Finnish utility Fortum has begun the environmental impact assessment procedure for the operation of the two Loviisa nuclear units beyond their current licences. The two-stage process will take about 18 months to complete.

Mexico's Ministry of Energy has authorised the renewal of the operating licence for unit 1 of the Laguna Verde nuclear power plant for an additional 30 years to 2050, by which time the unit will have been in commercial operation for 60 years.

Alok Sharma, British secretary of state for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is "of the view" that the proposed Sizewell C nuclear power plant project is not likely to have significant effects in any other states outside of the UK, the UK's Planning Inspectorate said yesterday. Sharma's conclusion followed a screening assessment of likely significant effects on the environment in other states from the project in accordance with Infrastructure Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2017.

The Environment Agency is seeking feedback from the community and national stakeholders on applications for three environmental permits required for operation of the proposed Sizewell C nuclear power plant in Suffolk, England. These permits are for: disposals and discharges of radioactive wastes; operation of standby power supply systems using diesel generators; and discharges of cooling water and liquid effluent into the North Sea.

The construction licence application for two VVER-1200 reactors at the existing Paks site was submitted to the Hungarian Atomic Energy Authority yesterday by Paks II Limited. The regulator said it has 12 months in which to make a decision on the application, but this period can be extended by three months if required.

Plans submitted by EDF Energy for a Development Consent Order for the construction of the Sizewell C nuclear power plant in Suffolk have been accepted for examination by the UK's Planning Inspectorate.

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has accepted for review Oklo Power LLC's combined licence application to build and operate its Aurora reactor at the Idaho National Laboratory site in Idaho. This is the first combined construction and operating licence application - known as a COL - for an advanced fission technology to be accepted for NRC review.

EDF Energy announced today it has applied to the Planning Inspectorate for a Development Consent Order to build the Sizewell C nuclear power plant on the Suffolk coast of England. The application, which follows four rounds of public consultation that began in 2012, was deferred for two months "in recognition of the extraordinary circumstances created by the Coronavirus", the French-owned company said.

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved the transfer of the licence for Crystal River 3 from Duke Energy Florida to Accelerated Decommissioning Partners LLC subsidiary ADP CR3. The transfer will enable ADP CR3 to carry out active decommissioning of the former nuclear power plant.

Russian nuclear regulator Rostekhnadzor has extended the operating licence for unit 3 of the Beloyarsk nuclear power plant in the Sverdlovsk district by a further five years. The licence for the BN-600 fast reactor, which began operating in 1981, was due to expire this year.

Czech utility ČEZ has applied to the State Office for Nuclear Safety to construct two new reactors at its Dukovany nuclear power plant. Four VVER-440 units are currently in operation at the site, in Vysočina Region.

California-based Oklo Inc has submitted a combined licence application for its Aurora "powerhouse" to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. This is the first COLA to be submitted using a new application structure for advanced fission technologies and the first privately funded application for a commercial advanced reactor.