The Chinese Academy of Sciences announced that a new magnet reached a central magnetic field of 35.6 tesla at a national experiment facility in Beijing, marking a global first for this class of research equipment and opening fresh possibilities for high-field science.
Helion Energy’s Polaris prototype reached plasma temperatures of 150 million degrees Celsius and became the first private fusion machine to demonstrate measurable deuterium-tritium fusion. The Everett, Wash.-based startup is simultaneously building its 50-megawatt Orion commercial reactor in Malaga to deliver electricity to Microsoft’s grid by 2028.
Developer EDRA Global Energy, a subsidiary of China General Nuclear Power Corporation, started construction on a 300-MW floating photovoltaic project in Batang Berjuntai, Malaysia. The project will become one of Southeast Asia’s largest floating photovoltaic plants upon completion.
Sio Silica, an Alberta mining company that proposed mining silica sand in Manitoba, is partnering with the University of Manitoba on the experimental design of a groundwater monitoring network.
Orlen Synthos Green Energy signed an agreement with the research and implementation organization Łukasiewicz Research Network on broad cooperation in the development of nuclear energy, particularly small modular reactors, in Poland. The agreement includes the establishment and joint operation of a nuclear energy training center.
During the inaugural Critical Minerals Ministerial at the U.S. Department of State in early February 2026, 55 delegations from allied and partner nations convened to deepen cooperation on critical minerals. The event featured several big announcements, including the launch of the new multilateral Forum on Resource Geostrategic Engagement and the signing of 13 new bilateral critical minerals frameworks and memoranda of understanding.
Effective Jan. 1, 2026, Christian Morawetz assumed the position of chief operating officer of refractory manufacturer RATH AG. Morawetz will be responsible for production, purchasing, research & development, quality management, and IT. The Supervisory Board appointed him for a term of three years through Dec. 31, 2028.
NUTEC Group Chairman Genaro Cueva and CEO Daniel Llaguno announced that Rodrigo González was appointed president of NUTEC Bickley. González has been with NUTEC Bickley for 24 years and has served in a number of senior positions, most recently as vice president of Engineering & Project Operations.
Taiwan Economics Minister Kung Ming-hsin says his ministry will send a team from the Geological Survey and Mining Management Agency to the U.S. to study rare earth mining as part of efforts to reduce reliance on Chinese exports.
U.S. President Donald Trump reversed a key Obama-era scientific ruling that underpins all federal actions on curbing planet-warming gases. The so-called 2009 “endangerment finding” concluded that a range of greenhouse gases were a threat to public health. Environmental groups say the move is by far the most significant rollback on climate change yet attempted.
South Australian engineering firm entX worked with University of Adelaide researchers to develop a 3D-printed betavoltaic device with high power densities. They are transitioning the GenX nuclear battery from a laboratory prototype to a pre-commercial reality.
Dutch atomic layer deposition equipment manufacturer SALD BV launched a new sheet-to-sheet spatial atomic layer deposition tool for pilot production of large area perovskite solar devices on glass substrates.
