Both units at the South Texas Project (STP) continued to operate at full power throughout Hurricane Harvey. Whilst the plant avoided the full force of the hurricane, its steel-reinforced containment building and flood protection measures ensured the reactors could continue operating safely.

Japan's nuclear regulator today approved the 'construction plans' for strengthening Ohi units 3 and 4 and Genkai unit 3. The plans are the second of three applications required during the restart process. The units must undergo further inspections before being permitted to restart.

Low-cost abundant natural gas and the growth of renewable energy are accelerating the premature retirement of baseload power plants, particularly coal and nuclear ones, says a report from the US Department of Energy. This, it suggests, is putting the resilience of the USA's electricity grid at risk.

Fuel loading has begun at unit 3 of the Tianwan nuclear power plant in China's Jiangsu province, Russian state nuclear company Rosatom has announced. The Russian-supplied VVER-1000 is scheduled to enter commercial operation next year.

Canadian company L3 MAPPS is to update the simulator it supplied in 2006 to Fermi 2 in Michigan. The update is being carried out under a contract with Swiss industrial technology company ABB.

Completion of unit 4 of the Shin Kori nuclear power plant has been delayed by ten months, Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power has said. The APR1400 reactor is now expected to start up in September 2018.

Tokyo Electric Power Company has addressed many of the recommendations made following a 2015 assessment of operational safety at its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant by the International Atomic Energy Agency. However, the IAEA says work should continue in some areas.

A total of ten Japanese nuclear power reactors are likely to have been restarted by the end of March 2019, according to the latest estimate by the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan (IEEJ). These restarts will help improve the country's economy, energy security and environment, it says.

The Spanish government has denied the renewal of Nuclenor's operating licence for the Garoña nuclear power plant. The decision means the reactor - which has been offline for more than four years - will now enter the decommissioning phase.

Unit 4 of the Fuqing nuclear power plant in China's Fujian province has been connected to the grid, China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) announced today. The 1087 MWe CPR-1000 unit becomes the country's 37th operational power reactor.

EDF recorded a 3.7% year-on-year fall in net income and a 2.6% dip in sales in the first half of this year - to €2 billion and €35.7 billion - with its nuclear power generation impacted by unplanned outages. The French state-owned group said the results were in line with expectations, despite the launch earlier this year of a €4 billion capital increase.

French utility EDF has resumed operation of unit 5 at its Bugey nuclear power plant after receiving approval from the country's nuclear safety authority. The reactor had been offline for almost two years whilst tests and repairs were carried out on its containment.