The UK's Nuclear Industry Association has welcomed confirmation of the government's intention to seek associate status to Euratom R&D programmes. NIA chief executive Tom Greatrex stressed however that this is just one part of the current Euratom framework, and progress in replicating other vital areas is still needed before the UK leaves the treaty, as part of its exit from the European Union, in March 2019.

The US Nuclear Energy Institute has called on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to move quickly to define, foster and retain resiliency on the country's electricity grid before further nuclear generating capacity is lost through premature plant retirements. Meanwhile, the independent, non-partisan Center for Climate and Energy Solutions has issued a new report outlining how US policymakers can preserve the emission benefits of nuclear energy.

By combining flexible nuclear power plant operation with the use of variable renewable energy sources, Europe will be able to ensure security of energy supply while reducing its greenhouse gas emissions, according to the European nuclear trade body Foratom. However, it calls for an EU energy policy that creates the right market and regulatory conditions for this to happen.

The Energy Technologies Institute yesterday released a summary report from its Nuclear Cost Drivers project which identifies eight "key drivers" and 35 "credible opportunities" to reduce the cost of generating electricity using nuclear power. The study is led by Clean Tech Catalyst, Ltd, working with Lucid Strategy.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission told congressional lawmakers last week its commissioners are investigating ways for electricity markets to value reliability, while distancing themselves from immediate reform. The Nuclear Energy Institute says the discussion follows the "concrete action taken by several states, most recently New Jersey, to properly compensate nuclear power's zero-carbon attributes".

The social and environmental impacts of electricity provision affect individuals, economies and countries in ways that are not captured in market prices, but yet are too important to be neglected, according to a report issued today.

The Belgian government has approved a new "energy pact" that maintains the previous policy to phase out nuclear energy in the country by 2025. A draft bill on the new federal energy strategy will be submitted to the cabinet by the end of May.

The Ontario Chamber of Commerce says the continued operation of the Pickering nuclear power plant until 2024 would be a benefit to Ontario's economy, its local communities, its climate change goals and the stability of its energy system.

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission is transforming the way it carries out its business as it adapts to meet new challenges, the agency's annual conference heard last week. The country's nuclear industry is mirroring the regulator's efforts with its own initiative to press for regulatory change.

The UK government has been defeated twice in the House of Lords over its plans for nuclear cooperation after its leaves the European Union next year, the BBC has reported. They also backed a plan requiring the UK to report to Parliament regularly on its future arrangements with Euratom.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recently agreed to strengthen its collaboration with the International Youth Nuclear Congress (IYNC), a global network of young professionals working within the field of nuclear energy.

The UK must be able to operate as an "independent and responsible nuclear state" as soon as it leaves the European Union in March 2019, the government has said in its response to a parliamentary report about the impact of Brexit on the country's nuclear industry.