NASA predvideva izvedbo misije na Mars z uporabo jedrskega pogona leta 2028
Ameriška vesoljska agencija NASA je predstavila niz ambicioznih ciljev za prihodnje misije, ki vključujejo vrnitev na Luno v začetku leta 2028 ter tudi misijo na Mars v istem letu z uporabo jedrskega pogona.
Načrti predvidevajo uporabo napredne jedrske pogonske tehnologije, ki bi lahko omogočila hitrejša in učinkovitejša medplanetarna potovanja v primerjavi s klasičnimi raketnimi sistemi.
Assessment completed of Chernobyl shelter repair works
The costs of repairing the damaged New Safe Confinement at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine will be “in the order of” EUR500 million (USD577 million), according to a preliminary technical assessment by Bouygues and Vinci.
The New Safe Confinement (NSC) is the largest moveable land-based structure built – with a span of 257 metres, a length of 162 metres, a height of 108 metres and a total weight of 36,000 tonnes equipped – and with a lifetime of 100 years, it has been designed to allow for the eventual dismantling of the ageing makeshift shelter built over the destroyed Chernobyl unit 4 in a matter of just months after the 1986 accident and the management of radioactive waste. It has also been designed to withstand temperatures ranging from -43°C to +45°C, a class-three tornado, and an earthquake with a magnitude of 6 on the Richter scale. The process of sliding the entire arched structure from its assembly point into position over unit 4 was completed on 29 November 2016.
Bulgarian repository moves closer to commissioning
The State Enterprise for Radioactive Waste says that construction of Bulgaria’s national repository for low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste has been issued with a certificate confirming the work is fit for commissioning.
The repository site is close to the Kozloduy nuclear power plant. It will be a near-surface trench-type facility featuring multi-barrier protection for the storage of low- and intermediate-level waste in reinforced concrete packages. It will be used to store such waste from industry, medicine and households, wastes generated from the decommissioning of Kozloduy units 1-4 and from the future operation of nuclear power plants. The repository, which will not be used for storing high-level waste or used nuclear fuel, will have a capacity of 138,200 cubic metres of waste. It is expected to operate for about 60 years. The facility will then be closed and closely monitored for another 300 years.
Application lodged for Poland’s first nuclear power plant
Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe has submitted an application to Poland’s National Atomic Energy Agency for a construction permit for the country’s first nuclear power plant.
One of the key elements of the documentation submitted with the licence application is the Preliminary Safety Analysis Report (PSAR). This report is one of the most important attachments, detailing the power plant design and its location. It also includes comprehensive analyses of technical and environmental factors demonstrating that the proposed solutions meet all requirements for nuclear safety, physical protection, radiological protection, and nuclear material safeguards for this type of facility.
Taipower applies to restart Maanshan plant
Taiwan Power Company has submitted a plan to the Nuclear Safety Council for the restart of the Maanshan nuclear power plant, whose two units were taken offline in July 2024 and May 2025 following the expiry of their 40-year operating licences, in accordance with Taiwan’s nuclear phase-out policy.
Serbia Study Lays Out Roadmap To First Nuclear Plant By 2040
Serbia’s ministry of mining and energy has presented a preliminary technical study on nuclear energy that lays out a roadmap towards a possible first nuclear power plant by around 2040.
The study, completed in June 2025 by France’s EDF, said all studies necessary for a government decision on whether to proceed with a nuclear programme should be completed by mid-2027 with institutional, regulatory and workforce capacity-building to follow.
This would allow Serbia to select a technology and enter construction contracting by 2032.
The study did not prioritise a single reactor technology, but provided a comparison of large nuclear power plants and small modular reactors (SMRs). The study found both options could support Serbia’s energy system.
Designs assessed included pressurised water reactors such as AP1000, EPR1200, VVER-1200 and APR1400, and SMRs such as AP300, BWRX-300, Rolls-Royce SMR, Holtec and Nuward, based on criteria including technological maturity, licensing status and suitability for Serbia’s system.
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IAEA Says About 55% Of Nuclear And Radioactive Material Thefts Since 1993 Occurred During Transport
More than half of all thefts of nuclear and other radioactive material reported to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Incident and Trafficking Database (ITDB) since 1993 occurred during authorised transport, with the share rising to nearly 70% in the past decade.
The new data released by the IAEA this week underlines the need for continued vigilance in transport security, the agency said in a statement.
Of the 4,626 reported incidents in the ITDB from 1993 to 2025, 730 were thefts of radioactive material, including attempted thefts. Almost 55% of those thefts occurred during transport, and in more than 59% of those transport-related cases – about 400 incidents – the stolen radioactive material has not been recovered.
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