Finnish utility Fortum has developed the world's first fully dynamic and interactive virtual reality (VR) control room for training operators at its Loviisa nuclear power plant. The company says the cost of a full-scale, full-scope VR simulator is a fraction of that to build a physical simulator.

The US Administration is committed to reviving and revitalising the nuclear industry and is leading by action, not just words, according to US Department of Energy Deputy Secretary Dan Brouillette.

The US Department of Energy has launched the National Reactor Innovation Center. The facility will provide private sector developers access to US national laboratory assets and infrastructure to support the testing and demonstration of reactor concepts and assess their performance, helping accelerate licensing and commercialisation.

The US Department of Energy has formally announced the preparation of an environmental impact statement for the construction of a Versatile Test Reactor to test fuels and materials for use in advanced civilian nuclear power reactors.

Diakont of the USA provided cleaning and decontamination services using its new underwater robotic decontamination systems at four undisclosed nuclear power plants during early 2019, cleaning refuelling cavities, dryer-separator pools, and a suppression pool.

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.
 

Moltex Energy USA LLC has been awarded USD2.55 million of US federal funding to develop technologies that will be capable of shortening Stable Salt Reactor construction timelines to under three years.

The US Department of Energy has announced USD49.3 million in funding for nuclear energy research, facility access, crosscutting technology development, and infrastructure for 58 advanced nuclear technology projects in 25 states.

Wisconsin-based companies Phoenix LLC and Shine Medical Technologies have completed a 132-hour test of the high-flux neutron generator that Shine intends to use in its production of medical radioisotopes.

France's Framatome has launched a range of new protective coatings that it says can reduce maintenance costs and extend the operating life of components and equipment used in nuclear power plants. The first application of this technology has been at Dominion Energy's Surry plant in the US state of Virginia.

A 'Call to Action' for accelerating innovative solutions to sustain and advance the current operational fleet of nuclear power plants has been issued by the attendees of the Global Forum on Innovation for the Future of Nuclear Energy, held last week in Gyeongju, South Korea.

Engineers at Lancaster University are developing computer systems for robots handling hazardous nuclear waste. The software will make the robots semi-autonomous - simplifying human control, which has to be done remotely due to the highly radioactive environments in which the robots operate.