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THE OUTER DOME OF the double containment has been installed at unit one of China’s Lianjiang NPP in Guangdong province, CNNC reported. The corporation is building the station on behalf of the State Power Investment Corporation. The NPP is due to have six CAP1000 reactors – the Chinese version of the Westinghouse AP1000.
A SET OF FOUR STEAM generators for unit four of the Akkuyu NPP under construction in Türkiye have been delivered to the construction site. After unloading the vessel, the equipment was loaded onto self-propelled wheeled platforms and transported to a temporary storage site. The set of steam generators was manufactured at the Atommash plant in Volgodonsk (part of Rosatom’s Machine-Building division) and delivered to Türkiye by sea, a journey of approximately 3,000km.
UPGRADES SWEDEN’S ALLEIMA (formerly Sandvik Materials Technology) has inaugurated its refurbished Skr330m ($34.97m) Tube Mill 2026 production facility in Sandviken. The strategically upgraded and reopened facility expands the company’s total production capacity for steam generator tubes by approximately 60%. The expansion is in direct response to a global surge in interest in nuclear energy.
ITALY’S ANSALDO NUCLEARE has completed two modernisation projects at the Krško NPP in Slovenia for nuclear utility Nuklearna Elektrarna Krško. These were the upgrade of the water treatment system and the replacement of the waste gas compressor package. In both initiatives, the company acted as main contractor, managing engineering, procurement, construction, installation and commissioning activities.
PLANT OPERATION THE US NUCLEAR Regulatory Commission (NRC) has granted a 20-year subsequent licence renewal for the Edwin I Hatch Nuclear Plant in Georgia. This is only the second time the NRC has processed and finalised a nuclear plant’s licence renewal in less than 12 months. The renewal extends the operational lifespan of the facility from 60 to 80 years. The licence for unit one is extended to August 2054 and for unit two to June 2058.
THE US FEDERAL Energy Regulatory Commission has approved a crucial waiver, allowing Constellation Energy to fast-track the restart of Pennsylvania’s Three Mile Island nuclear plant to supply power to Microsoft data centres. This regulatory breakthrough directly addresses severe transmission bottlenecks that threatened to delay the project by several years.
8 | July 2026 |
www.neimagazine.com
Japan Ageing reactor replacement plan Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade & Industry (METI) has introduced a draft target to replace nuclear power reactors that are due to be decommissioned by the 2040s with new plants. The plan aims to replace 2–5 reactors (2.2–5.5GW- electrical, or GWe, of capacity) by the 2040s, scaling up to a cumulative total of 11–14 reactors (12.7–16GW of capacity) by the 2050s. In 2023, Japan’s Cabinet approved a policy
to allow new nuclear power reactors to be constructed and the operation of existing reactors to be extended from 40 to 60 years. It noted that by 2040, more than 3GWe of existing reactors will reach 60 years of operation, after which “the supply capacity of existing reactors as decarbonised power sources will be significantly lost”. Japan’s 7th Basic Energy Plan, adopted in
February 2025, calls for nuclear electricity generation to increase from 8.5% in fiscal year 2023 (FY23) to around 20% in FY40. However, the new draft target is the first numerical goal for reactor replacement released since the severe accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in March 2011. The plan cements a formal shift away from
Japan’s post-Fukushima stance of “reducing nuclear dependency”. The updated Strategic Energy Plan explicitly shifts to maximising the use of nuclear energy. Initial site surveys and considerations for the new next-generation reactors include Kansai Electric Power’s Mihama power station in Fukui Prefecture and Kyushu Electric Power’s Sendai complex in Kagoshima Prefecture. There are currently 24 reactors undergoing decommissioning work at 11 NPPs. Power needs are rising exponentially due to
the rapid domestic buildout of AI infrastructure, semiconductor manufacturing and data centres. Without replacement, Japan faces a projected 5.5GWe supply deficit by the 2040s. Japan caps reactor operating lifespans at 60 years. With 15 of its current reactors set to cross that threshold by 2050, Japan requires direct rebuilding to maintain grid stability. Rebuilding nuclear infrastructure is also deemed essential to hitting Japan’s commitments of cutting emissions by 73% by 2040 and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. METI noted that clear numerical targets are vital to provide long-term investment predictability and to foster and retain human resources within the nuclear engineering sector. The draft proposal was submitted to the Advisory Committee for Natural Resources & Energy and is on track for Cabinet approval. To meet its parallel goal of generating 20% of its electricity mix from nuclear power by 2040, Japan is pushing to clear safety checks and bring more of its remaining suspended fleet back online. The plan has implications for the power
sector. Asset managers will need to plan for life cycles exceeding 60 years while engineers will face increased demand for equipment ageing management and structural integrity programmes. Building up to 14 nuclear reactors will also require strengthening related industrial capabilities.
China Floating MSR logistics mooted Jiangnan Shipyard (Group), a subsidiary of the China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), showcased its latest conceptual blueprint for an integrated, zero-emission maritime container transport ecosystem at the Posidonia International Shipping Exhibition in Greece. The architecture moves beyond individual vessel propulsion by proposing a fully closed-loop logistics hub powered by fourth-generation molten salt reactors (MSRs). The transport complex features an integrated
network of offshore and marine assets, including: ● Offshore nuclear energy and fuel hub: a massive floating nuclear platform that acts as the “zero-carbon heart” of the complex. It is powered by advanced MSRs (using liquefied salt as both fuel and coolant), and uses generated electricity and heat to synthesise zero-carbon marine fuels such as green ammonia
● Nuclear-powered ocean-going containerships: mainline vessels capable of carrying up to 25,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs – a standard unit of measurement quantifying cargo capacity) that rely on MSRs for ultra- long-distance, emission-free voyages
● Nuclear transshipment terminals: innovative floating container terminals that provide energy supply directly at sea. They leverage large-scale nuclear power for cargo handling and to charge smaller coastal vessels
● MSR pushers and all-electric feeders: modular, MSR-driven pusher tugs combined with pure- electric containerships and ammonia-powered feeders that distribute cargo regionally without relying on fossil fuels
A ship platform equipped with a MSR and a power unit has the dual function of generating nuclear energy and producing environmentally friendly fuel. In addition, by using nuclear power to generate electricity and heat, it can also produce clean, carbon-neutral fuels on a large scale. According to the conceptual outline, the entire complex is designed to provide a path to zero-carbon emissions for the entire shipping chain by integrating deep-sea transport, offshore power generation and green-fuel synthesis in a modular, replicable design. While the project represents a visionary
leap in clean energy, commercial deployment will require navigating major international regulatory frameworks and port access rules for nuclear merchant vessels. Based on a modular and reproducible
architecture, it adapts to different scenarios in major ports and shipping routes. Its additional functions in the production of clean fuels could help the shipping industry achieve a leap in achieving carbon neutrality. Jiangnan Shipyard continues to develop
nuclear-powered ships and zero-carbon shipping equipment. In 2023, the company introduced promising projects such as ultra-large nuclear container ships and received preliminary approval from leading international classification societies.
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