Unit 3 at the Hongyanhe nuclear power plant in Liaoning province in northeast China has achieved a sustained chain reaction, moving the unit closer to commissioning.

The Volga Interregional Department for Supervision over Nuclear and Radiation Safety, a specialist commission of Russian regulator Rostechnadzor, has completed its checks of information submitted as part of the licence application for building a nuclear research facility with the multi-purpose fast neutron reactor, or MBIR by its Russian acronym.

Construction has been completed of a "beyond design" dome at Dominion's North Anna nuclear power plant in Virginia. The dome - which will house emergency equipment and supplies - is the first of its kind in the USA.

UPDATED The Areva-Siemens consortium supplying the first-of-a-kind Olkiluoto 3 EPR has updated its arbitration claim against Finnish utility Teollisuuden Voima Oyj (TVO) to €3.4 billion ($4.3 billion).

Finnish utility Teollisuuden Voima Oyj (TVO) has revised its estimated costs and losses relating to the continued delay in completion of the first-of-a-kind EPR at Olkiluoto.

Unit 1 of the Fangjiashan plant in China's Zhejiang province has moved closer to commissioning by achieving a sustained chain reaction.

China General Nuclear (CGN) has been designated as the "selected investor" for the development of units 3 and 4 at Romania's Cernavoda nuclear power plant. A letter of intent has been signed to complete the two units.

US-based Lightbridge Corp has extended its nuclear cooperation with Vietnam by agreeing to offer consultancy services for setting up a nuclear research centre, including a research reactor, in the country.

A project company set up to oversee the expansion of the Paks nuclear power plant is to be sold to the state, a general meeting of Magyar Villamos Művek decided yesterday.

South Africa has signed a civil nuclear cooperation agreement with France, opening the door to the possible deployment of French nuclear technology as South Africa looks to expand its nuclear power program.

Bechtel plans to combine its civilian and most of its power business units to create the Bechtel Infrastructure global business unit. As part of the reorganization, Bechtel is also creating a new unit, Nuclear, Security & Environmental, which combines the company's government and commercial nuclear businesses.

Having said that construction of two AP1000 units at the VC Summer nuclear power plant in South Carolina faces a delay of at least one year, the consortium building the reactors now expects the units to cost an additional $1.2 billion.