The first of 163 nuclear fuel assemblies has been loaded into unit 2 of the Leningrad II nuclear power plant, marking the start of the physical start-up of the VVER-1200, Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom announced yesterday. After fuel is loaded, the reactor will be brought to minimum controllable power level (up to 1%), to ensure safety of all relevant processes. The physical launch will be followed by power start-up, trial operation and integrated testing.

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.

Nuclear power plant operators are carrying out remote quality and safety related assessments of systems, structures and components to overcome physical distancing and mobility restrictions during the global COVID-19 pandemic, participants in a recent International Atomic Energy Agency webinar said. SSCs must be regularly monitored, replaced and have their quality verified.

Russian regulator Rostechnadzor has issued a permit for the pilot operation of unit 1 of the Novovoronezh II plant in an extended fuel cycle mode of 18 months. The reactor has been loaded with fresh nuclear fuel manufactured by the Novosibirsk Chemical Concentrate Plant ready for the new cycle.

Loading of nuclear fuel into unit 5 of the Tianwan nuclear power plant in China's Jiangsu province was completed on 9 July, China National Nuclear Corporation announced the following day. Fuel loading at Tianwan 5 "laid the foundation for subsequent grid-connected power generation," it added.

Rusatom Service and MVM Group have formed a joint venture in Hungary to provide service and maintenance to nuclear industry facilities, conventional sources of power generation, renewable energy and oil and gas in Europe, they announced yesteday. The new company, European Power Services Ltd, will start work at the Paks nuclear power plant.

Darlington unit 1 has set a new Canadian and North American nuclear record with 895 consecutive days of unbroken operation. Ontario Power Generation's Candu reactor has now been online since 26 January 2018 without needing to be taken out of service for maintenance or repair.

Finnish utility Teollisuuden Voima Oyj expects to receive a revised schedule in August from the Areva-Siemens consortium for the commissioning of the Olkiluoto 3 EPR. Fuel loading, which had been planned for last month, has been delayed by among other things the COVID-19 pandemic.

EDF is revising upwards its nuclear output estimate in France for 2020, to around 315-325 terawatt-hours. In April, the French state-owned utility said it expected generation this year to be about 300 TWh, down from an initial expectation of 375-390 TWh before the coronavirus outbreak.

To coincide with the publication of the World Nuclear Association's technical position paper The Enduring Value of Nuclear Energy Assets, World Nuclear News interviewed the co-chairs of the Long-term Operation Task Force, Michael Baron and Abdou Al Mazouzi.

More governments must introduce policies to support the long-term operation of nuclear power plants to maximise the environmental, employment and economic benefits they bring, the World Nuclear Association said yesterday on the publication of its new technical position paper The Enduring Value of Nuclear Energy Assets.

Ringhals AB - operator of Sweden's Ringhals nuclear power plant - has entered into an agreement with national electricity transmission system operator Svenska Kraftnät regarding the availability of unit 1 at the plant. The agreement aims to secure the voltage stability and short-circuit power in the transmission network to handle the operating situation in southern Sweden during the summer.