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Bruce Unit 4 Refurbishment Sets Record, Schedule Significantly Ahead of Unit 3

Recently, Bruce Power of Canada announced that the Major Component Replacement (MCR) project at Bruce Unit 4 has reached a key milestone. The installation efficiency of the unit's 480 calandria tubes set a new record, with overall progress further accelerated compared to the previous Unit 3. As a core life extension project for the CANDU heavy water pressure tube reactor, the MCR project encompasses the systematic removal and replacement of key core components, representing a major infrastructure undertaking spanning multiple years and aimed at extending the reactor's operational life by 30 to 35 years. During this construction phase, a six-axis robotic tooling system jointly developed by Bruce Power...

2026-10-16

Namibia Accelerates Its Path to Nuclear Energy, Formally Appoints First Nuclear Commissioner

Recently, the Office of the Prime Minister of Namibia announced the formal appointment of John Titus, Director of the Energy Directorate in the Ministry of Industrialisation, Mines and Energy, as Namibia's Nuclear Commissioner, tasked with comprehensively coordinating all preparatory work for the country's nuclear energy development and leading the Nuclear Energy Programme Implementing Organization (NEPIO) Secretariat. It is understood that Namibian Prime Minister Titunga Ilya Ngurare also established the NEPIO Management Committee, aimed at providing high-level policy coordination and strategic oversight for the long-term nuclear power programme. The committee is composed of executive directors from the Office of the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Industrialisation, Mines and Energy, the Ministry of International Relations and...

2026-10-16

South China Regional Office of the National Nuclear Safety Administration Completes Refueling Outage Inspection of Yangjiang Nuclear Power Plant Unit 2

The South China Regional Office of Nuclear and Radiation Safety Supervision of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment successfully completed the nuclear safety supervision and inspection of the first criticality control point for the eighth refueling outage of Yangjiang Nuclear Power Plant Unit 2 on October 11. After verifying item by item the prerequisites for reactor recriticality and confirming that the primary loop and related systems and equipment were in a controlled and compliant state, the supervisors signed off and released the criticality control point in accordance with the law, marking the successful completion of the on-site nuclear safety supervision task for the Y208 refueling outage of the unit. During the overlapping period of the 2026 Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays, multiple operating units at several nuclear power bases along the South China coast successively entered routine refueling outage cycles, with on-site maintenance activities highly concentrated, and nuclear safety...

2026-10-15

From Deep Space "Nuclear Batteries" to Extraterrestrial Nuclear Propulsion: How Nuclear Technology Is Reshaping the New Paradigm of Future Space Exploration

As deep space exploration, the construction of permanent lunar research stations, and crewed Mars missions gradually move onto the international space agenda, human spaceflight technology is facing unprecedented energy and propulsion bottlenecks. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recently reviewed and outlined the key role and development trajectory of nuclear technology in space exploration. From the radioisotope thermoelectric generators that quietly served in the Apollo program more than half a century ago, to the efficient micro nuclear fission reactors currently undergoing ground testing, to nuclear propulsion systems expected to cut interplanetary flight times by more than half, space nuclear power technology is evolving from a marginal auxiliary energy source into a strategic core power for deep space exploration....

2026-10-14

Russian radiation safety instrument manufacturer "Doza" Research and Production Enterprise congratulates Department No. 1 of the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute on the 75th anniversary of its founding

National Research Nuclear University MEPhI held a grand ceremony on October 2 to celebrate the 75th anniversary of its historic Department No. 1—the Department of Radiation Physics and Safety of Nuclear Technologies. Several experts from the renowned Russian radiation safety monitoring system research, development, and manufacturing enterprise NPP Doza, who serve both as key technical personnel of the company and as faculty members at the university, were invited to attend the event. As a major center for training professional and technical personnel for Russia's nuclear industry...

2026-10-14

Akkuyu NPP in Türkiye Holds Full-Scale Joint Emergency Exercise: Cross-Departmental Live Drill Tested Ahead of First Unit Commissioning

The Akkuyu NPP, Türkiye's first nuclear power project, constructed by Rosatom, held a large-scale comprehensive emergency and firefighting tactical live exercise on October 12 at the Büyükeceli site in Mersin Province. The exercise aimed to comprehensively test the multi-agency coordinated response capabilities of nuclear power plant operating shift personnel, external technical support organizations, and Turkish local emergency rescue teams under extreme conditions, providing critical pre-commissioning safety justification for Unit 1 of the project as it formally enters the fuel-loading and commercial power generation phase. Rosatom Director General Alexey...

2026-10-14

Russia's Balakovo NPP Meets 2026 Metal Decontamination and Recycling Target Ahead of Schedule, Over 57 Tonnes of Purified Steel Ingots Return to Industrial Circulation

Rosenergoatom, the electric power division of Rosatom, has announced that its Balakovo Nuclear Power Plant (Balakovo NPP) has completed its 2026 target for Very Low-Level Waste (VLLW) disposal and metal recycling ahead of schedule. The plant has transferred a cumulative 80 tonnes of very low-level iron-containing metal waste to external specialized processing enterprises. Following deep decontamination and remelting refinement, more than 57 tonnes of clean metal ingots meeting unrestricted release standards were ultimately produced, fully realizing the recycling and regeneration of materials from decommissioned nuclear power equipment. According to the long-term radioactive waste management plan published by Balakovo NPP, the site plans to...

2026-10-14

Expansion of the United States' only commercial uranium enrichment facility reaches 75% completion, as Urenco's New Mexico plant accelerates capacity upgrades

As the only commercial uranium enrichment facility on U.S. soil, the National Enrichment Facility in Eunice, New Mexico, has recently reached a key expansion milestone, with its phased capacity expansion target now 75% complete. Operator Urenco Group plans to raise the plant's uranium enrichment capacity to 7 million Separative Work Units (SWU) per year over the next decade, in order to strengthen the United States' domestic nuclear fuel supply security. Strong global demand for zero-carbon electricity is currently driving a revival of the nuclear energy industry. Although the United States is at the forefront of research and development in next-generation reactor technologies...

2026-10-14

Review of Continued Operation for Kori NPP Units 3 and 4 Launched; Accident Management Plan Included in Review Process

The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC) of South Korea is scheduled to hold its 16th plenary meeting of 2026 on October 15, formally placing the continued operation license application for Units 3 and 4 of the Kori Nuclear Power Plant in Gijang, Busan, on its agenda for deliberation. Notably, these two nuclear units, which are currently in a shutdown state, have directly initiated the continued operation licensing procedure in parallel, even as the Accident Management Plan (AMP) has yet to complete final approval. According to the meeting schedule, the first agenda item of this plenary meeting...

2026-10-14

South China Regional Office organizes nuclear safety culture self-assessment

In order to thoroughly practice the nuclear safety concept of rationality, coordination, and progress, and to push regulatory bodies to turn their blades inward and deepen and solidify the development of their own nuclear safety culture, the South China Regional Office of Nuclear and Radiation Safety Supervision of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (hereinafter referred to as the South China Regional Office) recently, at an important juncture marking the implementation of a new round of institutional reform, commissioned the China Nuclear Safety and Environmental Culture Promotion Association (hereinafter referred to as the Promotion Association) to organize a nuclear safety culture self-assessment. This assessment is the first nuclear safety culture assessment of a regulatory body conducted after the release of the Guidelines for the Implementation of Nuclear Safety Culture Assessment (HJ1476-2026), and is of pioneering and landmark significance. To ensure that the assessment work is comprehensive, scientific, and effective, the Promotion Association assembled a team composed of...

2026-10-14

EDF Plans to Accelerate Climate Adaptation Plan as Summer Extreme Heat Forces Faster Nuclear Unit Retrofits

Xavier Ursat, an executive at Electricité de France (EDF), told local media on October 13 that, given the record negative disruption caused by this summer's extreme heat to the operation of France's nuclear units, the company has decided to comprehensively accelerate the nuclear power plant climate adaptation plan (ADAPT). As the backbone of France's baseload power, more than half of the country's electricity supply depends on nuclear power plants, and these plants generally draw water from inland rivers or estuaries as the secondary loop cooling water source. Affected by heatwave weather, many units, after the cooling cycle, return water to rivers at slightly elevated temperatures, making it very easy to touch...

2026-10-14

China-led NEA Severe Accident International Benchmark Approved

Recently, at the 29th meeting of the Working Group on Accident Analysis and Management (WGAMA) of the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA), the Severe Accident International Benchmark (ISP—54), carefully organized and coordinated by the Nuclear and Radiation Safety Center of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and jointly proposed by China Nuclear Power Engineering Co., Ltd., was officially approved. The project brings together top institutions from China, Sweden, Germany, Canada and other countries, integrates core resources in the field of in-vessel melt pool research, and is the world's first international benchmark focusing on in-vessel melt pool research for severe reactor accidents. Since taking the lead in launching international promotion in 2024, the Nuclear and Radiation Safety Center has maintained close interaction with domestic units and actively communicated and coordinated with the NEA, providing solid support for the project's smooth approval...

2026-10-14

Slovakia's Mochovce NPP Unit 4 First Grid Connection Delayed Due to Retest, Full Commercial Operation Expected Within the Year

Slovenské elektrárne announced on October 13 that due to the need to repeat a scheduled technical test, the grid synchronization and connection of Mochovce Nuclear Power Plant Unit 4, originally scheduled for that day, will be postponed by several days. The commissioning start-up procedures for the unit are still progressing steadily, and the overall project remains on track to enter full commercial operation before the end of this year. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico had previously stated that the grid connection ceremony was scheduled for Tuesday, and he had originally planned to personally attend the event at the nuclear power plant site. Slovenské elektrárne stated in its...

2026-10-14

Hydraulic pressure test of containment penetration protection sleeves for Haiyang Nuclear Power Unit 3 in China succeeds on first attempt

Recently, the hydraulic pressure test of the containment penetration protection sleeves for the main steam and main feedwater pipelines of Haiyang Nuclear Power Unit 3 of State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC) Shandong Nuclear Power was completed, with all four sleeves passing the test on the first attempt. The protection sleeves are an important part of the containment pressure boundary and can safeguard the bellows expansion joints under abnormal pipeline conditions. It is understood that this test was relatively difficult. The sleeves had long been embedded in the containment, the original pipelines could not be damaged, and the on-site space was narrow, making it impossible to install the tooling. To address these challenges, the production preparation project team innovatively adopted the process of "removing the original guard plate + welding flanges to build a pressure chamber," and joined forces with the design institute and equipment manufacturer to form a special team, conducting multiple simulation verifications and reviewing...

2026-10-12

Fermi America's Project Matador Receives NRC Draft Environmental Assessment, Plans Four AP1000 Reactors to Power AI

Recently, Fermi America's advanced energy and intelligence campus, Project Matador, located in Carson County, Texas, has made significant progress. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has published a Federal Register notice releasing the draft environmental assessment for the four Westinghouse AP1000 reactors planned for the campus. NRC staff have preliminarily recommended approval of the project's combined license, subject to completion of the necessary safety review. It is understood that Project Matador plans 17 gigawatts of private energy infrastructure, with nuclear power generation as a key component...

2026-10-13