Organisational and technical measures are needed to improve the safety of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s research reactor, an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team of experts has concluded. TRICO-II, at the Kinshasa Nuclear Research Centre (CREN-K), has not been in operation since 2003. World-nuclear-news.org

The US Department of Energy has approved the start of construction of a new underground ventilation system at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in New Mexico. The USD288 million Safety Significant Confinement Ventilation System (SSCVS) is one of a number of infrastructure projects planned for the New Mexico facility. World-nuclear-news.org

After years of delays and rocketing budgets, the next wave of new nuclear plants is in serious trouble. Greenpeace.org

A nuclear power plant in southeastern Washington shut down unexpectedly Friday. The Tri-City Herald reports the Columbia Generating Station’s systems detected a problem having to do with electrical distribution and automatically shut the plant down at 6:51 AM. Komonews.com