Is South Australia's plan to set up a royal commission into the potential for nuclear power a local or national story, writes Ian Hore-Lacy.

Some 90% of Japanese small- and medium-sized enterprises think their business would be adversely affected by any future increases in electricity prices, a survey by the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry has found. Restarting the country's nuclear power plants is seen as one way of reducing prices.

There has been a "significant evolution in thinking in a relatively short period of time" among US federal regulators, state officials and regional transmission organizations to address the market issues negatively impacting nuclear power plants in the USA, Marvin Fertel, CEO of the Nuclear Energy Institute said yesterday.

Unit 1 of the Doel nuclear power plant in Belgium will be permanently disconnected from the grid on 15 February, operator Electrabel has stated. Despite government approval for extending the life of the 40-year-old unit, the regulator has not yet given its permission.

The Czech Republic and Jordan have agreed to cooperate in the peaceful development of nuclear power with the signing of a memorandum of understanding during Czech President Miloš Zeman's visit to the Middle Eastern country.

Egypt and Russia have agreed to build a nuclear power plant together and officials from both countries have signed a memorandum of understanding on the proposed project.

UPDATED The state of South Australia is to carry out an in-depth investigation into its future role in the nuclear fuel cycle in a first-of-a-kind Royal Commission.

The European Commission has launched discussion on the creation of its proposed Energy Union. The initiative, it said, aims to "reform how Europe produces, transports and consumes energy."

The US Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) has hailed calls from the chairman of the Senate subcommittee responsible for energy funding to take steps to avoid a decline in US nuclear capacity as a well-timed "clarion call".

There are 69 reactors under construction today - the largest number in 25 years - but only one is in a liberalized electricity market, writes Edward Kee.

Argentina and China have ratified an agreement signed last year to work jointly on a project to build a fourth nuclear power reactor in the Latin American country.

The $30 billion earmarked for the US Department of Energy in the 2016 budget proposal is 9% up on the amount it received for 2015. The $1 billion budget requested by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is nearly 3% down on the previous year as its new reactor workload decreases.