Asia needs nuclear energy to meet its economic, energy and environmental goals, but in south east Asia plans are still in the development phase, according to World Nuclear Association director general Agneta Rising.

An experienced nuclear country like the UK should aim to have nuclear accounting for around 50% of its electricity mix, according to World Nuclear Association Director General Agneta Rising. She was speaking at the Civil Nuclear Showcase conference in London on 27 February.

UPDATED World Nuclear Association Director General Agneta Rising said today that nuclear power can help Indonesia meet its economic, energy and environmental goals. Speaking at the opening of World Nuclear Spotlight Indonesia 2018, in Jakarta, Rising said she welcomed the Indonesian government's commitment to supporting innovative nuclear technology.

Bulgaria should accelerate new nuclear build to meet the growing need for reliable, low-carbon electricity, Agneta Rising, director general of the World Nuclear Association, told Energy Commission Members at the Bulgarian Parliament today.

World Nuclear Association yesterday presented its Harmony programme to members of Foratom, the Brussels-based trade association for the nuclear energy industry in Europe. Harmony is the nuclear industry vision for the future of electricity and how nuclear energy can help the world achieve its 2-degree climate target.

The World Bank Group has announced that it will no longer finance upstream oil and gas, after 2019. It was one of several moves announced by the group at the One Planet Summit held in Paris today.

Harmonising the training of contractors to access multiple nuclear facilities in the USA is one example of ensuring safety amid pressures on the industry to cut costs and remain competitive, Peter Prozesky, CEO of the World Association of Nuclear Operators, told World Nuclear News in a recent interview. This approach is one answer to the industry's need to align its procedures, as outlined in World Nuclear Association’s Harmony initiative, he added.

If the United Nations' sustainability goals are to be met, nuclear energy will need to provide at least 15% of the world's electricity by 2040, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). It notes that China continues to lead a gradual rise in nuclear output and is expected to overtake the USA by 2030 to become the largest producer of nuclear electricity.

National pledges made under the Paris Climate Change Agreement will only achieve a third of the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions required by 2030 to meet climate targets, a new report from the United Nations Environment Programme has found. In response, the director general of World Nuclear Association, Agneta Rising, said the importance of nuclear energy in meeting climate targets cannot be overstated.

World Nuclear Association asks UN Environment to join other leading international bodies in recognising that nuclear energy is an important part of the solution to climate change. We hope to see nuclear energy represented alongside renewables in future UN Environment dialogues on clean energy, innovation and sustainable development, writes Agneta Rising.

Asian countries continue to dominate the market for new nuclear build, according to a newly-released report from the World Nuclear Association. Of the 10 new nuclear power reactors that started up worldwide in 2016, eight were located in Asia.

International cooperation is high in the nuclear industry, but harmonising regulatory processes remains a challenge, delegates heard at the World Nuclear Association's annual symposium held in London recently. In addition, regulatory bodies face new tasks - licensing advanced reactor technologies, enhancing public confidence and assisting newcomer countries.