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The International Energy Agency (IEA) in its latest report, Electricity 2024, dedicates a significant amount of space to nuclear power – a departure from its previous studies which treated it as peripheral. In its press release on the new report, IEA says the increase in electricity generation from renewables and nuclear "appears to be pushing the power sector's emissions into structural decline". Over the next three years, low-emissions generation is set to rise at twice the annual growth rate between 2018 and 2023. Global emissions from electricity generation are expected to decrease by 2.4% in 2024, followed by smaller declines in 2025 and 2026.

Date: Friday, 26 January 2024
Original article: neimagazine.com/news/newsiea-acknowledges-significance-of-nuclear-energy-in-new-report-11463539

The Nuclear Alliance, a French initiative comprising 16 European countries seeking to further develop nuclear power, has issued a statement calling on the European Commission (EC) to recognise nuclear energy in the EU's energy strategy and relevant policies. The statement came after a meeting in Paris with European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson.

Date: Friday, 19 May 2023
Original article: neimagazine.com/news/newsalliance-urges-eu-recognition-of-nuclear-energy-10862117

Nuclear could provide up to 150 GWe of generating capacity by 2050 in the European Union, according to a statement issued by 16 European countries following a meeting in Paris with European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson. The so-called Nuclear Alliance called on the European Commission to recognise nuclear energy in the EU's energy strategy and relevant policies.

Date: Thursday, 18 May 2023
Original article: world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Alliance-calls-for-greater-European-support-for-nu

‘No technical arguments’ for shutting down nuclear plants after 40 years Unit 2 at the Tihange nuclear power station in Belgium is scheduled for permanent shutdown this week. Courtesy Electrabel. Belgium should repeal its 2003 nuclear exit law as it looks for ways to deal with the energy crisis sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and resulting gas and electricity price increases, the Brussels-based Belgian Nuclear Forum said.

The underlying argument of the 2003 law is that a nuclear plant is obsolete after 40 years and should be decommissioned, the forum said.

“Nothing could be further from the truth: there are no technical arguments for definitively shutting down a nuclear power plant after 40 years of operation, but only political arguments,” it added.

The forum issued the statement as owner and operater Engie Electrabel prepares to permanently shut down the Tinhange-2 nuclear power plant on 31 January. The 1,008-MW pressurised water reactor unt began commercial operation on 1 June 1983 and has been online for 40 years.

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the last couple of decades have witnessed increased interest in the extension of the operating life of nuclear power plants. Extending the life of a plant is more economical than building a new one, and where it makes business sense. The agency says about 90% of US plants have already renewed their licences to extend their operation to 60 years, with additional extensions for a total of 80 years being considered. In Europe, plants are regularly seeking lifetimes of 60 years.

Date: Tuesday, 31 January 2023
Original article: nucnet.org/news/as-tihange-2-approaches-closure-industry-group-calls-for-repeal-of-2003-nuclear-exit-law-1-1-2023

In a recent position paper, the Belgian Nuclear Society (BNS) welcomed the political decision to keep two reactors - Doel 4 and Tihange 3 - in operation beyond 2025 because of security of electricity supply concerns. However, it questions why the operation of the units has been limited to just ten years.

Date: Thursday, 23 June 2022
Original article: world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/BNS-questions-limit-to-extended-operation-of-Belgi

Country has one commercial reactor at Borssele Incumbent prime minister Mark Rutte is expecting his fourth term in power. Image courtesy New Democracy (Nea Demokratia) / Flickr. The newly formed Dutch governing coalition has decided to include the construction of two new nuclear power units in the country as part of future energy and climate policies, according to the official document published yesterday.

The agreement said nuclear power can complement generation from renewable energy sources including solar, wind, and geothermal, and makes the Netherlands less dependent on gas imports.

The Netherlands have one commercial reactor unit in operation at Borssele, in the southwest province of Zeeland, near the Belgian border. It is a 482-MW Siemens-built pressurised water reactor unit which came online in 1973.

Date: Friday, 17 December 2021
Original article: nucnet.org/news/construction-of-two-new-nuclear-units-becomes-part-of-governing-coalition-deal-12-4-2021

Given the EU's legally binding 2050 comprehensive decarbonisation policy with adequate CO2 pricing, the closure of many large nuclear power plants in Belgium and Germany, and an EU-wide coal power phase out by 2030-2050 and the inability of intermittent renewable energy to supply the scale and quality of energy needed for continent-scale decarbonisation, there is a strong business case to deploy small modular reactors (SMRs) in the EU by 2040, writes Kalev Kallemets, co-founder and CEO of Fermi Energia.

Date: Friday, 08 October 2021
Original article: world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Viewpoint-Energy-crisis-demands-quickly-scalable-S

Thirty-five years on from the Chernobyl accident, Ukraine and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have highlighted their commitment to cooperation in nuclear power. Meanwhile Ukraine’s nuclear regulator has launched the start of operations at a new storage facility for used nuclear fuel at the Chernobyl site.  

Date: Wednesday, 28 April 2021
Original article: world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Title