The German cabinet yesterday adopted a draft bill on financing the decommissioning of the country's nuclear power plants and management of its radioactive waste. The bill is based on the recommendation of an independent commission reviewing the financing of Germany's nuclear phase-out.

Urenco has today reported a net loss of €8.5 million ($9.6 million) as a result of adverse exchange rate movements and significant weakening of pound sterling in its financial results for the half year ending 30 June 2016. The net loss compares with a net gain in the same period of 2015 of €166 million.

Dismantling of the reactor pressure vessel of the Obrigheim nuclear power plant in Germany has been completed, plant owner EnBW announced yesterday. The plant shut down in 2005 after 36 years of operation and has been in the process of demolition since 2008.

A regional court in Hannover has ruled that EOn is not entitled to €382 million ($426 million) in compensation it sought for the forced shut down of its Isar 1 and Unterweser nuclear power units in 2011.

Following more than two years of work, a commission looking into the storage of Germany's high-level radioactive waste has today submitted its final report to the country's government. The report provides a recommended method for the disposal of the waste in a geologic repository.

A groundbreaking ceremony has been held to launch the start of construction of a new laboratory building at the European Commission's Joint Research Centre at Karlsruhe in Germany. The new building will replace older ones on the site.

The commission reviewing the financing of Germany's nuclear phase-out has recommended to the government that the reactor owners pay some EUR23.3 billion ($26.4 billion) into a state-owned fund for decommissioning of the plants and managing radioactive waste.

EnBW has had its claim for damages arising from Germany's moratorium on nuclear power thrown out by a regional court in Bonn. The court announced today that Germany's fourth biggest utility had not used immediately "all legal means available” to avert the consequences of the forced shut down of its nuclear power units.

UPDATED German power company EnBW has received permits for the construction of decommissioning infrastructure at its Neckarwestheim and Philippsburg nuclear power plants. The company plans to start building soon residual material treatment centres and interim site-waste storage facilities at the two sites.

Vattenfall has developed special gripping tools with which to remove more than 600 barrels of low- and intermediate-level waste from six storage pits at the decommissioned Brunsbüttel nuclear power plant in Germany.

The Wendelstein 7-X - the world's largest stellarator-type fusion device - started scientific operation yesterday with the production of its first hydrogen plasma, the actual investigation object.

After more than a year of technical preparations and tests, the Wendelstein 7-X stellarator has produced its first helium plasma.