• NUCLEAR POWERMaking Nuclear Energy More Competitive

    By Poornima Apte

    Through research on high burnup fuels and improving the design of nuclear power plants, NSE doctoral student Assil Halimi is adopting a dual approach to addressing some of the industry’s toughest challenges.

  • NUCLEAR POWERThe Heart of Next Generation Nuclear Reactor

    Researchers at the Sandia Lab are working on the reactor at the DIII-D National Fusion Facility aretesting materials to make the next generation of fusion reactors, in the quest to develop more carbon-free energy sources.

  • NUCLEAR POWERA New Way to Assess Radiation Damage in Reactors

    By David L. Chandler

    A new method could greatly reduce the time and expense needed for certain important safety checks in nuclear power reactors. The approach could save money and increase total power output in the short run, and it might increase plants’ safe operating lifetimes in the long run.

  • WATER SECURITYThe Cold War Legacy Lurking in U.S. Groundwater

    By Mark Olalde, Mollie Simon and Alex Mierjeski

    In America’s rush to build the nuclear arsenal that won the Cold War, safety was sacrificed for speed. ProPublica has cataloged cleanup efforts at the 50-plus sites where uranium was processed to fuel the nation’s nuclear arsenal. Even after regulators say cleanup is complete, polluted water and sickness are often left behind.

  • CHINA WATCHU.K. Removes China from Sizewell C Nuclear Plant as Tensions Grow

    London has stripped Chinese firm CGN of its stake in the nuclear plant. British lawmakers were visiting Taiwan and China’s London ambassador was summoned over the alleged assault of a BBC reporter as tensions mount.

  • NUCLEAR RISKSZaporizhzhia: What Would Be the Consequences of an Accident?

    By Clare Roth

    Although it’s impossible to say for sure what consequences an accident at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant might have on human health in the environment nearby, experts can make some predictions.

  • NUCLEAR POWERFukushima Fears Notwithstanding, Japan Still Depends on Nuclear Power

    By Nik Martin

    The 2011 Fukushima disaster helped seal the fate of nuclear power in Japan, or so it seemed. Tokyo now plans to extend the life of its nuclear plants and is considering new smaller, safer reactors.

  • ENERGY SECURITYGermany — No Exit from the Nuclear Energy Exit

    By Jens Thurau

    German Economy Minister Robert Habeck wants to keep two of the three German nuclear power plants on standby for an extra three months as an emergency reserve. That is the right decision.

  • NUCLEAR POWERStudying Molten-Salt Nuclear Reactor Materials

    $9.25 million DOE nuclear energy research program aims to improve safety and efficiency of sustainable nuclear energy.

  • NUCLEAR POWERRussia's Stranglehold on the World's Nuclear Power Cycle

    By Kristyna Foltynova

    Since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, countries supporting Ukraine have imposed several packages of sanctions targeting Russia’s lucrative energy industry (mostly oil, gas, and coal. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy recently called on the international community to come up with a stronger response and ban Russian imports from yet another sector: nuclear power. But blocking and replacing Russia’s deliveries of uranium, reactors, and nuclear technology to the rest of the world is easier said than done.

  • UKRAINE WARAre Attacks on Nuclear Plants Legal under International Law?

    By Christoph Hasselbach

    As fears rise that there could be a nuclear disaster at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia plant, DW looks at the Geneva Conventions, to which both Russia and Ukraine are signatories. Targeting nuclear plants is not actually banned.

  • NUCLEAR THREATSSituation at Europe's Largest Nuclear Plant “Out of Control”

    By Stuart Braun

    After Russian forces occupied a Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in March, the situation has deteriorated, experts say. The IAEA said that the reactor — Europe’s biggest — is “extremely vulnerable” to meltdown after all safety measures had been “violated” by Russian forces.

  • ENERGY SECURITYGermany Mulls U-Turn on Nuclear Phaseout

    By Richard Connor

    German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has raised the possibility of lengthening the life of the country’s nuclear power stations. Berlin’s decision to get rid of the plants has come under question amid energy security concerns.

  • NUCLEAR POWERAssessing the Environmental Impact of Nuclear Power Generation

    Nuclear power is considered a panacea for the environmental degradation caused by fossil fuels. However, its environmental impact and natural resource use need to be assessed. Researchers make a life cycle assessment of resource use in nuclear power generation from uranium.

  • NUCLEAR POWERWill Germany Return to Nuclear Power?

    By Elizabeth Schumacher

    As Germany moves to wean itself off Russian energy, politicians are debating a pause to the country’s planned nuclear phaseout. Experts warn, however, that it may not be so easy.