Virginia, USA-based Dominion Energy has filed an application with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to renew North Anna Power Station's operating licences for an additional 20-year term. Dominion says approval would mean its customers continue to receive safe, reliable, affordable and carbon-free electricity from the plant until 2060.

China's State Council has approved the construction of four Hualong One reactors: two as phase one of the San'ao plant in Zhejiang province and two as the second phase of the Changjiang plant in Hainan province. Total investment in the projects exceeds CNY70 billion (USD10 billion).

Leaders of World Nuclear Association working groups participated in a webinar yesterday to highlight some of the issues of key importance to the global nuclear industry. These include: harmonisation in reactor licensing; energy market design; safety regulation; and, new applications of nuclear energy. The Industry Gamechangers webinar was a pre-event to the Association's Strategic eForum to be held next week.

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued a final safety evaluation report for NuScale's small modular reactor. This is the first-ever FSER to be issued by the NRC for an SMR, and represents the completion of the technical review and approval of the design.

Following a review by the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards, US Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff have agreed that the commission's final safety evaluation report for NuScale's small modular reactor should be issued. Issuance of that report with no open items will complete NRC's technical review of the reactor design.

Finnish utility Teollisuuden Voima Oyj has today submitted an environmental impact assessment programme to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment on very low-level radioactive waste disposal at the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant. The alternatives are constructing a new near-surface disposal facility or expanding the deep geological repository currently in use.

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.