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New Dawn for the Dutch Province of Zeeland: Borssele and Vlissingen May Welcome New Nuclear Power Plants

The Dutch government is seriously considering the construction of new nuclear power plants in the Borssele and Vlissingen areas. Although other locations were initially taken into consideration, these two towns in the province of Zeeland have emerged as potential frontrunners due to their well-developed infrastructure and convenient connections to the existing electricity grid. The plan aims to help the Netherlands achieve its climate goals, reduce dependence on fossil fuels, and ensure the stability and sustainability of the national energy supply. The advisory body responsible for evaluating potential nuclear power plant sites has submitted a preliminary report to the government. This report provides a detailed analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of each candidate location, including, in addition to Borssele and Vlissingen, several other regions...

2026-08-05

Czech nuclear safety officials say domestic nuclear power plants have sufficient cooling water for both existing and new units

Droughts across parts of Europe are affecting the operation of some nuclear power plants. Due to low water levels and flow rates in the Danube River, two reactors at Romania's Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant have been shut down, and Hungary's Paks Nuclear Power Plant also faces the risk of a complete shutdown. Štěpán Kochánek, Chairman of the Czech State Office for Nuclear Safety (SÚJB), stated that plant operators should not be allowed to continue operating units at full power when cooling water is insufficient, and that related shutdown measures are conservative actions predefined in operating procedures. Kochánek explained that reactor shutdowns are not an unusually rare operation. Unit shutdown typically involves gradually reducing reactor power, inserting control rods, and bringing fission reactions to a minimal level or complete cessation. After shutdown, the reactor still requires cooling, but the demand for cooling water volume and capacity is significantly lower than during full-power operation. He noted that this process shares similarities with planned outages such as refueling overhauls and is a standardized procedure that operators should master.

2026-08-05

ÚJV Řež completes irradiation testing of cable samples for CERN, verifying material radiation resistance

On August 3, the Radiation Chemistry and Environmental Qualification Department of ÚJV Řež stated that it had completed irradiation testing of cable samples for the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) research team within a relatively short period, and submitted the test results required for subsequent research. The purpose of this testing was to confirm whether the relevant material samples could maintain reliable performance under high-radiation environments. ÚJV Řež has long been engaged in environmental qualification and cable lifetime management, with capabilities in radiation aging, thermal aging simulation, and testing of material mechanical and electrical properties. Through these tests, researchers can assess the tolerance limits of materials in harsh environments, providing a basis for equipment selection, operation and maintenance, and subsequent experiments...

2026-08-05

Japan Nuclear Security System Introduces SmartHR to Advance Centralized HR Data Management

On August 5, SmartHR Inc. announced that Japan Nuclear Security System Co., Ltd. has adopted its back-office system SmartHR for personnel and organizational management, to promote paperless HR operations and centralized employee information management. Japan Nuclear Security System, headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo, provides comprehensive security services for nuclear-related facilities, particularly nuclear power plants, through a combination of mechanical security and personnel security. One of the direct reasons for introducing the new system is that the company's existing HR system has ceased support, necessitating the selection of a replacement. Previously, ...

2026-08-05

Nuvora Completes Independent Review of Pre-Feasibility Study for 300 MWth High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor Hydrogen Production

Nuvora Energy, Inc., a U.S. developer of advanced modular nuclear energy and clean hydrogen infrastructure, announced on August 3 that it has completed a pre-feasibility study for the integration of a 300 MWth prismatic high-temperature gas-cooled reactor with a solid oxide electrolyzer cell hydrogen island, along with an independent third-party review conducted by DBD International. The pre-feasibility study report, titled "Pre-Feasibility Study for Integrated Power Generation and Hydrogen Production Using a 300 MWth High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor," was released in May 2026, with revision number R01. DBD International was commissioned to conduct an independent review of the study and issued its review report, revision B, on May 20, 2026...

2026-08-05

NPCIL launches engineering design tender for 220 MWe Bharat Small Reactor

Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) has issued a tender notice inviting bids for plant engineering design and 3D modeling services for its 220 MWe-class Bharat Small Reactor (BSR) project. The reactor design is based on India's existing 220 MWe pressurized heavy water reactor (PHWR) technology, with a bid submission deadline of August 10. The scope of this tender covers general design and engineering services for civil, process, mechanical, piping, electrical, control and instrumentation systems, as well as heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, pipe stress analysis, and 3D computer modeling. NPCIL aims to select a supplier capable of delivering an integrated engineering solution and providing support for subsequent detailed design verification, construction and commissioning documentation. The project requires suppliers to prioritize quality assurance and comply with relevant regulatory and technical standards.

2026-08-04

Lead isotope analysis of Roman sling bullets points to two supply routes in the Alpine conquest campaign

A lead isotope study of Roman lead sling bullets suggests that the Roman army's conquest of the Alps under Augustus may not have proceeded along a single continuous route, but rather involved different units or different supply systems. The objects studied come mainly from the Crap Ses site in the Surseiva valley of the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland, as well as from Brigantium and Tasgetium near Lake Constance further north. Over the past 25 years, archaeologists have discovered marching camps, battlefields, observation posts, small fort remains, as well as swords, shields, hobnails, coins, and nearly 500 lead sling bullets near Crap Ses. Many of these bullets bear inscriptions of the Third Legion...

2026-08-04

Czech Republic Leads EU Project to Assess Application of Commercial-Grade Items in VVER Nuclear Power Plants

The Czech State Office for Nuclear Safety (SÚJB) has launched a two-year EU project focused on assessment methodologies for the application of high-quality commercial-grade items in nuclear power plants equipped with VVER reactors. The project aims to establish a unified, expert-judgment-based evaluation process that provides methodological support for nuclear facilities when introducing relevant items, while ensuring that nuclear safety requirements are not compromised. As the nuclear power supply chain landscape evolves, certain plant-specific components may face the need to be replaced by commercial-grade products. In response, regulatory authorities need to establish clear rules to review the suitability, quality assurance, and safety implications of substitute items. The project will focus on evaluating...

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

JAEA Develops 3D-Printed Disposable Aerosol Particle Size Classification Device

On July 30, 2026, the Japan Atomic Energy Agency announced the development of a palm-sized, 3D-printed disposable device named µSPLIT (micro splitter) that can separate airborne particles by particle size on-site and collect them onto filters for subsequent or direct measurement. The disposable classification and measurement device µSPLIT (left) separates aerosols by particle size through controlled intake flow rate, with particles collected on filters. (Right) The main unit can be directly connected to a radiation detector via a thin film. According to reports, µSPLIT measures approximately 12 cm × 3 cm × 3 cm and is integrally molded from transparent resin using stereolithography 3D printing technology...

2026-08-03

Russian research team reveals submicroscopic pore structure of chernozem using ion beam scanning electron microscopy

Researchers at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology and their collaborators have recently used focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM) to perform detailed characterization of the microstructure of chernozem soil samples. The study shows that this technique can identify pores smaller than 1 micron, pore morphology, and specific organic components in soil, providing a new observational tool for understanding the mechanisms of chernozem fertility formation and maintenance. The research was supported by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation and published in the 17th series "Soil Science" of the Moscow University Bulletin. Soil science research typically requires extending from the field scale to the microscopic scale. Computed tomography (CT) has been widely used to...

2026-08-03

Swiss PSI Ultracold Neutron Experiment Finds No Signs of "Mirror World" Oscillation

The Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) in Switzerland announced on July 28 that its researchers detected approximately 25 billion neutrons in an ultracold neutron experiment and found no signs of neutrons spontaneously transforming into mirror neutrons. The results constrain, with high certainty, the theoretical possibility of neutrons disappearing into the so-called mirror world. The mirror world hypothesis posits that every elementary particle in the real world may have a corresponding mirror particle, such as mirror electrons, mirror protons, and mirror neutrons. Such particles interact extremely weakly with ordinary matter, potentially connecting primarily through gravity or rare oscillations of neutral particles, and have therefore also been considered as dark matter candidates...

2026-08-03

DUNE Prototype Detector Undergoes 300 kV Pressure Test at CERN

The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE), an international collaborative project led by the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory under the U.S. Department of Energy, is conducting pressure tests on the prototype detector ProtoDUNE at CERN's Neutrino Platform to verify the long-term stability of the relevant detection technology under extreme operating conditions. DUNE is designed as a large-scale neutrino research experiment aimed at studying the properties of neutrinos and their role in the evolution of the universe. The experiment will install large liquid argon time projection chamber detectors approximately one mile underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in South Dakota, USA. Once the detectors are filled with liquid argon and sealed, internal components will be difficult to access for extended periods...

2026-08-03

Large Structure for CMS Future High-Granularity Calorimeter Passes Rigorous Cold Tests

A key engineering test for the future High-Granularity Calorimeter (HGCAL) of the CMS experiment at CERN has recently made progress. One of the largest HGCAL structures has completed a series of rigorous cold tests, during which no overheating, condensation, or leakage was recorded on the outer panels, laying the groundwork for its future service at the High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC). HGCAL will replace the existing endcap calorimeters of the CMS experiment to reconstruct particle showers with greater precision under HL-LHC operating conditions. The structure tested this time is the first of two large stainless steel absorber structures. By design, the active elements of HGCAL will be installed within the absorber structures and must maintain long-term stable performance in a cryogenic environment...

2026-08-03

Units 3 and 4 of Dukovany Nuclear Power Plant to Undergo Joint Maintenance of Shared Systems

Dukovany Nuclear Power Plant staff will initiate a planned extended outage for Unit 4 on the evening of August 1, while Unit 3 will remain in its outage state. Both units will be offline simultaneously in August, and the plant will use this window to conduct comprehensive inspections, maintenance, and modernization of the shared facilities of Units 3 and 4. Bohdan Zronek, member of the Board of Directors of ČEZ Group and head of the nuclear energy division, stated that the simultaneous shutdown of Units 3 and 4 at Dukovany will place the plant under an intensive work schedule over the coming weeks. Experts from ČEZ and its suppliers will handle hundreds of tasks, and the effectiveness of the outage work depends on precise coordination across all stages. According to...

2026-08-01