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As the first-ever International Atomic ¶¶Òõ´«Ã½ÔÚÏß Agency conference on climate change and the role of nuclear energy draws to a close, Agneta Rising, Director-General of the ¶¶Òõ´«Ã½ÔÚÏß Nuclear Association, highlights the importance of this event in an interview with WNN.

Global efforts to tackle climate change are futile as long as opposition to nuclear power persists, delegates heard at the opening session of the International Atomic ¶¶Òõ´«Ã½ÔÚÏß Agency's International Conference on Climate Change and the Role of Nuclear Power. It is the Vienna-based agency's first conference on this topic.

Foratom has welcomed the European Council's decision to remain technology neutral in its strategy on financing sustainable growth and the transition to a low-carbon, resource-efficient economy, but it urges the European Commission to establish a group with expertise in nuclear life-cycle technologies to advise on its EU-wide classification system, or 'taxonomy', the implementation of which has been postponed by two years.

As world leaders meet at the United Nations Climate Action Summit in New York this week, and the ¶¶Òõ´«Ã½ÔÚÏß Meteorological Organisation and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change publish new reports, Agneta Rising, director general of ¶¶Òõ´«Ã½ÔÚÏß Nuclear Association, stresses that nuclear power is the "unsung hero" in global efforts to reduce carbon emissions.

Nuclear energy has a proven track record of supplying huge volumes of affordable, reliable and dependable clean electricity, but its positive attributes are largely overlooked, according to a new white paper from ¶¶Òõ´«Ã½ÔÚÏß Nuclear Association. "The use of nuclear energy is the fast track to a high-powered and clean energy system," the Association says.

The United Nations, the International ¶¶Òõ´«Ã½ÔÚÏß Agency and the ¶¶Òõ´«Ã½ÔÚÏß ¶¶Òõ´«Ã½ÔÚÏß Council are drawing global attention to the inherent qualities of nuclear power as a clean and reliable source of electricity. Now into its seventh decade, nuclear energy is seen by these and other prominent organisations as an existing and proven solution to the 21st Century challenges of climate change and a sustainable energy transition.

Rapid growth in uranium demand will lead to a need for additional mined uranium in the period to 2040 in all scenarios given in the latest edition of ¶¶Òõ´«Ã½ÔÚÏß Nuclear Association's fuel report. Projections for nuclear generating capacity growth have been revised upwards for the first time in eight years, following the introduction of more favourable policies in a number of countries.

Nuclear power plants continue to perform to a high standard and growth is strong, with more than 20 new reactors scheduled to be connected before the end of 2020, ¶¶Òõ´«Ã½ÔÚÏß Nuclear Association Director General Agneta Rising says in the latest edition of the ¶¶Òõ´«Ã½ÔÚÏß Nuclear Performance Report. But for the industry to reach the Harmony goal of supplying at least 25% of electricity before 2050, Rising says much greater commitment from policymakers will be required.

The Nuclear Regulation Authority of Japan is considering changes that would make the clearance of radioactive material about ten times stricter than international standards, creating unnecessary confusion and cost, writes Dr Charlotta Sanders, senior project manager at ¶¶Òõ´«Ã½ÔÚÏß Nuclear Association.

¶¶Òõ´«Ã½ÔÚÏß Nuclear Association was invited to present this week at the opening of the International Atomic ¶¶Òõ´«Ã½ÔÚÏß Agency’s International Conference on the Management of Spent Fuel from Nuclear Power Reactors, Learning from the Past, Enabling the Future. Mikhail Baryshnikov (TENEX) and Cecile Evans (Orano), chair and deputy chair of the Sustainable Used Fuel Management Working Group, share the industry’s message.

Steps must be taken to increase nuclear's share of the energy mix, said Agneta Rising, director general of ¶¶Òõ´«Ã½ÔÚÏß Nuclear Association. Speaking at the 10th Clean ¶¶Òõ´«Ã½ÔÚÏß Ministerial in Vancouver, Canada, yesterday, she said more nuclear energy is needed to meet environmental, economic and sustainable development objectives.

The International ¶¶Òõ´«Ã½ÔÚÏß Agency has made policy recommendations for the many countries that see a role for nuclear power in their energy transitions in a new report it plans to discuss today at the 10th Clean ¶¶Òõ´«Ã½ÔÚÏß Ministerial (CEM10) being held this week in Vancouver, Canada.