The US Nuclear Energy Institute has called for the US Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit to reject a state of Texas request for payments from a fund intended for the disposal of used nuclear fuel. The request was made in a lawsuit filed in March by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton against federal agencies, including the Department of Energy and Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Georgia Power estimates net additional capital costs of $1.0-1.7 billion to complete the two AP1000s under construction at Vogtle, it said yesterday. It expects to make its recommendations on whether or not to proceed with the project to the Georgia Public Service Commission later this month.

Scana Corporation subsidiary South Carolina Electric & Gas yesterday announced its decision to cease construction of two AP1000 reactors at VC Summer. The announcement followed co-owner Santee Cooper's decision to suspend construction because of projected completion delays and cost overruns. Scana is to file for regulatory permission to abandon the project.

Demolition of the main processing facility of the Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP) at the US Department of Energy's Hanford site has begun. The building is the last of the PFP's four main facilities to be demolished after two decades of preparation.

Toshiba Corporation has agreed to pay a maximum of $2.168 billion to South Carolina Electric & Gas and Santee Cooper under its guarantee obligations for the two AP1000 reactors under construction at VC Summer in South Carolina. The project owners say the additional cost to complete the units is expected to exceed this amount.

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit challenging the State of New York's zero emission credit (ZEC) program. Earlier this month, a similar lawsuit against Illinois' ZEC program was also dismissed.

The US Navy's newest nuclear-powered aircraft carrier - the Gerald R Ford - has been formally commissioned by President Donald Trump at a ceremony in Norfolk, Virginia.

A federal judge has dismissed two lawsuits seeking an invalidation of the State of Illinois' zero emission credit program. Introduced last year as part of the states' Future Energy Jobs bill, the program provides financial support to Exelon's Quad Cities and Clinton nuclear power plants.

The USA's Holtec International has signed a teaming agreement with Canada's SNC-Lavalin to collaborate in the development of Holtec's SMR-160 small modular reactor.

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has concluded that the highly integrated protection system (HIPS) platform developed for NuScale Power's small modular reactor is acceptable for use in plant safety-related instrumentation and control systems.

Concurrent Technologies Corp plans to launch a Centre for Advanced Nuclear Manufacturing to fill the "critical gap" that exists in providing proven applied advanced manufacturing technologies in the emerging field of small modular reactors and advanced reactors.

Advanced fuel assemblies featuring chromia-doped fuel pellets and chromium-coated fuel cladding are to be loaded into a US nuclear power reactor. The fuel, developed by Areva NP under the US Department of Energy's Enhanced Accident Tolerant Fuel program, will be loaded into the Vogtle 2 plant in Georgia.