Net Zero Nuclear in focus at Nuclear Energy Policy Summit in New York

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Net Zero Nuclear, a collaboration between government, industry leaders and civil society to triple global nuclear capacity to enable net zero by 2050, was in the spotlight at the Atlantic Council’s Nuclear Energy Policy Summit 2023 in New York

The World Nuclear Association and Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC), with support from the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Atoms4NetZero and the UK government, launched the Net Zero Nuclear initiative earlier this month in London, at the World Nuclear Symposium 2023.

In his opening remarks at the summit in New York, US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John F Kerry emphasised the US’ commitment to nuclear power. and praised the Net Zero Nuclear initiative, saying: “I’m very pleased to see the launch of Net Zero Nuclear, a pioneering platform for countries and companies that want to try to accelerate the clean energy transition.”

At a fireside chat later, Dr Sama Bilbao y León, director general of the World Nuclear Association (WNA), and Mohamed Ibrahim Al Hammadi, managing director and CEO of ENEC, stressed the urgent need for rapid deployment of more nuclear technologies as a proven, reliable energy source and vital tool to help prevent the most catastrophic impacts of climate change.

They also reiterated their invitation for more companies, governments and individuals to join the ‘Net Zero Nuclear’ initiative, which was launched during the opening of the World Nuclear Symposium taking place in London earlier this month with the support of the Atoms4NetZero initiative launched by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Al Hammadi, said: “Nuclear energy is already a key part of our work to achieve net zero, and the UAE’s success in the last decade has set a new standard showing that nuclear energy can be a modern-day climate solution. Nuclear is low-carbon, climate-resilient, and able to meet energy demands day and night. With good policies, access to financial resources, and most importantly, strong partnerships across government, industry, and civil society through the ‘Net Zero Nuclear’ initiative, we will ensure that nuclear power is a driving force in the transformation shift toward net zero.

“The UAE, as host of COP 28, welcomes other nations coming to the UAE for COP 28 to learn how the nation has rapidly decarbonized its power grid through the deployment of nuclear energy, offering a model for others looking for a proven route to reducing carbon emissions while boosting energy security.”

Read: Nuclear energy to supercharge global clean energy transition: ENEC CEO

During the global launch in London, it was announced that the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero would be joining ‘Net Zero Nuclear’ as the inaugural government partner to collaborate and support the initiative on the road towards COP28 in the UAE.

Globally, nuclear energy has experienced a significant resurgence over the past two years, as nations rush to meet energy security and decarbonisation targets.

Recent data modelling has shown that global nuclear energy capacity should at least triple by 2050 to achieve climate targets while still ensuring global energy security. This would require the worldwide rate of deployment to average 40 GW per year, more than six times the rate of deployment over the past decade.

Major policy announcements in different nations, including the UK, US, Canada, Japan, France, South Korea, India and China, as well as growing inclusion in green financing mechanisms and a major uptick in private investment interest in nuclear energy technologies promise substantial growth in this sector.

In the lead up to COP28, which will be hosted by the UAE later this year, Net Zero Nuclear aims to bring together political leaders and industry to engage in data-driven, actionable, solutions-focused dialogue to enable the rapid expansion of the global nuclear fleet and the acceleration of research and development into emerging nuclear technologies.