The reactor pressure vessel for the first of two Hualong One reactors under construction at the Zhangzhou nuclear power plant in China's Fujian province has passed the factory acceptance inspection. Zhangzhou unit 1, construction of which began in September 2020, is scheduled to enter commercial operation in 2024.

Tests have been completed to evaluate the strength and leak tightness of the inner containment of unit 6 at the Fuqing nuclear power plant in China's Fujian province. The unit - the second of two demonstration Hualong One reactors at the site - is scheduled to begin operations by the end of this year.

South Korea's Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction has agreed to make an additional USD60 million investment in NuScale Power to continue to support deployment of its small modular reactor. Including the latest investment, DHIC and its financial investors have invested more than USD100 million in NuScale. DHIC and NuScale have also agreed to expand cooperation to the field of hydrogen production and desalination using SMRs.

Slovenia's Ministry of Infrastructure today issued an energy permit to GEN Energija for a proposed second reactor at the existing Krško nuclear power plant, referred to as the JEK2 project. The company noted that while a final decision on whether to construct the new unit has yet to be made, the granting of the permit allows licensing procedures to begin.

A high-level Egyptian-Russian delegation last week paid a working visit to the construction site of the El Dabaa nuclear power plant. The delegation on 15 July was led by Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy of Egypt Mohamed Shaker and Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachov. It followed Rosatom's announcement on 1 July that the Nuclear Power Plants Authority of Egypt has applied to the Egyptian Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Authority for a construction permit for units 1 and 2 of what will be Egypt's first nuclear power plant. Rosatom said that once the permit has been granted full-scale construction work will start.

Kairos Power is to establish a low-power demonstration reactor at the East Tennessee Technology Park in Oak Ridge, investing USD100 million in a project to demonstrate its capability to deliver low-cost nuclear heat. The Hermes reactor is a scaled version of Kairos Power’s Fluoride Salt-Cooled High Temperature Reactor, an advanced reactor technology that aims to be cost competitive with natural gas in the US electricity market. The Hermes reactor is scheduled to be operational in 2026.

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power has today begun loading fuel assemblies into the core of unit 1 at its Shin Hanul nuclear power plant, days after being granted an operating licence for the reactor. The unit - the first of two APR-1400 reactors at the site - is scheduled to enter commercial operation in March 2022 following tests at various power levels to ensure that all systems operate safely as designed.

Construction officially started today of the ACP100 small modular reactor demonstration project at the Changjiang nuclear power plant on China's island province of Hainan. China National Nuclear Corporation said the project will be the world's first land-based commercial SMR. The multi-purpose 125 MWe pressurised water reactor - also referred to as the Linglong One - is designed for electricity production, heating, steam production or seawater desalination.

South Korea's nuclear safety regulator has given its conditional approval for the start-up of unit 1 at Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power's Shin Hanul nuclear power plant. The Nuclear Safety and Security Committee has called for additional safety measures at the unit - the first of two APR-1400 reactors at the site.

Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited has been awarded a contract by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited to supply 12 steam generators for indigenously developed 700 MWe pressurised heavy water reactors to be constructed at four locations in the country. The contract - worth about INR14 billion (USD190 million) - was awarded under NPCIL's "fleet mode" procurement programme.

Market participants - such as contractors, operators and suppliers - would invest in the construction of new nuclear generating capacity in the Netherlands provided the government contributes to the cost and there is public support, a report by consultancy firm KPMG indicates. In response to the study, demissionary Minister for Economic Affairs Dilan Yesilgöz-Zegerius has requested a study into the possibility of including nuclear power in the country's plans for meeting energy and climate goals.

Nucleoeléctrica Argentina SA will complete the construction of the prototype CAREM-25 reactor under a contract signed with the country's National Atomic Energy Commission. The contract specifies construction of the small modular reactor will be completed within three years. Work on the small pressurised water reactor began at a site adjacent to the Atucha nuclear power plant in Buenos Aires Province in early 2014, but has been suspended several times.