Work to segment, package and remove the reactor vessel and its internal components has been completed in less than two years thanks to Orano's use of its patented Optimised Segmentation process. The operation included industry-first lifts carried out by Mammoet.

Radioactive waste management specialist Veolia Nuclear Solutions has partnered with French software solution provider Siteflow to enhance the design, execution and functionality of its remotely operated systems within the nuclear industry and other hazardous environments.

The UK's Office for Nuclear Regulation and the Environment Agency have completed a project piloting a nuclear regulatory sandbox process, using artificial intelligence as the test case. This project, which has reported its conclusions, will help inform the development of a regulatory approach to AI.

Radiant, Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation and Westinghouse have been awarded US Department of Energy funding totalling USD3.9 million for front-end engineering and experiment design of their respective microreactor designs in a new test bed facility at Idaho National Laboratory.

With nuclear technology set to underpin new developments in space travel, NASA has awarded Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation a contract to manufacture and test fuel and develop the design of a nuclear thermal propulsion engine for near-term missions. Separately, Space Nuclear Power Corporation has partnered with Lockheed Martin Corporation and BWX Technologies for the US Space Force/Air Force's JETSON nuclear electric propulsion demonstration project, while Framatome has announced the creation of a new brand, Framatome Space.

Advanced nuclear fuel technology company Lightbridge Corporation is collaborating with Romania's Institutul de Cercetări Nucleare Pitești to perform an engineering study to assess the compatibility and suitability of its Lightbridge Fuel for use in Candu pressurised heavy water reactors.

Southern Nuclear has announced it has received authorisation from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission to use advanced nuclear fuel enriched up to 6% uranium-235 at Vogtle unit 2. This is the first time a US commercial reactor has been authorised to use fuel with over 5% enrichment.

Framatome has been awarded a USD1 million contract for the second phase of the digital twin-based Diagnostics for Nuclear Auxiliary Systems project to commercialise automated diagnostic technology for nuclear plant auxiliary systems, which it says will lead to savings in operation and maintenance costs for the current light-water reactor fleet.

Innovation has been, and will continue to be, an essential driver in propelling the nuclear energy sector forward - but the industry must be prepared to embrace innovation in all areas, not just technological innovations. These were the messages from speakers in the high-level closing panel at the International Atomic Energy Agency's Scientific Forum 2023.

Tests now under way using an electric-powered prototype of the US Department of Energy's MARVEL microreactor will demonstrate the natural circulation that will be a critical part of the reactor's heat removal system.

BWX Technologies, Inc has teamed up with global shipping and maritime, energy and logistics solutions company Crowley to develop new shallow-draft hull ships to supply energy from onboard microreactors to shoreside locations.

The hourly carbon-free energy matching agreement will see ComEd power all its offices and metered facilities with locally produced nuclear energy, in a 'first' for an investor-owned US utility. Constellation earlier this year signed a similar hourly energy matching agreement to power a Microsoft data centre.