France's nuclear safety regulator, the Autorité de Sûreté Nucléaire, has approved EDF's proposed solution for rectifying a design anomaly on three nozzles in the main primary system of the Flamanville EPR reactor. EDF's proposal to install a retaining collar around each of the concerned connections is not expected to delay the planned startup of the unit in late-2022.

For a majority of French people, the nuclear sector is seen as an asset for the country's energy independence, a public opinion poll conducted by research and consulting firm BVA on behalf of Orano has found. The survey also found 53% of French people consider that nuclear power is essential for the country's energy independence.

France's EDF has made an offer to the Polish government to build as many as six EPR units. A project of that size would decarbonise 40% of the country's electricity and avoid up to 55 million tons of CO2 per year, EDF said. The "non-binding preliminary offer" represents a range of options for Poland. It details the engineering, procurement and construction that would be needed for four to six EPR units, at either two or three sites. The EPR units would produce 1650 MWe each.

Nuclear power was at the heart of French President Emmanuel Macron's France 2030 plan for re-industrialisation, announced yesterday. The plan includes a programme to demonstrate small reactor technology and mass production of hydrogen using nuclear electricity in this decade.

Orano has completed construction of a new laboratory for the production of stable isotopes at its Tricastin site. The French nuclear fuel cycle company said the laboratory - the first one of its kind in France - will begin operations in the second half of 2023.

EDF has demonstrated a commitment to safety at its Paluel nuclear power plant, an expert team from the International Atomic Energy Agency has concluded. The team encouraged the operator to continue implementation of its operational safety improvement initiatives at the plant in northern France.

Local elected officials from the region around the Penly nuclear power plant in Normandy, northern France, have reiterated their support for the construction of two EPR2 reactors at the site. In a manifesto expressing their support, they say such a project - representing an investment of about EUR15 billion (USD17 billion) - would have a significant positive socio-economic impact on the region.

Orano's new Centre for Innovation in Extractive Metallurgy (Centre d'Innovation en Métallurgie Extractive, CIME) facility at its Bessines-sur-Gartempe site in the New Aquitaine region of France has been inaugurated by French Prime Minister Jean Castex. The new facility - one of the group's main R&D centres - will host industrial pilot tests for Orano projects under development, in particular for the recycling and recovery of radioactive and non-radioactive materials.

Jacques Peythieu, Chief Executive Officer of Orano Conversion & Enrichment, discusses the company's recovery from the impacts of the pandemic and industrial action, 2020 results, production ramp up at its Philippe Coste plant in France, and possible transformation of the conversion market due to the recently announced restart of Honeywell's conversion plant at Metropolis in the USA. He also assesses the prospects of enrichment market and the expected requirements for HALEU, as well as potential hurdles to supply capabilities or transportation of this material. A multinational nuclear fuel cycle company headquartered in Hauts-de-Seine, France, Orano has an order book worth EUR26 billion (USD31 billion).

France's Orano said it has signed contracts with German utilities EnBW, PreussenElektra, RWE and Vattenfall for the return of all the German nuclear waste remaining at its La Hague reprocessing plant. The entry into force of the contracts - worth in total more than EUR1 billion (USD1.2 billion) - is subject to the formal agreement of the German and French governments.

International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi has informed the agency's Board of Governors that Iran intends to use indigenously-produced uranium enriched up to 20% U-235 in the manufacture of fuel for the Tehran Research Reactor, an IAEA spokesperson told World Nuclear News today. In doing so, as part of a multi-stage process, Iran will also produce uranium metal enriched up to 20% U-235.

The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation and EDF have announced their plans to cooperate on nuclear energy R&D under a new Memorandum of Understanding, which includes exploring the production of 'green hydrogen' powered by nuclear energy.