The state of New York will face losses of $358 million per year in economic benefits and residents will face higher electricity bills if the RE Ginna nuclear power plant is forced to close, the US Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) has told state regulators.

Hundreds of people gathered at the Illinois State Capitol yesterday to call for the passage of low carbon energy legislation underpinned by the continued operation of the state's nuclear capacity.

More than three dozen societies for nuclear professionals around the world have signed the 'Nuclear for Climate' declaration, calling for nuclear energy to be recognized for its contribution towards combatting climate change.

"A concerted push for clean-energy innovation is the only way the world can meet its climate goals," according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). The organization said governments should help boost or accelerate this transformation.

State and community leaders in Illinois have called on lawmakers to enact a bill to promote low carbon energy as a matter of urgency if the state is to avoid costly economic impacts from nuclear power plant closures.

Uniper will be the name of the non-renewable company to spin off from EOn. The name means 'Unique Performance' and the company will own stakes in 17 operating reactors across Germany and Sweden.

South Africa has signed two further nuclear energy cooperation agreements with China as part of preparations towards the possible construction of new nuclear power units. The move came as the first group of South African workers began a nuclear power plant training course at a Chinese university, as agreed under an earlier accord.

As the US administration releases the first instalment of an ongoing program to draw up a roadmap for the country's future energy policy, the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) is urging the Department of Energy to include the electricity generation portfolio - especially nuclear energy - in its long-term planning.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is to sign an agreement today, during a state visit to Moscow by Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, that paves the way for Rosatom to build a sixth nuclear reactor in the South American country.

The Canadian province of Ontario is following its efforts to phase out coal-fired electricity generation by introducing a cap-and-trade system to limit greenhouse gas emissions.

A long-term uranium supply contract signed by Cameco and India's Department of Atomic Energy has been welcomed by the two countries' prime ministers as they look to further cooperation and collaboration between their nations.

The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) forecasts that, between 2013 and 2040, nuclear power's share of total generation in the USA will fall from 19% to 15% in its High Oil and Gas Resource case and to 18% in its High Oil Price case, where higher natural gas prices lead to additional growth in nuclear capacity.