The Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, Suhail Mohamed Faris Al Mazrouei, led the UAE delegation participating in the Nuclear Energy Summit, which was held for the first time yesterday in the Belgian capital, Brussels, organized and hosted by the Belgian government and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The summit highlighted the role of nuclear energy in addressing global energy security challenges and promoting economic development, based on the historic recommendations of the COP28 Conference hosted by the UAE, which emphasized the importance of expanding the implementation of clean energy projects, including nuclear energy, to achieve climate goals. More than 25 countries supported the call to triple the use of nuclear energy worldwide by 2050.
In his opening speech at the summit, which included representatives from over 30 countries including European nations, the United States, China, and Brazil, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi stated, "This is a battle in which we must use all viable, carbon-free energy sources to face common challenges." The Nuclear Energy Summit issued a joint declaration in which the participating countries expressed their commitment to mobilizing financing from both the public and private sectors to meet future investment needs in the sector, to construct new nuclear power plants including small modular reactors, and to extend the operational life of existing nuclear reactors.
The declaration noted that climate change poses an existential threat to the planet and humanity as a whole, emphasizing the urgent need to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. It stressed the necessity of enhancing cooperation with countries wishing to develop civil nuclear capacities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in a nationally determined manner, including a shift away from fossil fuels in energy systems.
The UAE's participation in this summit reflects global confidence in the country's effective role and the achievements it has made in a short period in implementing nuclear energy projects, which serve as a model for countries interested in nuclear energy. It also highlights the significant role of the UAE in disseminating clean energy technologies and solutions worldwide.
This summit comes at the most opportune and significant time to continue building on the unprecedented achievements of the COP28 Conference, reinforcing the path of international climate action. The UAE has emphasized the need for long-term international cooperation through the historic "Emirates Agreement" from the COP28 climate conference regarding the expansion of nuclear energy use worldwide threefold by 2050, to reduce dependence on coal and gas. The UAE praised the important role of the IAEA in facilitating the transition to nuclear energy by enhancing international cooperation and supporting member states in the safe and peaceful use of nuclear energy.
