Following the Paris climate conference at the end of last year, the energy sector is facing its biggest challenge ever. Countries around the world are searching for pathways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. They are looking for the right balance to the trilemma of security of supply, sustainability and competitiveness. Nordic countries can offer some useful lessons, writes Lauri Virkkunen.

Nuclear engineering and climate change experts from Imperial College London have outlined the benefits of the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant project in Somerset, England. They have joined the public debate on EDF Energy's project, after new British Prime Minister Theresa May's cabinet announced last week that it wants to review the deal and decide in early autumn whether to commit its support.

Nuclear power and climate change were key topics in a discussion on the potential impacts of the UK's decision to leave the European Union held last month by the Energy and Environment Sub-Committee. The Committee, part of the Parliamentary Select Committee on the European Union, has since published transcripts of the meetings.

Imagining a future energy policy in the event of "blackouts that occurred across Europe in 2018", Jonathan Hart and Brett Longstaffe propose a pan-European nuclear fuel cycle that emerged "out of the necessity for secure, low carbon electricity supplies". In their Spark! Contest winning essay*, the two young engineers write that this new system "stood on three pillars" - a coordinated European strategy , technological developments and a new nuclear message.

The New York State Public Service Commission (PSC) has formally approved a Clean Energy Standard (CES) that explicitly recognises the zero-carbon contribution of nuclear power plants and will help ensure their continued operation as it strives to reach ambitious clean energy goals.

The British government has confirmed the full list of ministerial responsibilities within the newly created Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. The list was included in a statement today by Greg Clark, the department's Secretary of State.

The UK's Department of Energy and Climate Change has been scrapped and its brief folded into the newly created Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy department. The formation of BEIS, which was announced yesterday following Theresa May's appointment as the new British Prime Minister, adds energy-related matters to the remit of its predecessor the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Nuclear generating capacity will grow by some 60% by 2040, but its share of total installed capacity will decrease from 5% in 2015 to 4%, according to the latest annual forecast by Bloomberg New Energy Finance. In its New Energy Outlook 2016, Bloomberg also says continued low gas and coal prices will not derail the advance of renewable energy sources and zero-emission energy sources will make up 60% of global installed generating capacity by 2040.

The UK's decision to leave the European Union has not changed the country's commitment to investing in low-carbon energy, including new nuclear, nor its efforts to tackle climate change, Energy Minister Andrea Leadsom told members of parliament (MPs) today. Meanwhile, a report issued by the National Audit Office (NAO) says the UK "lacks a proven, skilled supply chain to support the construction of a new power station".

Entergy is discussing a potential sale of the James A Fitzpatrick nuclear power plant to Exelon, offering the possibility of keeping the single-unit plant in operation beyond 2017. Exelon has confirmed that it will invest millions of dollars to keep Fitzpatrick and its other nuclear power plants in upstate New York in operation if a support mechanism proposed by the New York State Department of Public Service last week is approved.

A diverse and balanced energy mix is best for people and the planet. Achieving this globally means nuclear energy should really expand more than most expect, but this requires a concerted effort by the entire nuclear community and its stakeholders to remove barriers to growth, writes Agneta Rising.

The New York Department of Public Service has put forward a proposal to help preserve New York's upstate nuclear power plants by valuing their zero-emissions attributes based on the social cost of carbon. The department estimates that the state will realize $5 billion in benefits in the first two years alone if the proposal is implemented.