Sharm El-Sheikh marked the first time the global nuclear community had a large pavilion in the Blue Zone, at the heart of COP27, writes World Nuclear Association Director General Sama Bilbao y León.

Nuclear energy is playing a crucial role during the current geopolitical situation and must be included when reshaping our energy paradigm and policies going forward, the international nuclear energy industry has said in a joint statement.

The World Association of Nuclear Operators board of directors has passed a resolution that "every effort" be taken to "ensure there be no interference in the operator’s ability to safely perform their work" and resolves "to maintain WANO unity in supporting the Zaporizhzhia power plant and ensures that no member nuclear power station becomes isolated from the industry".

More than 300 representatives from World Association of Nuclear Operators members and other industry organisations attended its Biennial General Meeting, with Chairman Tom Mitchell saying the discussions and challenges shared "will lay the foundation for us to enhance nuclear safety and reliability in the years ahead".

Twenty national and international nuclear industry associations have issued a joint statement in support of the Nuclear non-Proliferation Treaty and are calling on signatories to the treaty to support the transfer of nuclear technology for peaceful uses among those meeting their commitments under it.

The leaders of the Group of Seven large industrialised nations should incentivise the extension of the operating life of existing nuclear reactors and support the restart of others to help achieve the goal of achieving a low-carbon and secure energy supply, the nuclear industry has said.

In a recent position paper, the Belgian Nuclear Society 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.

The nuclear industry knows how to throw a good conference and is great at highlighting innovations in safety, waste management and advanced reactors, but too often it is inside the "nuclear bubble", never reaching those influential policymakers and investors whose buy-in will be essential if nuclear is to succeed, writes Eric Meyer, the founder of Generation Atomic, which aims to "energise and empower today’s generations to advocate for a nuclear future".

The long-term operation of the existing fleet of nuclear power reactors will help the European Union achieve its emission reduction targets at an affordable cost, according to European nuclear trade body Foratom. In an updated position paper, it says the LTO of existing units will help achieve the interim 2030 targets, reduce the EU's energy import dependency and support the integration of a higher share of renewables.

Deep borehole disposal is a viable, cost-effective solution for all of the intermediate and high-level long-lived radioactive waste that is being temporarily stored by five European countries, according to a feasibility study by Deep Isolation. The study was commissioned by Norwegian Nuclear Decommissioning on behalf of the European Repository Development Organisation, a multinational group established in 2021 to address the challenges of safely managing long-lived radioactive wastes either separately or in one combined mined repository.

A future low-carbon energy system based on variable renewables will require the backup of additional flexible capacity, according to an updated report commissioned by European nuclear trade body Foratom. It says nuclear provides a key competitive advantage as it is the only dispatchable, low-carbon and non-weather dependent technology which can support the energy system transition under secure conditions.

European industry body Foratom is hopeful that a new conversation around nuclear energy in light of the continent's gas crisis will bring the policy framework needed for it to make a major contribution to 2030 energy targets, a Moody's webinar heard.