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APRIL 2026 WILL BE THE 70TH anniversary of the launch of Nuclear Engineering International. As part of our celebrations we’re searching for the most influential individuals who have advanced the industry and we’re asking you to help. Can you think of someone who should be celebrated alongside NEi? Nominate your choice for special recognition by emailing the editor at:
David.Appleyard@
BTMI.com with a few lines on who you have chosen and why they should be recognised.
NEW BUILD THE LAUNCH OF THE first reactor of the Akkuyu NPP, under construction in Türkiye, is planned for 2026, according to Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar. “We plan to commission the first reactor of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant within this year,” he said. He added that the construction Akkuyu unit 1 is currently approximately 95% complete.
RUSSIA’S BELOYARSK NPP has said that, this year, its plans to send documents to regulator Rostechnadzor to obtain a licence for the construction unit 5 at the plant. Nuclear workers are also increasing the scale of construction work and reviewing design documentation. In 2026, the NPP plans to hire specialists for the future power unit which will have the first BN-1200M sodium-cooled fast reactor.
THE FIRST SEGMENT of steel (internal) containment has been installed in the design position at unit 3 of the Sanao NPP under construction in China’s Zhejiang province. The weight of the component is about 223 tonnes. The site will eventually host six Hualong One reactors.
ONTARIO POWER GENERATION (OPG) has submitted the Initial Project Description for New Nuclear at Wesleyville (NNW) in Port Hope to the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC). This is the first step in advancing the project through the necessary, multi- phased impact assessment (IA), as OPG explores the potential for large-scale new nuclear generation at its Wesleyville site .
EIGHT COMMUNITIES AND 23 companies, including reactor developers, construction firms, and utilities, have expressed interest in participating in New York state’s plan to develop at least 1 GWe of new nuclear power in the upstate area. The communities and companies were responding to solicitations from the New York Power Authority (NYPA). Meanwhile, a new initiative to facilitate a pathway to 4 GWe of new nuclear has also been mooted.
Slovakia signs nuclear deal with US
A fourth nuclear unit at Mochovce in Solovakia is still under construction.
During Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico’s visit to the US in January, he signed an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) with US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright to advance cooperation on Slovakia’s civil nuclear power programme. According the US Department of
Energy (DOE), the agreement “includes the development of a new, state-owned American 1200 MWe nuclear unit at the Jaslovské Bohunice Nuclear Power Plant, deepening the US-Slovakia strategic partnership and strengthening European energy security”. Slovakia currently has five nuclear reactors
(all Soviet-designed VVER-440 units) generating half of its electricity – three at Mochovce, which began operation in 1998, 1999 and 2023, and two at Bohunice, which began operation in 1984 and 1985. A fourth unit at Mochovce is still under construction. In February 2023 Jadrová Energetická Spoločnosť Slovenska (JESS) submitted a request to the Slovakia’s Nuclear Regulatory Authority (UJD – Úrad jadrového dozoru) for a siting permit for a new NPP near the Bohunice plant. The government approved plans in May 2024 for a 1200 MWe unit, with South Korea, the USA and France at the time seen as potential partners. In August 2025, Fico said the European
Commission had “positively assessed” a draft IGA between Slovakia and the US on cooperation in the field of nuclear energy, adding that it was a prerequisite for the conclusion of an IGA on the construction of a new Westinghouse unit in Bohunice. The following month ministers approved wording for a proposed IGA “on the construction of a new nuclear unit ... which will be state-owned and will have an output of more than 1,000 MWe”. DOE said the IGA “A project of this scale is
expected to create thousands of American jobs across engineering, advanced manufacturing, construction, nuclear fuel services, and project management, while reinforcing US supply chains and expanding access to global markets for American-made nuclear technology. These efforts lay the foundation for sustained US engagement in Slovakia’s nuclear energy programme and support future civil nuclear projects across the region.” DOE added: “The planned nuclear unit represents a multibillion-dollar energy
6 | January 2026 |
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infrastructure investment and one of the largest in Slovakia’s history. The project will support Slovakia’s transition away from reliance on Russian-designed reactors toward a diversified and resilient nuclear fleet, strengthening national energy security through cooperation with trusted Western partners.” The agreement is intended to open formal
talks with the US company Westinghouse, which is expected to build the new nuclear unit. However, the fact that the company was not selected through a public procurement procedure earlier sparked criticism from Slovak opposition parties when the decision to choose Westinghouse was made. Michal Šimečka, president of the main opposition party, Progressive Slovakia, said that the project’s price could skyrocket, its implementation could be delayed, and the Slovaks would ultimately pay the bill. In a message on X, recorded during his return
flight to Slovakia, Fico said he expected criticism from the opposition. “Without nuclear energy Slovakia will not be secure,” he said. “That is why the construction of a new nuclear unit at Jaslovské Bohunice, fully owned by the state, is not a whim but a necessity.” He denied that the new unit would result in debt but would guarantee affordable power without the need for state subsidies. “The plant will be built with foreign investment, which will be repaid over time through the sale of the electricity produced.” A post on Facebook, endorsed by Fico, reported that he had informed US partners that Slovakia is a country that has complex experience throughout the entire nuclear cycle – from the construction and operation of nuclear power plants to safety standards to the removal of nuclear facilities from operation and disposal of radioactive waste. “That’s why Slovakia is interested in building new nuclear power in Jaslovské Bohunice with power up to 1200 MWe, which could be put into operation at the turn of 2040 and 2041. Our ambition is for this project to meet the highest standards of safety, economic efficiency and technological maturity, while at the same time maximising the involvement of Slovak industry, research and workforce,” Fico said. The post also noted that, during the visit to the
US, agreements were also signed on cooperation in financing nuclear projects. ■
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