The nuclear industry has today called on the European Commission to expedite the inclusion of nuclear energy in the EU Taxonomy on Sustainable Finance, following a comprehensive assessment that nuclear energy does no more harm to human health or the environment than any other power-producing technology considered to be sustainable.

The leaders of seven European Union Member States have written to the European Commission on the role of nuclear power in EU climate and energy policy. The full text of the 19 March letter - which was addressed to Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans, executive vice-president, Mairead McGuinness, commissioner for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union, and Kadri Simson, commissioner for Energy - is as follows.

Nuclear energy can be used to produce low-carbon hydrogen via several efficient processes, King Lee of the World Nuclear Association told a workshop yesterday organised by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. Speaking as vice-chair of the UNECE Group of Experts on Cleaner Electricity Systems, Lee said nuclear energy will play an important role as part of a low-carbon energy mix for the transition to net zero.

The workshop the International Energy Agency and the International Atomic Energy Agency held jointly last week was very timely because the European Union is at an important juncture, and must consider the role of a variety of energy sources in its electricity mix if it is to achieve its decarbonisation goals, said Massimo Garribba, deputy director general of DG-Energy at the European Commission, adding that those sources include nuclear energy.

The European Nuclear Safety Regulators Group has approved the preliminary report on a peer review of the new Belarusian nuclear power plant in Ostrovets. Adopted by consensus on 3 March, the report follows a mission by Ensreg technical experts to the plant site on 9 and 10 February.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Saeed Khatibzadeh, says "the time is not ripe" for an unofficial meeting proposed by Josep Borrell, EU foreign affairs chief and coordinator of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. His statement follows Iran's commencement last week of restrictions on some site inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The E3 - France, Germany and the UK - has welcomed the prospect of a US and Iranian return to compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. The E3 foreign ministers and the US secretary of state held a virtual meeting yesterday to discuss Iran and other pressing issues. It was the second time in this format since Secretary Antony Blinken took office.

The European Union should embark on a "nuclear renaissance" programme if it is to achieve its climate objectives, a new study on the bloc's climate policy has concluded. Commissioned by ECR Group and Renew Europe, the report says it is practically impossible to generate sufficient energy with wind and solar energy as there is not enough available land to meet electricity demand.

Nuclear energy must be part of the European taxonomy in order to meet the objective of the Green Deal, thirteen trade unions representing energy and nuclear workers have told Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, in a joint letter. Exclusion of nuclear power will not only have a negative impact on the European nuclear industry but also on electricity-intensive industries, they said.

With 10 research and innovation actions linked to nuclear, the Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET Plan) is "really stimulating new partnerships" across the 18 SET countries that are participating in them, Rosalinde van der Vlies, 'clean planet' director at the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation at the European Commission, said this week. Speaking in the plenary session of SNETP Forum 2021, she said all EU Member States have "very high standards" in safety, radiation protection and security.

The European Parliament Committee on Industry, Research and Energy has approved a draft resolution on the safety of the Ostrovets nuclear power plant in Belarus. Committee members voted 66 in favour and two against the resolution, with seven abstentions. The document, which was initiated by Lithuania, will be discussed at the plenary session of the European Parliament next week.

A Memorandum of Understanding signed by the Canadian Nuclear Association and Foratom will strengthen the associations' efforts in advancing the development of nuclear energy, its application and deployment to meet climate change goals. The MoU will see the two organisations work together to support, amongst other things, the development and deployment of small modular reactors and advanced reactors.