Testing has begun on VVER-type fuel elements with uranium-plutonium mixed-oxide fuel in the MIR research reactor. Based on the results of irradiation and tests, scientists "intend to substantiate the efficiency and safety of MOX fuel operation in VVER reactors".

The country expects to take delivery of the first fuel for the Rooppur plant in September, as it gears up for the Russian-designed and supplied plant to begin commercial operations next year.

Kepco Nuclear Fuel and GS Engineering & Construction, together with Denmark's Seaborg Technologies, are to investigate the feasibility of developing a low-enriched uranium fuel salt production facility in South Korea. Seaborg is developing compact molten salt reactor technology.

US nuclear plant owners and operators purchased less uranium in 2022 than in 2021, and at a higher price, according to the US Energy Information Administration's latest annual uranium marketing report. Most of the uranium delivered in 2022 was of foreign origin, with Canada and Kazakhstan together providing more than half the total.

Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation has delivered uranium nitride coated uranium oxycarbide tristructural isotropic fuel to NASA's Space Nuclear Power and Propulsion programme. The company says this demonstrates the "flexibility, precision and value" of its Pilot Fuel Manufacturing Facility.

Westinghouse has signed a contract with Ukraine's Energoatom to design, manufacture and deliver long-term containment cooling systems as part of the modernisation of units 1 and 2 of the Rivne nuclear power plant. Meanwhile, Westinghouse is working with 11 European partners to create security of supply of fuel for VVER reactors operating in the EU and Ukraine.

The heads of Kazatomprom and CGNPC-URC said the companies plan to further develop and strengthen their partnership as they marked the completion of the second delivery of fuel assemblies manufactured by the Kazakh-Chinese Ulba-FA enterprise to a nuclear power plant in China. Separately, Kazatomprom has announced the latest in a series of changes in its senior management.

A special report from the World Nuclear Fuel Cycle international forum with key industry figures' views on the current challenges - and the opportunities ahead.

France's Framatome and Slovakia's Slovenské elektrárne have signed a memorandum of understanding on further developing their long-term relations, and will also work together on the development of a "100% European" nuclear fuel for VVER-440 pressurised water reactors.

Japan's Federation of Electric Power Companies announced it will work with France's Orano on demonstration research and development for the reprocessing of used mixed oxide fuel.

The IVG.1M research reactor in Kurchatov, Kazakhstan, is ready to resume experiments following the completion of a project to convert it from using highly-enriched uranium fuel to low-enriched uranium fuel, the country's National Nuclear Centre announced.

The modernised ultrasonic unit supplied by TVEL is for fabrication at the Yibin plant, in China's Sichuan province, of Russian-designed TVS-2M nuclear fuel for VVER-1000 reactors.