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Information about the opening plenary session of the 8th International High Temperature Reactor Technology Topical Meeting was conducted along with ANS Winter Meeting in Las Vegas. The meeting was introduced by Finnis Southworth, assistant executive director of the next generation nuclear plant (NGNP) industry alliance. John Kotek, acting secretary of the Department of Energy Office emphasized on role of policy development. Kam Ghaffarin of X-energy called for a focus on deployment of products.

The article discusses the U.S. national report for the Convention on Nuclear Safety published by Nuclear Regulatory Commission and mentions major challenges of the U.S. including Fukushima-related activities, the transition to risk-informed fire-protection regulations, nuclear industry strategy.

This section offers news briefs relating to the nuclear industry as of August 2016 including the injunction filed against the U.S. Department of Energy and its contractor Washington River Protection Solutions, the publication of the draft vision for licensing non-Light Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS) and the request for public comments by the Department of Energy on uranium transfer effects.

A calendar of events for the nuclear power industry from July 2016-January 2017 is presented which includes the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) 2016 Pressure Vessels & Piping Conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, the Nuclear Energy Institute Licensing Forum in Washington, D.C., and the 50th Midyear Meeting of the Health Physics Society in Bethesda, Maryland.

This section offers news briefs on the nuclear industry as of July 2016. Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) will not renew licensing for two nuclear reactors at the Diablo Canyon Power Plant when it closes operations in 2024 and 2025. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has scheduled the hearing for Duke Energy's combined operating licenses application on July 28, 2016. The U.S. Department of Energy has allotted 82 million dollars for advanced nuclear technology projects.

The article discusses opportunities associated with commercial-grade dedication, which was initially developed as a survival mechanism for nuclear power plants and has since been seen as a solution to the safety-related bearings need of nuclear power plants. Topics discussed include the Delivering the Nuclear Promise initiative of the Nuclear Energy Institute and advantages of supplier base over utility dedication facilities.

The article reports that the work of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) will not be affected by proposed budget cuts in the Congress. Topics discussed include the low number of companies seeking licenses for nuclear reactor operations, efforts within the NRC to improve its reactor activity certification in collaboration with South Korea's Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Corporation and a list of approved, submitted and upcoming projects to be reviewed by the NRC.

A calendar of nuclear industry events to be held across the U.S. during 2016-2017 is presented which includes the Annual European Nuclear Power Conference; the Annual National Conference on Radiation Control; and the International Nuclear Physics Conference (INPC2016).

The article reports the move by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to request a budget of 32.5 billion dollars for fiscal year (FY) 2017. Among the base programs of the DOE are the 21st Century Clean Transportation System, Energy Efficiency, and Renewable Energy. Also cited are the budget requests in the fields of nuclear energy, environmental management, and the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).

The article discusses the effectiveness of the Bruce Reactor Inspection and Maintenance System (BRIMS) for conducting outages at Canada Deuterium Uranium (CANDU) reactors. It claims that Bruce Power first used the BRIMS during the Bruce-4 outage on July 15-November 9, 2015. Also cited are the development of the Universal Delivery Machine (UDM), the effort by Bruce Power to improve its ratings by the World Association of Nuclear Operators, and the comment by Bruce Power's Martin Taylor.

The article reviews several advertisements for the suppliers and contractors in the nuclear power industry as of August 2015, including Enercon Services, Inc., GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, and Holtec International.

The article focuses on the efforts of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and commercial nuclear industry to improve the prevention and detection of counterfeit and fraudulent items (CFI) in the industry's supply chain. Topics discussed include the impact of the globalization of the supply chain and the steps taken by the industry to increase awareness about counterfeiting. Also mentioned is the approach presented by international nuclear operators in mitigating the use of CFIs. INSET: The NRC's Vendor Inspection Program.

The article announces executive appointments in the nuclear industry including Daniel B. Poneman at Centrus Energy Corporation and Robert C. Braun at PSEG Nuclear, along with obituaries for American Nuclear Society (ANS) members like Jacques Bouchard and Thomas T. Claudson.

This section offers news briefs on the nuclear industry as of April 2015. The U.S. Department of Energy was authorized to develop a separate repository for the disposal of high-level radioactive waste. The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) has approved the post-Fukushima reactor in China. The South Korean Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC) has approved the relicensing of Wolsong-I heavy-water reactor.

A calendar of events for the nuclear industry in 2015 is presented including the European Research Reactor Conference, the International Topical Meeting on Probabilistic Safety Assessment and Analysis and the Annual Meeting on Nuclear Technology.

A calendar of events for the global nuclear industry in March 2015-November 2016 is presented, which includes the 24th International Conference on Nuclear Energy for New Europe (NENE 2015), the International Conference on Nuclear Criticality Safety (ICNC) 2015, and the 2015 U.S. Women in Nuclear National Conference.

The article reports on the emergence of online monitoring (OLM) of process sensors in the U.S. nuclear industry. Topics include the limited application of OLM in nuclear facilities as of February 2015, the generic approval needed toward greater implementation of OLM and its related calibration monitoring techniques, and cost-related and safety-related benefits derived from the use of OLM in nuclear power plants.

A calendar of events for the nuclear industry between February 2015 and June 2016 is presented including the 11th Annual Nuclear Energy Conference in Washington, D.C., the American Nuclear Society Student Conference in College Station, Texas, and Waste Management Conference in Phoenix, Arizona.

A 2015 calendar of events related to the world nuclear energy industry is presented which include Nuclear Fuel Supply Forum, 48th Midyear Topical Meeting of the Health Physics Society, and Force on Force Workshop.

A calendar of events for the nuclear sector in 2014-2015 is presented including WINS International Best Practice Workshop on Armed Response and Crisis Management, Nuclear Fuel Supply Forum and 6th Annual Nuclear Power Asia 2015.

The article offers information on the Utility Working Conference entitled "Cost-Effective Excellence" held in Amelia Island in Florida from August 10-13, 2014. Topics discussed include the nuclear power industry, the nuclear power plant accident in Fukushima, Japan in 2011, and the challenges faced by the industry such as engineering technical errors. It features several people in the industry who presented in the conference including Kristine Svinicki, Dan Bost, and Delfo Bianchini.

The article discusses several the U.S. nuclear industry standards and documents including the "Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Analysis," the "Nuclear Safety Design Process for Modular Helium-Cooled Reactor Plants," and the "Radioactive Source Term for Normal Operation of Light Water Reactors."

The article offers nuclear industry news briefs which includes a collaboration between GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy and Southern Nuclear, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between Westinghouse Electric Co. and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., and a contract received by nuclear company Areva.

The article reports that in a memorandum attached to the 2016 fiscal year evaluation report of the U.S. Department of Energy its Office of the Inspector General (OIG) mentions that the nuclear industry is still facing cybersecurity issues .

The article offers business news briefs related as of November 1, 2016 on topics including the acquisition of Nuclear Logistics Inc. by Westinghouse Electric Co., the agreement between X-Energy and Burns & Mc-Donnell Engineering Co. and the repurchase of BWX Technologies.

The article discusses the meeting organized by the Decommissioning and Remote Systems (D&RS2016) of the American Nuclear Society (ANS) held at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on July 31, 2016 to August 4, 2016. It presents the views of Yves Brachet, general chairman of the meeting, on the need for the nuclear industry needs to apply the lessons of automotive manufacturing.

The article discusses the shareholder agreement reached by nuclear reactor company Westinghouse Electric Company with Kozloduy NPP plc and Kozloduy NPP-New Builds plc. for the construction of an AP1000 reactor at the nuclear power plant site of Kozloduy in Bulgaria. Topics discussed include the equity stake and participation to be undertaken by Westinghouse, the uncertainty in the project due to result of the pending national election, and its benefits to Bulgaria and the U.S.

The article presents the highlights of the Decommissioning and Remote Systems (D&RS) 2014 topical meeting held in the U.S. in mid-2014. Among the topics discussed are the decontamination and decommissioning (D&D) works at the U.S. Department of Energy's Savannah River Site (SRS) in South Carolina, the updates in various D&D projects worldwide, and the proposed bills in the nuclear industry filed in U.S. Congress. The speakers include David Moody of the Department of Energy.

The article presents the highlights of the 2014 American Nuclear Society (ANS) Annual Meeting in Reno, Nevada on June 15-19, 2014. Among the topics discussed are the role of the U.S. in the global nuclear power industry, the status of small modular reactors, and the disposition of plutonium. The speakers include Idaho National Laboratory's (INL) Admiral John J. Grossenbacher, ShanghaiTech University president Jiang Mianheng, and Ron Lewis of Westinghouse Electric Co.