Rosatom's TVEL fuel company has dispatched all shipments to China scheduled for 2022 in order to supply the first core loading of the CFR-600 sodium-cooled pool-type fast-neutron reactor at Xiapu in China's Fujian province.

The agreement with France's Framatome follows a deal with US firm Westinghouse and is part of the Bulgarian nuclear power plant's diversification of nuclear fuel supply.

The UK government has begun accepting bids for up to GBP50 million (USD60 million) funding for projects it hopes will "stimulate a diverse and resilient nuclear fuel market" in the country.

Russia's TVEL will begin the first trials of its TVS-5 fuel design in 2023 and manufacture the first assemblies robotically, a conference heard.

Kozloduy nuclear power plant's unit 5 is to switch from Russian fuel with a decade-long contract for Westinghouse to fabricate and deliver VVER-1000 nuclear fuel.

Finnish mining company Terrafame plans to start recovering natural uranium as a byproduct of zinc and nickel production at its Sotkamo mine in the north-east of the country by the summer of 2024.

Ukrainian nuclear power operator Energoatom has held talks with Urenco about "increasing the supply of enriched uranium to Westinghouse for the production of nuclear fuel" for its plants in 2024-25.

Kazakhstan's national atomic company said the delivery of uranium owned by Kazatomprom and by the Inkai joint venture has arrived at a Canadian port.

Rosatom says that the development of nuclear fuel for its Modernised Floating Power Units project - featuring RITM-200S reactors - has been completed.

Three more companies - enCore Energy, Ur Energy and Uranium Energy Corp - have been selected to provide domestically produced uranium to the USA's federal strategic uranium reserve. At the same time, Ur Energy has announced a ramp-up of production at its operating Lost Creek mine after expansions to its sales agreements.

Energy Fuels Inc and Peninsula Energy Limited subsidiary Strata Energy Inc have been awarded contracts to supply natural uranium concentrates to establish a federal reserve of domestically produced material. The reserve is intended to be a backup source of supply for US nuclear power plants in the event of a significant market disruption.

UK government funding of GBP13 million (USD15.9 million) will be used to help "prepare the necessary design and enabling work to begin new conversion capabilities for the world’s utilities from 2028".