Twenty-two countries, including Slovakia, have endorsed the goal of tripling the world's nuclear power capacity by 2050 compared to the rate, at which nuclear contributed to power generation in 2020. The signatories of the call at the UN COP28 Climate Conference in Dubai underlined the key role of nuclear energy in the fight against climate change.
The declaration calls for a threefold increase in nuclear power capacity by 2050 compared to 2020. In addition to Slovakia, the signatories to the call are Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Ghana, Hungary, Japan, Netherlands, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, South Korea, Sweden, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States and Ukraine.
The text of the declaration in English presented in the COP28 conference can be found here.
Representatives of the nuclear industry from all over the world, including Slovenské elektrárne, responded to this call. On Tuesday, 5 December in Dubai, 120 companies and associations from the nuclear industry made a separate pledge to join the call of the ministers of 22 countries, which they consider binding. Together with associations and corporations from more than 140 countries, such as Westinghouse, Hitachi, Framatome, Électricité de France and ČEZ, Slovenské elektrárne is committed to developing the benefits of nuclear energy in line with the global goal of keeping the rate of global warming below the 1.5°C increase.
As stated in the joint statement under the auspices of the World Nuclear Association (WNA), nuclear power generation supplies an average of 2,500 TWh of electricity per year, and nuclear reactors currently supply about 10% of the world's electricity and about a quarter of all clean, low-carbon electricity worldwide. Nuclear companies and associations also stress that nuclear has a proven track record of decarbonisation, including in hard-to-decarbonise sectors, and must therefore have an indispensable place in the energy mix of countries seeking to meet climate targets.
"We determine that nuclear energy capacity should at least triple by 2050, from current levels, to help achieve global goals for decarbonization, clean energy supply and enhanced energy resiliency and security."
Part of the statement under the auspices of WNA
The full text of the WNA pledge, including the list of all signatories, can be found here.
To achieve the tripling of nuclear capacity by 2050, the nuclear industry is committed to work with governments, regulators and other stakeholders. They want to do so, according to the text declaring their pledge, to maximise the benefits of existing nuclear power plants already in operation and to accelerate the pace of deployment of new nuclear power plants in a safe, responsible, and reliable manner. The signatories committed to support investment in nuclear energy, both through currently available development and financing options for ambitious projects, and by developing innovative technologies including advanced reactors, SMRs (small modular reactors) and industrial innovations to support decarbonisation. They also aim to invite other parties to join the initiative, and to support anybody who makes such a commitment.
