Ministerial meeting opens in Beijing

Tuesday, 21 April 2009

The global economic crisis "could delay the implementation or expansion of nuclear power programs in some countries for a limited period," Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), told the International Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Energy in Beijing.
 

IAEA head, Mohamed ElBaradei, addresses the ministerial meeting (Image: China Atomic Energy Authority)

The conference - which follows the ministerial conference held in Paris in March 2005 - is organised by the IAEA and is co-sponsored by the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA). It is designed to allow participants to discuss developments and emerging issues relevant to the role of nuclear power in providing clear and sustainable energy for national and regional development. The meeting brings together some 300 key players and policy makers in the nuclear energy field from over 70 countries and international organisations.
 
Opening the three-day meeting yesterday, ElBaradei said, "it is clear that, in the medium and long term, global demand for energy will continue to increase significantly as countries everywhere seek to improve living standards. Although nuclear power is not a panacea for all the world's energy problems, it will continue to play an important role in the global energy mix." He said that there are "a number of key drivers which are fuelling increased interest in nuclear energy - in particular energy security and the environmental benefits."
 
ElBaradei noted that "most of the 30 countries already using nuclear energy plan to expand their output. More than 60 countries - mostly in the developing world - have informed the IAEA that they might be interested in launching nuclear power programs. Of these, 12 countries are actively considering nuclear power."
 
Reviewing the current status of the world's nuclear energy industry, he said that "2008 was a somewhat paradoxical year for nuclear power. It was the first year since 1955 in which not a single new power reactor came on line, but it also saw construction start on no fewer than ten new reactors. This was the highest number since 1985, the year before the Chernobyl accident."
 
While noting the improved performance of the nuclear energy industry since the 1980s, ElBaradei noted that "we still have vulnerabilities in safety, as well as in security." He said, "In some countries we see a troubling combination of old reactors, operators which are poorly managed or under-funded and weak regulators. This needs to be addressed. It is in all our interests to ensure that the highest safety standards are upheld everywhere." ElBaradei suggested that "new ideas and innovative thinking to address challenges to nuclear safety and security should be encouraged."
 
ElBaradei said that for many years he has advocated the establishment of further multinational systems concerning nuclear fuel supply and reactor technology. He told the meeting that he hoped to present proposals from Russia on a method to guarantee supplies of low-enriched uranium to the IAEA board of governors in June.

  
He noted that the management of spent fuel and disposal of high level radioactive waste "remain key challenges for the nuclear power industry."
 
ElBaradei said that he has been concerned for some time about "the erosion of the IAEA's ability to perform effectively the tasks entrusted to us by member states because of years of zero growth budgets." However, he added "there are now reasons for hope on that front," including the recent proposal by the new US administration of President Barack Obama that the IAEA's budget should be doubled within four years.
 
However, he said, "Of course, money is not the whole problem. As well as adequate, stable and predictable resources, the Agency needs sufficient legal authority in nuclear verification, safety and security if it is to do its job properly."
 
Meanwhile, Angel Gurrí, secretary general of the OECD, highlighted that "clean and affordable energy, including access to safe and secure nuclear power, should be a central element of our efforts … not only for a sustainable economy, but also for the future of our planet."
 
"Nuclear energy has the potential to meet a significant part of future demand while reducing tensions on hydrocarbon markets and alleviating the risk of global climate change," he said in his keynote speech.