In Brussels at the Nuclear Energy Summit 2024, Nuclear Energy Summit 2024, hosted by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Belgium government, World Nuclear Association, along with national and regional nuclear industry associations (Canadian Nuclear Association, Japan Atomic Industrial Forum, Korea Atomic Industrial Forum, Nuclear Energy Institute, nucleareurope, and Nuclear Industry Association) have issued an Industry Statement. The statement sets out the global nuclear industry’s commitment to supporting government objectives to expand nuclear energy capacity worldwide to achieve climate and energy security goals.
The global nuclear industry is ready to support government objectives through the continued operation of the existing nuclear energy facilities and deployment of new power plants, related infrastructure, and technologies. To deliver this necessary expansion will require significant investment across the nuclear industry and related supply chains, to develop new projects, capabilities, and a skilled workforce.
The Nuclear Energy Summit, taking place 21 March 2024, is the highest-level meeting to date exclusively focused on nuclear energy, bringing together heads of state and ministers from around 30 countries, as well as industry leaders and other stakeholders. This event builds upon the unprecedented support shown for nuclear energy at COP28 in Dubai, where governments and the nuclear industry pledged to triple global nuclear energy capacity by 2050, and nuclear energy was included in the first global stocktake (the process for countries and stakeholders to chart progress towards meeting the goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement).
Speaking from the event, World Nuclear Association Director General Dr Sama Bilbao y Leon, said: “This meeting builds upon the good work at COP28, where we saw 25 governments come together and pledge a tripling of global nuclear capacity. Today, we welcome the commitment of the national leaders here in Brussels and from around the world, that are shaping energy and industrial policies to accelerate the development and deployment of nuclear energy – as a vital tool for decarbonization and energy security, but also as a driver for human progress and sustainable economic development. As an industry we are here ready to meet the challenge and turn policies into projects to deliver the necessary nuclear energy expansion.”
