IAEA: Nuclear Power, Key Ally in Fighting Climate Change

Nuclear energy is a fundamental ally in the fight against climate change. Rafael Grossi, director general of the UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), wrote in a social media post about the first global summit of heads of state and government on nuclear energy, NES2024. For Grossi, who will chair the summit with Belgian Prime Minister Alexandre De Croo, it is a “fundamental event.”

The summit reflects the historic inclusion of nuclear power in the Global Stocktake (GST), agreed at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai in December 2023. Global Stocktake is a mechanism to assess progress made at the global level in responding to the climate crisis and implementing measures of the Paris Climate Agreement. The event will provide an opportunity for heads of state and government of participating countries to share their vision of the key role of nuclear power in achieving net zero and promoting sustainable development, including national plans to fully utilize the potential of modern and safe nuclear power plants.

According to many analysts, 2024 is well positioned to be the year of nuclear power’s comeback. Currently, only 12 of 27 countries in the European Union produce nuclear power: France (with 56 reactors), Spain (7), Sweden (6), Czech Republic (6), Finland (5), Belgium (5), Slovakia (5), Hungary (4), Romania (2), Bulgaria (2), Holland (1), and Slovenia (1). Nuclear energy has always been a widely discussed and divisive topic in international public opinion. While for some, nuclear energy is necessary to achieve “net zero” goals as soon as possible and combat climate change, others believe that the “peaceful atom” is an “unsafe, outdated, and even too expensive technology.” Nonetheless, 2023, amid the challenges that wind and solar generation are facing, was the year that nuclear power rose back to the top of the low-carbon energy rankings.

Before arriving in Brussels, Grossi visited Russia, where he discussed with President Vladimir Putin the safety of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, which has been under the control of the Russian military since 2022. Last week, IAEA observers condemned a new Ukrainian attack on some “critical infrastructure” at a nuclear power plant built by the Soviet Union in the 1980s.