Holtec International has announced that the second double-walled canister had been loaded with RBMK reactor used nuclear fuel into the Chernobyl nuclear power plant site’s Interim Storage Facility in Ukraine yesterday.

Actions to mitigate risks to the USA's domestic uranium supply chain could be better planned and coordinated, according to a report published yesterday by the US Government Accountability Office. Improving cost estimates to support future funding requests for the proposed uranium reserve is one of several recommendations by the GAO to improve the strategy to address concerns expressed by domestic uranium industry and support new uranium production.

Kairos Power has announced its plan to deploy a test reactor at the East Tennessee Technology Park in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, pending completion of due diligence and the results of discussions with state and local officials. Kairos made the announcement today at the 2020 East Tennessee Economic Council Annual Meeting and Awards Celebration.

Community-based, not-for-profit Arizona public power utility Salt River Project says it is increasing its share of the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station - from 17.5% to 20% - to meet growing customer demand while reducing its overall carbon intensity and protecting it from price spikes.

Georgia Power has taken delivery of nuclear fuel for Vogtle unit 3. Construction of the AP1000 - one of two being built at the site near Waynesboro - is now about 96% complete. Fuel loading is expected in April, the company said.

The US government yesterday announced the release of the National Space Policy, which advocates for developing and deploying nuclear power and propulsion systems on US space missions. The document specifies who, or which government agency, is responsible for various aspects of their development and deployment.

Framatome has announced that 3D-printed fuel assembly channel fasteners manufactured at the US Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory in a joint project with Tennessee Valley Authority are to be loaded into a US commercial reactor for the first time. The project is part of the laboratory's Transformational Challenge Reactor programme. The four components will be loaded into TVA's Browns Ferry nuclear power plant in early 2021.

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved the transfer of unit 2 of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant and the corresponding possession-only licence from FirstEnergy Corp subsidiaries GPU Nuclear, Metropolitan Edison Company, Jersey Central Power & Light Company, and Pennsylvania Electric Company to a subsidiary of EnergySolutions known as TMI-2 Solutions. In addition to the NRC approval, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities has approved the sale of TMI-2 to TMI-2 Solutions.

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved the transfer of the Indian Point nuclear power plant's licences from Entergy Nuclear Operations to Holtec International, as owner, and Holtec Decommissioning International, as decommissioning operator. The transfer will help facilitate the sale of the plant from Entergy to Holtec for expedited decommissioning after the final operating unit shuts down in April next year.

India and the USA have extended their Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation on the Global Centre for Nuclear Energy Partnership by 10 years. The centre - officially opened in 2017 - supports international cooperation in nuclear energy applications.

New additive manufacturing technologies for the design and manufacture of reactor components made from high-temperature alloys and refractory metals have been developed by BWX Technologies in collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Such components could find applications in current and advanced reactors, as well as in accident-tolerant fuels.

Building nuclear power plants based on existing designs actually costs more, rather than less, than building plants based on new designs, according to a new study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Rethinking engineering from the outset can help to avoid increased indirect costs.