The Belgian government and Electrabel have signed a non-binding Letter of Intent on continuing negotiations on the feasibility and terms for the operation of Doel 4 and Tihange 3 for a further ten years. The two sides aim to agree a binding legal agreement by the end of December.

Unit 3 of the Kakrapar nuclear power plant in India's Gujarat state is expected to enter commercial operation by December 2022, atomic energy minister Jitendra Singh said in a written reply to a question in the Indian Parliament's lower house, the Lok Sabha. The reactor is the country's first indigenously-designed 700 MWe pressurised heavy water reactor.

The French nuclear regulator Autorité de Sûreté Nucléaire says that "to ensure the security of the electricity network" it will temporarily modify the strict rules regulating the maximum temperature of cooling water released from some nuclear power plants as the country is in the grips of a summer heatwave.

Unit 1 of the Shin Hanul nuclear power plant entered test operation on 15 July, South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced. The unit - the first of four APR-1400 reactors at the site - is scheduled to enter commercial operation in September.

The Belgian government has asked energy company Engie to see if it can extend the operating life of Tihange unit 2 until the end of the winter peak electricity season - but the company says it is not possible to do so at such short notice.

International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi says the delivery of "vital radiation protection and monitoring equipment" is a "major step forward in our joint work to help Ukraine reduce the risk of a nuclear accident or a radiological emergency".

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has called for up to nine of the ten reactors that have already been restarted to be in operation over the winter to avoid electricity shortages. There are currently five reactors in operation in the country.

Bruce Power has awarded a CAD130 million (USD99.5 million), 10-year contract to BWXT Canada Ltd for the fabrication and supply of replacement feeders for Bruce units 3, 4, 5, 7 and 8 as part of its Major Component Replacement programme.

A team of seven international experts visited the High Flux Reactor in Petten, the Netherlands, on behalf of the International Atomic Energy Agency to examine the way in which operator the Nuclear Research and Consultancy Group manages the ageing of its installations.

The US Department of Energy has amended eligibility criteria for the current award cycle under its USD6 billion programme to support the continued operation of US nuclear reactors under threat of premature closure, and extended the deadline for submissions. The revision was one of those requested by California Governor Gavin Newsom as the state considers delaying the planned closure of its only nuclear power plant, Diablo Canyon.

Unit 6 of the Hongyanhe nuclear power plant in China's Liaoning province has entered commercial operation, China General Nuclear has announced. The unit is the second of two ACPR-1000 reactors built as Phase II of the plant.

Ukraine’s nuclear power plant operator Energoatom says it has held talks with US firm Westinghouse to discuss actions including preparing regulatory documentation for the planned construction of new nuclear power units.