Industry leaders last week debated how to bridge the gap between the World Nuclear Association's vision of an extra 1000 GWe of new nuclear power capacity by 2050, and the practicalities of working within current political, regulatory and financial environments.

The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (Enec) has announced that the installation of steam generators in Barakah unit 2's containment building has been completed.

As EDF Energy approaches a final investment decision for the planned Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant in the UK, the company's CEO, Vincent de Rivaz, has said it is "the right technology, at the right price, at the right time".

Hungary has received confirmation from the European Commission that its Paks II nuclear power plant project meets the objectives of the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) Treaty, a government official told World Nuclear News on 11 September. Speaking at the side of the World Nuclear Association's Annual Symposium in London, Attila Aszódi said the formal confirmation had been received on 7 September.

China's first AP1000 reactor, Sanmen 1, is expected to begin commercial operation in September 2016, while governmental permission is expected for work to start on the first Chinese-designed CAP1400 by the end of this year.

The nuclear industry has many opportunities to build a sustainable and competent workforce to avoid a future skills shortage, Callum Thomas, CEO of recruitment consultants Thomas Thor Associates told delegates at the World Nuclear Association's Symposium in London.

The global nuclear industry should aim to achieve a 25% share of world electricity production by 2050, Agneta Rising, director general of the World Nuclear Association said today. To do that it will need to add 1000 gigawatts of new generation capacity.

The construction of a nuclear power plant in Kenya based on the Hualong 1 design will be examined under a memorandum of understanding signed between China General Nuclear (CGN) and the Kenya Nuclear Electricity Board.

The loading of fuel into the core of unit 1 at the Fangchenggang nuclear power plant in China's Guangxi province was completed on 6 September. The unit is expected to start up by the end of this year.

French utility EDF has put back the start up date of the EPR unit under construction at Flamanville by about one year while the cost of the project has now tripled from its original estimate.

Saudi Arabia and South Korea yesterday signed contracts to support their cooperation in developing SMART reactors.

The first safety concrete has been poured for the basemat of the containment building of the fourth reactor at the United Arab Emirates' Barakah nuclear power plant, marking the official start of the unit's construction.