The Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has been granted an operating licence for the experimental TMSR-LF1 thorium-powered molten-salt reactor, construction of which started in Wuwei city, Gansu province, in September 2018.

Westinghouse has signed a front-end engineering and design contract with Kozloduy NPP-Newbuild for the construction of an AP1000 reactor at the Kozloduy nuclear power plant site in Bulgaria.

UK clean space propulsion systems and services company Pulsar Fusion has formed a partnership with USA-based Princeton Satellite Systems to use artificial intelligence to design a hyper-fast space rocket capable of reaching Mars in only 30 days.

The Ministry of Economy and Slovenské elektrárne have signed a memorandum of cooperation with a range of partners in the energy field to support the development of small modular reactors in Slovakia, including applying for funding from the USA's Project Phoenix.

Preparatory groundwork is set to begin for the construction of units 3 and 4 of the Shin Hanul nuclear power plant following the approval by the South Korean government of the project's implementation plan. Construction of the units is expected to begin next year when a construction permit is set to be granted.

The signing of the support agreement between the Romanian government and Nuclearelectrica allows the start of the next phase of the project to construct units 3 and 4 of the Cernavoda nuclear power plant.

Russia's Rosatom has signed a fresh memorandum of cooperation with Kyrgyzstan, on non-energy application of nuclear technologies in healthcare, and updated the country on "progress of the development of a project for the construction" of a small modular reactor.

Barakah's operations team has begun the final operational readiness testing needed before the fourth unit at the site near Ruwais in Abu Dhabi can receive an operating licence from the UAE's nuclear regulator.

Seven companies and universities have been selected for GBP6.8 million (USD8.5 million) of contracts to take their work on digital engineering and fusion fuel requirements to 'proof of concept' stage by the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority.