18 Countries That Produce the Most Nuclear Energy


Insider Monkey Team
Sat, January 21, 2023

In this article, we take a look at 18 countries that produce the most nuclear energy. 

Nuclear energy has its positives and negatives.

In terms of its positives, nuclear energy is very reliable and zero carbon. According to the Office of Nuclear Energy, nuclear was the most reliable energy source in America in 2021 given nuclear power plants operated at full capacity more than 92% of the time. Given it doesn't emit greenhouse gases, nuclear also provided half of America's carbon free electricity in 2021.

Furthermore, the nuclear energy industry supports around half a million jobs in the U.S. and contributes $60 billion to American GDP each year. The industry helps U.S. national security and maintains American global leadership in the peaceful use of nuclear technologies

Nuclear power plants also don't need that much land in terms of the energy it generates as opposed to wind or solar. Emma Derr of the Nuclear Energy Institute writes, "Nuclear energy pairs perfectly with renewables such as wind and solar to create a reliable, clean energy system. It provides carbon-free, around-the-clock power to fill the gaps when the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing. Nuclear also complements renewables because it generates more power with less land—31 times less than solar facilities and 173 times less than wind farms. Wind and solar farms are located where wind and sunlight are abundantly available and require sprawling amounts of land for turbines and panels, whereas nuclear energy is contained to nuclear power plants. A nuclear energy facility has a small area footprint, requiring about 1.3 square miles per 1,000 megawatts of energy."

In terms of its negatives, nuclear power plants cost a lot of money upfront and take a lot of time to build which could lead to cost overruns. If designed incorrectly, nuclear power plants could lead to environmental and societal disasters such as Chernobyl and Fukushima. Nuclear power plants also generate radioactive waste that's tough to dispose safely.

Leading Nations in the Peaceful Use of Nuclear Energy

Many of the leading nations in the world have adopted nuclear energy as part of its energy mix.

Nuclear energy in the United States, for example, helps power plants avoid emitting over 470 million metric tons of carbon annually, which is about the same as removing 100 million cars off the road.

Nuclear energy is also big in other countries such as France, where nuclear power accounts for the majority of the total electricity generated. Given the country's substantial nuclear generation, France is one of the leading industrialized nations in terms of low carbon emissions per capita.

Essential Part of the World's Energy Mix

Nuclear fission energy will remain an essential part of the world's energy mix in the next few decades.

According to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)'s high case projection, total world nuclear generating capacity could more than double to 873 gigawatts net electrical by 2050, versus existing levels of around 390 gigawatts net electrical. In the agency's low case scenario, nuclear generating capacity remains about the same.

Given the need to reduce carbon emissions, nuclear fission energy could remain useful for the next few decades until fusion energy eventually becomes economical.

In terms of fusion, which is also a nuclear process, experts are hoping that the technology will become economically viable sometime in the 2030's. Given the immense technological challenges of nuclear fusion, however, scientists have a lot of work ahead of them and it's not clear when the challenges will be solved.

Methodology

For our list of 18 Countries That Produce the Most Nuclear Energy, we used the IAEA's nuclear share of electricity generation in 2021 list and we ranked them by TWh of nuclear production.

For those of you interested, also check out 12 Most Advanced Countries in Renewable Energy.

18 Countries That Produce the Most Nuclear Energy

#18 Pakistan
2021 Nuclear Production, TWh: 15.83

Pakistan has six existing operating nuclear power plants that collectively generated 15.83 TWh of nuclear power in 2021 which is around 8% of the country's total electricity generated. Given the rising electricity prices and the country's dependence on fossil fuels, nuclear energy has been one way for Pakistan to diversify its energy mix.

#17 Switzerland
2021 Nuclear Production, TWh: 18.59

Although it has a population of 8.7 million people, Switzerland is a major producer of nuclear power given the country's nuclear production of 18.59 TWh across 4 nuclear reactors in 2021. With its nuclear production, nuclear accounts for around 36% of total electricity generated while hydropower accounts for around 52% of total electricity generated. In the future, however, Switzerland plans to eventually phase out nuclear in favor of other renewables.

#16 Finland
2021 Nuclear Production, TWh: 22.65

Finland is another country with a relatively small population where nuclear energy accounts for a substantial percentage of the country's electricity generation mix. With a population of 5.541 million, Finland generated 22.65 TWh of nuclear power in 2021, accounting for about a third of the total electricity generation for the year.

#15 Czech Republic
2021 Nuclear Production, TWh: 29.04

The Czech Republic ranks #15 on our list of 18 Countries That Produce the Most Nuclear Energy given its nuclear production of 29.04 TWh across 6 reactors in 2021. Given its production, nuclear accounts for around one third of the country's total electricity generation. For the future, the government plans to substantially increase nuclear capacity by 2040.

#14 India
2021 Nuclear Production, TWh: 39.76

India is one of the fastest growing countries in the world whose energy needs are increasing every year. As a result, India's government has committed to growing its nuclear power capacity to help meet its needs. The country's nuclear power generation has more than doubled from 2000 to 39.76 TWh in 2021 and nuclear energy generation is expected to increase further in the future.

#13 United Kingdom
2021 Nuclear Production, TWh: 41.79

The United Kingdom generated 41.79 TWh of nuclear power in 2021, accounting for around 15% of the country's electricity generation. Although many of the country's existing capacity is expected to retire by the end of the decade, the country has a new generation of nuclear plants that's being built. In terms of the future, the government plans to have nuclear account for 25% of total electricity generated by 2050.

#12 Belgium
2021 Nuclear Production, TWh: 47.96

Belgium generated 47.96 TWh of nuclear power in 2021 or 52.4% of the country's total electricity generated. Although nuclear is a big part of the country's energy mix, Belgium originally had plans to withdraw from nuclear in 2025. Given the war in Ukraine, however, the country has since decided to continue to generate nuclear energy in two nuclear reactors for another 10 years.

#11 Sweden
2021 Nuclear Production, TWh: 51.43

Sweden ranks #11 on our list of 18 Countries That Produce the Most Nuclear Energy given it produced 51.43 TWh of nuclear power in 2021, which accounts for around 40% of the country's electricity needs. For the future, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson recently said the country is looking to potentially expand its nuclear power generation to offset Sweden's reliance on renewables whose output can vary.

#10 Spain
2021 Nuclear Production, TWh: 54.22

Given the country's push for more renewables, Spain's government is planning to phase out nuclear energy by 2035. Under its National Energy and Climate Plan 2021-2030, the Spanish government plans to gradually decommission nuclear power capacity to 3GW at the end of the decade as renewable energy costs continue to decline and as grid technology improves. As of 2021, Spain nevertheless generated 54.22 TWh of nuclear power, accounting for 21% of electricity generation.

#9 Japan
2021 Nuclear Production, TWh: 61.3

Given it has to import much of its energy needs, nuclear energy has been a strategic priority for Japan's government since the 1973, and up until 2011, nuclear generated 30% of the country's electricity. Given the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011, however, public sentiment in the country shifted and Japan's government is now planning for nuclear to account for 20% to 22% of the country's electricity by the end of the decade. In 2021, Japan generated 61.3 TWh of energy from the nuclear reactors that have gained approval to restart.

#8 Germany
2021 Nuclear Production, TWh: 65.44

Before 2011, nuclear was a big part of Germany's energy mix with nuclear energy accounting for around one quarter of the nation's electricity generated. After the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan, however, Germany's government has reduced the country's reliance on nuclear. In 2021, the country generated 65.44 TWh of nuclear power and in 2022, nuclear supplied around 6% of Germany's electricity.

#7 Ukraine
2021 Nuclear Production, TWh: 81.13

Ukraine generated 81.13 TWh of nuclear power in 2021, which supplied around half of the country's energy needs. Given the current war in Ukraine, however, the country's nuclear production might not be as high as it was in 2021. A substantial part of the country's grid needs to be fixed, and some of the country's reactors are offline.

#6 Canada
2021 Nuclear Production, TWh: 86.78

Canada produced 86.78 TWh of nuclear energy in 2021, supplying about 15% of the country's electricity needs. In addition to being one of the largest producers of nuclear energy, Canada is also a leader in nuclear power technology and uranium exports. Given its resources, Canada has the third largest uranium reserves globally and the country is the world's second largest exporter of uranium.

#5 South Korea
2021 Nuclear Production, TWh: 150.46

South Korea is an industrialized nation that generated 150.46 TWh of nuclear power in 2021, which is around one third of the total electricity generated for the year. Given it doesn’t have many fossil fuel resources, the country is a major importer of energy with about 98% of fossil fuels consumed being imported. To reduce its dependence on fossil fuels and to also lower its carbon emissions, South Korea has increased its nuclear power capacity substantially in the past few decades.

#4 Russia
2021 Nuclear Production, TWh: 208.44

Russia is one of the leaders in nuclear energy given its nuclear production of 208.44 TWh in 2021. Given its substantial nuclear energy industry, Russia is a leading exporter of nuclear power plants with the country’s companies helping build 15 reactors abroad since 2012. The country is also a leading uranium exporter given its substantial uranium resources.

#3 France
2021 Nuclear Production, TWh: 363.39

France is a leader in nuclear energy given it gets around 70% of its total electricity generated from 56 reactors in the country. Thanks to nuclear, over 92% of the country’s electricity comes from low carbon sources, which ranks France as one of the leaders in sustainable energy. In 2021, the country generated over 363 TWh of nuclear production.


#2 China
2021 Nuclear Production, TWh: 383.21

China is the world’s second largest producer of nuclear power with nuclear production of 383.21 TWh in 2021. Given the country’s substantial economic growth in recent decades, the country has built a number of nuclear reactors since 2000 and the country plans on building many new ones in the future. According to Bloomberg, China plans to build at minimum 150 new reactors over the next 15 years, or more than the rest of the world combined has built over the last 35 years.


#1 United States
2021 Nuclear Production, TWh: 771.64

The United States ranks #1 on our list of 18 Countries That Produce the Most Nuclear Energy given its nuclear production of 771.64 TWh in 2021 which is around 20% of the total electricity generated in the country for the year. In terms of generation, the United States produces its nuclear power from 92 nuclear reactors across 53 power plants.

Although the United States has many nuclear reactors, the country isn’t building many new ones given that nuclear reactors can cost $5 billion to $10 billion to build versus wind and solar which is far cheaper and more competitive than grid energy in many places.

No First Use of Nuclear Weapons: Rejecting Nuclear Annihilation

by Mark Muhich

 August 13, 2024
Facebook

TwitterRedditEmail

Photo by Ronan Furuta

The recent collapse of nuclear weapons talks between China and the United States in July 2024, followed the withdrawal by the U.S. and Russia from long-established nuclear weapons treaties, like the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, (ABM) Intermediate-Range Forces Treaty (INF), and The Iran Nuclear Deal (JPCOA). Nuclear tensions have regressed to dangerous levels not seen since the Cold War.

China suspended nuclear weapons negotiations with the U.S.  in Geneva, blaming high levels of arms sales from the U.S. to Taiwan. Earlier nuclear weapons meetings in November 2023 turned accusatory as the U.S. complained of China’s “lack of transparency” and a failure to agree on “risk reduction strategies” while rebuffing the PRC’s offer of a No First Use agreement. China has expanded its nuclear arsenal to 500 warheads, predicted to reach 1000 warheads by 2030. The U.S. contends this arms buildup is inconsistent with China’s No First Use offer.  The U.S. currently deploys 1770 warheads and keeps over 5000 warheads in reserve.

The U.S. says China’s proffer of a No First Use agreement is disingenuous because China is constructing hundreds of new ICBM silos in the northwest region of the country. Apace, the U.S. is replacing 400 launch silos in the American northwest to house the new $140 billion Sentinel ICBM fleet.

China blames the U.S. for violating the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) provision to “reduce and eliminate nuclear weapons” by maintaining a huge nuclear arsenal and for threatening the first nuclear strikes to protect its allies under the American “nuclear umbrella”. Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand are now protected by U.S. nuclear weapons through mutual defense treaties. White papers from think tanks like The Atlantic Council recommend the inclusion of Taiwan as well under the U.S. nuclear umbrella increasing the geo-political friction surrounding U.S. / China nuclear negotiations.

Ironically, all five permanent members of the UN Security Council (P5) are nuclear-armed countries. However, China remains the only permanent member of the UN Security Council, to adopt the No First Use of nuclear weapons. The other four permanent members, the U.S. U.K., France, and Russia are nuclear-armed states but with nuclear postures that include launching nuclear first strikes.

Lost in this dissonant diplomacy confounding nuclear negotiations seems to be the bedrock principle of nuclear deterrence as a defense.  Modern nuclear weapons are so lethal that no aggressor would risk a nuclear first strike understanding nuclear retaliation would be inescapable and would inflict unacceptable loss.

 The macabre calculus of mutually assured destruction, MAD, plus abundant good luck, have prevented nuclear attacks since 1945. No First Use achieves the same security balance through mutually agreed verifiable treaties without building diabolical weapons systems.

Past presidents mulling the option of ordering a nuclear first strike during difficult military situations have all determined that the international opprobrium and political isolation following a nuclear first strike by the U.S. would far outweigh any military advantage on the battlefield.

The sheer revulsion wrought in the A-bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki has impeded their further use to this day. A “nuclear taboo” (see Tannenwald) has restrained military leaders from launching nuclear attacks: in Korea (Truman, 1950) in the Taiwan Straits (Eisenhower, 1958), Cuba, (Kennedy 1962), Vietnam, (Nixon 1969), Iraq, (both Bushes), and probably more.

Recent predictions by U.S. Air Force generals of an inevitable nuclear war between the U.S. and China, “by 2025”, have not helped nuclear weapons negotiators’ work to build trust. Curbing bellicose threats and enhancing shared goals for a future secure from nuclear attack should be the policy of any administration and its military leaders.

If Kamala Harris is elected president, she should finally include No First Use of nuclear weapons in her Nuclear Posture Review, something both Presidents Obama and Biden had promised to do, but failed to deliver.

No First Use of nuclear weapons provides the only assurance that the first use of nuclear weapons will not degenerate into general nuclear war. Princeton’s Science and Security Lab predicts such a scenario.  In the Lab’s simulations, Russia targets massing NATO troops with a small tactical nuclear weapon, i.e. 12 kilotons, the destructive power of the Hiroshima A-bomb. NATO responds with its own tactical nukes. Within three hours both belligerents trade multiple nuclear salvos and suffer millions of deaths and casualties. The carnage cannot stop here, though; the long-dreaded mare of nuclear war spirals out of control.

 Russia, Europe and the U.S. escalate, targeting each other’s cities with evermore powerful strategic thermo-nuclear weapons. Within minutes, 80 million souls are dead.

As ghoulish as this scenario sounds it would only be the beginning of the end of a nuclear war started with a single nuclear “warning shot”.  Radio-active fallout from the bombing would poison fields, forests, rivers, lakes, and oceans for decades and even centuries.

“Nuclear winter” (see Robock) caused by plumes of dust and debris blasting into the atmosphere, would drop the Earth’s temperature below freezing for decades and potentially kill most of life on Earth.

No militarist or nuclear weapons proponent can prove full-scale nuclear cataclysm will not result from the first use of nuclear weapons. The hazards of a nuclear first strike cannot be managed and are not worth the risks. Implicit in the posture of nuclear deterrence is that no nuclear strike is worth the ensuing counter-attack.

Strategic security can be attained by a verifiable No First Use treaty. The great majority of the world’s states and their people agree with NFU policies. Nuclear powers have already committed not to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear armed countries, the vast majority of states on Earth. Nuclear Weapons Free Zones comprising 40 percent of the world’s population, have been excluded from nuclear target lists.

The Non-Proliferation Treaty governing nuclear weapons came into force in 1970 with over 190 countries now signatories. Explicit in the NPT is the agreement by nuclear weapon states to reduce and eliminate their nuclear arsenals. Refusal by these nuclear weapon states to fulfill their responsibilities, curtail their nuclear “modernization” programs (costing trillions of dollars),  reduce the number of nuclear weapons in their arsenals, and to agree to a No First Use of nuclear weapons has caused the quinquennial NPT Review Conferences to fail over the last fifteen years. The oldest and most significant nuclear weapons treaty currently in effect is fraying.

No First Use of nuclear weapons was first promoted by a large contingent of scientists working on the Manhattan Project even before the A-bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9, 1945. Leo Szilard, who patented nuclear fission in 1933, and who along with Albert Einstein urged President Roosevelt to fund the production of the first atomic bombs, also petitioned President Truman in early 1945, to delay using the atomic bomb because of moral and ethical concerns.

Though the Szilard Petition was quashed by Robert Oppenheimer and never reached Truman, Szilard and Einstein, aghast at the destructive power of the nuclear weapons they had helped create, founded the Emergency Committee of Atomic Scientists that to this day promotes nuclear disarmament and No First Use of nuclear weapons. Einstein regretted his letter to FDR propelling the Manhattan Project, as “the one great mistake of my life”. He worked for world peace for the remainder of his life. He even consulted Sigmund Freud perplexed by the seeming “death wish” compelling humankind to perpetual war.

As the “hibakusha”, survivors of the A-bombing of Japan, die away, will their warnings against nuclear weapons fade with them?  Whether the “nuclear taboo” and hideous memories of the A-bombings of Japan remain strong enough to discourage new generations of war leaders from nuclear weapons folly is hoped for but should not be relied upon.

The history of nuclear weapons negotiations since 1945 is marked by missed opportunities and distrust. The United Nations itself was founded expressly to avoid nuclear war, with the establishment of its First Committee.  In 1946 the Soviet Union offered to ban all nuclear weapons, the U.S. countered with its Baruch Plan, freezing the U.S. and USSR nuclear weapons stockpiles at current levels; 7 U.S. nukes and no USSR nukes. The U.S. proposed the new International Atomic Energy Commission to regulate fissile materials instead.  The Soviets called the Baruch Plan “U.S. nuclear hegemony” and proceeded with their nuclear weapons development.

Great debate occurred within the Truman Administration on whether to develop the fusion hydrogen bomb after the Soviets conducted their first fission A-bomb test in 1949. David Lilienthal, Dean Acheson, Robert Oppenheimer and others advised the U.S. to halt the development of the exponentially more destructive hydrogen bomb Truman rejected their reports, convinced by “technological fanatics” i.e. Edward Teller, to build and test a thermo-nuclear weapon, “The Super”, whose only purpose, according to Lilienthal, was genocide.

In Reykjavik, Iceland, in 1986 Soviet leader Michele Gorbachev proposed to U.S. President Ronald Reagan the elimination of all nuclear weapons. The U.S. declined, instead funding Reagan’s fabulist Strategic Defense Initiative, aka SDI, aka Star Wars, aka a trillion dollars wasted.

Decades of distrust, paranoia and the chimera of nuclear weapons security have spawned a new nuclear arms race today. The current decline of nuclear weapons control negotiations, augurs ill for our future. If “man has war in his heart” and if peace remains beyond human capacity, at least nuclear weapons should be forsworn. Codifying No First Use of nuclear weapons agreements will be a first step back from the brink (see Back from the Brink) of looming nuclear disaster.

 

Leaders commit to 'unlock potential' of nuclear energy at landmark summit

21 March 2024

Leaders and representatives from 32 countries at the Nuclear Energy Summit backed measures in areas such as financing, technological innovation, regulatory cooperation and workforce training to enable the expansion of nuclear capacity to tackle climate change and boost energy security.

The summit photo had Brussels' Atomium as its backdrop (Image: Klaus Iohannis/X)

The summit of nuclear-backing countries was jointly organised by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Belgium, where it was held. In his opening remarks, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi noted that it had taken 70 years since US President Eisenhower's Atoms for Peace United Nations speech for the first nuclear energy summit at the level of national leaders to be held.

He said that with the need for clean energy, "this is a global effort, the world needs us to get our act together" and ensure that international financial institutions can finance nuclear and increase nuclear energy capacity "in a safe, secure and non-proliferation way". He said "COP28 made it clear: to be pro-environment is to be pro-nuclear" and the summit "shows the nuclear taboo is over, starting a new chapter for nuclear commitment".

Belgium's Prime Minister Alexander de Croo noted his country's change of policy - from closing nuclear plants to extending operation - and said it was increasingly recognised that nuclear had to be part of the mix, with renewables, if the net-zero goals were going to be met.

In a series of speeches from the leaders attending, the need for energy security and carbon-free energy was frequently referenced, with International Energy Agency Director Fatih Birol saying that "without the support of nuclear power, we have no chance to reach our climate targets on time".

Extracts from the summit declaration

"We, the leaders of countries operating nuclear power plants, or expanding or embarking on or exploring the option of nuclear power ... reaffirm our strong commitment to nuclear energy as a key component of our global strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from both power and industrial sectors, ensure energy security, enhance energy resilience, and promote long-term sustainable development and clean energy transition.

"We are determined to do our utmost to fulfil this commitment through our active and direct engagement, in particular by enhancing cooperation with countries that opt to develop civil nuclear capacities in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in a nationally determined manner, including for transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems, in a just, orderly and equitable manner, accelerating action in this critical decade, so as to achieve net-zero by mid-21st century in keeping with the science, as outlined in the First Global Stocktake of the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference."

The declaration adds: "We commit to work to fully unlock the potential of nuclear energy by taking measures such as enabling conditions to support and competitively finance the lifetime extension of existing nuclear reactors, the construction of new nuclear power plants and the early deployment of advanced reactors, including small modular reactors, worldwide while maintaining the highest levels of safety and security, in accordance with respective national regulations and circumstances. In this drive for more clean energy and innovation, we commit to support all countries, especially emerging nuclear ones, in their capacities and efforts to add nuclear energy to their energy mixes consistent with their different national needs, priorities, pathways, and approaches and create a more open, fair, balanced and inclusive environment for their development of nuclear energy, including its non-electrical applications, and to continue effectively implementing safeguards, consistent with Member States’ national legislation and respective international obligations.

"We are committed to continuing our drive for technological innovation, further improving the operational performance, safety and economics of nuclear power plants, enhancing the resilience and security of global nuclear energy industrial and supply chains. We reaffirm our commitment to ensuring safe, secure and sustainable spent nuclear fuel management, radioactive waste management and disposal, in particular deep geological disposal, and decommissioning, including decommissioning by design. We call for an intensified collective effort on ensuring the security of energy supply and resilience of individual, regional, and multinational clean energy resources.

"We are committed to creating a fair and open global market environment for nuclear power development to promote exchanges and cooperation among countries. We encourage nuclear regulators to enhance cooperation to enable timely deployment of advanced reactors, including small modular reactors. We emphasise the value of coordinated cooperation in nuclear fuel supply, nuclear power equipment manufacturing and resource security to ensure the stability of the nuclear energy industrial and supply chains."

"We support enhancing efforts to facilitate mobilisation of public investments, where appropriate, and private investments towards additional nuclear power projects. We emphasise that concrete measures in support of nuclear energy may include, as appropriate, tools such as direct public financing, guarantees to debt and equity providers, schemes to share revenue and pricing risks. We call for greater inclusion of nuclear energy in the Environmental, Social, and Governance policies in the international financial system ... we invite multinational development banks, international financial institutions and regional bodies that have the mandate to do so to consider strengthening their support for financing nuclear energy projects and to support the establishment of a financial level playing field for all zero emission sources of energy generation."

"To ensure the future availability of skilled nuclear sector professionals, we need to contribute further to nuclear education and research, and we consider of the utmost importance to train and retain a large and motivated workforce. Investment in skills, including re-skilling, through education and research is critical for the sector through the whole value chain."

What leaders said

The leaders and representatives of the countries attending the summit each gave short speeches. Here are some of the messages those attending heard.

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, noted there were different views on nuclear within the European Union, and said the future was not assured for nuclear, citing a falling share of electricity generation in the EU since the 1990s. But she said it should play a crucial role given the urgency of tackling the climate challenge. She added that, assuming safety was assured, countries thinking of closing their existing nuclear power plants rather than extending their lifetimes should "consider their options carefully before foregoing a readily available source of low-emission electricity". She also urged innovation, noting a global "race" involving countries and companies backing small modular reactors, saying "let's go for it".

Romania's President Klaus Iohannis said the country was determined to develop its nuclear energy programme with both large scale and small modular reactors and to become a regional leader, while Bulgaria's Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov noted his country's 50 years of experience in nuclear energy and said investment in new nuclear was a cornerstone for its future plans.

Serbia's President  Aleksandar Vučić congratulated the organisers for holding a summit which was "much more important than many meetings and gatherings bureaucratically organised just to see each other and not to do things". He said his country wanted to build three or four small modular reactors and would like to get the know-how to do so and also have support for finding a way to finance them - "as much help as possible".

The Chinese President's Special Envoy Vice Premier Zhong Guoqing, said China had 55 nuclear energy units in operation with 36 under construction and was assisting many other countries, all contributing to tackling global climate change. He said that it was a global issue, and said it was crucial to double down on safety and security and also "to oppose politicisation of the peaceful uses of nuclear energy".

Croatia's Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said nuclear energy was crucial to achieve the net-zero goal and called for new nuclear financing to come from the European Investment Bank and other similar organisations, while Czech Republic Prime Minister Petr Fiala noted the benefits of long-term operation of existing plants for energy security, costs and climate targets and said "international cooperation will bring all of us bigger benefits".

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban said nuclear was the only way of generating electricity which was cheap, safe, sustainable and reliable. His country has continued with its plans for the Russian-built Paks II nuclear power plant project and noted that companies from a number of countries in Europe, and the USA, were involved in the project. He said it was in everyone's interests to "prevent nuclear energy" becoming a "hostage of geopolitical hypocrisy and ideological debate".

FInland's Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said his country's next steps for nuclear included district heating, hydrogen production and a deep geological disposal site for radioactive waste, while the Netherlands' Prime Minister Mark Rutte said that for many years people had reservations about nuclear but views have changed, with the war in Ukraine "acting as an accelerator ... never before has it been so obvious that for the transition to succeed we need every source".

Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico said his government was planning to construct 1200 MW of new capacity and would be inviting the world's companies to bid for the contracts. Slovenia's Prime Minister Robert Golob said public support for nuclear energy in his country was now above 65% - "it has never been higher". He said that financing was needed from multilateral banks at affordable rates, and also investment was needed in a new skilled workforce. He said global warming was the biggest threat and "we need to act immediately".

French President Emmanuel Macron, whose country has large-scale nuclear expansion plans, welcomed the alliance for new nuclear, saying nuclear energy was the only way to reconcile the need to reduce emissions, create jobs and boost energy security. He added that many countries wanted to electrify mobility "but if the electricity is produced by fossil fuels it is a stupid move". He said there was a need to combine improving energy efficiency, and increase renewables as well as new nuclear.

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar said nuclear was prioritised within the country's power and climate change policy areas. He also said small modular reactors hold the promise of bringing nuclear energy to remote or hard to reach areas.

Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the Akkuyu nuclear power plant would meet 10% of the country's electricity demand when completed and the plan is for more large plants and SMRs. He also backed IAEA efforts to stop an accident happening at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. For Japan, Masahiro Komura, Parliamentary vice minister for foreign affairs, said it was essential to introduce clean energy to the greatest possible extent and to devise strategies to get more investment to enhance the use of nuclear energy.

For the USA, John Podesta Senior Advisor to the President for Clean Energy, Innovation and Implementation, said the summit was a 21st Century update for the Atoms for Peace vision, and referenced the commitment by countries at COP28 to triple nuclear energy capacity by 2050, which he said means 200 GW of new nuclear capacity in the USA. He said a start had already been made and added that the country would also aim to help tackle the climate crisis by helping other countries across the world "build safe, secure, reliable, nuclear power".

Which 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 support for the summit

A number of industry representative groups issued a joint statement in which they welcomed the outcome of the summit, and "the commitment of the national leaders assembled to the development and deployment of nuclear energy to fight climate change, provide energy security, and drive sustainable economic development. We stand ready to work alongside governments to deliver the required nuclear capacity to meet the challenges ahead of us".

The statement from the groups - World Nuclear Association, Canadian Nuclear Association, Japan Atomic Industrial Forum, Korea Atomic Industrial Forum, Nuclear Energy Institute, Nucleareurope, and Nuclear Industry Association - 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".

World Nuclear Association Director General Sama Bilbao y León, 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. As an industry we are here ready to meet the challenge and turn policies into projects to deliver the necessary nuclear energy expansion.”

What happens next?

A number of speakers at the event looked forward to similar future summits to continue to drive forward the initiative. De Croo and Grossi both said that the next summit would not necessarily need to be held in Belgium, and said it was unlikely to be an annual event, but the summit declaration concluded by saying: "We welcome and support the IAEA in convening, in cooperation with a Member State, another Nuclear Energy Summit in due course to maintain the momentum and continue building support for nuclear energy to decarbonise our world."

 

Industry ready to help deliver governmental nuclear ambitions

21 March 2024

Alongside the declaration adopted by governments at the inaugural Nuclear Energy Summit, held in Brussels on 21 March, global nuclear industry associations have set out the industry's commitment to supporting government objectives to expand nuclear energy capacity worldwide to achieve climate and energy security goals.

The Nuclear Energy Summit - hosted by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Belgium government - 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 on 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).

The full text of the industry statement - jointly issued by the Canadian Nuclear Association, the Japan Atomic Industrial Forum, the Korea Atomic Industrial Forum, the USA's Nuclear Energy Institute, Nucleareurope, the UK's Nuclear Industry Association and World Nuclear Association - is as follows:

"We applaud the convening of the first ever summit of heads of state on nuclear energy by the Prime Minister of Belgium and the Director General of the IAEA, and we welcome the commitment of the national leaders assembled to the development and deployment of nuclear energy to fight climate change, provide energy security, and drive sustainable economic development. We stand ready to work alongside governments to deliver the required nuclear capacity to meet the challenges ahead of us.

Nuclear energy makes a unique and irreplaceable contribution to our global energy needs with:

• Always-on, clean, reliable, and affordable energy for electricity production and to decarbonise hard to abate sectors to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement.
• Low-carbon electricity with a high energy density on a compact footprint, thereby reducing habitat and biodiversity loss.
• Long asset life to ensure clean energy production for decades to come, thereby reducing utilization of critical minerals.
• High-quality long-term jobs that drive economic growth.
• Energy security against geopolitical, economic, and social challenges.

We note the unprecedented support shown at COP28 for nuclear energy through government and industry declarations to triple nuclear energy worldwide by 2050 and nuclear energy's inclusion in the first global stocktake. This expansion is necessary to achieve climate and energy security goals and will require substantial investments across industry in new projects, new capabilities, and a new skilled workforce.

The global nuclear industry is committed to supporting these objectives through the continued operation of the existing nuclear energy facilities and construction of new facilities, as well as the development of infrastructure and related technologies.

However, for industry to do its part to deliver on these ambitions, governments must:

• Establish the right conditions through consistent and coherent long-term policies that facilitate fleet deployment of nuclear technologies,
• Provide clarity to investors on the funding and investment recovery mechanisms available for nuclear projects,
• Ensure ready access to national and international climate finance mechanisms for nuclear development,
• Ensure that multilateral financial institutions include nuclear energy in their investment portfolios, and
• Clearly and unambiguously label nuclear energy and the associated fuel cycle as a sustainable investment.
• 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 blueprint for de-risking investments in nuclear energy, reducing costs and accelerating deployment. With this certainty, the nuclear industry can invest in the people, capability and infrastructure needed to execute the ambitious target set out by the governments present today.

The industry stands ready to work in close partnership with governments to unlock the potential of nuclear energy and innovation, while ensuring nuclear safety and security, through commercially driven expansion, and realise the full potential of nuclear technology for our economies, our societies, and our planet.

This is the time to turn plans into action and seize the historic opportunity before us."

Speaking from the event, World Nuclear Association Director General Sama Bilbao y León, 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 decarbonisation 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."

Researched and written by World Nuclear News