Construction has officially started on unit 5 of the Fuqing nuclear power plant in China's Fujian province, China National Nuclear Corporation announced today. The unit will be a demonstration Hualong One reactor, a design the company aims to export.

A proposal to construct two 600 MWe high-temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTRs) at Ruijin city in China's Jiangxi province has passed a preliminary feasibility review, China Nuclear Engineering Corporation recently announced.

Construction of China's first two CAP1400 reactors at Shidaowan in Shandong province awaits final approval. However, site preparations for the units are well advanced with the pouring of concrete for the foundations of the first unit's conventional island having now begun.

South Africa has signed two further nuclear energy cooperation agreements with China as part of preparations towards the possible construction of new nuclear power units. The move came as the first group of South African workers began a nuclear power plant training course at a Chinese university, as agreed under an earlier accord.

The first of two steam generators has been installed within the containment building of the second Westinghouse AP1000 unit under construction at the Sanmen plant in China's Zhejiang province.

Barack Obama has issued a presidential determination, published in the Federal Register yesterday, on a proposed agreement for cooperation between the USA and China concerning the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

China's ACP100 multi-purpose small modular reactor (SMR) design is to undergo a safety review following the recent signing of an agreement between China National Nuclear Corporation and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

China's State Council has given final approval for construction of units 5 and 6 of the Fuqing nuclear power plant in Fujian province. They will be demonstration units for the domestically-developed Hualong One reactor design.

Porvair Filtration Group has announced its role in the High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor currently being developed at Tsinghua University in China. The British company said the technology has the potential to create affordable and reliable energy in some of the world's poorest and most remote countries.

Rosatom plans to open a regional centre in China "as early as" the middle of this year, the Russian state nuclear corporation announced yesterday. The announcement followed a decision taken by the company's committee on strategic partnerships, alliances, mergers and acquisitions.

China has resumed construction of new nuclear power plant projects after a hiatus of 15 months. Construction of the fifth unit of the Hongyanhe plant in Liaoning province began yesterday.

Unit 3 of the Ningde nuclear power plant in Fujian province was connected to the grid on 21 March, China General Nuclear announced yesterday. The company now has 14 power reactors in operation.