NuScale Power has asked the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission to approve the company's small modular reactor commercial power plant design. This is the first-ever SMR design certification application to be submitted to the NRC.

A list of large reactor components supplied to US nuclear power plants by Areva's Creusot Forge in France has been released by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. However, the regulator said it has no immediate safety concerns regarding the parts supplied to 17 US reactors.

The British government has asked nuclear regulators to begin a Generic Design Assessment of the UK HPR1000 reactor. This is the Hualong One design that General Nuclear Services - a subsidiary of EDF and China General Nuclear - proposes to use at a prospective new nuclear power plant in Bradwell.

No inadequate or counterfeited documentation related to the manufacture of forged steel parts used in Finnish nuclear power plants has so far been identified by the plant operators. However, the country's regulator has requested detailed investigations be completed by the end of April.

The safety options for France's planned deep geological repository for the disposal of high- and intermediate-level radioactive waste are "overall thorough", an International Atomic Energy Agency review team has concluded. The team also proposed recommendations for further demonstrating the robustness of the disposal system.

South Africa's nuclear regulatory framework is robust, but improvements are needed in the country's regulation of the use of radiation sources, an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) review mission has found.

The Swiss nuclear safety regulator has requested a review of documentation to check the design and quality of the forgings of the steam generators at the Beznau and Gösgen nuclear power plants. The regulator said it was "reacting to information from France".

Canada's nuclear industry is dedicated to transparency and proactive communication, but these are a shared responsibility among regulators, write Jason Cameron and Sunni Locatelli.

The French nuclear safety authority has accepted analyses submitted by EDF on the serviceability of ten of its 900 MWe reactors in which some steam generator parts were found to contain high concentrations of carbon. The utility will soon submit analyses for two 1450 MWe units.

Italy is committed to effective nuclear regulatory oversight, but it faces challenges related to resources and needs to further develop policies for nuclear safety, decommissioning and radioactive waste management, an International Atomic Energy Agency peer review mission has concluded.

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has been given 30 days to pay a $140,000 civil penalty proposed by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for fire watch violations at the Browns Ferry nuclear power plant in Alabama.

A multi-disciplinary US Nuclear Regulatory Commission team has begun a 'top-to-bottom' review at Entergy's Pilgrim nuclear power plant. The review will take a total of three weeks and is the third and largest NRC inspection conducted as part of the regulator's heightened scrutiny of the Massachusetts plant.