A first-of-a-kind installation of a 3D-printed thimble plugging device has been performed at Exelon's Byron unit 1 during the plant's scheduled spring refuelling outage, Westinghouse has announced.

The completion of safety countermeasures at unit 2 of the Onagawa nuclear power plant in Miyagi Prefecture, in Japan, will not be completed until March 2023, two years later than previously scheduled, Tohoku Electric Power Company announced on 30 April. Japan's nuclear regulator concluded in February the unit meets revised safety standards, clearing the way for it to resume operation.

Energoatom will temporarily withdraw from service three of its 15 nuclear power units in line with forecasts of reduced electricity demand during the coronavirus pandemic. The projected balance of electricity production by Ukraine's nuclear power plants this year has decreased by 8.6% to 73.7 terawatt hours, the state-run company said today.

Unit 2 of Entergy's Indian Point nuclear power plant will be shut down for the final time today after more than 45 years of operation. Unit 3, the remaining operating unit at the site in the state of New York, is scheduled to be permanently shut down by this time next year.

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has to date granted work hour exemptions to seven nuclear power plants giving licensees flexibility to manage personnel resources to maintain plant operational safety and security during a period when facility staffing may be reduced due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Japan Atomic Power Company has applied to the Japanese regulator for pre-use inspections of unit 2 at its Tokai nuclear power plant in Ibaraki prefecture. These inspections mark the final regulatory stage in the restart procedure for the country's reactors.

World Nuclear Association Director General Agneta Rising and Chairman Kirill Komarov have written to the London-headquartered organisation's members to describe their vision for the future of the nuclear industry following the coronavirus pandemic.

"Dear Member, We write to you in what can only be described as uniquely challenging times, to thank you for the crucial work you do to keep nuclear power online and in development around the world. We praise your efforts and the dedication of your people and we will continue to provide you with any support we may offer."

US-based Climate Coalition is urging New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to suspend the closure of the Indian Point nuclear power plant, due to take place later this month. Closing the plant now will add unnecessarily to New York City's vulnerability as state resources are stretched dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, the group says.

COVID-19-induced reductions in electricity pricing and energy demand from the shuttered US economy could be especially problematic for merchant baseload generators including nuclear, according to an assessment by the Brattle Group. Electricity loads across most of the USA fell during February and March, but less than half of this decline is likely attributable to COVID-19, the report finds.

EDF estimates that the coronavirus pandemic will reduce its annual nuclear output in France to about 300 terawatt hours this year and to 330-360 TWh each year in 2021 and 2022. The estimate is down from an initial expectation of 375-390 TWh before the outbreak.

Entergy's Indian Point nuclear power plant in New York State would remain protected in the unlikely event that a newly-installed 42-inch natural gas transmission pipeline that runs near it ruptures, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has concluded. However, it said Entergy should revisit the assumptions it made in its analysis.

EDF has withdrawn its financial targets for 2020 and 2021 as the economic turmoil caused by the coronavirus pandemic impacts key areas of its business. In a statement yesterday, the French state-owned utility said these targets include the lower end of the forecast range for its core earnings in 2020 of EUR17.5 billion (USD19 billion).