Nuclear operator EDF has announced that it is to keep the Heysham 1 and Hartlepool nuclear power units operating until 2026, two years longer than previously planned.

A two-year USD65 million agreement will see Candu Energy, part of SNC-Lavalin Group, conduct pre-project work for the lifetime extension of unit 1 of Romanian nuclear operator Nuclearelectrica's Cernavoda nuclear power plant.

Days after California's energy commission agreed that continued operation of the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant until at least 2030 was necessary, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has granted an exemption allowing the two units to continue operating while the agency considers Pacific Gas & Electric Co's application to renew the plant's licence.

Bruce unit 3 has officially begun its Major Component Replacement outage. The Candu unit was removed from service on 1 March and is scheduled to come back online in 2026.

The first award cycle of the US Department of Energy's (DOE) Civil Nuclear Credit (CNC) Program limited eligibility to owners or operators of nuclear power reactors that had announced intentions to retire within the four-year award period, but the second round is also open to owners or operators of nuclear reactors that ceased operations after 15 November 2021.

The third unit at the UAE's nuclear power plant has been declared in commercial operation, less than a year after Barakah 2 reached the same milestone.

The planned rotation of the three International Atomic Energy Agency Support and Assistance Mission to Zaporizhzhia staff has now been delayed for more than two weeks, with Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi urging both sides to help facilitate the change in experts at the site.

For the first time since the March 2011 accident at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, the majority of respondents in an annual survey conducted by the Asahi Shimbun are in favour of Japan's nuclear power reactors being restarted. Rising energy costs following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 was a factor that influenced their opinion.

France's EDF has reported record annual losses of EUR17.9 billion (USD19.0 billion) for 2022, largely due to nuclear power reactor outages in its French fleet for maintenance and repair work. However, output from the company's UK fleet of reactors increased last year.

Southern Company CEO Tom Fanning said more time has been built into the schedules for both units to allow for unexpected issues, with unit 3 now expected to enter service in May or June and unit 4 at the end of this year or early in 2024.

The Finnish government has granted Fortum an extension to the operating licence for the two-unit Loviisa nuclear power plant, allowing the plant to continue generating power until the end of 2050.

Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority has approved draft legislation to extend the operating life of the country's nuclear power reactors beyond 60 years. It also approved an amendment to the Nuclear Reactor Regulation Law to remove the rule specifying the operational periods of reactors.