Canadian nuclear regulators have issued a site preparation licence for proposed new reactors at the Darlington site in Ontario. It is the first such licence to be issued in Canada in a quarter of a century.

The pressurizer has been installed in the reactor building of Novovoronezh Phase II unit 1, general designer and contractor AtomEnergoProekt (AEP) announced. Work to assemble and install the four main circulation pumps has also begun.

The president of Belarus has helped bury a capsule at the site of the country's planned new nuclear power plant at Ostrovets, marking a significant occasion in that country's journey towards energy independence.

The Baltiysky Zavod shipyard has won the tender to build Russia's first LK-60 model nuclear-powered icebreaker. The vessel - the largest of its kind - is scheduled to be delivered to RosAtomFlot by the end of 2017.

The European Commission (EC) has said it is satisfied with EDF Energy's proposals to build and operate a new nuclear power plant at Hinkley Point C.

Bechtel has signed a contract to provide project management consulting services to China Nuclear Power Engineering Corporation (CNPEC). It is the second such contract Bechtel has signed with Chinese firms in the past few months.

South Korea's nuclear energy program continues apace, with first concrete being poured for unit 1 of the Shin Ulchin plant, while unit 1 at the Shin Wolsong plant has entered commercial operation.

Areva is boosting its US capabilities by building a new technical centre and by forming an alliance with Northrop Grumman to provide cybersecurity support for nuclear facilities.

Westinghouse will prepare detailed construction plans and cost estimates for two potential AP1000 reactors at Ontario Power Generation's Darlington site.

The first safety-related concrete has been poured for the foundation slab of the initial reactor at the Barakah site in the United Arab Emirates. The move came just one day after the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation was issued with a construction licence for two units at the site.

A licence for the construction of the United Arab Emirates' (UAE's) first nuclear power plant has been granted by the country's safety regulator, clearing the way for the full-scale construction of Barakah units 1 and 2 to start.

A further delay in commissioning the EPR under construction at Olkiluoto has been announced by Teollisuuden Voima Oyj (TVO). It attributed the delay to the Areva-Siemens consortium, which counter claimed TVO has failed to fully commit itself to resolving outstanding issues.