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Imagine a group of scientists flying drones over a nuclear research center, equipped with cutting-edge technology to identify and measure the radiation being emitted from a plume source.   The CNL-SCK-CEN team with their drone at Mol (Image: CNL) The team has successfully tested a new, precise measurement technique that could be invaluable to emergency response teams during an accident. But that's not all - these drones are part of a groundbreaking research project funded by the Energy Transition Fund of the FPS Economy, aimed at developing unmanned aircraft with scintillation counters that can carry out radiological measurements without any human intervention. This futuristic technology is being fine-tuned at the Mol site of Belgium's Nuclear Research Centre, and the results are promising. During the tests, the drones successfully identified the radioactive source, qualified and quantified the radiation, and produced a special visualization of the contamination. This technolog

Holtec International has achieved a remarkable feat - the fabrication and delivery of the Centre Stack Casing (CSC) for the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory's (PPPL's) National Spherical Torus Experiment-Upgrade (NSTX-U), a revolutionary step towards commercial nuclear power based on nuclear fusion. This magnificent piece of engineering represents the heart of the NSTX-U, which is expected to produce high-performance plasma with low-cost magnetic fields. The Centre Stack Casing for the NSTX-U (Image: Holtec) The CSC had to be designed and manufactured with extremely precise tolerances to meet the demanding metrology and magnetic permeability requirements. This challenge demanded Holtec's weld engineers to develop and qualify several unique welding procedures and tools that were then implemented by their highly skilled machinists and welders. The final product, which is made of inconel metal and resembles a hedgehog due to its stud-covered design, will provide the inner v

Estonia is about to take a leap into the future of clean energy as Fermi Energia selects GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy's BWRX-300 small modular reactor (SMR) for deployment in the country by early 2030s. Out of the three SMR developers Fermi Energia received tenders from, GE Hitachi emerged as the winner with its cutting-edge BWRX-300 design. A rendering of a BWRX-300 plant (Image: GEH) . This 300 MWe water-cooled, natural circulation SMR features passive safety systems and leverages the design and licensing basis of GEH's ESBWR boiling water reactor. The BWRX-300, which is currently undergoing a pre-licensing review in Canada and the US, is a game-changer in the energy sector with its exceptional safety, lower cost, and shorter build time. The reactor, much smaller than traditional boiling water reactors used in Europe, has already been selected for deployment by companies in Canada, Poland, and the UK. "We are honored that our SMR technology has been selected by Fermi Energi