Salem Nuclear Plant Targets 200-MW Capacity Uprate

The Salem nuclear power plant in Hancocks Bridge, New Jersey, is planning a capacity uprate of approximately 200 MW, according to disclosures made by PSEG executives during the utility's third quarter earnings call. The two-unit facility is co-owned and operated by PSEG Nuclear, which holds a 57 percent stake, and Constellation, which owns the remaining 43 percent.

Based on the ownership split, PSEG Nuclear's share of the planned uprate would amount to roughly 112 MW, with the balance attributable to Constellation's interest in the plant.

The third quarter earnings presentation provided the first detailed sizing of the uprate. Earlier in the year, PSEG executives had indicated that Salem carried a capacity uprate potential of close to 200 MW, and the figures disclosed in the earnings call are consistent with those earlier comments.

Part of a Broader Uprate Programme

The Salem uprate had already been referenced in an announcement made by Constellation in October, in which the company identified 11 facilities as candidates for capacity upgrades intended to increase overall nuclear output. Salem was listed among those sites, though the specific megawatt figure for the plant was not disclosed at that time.

The Q3 earnings call provided additional granularity on Salem's contribution to that wider programme. No timeline for completing the uprate or details on the scope of engineering work required were disclosed during the call.

Capacity uprates at existing nuclear plants have attracted renewed attention across the industry as operators seek to maximise output from licensed facilities without the lead times and capital requirements associated with new-build projects. The Salem uprate, if completed at the projected scale, would represent a meaningful addition to the plant's existing generation capacity.

3D-Printed Tungsten Tiles Clear Plasma Testing Milestone at DIII-D Tokamak

Test Overview

Researchers from North Carolina State University, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and JEOL have fabricated tungsten tiles using additive manufacturing and subjected them to plasma discharges inside the DIII-D tokamak. The tiles, positioned on the machine's interior wall, were exposed to significant heat and particle flux during live plasma operations — conditions that represent one of the most demanding qualification environments available to fusion component developers.

The test marks a concrete demonstration that 3D-printed tungsten components can be introduced into an operating fusion device and survive the combined thermal and irradiation stresses of actual plasma discharges, rather than simulated laboratory conditions alone.

Why Tungsten — and Why It Is Difficult to Work With

Tungsten has long been regarded as a leading candidate material for plasma-facing components in fusion machines. Its exceptionally high melting point allows it to withstand the intense thermal loads generated at the plasma boundary, and its ability to conduct and transfer heat away from the machine makes it well suited to protecting structural elements from damage.

However, those same properties create significant manufacturing challenges. Tungsten's ductile-to-brittle transition temperature means the metal is prone to cracking during conventional forming and machining operations. Its very high melting point — the highest of any element — further complicates traditional fabrication routes, making it difficult to produce the precise, complex geometries that plasma-facing components often require.

These constraints have historically limited the design freedom available to engineers specifying first-wall and divertor components, and have contributed to cost and lead-time pressures in the fusion supply chain.

Additive Manufacturing as a Potential Solution

By applying additive manufacturing techniques, the research team aimed to sidestep some of the limitations inherent in conventional tungsten processing. Three-dimensional printing allows near-net-shape fabrication, reducing the amount of post-process machining required and potentially enabling geometries that would be impractical to achieve through traditional powder metallurgy or machining routes.

The involvement of Oak Ridge National Laboratory brings established expertise in nuclear materials and advanced manufacturing to the collaboration, alongside North Carolina State University's research capabilities and JEOL's instrumentation and materials science contributions.

The DIII-D tokamak, operated as a national user facility, provided the plasma environment needed to evaluate how the printed tiles perform under realistic fusion conditions, including exposure to high heat flux and energetic particle bombardment.

Supply-Chain Significance

For fusion supply-chain professionals, the result is relevant on several levels. Demonstrating that additively manufactured tungsten components can survive in-vessel plasma conditions opens a potential pathway to more flexible, faster, and potentially lower-cost production of plasma-facing parts. As fusion projects move toward longer-pulse and higher-power operating regimes, the demand for qualified first-wall components is expected to grow, and manufacturing scalability will become an increasingly critical factor.

Further testing and characterisation will be needed before additive manufacturing can be considered a qualified production route for fusion plasma-facing components, but this in-tokamak trial represents a meaningful step in that qualification process.

IHI and Polish Firms Win Early Contracts for Lubiatowo-Kopalino AP1000

IHI Secures Containment and CA01 Scope

IHI has been contracted to supply two critical components for the first AP1000 unit at the Lubiatowo-Kopalino nuclear power plant in northern Poland. The scope covers the reactor containment vessel, which encloses the reactor and associated safety systems, and the CA01 super module — a concrete and steel assembly composed of 47 sub-modules measuring more than 26 metres long, 29 metres wide, and 23 metres high. Positioned inside the containment module, the CA01 houses the reactor pressure vessel, steam generators, and related equipment.

The award follows authorisation granted last month by Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (PEJ) for Westinghouse to begin procuring long-lead items for the first unit. PEJ confirmed that the initial order scope encompasses six key components of the nuclear island, including the containment vessel and associated structural modules.

Conditional Orders Placed with Polish Suppliers

Westinghouse has subsequently issued conditional purchase orders to four Polish companies for additional structural modules within the AP1000 containment building. Mostostal Kielce SA has been assigned the CA02 Walls Module Scope, while Mostostal Krakow SA will supply the CA05 Walls Module Scope. Energomontaż-Północ Gdynia SA (EPG) holds the CA03 Module Scope, and FAMAK SA is responsible for the CA20 Floors Module Scope.

Within the AP1000 design, the CA02 and CA03 modules form part of the in-containment refuelling water storage tank. The CA05 module provides reinforced steel plate walls that separate rooms inside the containment building, while the CA20 module consists of reinforced concrete slabs on steel plates forming the floors of a larger assembly that houses plant equipment.

The current scope of work for all suppliers includes preparing technical documentation, quality and supervision plans, supplier selection and contracting, and initiating material procurement. Manufacture and delivery of finished components to the construction site will be addressed under a subsequent order that PEJ intends to issue as part of the main plant construction contract.

Modular Construction and Schedule Context

The AP1000 design relies on modular construction, with large prefabricated steel-concrete structural and mechanical modules fabricated off-site and installed during construction. Early procurement of long-lead components is standard practice in nuclear projects to secure manufacturing capacity and reduce schedule risk.

Three AP1000 units are planned for the Lubiatowo-Kopalino site in the Choczewo municipality in Pomerania. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2028. Under a recent revision to Poland's nuclear power programme, the first unit is now targeted for commercial operation in 2036, with the plant reaching full capacity in 2038 — three years later than previously planned.