In other news by WNN

In other news A restart of the Indian Point nuclear power plant which closed in 2021 is "conceivable" at a cost of around USD10 billion, Holtec International President Kelly Trice has said. A restart would require the procurement and reinstallation of internal components and the top of the reactor vessel, which have been removed, but the containment buildings, turbine buildings, and electrical switch gear and components are all intact, Trice told Politico. It would require support from the state of New York through the purchase or subsidy of power from the plant, plus legislative support to ensure the plant could continue to operate for at least 30 years. It would take about four years to bring the plant back into service, he said. Entergy Corporation sold the Indian Point Energy Center to subsidiaries of Holtec International for decommissioning in June 2021. GoviEx Uranium Inc has agreed with the Republic of Niger to extend the pause in ongoing arbitration proceedings related to the Madaouela uranium project for a further six months. The proceedings under the ICSID Convention - a convention on the settlement of investment disputes - were initiated by the Canada-based company in January following the government's decision in July 2024 to withdraw its mining rights over the project. The new extension builds on a letter of intent signed in February, which set out a structured roadmap for negotiations. "While the Parties have shown willingness to find an amicable solution, there is no certainty that negotiations will result in a binding and definitive agreement," GoviEx said. The arbitration proceedings may resume if a resolution is not reached in the extended period. The UK's National Nuclear Laboratory has signed a memorandum of understanding with Lynkeos Technology Ltd to advance nuclear muography - a revolutionary imaging technology that is transforming how radioactive waste containers are monitored. Nuclear muography technology tracks natural muons from cosmic rays through objects using sophisticated particle detectors, creating detailed 3D density images even within heavy shielding. UKNNL has been working alongside Lynkeos Technology and Sellafield Ltd since 2019 to develop this unique capability. It says the MoU "cements a commitment to delivering robust, long-term muon imaging capabilities that will enhance nuclear safety standards across the sector, directly contributing to nuclear security whilst maintaining the highest safety standards". The UK's Office for Nuclear Regulation has approved EDF's post-defuelling safety case for the Hunterston B site, which was declared free from nuclear fuel in April this year. This marks the first such permission to be granted across EDF's Advanced Gas-Cooled Reactor fleet and constitutes a significant milestone at Hunterston B as it progresses to the next phase of its lifecycle. In addition, ONR has also approved a revision to the site's emergency plan in recognition of the significantly-reduced hazard. During the next 15 years, the site will undergo decommissioning activities to prepare it for a prolonged period of care and maintenance for about 85 years before final site clearance work takes place. Atomic Canyon, a developer of AI-powered search and generative AI tools for the nuclear power industry, has announced a strategic partnership with Idaho National Laboratory to develop and publicly release the first comprehensive benchmark suite for evaluating retrieval-augmented generation and large language models in nuclear applications. By establishing standards for AI adoption in nuclear facility operations, the partnership aims to address an industry need for objective evaluation methods for generative AI systems in nuclear environments, Atomic Canyon said. The benchmark tasks will focus on real-world nuclear workflows, including document retrieval, regulatory compliance checks, and answering technical questions.