Only the right mix of energy sources will enable the world to reach the targets set out in the Paris Agreement to limit climate change. This is what high-level speakers said during the opening of the International Conference on Climate Change and the Role of Nuclear Power.

The conference, the first on this topic to be organized by the International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA), in cooperation with the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), brought together 550 participants representing 79 countries and 18 international organizations to exchange science-based information and conduct objective discussions on the role of nuclear power in mitigating climate change.

The IAEA pointed out that nuclear power contributes around one-third of all low carbon electricity, producing practically no greenhouse gases, but only some 10 percent of the total electricity produced worldwide.

According to OECD/IEA numbers, nuclear power is the second-largest clean energy source today, following all renewables put together. In advanced economies, it is number one, accounting for 18% share of all electricity generation.

“We have all the energy data at our fingertips, so we can make our recommendations and analyses based on it,” he said. “We [the IEA] think there is a role for governments, those governments that take climate change and electricity security seriously, to provide support for existing nuclear power plants, providing the framework conditions for lifetime extension, and also for all the countries all around the world to look at new technologies, such as SMRs […]. We do not have the luxury to pick our favorite technologies.”

“Without significantly increasing the use of nuclear power worldwide, it will be difficult to achieve the goal of reducing harmful emissions and fighting climate change." the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Cornel Feruta added.

However, the IAEA accepted that there are persistent public concerns about the potential dangers to health and the environment caused by radioactive waste from nuclear plants, and Mr. Feruta said that advances concerning the disposal of such material may alleviate fears about the long-term sustainability of the energy source.

In his keynote address, Liu Zhenmin, the Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) also raised nuclear safety, which he described as “a significant public concern, especially after the Fukushima accidents and terrorism-related fears”.

The large up-front costs of nuclear power remain an important issue, continued Mr. Zhenmin, and renewable energies, such as solar and wind, are continuing to drop in price, becoming increasingly competitive with conventional, fossil-fuel based sources. Meeting the capital costs of building nuclear plants will require government commitments and public acceptance.