Search Results

U.S. Department of Energy Provides $1.9 Billion Loan to Support Restart of Duane Arnold Nuclear Power Plant

NextEra Energy announced on September 8 that it has completed a loan arrangement of up to $1.9 billion with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to support the restart of the Duane Arnold Energy Center in Iowa. The project will help restore operations at Iowa's only nuclear power plant and add stable electricity supply to the regional grid. Located in Linn County, Iowa, the Duane Arnold Energy Center has a generating capacity of 615 megawatts. NextEra Energy has previously stated that, subject to regulatory approvals, it plans to restart the facility no later than the first quarter of 2029. The DOE loan will support related restoration efforts, including...

2026-09-09

Yang Changli, Chairman of China General Nuclear Power Group, Meets with Lao Minister of Industry and Commerce Malaythong Kommasith and Standing Vice Chairman of the Lao-China Cooperation Committee Sengsadeth Sayasone

On September 7, Yang Changli, Chairman of China General Nuclear Power Group Co., Ltd., met separately with Lao Minister of Industry and Commerce Malaythong Kommasith and Sengsadeth Sayasone, Standing Vice Chairman of the Lao-China Cooperation Committee, at the CGN Tower in Shenzhen, conducting in-depth exchanges on deepening practical cooperation in energy, industry, agriculture, and people's livelihood. Prior to the meetings, Malaythong Kommasith and his delegation also visited and inspected the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Base. He Haibin, Chief Accountant of the Group, and Li Yilun, Vice President, attended relevant activities respectively. ▲Yang Changli meets with Lao Minister of Industry and Commerce Malaythong Kommasith ▲Yang Changli meets with Standing Vice Chairman of the Lao-China Cooperation Committee Sengsadeth Sayasone...

2026-09-09

Two South Korean companies to collaborate on expanding fusion energy projects

KEPCO Engineering & Construction (KEPCO E&C) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Enable Fusion on September 7 at the Daejeon Science Center to establish a cooperation framework for participation in fusion energy projects, technology sharing, and joint business development. Kim Tae-kyun, President of KEPCO E&C, and Lee Kyung-soo, CEO of Enable Fusion, attended the signing ceremony. Under the MOU, the two parties will provide each other with technical and commercial information required for participation in the construction of fusion power facilities and jointly develop fusion energy projects both domestically and overseas. KEPCO E&C plans to...

2026-09-08

Slovakia Proposes Strengthening Nuclear Energy Cooperation with Bulgaria

On September 7, Slovakia, as the rotating president of the Visegrad Group (V4), proposed enhanced cooperation to Bulgaria. The Visegrad Group comprises the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico stated that Slovakia and Bulgaria have potential for strengthening bilateral cooperation, including in the nuclear energy sector. Slovakia also invited Bulgaria to participate in Visegrad Group cooperation mechanisms. According to Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár, the Visegrad Group held a foreign ministers' meeting with Japan this week...

2026-09-08

Saudi Arabia to Expand IAEA Verification Authority

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi said on September 7 that Saudi Arabia is preparing to grant the IAEA additional verification and monitoring authority beyond its existing safeguards obligations. The arrangement is similar in some mechanisms to the Additional Protocol, but the proposed US-Saudi civilian nuclear cooperation agreement does not include provisions requiring Saudi Arabia to sign the Additional Protocol. In July, the United States and Saudi Arabia reached an agreement on civilian nuclear cooperation. According to available information, the agreement would allow Saudi Arabia to conduct uranium enrichment and build nuclear reactors using US technology. Some nonproliferation organizations have previously criticized that the proposed...

2026-09-08

South Korea Notifies IAEA of Intention to Consult on Safeguards Arrangements for Nuclear-Powered Submarine

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi said Monday at the agency's Board of Governors meeting in Vienna that South Korea has formally notified the IAEA of its intention to consult with the agency on safeguards arrangements for its envisioned nuclear-powered submarine program. Grossi stated that South Korea has notified the IAEA Secretariat of its intent to discuss relevant arrangements pursuant to Article 14 of its Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement (CSA). This provision allows a country to use nuclear material for non-prohibited military purposes, such as naval nuclear propulsion, under arrangements concluded with the IAEA. It was noted that South Korea also reaffirmed its continued commitment to fulfilling its obligations under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), the Comprehensive Safeguards Agre...

2026-09-08

Iowa Research Promotes Nuclear Energy Industry Development

The Iowa Nuclear Energy Task Force released a report stating that, leveraging experience in deploying new energy technologies, a strong manufacturing base, workforce conditions, and the Duane Arnold nuclear power plant restart plan, Iowa is well-positioned to play a greater role in the growing nuclear energy industry. NextEra Energy has agreed to restart the Duane Arnold nuclear power plant, primarily to supply power to Google. Image courtesy of NextEra Energy. The task force was established by Iowa's governor in January of this year with the mission of assessing opportunities for advancing nuclear energy technology and infrastructure in the state. The report recommends that Iowa conduct a statewide nuclear energy feasibility study, identify areas suitable for new nuclear project development, and establish a one-stop coordination window to facilitate nuclear project advancement.

2026-09-08

Türkiye partners with Danish company to develop thorium-based nuclear technology

Türkiye's Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources stated on September 7 that the Turkish Energy, Nuclear and Mineral Research Agency (TENMAK) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Danish nuclear technology developer Copenhagen Atomics to cooperate on developing next-generation nuclear energy technologies centered on Türkiye's thorium resources. According to the Turkish statement, the cooperation priorities include research and development of technologies that can utilize thorium, domestic production of thorium compounds in Türkiye, and promoting the participation of Turkish industrial enterprises, technology companies, and researchers in thorium-based nuclear technology development. The two sides will focus on thorium material preparation, research and development, and project design applicable to next-generation nuclear reactors, particularly molten salt reactors.

2026-09-08

Destroyed Syrian Nuclear Reactor May Have Had Capability to Produce Nuclear Weapons Material

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi said on September 7 that a Syrian nuclear reactor, which was destroyed in an Israeli airstrike in 2007 while it was nearly complete, was of a type capable of relatively quickly producing fissile material that could be used in nuclear weapons. The IAEA recently concluded its investigation into Syria's past covert nuclear activities. The investigation found approximately 73 tons of natural uranium metal, primarily in the form of reactor fuel. In a report submitted to member states, the agency confirmed that its previous assessment remained unchanged: the destroyed facility in Deir ez-Zor Province in eastern Syria was a nuclear reactor under construction, and the associated fuel had also been manufactured within Syria.

2026-09-08

Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant Restores External Power Supply

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) has resumed receiving external electricity via the 330 kV Ferrospravnaya-1 transmission line. Previously, since August 20, the plant had relied on backup diesel generators to maintain essential on-site power for a duration of 19 days. Alexey Likhachev, Director General of Rosatom, stated that the plant has switched from diesel generator power to external power supply and is currently operating normally. The Zaporizhzhia NPP reported that following the restoration of the Ferrospravnaya-1 line, the backup diesel generators have been placed on standby. Rafael...

2026-09-08

South Korea Calls on Vietnam to Support Korean Companies' Participation in Nuclear Power Plant Projects

According to the South Korean Prime Minister's Office, the Prime Minister recently met with the Chairman of the Vietnamese National Assembly, who was on an official visit to South Korea, at the Seoul Government Complex, where the two sides exchanged views on bilateral relations and ways to expand cooperation. The South Korean side expressed its hope to promote the continued development of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries. During the talks, South Korea specifically requested that the Vietnamese National Assembly continue to pay attention to and support the resolution of difficulties faced by Korean energy companies operating in Vietnam, while creating favorable conditions for Korean companies to participate in infrastructure projects in Vietnam, including high-speed railways and nuclear power plants. The Vietnamese side stated that the Vietnamese National Assembly is continuously improving its legal and policy framework to create a better investment environment and welcomes Korean companies to pay attention to Vietnam's infrastructure...

2026-09-08

CFHI and China Huaneng Hold Talks on Cooperation in Nuclear Power Equipment and Other Fields

On September 7, Lv Zhiqiang, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of CFHI, together with Quan Huaqiang, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee, Director and General Manager, visited Bai Yong, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Chairman of China Huaneng, for discussions on further deepening cooperation. Zhang Hao, Member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee and Vice President of CFHI, Hao Jinyu, Deputy Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Director of China Huaneng, and Li Qizhao, Member of the Party Leadership Group and Vice President of China Huaneng, attended the talks. Lv Zhiqiang expressed gratitude to China Huaneng for its long-standing care and support for CFHI, and briefed on the company's reform and development as well as the 15th Five-Year Plan. He stated that China Huaneng is an important partner of CFHI, having been deeply engaged in the development of China's power industry for many years and continuously leading the progress of the power generation sector. Coinciding with the inaugural year of the 15th Five-Year Plan, he expressed hope that both sides would focus on fields such as nuclear power equipment, wind power, high-end materials, and scientific research and development, continuously expanding the boundaries of cooperation, innovating cooperation models, and jointly serving the national energy strategy while demonstrating the responsibility of central state-owned enterprises.

2026-09-08

Ukrainian Nuclear Energy Association and Energoatom Trade Union Expand Nuclear Energy Cooperation

On September 2, the Ukrainian Nuclear Energy Association (UkrYat) and the Primary Trade Union Organization of NNEGC Energoatom (PPO NNEGC Energoatom) signed an interaction and cooperation agreement, under which the parties will expand cooperation in nuclear industry development, employee rights protection, personnel training, and scientific and technological capacity building. The agreement was signed by Volodymyr Kholosha, President of the Ukrainian Nuclear Energy Association, and Serhiy Snitkov, Chairman of the Primary Trade Union Organization of NNEGC Energoatom. Under the agreement, the parties will jointly promote the development of Ukraine's nuclear industry, safeguard the labor rights and socio-economic interests of industry professionals...

2026-09-07

"Wukong" Detects "Super-Iron" Elements in Cosmic Rays, Achieving First High-Precision Cosmic Ray Nickel Energy Spectrum in the TeV Range

Recently, the DAMPE scientific team led by Academician Chang Jin of the University of Science and Technology of China made significant progress in direct observations of high-energy cosmic rays. Based on DAMPE on-orbit observation data, the scientific team obtained the differential flux spectrum of nickel nuclei from 10 GeV/n to 2 TeV/n. The results were published in the international academic journal *Physical Review Letters* under the title "Measurement of the Cosmic Ray Nickel Energy Spectrum from 10 GeV/n to 2 TeV/n with the DAMPE Space Mission." The origin of super-iron elements in cosmic rays has long been a challenge for the scientific community. It is generally believed that cosmic ray elements are primarily produced in nuclear fusion processes within stars, but since iron nuclei have the highest binding energy per nucleon, stellar fusion reactions typically struggle to proceed beyond elements near iron. Heavier elements than iron are generally attributed to different nucleosynthesis processes such as neutron capture. Because the abundance of super-iron elements is typically at least an order of magnitude lower than that of iron, measurements of super-iron elements in cosmic rays remain extremely scarce. Most experiments have only provided relative abundances of different elements; a few experiments have measured the differential flux spectrum of cosmic ray nickel, but with energy upper limits of only a few hundred GeV/n.

2026-09-07

XENONnT Observes First Low-Energy Solar Neutrino-Electron Scattering Signals

Scientists of the XENON collaboration recently announced the first observation of low-energy solar neutrino scattering off electrons in the XENONnT particle detector. The results were presented at a workshop held on August 31, 2026, at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory of the Italian National Institute for Nuclear Physics. The team of Prof. Teresa Marrodán Undagoitia and Dr. Hardy Simgen from the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics played a key role in the experiment. Nuclear fusion in the Sun continuously produces vast numbers of neutrinos, with hundreds of billions passing through every square centimeter of Earth each second. Because neutrinos interact with matter extremely weakly, detecting these particles...

2026-09-07