The UK government has formally announced that it intends to set up a new independent statutory body to regulate nuclear power in the UK, taking over regulatory functions currently performed under the auspices of two different bodies.

Another China's fully self-developed No. 1 unit reactor pressure vessel, projected by Fuqing Nuclear Power Plant and manufactured by China First Heavy Industries (CFHI) recently passed a test successfully.

Russia has said it was ready to provide Indonesia with assistance to build its own nuclear power plant. Russian Ambassador to Indonesia Alexander Ivanov said in a press conference Tuesday that the possibility of building a nuclear plant in Indonesia was one of many issues Russia was willing to discuss in the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) later this year.

Egypt announced that it will have a fully operational nuclear power plant by the end of the decade. The country’s ministry of electricity said that they plan to be ready to go on nuclear power to support Egypt’s power needs by 2019.

The two countries' interest in cooperation is quite natural. The Czech Republic is preparing a lucrative tender for the completion of the nuclear power plant Temelin, near the Austrian border, in which the US firm Westinghouse has expressed interest. Westinghouse has a Japanese owner but its seat and operations are in the USA. The project is worth several hundred billion crowns. Besides Westinghouse, the other bidders are Czech-Russian consortium of Skoda JS Atomstroyexport and France's Areva.

Korea is set to build 14 nuclear power plants by the year 2024 in an attempt to lessen its reliance on petroleum for electricity. At a public hearing in Seoul on Tuesday the Korean government announced a long-term plan for energy which calls for an increase in the portion generated through nuclear plants and renewable sources.

A statement from the department on Saturday said that IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano was in the country from Dec. 8 to Dec. 11, where he met senior officials from Philippine government agencies involved in the implementation of technical cooperation projects in various nuclear applications.

On the second day of his two-day state visit to Malaysia, President Lee Myung-bak held a one-on-one meeting with his Malaysian counterpart Najib Razak, on Friday. During the summit the two leaders reviewed and reflected on the 50 years of diplomatic ties and discussed measures to promote cooperation in a wide range of sectors including green technology, nuclear power generation and the joint exploration of markets in third countries.

Turkish Energy Minister, Taner Yildiz, welcomed the recent progress in Turkey’s first nuclear power plant project that will be built by Russia and underscored Ankara’s determination to develop nuclear energy through foreign partnerships. Yildiz told reporters that Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev, signed the inter-governmental agreement, which was recently ratified by both houses of the Russian parliament.

In Vinh Truong hamlet, Phuoc Dinh commune, Thuan Nam district, Ninh Thuan, representatives of the Ministry of Industry and Trade have announced Decision 3849/QD-BCT dated July 20th 2010 of the Ministry of Industry and Trade approving the Construction location scheme of Ninh Thuan 1 nuclear power plant established by the Institute of Energy in November 2008 for the investors and the provincial People's Committee of Ninh Thuan to prepare premises and infrastructure.

Vietnam’s first two nuclear power plants will be built in the central coastal province of Ninh Thuan, with Plant No. 1 located in Vinh Truong village of Phuoc Dinh commune and the other in Thai An village of Vinh Hai commune.

Cooperation on nuclear energy with Russia has a significant meaning, expressing the trust and strategic partnership defined between Vietnam and Russia. This was stated by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on receiving the General Director of Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation, Sergei V. Kirienko, in Hanoi on September 3.

The Prime Minister has approved a VND3trillion project to train and develop human resources for the atomic energy field from now until 2020.

The Prime Minister has approved of the Nuclear power development plan in Vietnam in 2010 – 2030. There are 8 construction sites proposed for building nuclear power plants in 5 provinces, including: Ninh Thuan, Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, Ha Tinh and Quang Ngai, each capable of installing 4 – 6 units.

Japan's Toshiba said Friday it was working with Mitsubishi Motors to develop batteries for electric vehicles, as the race intensifies among automakers and technology giants to make emission-free cars. Toshiba, which spans electronic components, appliances and nuclear power plants has developed a fast-charging long life lithium-ion battery called SCiB (Super Charge ion Battery), which it plans to adapt for cars.

"Also we need to have some kind of social mechanism to watch whether the nuclear community is doing the correct thing or not... mass media for instance," Suzuki said on the sidelines of an international conference on technology and safety in nuclear power plants.

Nuclear power technology is developing and Vietnam must be updated continuously with new technology, especially in the field of waste treatment and material reuse, said Brett Jacobs, the Southeast Asia Programs Manager under the International Energy Agency (IEA)’s Directorate of Global Energy Dialogue, at a meeting with Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Do Huu Hao.

When we pay our electricity bill, we are paying for more than just the operation of wind turbines or nuclear power stations. What with rental for the electricity meter, costs for using the power grids, value-added tax and a tax on electricity, coupled with a surcharge for the preferred sourcing of green power, the final price we pay is effectively double the generation cost.

The chairman of the National Assembly’s Science, Technology and Environment Committee Prof. and Dr. of Sc. Dang Vu Minh, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Dr. Do Huu Hao, Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Dr. Le Dinh Tien and the head of the Vietnam Nuclear Energy Institute Dr. Vuong Huu Tan all attended the exhibition.

Southeastern Ontario has the potential to produce almost as much power as all the nuclear reactors in the United States! Queen’s mechanical engineering professor Joshua Pearce is the first person to find out the astounding possibilities of the region’s solar energy potential. He says, “The number is enormous. Solar can no longer be laughed off as something that can only power your cottage.” comes out with two studies that claim solar power in southeastern.