking the transition of a nuclear project into its main construction phase. During the same forum, Dmitry Demeshin, Governor of Khabarovsk Krai, proposed that consideration be given to building nuclear power plants in parallel in both Khabarovsk Krai and Primorsky Krai...

2026-09-03