Today's Edition
The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC), showcased nuclear energy's role in meeting the objectives of the Paris Agreement by supercharging global decarbonisation efforts, at the International Atomic Energy Agency's Second International Conference on Climate Change and the role of Nuclear Power 2023: Atoms4NetZero.
Taking place in Vienna, Austria from 9th to13th October 2023, the climate conference aims to mobilise climate action faster and at a greater scale in order to limit global warming to 1.5°C and to meet Paris Agreement goals. The conference, which was opened by Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director-General of IAEA and Ambassador Hamad Alkaabi, the Permanent Representative of the UAE to IAEA and the president of the conference, brings together Member States, representatives of relevant low carbon energy sectors, international organisations, and other stakeholders.
The conference themes include the mitigation challenge and implications for the energy sector; the climate-resilience of energy systems; and the roles of existing, evolutionary, and innovative nuclear power systems. It also focused on the integration of nuclear-renewable energy systems; enabling environments for realising the full potential of nuclear power; and international cooperation and stakeholder engagement.
In a high-level panel titled 'Climate Actions to Meet the Objectives of the Paris Agreement', Mohamed Ibrahim Al Hammadi, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, ENEC, and Chair Elect of the World Nuclear Association (WNA), highlighted nuclear energy's ability to supercharge global decarbonisation efforts and demonstrated that, the UAE is ahead of the curve in energy transition targets because of policy decisions taken a decade ago.
"The climate challenge is an energy challenge, and the Paris Agreement Commitments demand real and urgent action on carbon emissions. Nuclear energy stands at the forefront, enabling deep decarbonisation of the power sector and sustainably powering hard-to-abate heavy industries and energy-hungry technology. Nuclear energy is critical in achieving Net Zero by 2050 climate goals. Together, we hold the key to a cleaner, brighter tomorrow," he said.
Other panelists included Rafael Grossi, Director-General IAEA, Agnes Pannier-Runacher, Minister for Energy Transition France and Fatih Birol, Executive Director, IEA.
Al Hammadi discussed the importance of nuclear energy for decarbonising heavy industry, essential strategies for enabling nuclear energy to achieve Net Zero and how the UAE nuclear energy program contributes to the achievement of Paris Climate targets. According to Nuclear Energy Agency, achieving net-zero targets by 2050 necessitates tripling the global nuclear fleet, to reach 1160 GWe of global installed capacity by 2050.
To help drive global decarbonisation, the World Nuclear Association (WNA), and ENEC with the support of the Atoms4NetZero initiative launched by the IAEA, launched the 'Net Zero Nuclear' initiative in September that will culminate in a summit at COP 28 in Dubai in December 2023, which calls for an unprecedented collaboration between governments to triple global nuclear capacity for the world to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
In the UAE, where the sun is abundant and where renewables have a major role to play in the energy mix, nuclear energy has delivered the largest decarbonisation of the nation's history, with the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant, which will generate 40 TWh annually once fully operational. It will also prevent the release of over 22.4 million tons of carbon emissions annually at its full capacity and is currently the largest single source of clean electricity in the country. The UAE's nuclear energy programme is one of the most cost and time-efficient new nuclear builds in recent history and is widely recognized as a global benchmark for the industry.
Globally, nuclear energy has experienced a significant resurgence over the past two years, as nations rush to meet energy security and decarbonisation targets. The industry has benefited from major policy announcements in different nations, including the UK, US, Canada, Japan, France and China, as well as growing inclusion in green financing mechanisms and a major uptick in private investment interest in nuclear energy technologies.
