The US Department of Energy has finalised further federal loan guarantees of USD3.7 billion for the continued construction of Vogtle units 3 and 4, Energy Secretary Rick Perry announced today during a visit to the construction site near Waynesboro, Georgia.

Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom has announced completion of the basemat for the nuclear island buildings of unit 1 of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant in Turkey. Meanwhile the European Parliament has voted to suspend EU accession negotiations with Turkey and has reportedly called for cancellation of the Akkuyu project.

India and the USA have committed to strengthen bilateral security and civil nuclear cooperation, including the establishment of six US-designed nuclear power plants in India.

Bulgaria's National Electricity Company yesterday announced a call for selection of a strategic investor for the construction of Belene nuclear power plant on the Danube River near the Romanian border. The call also allows for expressions of interest to acquire a minority shareholding in the future project.

The general contract has been signed for the construction of two further Russian-supplied reactors at the Tianwan nuclear power plant in China's Jiangsu province. In addition, a technical design contract was signed for a second pair of reactors at the Xudabao site in Liaoning province.

The Finnish government today granted utility Teollisuuden Voima Oyj an operating licence for the first-of-a-kind EPR at Olkiluoto. Once it enters commercial operation early next year, the 1600 MWe pressurised water reactor will supply some 15% of the country's electricity demand.

Support for the construction of Poland's first nuclear power plant remains high among residents in the three areas under consideration for hosting the facility, the latest survey commissioned by PGE EJ1 shows.

Unit 1 of the nuclear power plant under construction at Ostrovets in Belarus has been connected to its own source of power supply, Rosatom has announced. Concreting the reactor dome of unit 2 has also been completed, it added.

Finland's Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority yesterday informed the government it sees no reason why an operating licence for the first-of-a-kind EPR at Olkiluoto should not be granted to utility Teollisuuden Voima Oyj.

Rosenergoatom, the operator subsidiary of Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom, has announced the completion of fuel loading at unit 2 of the Novovoronezh II nuclear power plant in southwest Russia.

"Significant progress" during 2018 with the construction of Vogtle 3 and 4 means Southern Company expects the two AP1000 units to be completed on schedule and to budget, the company said during its fourth quarter results call.

Rosenergoatom, the operator subsidiary of Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom, has announced that initial fuel loading started yesterday as planned at unit 2 of the Novovoronezh II nuclear power plant in southwest Russia.