Germany's PreussenElektra has received the second and final permit for the dismantling of the single-unit Grafenrheinfeld nuclear power plant from the Bavarian State Ministry for the Environment and Consumer Protection.

Japan Nuclear Fuel Limited has announced that it now expects the reprocessing plant under construction at Rokkasho in Japan's Aomori Prefecture to begin commercial operation in 2024 instead of 2022, as had been previously scheduled.

NuScale Power Corporation has submitted an application for approval of its updated small modular reactor design to US nuclear regulators. The company has also signed a contract with Romania's RoPower Nuclear S.A. for front-end engineering and design work toward the deployment of a VOYGR-6 SMR power plant at Doicești.

Sweden's Land and Environment Court has granted radioactive waste management company Svensk Kärnbränslehantering AB an environmental permit to extend the SFR final repository for low and intermediate-level waste at Forsmark.

Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority has approved a draft of a new rule that would allow the country's nuclear power reactors to be operated for more than the current limit of 60 years. The amendment will require parliamentary approval.

Bangladesh is committed to continuous improvement of nuclear and radiation safety, an International Atomic Energy Agency team of experts has concluded. The Integrated Regulatory Review Service mission team identified areas for possible improvements.

Canada's nuclear regulator has given Ontario Power Generation the go-ahead to load fuel into Darlington unit 3 after removing the first regulatory hold-point for the refurbished reactor.

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued the licence to GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy America for the "possession, transfer and storage of radioactive material" at the Morris Operation Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation in Illinois.

Sweden has a comprehensive regulatory infrastructure for nuclear and radiation safety and the protection of people and the environment, an International Atomic Energy Agency team of experts has concluded. The Integrated Regulatory Review Service mission team identified areas for possible improvements.

European safety regulators have backed Ukraine as the rightful owner and authority to oversee the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Meanwhile, Russia's Rosenergoatom has appointed Yury Chernichuk as 'director' of the plant.

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission's acceptance of NuScale's methodology for determining the appropriate size of the Emergency Planning Zone around small modular reactor plant sites is a "tremendous 'first'", the company's CEO said. The methodology can now be used to determine an EPZ for the NuScale SMR that provides the same level of protection to the public as the 10-mile radius used for existing US nuclear power plants.

A paradigm shift is needed to enable safe deployment with the speed and magnitude required, said Rumina Velshi in her remarks to the 4th International Conference on Generation IV and Small Reactors.