Political wrangling over the classification of nuclear energy in taxonomies contradicts the low-carbon ambition of the Paris Agreement, Philippe Knoche, CEO of Orano, said last week during World Nuclear Association's Strategic eForum on Sustainable Finance. Knoche was joined on the panel by representatives of the International Monetary Fund, Rothschild & Co, Brazil's National Bank for Economic and Social Development, Banque de France and the Network for Greening the Financial System, who all said investment in new nuclear projects requires political consensus that is currently absent from some debates on sustainable finance.

Leonardo Mendes Cabral, director of privatisations at Brazil's National Bank for Economic and Social Development, says he expects a financing arrangement to finish unit 3 of the Angra nuclear power plant will be ready by the end of next year. BNDES is one of the biggest providers of financing for infrastructure projects in Brazil, and also played a role in financing nuclear energy in the past.

Greening the financial system involves looking beyond reference scenarios and towards tools that measure exposure to climate risk, Morgan Després, deputy head of the Financial Stability Department at Banque de France, said yesterday during World Nuclear Association's Strategic eForum on Sustainable Finance. Després, who leads the secretariat of the Network for Greening the Financial System, said a bank's traditional mandate will change as it re-evaluates the boundaries of monetary policy. To help with this process, a 'colour continuum' from light green to dark brown is needed to understand better the value - and risk - of investments in the clean energy transition.

Private investors need to see clear and consistent political support for nuclear energy as a way to tackle climate change if they are to play a role in raising the large amount of capital required for new-build projects, Stephen Vaughan, vice chair of Energy & Power at Rothschild & Co, said yesterday during World Nuclear Association's Strategic eForum on Sustainable Finance. Specifically, taxonomies must back investment in nuclear power, he said.

Greening our economies is not just smart for the planet; most likely it is also the surest and cheapest route back to a prosperous global economy. This is the conclusion of a working paper the International Monetary Fund will publish tomorrow, one of its co-authors said today during World Nuclear Association's Strategic eForum on Sustainable Finance. The virtual conference examined the measures needed to ensure nuclear energy can make its fullest contribution to the twin goals of decarbonisation and economic recovery from the pandemic.

The ability of nuclear energy to stabilise electricity systems and secure the grid is all the more essential in an increasingly unpredictable weather world, write Bryan Hanson, executive vice president and chief generation officer at Exelon, Bohdan Zronek, chief nuclear officer at ČEZ Group, and Sama Bilbao y Léon, director general of World Nuclear Association.

Westinghouse Electric Company has announced its intention to invest in nuclear technologies in Poland, following a meeting in Warsaw between Westinghouse CEO Patrick Fragman and Polish Secretary of State for Strategic Energy Infrastructure Piotr Naimski.

Nuclear energy can be a critical component of a decarbonised energy system for those member states that choose to consider it as part of their sustainable development and climate change strategy, the UN Economic Commission for Europe says in a new report. The report shows how the utilisation of local or regional uranium resources can provide a platform for sustainable development.

Achieving net-zero by 2050 for Canada is a "monumental but achievable" objective that will require an all-in commitment, according to a new blueprint issued by SNC-Lavalin. Investment in engineering solutions is needed in every area of low carbon energy production, while power grid reliability, resiliency and effectiveness is key to effectively support electrification of other economic sectors, it finds.

Government policies should recognise the potential of nuclear energy if the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals are to be achieved, World Nuclear Association Director General Sama Bilbao y León told the Asian Business Leadership Forum. Speaking at ABLF's Sixth Conclave, which was held on 9 March, Bilbao y León set out her vision of how nations can maximise the use of nuclear power to help achieve the SDGs.

Rosatom has announced that implementation of Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to increase the share of nuclear power in the country's energy mix to 25% by 2045 will require, according to preliminary estimates, the construction of 24 new reactor units, including in new regions.

The Czech Republic's State Office for Nuclear Safety yesterday issued a site licence for two new reactor units at the existing Dukovany nuclear power plant site. ČEZ said obtaining a site licence means preparation for an announcement on tenders for suppliers to the Dukovany expansion project can start.