{"id":6825,"date":"2023-12-08T12:46:04","date_gmt":"2023-12-08T03:46:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jaif.or.jp\/en\/?p=6825"},"modified":"2023-12-15T13:15:15","modified_gmt":"2023-12-15T04:15:15","slug":"cop28-industry-pledges-to-triple-nuclear-capacity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jaif.or.jp\/en\/news\/6825","title":{"rendered":"COP28: Industry Pledges to Triple Nuclear Capacity"},"content":{"rendered":"

The pledge follows the signing on December 2 of a declaration by 22 countries<\/a><\/span><\/span>\u2014including Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Canada\u2014to triple the world\u2019s nuclear power capacity. It was endorsed by 120 companies and organizations from 140 countries around the world involved in nuclear-related businesses. A total of 13 Japanese companies, including the Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan (FEPC), along with manufacturers and general contractors, have endorsed the pledge. Several Russian companies have also endorsed the pledge, although the Russian government did not sign the declaration.<\/p>\n

According to the pledge, the nuclear industry will work with governments, regulatory authorities, and others to achieve the goal of tripling nuclear power capacity by 2050, while placing the highest priority on safety, maximizing the operational life of existing reactors currently in operation, and accelerating the pace of new reactor construction.<\/p>\n

The pledge notes that nuclear power provides an average of 2,500TWh of electricity each year, or about 10% of the world\u2019s electricity and a quarter of the world\u2019s clean power. It then goes on to declare the belief that all available low-carbon technologies, including nuclear power, should be actively supported so as to maintain sustainable economic growth while avoiding catastrophic damage from climate change. It notes that governments should treat nuclear power on par with other clean energy sources in terms of policy and financing, which would allow for a global expansion of nuclear power deployment.<\/p>\n

Speaking on the issue, Director General Sama Bilbao y Le\u00f3n of the World Nuclear Association (WNA), which compiled the pledges, emphasized, \u201cIf we calculate backwards from the scale of nuclear power needed to achieve both economic growth and climate change protection, [the threefold figure] is ambitious but must be achieved.\u201d She also called for \u201creflecting our ambitions in real policies, achieving financing to achieve our goals, and implementing the new construction of nuclear reactors on budget and on schedule.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Maria Korsnick, President and CEO of the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), noted that nuclear energy is not only a low-carbon energy source, but also a highly reliable source of jobs and energy security, and that nuclear energy is one area where bipartisan consensus is possible in the United States. On the other hand, she also noted that there were challenges in restructuring the supply chain and securing the labor force, and recognized that \u201cexpanding nuclear power will not be easy, but it will be feasible if the global industry makes a concerted effort.\u201d<\/p>\n

Next, Director General Yves Desbazeille of nucleareurope, the Brussels-based trade association for the nuclear energy industry in Europe, noted that in May of this year, a total of 16 countries\u2014including those participating in the \u201cNuclear Alliance\u201d[1]<\/sup><\/a>Cooperation initiative on the part of 14 European countries using nuclear power, led by France.<\/span><\/span>