Nuclear Bulletin No. 1
From promise to contract: Dukovany stalls, the NRC sketches inspections for factory-built reactors. Nuclear Intelligence No. 1 (W43–W44), covering 19 October – 1 November 2026.
In brief
- In the Czech Republic, KHNP breaks off with the Daewoo-Doosan consortium over the civil works at Dukovany: the sticking point is the contract structure, lump sum or remeasurement.
- In France, ASNR sees no obstacle in principle to operating EDF's reactors beyond 60 years; the public consultation is open until 2 December.
- The NRC streamlines licensing for reactors already authorised by DOE or the Department of War (formerly DoD) and starts work on a future oversight model for advanced reactors, designed with prefabricated modules in mind.
- For Italian companies: expressions of interest for the IPCEI on innovative nuclear technologies are due by 3 December.
Global outlook
First IAEA ministerial conference on nuclear power in Korea
In Incheon, some 800 participants, including government delegations from 60 countries, discussed new programmes, regulation and applications of SMRs, financing, public trust, artificial intelligence and maritime nuclear. Director General Grossi, who cancelled his visit the day before the opening, spoke by video.
Canada and Turkey sign a partnership that includes nuclear
AtkinsRéalis will carry out a feasibility study for CANDU reactors at Sinop, on the Black Sea, as a candidate for Turkey's second nuclear plant; Prime Minister Carney speaks of "good chances". At Akkuyu-1 (VVER-1200), hydrostatic tests of the secondary circuit have been completed.
South-East Asia: the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia
The Philippines could obtain up to 5 billion dollars in loans from the US International Development Finance Corporation, with a target of 1.2 GW of nuclear by 2032 and 4.8 GW by 2050. Thailand's draft power development plan foresees its first small reactor in 2037 and 9 GW by 2050. Rosatom has signed an agreement with Indonesia for a floating nuclear power plant.
Europe in focus
France: ASNR opens the door to operation beyond 60 years
Presenting its draft opinion to OPECST, the ASNR chairman stated that, on current knowledge, there are no obstacles to operating EDF's 56 reactors beyond 60 years that EDF cannot act on. This is not an authorisation: the hard-to-replace components (reactor vessel, vessel pit, some primary circuit bends) still need to be confirmed, and climate change is the most uncertain factor. Each reactor will be assessed site by site at its 60-year review. Public consultation runs from 22 October to 2 December.
For quality professionals: the ageing programme for large components opens a long season of supply, inspection and requalification work under RCC-M and RSE-M.
Dukovany: KHNP ends talks with the Daewoo-Doosan consortium
The disagreement concerns cost, scope and above all the structure of the subcontract: KHNP wanted a lump-sum contract on basic design quantities, the consortium a fee tied to detailed design quantities. The new contractor will be selected by July 2027 (meeting with bidders in January, bids from April); site works are still scheduled to start in January 2028 and construction in November 2029. The reactor and turbine-generator supply contracts with Doosan are not affected.
For quality professionals: quantities frozen at the end of basic design are a contractual risk that falls on configuration control and design change management along the supply chain.
Romania: Cernavodă will stay offline through November
The two CANDU units, about a fifth of the country's electricity, have been shut down since 28 July and 12 August because of the low level of the Danube. The national emergency committee extended the alert by 30 days (Monitorul Oficial of 28 October): the units cannot restart in November and Transelectrica must secure the grid with imports and other sources. Nuclearelectrica confirms that the reconnection threshold must hold for several days with a rising trend.
United Kingdom: OPG to operate the BWRX-300 fleet proposed by SGE
Origin Nuclear, an Ontario Power Generation company, will be the operator of the 14 BWRX-300 units that Poland's SGE proposes on three British sites, supporting licensing, commissioning and operational readiness. The first site will host six units, the first in commercial operation in 2034; SGE expects to enter the Advanced Nuclear Pipeline in November.
Italy
IPCEI on innovative nuclear technologies
The Ministry of Enterprises (MIMIT) and the Ministry of Environment and Energy Security (MASE) are collecting companies' expressions of interest until 3 December for the European project of common interest on innovative nuclear technologies. It is the first concrete funding channel open to the supply chain since the enabling law.
Enabling law in force, implementing decrees expected by Christmas
The enabling law on sustainable nuclear power, published in the Official Gazette on 30 September, has been in force since 15 October. Minister Pichetto Fratin aims to present the first implementing decrees by the end of the year, with a focus on SMRs and then AMRs; the law gives the Government until October 2027.
Regulation and quality
NRC: final rule for reactors already authorised by DOE or the Department of War
The rule amends Parts 50 and 53 and allows analyses and test data from DOE or Department of War (formerly DoD) demonstration programmes to be used to speed up commercial licensing: the target is 18 months for a first-of-a-kind and 12 for the following units. The NRC keeps its independent review. It also notes that quality assurance may turn out to be similar in the two processes, while materials qualification, consequence analyses and natural hazards may need closer scrutiny. Published in the Federal Register on 26 October, the rule takes effect on 25 November; implementation guidance is on its way.
NRC: first steps towards an oversight process for advanced reactors
The Advanced Reactor Oversight Process (AROP) would extend the approach already used during construction: risk-informed and performance-based, technology-neutral and scalable. Industry is asking for it to account for prefabrication, simplified designs and remote operation, with targeted inspections when indicators cross their thresholds. A draft paper is due to the Commissioners in March 2027, to be submitted in May.
For quality professionals: if on-site oversight becomes lighter, the weight shifts to factory controls and therefore to the quality systems of module suppliers.
Innovation and technology
Framatome industrialises accident-tolerant fuel
A 30-million-euro pilot facility is now running at Paimboeuf for chromium coating of zirconium-alloy cladding (PROtect E-ATF technology, developed with CEA), with a capacity of more than 100,000 tubes a year. Industrial qualification of the process is due by the end of 2026, with production from early 2027.
US Navy picks Radiant for a prototype microreactor
The Department of the Navy has selected Radiant Industries to design, build and deliver a prototype microreactor plant at a naval station.
Advanced fuels: ARPA-E funds eight projects
ARPA-E, DOE's advanced energy research agency, has selected eight transuranic fuel development projects.
Market and industry
Doosan to manufacture the upper section of the NuScale vessel
The contract covers the upper reactor coolant system of the NuScale Power Module, i.e. the upper part of the pressure vessel, to be built in Changwon. The collaboration moves from material preparation to component manufacturing; NuScale's first commercial project is at Doicești, in Romania.
Indiana and Kentucky: three large projects in one week
AEP and X-energy are assessing 12 Xe-100 reactors (960 MW) at the former Breed coal site in Sullivan County, with financing and a long-term power purchase agreement from Amazon. Indiana, Hoosier Energy and AtkinsRéalis are studying a 6 GW CANDU project. The Nuclear Company proposes 6.6 GW in Kentucky.
Constellation: up to 5 billion from DOE for power uprates
A conditional loan agreement for uprates at eight plants.
Enrichment: Centrus ships the first new centrifuge
The first centrifuge of the expansion for HALEU and commercial LEU leaves Oak Ridge for Piketon; the new capacity is expected from 2029, backed by a 900-million-dollar DOE order.
Nuclear Intelligence is 1000eng's nuclear bulletin, every two weeks, compiled from verified public sources linked to each item. The "For quality professionals" notes are 1000eng's editorial comments, not quotations from the sources.