Urenco has completed a UK trial to produce Europe’s first batch of LEU+ nuclear fuel, enriched above conventional low-enriched uranium yet still below the 20% U‑235 threshold, for use in existing gigawatt-scale reactors and planned small modular reactors. The higher assay fuel is designed to extend fuel cycle length compared with standard LEU, potentially reducing refuelling outages and spent fuel volumes per megawatt-hour. For civil and nuclear engineers, LEU+ could influence core design margins, outage scheduling, and long-term storage and transport requirements for higher-burnup fuel.

Norwegian synthetic graphite producer Vianode has signed a Letter of Intent with South Korea’s JR Energy Solution to supply anode-grade synthetic graphite for EV and stationary storage batteries, initially from the Via ONE plant in Norway and later from the planned large-scale Via TWO facility in St Thomas, Ontario. The partners will run joint product validation and qualification programmes and work on supply chain integration to deploy Vianode’s low-emission synthetic graphite technology. With more than 95% of synthetic graphite for lithium-ion cells currently sourced from China, the deal signals a push to diversify anode material supply into Europe and North America.

B&B Attachments has launched an enhanced BlockMaster range of forklift-mounted handling attachments for bricks, blocks, flags and kerbs, aimed at high-throughput, abrasive yard conditions where product damage must be tightly controlled. Configurations now include clamps for one to four packs of flags and kerbs, pack-consolidation and rotating variants, plus pipe and chamber clamps, load stabilisers and kiln tine attachments for handling green concrete or clay products. Bespoke designs allow sites to match clamp geometry and rotation to specific pack sizes and curing states, improving handling precision and reducing breakage.