California-based Oklo Inc has submitted a combined licence application for its Aurora "powerhouse" to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. This is the first COLA to be submitted using a new application structure for advanced fission technologies and the first privately funded application for a commercial advanced reactor.

Kyushu Electric Power Company today took unit 1 of its Sendai nuclear power plant offline as it had failed to meet the deadline for completion of a back-up control centre. It's the first time operation of a Japanese reactor has been temporarily suspended for this reason. It plans to take unit 2 offline in May for the same reason.

The International Atomic Energy Agency has produced new guidance to countries planning to adopt nuclear power. In a document titled 'Initiating Nuclear Power Programmes: Responsibilities and Capabilities of Owners and Operators', the IAEA provides advice on establishing and developing a nuclear power plant.s owner/operator.

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved Exelon Generation Company's application for an additional 20 years of operation for Peach Bottom units 2 and 3, authorising an operating life of up to 80 years. These are the second subsequent licence renewals granted by the US regulator, following Turkey Point units 3 and 4 which were granted renewals last December. Peach Bottom 2's subsequent renewed licence will expire on 8 August 2053 and units 3's on 2 July 2054. 

Iran has tripled its stockpile of enriched uranium to 1,020.9 kg over the past three months and failed to provide International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors access to two undeclared sites, various news agencies reported yesterday.

The International Atomic Energy Agency has held its International School of Nuclear and Radiological Leadership for Safety in Japan for the first time. The school aims to give mid-level nuclear professionals a thorough theoretical and practical understanding of the role of leadership in strengthening nuclear safety in practice, building expertise they can draw on throughout their career.

Three recent announcements will help secure future supplies of vital medical radioisotopes. Westinghouse Electric Company and Nordion (Canada) Inc are to work together on technology to produce cobalt-60 in pressurised water reactors; Framatome and Kinectrics have launched a new joint venture to produce lutetium-177 in partnership with Bruce Power; and BWXT Technologies' proprietary technetium-99m generators have passed a testing milestone.

Japan has made a "systematic and meticulous" effort in decommissioning the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said after visiting the plant yesterday. The IAEA is ready to provide further support, he said, for the disposal of contaminated water stored on the site.

The Nuclear Regulation Authority today formally accepted a report concluding unit 2 of Tohoku Electric Power Company's Onagawa plant in Miyagi Prefecture meets revised safety standards. The plant was the closest nuclear power plant to the epicentre of the earthquake and tsunami of 11 March 2011, but sustained far less damage than expected.

Almost 3500 kg of highly enriched uranium has been removed from research reactor sites around the world over the past few decades, thanks to efforts supported by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Seventy-one research reactors have been converted to use low-enriched uranium fuel since 1978. Conversion of such reactors to use LEU reduces the proliferation risk presented by HEU.

The Nuclear and Radiation Safety Department of the Belarusian Emergencies Ministry (Gosatomnadzor) has begun a 30-day inspection of the nuclear power plant under construction in Belarus to assess its readiness to take delivery of fuel. The regulator will also check operator BelNPP's managerial and technical alignment with legislative standards, including those concerning nuclear and radiation safety.

The International Atomic Energy Agency has completed a review of long-term operational safety at the Cernavoda nuclear power plant in Romania. The Pre-SALTO (Safety Aspects of Long Term Operation) review mission was requested by the plant’s operator, Societatea Nationala Nuclearelectrica SA.