Brussels to host first ever nuclear energy summit
The first nuclear energy summit, organised by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Belgium, will take place in Brussels next spring. It will be chaired by prime minister Alexander De Croo and IAEA director general Rafael Mariano Grossi.
The summit, scheduled for 21 and 22 March, will be the highest-level meeting ever devoted to nuclear energy.
“More and more countries are either planning to introduce nuclear power in their energy mix or expand already existing nuclear energy programmes,” Grossi said in a press release. “We have seen a clear positive shift in recent years, with a growing awareness that nuclear energy is an indispensable part of the solution to some of the most pressing global challenges of our time.”
"We have shown that nuclear technologies have their rightful place in the energy mix"
The summit will provide a forum for presenting solutions to some of the challenges facing the sector and will be an opportunity to forge closer links between political and industry.
“In Belgium, with the extension of the Doel 4 and Tihange 3 power plants, we have shown that nuclear technologies have their rightful place in the energy mix," De Croo said. “They contribute to energy security and the competitiveness of our economy, while helping to drive down the use of fossil fuels.”
Politicians, industry leaders, academics and representatives of civil society from 30 countries are expected to attend the event.
Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency at the IAEA's board of governors meeting in Vienna, Austria, September 2023 © PHOTO ALEX HALADA / AFP
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