Unit 4 of the Shin Kori nuclear power plant entered commercial operation on 29 August, Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power announced today. Unit 3 of the South Korean plant became the first APR-1400 to begin supplying electricity to the grid in January 2016.

Nuclear facility operators promptly act on the findings of Operational Safety Review Team missions, with over 95% of issues resolved or in satisfactory progress by the time of follow-up missions, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Japanese utilities Tokyo Electric Power Company and Chubu Electric Power Company have today signed a basic agreement with Hitachi and Toshiba to discuss potential collaboration on boiling water reactors (BWRs).

Tokyo Electric Power Company will consider the decommissioning of one or more units at its seven-unit Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, the company has informed Kashiwazaki City Mayor Masahiro Sakurai. The utility plans to restart units 6 and 7 at the plant, in Japan's Niigata Prefecture.

The operator of Belarus's first nuclear power plant has shown a commitment to strengthening safety, an expert team from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has concluded. The team also identified areas for further enhancements as plant owner Belarusian NPP prepares to start up Ostrovets unit 1 next year.

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued a revised schedule for its review of the first subsequent licence renewal for a US nuclear power plant because it is taking more staffing hours than originally expected. It still expects to complete the process within its original 18-month timescale.
 

GSE Systems Inc has completed delivery and commissioning of three additional full-scope simulators at Southern Nuclear's Vogtle, Hatch and Farley nuclear power plants. Southern has described the project as the largest single nuclear simulator project in the USA in the past 30 years.

The operator of the Nigerian Research Reactor-1, known as NIRR-1, has shown a high commitment to safety following the conversion of the reactor core to use low-enriched uranium as fuel instead of high-enriched uranium, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. It made a number of recommendations to the Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission to further enhance safety.

The second EPR reactor at the Taishan nuclear power plant in China's Guangdong province has reached full generating capacity for the first time, Framatome has announced. Taishan 2 is expected to enter commercial operation later this year.

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued for public comment the draft supplemental environmental impact statement on Exelon Generation Company's application for an additional 20 years of operation for Peach Bottom units 2 and 3. This would be a second licence renewal for the Pennsylvania plant and, if granted, would enable it to operate for 80 years.

Unit 6 of the Yangjiang nuclear power plant in China's Guangdong province has met commercial operation conditions and is now generating electricity, China General Nuclear has announced, adding it had only the formality now of waiting for the remaining permits and documentation.

Units 1 and 2 of Belgium's Doel nuclear power plant can continue operating, even though a law extending their operation was adopted without the required environmental assessments or public consultation being carried out first, the European Court of Justice ruled today.