Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with French radioactive waste management agency Andra to explore potential collaboration in the field of radioactive waste management.

In-service steam generators affected by non-compliance in a stress-relieving heat-treatment process are safe to continue in use, French utility EDF said today. Investigations into the deviation at Framatome's Saint-Marcel site are ongoing.

A new small modular reactor (SMR) design has been announced by the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission, EDF, Naval Group and TechnicAtome. The Nuward - with a capacity of 300-400 MWe - has been jointly developed using France's experience in pressurised water reactors.

Framatome is carrying out further studies at its Saint-Marcel site in France after discovering temperature ranges in some stress-relieving heat treatments carried out on steam generator welds and pressuriser seals had deviated from technical standards, the company said today.

French Orano has signed a partnership agreement with Uzbekistan's State Committee for Geology and Mineral Resources to develop uranium mining activities in the Central Asian country. They plan to create a joint venture in the coming months, with 51% held by Orano and 49% held by GoscomGeo.

EDF has been instructed to further reinforce the embankment, or dyke, of the canal supplying cooling water to its 3820-megawatt Tricastin nuclear power plant in southern France by "no later than" the end of 2022, the French nuclear safety authority, Autorité de Sûreté Nucléaire, said yesterday. The company is not required to close the plant while it carries out the work.

The majority of French people believe nuclear energy will continue to play a significant role in the country's future energy mix, according to the results of a public opinion poll conducted by BVA on behalf of Orano. However, the study identified misconceptions about the costs and benefits of nuclear energy.

France's Framatome has launched a range of new protective coatings that it says can reduce maintenance costs and extend the operating life of components and equipment used in nuclear power plants. The first application of this technology has been at Dominion Energy's Surry plant in the US state of Virginia.

Eight welds in the main steam transfer pipes that penetrate the two walls of the containment of the Flamanville EPR must be repaired before the reactor is commissioned, France's nuclear safety regulator, the Autorité de Sûreté Nucléaire has told EDF. The utility will assess the decision's impact on the cost and schedule of the project.

EDF, the operator of the Golfech nuclear power plant in France, has strengthened operational safety by addressing the findings of an initial International Atomic Energy Agency review in 2016, a follow-up mission has concluded. However, the mission made recommendations to EDF to reinforce some safety measures.

France will delay its planned reduction in the share of nuclear power its electricity mix to 50% from the current 2025 target to 2035 under a draft energy and climate bill. The bill was presented to the Council of Ministers by Minister for an Ecological and Solidarity Transition François de Rugy on 30 April.

France set out its energy transition roadmap in the recently proposed PPE plan. Included are challenging targets to gradually reduce the country's reliance on nuclear generation. Pierre George, senior director, and Claire Mauduit-Le Clercq, director, EMEA Utilities at S&P Global Ratings, explain the implications for France’s nuclear future and for the country’s sole nuclear operator, EDF.