Duke Energy has announced it will seek second 20-year renewals of the operating licences for all of its nuclear reactors, starting with the three-unit Oconee plant for which it expects to submit a renewal application in 2021. The company says the units are key to it achieving its carbon emissions goals.

Turkish regulator TAEK has granted Russian-owned JSC Akkuyu Nuklear a construction licence for unit 2 of the nuclear power plant under construction in Mersin province, in southern Turkey.

Holtec International has completed its acquisition of the shut-down Pilgrim nuclear power plant from Entergy Corporation. The plant is the second US decommissioning project to be acquired by Holtec.

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued a revised schedule for its review of the first subsequent licence renewal for a US nuclear power plant because it is taking more staffing hours than originally expected. It still expects to complete the process within its original 18-month timescale.
 

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has licensed the first entirely digital nuclear reactor instrumentation and control system in the USA, at a university-based research reactor originally built in 1962. The NRC licence also for the first time covers parts certified under standards laid down by a non-US regulatory body.
 

Holtec International has completed its acquisition of the shut-down Oyster Creek nuclear power plant from Exelon. Meanwhile, all nuclear fuel has been removed from the reactor at Entergy's Pilgrim nuclear power plant, which is due to be sold to Holtec later this year for accelerated decommissioning.

Russia's Rosenergoatom has received an operating licence for its floating nuclear power plant, Akademik Lomonosov, from the country's regulator Rostechnadzor. The facility is 144 metres in length, 30 metres wide and has a displacement of 21,000 tonnes. It has two 35 MWe KLT-40S reactors.

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved the transfer of Oyster Creek's licence from Exelon Generation Co to Oyster Creek Environmental Protection, as owner, and Holtec Decommissioning International, as decommissioning operator.
 

Egypt's Nuclear Power Plants Authority has received a site approval permit for the El Dabaa site from the Egyptian Nuclear Regulation and Radiological Authority. The permit acknowledges that the site and its specific conditions comply with national and international requirements.
 

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission has received its first licence application for a small modular reactor . The application from Global First Power, with support from Ontario Power Generation and Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation, supports a proposal to deploy a Micro Modular Reactor plant at Chalk River in Ontario.
 

The head of the United Arab Emirates Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation, which this week inaugurated a new Emergency Operations Centre, has said it is in the final stages of preparations but not yet ready to issue the operating licence for the Barakah nuclear power plant.

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.