Nuclear regulation news

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Licences, safety cases, inspections, rules and nuclear policy, from the NRC, ONR, CNSC, IAEA and other regulators. RSS

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Wednesday 4 November

NRC workshop examines limits on reusing DOE authorization data
An NRC rule effective November 25 lets applicants with DOE- or Department of Defense-authorized designs pursue a streamlined commercial licensing pathway.
ANS Nuclear NewswireANSRegulation
Canadian regulator clears Bruce B 7 and 8 for up to 310,000 effective full power hours
The previous authorization allowed operation up to 300,000 effective full power hours.
Canadian Nuclear Safety CommissionCNSCRegulation

Friday 30 October

Thursday 29 October

DOE approves documented safety analysis for Radiant's Kaleidos microreactor
Testing at Idaho National Laboratory will run 60 effective full power days, ending with at least 150 hours at full power without operator intervention.
RadiantRegulation

Wednesday 28 October

CNSC sets hearing on Cameco's 20-year Port Hope licence renewal
Three days of sessions in Port Hope and online will hear from Cameco, intervenors and Commission staff.
Canadian Nuclear Safety CommissionCNSCRegulation

Tuesday 27 October

South Korea's NSSC approves 10-year extensions for Kori 3 and 4
KHNP plans to restart both units in the first half of 2027, with unit 3 cleared to run to September 2034.
World Nuclear NewsWNNRegulation

Thursday 22 October

NRC finalizes rule to use DOE and DOW reactor test data in licensing
Final rule amends 10 CFR Parts 50 and 53; NRC proposed it on April 2, 2026 and received 136 unique comment submissions.
US Nuclear Regulatory CommissionNRCRegulation

Tuesday 20 October

NRC cuts resident baseline inspection hours 42% after reorganization
The Chief Nuclear Reactor Inspectorate has 530 staff in 28 states, providing more than 65,000 hours of direct inspection at 55 reactor sites.
ANS Nuclear NewswireANSRegulation
IAEA six-member mission finds UAE response to Barakah power loss effective
The May 17 drone strike cut off-site power to Unit 3; the mission ran October 12–20 at the UAE government's request.
International Atomic Energy AgencyIAEARegulation

Monday 19 October

Merkley, Markey introduce Senate resolution to block U.S.-Saudi 123 Agreement
The deal would let Saudi Arabia enrich uranium domestically to 5 percent U-235, with a possible later rise to under 20 percent.
ANS Nuclear NewswireANSRegulation

Thursday 15 October

Wednesday 14 October

NRC opens special inspection at two-unit Dresden plant after battery connection breaks
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said the corrosion damage was not caught during routine checks and that similar battery problems have occurred at other nuclear plants.
US Nuclear Regulatory CommissionNRCRegulation
NRC renews Westinghouse AP1000 design certification through 2066
Updated design folds in lessons from Vogtle Units 3 and 4, where the NRC reviewed and approved nearly 200 license amendments.
US Nuclear Regulatory CommissionNRCRegulation
NRC approves Palisades request to move tilted fuel assembly
License amendment covers custom equipment and procedures for moving the assembly from the reactor core to the spent fuel pool.
US Nuclear Regulatory CommissionNRCRegulation

Tuesday 13 October

ČEZ submits EIA for 470 MWe Rolls-Royce SMR at Temelín
The 20% ČEZ stake in Rolls-Royce SMR dates from October 2024, when the two agreed up to 3 GW of Czech deployment.
Rolls-Royce SMRRegulation
ONR reports safe 2025/26 operation for Great Britain's nuclear industry
Waste is now being retrieved from all Sellafield legacy ponds and silos, though progress there has been slower than planned.
UK Office for Nuclear RegulationONRRegulation
NRC issues chilling effect letter to Holtec over Palisades supply chain, quality assurance units
The October 13 finding is limited to Holtec's Supply Chain and Quality Assurance departments at the Palisades plant and involves no violations or significant plant safety issues, the NRC said.
US Nuclear Regulatory CommissionNRCRegulation

Friday 9 October

NRC completes draft EIS for Fermi America's four AP1000 Project Matador reactors
Public comments on the draft are due November 23; the NRC targets a final EIS for December.
Federal RegisterRegulation

Thursday 8 October

DOE approves safety analysis for Last Energy's PWR-5 pilot at Texas A&M
The pilot now enters a readiness review, the last step before authorization for criticality, after a preliminary safety analysis cleared in May 2026.
Last EnergyRegulation

Wednesday 7 October

Swiss coalition submits 131,800 signatures for nuclear referendum
Voters could decide on the legislative amendment as early as February 28, 2027, per SWI swissinfo.ch.
World Nuclear NewsWNNRegulation

Tuesday 6 October

NRC reviews Palisades request to move tilted fuel assembly
Holtec unit Palisades Energy filed the request September 30, 2026, to move the assembly to the spent fuel pool.
US Nuclear Regulatory CommissionNRCRegulation

Thursday 1 October

CNSC sets October 6-9 hearing on OPG's Pickering licence renewal
The application covers the Pickering waste facility licence and refurbishment of Units 5 to 8.
Canadian Nuclear Safety CommissionCNSCRegulation

Wednesday 30 September

Holtec files PSAR with NRC for two 680 MWe Palisades SMRs
The submittal completes the second phase of the construction permit application; the NRC's draft safety evaluation report on the limited work authorization phase is anticipated in December 2026.
Holtec InternationalRegulation

Tuesday 29 September

NRC approves construction permit for TVA's 300 MW Clinch River SMR
Review began July 2025 and finished 14 months later, four months ahead of schedule.
US Nuclear Regulatory CommissionNRCRegulation