Russian nuclear regulator Rostekhnadzor has approved a 15-year life extension to 2040 for the Beloyarsk nuclear power plant's unit 3, a BN-600 fast neutron reactor.

Plans for large-scale expansion of Northern Sea Route trade means that the number of icebreakers required will increase from 10 or 11 to between 15 and 17, according to Rosatom Director General Alexei Likhachev.

The 10-day process has been completed of welding the closing seam of the reactor vessel being manufactured for the first unit at Egypt's first nuclear power plant.

A ceremony has been held to mark first concrete being poured on Thursday for the foundation of the reactor building for unit 4 at the Leningrad II nuclear power plant in Russia.

Russia's A.I. Leypunsky Institute of Physics and Power Engineering has begun tests to study the neutron-physical characteristics of the VVER-S reactor with MOX fuel.

Russia's nuclear regulator Rostekhnadzor has issued a licence for the locating of a fourth unit at the Kursk II nuclear power plant.

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said the country had "asked the Russians, if possible, to build a second power plant", according to the official Belta news agency's report on a speech made to the Federation Council during his official visit to Russia.

The director general of Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom has said that generating the first kilowatt-hours from the new nuclear power plants in Turkey and Bangladesh - plus pouring first concrete for Leningrad II's fourth unit and putting the first new Kursk unit into commercial operation - are priorities for the current year.

Russia's Rosatom has begun assembling the RITM-200 reactor vessel for the Leningrad nuclear-powered icebreaker, bringing the total number of RITM reactor units currently being produced at its ZIO-Podolsk plant to eight.