Safety and security are the "overriding and enduring priorities" of the nuclear power industry and plant operators "need to anticipate new safety concerns", such as terrorism and cyber security, EDF Energy CEO Vincent de Rivaz said at a conference in London today.

Ukraine's Energoatom has said it would need at least two years and extra funds to introduce load-following at the 15 VVER units it operates. The Cabinet of Ministers requires the country's reactors to be adapted to load-following mode by the end of this year, according to its Action Plan for 2016.

The UK's Nuclear Industry Association has welcomed new official data from the Office for National Statistics which it said shows the "vital contribution nuclear power generation makes to the economy". The statistics, released for the first time and part of the low-carbon and renewable energy data series, show nuclear generation and new build activities contributed £3.5 billion to the economy in 2014, with 15,500 people employed full time.

European electricity association Eurelectric has welcomed the European Commission's recently published Nuclear Illustrative Program (PINC), but expressed regrets at its failure to address the issue of premature reactor closures due to market conditions. European nuclear industry association Foratom also called on the PINC to address the impact of market conditions on nuclear investments.

The Kazakhstan-United States Energy Partnership Commission yesterday signed a joint statement at a meeting in Kazakhstan that was co-chaired by Kazakh energy minister K A Bosumbayev and US energy secretary Ernest Moniz.

A key security agreement, once described by IAEA director general Yukiya Amano as the single most important step to strengthen nuclear security, is set to become legally binding after Nicaragua became the 102nd state to adhere to the Amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Materials.

EnBW has had its claim for damages arising from Germany's moratorium on nuclear power thrown out by a regional court in Bonn. The court announced today that Germany's fourth biggest utility had not used immediately "all legal means available” to avert the consequences of the forced shut down of its nuclear power units.

The UK's nuclear supply chain needs to speak to a wider audience about its achievements and be ready to welcome professionals from other sectors into the new build fold, writes Tom Greatrex.

Investment of between €350 billion ($399 billion) and €450 billion will be required over the next 35 years to maintain the European Union's nuclear generating capacity at between 95 and 105 GWe, according to the European Commission's latest Nuclear Illustrative Program.

The state of Wisconsin has lifted a moratorium that had prevented it from considering applications to build new nuclear power plants. Governor Scott Walker signed Assembly Bill 384 into law at a ceremony held at the Wisconsin Energy Institute on 1 April, lifting the moratorium imposed in 1983.

Areva, EDF and the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) have launched a tripartite consultative body to "best confront the profound changes currently under way in the highly-competitive nuclear sector".

Figures released today by the Department of Energy and Climate Change show that electricity generation in the UK fell by half a percent last year to 337.7 TWh, from 338.9 TWh a year earlier. The change reflected a large fall in generation from coal that was offset by increases from renewables and nuclear, according to DECC's Energy Trends report for March 2016.