After delivering his planned speech to at the 2012 Nuclear Energy Assembly audience, Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Chairman Gregory Jaczko on May 23 spoke to the media for the first time since he announced his resignation from the agency just two days prior.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has renewed the operating license for the 1,250 MW Columbia Generating Station, located in Benton County, Wash., for an additional 20 years.

Engineering consultancy Frazer-Nash has completed analysis and design optimizations for the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy (CCFE) in France in support of the ITER Fusion test reactor project.

Mitsubishi Nuclear Energy Systems Inc. (MNES) has opened its Charlotte Engineering Center to support the building of new nuclear power plants and supply replacement components, engineering and maintenance services for operating nuclear power facilities.

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Gregory Jaczko on May 21 resigned, effective upon the confirmation of a successor.

Westinghouse Electric Co., Burns & McDonnell and General Dynamics Electric Boat will collaboratively team to support the Westinghouse Small Modular Reactor (SMR) application for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Small Modular Reactor Funding Opportunity, the companies said on May 21.

NuScale Power LLC on May 21 said it has submitted its proposal to participate in a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) program to accelerate the deployment of small modular reactors.

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) on May 15 told the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) it is making progress in its efforts to reduce fire risk and equipment reliability at the three-unit, 3,300 MW Brown Ferry Nuclear Plant in Alabama.

TransCanada Corp. said that the in-service date of the Bruce A Unit 2 nuclear reactor in Ontario will be delayed.

Operators at Exelon Nuclear’s 2,345 MW Limerick Generating Station, 21 miles northwest of Philadephia, Pa., removed Unit 2 from service on May 18 for a scheduled maintenance outage.

Westinghouse Electric Co. and the Missouri Electric Alliance, led by Ameren Missouri, have formed a utility participation group, the NexStart SMR Alliance, to support the deployment of the Westinghouse 225 MWe small modular reactor (SMR).

Rolls-Royce said it delivered the final components of a multimillion dollar package of automated handling, transportation and storage technology to Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd (AECL), Canada's leading nuclear science and technology laboratory.

Areva JSPM, a subsidiary of Areva, said it has successfully qualified a new hydrodynamic shaft seal system (HD seal) that can withstand station black-out (SBO) conditions for a period of 120 hours.

Westinghouse Electric Co.’s PaR Nuclear Inc., a supplier of fuel-handling equipment and nuclear cranes, has signed agreements to establish a joint venture with Taiyuan Heavy Machinery Group Co., (TYHM), manufacturer of cranes, forging equipment, excavators and other heavy machinery.

USEC Inc. said it has entered into a multi-party arrangement with Energy Northwest, the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and the U. S. Department of Energy (DOE) to extend uranium enrichment operations at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Paducah, Ky.

The Shaw Group Inc. said it has signed a new contract with Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corp. to provide maintenance and other support services to its single-unit, 1,200 MW nuclear power plant northeast of Burlington, Kan.

Two underground radioactive waste tanks at the Savannah River Site (SRS) in South Carolina have been filled with more than 1 million gallons of grout as part of the operational closing of the tanks.

Uranium Energy Corp. (UEC) said it has acquired the rights to explore for uranium on the Channen Project, a 10,704-acre property in southern Goliad County, Texas.

Officials in the Japanese town of Ohi have approved the restart of two nuclear power reactors in Fukui prefecture.

Areva and Mitsubishi Corp., through their subsidiaries Afmeco Mining and Exploration Pty Ltd (AFMEX) and Mitsubishi Development Pty. Ltd. (MDP), said they will partner in a uranium exploration program in Australia.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) said it will increase oversight at the North Anna nuclear power plant in Virginia because of a violation of low to moderate safety significance related to the maintenance of the plant’s emergency diesel generators.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff said it is increasing its oversight of Unit 1 at Florida Power & Light (FPL)’s St. Lucie nuclear power plant in Florida as a result of the number and type of unplanned shutdowns the plant has experienced.

Canadian-based uranium producer Cameco said it has signed an agreement with Advent International to purchase NUKEM Energy GmbH (NUKEM), a trader and broker of nuclear fuel products and services.

L-3 Mapps will proceed with two projects to update the full scope simulator at Axpo’s Beznau nuclear power plant in Switzerland.

Sandvik on May 11, 2012 opened a new mill for the manufacturing of stainless steel and high nickel alloy tubes for use in nuclear power plant steam generators.

Florida Power & Light (FP&L) must make changes to its application for combined construction and operating licenses to build and operate two Westinghouse AP1000 1,100 MW nuclear reactors at its Turkey Point nuclear power plant before the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) can complete its review, according to a letter dated May 4 from the NRC.

FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Co. (FENOC), a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp., said the 911 MW Unit 1 at the Beaver Valley Power Station in Shippingport, Pa., returned to service May 11, 2012 following an April 9, 2012, shutdown for refueling and maintenance.

The South Carolina Ports Authority said the first project cargo shipment for Westinghouse Electric Co. arrived at the Port of Charleston’s Columbus Street Terminal on May 9.

Czech Republic utility CEZ Energy said it intends to consider the possibility of a strategic partnership in the completion of the Temelín Nuclear Power Station.

In its quarterly report to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Southern Co. said the consortium in charge of building two new Westinghouse AP1000 nuclear power reactors at Plant Vogtle in Georgia has informed the company it will cost an additional $400 million to complete the reactors by the scheduled completion date.

For vendors interested in taking part in the nuclear power expansion in the U.S., the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) will explain its oversight process during a workshop June 28, 2012 in Baltimore.

A manager at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Region IV office is accused of blocking safety concerns from staff at the Fort Calhoun nuclear power plant in Nebraska and intimidating inspectors who raised those concerns.

The Japanese government approved a 1 trillion yen ($12.5 billion) bailout for Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) and put it under temporary state control.

The Brazilian government said May 9 that it would not build any new nuclear power plants before 2020.

Secretary of Energy Steven Chu on May 8 said more than $47 million in scholarships, fellowships, research grants and university research reactor upgrades will be made available to train and educate the next generation of leaders in America’s nuclear industry.

More than 1,300 steam generator tubes have been plugged at the 2,150 MW San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) as plant owner Southern California Edison (SCE) continues to investigate the cause of the accelerated wear.

The 1,140 MW Fermi 2 nuclear power plant returned to service after a refueling and maintenance outage that began March 26.

FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Co., a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp., said that its 908 MW Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station in Oak Harbor, Ohio, shut down early on May 6 for scheduled refueling and maintenance.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is launching a special inspection at Progress Energy’s Harris nuclear power plant in North Carolina after two main steam isolation valves failed in April.

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) said it has completed Phase 2 of a Pre-Project Design Review of Candu Energy Inc.’s 700 MW, Generation III Enhanced CANDU 6 (EC6) reactor.

Japan, on May 5, 2012, will shut down the country’s lone remaining nuclear power plant.

The Missouri Public Service Commission approved an agreement between the commission’s staff and Kansas City Power & Light (KCP&L) on cost estimates to decommission the 1,200 MW Wolf Creek nuclear power plant 55 miles south of Topeka in Kansas.

Southern California Edison (SCE), an Edison International company, said costs associated with inspections and repairs to the 2,200 MW San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) could land between $55 million and $65 million.

Arizona Public Service (APS) on May 2 said Unit 3 at the 4,000 MW Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station returned to service April 17, marking the completion of the unit’s 16th planned refueling outage.

Southern California Edison and Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California at San Diego said they will collaborate on a project to gather seismic data off the coast near the two-unit, 2,200 MW San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station.

The Government of Canada has reviewed recommendations made in the Environmental Assessment Report of the Joint Review Panel (JRP) for the Darlington New Nuclear Power Plant Project in Ontario and has determined the project is not likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects.

On April 26, Hydro-Québec informed the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) of a heavy water leak in the reactor building at the 675 MW Gentilly 2 nuclear power plant near Bécancour, Quebec.

Almost one year after the meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued the first post-Fukushima orders to U.S. operators.

I never thought I'd be in a position to link zombies to nuclear power, but I think the analogy is appropriate with respect to the current state of used fuel and high-level waste disposal in the United States.