An International Atomic Energy Agency team of experts has completed a review of the long-term operational safety of the Ascó nuclear power plant in Spain. The team reviewed implementation of recommendations made during a previous review mission and assessed the plant's preparedness, organisation and programmes related to long-term operation against IAEA safety standards.

China General Nuclear announced today it is taking unit 1 of the Taishan nuclear power plant in China's Guangdong province offline to replace damaged fuel rods. Last month, an increase in the concentration of noble gases in the primary circuit of the EPR was attributed to a few damaged fuel rods.

Exelon Generation yesterday announced the filing of Post Shutdown Decommissioning Activity Reports for its Byron and Dresden plants, due to shut later this year, with the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. PSDARs set out long-term site restoration plans for the stations after they shut down, and their filing is one of the final regulatory steps before plant closure.
 

The operators of the Bruce, Darlington and Pickering nuclear power plants must submit data to demonstrate the safe operation of pressure tubes and obtain regulatory authorisation before restarting any currently shut-down reactors at those sites. The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission says it has issued orders to Bruce Power and Ontario Power Generation out of an "abundance of caution".

The first steam generator has been removed from Bruce unit 6, marking a significant milestone in the Major Component Replacement project. The unit is the first of six which are to be refurbished as part of a programme to secure the operation of the eight-unit site in Ontario until 2064.
 

The decision to take unit 1 of the Taishan nuclear power plant in China's Guangdong province offline to investigate a fuel failure issue lies with the plant operator, EDF said yesterday. However, it said under its own operating procedures for its French units, operation of the EPR would be temporarily halted to carry out such inspections and take corrective measures. It noted the chemical composition of the primary circuit water at Taishan 1 remains within regulatory threshold limits.

The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Japan's Niigata Prefecture will not be restarted until fiscal 2022 (ending March 2023) at the earliest, Tokyo Electric Power Company said in a revised business plan. The company submitted the plan yesterday to the government for approval. Tepco is awaiting regulatory approval to restart units 6 and 7 at the plant.

Tests have been completed to evaluate the strength and leak tightness of the inner containment of unit 6 at the Fuqing nuclear power plant in China's Fujian province. The unit - the second of two demonstration Hualong One reactors at the site - is scheduled to begin operations by the end of this year.

An International Atomic Energy Agency team of experts has completed a review of the long-term operational safety of units 5 and 6 of the Kozloduy nuclear power plant in Bulgaria. The team assessed the plant's preparedness, organisation and programmes related to long-term operation against IAEA safety standards.

Work has been completed to remove the internal components of the reactor at unit 6 of the Bruce nuclear power plant in Ontario. As part of a 48-month refurbishment project, replacement parts will be installed in the Candu reactor in order to extend the life of the unit by 40 years.

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power has today begun loading fuel assemblies into the core of unit 1 at its Shin Hanul nuclear power plant, days after being granted an operating licence for the reactor. The unit - the first of two APR-1400 reactors at the site - is scheduled to enter commercial operation in March 2022 following tests at various power levels to ensure that all systems operate safely as designed.

Optimisation work at unit 2 of the Zaporozhe nuclear power plant in Ukraine could lead to the addition of 1000 MW of generation capacity if it is also conducted at the country's other reactors, according to the US Department of Energy. The DOE has been working with Argonne National Laboratory and Ukraine's NT-Engineering to help nuclear power plant operator Energoatom enhance its approach to maintenance.