A Memorandum of Understanding on Principles Concerning Nuclear Exports and Cooperation finalizes a provisional understanding reached in November of last year. It was signed by South Korea’s (S.K.) Industry Minister Ahn Duk-geun and U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, who said on X, “Today, the United States and Republic of Korea reaffirmed our shared commitment to advancing peaceful nuclear energy. Together, we’re enhancing energy security, tackling the climate crisis, and ensuring a safer world.”
     The agreement covering exports of nuclear technology was signed by the U.S. and S.K. on the same day that the leaders of S.K. and the Czech Republic reaffirmed their commitment to nuclear projects including the expansion of the Dukovany nuclear power plant.
     The U.S. and S.K. have collaborated on civil nuclear power projects for more than seventy years according to a joint statement issued by the respective ministries. “The cornerstone of this cooperation reflects the two countries’ mutual dedication to maximizing the peaceful uses of nuclear energy under the highest international standards of nuclear safety, security, safeguards, and non-proliferation.”
     The joint statement continued. “This MoU continues to build upon this long-standing partnership and provides a framework for the parties to cooperate in expanding civil nuclear power in third countries while strengthening their respective administration of export controls on civil nuclear technology. It will also provide a pathway to help both countries keep up with the emergence of new technologies in this sector.”
     The agreement is considered to be significant for S.K. nuclear exports to other countries. In August of 2024, Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power (KHNP) was selected by the Czech government as its preferred bidder to construct up to four new nuclear power units in S.K.  S.K.’s APR1000 nuclear reactor is based on original technology obtained from Westinghouse, a U.S. company. This requires that exports of Korean reactors go through U.S. export consent or notification procedures.
     There has been a continuing dispute between Westinghouse and KHNP over the issue of intellectual property rights for the APR1000. This disagreement is the subject of international arbitration, a process which Westinghouse notes is not expected to be resolved before the second half of 2025.
     The new MoU could smooth the way for U.S. governmental consent for the Czech nuclear power plant deal. Negotiations with Westinghouse should become much more straightforward. A Korean Trade Ministry official told the Korea JoongAng Daily that “This has become an opportunity to strengthen export control cooperation by establishing an information sharing system for transferring civilian nuclear power technology to third countries. As a ‘global comprehensive strategic alliance’, we expect it to promote mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries in the global market in the future.”
     Citing S.K’s Ministry of  Economy and Finance, Korea.net reported that the country’s acting president, Choi Sang Mok, told Czech Prime Minister Petr Filala on the 8th of January of this year that the country intends to “smoothly proceed with major cooperation projects between our two sides like the construction of a nuclear power plant in Dukovany and diplomatic affairs like high-level exchanges”.

South Korea

     South Korean (S.K.) engineering firm Doosan Enerbility has just signed a binding agreement with the International Nuclear Non-proliferation and Cooperation Centre (INC) at S. K.’s KEPCO International Nuclear Graduate School to cooperate on the expansion of nuclear exports.
     The agreement was signed on the 26th of December during a ceremony attended by representatives from both parties. The attendees included Joo-ho Whang, President of the Educational Foundation at KEPCO International Nuclear Graduate School (KINGS); Chang-lak Kim, Acting President of KINGS; Yong-soo Hwang, Head of the International Nuclear Non-proliferation and Cooperation Centre and Jongdoo Kim, CEO of Doosan Enerbility’s Nuclear Business Group.
     With the signing of the agreement, Doosan Enerbility and INC agreed to cooperate on pursuing the expansion of nuclear exports and reinforcing the global nuclear non-proliferation efforts. Cooperation will be pursued on developing export policies and cultivating a supportive environment. These include bolstering nuclear partnerships with the U.S. in the area of nuclear security and strengthening the domestic supply chain in S.K.
      In response to the surging electricity demanded by AI data centers, cooperation will also be pursued in the areas of small modular reactor (SMR) technology development and supply chain establishment. Joint efforts will also be made in developing a nuclear non-proliferation culture that promotes peaceful applications of nuclear energy.
     Doosan Enerbility stated that “The agreement focuses on creating a favorable export environment based on non-proliferation efforts and developing an export strategy through South Korea-US cooperation. This investment initiative exemplifies our commitment to sustain the nuclear industry by closely collaborating with the academic community.”
     The INC was established by KEPCO International Nuclear Graduate School in July 2024. It is engaged in various cooperation initiatives with the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and Sandia National Laboratories. The INC’s focus is on developing strategies for the overall nuclear exports process. Its coverage will range from large nuclear power plants and SMRs to nuclear decommissioning and spent nuclear fuel management. It is currently working on developing strategic partnerships with a variety of institutions at home and abroad to establish a broad cooperative framework.
     Doosan Enerbility’s Jongdoo Kim said, “This agreement will play a significant role in contributing to the international community’s nuclear non-proliferation efforts and enhancing the competitiveness of our nuclear exports. We plan to continuously work in collaboration with the INC and will seek to further solidify the position held by Korea’s nuclear industry in the global nuclear energy market.”
     In July of 2022, the S.K. government announced a new energy policy which is intended to maintain nuclear power’s share of the country’s energy mix at a minimum of thirty percent by 2030. It also has a goal of exporting ten nuclear power plants by 2030, as well as the development of a Korean SMR design.
     In August of 2020, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, Doosan Enerbility and nuclear energy equipment and materials manufacturers with the intent of revitalizing the S.K.’s nuclear industry. The MoU aims to increase the competitiveness of the nuclear industry ecosystem through shared growth, collaborating to contribute to carbon neutrality, responding to the energy crisis and stabilization of power supply. The industry plans to cooperate to create new jobs, develop joint technologies, exchange manpower and expand exports.

Doosan Enerbility 

     Heathgate Resources affiliate Grants Energy is considering uranium production from the Grants Precision ISR project, twenty miles from the community of Grants, in the early 2030s.
     The project scope includes both Cibola and McKinley counties, where Gulf Mineral Resources Corporation identified and validated a large uranium deposit in the 1960s and 1970s including the Mt Taylor deposit. The Mt Taylor deposit was conventionally mined between 1980 and 1990. General Atomics affiliate Rio Grande Resources purchased Mt Taylor in 1991, according to information from the New Mexico Environment Department.
     Commercial inquiries and contracting will be managed by General Atomics’ Nuclear Fuels Corporation. They told World Nuclear News that uranium production is planned to commence in the early 2030s with first permits and license applications due over the next 12-24 months.
     The company’s innovative production plan combines in-situ recovery, or ISR which is a widely used method of uranium extraction, with horizontal wells which is a method used in oil and gas production. Combining these two proven technologies means uranium extraction will be cleaner and more efficient than ever before according to Grants Energy. This approach will also reduce ground disturbance and carbon emissions from the equipment used to construct the wellfields.
     From the mid-20th century to the 1980s, the state of New Mexico was a hub for U.S. uranium mining. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission currently lists only one New Mexico uranium recovery operation which is Crownpoint, now owned by Laramide Resources as licensed, although no operations have taken place. New Mexico is also home to Urenco U.S.’s uranium enrichment plant at Eunice, and the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant repository for the disposal of transuranic wastes.
     The Grants Precision ISR project could potentially create more than two hundred skilled, local jobs, and more than four hundred million dollars in state and local tax revenue while minimizing environmental impacts, and providing an affordable fuel for carbon-free domestic energy supply.
     Janet Lee Sheriff is the director of communications for Grants Energy. She said in the company’s January 6th announcement, “In this initial stage, Grants Energy is focused on reaching out to members of the community to provide more detailed information about our project and identify community issues and concerns. We truly understand and respect concerns surrounding uranium extraction through conventional mining technology and are dedicated to unlocking a strategic long-term energy resource responsibly and with the participation and involvement of the New Mexico community.”
     Clean Energy Association of New Mexico (CLEAN) is a new association committed to advocating for the nuclear energy industry and “empowering the people of New Mexico by fostering economic growth to benefit from their resources in a safe and sustainable manner”. Grants Energy is a member of CLEAN which was launched on January 3rd. CLEAN says it is “committed to focusing on education and awareness, providing valuable resources and advocating for the safe and environmentally responsible extraction of uranium through In-Situ Recovery technology as a key component of the state’s clean energy future”.
     Grants Energy is a subsidiary of Rio Grande Resources and an affiliate of Heathgate Resources Pty Ltd. It is the first uranium producer to use ISR in Australia, where the technique has now been in use for twenty-five years of production from the Four Mile/Beverley project.

Grants Energy

     The five hundred- and twenty-five-million-dollar acquisition of the Canadian nuclear services company Kinetrics by BWXT “creates a comprehensive portfolio of end-to-end lifecycle services for customers in the small modular reactor and traditional large-scale nuclear reactor markets”.
     Toronto-based Kinectrics operates two core business areas: commercial power services and nuclear medicine. Its commercial nuclear services portfolio includes support for all stages of the nuclear power plant lifecycle, and it is also a supplier of medical radioisotopes including lutetium-177.
     Rex Geveden is the BWXT President and CEO. He described Kinectrics as a “strong and growing nuclear services company with a comprehensive portfolio of offerings to commercial nuclear players globally”, with a wide base of customers, many of which are new to BWXT.
     The combination of these capabilities with the products and services of BWXT’s Commercial Operations segment will enable an expanded portfolio of products and services for current and new customers in the global nuclear power and radiopharmaceutical industries, BWXT said. “In the commercial nuclear power market, Kinectrics brings a broad suite of lifecycle support services that will further strengthen BWXT’s position in the CANDU reactor market, while increasing its exposure to the US market and select international markets.”

     John MacQuarrie is the BWXT Commercial Operations President. He said, “This acquisition expands our ability to deliver end-to-end solutions to existing and new customers more efficiently.” He added that the investment “uniquely brings together two industry leaders with complementary expertise and service offerings in the growing commercial nuclear power and nuclear medicine markets” and will improve the company’s ability to meet evolving customer needs. “This includes supporting utilities as they explore ways to expand nuclear power generation through life extensions and new builds, partnering with small modular reactor designers seeking comprehensive regulatory, engineering, manufacturing, and aftermarket solutions, and collaborating with healthcare partners who require reliable isotopes for under-supplied medical isotopes revolutionizing oncology.”

     Kinectrics produces ytterbium-176 which is a stable isotope used for the production of non-carrier-added lutetium-177 through irradiation at the Bruce nuclear power plant. Geveden told investors that production of lutetium-177, through the Isogen joint venture partnership with Framatome, is not expected to change. The Kinetics acquisition “adds a very important therapeutic isotope to our portfolio”.
     Turning to small modular reactor projects, Geveden said the combination of Kinectric’s offerings in project areas such as design, engineering, project integration and field testing would be complementary to BWXT’s manufacturing capabilities. Kinectric’s transmission and distribution project area would be vital for distributing the power to customers or to direct users such as data centers. “We’re trying to create an ecosystem [for small modular reactors] … as customers select partners long-term, we have the whole map figured out.”
     Kinectrics employs more than thirteen hundred engineers and technical experts located across its twenty sites worldwide. The Kinectrics acquisition is targeted to close in the middle of this year. It will nearly double the workforce of BWXT’s Commercial Operations and expand its capabilities, including lifecycle management, specialized plant services and engineering, to support the North American and international nuclear markets, the company said. Kinectrics will operate as a BWXT subsidiary, and its financial results will be reported within BWXT’s Commercial Operations segment. Its current President and CEO David Harris will continue to lead the organization, reporting to John MacQuarrie.
     BWXT said that it expects the investment to be “modestly accretive to BWXT’s earnings”, is “one of BWXT’s strategic steps in response to current and anticipated demand for nuclear projects and services worldwide”. BWXT, announced in 2024 a sixty-million dollar expansion at its facility in Cambridge, Ontario, to increase the plant’s footprint by twenty five-percent and create more than two hundred long-term jobs for skilled workers, engineers and support staff in the area.
     The announcement of the Kinectrics acquisition came right after BWXT completed its acquisition of L3Harris’ Aerojet Ordnance Tennessee, Inc. It is the provider of advanced speciality materials, fabrication and high-strength alloy manufacturing and is also the sole provider of depleted uranium to the US government, and will operate within BWXT’s government operations segment.

BWXT

     Offering a unique approach to powering data centers through nuclear fission energy, Deep Fission and Endeavour Energy have just announced a strategic partnership. Their collaboration plans to bury small modular reactors (SMRs) a mile underground.
     A Deep Fission in a press release said, “As part of the agreement, Endeavour and Deep Fission have committed to co-developing 2 gigawatts (GW) of nuclear energy to power Endeavour’s expanding global portfolio of Edged data centers.” Notably, the first reactors are expected to be operational by 2029.
     Deep Fission is a nuclear energy company that is pioneering this new approach. They have designed SMRs that are lowered into thirty-inch boreholes drilled a mile deep.
     This technique takes advantage of the natural geological properties at that depth. The earth supplies robust containment and constant pressure. This eliminates the need for huge concrete structures typically used for containment in aboveground nuclear reactors.
     This approach offers several important advantages. It significantly reduces the cost of construction and minimizes the environmental impact by decreasing the surface footprint of the nuclear power plant.
     Elizabeth Muller is Co-Founder and CEO of Deep Fission. She said, “Our technology not only ensures the highest levels of safety but also positions us to deliver zero-carbon continuous power at a cost of just 5-7 cents per kWh.”  In addition, it enhances safety by utilizing the natural geological features as a barrier.
     Endeavour Energy’s SMR, which it will be co-developing with Deep Fission, will be utilized to power its growing global network of Edged data centers.
     Jakob Carnemark is the Founder of Endeavour and Edged data centers. He said, “We are constantly searching for technologies capable of supporting the unprecedented demands of AI and meeting green energy goals, but they have to be economically viable. Deep Fission’s solution slashes the high costs and long timelines of surface-built nuclear projects. It enhances safety, and delivers clean, reliable energy with high power density of more than one hundred megawatts in a quarter acre.”
     There is significant momentum for getting power from nuclear reactors for data centers right now.
     In October of 2024, Google signed the world’s first corporate agreement with Kairos Power to buy electricity from multiple SMRs for its data centers. As per a blog post from Google, it plans to purchase a total of five hundred megawatts of power from six to seven reactors.
     OpenAI CEO Sam Altman-backed nuclear energy startup Oklo has just entered into a partnership to provide up to twelve gigawatts of energy to Switch, a leading AI provider and data center operator.
     This highlights the growing need for clean and reliable energy sources for data centers. These sources are crucial to cover the increasing energy demands of AI applications and other compute-intensive workloads.
     The latest innovative technology from Deep Fusion has the potential to reshape the energy landscape for a more sustainable future. It can provide a potentially safer and more cost-effective way to generate clean energy.
      The press release concludes that “The partnership between Deep Fission and Endeavour will redefine how clean energy is incorporated into electricity-demanding industries.”

Deep Fission

     The U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) plans to award one billion dollars in federal funding to keep Central California’s aging Diablo Canyon nuclear plant in operation. An environmental group’s lawsuit to stop the award appears to be on shaky grounds.
     U.S. District Judge George Wu was appointed by George W. Bush. At a hearing Thursday in downtown Los Angeles, he expressed reservations about Friends of the Earth’s (FoE) standing to pursue the case.
     He noted that no ruling he could issue would change the fact that California wants the plant. The nuclear facility provides nine percent of the state’s electricity. There’s currently not enough renewable energy to meet the state’s climate goals.
     PG&E owns and operates the nuclear plant. California has already loaned one billion four hundred million on the condition the company would seek federal grant money to repay the state. If Judge Wu were to agree with the antinuclear group that the DoE is violating National Environmental Policy Act through an outdated environmental analysis, California may very well forgive the loan.
     The judge asked the attorneys for FoE, “It the money from California has already come and gone, on what basis do the plaintiffs have standing? If California and PG&E want to go forward, your client has no say.”
     The judge did not issue a final decision on the government’s request to dismiss the FoE lawsuit. But he did order PG&E to provide him with a declaration about the state funding it has received and about the terms of the loan.
     Founded in 1969 in part to oppose the construction of the nuclear plant on California’s Central Coast, FoE argues that the DoE’s January decision to fund Diablo Canyon went beyond the facility’s previously anticipated shutdown dates of 2024 and 2025. The FoE said that the federal government ignored the fact that a fifty-year-old environmental analysis used for the decision didn’t consider risks beyond those expiration dates.
     Even in the best of times, all nuclear reactors carry a risk that an accident will lead to a potential catastrophic radiation release according to FoE.
     The FoE said in its complaint, “Diablo Canyon presents an even riskier case, given a significant lack of maintenance or upgrades at the facility, recent seismic discoveries in the area, and the plant’s use of an [sic] outdated cooling mechanisms.”
     The DoE asked the judge to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing the FoE lacks standing. It said there is no favorable ruling that could redress the FoE’s purported injuries from the federal government’s award of the grant.
     Maggie Woodward is an attorney for the government. She told the judge, “California will allow the plant to operate,” even if the federal funding is withdrawn, “The information that we have shows that they’re not intending to reverse course on this.”
     While the plant has exceeded its original forty-year operating licenses, PG&E claims that it’s continually upgraded and undergoes regular inspections by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
     The California legislature passed a bill into law in 2022 that directed PG&E to take all “necessary and prudent” measures to extend the nuclear plant’s operations. The plant provides about seventeen percent of the state’s zero-carbon electricity supply. Officials say they should keep the plant running for another five years beyond 2025 to improve statewide energy reliability as California transitions away from oil and gas.

Friends of the Earth

     Laser Photonics Corporation (LPC) is a leading global developer of industrial laser systems for cleaning and other material processing applications. LPC announced today that it received an order from the Cooper Nuclear Station (CNS) which is Nebraska’s largest single-unit generator providing clean and reliable electricity.
     LPC went on to say that “It is serving a growing number of clients in the nuclear energy sector, and is thrilled that Cooper Nuclear entrusted it to provide its team with innovative laser-powered equipment.
     John Armstrong is the Executive Vice President of Laser Photonics. He said, “Laser cleaning technology is rapidly gaining ground as a highly effective alternative to hazardous surface preparation methods.”
     In laser cleaning, a high-energy laser beam is used to ablate (break molecular bonds and vaporize) unwanted material, be it contaminants or coatings on a surface. The LPC technology can effectively remove corrosion, coatings, paint, and other substances without damaging the underlying substrate. This laser process is non-contact, controlled, and precise, allowing for the selective removal of unwanted layers. Laser cleaning is being widely adopted as professionals in various industries discover the benefits of this technology. Laser Photonics designs laser cleaning tools in-house. It offers its clients turnkey and custom-tailored solutions that replace outdated and harmful industrial cleaning processes.
     LPC’s CleanTech laser cleaning technology transforms surface preparation across numerous industries. It helps preserve vintage vehicles, maintain critical infrastructural elements, restore historical artifacts, recommission military equipment, and stop corrosive deterioration on boats.
     The CleanTech CR-3010 that was purchased by CNS, is a commercial-grade handheld continuous wave fiber laser machine for surface preparation. It effectively removes contaminants and coatings off a variety of surfaces during maintenance and production processes. It has demonstrated its capability to blast off radioactive particles along with unwanted material. Combined with a fume extractor, the system turns into an irreplaceable power tool for the regular maintenance of equipment and infrastructure.
     CNS is operated by the Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD). It plans to use the CleanTech CR-3010 for paint and rust removal in the pre-weld preparation of valves, pipes and steel plates.
     Laser ablation is an eco-friendly surface preparation method for businesses who want to reduce their ecological impact. It does not involve the use of hazardous consumables and generates minimal secondary waste. LPC technology continues to be adopted in the nuclear industry and others industries as companies worldwide advance toward their sustainability goals.
     Laser Photonics is a vertically integrated manufacturer and research and development center for industrial laser technologies and systems. Laser Photonics seeks to disrupt the forty-six billion dollars, centuries-old sand and abrasives blasting markets by focusing on surface cleaning, rust removal, corrosion control, de-painting and other laser-based industrial applications. Laser Photonics’ new generation of leading-edge laser blasting technologies and equipment also deals with the numerous health, safety, environmental and regulatory issues associated with the old methods. As a result, Laser Photonics has quickly gained a reputation as an industry leader in industrial laser systems. It is a brand that stands for quality, technology and product innovation. World-renowned and Fortune 500 manufacturers in the aerospace, automotive, defense, energy, maritime, nuclear and space industries are using Laser Photonics’ “unique-to-industry” systems. For more information, visit Laser Photonics.

     Newcleo is a nuclear reactor developer dedicated to designing and building innovative lead-cooled fast reactors (LFRs) for sustainable energy solutions. It has submitted its Safety Option File for its fuel assembly testing facility to France’s nuclear safety regulator, the Autorité de Sûreté Nucléaire (ASN’s). The ASN’s official opinion on the submitted safety options will play a role in securing the application for authorization to construct such a facility.
     Newcleo said, “This milestone marks the beginning of a new regulatory phase, during which the project’s key safety options will be reviewed, paving the way for an application for authorization to create a Basic Nuclear Installation (INB). This opinion will represent a new strategic milestone in Newcleo’s plans and timelines, initially focusing on an advanced fuel assembly testing facility to supply its first LFR.”
     On the 26th June of this year, Newcleo finished the preparatory stage established by the French authorities for developers of small modular reactor (SMR) projects to facilitate, secure and accelerate the review of license applications. The company said that during the preparatory stage, ASN and its technical arm, the Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN), reviewed the maturity of Newcleo’s project and discussed all safety options for its LFR projects and the associated nuclear fuel manufacturing plant.
     Newcleo plans to directly invest in the construction of a mixed uranium/plutonium oxide (MOX) plant to fuel its reactors. In June of 2022, the company announced it had subcontracted France’s Orano for feasibility studies on the establishment of a MOX production plant.
     Stefano Buono is the Newcleo founder and CEO. He commented on the submission of the Safety Option File for the fuel assembly testing facility, “This major milestone demonstrates the confidence placed by French nuclear authorities in our vision and technological choices. We are pursuing our discussions with the ASN, IRSN, and other relevant authorities to meet the most stringent requirements. Our advanced fuel assembly testing facility is designed to meet the growing demand for decarbonized energy, strengthen European energy sovereignty, and guarantee the highest standards of nuclear safety.”
     Newcleo’s strategic roadmap includes the development of a demonstration reactor in Italy by 2026, the establishment of its fuel assembly testing facility in France by 2030, the construction of a reactor prototype in France by 2031, and the commissioning of commercial reactors starting in 2033.
     Newcleo’s LFR is one of about ten SMR designs currently being evaluated by ASN and IRSN. Four vendors are now in the initial stage, referred to as prospective monitoring (Blue Capsule, Hexana, Out and Stellaria). Newcleo, Naarea, Calogena and Thorizon are now in step Two, the preparatory review. Nuward is in the third step, which is the pre-instruction stage where ASN will deliver an opinion on the main safety options to be used in its SMR design. Jimmy is in step 4, where it has requested a “creation authorization decree” from ASN to build an SMR intended to supply industrial heat to a Cristal Union Group plant which is located on the Bazancourt site.

Newcleo

     A frantic hunt was undertaken on the evening of December 18th for a missing radioactive package which ‘failed’ to arrive at Madrid’s Barajas Airport. Spain’s Nuclear Safety Council (CSN) raised the alarm yesterday evening over the transport package with ‘four radioactive sources’ of ‘very dangerous’ Selenium-75. Local reports said the CSN had sent a team of inspectors to the airport to try to gain more information.
     El Pais is a major Spanish media outlet. It reported that the CSN eventually located the package, and it was deactivated. It was not immediately revealed how the transport container with the radioactive package had gone missing in the first place.
     The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) uses the following categories to cover the danger of a radioactive source:
Category 1
     Personally extremely dangerous: This amount of radioactive material, if not safely managed or securely protected, would be likely to cause permanent injury to a person who handled it, or were otherwise in contact with it, for more than a few minutes. It would probably be fatal to be close to this amount of unshielded material for a period of a few minutes to an hour. highly soluble in water.
Category 2
     Personally very dangerous: This amount of radioactive material, if not safely managed or securely protected, could cause permanent injury to a person who handled it, or were otherwise in contact with it, for a short time (minutes to hours). It could possibly be fatal to be close to this amount of unshielded radioactive material for a period of hours to days. water.
Category 3
     Personally dangerous: This amount of radioactive material, if not safely managed or securely protected, could cause permanent injury to a person who handled it, or were otherwise in contact with it, for some hours. It could possibly be fatal to be close to this amount of unshielded radioactive material for a period of days to weeks.
Category 4
     Unlikely to be dangerous: It is very unlikely that anyone would be permanently injured by this amount of radioactive material. However, this amount of unshielded radioactive material, if not safely managed or securely protected, could possibly temporarily injure someone who handled it or were otherwise in contact with it, or who were close to it for a period of many weeks
Category 5
     Not dangerous: No one could be permanently injured by this amount of radioactive material.
     Before the package was recovered, CSN recommended that anyone who came across the package should avoid touching it and immediately alert the authorities. The package was rated as a Category 2 hazard from the categories listed above.
     Selenium-75 is a radioactive isotope that has radiopharmaceutical uses. Selenium-75 sources are also utilized on offshore oil rigs and at power plants during outages.
     Travelers at Gatwick airport missed flights after being stuck in huge queues
     The CSN said in its first comments about the package scare, “The CSN has sent a team of three inspectors to Barajas Airport to find out more details about the incident and try to confirm whether the package has arrived at the airport. The CSN is in constant contact with the Community of Madrid.”
     The radioactive material was housed in a B (U) container, model NE4C. It should have arrived at the cargo terminal at the airport.
     The CSN noted that “All the radioactive sources are properly encapsulated and shielded to avoid radiation to the outside. The four radioactive sources are Category 2 on a scale of one to five established by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA),
     In February of this year, Barcelona Airport’s Terminal One was partially sealed off after it was discovered that the outer packaging of a box containing medical material with radioactive substances had broken open. The damaged box was found in the hold of a Swiss Airline plane flying between Barcelona and Zurich.
     Firefighters specializing in chemical hazards were dispatched to the scene. There were also special emergency responders, although no medical assistance was required.

Spain’s Nuclear Safety Council 

     Testing has been completed of a device for executing irradiation tests of various radioisotopes at the two pressurized heavy water reactors that make up Phase III of the Qinshan nuclear power plant in China’s Zhejiang province.
     There is no isotope irradiation test function module in the original design of the pressurized heavy water reactor (PHWR). This means that the Qinshan project team needed to create a special device that could embed the isotope irradiation test function and is compatible with the existing design of the reactor. Most medical isotopes are short-half-life isotopes. This requires the rapid loading and unloading of irradiation test targets during the normal operation of the reactor.
     The People’s Daily said, “After repeated adjustments, the project team and the design institute finally designed a prototype of the device concept.” The isotope irradiation test platform has the ability to automatically load and unload isotope irradiation targets online.”
     The People’s Daily added, “During the debugging and verification process of the device, it underwent thousands of action tests, which fully verified the reliability of the device. On the 3rd of April in 2023, the National Nuclear Safety Administration officially approved Qinshan Nuclear Power to use the irradiation test device to conduct yttrium-90 irradiation tests. On the 23rd of April, the project team continued to work for nearly one hundred and twenty hours during the overhaul of Qinshan No.3 Plant. They successfully completed the device installation, cold commissioning and system identification operations. On the 14th of December, the first yttrium-90 target was successfully unloaded from the reactor and the hot test of the device was successfully completed.
     The People’s Daily continued, “The platform has successfully realized the research and development and production of short-half-life medical isotopes for domestic commercial reactors, opening up a new path for the localization of medical isotopes and the development of radioactive drugs. In the future, Qinshan Nuclear Power will continue to deepen the production of reactor-irradiated isotope irradiation, and contribute to the independent and controllable supply of medical isotopes and the expansion of diversified applications of nuclear technology in China.”
     The report mentioned that this marks the official completion of the first commercial reactor isotope research and development platform in China.
     The China National Nuclear Corporation’s (CNNC) Qinshan plant comprises seven reactors. This makes it China’s largest nuclear power plant. Construction of Phase I of the plant was a three hundred MWe pressurized water reactor (PWR). It was the first indigenously-designed Chinese nuclear power station to be constructed. Work began in 1985, with the unit entering commercial operation in 1994. Qinshan Phase II is the location of four operating CNP-600 PWRs, built with a high degree of localization. Units 1 and 2, consisting of the first stage of Phase II, began operating in 2002 and 2004, respectively. Units 3 and 4 began commercial operation in October 2010 and April 2021. Phase III consists of two seven hundred and fifty megawatt pressurized heavy water reactors supplied by Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd and commissioned in 2002 and 2003.
     In April this year, CNNC announced that the Qinshan plant has begun mass production at one of its PHWRs of carbon-14, which is used in medical and scientific research and in fields including agriculture and chemistry as well as in medicine and biology. Apart from very limited production in experimental reactors, all carbon-14 was previously imported.

Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant