The leaders reaffirmed their strong commitment to nuclear energy at a landmark summit and the nuclear industry supported them
he Nuclear Energy Summit held on 21 March 2004 in Brussels is the highest-level meeting to date exclusively focused on nuclear energy, bringing together heads of state and ministers, from 32 countries, as well as industry leaders and other stakeholders. It was organized by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Government of Belgium.
This event builds on the unprecedented support shown for nuclear power at COP28 in Dubai, where governments and the nuclear industry pledged to triple global nuclear power capacity by 2050, and nuclear power was included in the first global review (the process for countries and stakeholders to outline progress towards achieving the 2015 Paris Agreement targets).
In his opening remarks, IAEA Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi noted that “COP28 made it clear: to be pro-environmental is to be pro-nuclear” and the summit “shows that the nuclear taboo is over, starting a new chapter on nuclear commitment”.
Leaders and representatives of the participating countries, including Bulgaria, adopted a declaration reaffirming their strong commitment to nuclear energy as “a key component of a global strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from both the energy and industrial sectors, ensure energy security, increase energy sustainability and promote long-term sustainable development and the clean energy transition.”
Countries signed the declaration:
Argentina, Armenia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Egypt, Finland, France, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Sweden, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, UK, and the USA.
Industry ready to help deliver Governmental nuclear ambitions
Representative groups from the nuclear industry: the Canadian Nuclear Association, the Japan Atomic Industrial Forum, the Korean Atomic Industrial Forum, the US Nuclear Energy Institute, Nucleareurope, the UK Nuclear Industry Association and the World Nuclear Association have issued a joint declaration welcoming the outcome of the summit and stating that they are ready to work together with governments, to “provide the necessary nuclear capability to meet the challenges ahead of us.”
The declaration said that industry needed governments to provide long-term policies and clarity for potential investors, as well as ensuring ready access to national and international climate finance mechanisms for nuclear deployment, and “promote development of the supply chain commensurate with expansion targets and continue investment in nuclear research”.
“A robust and durable policy framework provides the best possible plan to reduce the risk of investing in nuclear power, reduce costs and accelerate deployment. “With this security, the nuclear industry can invest in the people, capabilities and infrastructure needed to meet the ambitious goal set by governments present today” the declaration also says
Source: WNN