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Global Major SMR Project Progress Review

As of now, global SMR competition has already formed several different tiers: Linglong One is advancing pre-operational testing, Darlington and Russia's land-based projects have entered the construction phase, Clinch River has just crossed the threshold for a U.S. commercial SMR construction permit, Long Mott is still under licensing review, and representative projects in the UK and South Korea are mainly advancing design and regulatory approval. In subsequent comparisons of these projects, the most valuable indicators will be first fuel load, first criticality, first grid connection, commercial operation, and whether construction can be replicated after the first-of-a-kind unit. Project progress: China's Linglong One is one of the more advanced projects among land-based SMR commercial demonstration projects. In December 2025, the project completed non-nuclear steam testing, verifying the functions of conventional island-related systems; public information in early 2026 shows that the project is still conducting pre-operational testing. The project adopts a 125 MWe pressurized water reactor design, mainly targeting applications such as power generation, heating, industrial steam, and seawater desalination.

2026-10-09

Controversy Over U.S. Nuclear Waste Repository Siting Draws Renewed Attention: Historical Decision Alleged to Have Relied Excessively on Cost Estimates

The issue of siting a U.S. nuclear waste repository has once again drawn attention. A reanalysis of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) 1986 candidate site evaluation report points out that the key factor determining the priority siting of a nuclear waste repository at that time was not fully verified differences in long-term safety performance among the sites, but mainly estimates of repository construction and operating costs and spent fuel transportation costs. This analysis argues that the relevant cost data had considerable uncertainty, yet played a decisive role in the final ranking, causing the technical evaluation to present a clearer ordering of advantages and disadvantages than the actual evidence supported. The debate over U.S. nuclear waste repository siting has lasted for decades. The 1982 Nuclear Waste Policy...

2026-10-09

Construction Management Practice of Unbonded Prestressed Tendons in the Containment of the Reactor Building

As a landmark project of China-Russia nuclear energy cooperation, Units 7 and 8 of Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant were the first in China to apply unbonded prestressing technology to the inner containment of the reactor building. There was no domestic construction experience with unbonded prestressing in containments to draw upon, and the installation of large-diameter prestressing ducts, as well as the strand threading, grouting, and tensioning of greased and sheathed strands, presented considerable difficulty, exposing construction to significant risks and challenges. As a "first-of-a-kind new process," to complete this pioneering project to high quality and high standards, China Nuclear Power Engineering Co., Ltd., as the general contractor, worked in close coordination and collaboration with all participating units to carry out innovative work, guided by strategy, driven by technology...

2026-10-09

Concrete pouring for the turbine pedestal of the conventional island of Guangdong Taipingling Unit 3 completed successfully

From September 25 to 27, 2026, the Taipingling Nuclear Power Project construction team completed the mass concrete pouring for the turbine pedestal of the 3BMX conventional island of Unit 3. This construction involved a cumulative concrete pour of 2,946 cubic meters and the consumption of 550 tons of rebar, with the installation precision of embedded parts reaching the millimeter level, marking a phased breakthrough in the key construction path of the conventional island of Unit 3 and laying an important foundation for the subsequent civil construction handover for the turbine foundation and the advancement of the mainline conventional island works. To ensure the successful completion of the pouring milestone, the Taipingling Nuclear Power Project construction team adhered to the principle of planning ahead and coordinated deployment, quickly establishing a special task force to focus on key...

2026-10-09

U.S. Department of Energy Plans to Provide Vistra with $4.2 Billion Conditional Loan to Support Power Uprates and Life Extensions at Operating Nuclear Plants: Safeguarding Nearly 4 GW of Baseload Power to Meet Surging Electricity Demand from AI Data Centers

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced a conditional loan commitment of up to $4.2 billion to Vistra Corp., an independent power producer headquartered in Irving, Texas. The funds will be dedicated to financing power uprates and equipment modernization projects at three of Vistra's nuclear power plants located in Pennsylvania and Ohio——Beaver Valley, Davis-Besse, and Perry——to meet the explosive growth in electricity demand driven by artificial intelligence and data centers. According to the project plan, this technical upgrade project is expected to add a cumulative 433 megawatts (MW) of nuclear generating capacity, and...

2026-10-08

Tianwan Nuclear Power Unit 7 Successfully Connected to Grid for the First Time

On October 8, Tianwan Nuclear Power Unit 7, invested in and controlled by China National Nuclear Power under CNNC, was successfully connected to the grid for the first time, officially delivering its first kilowatt-hour of electricity to the grid and laying a solid foundation for the subsequent commercial operation of the unit. The first grid connection and power generation of Tianwan Nuclear Power Unit 7 is a vivid practice of CNNC joining hands with all parties to deeply study the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech at the groundbreaking ceremony of China-Russia nuclear energy cooperation projects, thoroughly implement the "four revolutions, one cooperation" new energy security strategy, and respond to national strategic deployments with concrete actions. On May 19, 2021, President Xi Jinping, via video link in Beijing, together with Russian President Putin, witnessed the groundbreaking ceremony of the two countries' nuclear energy cooperation projects — Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant Units 7 and 8 and Xudabao Nuclear Power Plant Units 3 and 4. General Secretary Xi Jinping put forward the earnest instructions of "adhering to safety first and setting a model for global nuclear energy cooperation," "adhering to innovation-driven development and deepening the connotation of nuclear energy science and technology cooperation," and "adhering to strategic collaboration and promoting the coordinated development of the global energy governance system." Over the past five years and more, under the guidance of higher-level ministries and commissions as well as local governments at all levels, all construction participants of Tianwan Nuclear Power Units 7 and 8 have fully implemented General Secretary Xi Jinping's earnest instructions at the project construction site, and in accordance with the requirements of the Party Group of the Group Company, advanced project construction, commissioning, and other work with high quality and high standards, building Tianwan Nuclear Power Units 7 and 8 into a demonstration project of China-Russia nuclear energy cooperation, a benchmark project for global nuclear power construction, and a livelihood project benefiting the local area. In particular, to ensure the smooth grid connection of Unit 7, Jiangsu Nuclear Power joined hands with all parties to uphold a rigorous and meticulous working attitude and collaboratively completed key operations such as reactor protection logic verification, reactor criticality, steam turbine rolling, and generator short-circuit tests. Subsequently, the unit will carry out a series of tests as planned to further verify unit performance and ensure that commercial operation conditions are met. It is understood that the Tianwan Nuclear Power Base plans to build 8 units. Units 1-6 have already generated more than 550 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity safely and stably, and Unit 7 is expected to enter commercial operation within the year. After all 8 units of the Tianwan Nuclear Power Base are put into operation, the total installed capacity will exceed 9 million kilowatts, with annual power generation exceeding 70 billion kilowatt-hours, and annual carbon dioxide emissions reduced by 57.4 million tons, injecting strong nuclear power into optimizing the energy structure of East China, ensuring regional energy security, helping achieve the national "dual carbon" goals, and promoting green, low-carbon, and high-quality development.

2026-10-08

International Researchers Successfully Develop the First Autonomous Thorium-229 "Nuclear Clock": Featuring Ultra-Strong Interference Resistance and a Fully Autonomous Closed-Loop Stable Operation Mechanism

Recently, the press office of TU Wien (Vienna University of Technology) announced that a team of scientists from Austria, Germany, and the Czech Republic has successfully developed the world's first nuclear clock based on the thorium-229 (chemical symbol ²²⁹Th) atomic nucleus. This nuclear clock possesses extremely high interference resistance and is capable of operating in a fully autonomous mode without external stabilization. The research team stated that, compared with traditional atomic clocks that operate using entire atoms, timekeeping using atomic nuclei can theoretically achieve higher measurement precision. Two years ago, they successfully controlled the transition process of the thorium-229 atomic nucleus for the first time, but to achieve extremely high-precision timekeeping, it was still necessary to solve the nuclear clock...

2026-10-08

Tennessee's Top Officials Push Hard to Bind Nuclear Energy with Data Centers: Tennessee's Computing Blueprint and the Clash with Reality

Against the backdrop of an increasingly white-hot global artificial intelligence arms race, competition in computing infrastructure has substantively evolved into competition in energy supply capacity. Recently, at the ImagineIF tech futurism conference held in Nashville, multiple Tennessee political figures collectively spoke out, outlining a strategic blueprint centered on Oak Ridge and relying on nuclear energy and small modular reactors (SMRs) to power hyperscale data centers across the United States. However, beneath the grand framework of a multi-trillion-dollar investment vision and the historical narrative of the Manhattan Project, this industrial concept is facing regulatory approval bottlenecks, lagging power grid interconnection, rising community resistance, and environmental equity...

2026-10-07

U.S. Department of Energy Commits $4.2 Billion Loan to Support Vistra Nuclear Plant Expansion and Upgrade

On October 5, 2026, the Office of Energy Dominance Financing of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced a commitment to provide a conditional loan of up to $4.2 billion to fund the expansion and modernization of nuclear power plants owned by Vistra Corp. in Pennsylvania and Ohio. It is understood that this investment aims to implement U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order on revitalizing the nuclear industrial base. U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright stated that by increasing the power generation of existing nuclear power plants, affordable...

2026-10-06

Europe Completes Delivery of Final ITER Vacuum Vessel Sector, Marking Conclusion of 16 Years of Manufacturing

Recently, Fusion for Energy (F4E), in collaboration with Ansaldo Nucleare, Westinghouse, and Walter Tosto, has completed the manufacturing of Europe's final vacuum vessel sector for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) and delivered it to the ITER project site at Cadarache in southeastern France. It is understood that the ITER vacuum vessel has an internal volume of 1,400 cubic meters and is composed of nine wedge-shaped steel sectors, each over 14 meters tall and weighing up to 440 tonnes. Once assembled, the vacuum vessel will have an outer diameter of 19.4 meters, a height of 11.4 meters, and weigh approximately 520...

2026-10-06

Korea Holds Briefing Session on Bidding for Auxiliary Equipment for Czech Dukovany Nuclear Power Project

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) officially held the briefing session on bidding for auxiliary equipment for the Czech Dukovany Nuclear Power Project on September 30 at the Radiation Health Institute in Seoul. As the Czech Dukovany new Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) project has fully transitioned from the preliminary supplier qualification and registration stage to the substantive bidding and equipment procurement stage, this briefing session was aimed at providing comprehensive guidance and support for Korean domestic equipment manufacturers to participate in the bidding. The meeting attracted approximately 130 plant auxiliary equipment (...

2026-10-04

CGN Environmental Protection and Cangnan Nuclear Power Sign a New Round of General Contracting Agreement for Nuclear Environmental Protection Business

Recently, CGN Environmental Protection and Cangnan Nuclear Power officially signed a new round of general contracting agreement for nuclear environmental protection business. This marks a comprehensive upgrade of their cooperation from version 1.0 to version 2.0, and also a substantive implementation of the Group's deepening reform strategy in the field of nuclear environmental protection. Zhan Weihua, Deputy Party Secretary and General Manager of Cangnan Nuclear Power, and Qin Geng, Party Committee Member and Chief Accountant; Ren Junhua, Deputy Party Secretary and General Manager of CGN Environmental Protection, Lu Shubao, Party Committee Member and Deputy General Manager, and Yang Wei, Party Committee Member and Deputy General Manager attended the signing ceremony. In 2025, CGN Environmental Protection transitioned toward nuclear environmental protection business and signed the first round of general contracting agreements with multiple plants. Over the past year, the company has continuously honed its capabilities in business undertaking and execution, and is accelerating the construction of an integrated...

2026-10-02

The first concrete pouring for the nuclear island of Unit 2 of State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC) Guangxi Bailong Nuclear Power Project was successfully completed.

The first concrete pouring for the nuclear island of Unit 2 of SPIC Guangxi Bailong Nuclear Power Project was completed at 16:07 on September 30, after 69 hours and 40 minutes of continuous work. A total of 6,732.5 cubic meters of concrete was used for this pouring, marking another important milestone for the project after the FCD achievement for the nuclear island of Unit 1. Phase I of the Bailong Nuclear Power Project plans to build two CAP1000 nuclear power units. These two units adopt independently designed and domestically manufactured Generation III passive nuclear power technology, with each unit having a capacity of up to 1.25 million kilowatts. At present, Unit 1 has entered the construction and installation stage, and the steel containment vessel bottom head, CA20, CV1R, CA01...

2026-09-30

Pressurizer of Lufeng Nuclear Power Unit 1 Successfully Hoisted into Place

On September 30, the pressurizer of Lufeng Nuclear Power Unit 1, constructed by China Nuclear Industry 23 Construction Co., Ltd., was successfully hoisted into place. The success of this hoisting marks major progress in the installation of the primary circuit main equipment in the nuclear island of Lufeng Nuclear Power Unit 1, laying a solid foundation for the subsequent surge line welding, system equipment installation, and commissioning work. The pressurizer is a core main equipment of the nuclear island reactor coolant system and a Class 1 nuclear safety equipment. It undertakes the tasks of pressure regulation and overpressure protection for the primary circuit system and is key equipment for ensuring the safe and stable operation of the reactor. This equipment is a vertical cylindrical pressure vessel with a body height of more than ten meters and a total hoisting weight of over one hundred tons. It is installed in the pressurizer compartment of the CA01 module, with stringent design and manufacturing standards...

2026-09-30

Main Coolant Piping Welding of Lufeng Nuclear Power Unit 6 Successfully Completed

On September 28, the main coolant piping welding of the nuclear island of Lufeng Nuclear Power Unit 6 was successfully completed. All non-destructive testing of the main coolant piping was finished, with the first-pass qualification rate of radiographic testing (RT)/ultrasonic testing (UT) reaching 100%, laying a solid foundation for subsequent key milestones such as nuclear loop flushing and cold functional testing. Facing the high standards of main coolant piping welding, the project department strictly implemented nuclear safety supervision and control requirements, carried out precondition verification across all dimensions of personnel, machines, materials, methods, and environment, established a main coolant piping welding control zone, strictly controlled the working environment including temperature, humidity, and cleanliness, and ensured stable and controllable welding conditions. The project team fully drew on the main coolant piping welding experience of Unit 5, formulated a special plan and implemented full-process management, and through digital monitoring means throughout the entire welding process, tracked key parameters such as welding deformation and temperature in real time, refined the process disclosure, in-process inspection, and quality acceptance procedures for each weld joint, and applied the work style of "strict, cautious, meticulous, and pragmatic" to every welding operation and every weld seam, ensuring the successful completion of the main coolant piping welding of Unit 6.

2026-09-30