The newly-opened Box Encapsulation Plant Product Store - Direct Import Facility at the Sellafield site in the UK has received its first box of historical radioactive waste.

Teams of autonomous robots known as SMuRFs (for Symbiotic Multi-Robot Fleet) could assist in the future decommissioning of nuclear power plants, according to researchers from four British universities.

The Lower Saxony Ministry for the Environment, Energy and Climate Protection has issued the first decommissioning and dismantling permit to PreussenElektra for the Grohnde nuclear power plant.

Work to segment, package and remove the reactor vessel and its internal components has been completed in less than two years thanks to Orano's use of its patented Optimised Segmentation process. The operation included industry-first lifts carried out by Mammoet.

An extension has been agreed for the dismantling of the parts of the original shelter facility most at risk of collapse. The structure was built in 206 days following the 1986 accident at Ukraine's Chernobyl nuclear power plant. 

Radioactive waste management specialist Veolia Nuclear Solutions has partnered with French software solution provider Siteflow to enhance the design, execution and functionality of its remotely operated systems within the nuclear industry and other hazardous environments.

The 10-year process of dismantling the Lepse, which was used to refuel the nuclear icebreaker fleet from 1963 to 1981 and then used for the storage of used fuel and radioactive waste, has been completed, Rosatom says.

A new Clean Energy Partnership between the UK and South Korea, together with nine memorandums of understanding regarding cooperation in nuclear energy, have been signed during a state visit by Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to the UK. The construction of Korean-designed reactors in the UK will be considered.

The first stage of decommissioning of the Kursk nuclear power plant's first unit has been completed with the last used fuel assembly unloaded from the reactor core.

Nearly 60 years after shutting down for the last time, the reactor vessel of the prototype boiling water reactor in California has been removed from its containment and shipped for final disposal by NorthStar Group Services, Inc.

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has released most of the site of the former Zion nuclear power plant in Illinois for unrestricted use, marking the completion of decommissioning at the site. A storage facility for the plant's used fuel will remain under NRC licence and oversight.

Aptim-Amentum Alaska Decommissioning (A3D) has been awarded a six-year, USD95.5 million contract by the US Army Corps of Engineers to decommission and dismantle the SM-1A reactor in Alaska. The contract had earlier been given to Westinghouse, but A3D contested that decision.