A strategic contract has been signed between the major French industrial players, the government and trade unions aimed at coordinating the country's nuclear industry for the planned life extension of current reactors and the construction of new ones.

Canadian engineering firm AtkinsRéalis announced it has signed an agreement with France's EDF to expand their existing global partnership to collaborate more closely and respond to new nuclear reactor opportunities around the world.

Thorizon has announced a new research collaboration with Curium and INSA Lyon to support the development of its Thorizon One advanced small modular molten salt reactor. The collaboration includes corrosion testing of metals in contact with molten salt.

The contract with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power for new nuclear capacity at the Dukovany site in the Czech Republic has been signed - hours after the Supreme Administrative Court annulled a regional court's injunction to stop it happening. 

French company EDF says the goal of its legal challenge to the decision to award the contract for new nuclear capacity in the Czech Republic to Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power is to ensure it is "in accordance with European regulatory rules".

Following an earlier funding round, France's EDF and private equity specialist Siparex have announced a second round of funding to strengthen strategic companies in the country's nuclear supply chain.

French radioactive waste management agency Andra has estimated the overall cost of constructing, operating and closing France's planned deep geological repository for the disposal of high- and intermediate-level radioactive waste at between EUR26.1 billion (USD29.1 billion) and EUR37.5 billion (at 2012 prices).

A regional court in the Czech Republic has issued a preliminary injunction prohibiting Wednesday's expected signing of a contract with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power for the construction of new nuclear units at Dukovany nuclear power plant.

The Dutch developer of the advanced small modular molten salt reactor, Thorizon One, has announced a partnership with French molten salt-based energy storage solutions specialist Storabelle.