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GAO Report Urges DOE-EM to Learn from Canada, UK, France, and Belgium in Reshaping Nuclear Waste Cleanup Strategy

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) noted in a new report that countries such as Canada, France, and the United Kingdom have taken proactive measures in recent years to accelerate nuclear waste cleanup. The report recommends that the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Environmental Management (DOE-EM) engage in strategic exchanges with these countries to identify and evaluate alternative approaches that could reduce risks, lower costs, or expedite cleanup activities. Currently, DOE-EM estimates its cleanup mission could cost between $641 billion and $840 billion and may not be completed until 2100. The report found that while DOE-EM has some level of exchange with other countries on nuclear cleanup, such exchanges are not strategic and lack proactive learning...

2026-08-04

Montpellier, France, tests control of tiger mosquitoes by releasing 200,000 X-ray-sterilized males weekly

Montpellier, France, is testing a mosquito control strategy that does not rely on chemical insecticides by releasing X-ray-sterilized sterile male tiger mosquitoes, in response to the spread of tiger mosquitoes and the associated disease transmission risks. The trial has been underway since 2025 in the Malbosc residential area of Montpellier. This area is suitable for tiger mosquito breeding, and the trial team releases sterile male tiger mosquitoes at approximately 30 release points twice a week, about 100,000 per release, equivalent to roughly 200,000 per week across an area of about 50 hectares. The method is based on the sterile insect technique. Since only female mosquitoes bite and suck blood and may transmit viruses, and females typically mate only once in their lifetime, researchers release male mosquitoes that have lost their reproductive capacity after X-ray treatment into the wild to mate with wild females. The eggs subsequently laid by females fail to fertilize normally, thereby reducing the next generation of mosquito populations.

2026-08-03

Serbia Launches Nuclear Program: Experts to Train in France for 17 Months, First Nuclear Power Plant Expected by 2040

The nuclear cooperation agreement signed between Serbia and France officially launched the first phase of the country's nuclear energy program on July 29. Under the agreement, Serbian experts will travel to France over the next 17 months for training, seminars, and professional visits to acquire the new knowledge and experience needed to advance the nuclear program. Radoš Popadić, Assistant Minister at Serbia's Ministry of Mining and Energy, stated that nuclear energy could become a realistic and viable solution within Serbia's energy mix. The primary task of the first phase is to assess existing capabilities and identify what additional resources are needed as the process moves forward. According to the plan, Serbia needs to strategically...

2026-08-03

France's Golfech nuclear power plant shut down for third time this summer due to high temperatures

France's Golfech nuclear power plant has been shut down three times this summer. Located approximately 100 kilometers northwest of Toulouse, the plant is operated by Électricité de France (EDF). On the evening of July 29, one of its reactors was shut down again due to extreme heat. EDF had previously shut down the reactor twice, from June 23 to July 3 and from July 9 to 27, to prevent cooling water discharged into the Garonne River from exceeding the 28-degree Celsius limit set by a 2006 decree. The Golfech nuclear power plant is located in the Tarn-et-Garonne department, and its cooling water is discharged into the Garonne River. Currently, another reactor at the plant is also shut down for maintenance and refueling. France has experienced its fourth heatwave since the start of summer...

2026-07-31

Serbia and France Sign Nuclear Energy Cooperation Partnership Agreement

Serbia and France are deepening cooperation in the nuclear energy field, with both sides signing a significant partnership agreement. Serbian Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Đedović-Handanović announced via social media that the agreement was signed jointly by the Republic of Serbia, French electricity company EDF, and the French Development Agency AFD, aiming to lay the foundation for Serbia's peaceful nuclear energy projects. This cooperation will focus on strengthening Serbia's expertise, talent pool, and organizational capacity in the nuclear energy sector, while providing a scientific basis for future energy decisions. This partnership follows the Serbian government's reception of an EDF delegation and French Ambassador to Serbia Florence Ferrari...

2026-07-30

Kazakhstan and France Discuss Cooperation in Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy

On July 28-29, the bilateral committee meeting between Kazakhstan and France on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy was held at the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. The meeting was convened in accordance with the bilateral agreement on cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, focusing on reviewing progress in scientific, technological, and industrial cooperation, and discussing the direction of the next phase of collaboration. The Kazakh delegation was led by Almasadam Satkaliyev, Director of the Atomic Energy Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan. During the visit, the delegation met with Jean-Noël Barrot, French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Nicolas Forissier, Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade and Economic Attractiveness...

2026-07-30

Institute of Plasma Physics Visits ITER Headquarters in France for Exchange Activities

From July 7 to 9, 2026, a delegation from the Institute of Plasma Physics (ASIPP) visited ITER headquarters in France to engage in in-depth discussions regarding the joint commissioning plan for the device and the on-site commissioning of key ITER systems

2026-07-27