Nuclear power
States announce accelerated expansion of nuclear power
The Emsland nuclear power plant. The International Energy Agency (IEA) assigns nuclear power a key role in climate protection. photo
© Sina Schuldt/dpa
While there are no longer any reactors online in Germany, work is underway elsewhere on the nuclear renaissance. Around 30 countries are calling for a faster expansion of nuclear power plants.
Around 30 countries worldwide want to work towards faster expansion and easier financing of nuclear power plants. “We are committed to realizing the potential of the to make full use of nuclear energy,” said the joint declaration adopted at the first international nuclear energy summit in Brussels.
Electricity from nuclear power plants is essential for reducing climate-damaging CO2 emissions, it said. The meeting was attended by, among others, heads of state and government from France, the Netherlands and Poland as well as high-ranking representatives from the USA, China and Japan.
Kilns should also run longer
In their statement, the politicians spoke out not only in favor of building new nuclear power plants, but also in favor of extending the lifespan of existing plants. They also advocated the rapid use of newer and smaller reactors.
The participants called on international financial institutions such as the World Bank to provide increased support for nuclear projects and indicated that, in their view, other alternative energy sources have so far been given preferential treatment by development banks. Germany, which has phased out nuclear power, did not take part in the meeting, which was accompanied by a protest from the environmental organization Greenpeace.
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, there are 415 reactors in operation worldwide to produce electricity. At the World Climate Conference at the end of last year, around 20 countries announced that they would triple their nuclear energy production capacity by 2050.