⚛️Japan to Shut Oil Plants as Nuclear Reactors Restart

Kansai Electric Power, one of Japan’s largest utilities, has announced it will begin decommissioning units at its Gobo oil-fired power station starting next month, with two of the three units permanently shut by mid-2026.

The timing is no accident. Kansai has now restarted all 7 of its operable nuclear reactors, which were offline in the wake of Fukushima.

Restarting mothballed nuclear plants is the fastest way to bring large-scale baseload capacity back online, and Kansai’s generation mix shows how dramatic that shift can be. In 2019, the grid was 59% fossil-heavy. In 2024, five years later, it was 48% nuclear-heavy.

Oil-fired stations are the dirtiest part of the system, less efficient than gas and far more carbon-intensive. For years, Gobo was used like an insurance policy, kept on standby for peak demand days or when renewables dipped. Now, with nuclear reactors back at full strength, Kansai no longer needs oil as a crutch.

Japan’s national energy plan, approved earlier this year, calls for fossil fuels to drop from around 70% of the mix in 2023 to just 30–40% by 2040. The other 60–70% will come from nuclear and renewables. It’s a seismic shift for a country that relied heavily on imported coal, oil, and LNG after 2011.

Kansai isn’t alone in this pivot. JERA is set to phase out inefficient coal plants by 2030. J-Power will suspend or decommission five coal units in the same timeframe. Kyushu Electric is retiring one coal and one oil-fired unit by 2026. Across the board, the fossil phaseout is happening in lockstep with the nuclear restart.

For investors: Every restarted reactor represents another few hundred thousand pounds of uranium demand per year. Unlike China or India, where new builds ramp steadily over a decade, Japan’s restarts create sudden, immediate demand shocks as plants switch back on. That forces utilities to secure supply quickly, and in a tightening uranium market, sudden demand like this only strengthens the sellers’ market.

🌍Iran and Russia to Build 4 Nuclear Reactors in $25B Deal

Iran and Russia have signed a $25 billion agreement to build 4 new nuclear reactors in southern Iran’s Hormozgan province. The deal was announced during World Atom Week in Moscow, with senior officials from both countries present.

The project will add 5,020 MW of nuclear capacity through 4 units of 1,255 MW each, built on a 500-hectare site in Kouhestak on the Gulf of Oman. Iranian state media said site selection and environmental assessments are already complete, with engineering and preparation work now beginning.

Neither side confirmed the exact reactor design, but based on past cooperation and Iranian state media, the units will likely be Russian VVER derivatives, a Generation III or III+ design similar to those Russia is building in Turkey and Egypt.

This is one of Iran’s largest-ever civilian energy projects, following decades of delays and partial builds. It also expands Rosatom’s global portfolio, with Iran once again relying on Russian technology and expertise to advance its nuclear program.

For investors: 4 new reactors of this scale translate into millions of pounds of long-term uranium demand once operational. For large light-water reactors (like Russia’s VVER series) the initial core load is typically about 2.5-3 times larger than the annual reload requirement. It doesn't matter where the plants are or who builds them. They need uranium.

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🤝Turkey and US Sign Nuclear Energy Cooperation Agreement

Turkey and the United States have signed a new Memorandum of Understanding on Strategic Civil Nuclear Cooperation.

The announcement came Thursday in Washington following a meeting between Turkey President Erdogan and US President Trump.

Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar confirmed the agreement was signed in the presence of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, calling it a “new process that will further deepen the multidimensional partnership between Türkiye and the United States in nuclear energy.”

The US ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barrack, also confirmed the deal, though no reactor design, location, or construction timeline has been announced. Turkish officials framed the agreement as a framework for broader cooperation in civil nuclear projects, including future builds.

Turkey currently has one major nuclear project under construction: the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant, being built by Russia’s Rosatom. The first of its 4 units is scheduled to enter operation in 2025.

With this new US agreement, Turkey is signaling an intent to diversify partnerships beyond Russia as it pursues its long-term nuclear goals.

⚛️For the Nu-clearly Curious

2-year renewal sees Darlington become longest-licensed Canadian plant
The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) has renewed the operating license of the 3,512 MW Darlington Nuclear Generating Station for another 20 years. That means the plant, made up of 4 CANDU reactors, is now authorized to run through 2045, the longest nuclear operating license ever granted in Canada.

DOE is ready to move on uranium. It might not be enough.
The Department of Energy is set to announce at least $900 million to boost uranium enrichment in the U.S. nuclear power sector. The funding comes as the U.S. prepares to cut off imports of uranium from Russia in 2028. But experts fear the funding will not go far enough.

Fermi America Launches Initial Public Offering
Fermi America has launched an IPO of 25 million shares, aiming for a $450–$550M raise and a potential $12B market cap. The newly formed company plans to build an 11 GW mega-site in Amarillo, Texas by 2038, combining AP1000 and AP300 nuclear reactors, gas, solar, batteries, and large co-located data centers.

✈️Depleted Uranium in Aviation: Aircraft Counterweights Explained

Welcome back to Atomic Alternatives, where we spotlight the strange, surprising, and often overlooked places nuclear tech sneaks into everyday life.

Today we’re talking airplanes.

For decades parts of the aviation industry relied on depleted uranium (DU), not for fuel, not for bombs, but as counterweights.

Depleted uranium is really dense. At 19 g/cm³, it’s almost twice as heavy as lead. That density made it a perfect material for balancing aircraft control surfaces, like rudders, elevators, and ailerons. In other words, the parts that keep your plane flying level at 30,000 feet. A chunk of DU could do the job in a smaller, more compact package than lead or tungsten.

Starting in the 1960s, aircraft manufacturers began slipping DU counterweights into commercial planes and helicopters. Boeing 747s, for example, were once outfitted with hundreds of kilograms of DU hidden inside tail sections.

The practice wasn’t widespread across the entire fleet, but it was common enough to become a known (if rarely discussed) feature of aviation engineering.

Of course, DU isn’t without baggage. Its use raised eyebrows, and the optics of “uranium on airplanes” was never going to win any PR awards.

By the 1980s and 1990s, manufacturers began phasing out DU in favor of tungsten, which offers similar density without the nuclear associations.

Still, thousands of older aircraft once carried depleted uranium quietly in their wings and tails, balancing out the forces of flight.

So next time you’re at the airport staring out at a jumbo jet, remember: not all nuclear stories happen in reactors. Sometimes, they’re tucked away in the tail of a 747, doing something as unglamorous (but essential) as keeping the plane from wobbling.

😂Meme of The Week

That’s a wrap for this week’s Nuclear Update. From Japan killing oil with nuclear, to Iran and Turkey locking in new deals, it’s clear the energy chessboard is shifting fast.

Until next time: stay charged, stay critical, and keep glowing😎

— Fredrik

👉 If you’re curious about the investing side, from uranium demand shocks to which companies stand to benefit, check out Nuclear Update Premium, where we break it all down every week.

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