Innovative reactor developer Newcleo has submitted its Safety Option File to France's nuclear safety regulator, the Autorité de Sûreté Nucléaire, for its fuel assembly testing facility.

France's Orano has signed two mixed-oxide fuel manufacturing contracts with Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries for a total of 64 MOX fuel assemblies for use in two Japanese nuclear power reactors.

The third 18-month phase of the pilot operation of innovative REMIX fuel has begun at Russia's Balakavo nuclear power plant's first unit. The aim is to be able to close the fuel cycle for VVER reactors.

Orano has created two specific 'sharing groups' which bring together the main designers of innovative fast neutron reactors in France. These groups, it says, are open to all designers of these types of reactors who wish to join.

A range of future nuclear fuel developments, such as 24-month fuel campaigns with fuel enriched beyond 5%, will help Russia to hit its nuclear capacity targets, a conference has heard.

Leading figures from across the fuel cycle say they are ready to meet increased demand, but set out areas where change is required to help make it happen, in a World Nuclear Symposium session.

A pilot batch of fuel elements has successfully passed acceptance tests for compliance with the technological and design documentation for Russia's MBIR multipurpose sodium-cooled fast neutron research reactor.

Dutch specialty metals company AMG Critical Materials NV has created a new company - named NewMOX SAS - to develop commercial facilities for the production of mixed plutonium-uranium oxide fuel using AMG's sintering furnace systems.

Newcleo's UK operations managing director sets out the benefits of its lead-cooled fast reactor technology, its plans for a demonstrator reactor and MOX fuel factory in France, and its future goal of rolling out up to 20 of its reactors in the UK.