The Czech Fiscal Council, Národní rozpočtová rada, has warned that financing a new nuclear power unit could have a long-term impact on the country's budget and could be "a lot higher" than current estimates.

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš told reporters in Prague yesterday that the government will provide a loan to ČEZ to cover 70% of the cost of building a new unit at the Dukovany nuclear power plant, with the majority state-owned utility funding the remaining 30%. The project cost is estimated to be about EUR6.0 billion (USD6.7 billion), ČEZ CEO Daniel Beneš told the ČTK news agency, following the press conference.

EDF Energy announced today it has applied to the Planning Inspectorate for a Development Consent Order to build the Sizewell C nuclear power plant on the Suffolk coast of England. The application, which follows four rounds of public consultation that began in 2012, was deferred for two months "in recognition of the extraordinary circumstances created by the Coronavirus", the French-owned company said.

The Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s upper house of parliament, has adopted a draft law on nuclear safety that enables state-run nuclear power plant operator Energoatom to secure a EUR200 million (USD220 million) loan from Euratom. The parliament said yesterday it had approved "in the second reading and as a whole" draft law №2373 On Amendments to Certain Laws of Ukraine on the Safety of Nuclear Energy Use.

The Nuclear Industry Association of South Africa has outlined six potential options for financing new nuclear power plants in the country. Last week, Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe told a parliamentary committee he would be willing to look at innovative funding options as his department begins the process to develop 2500 MWe of new nuclear capacity.

The European Court of Justice should dismiss an appeal brought by Austria in respect of the European Commission's approval of state aid for the planned Hinkley Point C (HPC) nuclear power plant in the UK, Advocate General Gerard Hogan has concluded. His opinion will be taken into account when the European Court of Justice rules on Austria's appeal of the General Court's 2018 decision to reject the case.

The US Department of Energy on 5 February issued a Request for Information/Notice of Intent to solicit applications for two advanced reactor demonstration awards. It said the issuance of the RFI/NOI was also to give interested parties an opportunity "to provide their insights on how the demonstration programme could be successfully executed".

Developing countries are unable to enjoy the benefits of nuclear power owing to a lack of involvement from development finance institutions, but small modular reactors may provide the key, write Elina Teplinsky and Sid Fowler of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP.

Over the next decade, the world faces two significant interrelated challenges. First, developing countries must increase electric generation to provide their citizens with access to affordable, reliable energy. Second, all nations face the urgent need to rapidly and dramatically reduce carbon emissions.

The UK will no longer fund coal projects overseas, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced today during his opening address at the UK-Africa Investment Summit in London. Instead, the government will "turbo-charge" its support for low-carbon energy sources, he said, noting that the UK has cut its CO2 emissions by 42% from the 1990 level. The country is the host of the next round of UN climate talks - COP26 - in November.

Engineering firm Atkins has published a new report detailing the investment in low-carbon energy needed for the UK to achieve its target of net-zero emissions by 2050. The report - titled Engineering Net Zero - calls for the government to significantly increase investment in nuclear power.

New nuclear power plant investments face significant challenges, especially in liberalised electricity markets. A regulated asset model may help resolve these challenges. Edward Kee, Ruediger Koenig, Paul Murphy and Xavier Rollat explore the potential and the limits of this model.

UK Research and Innovation has provided initial match funding to the consortium of companies designing a new type of nuclear power station in the UK. Rolls-Royce and its partners have said a UK small modular reactor programme could contribute GBP100 billion (USD128 billion) to the UK economy and open up a global export market.