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The Japanese nuclear regulator has today approved the operation of units 1 and 2 of Kansai Electric Power Company's Takahama nuclear power plant for up to 60 years. They become the first Japanese units to be granted a licence extension beyond 40 years under revised regulations.

Eight years after requesting information on flood protection at the Oconee nuclear power plant, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission��has concluded that modifications carried out by Duke ������ý���� would adequately protect the plant from a potential failure of a nearby dam.

The Otsu District Court has today upheld an injunction that has kept units 3 and 4 of Kansai Electric Power Company's Takahama nuclear power plant offline since March. The Japanese utility announced it will remove the fuel from the units.

Swedish utility Vattenfall has decided to invest in safety upgrades to enable the three reactors at the Forsmark plant to continue operating beyond 2020. The decision follows the government's announcement last week that it will abolish a tax on nuclear power.

Chugoku Electric Power Company has submitted an overview of its decommissioning plan for unit 1 of the Shimane nuclear power plant in Japan's Shimane prefecture to the country's nuclear regulator. The company expects dismantling of the plant to take 30 years to complete.

Four electric power companies in western Japan - Chugoku, Kansai, Kyushu and Shikoku - have agreed to extend their existing cooperation in responding to nuclear emergencies as well as cooperating in the decommissioning of reactors.

The operational safety programs for the Ikata nuclear power plant have been approved by Japan's nuclear regulator, moving unit 3 one step closer to restart pending final inspections. The regulator has also confirmed Takahama units 1 and 2 meet new safety standards.

A new building designed to withstand earthquakes and tornadoes has been completed at the Hatch nuclear power plant in Georgia. The dome-shaped building will house portable back-up emergency equipment including generators, pumps and other resources.

Safety and security are the "overriding and enduring priorities" of the nuclear power industry and plant operators "need to anticipate new safety concerns", such as terrorism and cyber security, EDF ������ý���� CEO Vincent de Rivaz said at a conference in London today.

A Japanese high court today rejected an appeal by local residents seeking a temporary injunction against the operation of units 1 and 2 of Kyushu Electric Power Company's Sendai nuclear power plant in Kagoshima prefecture. The units are the only reactors currently in operation in Japan.

EnBW has had its claim for damages arising from Germany's moratorium on nuclear power thrown out by a regional court in Bonn. The court announced today that Germany's fourth biggest utility had not used immediately "all legal means available” to avert the consequences of the forced shut down of its nuclear power units.

Investment of between €350 billion ($399 billion) and €450 billion will be required over the next 35 years to maintain the European Union's nuclear generating capacity at between 95 and 105 GWe, according to the European Commission's latest Nuclear Illustrative Program.