Finnish utility Fortum and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have entered into a three-year cooperation to create an open source tool for techno-economic modelling of small modular reactor projects.

South Korea's Kepco Engineering & Construction Company and Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding to cooperate on the development of floating nuclear power plants.

Ontario Power Generation has today announced plans to pave the way for the deployment of small modular reactors by advancing engineering and design work with three developers of grid-scale SMRs: GE Hitachi, Terrestrial Energy and X-energy. At the same time, GEH has entered into MoUs with five Canadian companies to set up a supply chain for its SMR.

Harworth Group plc has announced the completion of the UK Atomic Energy Authority's new nuclear fusion technology research facility at the Advanced Manufacturing Park in Rotherham, South Yorkshire. When it opens later this year, the 2500-square-metre facility will develop and test joining technologies for fusion materials and components, including novel metals and ceramics.

The Energy Impact Center has announced the first major update to OPEN100 - the world's first open-source design and implementation platform for a small, standard nuclear power plant. Launched in February 2020, the project aims to offer developers everything from a web interface to visualise plant and component design, costs studies and construction plans.

Rosatom has completed the delivery of steam generators for the Akkuyu 1 and Rooppur 1 units under construction in Turkey and Bangladesh. The equipment was produced by Atommash, part of the Volgodonsk branch of Rosatom’s engineering subsidiary AEM Technology.

Gryphon Technologies has been awarded a USD14 million task order by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to support its Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations programme. Specifically, Gryphon will support the development and demonstration of a high-assay, low-enriched uranium nuclear thermal propulsion system.

L3Harris Technologies is to develop an engineering and operator training simulator for Terrestrial Energy's Integral Molten Salt Reactor under a newly announced contract. The simulator will support engineering activities and, subsequently, operator training as development of IMSR moves to licensing and construction prior to plant commissioning, Terrestrial said.

Education and training policy in the European Union must do more to ensure there is a sufficient number of people with the right skills in the nuclear field, according to a new position paper issued by Foratom. The European nuclear trade body suggests a number of actions that the industry and policymakers can take to avoid a skills shortage in the nuclear sector.

China's State Power Investment Corp has officially launched the CAP1400 reactor design following 12 years of research and development work. Also referred to as Guohe One, the 1400 MWe design is intended to be deployed in large numbers across the country, as well as for export.

A ceremony has been held to mark the final official acceptance of unit 4 at the Chashma nuclear power plant in Pakistan's Punjab province. Constructed by China National Nuclear Corporation, the unit is China's fourth overseas nuclear power unit.

The commercial deployment of small modular reactors will bring new supply chain opportunities as well as challenges, panellists at an event to launch a World Nuclear Association report said this week. The World Nuclear Supply Chain: Outlook 2040 analyses the economic value of the nuclear power industry and provides a market-oriented review of the opportunities and challenges for nuclear power plants and their supply chain over the next two decades.