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ICC Arbitral Tribunal Rules Finland's Contract Termination Unlawful: Rosatom Wins in Hanhikivi-1 Nuclear Dispute

Rosatom publicly stated on Saturday that the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) arbitral tribunal has issued a ruling in its long-running dispute with Finland's Fennovoima over the cancelled Hanhikivi-1 nuclear power plant project, ruling in Russia's favor. Rosatom pointed out that the tribunal found Fennovoima's unilateral termination in 2022 of the contract to build the nuclear power plant in northern Finland to be an unlawful breach, and determined that the nuclear project had been progressing well before it was halted. Since May 2022, shortly after the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Fennovoima unilaterally halted the 7 billion euro (approximately 7.8 billion US dollars) nuclear power project, citing significant construction delays and geopolitical risks, and the two sides have since been mired in a battle of high-value claims and cross-border legal proceedings.

2026-10-11

Oklo's Groves Isotope Test Reactor Achieves First Criticality, Fifth Reactor in U.S. Department of Energy Test Reactor Program Successfully Started

The Groves Isotope Test Reactor under Oklo, an advanced nuclear fission company in the United States, has officially achieved first criticality. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) confirmed that the reactor successfully reached criticality at 9:19 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday at the Groves site in Lockhart, Texas, becoming the fifth advanced test reactor to achieve criticality under the DOE's dedicated authorization and regulatory pathway. The Groves Isotope Test Reactor has a thermal power of 15 megawatts (MWt) and adopts an atmospheric-pressure water-cooled pool-type reactor design. It is led by Oklo Isotopes, a subsidiary of Oklo focused on medical and industrial isotope production...

2026-10-11

French Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection Authority Approves Exemption of ITER Vacuum Vessel from Fission Pressurized Equipment Regulation

The French Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection Authority (ASNR) has formally issued a regulatory ruling, approving the application by the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) Organization to exclude the Vacuum Vessel, a core component of the ITER tokamak device, from the scope of regulation under the French and European Nuclear Pressure Equipment Directive (ESPN). This breakthrough ruling marks the beginning of key fusion reactor components breaking free from the regulatory framework derived from traditional fission reactors. Prior to this decision, the ITER Vacuum Vessel had long been classified as nuclear pressure equipment. This classification originated from the management practices of traditional light-water fission reactors, whose underlying logic presumes internal pressure as the primary engineering load on the structure. However...

2026-10-11

3-meter-wide hole found at bottom of Unit 3 reactor pressure vessel at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station: molten nuclear fuel burned through the base plate, TEPCO advances evaluation of debris removal project

The latest investigation data released by Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) shows that an irregular circular hole with a maximum diameter of 3 meters exists at the bottom of the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) of Unit 3 at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (Fukushima No. 1 NPP). This is the first time since the March 11, 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake triggered a tsunami and caused core meltdown that TEPCO has determined the specific shape and dimensions of the damaged bottom of the pressure vessel among the three reactors that experienced meltdown. The conclusion is based on image data obtained by a technical team in March this year using palm-sized micro-drones to conduct 21 flight surveys inside the containment vessel of Unit 3. Based on the multi-angle...

2026-10-11

Harbin Electric Power Equipment Company Nuclear Power MES System Has Been Fully Switched into Operation

Recently, the nuclear power MES system of Harbin Electric Power Equipment Company has been fully switched into operation, achieving that work plan maintenance, tracking, and all other operations are based on MES. This is a key achievement of the company's independent research and development of information systems realizing a zero breakthrough. The full name of the nuclear power MES system is Nuclear Power Manufacturing Execution System. It is the smart brain or neural center in the nuclear power production workshop, specifically responsible for accurately and transparently implementing upper-level production plans into the actions of each process in the workshop. The full switch of the nuclear power MES system is an important measure for building a world-class nuclear main pump research and development base. Harbin Electric Power Equipment Company conducted an in-depth analysis of pain points such as insufficient cross-link plan coordination, constraints from material completeness, and weak refined process control...

2026-10-10

US MARVEL Microreactor Approved for Criticality Testing, Testing Expected to Begin by End of 2026

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Idaho Operations Office has formally approved the final safety analysis report for the MARVEL microreactor at Idaho National Laboratory (INL). This key regulatory approval authorizes the reactor to proceed with configuration preparations for dry criticality testing, marking a breakthrough for the project following the approval of the preliminary safety analysis report in March of this year. The MARVEL (Microreactor Applications Research Validation and Evaluation) project is a sodium-potassium alloy-cooled microreactor test platform with a design thermal power of 85 to 100 kilowatts and a net electrical power of approximately 20 kilowatts. The facility is designed to help private companies such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) and GE Vernova test micro...

2026-10-10

Russia Completes Qualification Tests of ITER First Wall Tungsten Lining, Advancing Development of Key Components for International Thermonuclear Fusion

The Efremov Institute of Electrophysical Apparatus (NIIEFA), a subsidiary of Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation, recently successfully completed the qualification testing phase of tungsten materials for the first wall lining of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). This testing aimed to verify the feasibility of the selected technical solution. The expert team completed vacuum rapid brazing of the tungsten lining, robotic ultrasonic inspection, and rigorous thermal cycling tests, laying a solid foundation for subsequent mass production of key components. As the physical boundary between the scorching plasma and the main reactor equipment in a tokamak device, the first wall lining must protect the equipment from high-energy particle bombardment while...

2026-10-10

Opinions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council on Developing New Quality Productive Forces

Opinions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council on Developing New Quality Productive Forces. Developing new quality productive forces is an intrinsic requirement and an important focus for promoting high-quality development. To accelerate the development of new quality productive forces, the following opinions are hereby put forward. I. General Requirements. We must adhere to Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as our guide, thoroughly implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Party and all its plenary sessions, earnestly implement the arrangements of the Fourth Plenary Session, fully, accurately and comprehensively implement the new development philosophy, uphold innovation as the lead, reform as the key, adaptation to local conditions, and establishing the new before abolishing the old, uphold high technology, high efficiency and high quality, and properly handle the relationships between the government and the market, between qualitative state and business forms, between reform and development, and between self-reliance and opening up,...

2026-10-10

North China Regional Office of Nuclear and Radiation Safety Supervision of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment Conducts Inspections of Key Nuclear Technology Utilization Units

In order to firmly safeguard the nuclear and radiation safety barrier in the capital region, the North China Regional Office of Nuclear and Radiation Safety Supervision of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (hereinafter referred to as the North China Supervision Office) recently carried out safety inspections of 4 key nuclear technology utilization units in the capital, including source-related units and radioisotope production units. The inspection team went deep into frontline workplaces such as radioisotope production lines and radioactive source storage warehouses, conducted on-site inspections of the operation of radiation safety protection facilities, and carried out key verification of the emergency supplies equipped by each unit and holiday duty arrangements, strictly and practically investigating various types of safety hazards. The North China Supervision Office required all units to further raise their political stance, always keep the string of safety taut, strengthen...

2026-10-10

Unit 1 of Turkey's Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant Completes Primary Circuit Hydrostatic Test: Fully Advancing Toward the Hot Functional Test Stage

Unit 1 of the Akkuyu NPP, Turkey's first nuclear power plant, has successfully completed the hydrostatic test of the primary circuit system and core equipment. The successful completion of this hydrostatic test verified the pressure-bearing integrity and sealing performance of the primary circuit system, clearing engineering obstacles for the unit's subsequent launch of the critical hot functional test. During the test, the pressure-bearing value of the primary circuit system (covering the reactor pressure vessel, main coolant pumps, steam generators, pressurizer, and the main coolant piping connecting all components) was raised to 24.5 MPa, equivalent to approximately 1.5 times the unit's normal operating pressure; the initial temperature of the primary circuit demineralized water reached 135°C. Eng...

2026-10-10

Poland Launches Procurement of Key Equipment for Its First Nuclear Power Plant

Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (PEJ) announced on October 8, 2026, that it has formally commissioned Westinghouse Electric Company of the United States to initiate the ordering of Long-Lead Items (LLI) for Unit 1 of Poland's first nuclear power plant. The nuclear power project is located at the Lubiatowo-Kopalino site in Choczewo, Pomeranian Voivodeship, northern Poland, and is planned to house 3 Westinghouse AP1000 pressurized water reactor units. Long-lead critical components typically encompass large heavy forgings and castings required for the reactor pressure vessel, steam turbine and generator, dedicated instrumentation and control software, and high-technical-difficulty structural components...

2026-10-09

India's NTPC Finalizes Three New Nuclear Power Plant Sites: Accelerating Toward the 30 GW Nuclear Power Strategic Goal for 2047

India's largest state-owned power generation company, NTPC, has officially finalized three strategic nuclear power plant sites in Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, and Odisha. This move is a key initiative for the company to achieve its long-term plan of putting a cumulative 30 gigawatts (GW) of nuclear power capacity into operation across 14 states nationwide by 2047, and the detailed feasibility study reports for the relevant sites have been submitted to the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) of India for approval. According to preliminary plans, if the above three candidate sites receive regulatory approval, the planned installed capacity of each base will be between 2 and 4 GW. For the pressurized water reactor (PWR) projects planned for these sites, NTPC is actively engaging with international nuclear power giants to assess the feasibility of technical cooperation with Holtec International of the United States, Westinghouse, Rosatom of Russia, and Electricite de France (EDF). Earlier this year, NTPC signed separate confidentiality agreements with Rosatom and EDF to carry out preliminary technical discussions on the engineering implementation of large pressurized water reactors.

2026-10-09

Adjustment of External Directors at SPIC and Dongfang Electric

Upon study, Wang Wei, Ning Fushun, Wang Sen, and Lü Zhiren are appointed as external directors of State Power Investment Corporation Limited, while Liu Deheng and Nie Xiaofu no longer serve as external directors of State Power Investment Corporation Limited. Upon study, Li Baoqing, Gai Zhaoju, and Sheng Genghong are appointed as external directors of China Dongfang Electric Group Co., Ltd., while Huang Yongda, Zhang Cheng, and Su Wensheng no longer serve as external directors of China Dongfang Electric Group Co., Ltd. China Dongfang Electric Group Co., Ltd....

2026-10-09

Radiology Institute Joins Hands with Peking Union Medical College Hospital and Tianyi Keyuan to Win Gold at National Invention Exhibition: Novel Medical Radiation Protection Materials Achieve Scaled Translational Application

At the recently held 30th National Invention Exhibition · Belt and Road & BRICS Skills Development and Technology Innovation Competition, the project "Key Technologies for Brachytherapy Radiation Protection Materials and Series of Radiation Protection Products," jointly applied for by the Institute of Radiation Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (Radiology Institute), Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (Peking Union Medical College Hospital), and Tianjin Tianyi Keyuan Technology Co., Ltd. (Tianyi Keyuan), stood out from numerous competing projects and won the Gold Award by virtue of key technological breakthroughs in the field of medical radiation protection. The award-winning project focuses on the long-standing radiation protection pain points in the clinical frontline of interventional therapy and brachytherapy. Through cross-disciplinary collaborative research by the three parties of medicine, research, and enterprise, it has systematically developed a series of innovative product matrices covering scenarios such as occupational health protection for medical staff, protection of normal tissues during radiotherapy for tumor patients, and specialized protection for scar radiotherapy.

2026-10-09

U.S. NRC Expedites Review of License Amendment for Palisades Nuclear Plant Fuel Loading Tilt Incident: Advancing Vanguard SMR Construction Permit Review in Parallel

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is reviewing an emergency operating license amendment request (LAR) submitted by Holtec International. The request was triggered by a nuclear fuel loading tilt incident at the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant (Palisades NPP) in Covert, Michigan, during its restart process, which has resulted in the temporary suspension of some on-site restart recovery operations. According to the application documents publicly available in the NRC's public records system, fuel assembly number DD41 tilted after being released by the fuel handling machine. The lower nozzle of the assembly remains in the core grid position H-1, but the upper portion forms an approximately 30-degree tilt angle with the core plate...

2026-10-09