President Biden efforts to build a coalition pledging to triple the world's production of nuclear energy by 2050 has succeeded!  We've learned from several attendees at the COP 28 conference (through their Twitter activity) that the following twenty-two countries have joined the coalition and signed the Pledge Declaration as of December 2nd:

Belgium

Bulgaria

Canada

Czech Republic

Finland

France

Ghana

Hungary
Japan
Moldova

Mongolia

Morocco

Netherlands

Poland
Republic of Korea

Romania
Slovakia

Slovenia

Sweden
United Arab Emirates

Ukraine
United Kingdom
United States

 

Declaration to Triple Nuclear Energy 

December 2, 2023

Recognizing the key role of nuclear energy in achieving global net-zero greenhouse gas emissions / carbon neutrality by or around mid-century and in keeping a 1.5°C limit on temperature rise within reach and achieving Sustainable Development Goal 7;

Recognizing the importance of the applications of nuclear science and technology that contribute to monitoring climate change and tackling its impacts, and emphasizing the work of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in this regard;

Recognizing that nuclear energy is already the second-largest source of clean dispatchable baseload power, with benefits for energy security; 

Recognizing that analyses from the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency and World Nuclear Association show that global installed nuclear energy capacity must triple by 2050 in order to reach global net-zero emissions by the same year; 

Recognizing that analysis from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change shows nuclear energy approximately tripling its global installed electrical capacity from 2020 to 2050 in the average 1.5°C scenario;

Recognizing that analysis from the International Energy Agency shows nuclear power more than doubling from 2020 to 2050 in global net-zero emissions by 2050 scenarios and shows that decreasing nuclear power would make reaching net zero more difficult and costly;

Recognizing that new nuclear technologies could occupy a small land footprint and can be sited where needed, partner well with renewable energy sources, and have additional flexibilities that support decarbonization beyond the power sector, including hard-to-abate industrial sectors;

Recognizing the IAEA’s activities in supporting its Member States, upon request, to include nuclear power in their national energy planning in a sustainable way that adheres to the highest standards of safety, security, and safeguards and its “Atoms4NetZero” initiative as an opportunity for stakeholders to exchange expertise;

Recognizing the importance of financing for the additional nuclear power capacity needed to keep a 1.5°C limit on temperature rise within reach;

Recognizing the need for high-level political engagement to spur further action on nuclear power;

The Participants in this pledge:

Commit to work together to advance a global aspirational goal of tripling nuclear energy capacity from 2020 by 2050, recognizing the different domestic circumstances of each Participant;

Commit to take domestic actions to ensure nuclear power plants are operated responsibly and in line with the highest standards of safety, sustainability, security, and non-proliferation, and that fuel waste is responsibly managed for the long term;

Commit to mobilize investments in nuclear power, including through innovative financing mechanisms;

Invite shareholders of the World Bank, international financial institutions, and regional development banks to encourage the inclusion of nuclear energy in their organizations’ energy lending policies as needed, and to actively support nuclear power when they have such a mandate, and encourage regional bodies that have the mandate to do so to consider providing financial support to nuclear energy;

Commit to supporting the development and construction of nuclear reactors, such as small modular and other advanced reactors for power generation as well as wider industrial applications for decarbonization, such as for hydrogen or synthetic fuels production;

Recognize the importance of promoting resilient supply chains, including of fuel, for safe and secure technologies used by nuclear power plants over their full life cycles;

Recognize the importance, where technically feasible and economically efficient, of extending the lifetimes of nuclear power plants that operate in line with the highest standards of safety, sustainability, security, and non-proliferation, as appropriate;

Commit to supporting responsible nations looking to explore new civil nuclear deployment under the highest standards of safety, sustainability, security, and non-proliferation;

Welcome and encourage complementary commitments from the private sector, non-governmental organizations, development banks, and financial institutions;

Resolve to review progress towards these commitments on an annual basis on the margins of the COP;

Call on other countries to join this declaration.

 

"We know from science, the reality of facts and evidence that we cannot achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 without nuclear power."     
—  John Kerry, US Climate Envoy

“First, i want to reiterate the fact that NUCLEAR ENERGY IS CLEAN ENERGY. it should be repeated. Nuclear energy is also a stable form of energy which means it’s a perfect complement to renewables. Because of nuclear energy, our (France’s) electricity is one of the cleanest in the world.”     
— Emmanuel Macron, President of France

"We aim to build new Nuclear Energy equal to 2500 MW by 2035 & equal to at least x10 large reactors by 2045. In other words, Sweden is open for business in new Nuclear Energy." 
— Ebba Busch, Deputy Prime Ministera of Sweden

To receive this reporting from the #COP28 conference in Dubai, you can follow members of this crowd (and others not shown) on Twitter:

@isabelleboemeke
@NuclearHazelnut
@Dr_Keefer
@energybants
@Dr_A_Stein
@W_Nuclear_News
@ryan_pickering_
@sollidnuclear
@econucleares
@ia_aanstoot
@Nuklearia
@IAEA
@RafaelmGrossi
@Africa4N