Berkeley Energia is finalising arrangements for the start of construction at the Salamanca uranium mine in Spain, the company said in its latest quarterly report published on 23 January. With full funding in place, Berkeley is undertaking detailed final reviews and has selected Sanchez y Lago as its preferred mining contractor.

Spain's Nuclear Safety Council and the Moroccan Nuclear and Radiological Safety and Security Agency have signed a memorandum of understanding on increased collaboration.

The Sultanate of Oman is to become a long-term strategic investor in Berkeley Energia through an investment agreement worth up to $120 million. The investment means that the Salamanca uranium project in western Spain is now fully funded and can proceed to production.

The Spanish government has denied the renewal of Nuclenor's operating licence for the Garoña nuclear power plant. The decision means the reactor - which has been offline for more than four years - will now enter the decommissioning phase.

The Euratom Supply Agency, the nuclear watchdog of the European Union, has approved Berkeley Energia's offtake agreement for the sale of the first production from its Salamanca uranium mine under development in Spain. The mine is expected to enter production in late 2018.

Small amounts of Iodine-131, well below levels likely to have any effect on human health, were detected in outdoor air last month in a number of European countries. The source of the release has yet to be identified.

Spain's nuclear safety regulator has given conditional approval for the restart and continued operation of the Garoña nuclear power plant, which has been offline for the past four years. Operator Nuclenor would be required to make a number of safety upgrades.

Spanish nuclear regulators have approved new post-Fukushima design modifications at the country's nuclear power plants, including final approvals for emergency management centres.

Ukrainian nuclear power plant operator Energoatom has agreed to enhance its cooperation with Chinese, Argentinian and Spanish companies - respectively, China National Nuclear Power, Nucleoeléctrica Argentina SA and IDOM Nuclear Services.

Infrastructure development is under way at Berkeley Energia's Salamanca uranium project as the company prepares for main construction at the Spanish site next year.

Spain's nuclear regulator has approved the start of operation of the second of four vaults for the disposal of very-low level radioactive waste (VLLW) at the El Cabril storage facility in Córdoba province.

Spain's nuclear regulator has approved the renewal for a further ten years of the operating licence for Enusa's Juzbado nuclear fuel fabrication plant in Salamanca.