UPDATED - The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has denied Oklo Power's application to build and operate an Aurora compact fast reactor in Idaho, saying gaps in the information supplied by the company mean that the regulator's review of the combined licence application cannot move forward. Oklo can submit a "complete application" in the future and can request a hearing on the NRC decision.

The government of Canada has announced support for Indigenous communities in exploring the potential of small modular reactors to provide emissions-free energy for a wide range of applications, including electricity generation in remote communities. Meanwhile, X-energy Canada is to collaborate with First Nations representatives to build Indigenous capacity in the future advanced SMR industry.

The Qatar Investment Authority - the sovereign wealth fund of Qatar - has become the latest shareholder in Rolls-Royce SMR Ltd. The project company commercialising a new reactor design is now fully funded, said the Rolls-Royce Group.

The US Trade and Development Agency announced it will support Ukrainian authorities to assess NuScale's small reactor technology, with a view to future exports. A gap analysis will compare the technology to the Ukrainian regulatory system to identify potential problems and make recommendations.

Kazakhstan has begun to investigate the deployment of small reactors with a memorandum of cooperation signed between NuScale and Kazakhstan Nuclear Power Plants, a branch of the government's Samruk-Kazyna National Welfare Fund.

Westinghouse has submitted a pre-application regulatory engagement plan with the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission for its eVinci microreactor, detailing the planned pre-licensing application interactions with the regulator. An REP helps reactor developers' early interactions with NRC staff and can reduce regulatory uncertainty and add predictability to licensing advanced technologies.

NuScale Power has announced plans to merge with Spring Valley Acquisition Corp to create a new "first of its kind" energy company to accelerate the commercialisation of NuScale's small modular reactor. The new publicly listed company will be named NuScale Power Corporation and is projected to be 60%-controlled by NuScale's current majority owner Fluor Corporation.

Polish companies Synthos Green Energy and PKN Orlen have signed an investment agreement to establish a joint venture for the deployment of a small modular reactor fleet in Poland. The Orlen Synthos Green Energy joint venture will commercialise micro modular reactor and SMR technology, in particular GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy's BWRX-300.

Net-zero needs nuclear, UK minister for Energy, Clean Growth and Climate Change Greg Hands told the country's industry at the Nuclear Industry Association's Nuclear2021 conference in London last week in a strong message of support. The following is the text of his speech.

A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between Rolls-Royce SMR Limited and Sheffield Forgemasters to jointly explore commercial mechanisms for a long-term collaboration on the supply of forgings to the Rolls-Royce UK small modular reactor fleet. A Rolls-Royce-led UK SMR consortium aims to build up to 10 SMRs by 2035.

NuScale Power's small modular reactor power plants are to be named VOYGR, the company has announced. The company is working towards commercialising the technology and aims to be ready to deliver the first VOYGR plant to public power consortium Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems' Carbon Free Power Project by the end of the decade.

French engineering group Assystem has signed a cooperation agreement with newly-created French micro-reactor developer Naarea to build its ultra-compact eXtra Small Modular Reactor (XSMR). Dassault Systèmes is to supply Naarea with a cloud-based platform on which to virtually design the 1 to 40 MW molten salt reactor. Naarea expects the first units of XSMR to be produced by 2030.