An expert team assembled by the International Atomic Energy Agency "observed significant improvements" in operational practices at Belarus' Ostrovets nuclear power plant, the organisation said, noting that some areas remain for improvement.

Kansai Electric Power Company took unit 3 of its Mihama nuclear power plant in Japan's Fukui Prefecture offline on 23 October as it could not meet today's deadline set by regulators to implement antiterrorism measures. The reactor - which was restarted in June - is expected to remain offline for 13 months whilst the measures are completed.

A USD50 million cost-shared award from the US Department of Energy will see Exelon Generation's Limerick plant in Pennsylvania become the first nuclear power station in the USA to upgrade to a fully digital safety system. Control room digitalisation will enable automation, decrease system interruptions, and improve performance, ultimately improving operations and significantly reducing costs.

The International Atomic Energy Agency has completed a review of long-term operational safety at the Krško nuclear power plant in Slovenia. The Pre-SALTO (Safety Aspects of Long-Term Operation) review mission was requested by the plant's operator, Nuklearna Elektrarna Krško.

The loading of all 241 fuel assemblies into the core of unit 1 at the Shin Hanul nuclear power plant in South Korea has been completed, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power announced. The unit - the first of two APR-1400 reactors at the site - is scheduled to enter commercial operation in mid-2022 following tests at various power levels to ensure that all systems operate safely as designed.

Germany's phase-out of nuclear energy will only lead to the country missing its 2030 carbon emissions target, 25 leading foreign and German environmentalists, journalists and academics have written in an open letter to the German public. They call on German politicians to be "brave enough" to change legislation to at least postpone the shutdown of the country's reactors.

Bruce Power yesterday announced the achievement of a new site generation peak and set a goal of achieving a site peak of 7000 MW by 2030 as it implements its Made in Ontario post-pandemic economic recovery plan. Production of medical isotopes is also part of the plan, and the company said it plans to carry out a harvest of the medical isotope cobalt-60 before the end of the year.

The Board of Management of the UAE's Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation today approved a licence for Nawah Energy Company to conduct regulated activities at unit 3 of the Barakah nuclear power plant. These include the possession, handling, storage and transfer of nuclear material. Barakah 3 is scheduled to start up next year.

EDF has demonstrated a commitment to safety at its Paluel nuclear power plant, an expert team from the International Atomic Energy Agency has concluded. The team encouraged the operator to continue implementation of its operational safety improvement initiatives at the plant in northern France.

Canadian Nuclear Laboratories has completed a three-year project to refuel a Slowpoke-2 nuclear reactor used by the Royal Military College of Canada for professional development and academic research. The project will enable the reactor, which first came online in 1985, to operate for another 30 years.

Exelon Generation has announced plans for more than USD300 million-worth of capital projects at its Byron and Dresden plants, and hiring 650 employees, following the state of Illinois's passage of clean energy legislation. Separately, the company has today announced the senior leadership of the two businesses that will result from the separation of its regulated utility and competitive energy businesses. The regulated business is to be called Exelon and the competitive business Constellation.

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission has confirmed or amended orders issued to Bruce Power and Ontario Power Generation related to pressure tube fitness for service following a public hearing held on 10 September. The regulator confirmed the orders issued for certain units at the Bruce, Darlington and Pickering CANDU plants, but removed Pickering units 1 and 4 from the list. It said it will consider restart requests for the reactors concerned on a case-by-case basis.