The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved Exelon Generation Company's application for an additional 20 years of operation for Peach Bottom units 2 and 3, authorising an operating life of up to 80 years. These are the second subsequent licence renewals granted by the US regulator, following Turkey Point units 3 and 4 which were granted renewals last December. Peach Bottom 2's subsequent renewed licence will expire on 8 August 2053 and units 3's on 2 July 2054. 

Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation subsidiary Nawah Energy Company is preparing to load fuel into Barakah unit 1 following an announcement by the United Arab Emirates Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation that it has today issued an operating licence which authorises Nawah to commission and operate the unit.

Finland's Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority has published a report discussing the safety assessment and licensing of small modular reactors (SMRs). The regulator says it is preparing for the licensing of such reactors "due to the national and international interest in them."

Russian regulator Rostechnadzor has issued an operating licence extension for unit 1 of the Rostov nuclear power plant in southwest Russian to 2031. As of 9 January, the VVER-1000 unit had generated 148.174 terawatt hours of electricity since it started operations in 2001.

NuScale Power has made its first submittals to Canada's nuclear regulator for a pre-licensing vendor design review for its small modular reactor design. The reactor is also undergoing a design certification review in the USA where the company plans to bring a plant into production and operation by 2026.
 

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has authorised the issuance of an early site permit to Tennessee Valley Authority for the potential construction of small modular reactors at its Clinch River site near Oak Ridge, Tennessee. TVA has yet to decide whether to actually construct such reactors at the site and, if so, what technology it would use.

Russian regulator Rostechnadzor has issued a 15-year operating licence extension for unit 3 of the Smolensk nuclear power plant, the last of three RBMK-1000 reactors at the site in western Russia. The move means the whole plant has permission to operate for a total of 45 years.

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has completed the fourth phase of its review of the design certification application for NuScale's small modular reactor. With two final phases remaining, this marks the near-completion of the technical aspects of the review.

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved Florida Power & Light's application for a 20-year subsequent licence extension for Turkey Point units 3 and 4, the first time the regulator has issued licences authorising reactors to operate for up to 80 years.

Candu Energy Inc - a subsidiary of Canada's SNC-Lavalin - has been awarded a contract by China National Nuclear Power Co Ltd for pre-project work for a proposed two-unit Advanced Heavy Water Reactor plant in China. The work relates to planning and licensing in preparation for the project, construction of which is expected to start in or around 2021.

The United Arab Emirates' Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation is at the final stage of its ongoing review of the operating licence application for Barakah 1 and 2, it said today.

Construction licences have been issued for units 1 and 2 of the Zhangzhou nuclear power plant in China's Fujian province. The units were originally planned to be based on Westinghouse's AP1000 design, but will now feature domestically-designed Hualong One reactors.