There is an increasing willingness to consider investing in new nuclear projects - but issues remain around the lengthy investment timelines and perceived regulatory risks, a panel at World Nuclear Symposium heard.

The Sizewell C nuclear power plant project is set to benefit from up to GBP5.5 billion (USD7.2 billion) in subsidies from a new development expenditure subsidy scheme announced by the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

US microreactor developer Last Energy announced it has raised USD40 million for its Series B round of funding, bringing total capital raised to USD64 million since the company's founding in 2019. It also said it has now reached commercial agreements for 80 of its microreactors.

The Tennessee Valley Authority Board of Directors has approved a further USD150 million in additional advanced funding to support the development of potential small modular reactors at the Clinch River site near Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

A Swedish government study has proposed that state aid be given to companies for investments in new nuclear power following an application procedure. It says a new legislative act should regulate conditions for receiving the support, the support measures, and what an application must contain.

Canadian Nuclear Laboratories and Business Development Bank of Canada have announced a lead investment of CAD10 million (USD7.3 million) each in Canadian private fusion developer General Fusion. Meanwhile, the US Department of Energy has awarded USD4.6 million in 17 awards to fund public-private partnerships for fusion research.


 

The European Commission has approved, under EU state aid rules, the Dutch government's plan to invest EUR2 billion (USD2.2 billion) in the construction of the new Pallas research reactor in Petten, the Netherlands.

Brazil's Eletronuclear has extended by 45 days the deadline for publishing responses to the consultation on the proposed bidding contract for completing the works at Angra 3.

The UK government has launched a competition for funding up to GBP70 million (USD90 million) to support the development of a commercial HALEU deconversion facility in the country.

The Indian government has announced plans to partner with the private sector to develop small modular reactors in a 2024-25 budget announcement which recognises a significant role for nuclear in the country's future energy mix.

The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation into whether the support for the lifetime extension of two of Belgium's nuclear power reactors is in line with its rules on acceptable state aid.

Mukhtar Babayev, president-designate of the UN's COP29 summit taking place in Azerbaijan in November, says the top negotiating priority is agreeing a "fair and ambitious" goal on climate finance "adequate to the urgency and scale of the problem, taking into account the needs and priorities" of developing countries.