China signals buildout of nuclear missile silos for ‘strategic trump cards’

Liu Zhen | South China Morning Post

China has given a rare acknowledgement that it has built more nuclear missile silos in recent years, with state television airing a documentary on the construction programme. In an interview with state broadcaster CCTV, Cui Daohu, an officer with a PLA Rocket Force engineering unit, described his contribution to building the missile positions that he called China’s “strategic trump cards”, saying the schedule was tight but had been completed on time.

NATO Weighs Nuclear Expansion as Poland, Finland, Lithuania Emerge as Options

Katherina Popilnichenko | United24 Media

NATO is currently examining options to position additional American nuclear capabilities across Europe as a response to threats posed by Russia. Poland, Finland, and Lithuania are under consideration as potential host countries, according to Süddeutschen Zeitung on July 31. The discussions include Poland aiming to join the Nuclear Sharing program, Finland lifting its long-standing prohibition on nuclear weapons transit and import, and the Lithuanian parliament reviewing legislation to remove its constitutional ban on nuclear deployments.

Romania blasts rock to divert water from drought-hit Danube to nuclear reactor

Lorenzo Tondo | The Guardian

Romanian naval forces carried out a controlled explosion to help redirect vital cooling water from the drought-hit Danube to the country’s last working nuclear ⁠reactor, while neighbouring Hungary ​said it may be able to eke out two more days of power from its only atomic plant. Hungary and Romania have been forced to shut down nuclear reactors cooled by the Danube for the first time, as record-low water levels deepen fears of an energy crisis across the region.

Finnish regulator gives positive decision on used fuel repository

World Nuclear News

The safety requirements for granting the operating licence for the world's first used nuclear fuel repository have been met, Finland's Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority has said in an official statement to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment… At the repository, used fuel will be placed in the bedrock, at a depth of about 430 metres. The disposal system consists of a tightly sealed iron-copper canister, a bentonite buffer enclosing the canister, a tunnel backfilling material made of swellable clay, the seal structures of the tunnels and premises, and the enclosing rock.

Japan aims to rebuild two to five nuclear reactors by 2040s

The Japan Times

Japan has decided to revise its nuclear energy policy guidelines to include a target of rebuilding two to five nuclear power reactors by the 2040s. The decision was adopted at a meeting of relevant Cabinet ministers held at the Prime Minister’s Office on Friday to prepare for a projected power supply shortage in the 2040s due to the decommissioning of aging nuclear reactors that have been in operation for 60 years.