¶¶Òõpro

Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority has confirmed that Kyushu Electric's Genkai units 3 and 4 in Saga Prefecture meet new regulatory standards. The Japan Atomic Industry Forum said today that the decision, which Kyushu announced on 18 January, was based on the NRA's approval of a revised review of reactor upgrade plans at the two 1180 MWe pressurized water reactors.

Stakeholder support and involvement are "essential to achieving accepted and sustainable decisions for nearly all aspects of nuclear energy", an OECD Nuclear Energy Agency workshop has concluded. More than 130 experts from 26 countries came together to discuss international best practices at the workshop on 'stakeholder involvement in nuclear decision making', held at the NEA's headquarters in Paris this week.

There might have been a time in the past when the working of government was less visible and decisions announced as a fait accompli. That is not so much the case today - the arc of history reflects global movement toward broadening information flow and participation, says Stephen Burns.

One year on from implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the USÌýpresident said the agreement with Iran "must be measured against the alternatives". Meanwhile, Behrouz Kamalvandi, deputy head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran for International, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, is on a two-day visit to MoscowÌýto discuss progress with the JCPOA.

Canada's nuclear industry is dedicated to transparency and proactive communication, but these are a shared responsibility among regulators, write Jason Cameron and Sunni Locatelli.

Wind and solar power are transforming the electricity industry, but not fast enough to put the world on track for the UNFCCC's Paris Agreement target to hold the global temperature increase well below 2°C, according to László Varró, chief economist of the International Energy Agency. This "climate stabilisation" target needs nuclear power to play a significant role in the low-carbon power mix, Varró told delegates at the Budapest Energy Summit yesterday.

UPDATED The proposal to force older nuclear power plants to close in Switzerland has been rejected in a referendum. The five reactors that provide over one-third of electricity can continue to operate according to their economic lives.

The South Australian government supports continued investigation as to whether a used nuclear fuel disposal facility should be established. The only path forward they say is the restoration of bipartisanship and broad social consent, secured through a state-wide referendum. Edward de la Billiere looks at the latest developments in the debate.

Agneta Rising, director-general of the ¶¶Òõpro, has called on Conference of the Parties to make it clear that nuclear energy will be part of their response to succeed in action on climate change. "France, Sweden, Switzerland, and Canada's province of Ontario, have all achieved more than 80% low-carbon electricity generation by using nuclear energy in harmony with renewables," Rising said yesterday at a press conference hosted by the Russian delegation to the UNFCCC COP 22 climate change conference in Marrakesh.

South Australia Premier Jay Weatherill has today announced the state's plans to continue discussions on a proposed nuclear waste facility and promised a referendum to restore "bipartisanship and broad social consent" on the issue.

The majority of a Citizens' Jury forming part of South Australia's community consultation in response to the state's Nuclear Fuel Cycle Royal Commission Report feels the state should not pursue the opportunity to store and dispose of nuclear waste under any circumstances.

Faced with a clear but controversial recommendation from its Nuclear Fuel Cycle Royal Commission, the South Australian government has sought to reach out to its citizens with information and consultation to test the waters on how to proceed. The objective of the Royal Commission's recommendation is purely commercial, boldly to seize an opportunity to rescue the state from economic impoverishment. But the means is not intrinsically appealing to all, writes Ian Hore-Lacy.