The start of operations for the Flamanville 3 EPR reactor in France has been put back, with EDF saying the Covid-19 pandemic had made preparations "more difficult".

The two companies that will emerge from the approaching separation of Exelon Generation's regulated utility and competitive energy businesses have set out their respective plans at separate analyst events this week. Exelon will become the USA's largest transmission and distribution utility serving some 10 million customers across seven different regulatory jurisdictions. Constellation will be the largest producer of carbon-free electricity in the country.

The Heysham 2 and Torness advanced gas-cooled reactor nuclear power stations in the UK are to stop generating electricity in 2028 - two years earlier than previously planned - operator EDF Energy has announced.

Electricity generation has ended at Scotland’s Hunterston B nuclear power plant with the shutting down of Reactor 4, an advanced gas-cooled reactor. Operator EDF says the power station produced enough electricity during its lifetime to power every home in Scotland for nearly 31 years.

The Brokdorf, Grohnde and Gundremmingen C nuclear power plants were permanently shut down on 31 December in compliance with Germany's nuclear phase-out policy. The move leaves three reactors in operation, which are scheduled to be taken offline by the end of this year.

Unit 6 of the Fuqing nuclear power plant in China's Fujian province - the second of two demonstration Hualong One (HPR1000) reactors at the site - has begun supplying electricity to the grid, China National Nuclear Corporation announced. The first two Hualong One units - Fuqing unit 5 and unit 2 of Pakistan's Karachi plant - entered commercial operation in 2021.

Belgium's coalition government today said it has agreed to close its existing nuclear power plants by 2025, although it has left open the possibility to keep two units in operation beyond that if energy supplies cannot otherwise be assured. It will also continue to invest in nuclear technology research, including small modular reactors.

The last of eight replacement steam generators has been lifted into place at Bruce unit 6, marking an important milestone in the ongoing Major Component Replacement project which will add 30-35 years to the Candu unit's operational life.

Nuclear fuel is being loaded into the second reactor at Belarus's Ostrovets nuclear power plant. The plant's first reactor has already taken a significant role in the country's energy mix, said Minister of Energy Viktor Karankevich.

After 45 years of power generation, the first reactor at Russia's Kursk nuclear power plant was permanently shut down on 19 December. Plant owner and operator Rosenergoatom celebrated its achievements and looked forward to new units under construction to replace it.

Finnish utility Teollisuuden Voima Oyj has today received permission from the country's Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority to bring the Olkiluoto 3 EPR to first criticality and conduct low-power tests. The unit is expected to begin generating electricity at the end of January, with regular electricity production starting in June 2022.

CORRECTED The High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactor-Pebble-bed Module at the Shidaowan plant in China's Shandong province is preparing to be connected to the grid for the first time, China National Nuclear Corporation has announced. The unit's twin reactors achieved first criticality in September and November, respectively.