Developing new nuclear technologies requires overcoming considerable financial and regulatory hurdles, as the promise of clean, efficient electricity remains essential to US energy policy, the Nuclear Energy Institute said, following a meeting on 11 December of a House Science Committee.

The UK has the opportunity "to regain technology leadership" in the ownership and development of low-carbon generation and secure energy supplies through investment in Small Modular Reactors, according to a feasibility study published yesterday by the National Nuclear Laboratory.

The reactor pressure vessel has been installed in the second AP1000 unit under construction at the Haiyang nuclear power plant. Meanwhile, first concrete has been poured for the foundation of the conventional island for the HTR-PM at Shidaowan.

A prototype helium fan for use in China's HTR-PM high-temperature gas-cooled reactor has successfully completed testing. A demonstration plant based on twin HTR-PM units is currently under construction at Shidaowan, Shandong province.

A demonstration high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) could be constructed in Indonesia following the signing of a cooperation agreement between Japan and Indonesia on developing such reactors.

Spanish utility Iberdrola will work with GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy to develop a proposal to build a Prism integral fast reactor in the UK, but is yet to decide the scope of its involvement either as an engineer or operator of the potential plant.

NuScale will receive up to $217 million in funding over five years to develop its small modular reactor under an agreement finalised with the US Department of Energy.

Russian insurance group Sogaz has again won the annual tender to provide property insurance to all of the country's nuclear power plants. It is also to insure the construction of Russia's first floating nuclear power plant.

A new floating nuclear power plant concept has been put forward by US university MIT based an offshore platform similar to those used by the oil industry.

Babcock & Wilcox will slash its spending on the mPower small modular reactor project, having failed to find customers or investors. William Fox has replaced Christofer Mowry as CEO of the Generation mPower subsidiary.

High-temperature gas-cooled reactor projects have been boosted by a new agreement between CNECC and Tsinghua University, while US and European reactor initiatives are working on a memorandum of understanding.

Testing activities have been successfully completed for a first-of-a-kind helical coil steam generator for use in NuScale Power's small modular reactor design.