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Japan's newly established Nuclear Regulation AuthorityÌýaims to have a new safety legal framework in place by July 2013 to enable the country's idled nuclear power reactors to restart. However, it is currently unclear who will ultimately be responsible for authorizing restarts.

A larger proportion of intermittent renewable generation will require European grid operators to allow more variation in frequency, but moves to codify this are being resisted by nuclear safety regulators.

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued the first ever construction and operation licence for a full scale laser enrichment facility – opening the door to commercialisation of this new nuclear technology.

A huge power uprate of 149 MWe at unit 2 of Florida Power & Light's St Lucie nuclear power plant has been approved by the US nuclear regulator. It is part of a $3 billion project to boost nuclear output that will save $3.8 billion in fossil fuel costs.

A new nuclear regulatory regimeÌýcame into force in Japan today. The Nuclear Regulation AuthorityÌýhas been created in response to shortcomings identified in the country's previous regulatory structure after the Fukushima accident.

Japan has confirmed a goal of ending nuclear power generation in the 2030s. The new strategy is based on respect for the will of the Japanese people, but slashes environmental targets to perhaps as little as a 10% reduction in CO2 by 2030.

Approval of four new reactors could be delayed by as the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission reconsiders its confidence in long term waste management arrangements over the nextÌý24 months.

Unistar Nuclear ¶¶Òõ´«Ã½ÔÚÏß is ineligible to obtain a licence to construct a new nuclear power plant at Calvert Cliffs as it remains wholly-owned by a foreign corporation, a licensing board of the US nuclear regulator has ruled. Owner EDF of France has been given 60 days to show progress in its search for a US partner for the project.

While investigations continue into possible manufacturing defects in the reactor pressure vessel of unit 3 of Belgium's Doel nuclear power plant, nuclear safety authorities in other countries are assessing vessels of plants supplied by the same manufacturer for similar flaws.

Canada's environment minister has approved the environmental assessmentÌýfor the Midwest uranium project in Saskatchewan.

The UK's lastÌýoperating Magnox reactor, Wylfa 1, will be able to continue generating electricity until September 2014 after regulatory approval was given for the transfer of partially-used fuel from its shut down sister unit.