Areva Inc has signed a contract to manufacture fuel assemblies for NuScale Power LLC's small modular reactor (SMR) technology, the two companies announced yesterday. Mechanical and thermal hydraulic testing of these new fuel assemblies are underway as part of Oregon, USA-based NuScale's design certification application, which is planned for submission to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission in late 2016.

US-based TerraPower has signed a memorandum of understanding with China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) to develop its travelling wave reactor (TWR).

Areva Med, the subsidiary of French engineering company Areva for the development of cancer treatments, has begun construction of its second lead-212 production facility.

Dominion is implementing a "broad range of corrective actions" at unit 2 of its Millstone nuclear power plant in Waterford, Connecticut under a settlement agreement reached with the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).

Urenco said yesterday that it is "on track" to complete a major capacity expansion at its Urenco USA site in New Mexico by the end of this year. The uranium enrichment and nuclear fuel cycle services provider has said it is expanding capacity there to 4700 tonnes-separative work units (SWU) per year.

The Tennessee Valley Authority has requested that regulators issue an operating licence for unit 2 of the Watts Bar nuclear power plant.

The Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) has welcomed the positive changes on new nuclear power plants contained in the final Clean Power Plan rule issued this week by the US Environmental Protection Agency, but said it is a "missed opportunity" on existing reactors.

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has launched a special inspection at Honeywell Metropolis Works in Illinois to assess a uranium hexafluoride leak that occurred during maintenance activities at the uranium conversion facility on 1 August.

Holtec International has unveiled the schedule for its proposed consolidated interim storage facility for used nuclear fuel, with start-up slated for 2020. Holtec sees the facility, to be built in south-eastern New Mexico, as the only solution being put forward to deal with the USA's 70,000 tonnes of used nuclear fuel that is currently located in 35 states and at about 70 sites.

International Isotopes has amended its project participation agreement with New Mexico's Lea County to reflect the delay in constructing its planned facility to deconvert depleted uranium hexafluoride.

The main clean-up contractor at the US Department of Energy's Idaho Site, has entombed an historic nuclear reactor in place and treated the reactor's remaining sodium coolant six months ahead of schedule and under budget.

Ex-Im Bank had to stop doing new business today, after members of the US Congress failed to reauthorize the 81-year-old federal government agency before its charter expired at midnight.