NEWS |
round up
NEW BUILD CHINA’S MINISTRY OF Ecology & Environment has issued an operating licence for unit 2 of Zhangzhou NPP in Fujian province. The process of loading 177 fuel assemblies began the same day, according to China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC). The unit is the second of four Hualong One (HPR1000) reactors under construction at the site. A further two units are planned
A THRUST TRUSS has been installed at unit 1 of the El-Dabaa NPP under construction in Egypt. “We have picked up a good pace of work for the speedy implementation of the main production event of this year – installation of the reactor vessel at unit 1,” said Alexey Kononenko Vice-President of Atomstroyexport (part of Rosatom) and Director of El-Dabaa construction project.
UPGRADES ROMANIAN NUCLEAR UTILITY SN Nuclearelectrica (SNN), has signed an agreement, with Arabelle Solutions for the refurbishment of unit 1 at the Cernavoda NPP. Arabelle Solutions will provide equipment and services for the refurbishment of the turbine-generator of Cernavoda 1, as part of its 30-year life extension from 2029. Refurbishment is in its second phase of development focusing mainly on engineering, procurement, permits, financing, planning and infrastructure construction.
PLANT OPERATION THE TENNESSEE VALLEY Authority, which serves more than 10 million people in Southeast USA, is facing criticism after data revealed its nuclear reactors shut down unexpectedly 12 times over the past year. According to a WPLN News review of US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) records, these outages affected all seven of TVA’s reactors, resulting in the lowest use of nuclear power the agency has reported since 2007.
POLICY
UKRAINE’S MINISTRY OF Energy held a meeting of the Working Group on the development of a Draft Action Plan (Roadmap) for the deployment of small modular reactor (SMR) technologies. In addition to experts from the Ministry and industry enterprises, the Working Group includes representatives of central executive authorities, the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, and other relevant organisations and institutions.
US Army to develop microreactors
The Army will provide technical oversight
and assistance, including support to the full uranium fuel cycle and broader nuclear supply chain. The programme is a response to President Donald Trump’s May 2025 Executive Order 14299. This directs the Department of War to commence operation of an Army- regulated nuclear reactor at a domestic military installation by 30 September 2028. The Janus Program will be led by Dr Jeff
Above: Rendering of Radiant’s Kaleidos reactor in a remote military post Source: Ryan Seper
The US Army has launched the Janus Program, a next-generation nuclear power programme intended to deliver energy to support national defence installations and critical missions. The Janus Program will leverage the Army’s nuclear regulatory authorities in close partnership with the Department of Energy (DOE). The Department of Army will lead the Janus Program on behalf of the Department of War (formerly Department of Defense). The announcement was made at an
Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Annual Meeting Warriors Corner panel, where Army leaders were joined by the Secretary of Energy Chris Wright. Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll said: “We
are shredding red tape and incubating next- generation capabilities in a variety of critical sectors, including nuclear power.” Driscoll emphasised the importance of being able to supply vast amounts of energy to remote locations while limiting threats to supply chains Wright noted: “Since the Manhattan Project,
the Department of Energy and the Department of War have forged one of the defining partnerships in American history advancing the science, engineering, and industrial capability that power our national security... Under President Trump’s leadership, we’re extending that legacy through initiatives like the Janus Program, accelerating next-generation reactor deployment and strengthening the nuclear foundations of American energy and defence.” In partnership with the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), the reactors will be commercially built and operated, rather than owned by the military. To encourage private investment, the Army will use a milestone-based contracting model inspired by NASA’s Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) programme – the framework that helped launch the commercial space industry by funding companies like SpaceX and Boeing to reach key technical milestones instead of paying for traditional government procurement.
6 | November 2025 |
www.neimagazine.com
Waksman, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy & Environment and will build on lessons learned from Project Pele, which Waksman also led. The Defense Department Strategic Capabilities Office broke ground on the Project Pele, a transportable 1.5 MWe high-temperature gas- cooled demonstration microreactor at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) in September 2024. Project Pele is a whole-of-government
effort, with critical expertise provided by DOE, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), NASA, and the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). In July, BWX Technologies (BWXT) began work to fabricate the reactor core for the Pele microreactor, which is expected to begin producing electricity in 2028. “By leveraging Army’s programme
management and oversight capabilities with the accomplishments of Project Pele, the US Army is ready to move forward at lightning speed to make next-generation nuclear power a reality,” Waksman said. The military plans to request “hundreds of millions of dollars” over the next five years to develop the first reactors. “If you look at where modern warfare is going, in terms of drones and energy weapons, there is an increasing amount of electricity and energy that is being used at the same time,” Waksman said. However, he acknowledged that the US still lacks the engineering talent and supply chains to mass produce these items. “There’s just not enough engineering talent to go around,” he said. “The labs and companies are all hiring each other’s people. And suppliers are hesitant because nuclear-qualified parts are expensive. What we want to do is consolidate the supply lines so multiple companies can leverage the same suppliers – the way Boeing and Airbus share components.” The Army plans to work with multiple
vendors, each expected to build at least two reactors with the first serving as a prototype and the second refined through lessons learned. Initially microreactors will be used to power domestic installations, but Waksman said the technology is being developed with a view to future expeditionary use and commercial spin- offs. ■
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45
