There have been overall improvements across the three dimensions of the energy trilemma - energy security, energy equity and environmental sustainability - the latest Energy Trilemma Index from the World Energy Council suggests. However, WEC said countries face challenges in developing a balanced approach to their energy policy.

There are signs of a global energy transition, with low-carbon technologies expected to generate almost half of the world's electricity by 2040, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). Nuclear's share of global electricity generation is set to remain around the current level.

The US Administration has underlined its vision of a strong role for nuclear in the country's clean energy strategy. It has announced actions to sustain and finance nuclear energy, including supplements to the Department of Energy's federal loan guarantee solicitation to support nuclear energy projects.

US utility Exelon will defer any decision about the future operations of its Clinton nuclear power plant for a year after the Midcontinent Independent System Operator regional transmission organization acknowledged the need for changes to the design of the southern Illinois electricity market.

The nuclear renaissance is on our doorstep and we have a one-off chance to maximise the opportunity, writes Jean Llewellyn.

Westinghouse Electric Company and Ukrainian officials have reiterated their support for a comprehensive program to implement efficiency and safety improvements to the country's nuclear fleet, which they said will provide significant energy supply and security for Ukraine. Westinghouse, which is majority-owned by Japan's Toshiba, was one of several US-based companies to join an official delegation to Kiev led by US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker yesterday.

A fundamental restructuring of the whole energy system is needed if the UK is to meet the so-called energy 'trilemma' of affordability, security and decarbonization, according to the Royal Academy of Engineering. It is essential that nuclear remains part of that system, it says.

Nuclear power can make a "significant contribution" to combatting climate change - "one of the most important environmental challenges facing the world today" - while providing energy for economic growth, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Despite a growing sense of urgency over the need for reliable low-carbon electricity sources, the developed world seems to have lost the art of taking difficult but necessary decisions, preferring to chase after dreams and shadows, writes Malcolm Grimston.

A bilateral cooperation agreement on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy has been signed between the governments of Saudi Arabia and Hungary.

Westinghouse is seeking to collaborate with the US Department of Energy on the development of a lead-cooled fast reactor (LFR). It will be the company's first foray into fourth generation reactor designs.

A stress test ordered by the German government has shown that the country's nuclear energy suppliers are able to cover the costs of decommissioning their power plants and disposing of radioactive waste.