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Nuclear energy could help the UK achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, not only through the generation of low-carbon electricity but also by fully utilising the generated heat, according to a policy briefing published yesterday by the Royal Society. This heat could be used to heat homes, produce hydrogen and decarbonise industry, it says.

The Green Ribbon Panel, a group of Canadian environmental and economic leaders, has published a roadmap for provincial and federal policymakers, which includes recommendations on how to meet Canada's greenhouse gas reduction goals.

Public Service Enterprise Group yesterday applied for a three-year extension to the Zero Emission Certificates for the Salem and Hope Creek nuclear power plants. The units had been under threat of closure until New Jersey awarded the ZECs in April 2019, but PSEG said power markets have deteriorated significantly since the first ZEC eligibility period began.

The climate emergency has further boosted Czech support for nuclear energy, Zuzana Krejčiříková, director of public affairs at ČEZ Group, said last week during a webinar hosted by the Expert Group on Resource Management of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. The largely state-run utility's transparent approach to new-build projects has also helped public acceptance of the government's plans to support the expansion of the Dukovany nuclear power plant, she said.

Brussels' wish for ​​a relatively rapid decommissioning of the coal-fired power plants of European Union Member States has the potential to create huge imbalances in Bulgaria's electricity system, writes Borislav Boev, a PhD student at D A Tsenov Academy of Economics.

The falling costs of renewable energy, such as solar PV and wind, do not give governments an accurate picture of how to invest in low-carbon generation, Michel Berthélemy, a nuclear energy analyst at the OECD Nuclear ������ý���� Agency, said last week during a webinar hosted by the Expert Group on Resource Management of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.

Carolina Schmidt and Alok Sharma - respectively, COP25 president and COP26 president-designate - yesterday issued a joint plea for new and enhanced Nationally Determined Contributions and net-zero targets ahead of the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement. NDCs embody efforts by each country to reduce national emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change.

The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe has welcomed the nuclear industry into its debate on the policy responses required to address climate change and sustainable development. Today, UNECE's Expert Group on Resource Management held a session titled The role of nuclear energy resources in sustainable development as part of UNECE ������ý���� Week 2020.

The world has entered a new era of energy transition - energy for people, planet and prosperity - and the big question facing us all is how it can emerge faster from crisis as stronger, connected energy societies, ������ý���� ������ý���� Council Secretary General and CEO Angela Wilkinson said in her address to the 11th Clean ������ý���� Ministerial yesterday. Hosted this year by Saudi Arabia, the event was held entirely via live streaming.

The UK government has launched a COP26 ������ý���� Transition Council to bring together leaders of the global power sector, to accelerate the transition from coal to clean power. Announcing the initiative at a Clean ������ý���� Ministerial side event, Martin Callanan said this new partnership would "speed progress" for the next round of UN climate talks, in November 2020. Callanan, a life peer, delivered a keynote speech on behalf of COP President Designate Alok Sharma, at the CEM11 discussion Passing the Tipping Point: the next decade of clean energy cooperation held on 21 September.

Russian Minister of ������ý���� Alexander Novak yesterday highlighted the contribution of the country's nuclear power sector, which this year celebrates its 75th anniversary, to the transition to low-carbon energy. During his address to the 11th Clean ������ý���� Ministerial, Novak said the climate agenda was becoming an increasingly significant factor in changes to the wider energy industry.

The United Arab Emirates' world records in the development of solar power do not distract from an ambition to expand its use of nuclear energy to help facilitate the transition to a clean economy, UAE Minister of ������ý���� Suhail Mohammed Faraj Al Mazroui said yesterday. In his address to the 11th Clean ������ý���� Ministerial, the minister explained the progress the UAE has made with its ������ý���� Strategy 2050.