Proving the integrity of the reactor pressure vessel of unit 1 of Switzerland's Beznau nuclear power plant is taking longer than originally expected, owner Axpo said. It now expects to be given regulatory approval to restart the unit by the end of this year.

French utility EDF has signed an agreement to extend its cooperation with Rosenergoatom, the operator of Russia's civil nuclear power plants. The companies will cooperate in reactor operations, decommissioning and waste management.

Age is no barrier to prolonging the operation of nuclear power plants thanks to technological advances that could not have been predicted by reactor designers working decades ago. That was the conclusion of nuclear industry leaders at a conference hosted recently by EDF Energy and the World Association of Nuclear Operators in London.

Unless the deregulated US electricity markets recognize the carbon-free attributes of nuclear plants, there will be a substantial number of nuclear plant closures in the country, writes Bradley Fewell.

The Pilgrim nuclear power plant will be refuelled for the final time in 2017 and will cease operations on 31 May 2019, Entergy announced yesterday.

Canada's Federal Court of Appeal has unanimously dismissed a judicial review of the environmental assessment (EA) for Ontario Power Generation's (OPG) planned refurbishment of the Darlington nuclear power plant. The lawsuit was brought by groups led by Greenpeace Canada.

Finnish utility Teollisuuden Voima Oyj has today submitted its operating licence application for unit 3 of the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant. The first-of-a-kind EPR plant is scheduled to start up in late 2018.

Canada's L-3 MAPPS is to supply a full-scope training simulator for the Wolsong 1 Candu pressurized heavy water reactor in South Korea under a contract signed with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power. It will mark L-3's first implementation of severe accident simulation for Candu plants.

Ukraine's Energoatom has said it would need at least two years and extra funds to introduce load-following at the 15 VVER units it operates. The Cabinet of Ministers requires the country's reactors to be adapted to load-following mode by the end of this year, according to its Action Plan for 2016.

The full-scope simulator at Slovenia's single-unit Krško nuclear power plant is to be upgraded by Canada-based L-3 MAPPS under a contract signed with operator Nuklearna Elektrarna Krško.

Amec Foster Wheeler has signed a memorandum of understanding with China Nuclear Engineering and Construction Corporation on cooperation in nuclear energy. Meanwhile, Rolls-Royce has signed contracts with China National Nuclear Corporation covering technical training.

The loading of all 157 fuel assemblies into the reactor core of unit 3 of the Fuqing nuclear power plant in China's Fujian province has been completed. The unit is expected to start up later this year.