Nuclear energy declaration adopted at Brussels summit

Over 30 government leaders committed to "fully unlock" the potential of nuclear energy in a declaration adopted at the first ever Nuclear Energy Summit held on Thursday in Brussels.

"We commit to support all countries, especially emerging nuclear ones, in their capacities and efforts to add nuclear energy to their energy mixes," the statement said.

The statement also includes a commitment to the construction of new nuclear power plants and the early deployment of advanced reactors, including small modular reactors worldwide while maintaining the highest levels of safety and security.

The one-day meeting, jointly hosted by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Belgium, was held in Brussels next to the 1958 Atomium, the 102-meter-tall construction of the nine iron atoms, which sought to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy in the wake of the nuclear bomb explosions at the end of World War II and their use as a geopolitical deterrent ever since.

Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency, tried to reinvigorate that peaceful mission.

"Without the support of nuclear power, we have no chance to reach our climate targets on time. Renewables will play the major role in terms of electricity, especially solar supported by wind and hydropower," Birol said. "But we also need nuclear power, especially in those countries where we don't have major renewable potential."

"We have to do whatever we can to increase the current nuclear capacity, which is currently only less than 10 percent of global electricity generation," he said.

In Europe, France is the leader in nuclear energy and accounts for about two-thirds of its overall provisions.

French President Emmanuel Macron said that "thanks to the nuclear model, France is one of the few countries that exports its electricity, which is an opportunity."

"We should be much more concerned about, for example, CO2 emissions, which have a direct impact on you and me and on our health every day," he said. "Our priority must be to get out of coal and gas and move towards nuclear power and renewable energy."

IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said financing was a key issue, adding that nuclear needed to be treated on a level playing field with other energy projects.

"We still have an international and institutional architecture that forbids financing of nuclear projects," he said.

Grossi told the conference that since the COP 28 climate conference, most countries now agreed that nuclear was part of the solution, which should help secure funding.

"Many decisions of financial institutions depend on governments wanting something or not opposing it," he said.

(With input from AP, Reuters)