It is understandable that the nuclear power industry feels it has been left "in limbo" by the European Commission's taxonomy on sustainable finance, even though its low-carbon credentials are clear, an adviser to the Technical Expert Group that developed the guidance said last week. Sean Kidney, CEO of the Climate Bonds Initiative, participated in the 28 July webinar-based discussion of a newly published Policy Brief by the OECD-Nuclear Energy Agency, Unlocking financing for nuclear energy infrastructure in the COVID-19 economic recovery.

Cameco and Orano Canada have announced plans to restart operations at the Cigar Lake uranium mine and the McClean Lake mill. Cameco will restart mine operations at the beginning of September, and Orano expects to be processing uranium by the middle of the month.

EDF has said the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a slowdown in construction and maintenance of its nuclear power plant fleet in both France and the UK. It has warned of further delays to the schedules for completing both the Flamanville and Hinkley Point C projects.

The sheer size of nuclear projects might be a barrier in some markets where private investors are looking for short‑term paybacks. However, during a period of economic recovery, large‑scale and long‑term energy infrastructure projects, such as nuclear power plants, can galvanise the social cohesion and economic spill‑overs required to re-launch general economic activity.

Only governments can properly value the benefits of nuclear power and their support is therefore necessary to secure financing for new-build projects, George Borovas, partner and head of nuclear at law firm Shearman & Sterling, said today. Borovas was speaking during an OECD-Nuclear Energy Agency webinar on its newly published Policy Brief, Unlocking financing for nuclear energy infrastructure in the COVID-19 economic recovery.

At the end of a five-day special meeting of the European Council, EU leaders reached agreement today to jointly borrow EUR750 billion (USD862 billion) to respond to the coronavirus pandemic. The EU's recovery fund, to be composed of EUR390 billion in grants and EUR360 billion in loans, will be attached to a new EUR1.074 trillion seven-year budget, the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF). This brings the total financial package to EUR1.82 trillion.

Nuclear energy projects should be included in post-COVID recovery plans as they provide a large number of jobs that help boost the economy, the OECD-Nuclear Energy Agency says in its newly published Policy Brief, Creating high-value jobs in the post-COVID-19 recovery with nuclear energy projects.

Nuclear power plant operators are carrying out remote quality and safety related assessments of systems, structures and components to overcome physical distancing and mobility restrictions during the global COVID-19 pandemic, participants in a recent International Atomic Energy Agency webinar said. SSCs must be regularly monitored, replaced and have their quality verified.

Successfully decarbonising the electricity sector requires suitable policies for the rapid deployment of all available low-carbon technologies, Jan Horst Keppler, senior economic advisor at the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency said yesterday. Keppler spoke during a webinar held to discuss the Paris-based agency’s newly published Policy Brief, Nuclear power and the cost-effective decarbonisation of electricity systems.

US Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette yesterday called for the world to take a dynamic, rather than static, approach to energy policy to facilitate the innovation necessary to secure a clean energy future. Speaking at the International Energy Agency's Clean Energy Transitions Summit 2020, he cautioned against "static" policies that could stifle innovation and limit fuel choices.

Sama Bilbao y Leon of the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency describes how resilience - the capacity to withstand and bounce back from major disruptions - takes many forms at nuclear power plants. The following is an abridged version of the presentation she gave during the webinar the Paris-based organisation held today to discuss its newly published Policy Brief, Building low-carbon resilient electricity infrastructures with nuclear energy in the post-COVID-19 era.

The COVID-19 pandemic recovery has presented a window of opportunity for governments, according to a White Paper published today by World Nuclear Association. It says recovery plans that include investment in nuclear energy could not only boost economic growth and jobs, but also fulfil climate change commitments and build a clean and resilient energy system.