¶¶Òõpro

US design certification of Korea's APR1400 reactor design can begin in earnest after the US Nuclear Regulatory CommissionÌýformally accepted a revised application from Korea Electric Power CorporationÌýand Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power.

Having already improved on-site emergency protection measures, Switzerland's Federal Nuclear Safety InspectorateÌýis now ordering nuclear power plant operators to ensure that off-site measures are also boosted.

The state of Wyoming will regulate its own uranium industry following legislation that allows it to apply to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to become an Agreement State.

South Korea's nuclear safety regulator has approved a seven-year licence extension for the refurbished and uprated Wolsong 1 pressurized heavy water reactor. The unit has been offline for two years while discussions continued on renewing its licence.

The US nuclear regulator has begun an inspection at the construction site of VC Summer unit 2 to assess the cause and impact of "inadvertent damage" to the unit's containment vessel.

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) could be about 10% smaller in 2020 on a "declining interest" in nuclear power in the USA. The projection is contained in the Project Aim 2020 report the agency released yesterday.

The Tennessee Valley Authority has reached a "critical regulatory step" towards the start up of the USA's first new nuclear power reactor in 20 years.

South Korea's Wolsong 1 power reactor continues to await permission to restart. The refurbished and uprated unit has laid dormant for two years while discussions continue on renewing its licence.

Fluor is to provide operations and maintenance services to the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant in California under a five-year contract with Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E). Meanwhile PG&E has taken steps to address a potential gap in emergency procedures at the plant.

The UK has agreed to extend the secondment of a senior nuclear inspector to Vietnam's Agency for Radiation and Nuclear SafetyÌýas part of their continued cooperation. Meanwhile, US-based GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy has agreed to cooperate in training for nuclear safety analysis while Russia will help promote nuclear energy in the country.

Finland's radiation and nuclear safety authority has given its backing to Posiva's application to construct a final repository and waste encapsulation plant.

Two units at the Takahama nuclear power plant have moved one step closer to restarting following final approval by the Japanese regulator of changes in the reactor installations. They become the third and fourth reactors in Japan to gain such permission.