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UK's First TerraPower Natrium Reactor Could Generate Power by 2034

TerraPower, the US nuclear power company backed by Bill Gates, expects its Natrium sodium-cooled reactor could generate electricity in the UK as early as 2034. If the project progresses smoothly, the UK will become the company's first market for deploying this technology outside the United States. TerraPower CEO Chris Levesque said that given the company's first Natrium reactor project is scheduled for completion in 2031, the Natrium technology is highly likely to become a reality in the UK by 2034. The technology has already met relevant US regulatory requirements, and the first unit is under construction in Wyoming. In recent years, the UK has accelerated the development of small modular re...

2026-09-08

Korea and U.S. reportedly in talks to jointly build 8 large-scale nuclear power plants in the U.S.

According to the South Korean government and political figures on September 7, South Korea and the United States are in the final stages of discussions on a plan to jointly build up to 8 large-scale nuclear power plants in the U.S. The plan is seen as one of the follow-up projects under the Korea-U.S. investment arrangement in the U.S. Sources say the U.S. side had proposed allocating $120 billion of the $200 billion investment commitment to the construction of 8 nuclear power plants within the framework of investment in the U.S. An additional $150 billion in shipbuilding-related investment falls outside that commitment. However, the South Korean government reportedly did not accept the proposal to directly specify the exact investment amount, instead preferring to use general wording such as "jointly building 8 nuclear power plants" in relevant documents to preserve room for further coordination...

2026-09-08

Kairos Power Completes Phase 1 of ETU 3 Hardware Demonstration in the U.S.

On September 4, Kairos Power announced the completion of Phase 1 of the Engineering Test Unit 3 (ETU 3) hardware demonstration at its Oak Ridge, Tennessee site. The unit, a non-nuclear engineering test platform, is primarily designed to reduce technical risks in reactor construction, operation, and maintenance, and to provide validation data for the Hermes 2 demonstration plant and subsequent commercial reactor deployments. Kairos Power stated that Phase 1 of ETU 3 focused on design validation of precast concrete shielding structures and testing of remote operation and maintenance capabilities. Construction of the Hermes 2 demonstration plant began earlier this year in Oak Ridge, and ETU...

2026-09-06

U.S. NANO Nuclear and Enveniam to Advance Microreactor and Nuclear Fuel Cycle Cooperation

U.S. advanced nuclear energy company NANO Nuclear Energy Inc. announced on September 4 that it has signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding with Enveniam, LLC, a project integration and engineering technology services provider, to explore cooperation in areas such as nuclear fuel cycle infrastructure, microreactor commercialization, advanced manufacturing, and end-user energy solutions. Under the MOU, the parties will evaluate how to leverage Enveniam's experience in nuclear engineering, project integration, safety analysis, licensing support, project controls, operational readiness, and complex energy infrastructure development to support NANO Nuclear...

2026-09-05

U.S. Completes Mechanical Property Measurements of Irradiated HALEU TRISO Fuel Particles

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have completed mechanical property measurements of irradiated high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) TRISO fuel particles, providing new experimental data for the development and qualification of next-generation nuclear fuels. This is an optical cross-sectional image of an irradiated AGR-2 TRISO fuel particle in the Irradiated Fuels Examination Laboratory at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Image credit: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy. TRISO fuel, or tri-structural isotropic fuel, features particles coated with multiple protective layers, typically including pyrolytic carbon layers and a silicon carbide layer. This structure provides strong fission product retention capability and is considered one of the key fuel options for advanced reactors, particularly high-temperature gas-cooled reactors. Understanding the property changes of these coatings after irradiation is a critical step in predicting fuel performance under reactor operating conditions.

2026-09-04

Iowa Releases Final Report of Nuclear Energy Task Force

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds announced on September 3 that the Iowa Nuclear Energy Task Force has completed its final report. The task force was established in January of this year under Executive Order No. 17, with the mission of assessing opportunities for advancing nuclear energy technology and related infrastructure development in Iowa. The task force is composed of representatives from utility companies, power generators, local governments, academia, the Iowa Utilities Commission, industry associations, national laboratories, and the state legislature, and is supported by the Iowa Economic Develop...

2026-09-04

UK and US Ports and Shipping Organizations Study Nuclear-Powered Container Ship Deployment Across the Atlantic

UK classification society and professional consultancy Lloyd's Register, Danish shipping company Maersk, the Port of Charleston in the United States, and the Port of Felixstowe in the United Kingdom are collaborating on the "Pink Corridor" project to study the safety and security requirements involved in deploying nuclear-powered container ships on transatlantic routes. (Image credit: Lloyd's Register) The project uses a conceptual nuclear-powered container ship as its research subject, focusing on analyzing the port access conditions and regulatory requirements it may face when operating on a commercial route between the Port of Charleston in South Carolina and the Port of Felixstowe in Suffolk, UK.

2026-09-04

US NANO Nuclear KRONOS MMR Main Helium Circulator Enters Detailed Design Phase

NANO Nuclear Energy Inc. announced on September 3 that new progress has been made in the development of the main helium circulator for its KRONOS MMR energy system. The engineering collaboration with Howden, a Baker Hughes company, has advanced from preliminary engineering design to the detailed design phase. The main helium circulator is a critical mechanical subsystem of the KRONOS MMR energy system, primarily responsible for driving the helium coolant circulation within the reactor to efficiently transfer heat generated in the core to downstream systems. The performance of this equipment directly affects the reactor's thermal-hydraulic performance, overall efficiency, and long-term operational reliability. According to NANO Nuclear...

2026-09-04

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

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

Verdera Energy to Sell 100% Interest in Treeline Uranium Project in New Mexico, USA

Verdera Energy Corp. recently announced that it has entered into a mineral property purchase and sale agreement with Americas Uranium Corp. to sell 100% of its interest in the Treeline uranium project located in New Mexico, USA, with the transaction remaining subject to related royalty arrangements. Under the agreement, Americas Uranium will acquire all interests in the Treeline mineral properties and related titles. The consideration includes US$100,000 in cash payable at closing, and Americas Uranium common shares totaling C$2 million payable in installments over 36 months following closing, with 90% of the share consideration to be paid in stages within that period. In addition, Verdera will retain a 1.5% net proceeds royalty on uranium from the project and a 1.5% net smelter returns royalty on other minerals produced from the project. The royalty can be reduced to 1.0% upon payment of C$400,000 to Verdera.

2026-09-03

DOE Officials Visit Fort St. Vrain Spent Fuel Storage Facility in Colorado

Tim Walsh, Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Environmental Management (EM), recently visited the Fort St. Vrain spent nuclear fuel storage facility near Platteville in northern Colorado. The facility is managed by the DOE's Idaho Cleanup Project (ICP) and its contractor, Idaho Environmental Coalition (IEC). During the visit, Walsh inspected the storage facility and multiple supporting buildings to learn about the operational mission and historical background of the Fort St. Vrain facility. The facility currently stores spent nuclear fuel from the former Fort St. Vrain power station, which operated using gas-cooled reactor technology and was shut down in 1979...

2026-09-02

U.S. Plans to Build Second Uranium Conversion Plant

Raven-Flint Nuclear Corporation announced on August 31 that it has been selected for the Nuclear Energy Startup Platform project advanced by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Reactor Innovation Center (NRIC) at Idaho National Laboratory (INL), and plans to build a pilot uranium conversion facility named "Torch" at INL. The company stated that the Torch facility aims to become the second uranium conversion plant in the United States, with a designed annual processing capacity of 500 metric tons of uranium, capable of converting uranium into uranium hexafluoride (UF6). According to the company, this scale can meet the fuel demand of two large nuclear reactors. Upon project completion, it is intended to serve the U.S. Department of Energy and its affiliated agencies, and may provide domestically produced uranium hexafluoride for specific needs.

2026-09-02