The head of the USA’s Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has vowed the agency will provide an effective and efficient service for years to come.

The Chinese government has approved construction of two more units at the Hongyanhe nuclear power plant in Liaoning province, marking the first approval for new reactors in four years.

Experts agree that the global nuclear power industry has returned to its "pre-Fukushima state" and pessimistic forecasts of a slowdown in its development have not materialized, Leonid Bolshov, director of the Nuclear Safety Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said in an interview with Russian news agency RIA Novosti.

The UK can only be a competitive player in the global nuclear market if the government commits to a program of research and development (R&D) aimed at advanced reactor and fuel cycle technologies, as well as developing a skilled workforce, the Nuclear Innovation and Research Advisory Board suggests.

Finnish nuclear operators had set aside a total of €2.38 billion ($2.67 billion) by the end of 2014 - up from €2.27 billion ($2.55 billion) by the end of 2013 and €2.16 billion ($2.42 billion) by the end of 2012 - for waste disposal and decommissioning activities, the country's Ministry for Employment and the Economy has reported.

Legislation to cut carbon emissions currently before the Illinois general assembly would ensure the continued operation of the state's nuclear power plants, according to Exelon.

Paks Nuclear Power Plant in Hungary has joined the nuclear research program of the Electric Power Research Institute.

The 28 member states of the European Union are to integrate their markets and increase security of supply under a policy set known as the Energy Union. Investments of €200 billion per year are expected over the nest decade.

The US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) proposed Clean Power Plan is achievable without jeopardizing the reliability of the country's power system, a study by the Analysis Group has concluded.

Is South Australia's plan to set up a royal commission into the potential for nuclear power a local or national story, writes Ian Hore-Lacy.

Some 90% of Japanese small- and medium-sized enterprises think their business would be adversely affected by any future increases in electricity prices, a survey by the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry has found. Restarting the country's nuclear power plants is seen as one way of reducing prices.

There has been a "significant evolution in thinking in a relatively short period of time" among US federal regulators, state officials and regional transmission organizations to address the market issues negatively impacting nuclear power plants in the USA, Marvin Fertel, CEO of the Nuclear Energy Institute said yesterday.