PARIS, France: A summit aiming to boost the use of civilian nuclear power opens in Paris on Tuesday, as the US-Israeli conflict against Iran highlights the dangers of reliance on fossil fuels.
Representatives from about 40 countries and international organizations are expected at the meeting to be opened by President Emmanuel Macron.
The United States and China will be present, but Russia, another key nuclear power, will be missing because of its invasion of Ukraine.
Nuclear energy fell into crisis after the Fukushima disaster in Japan in 2011, which reinforced fears highlighted by the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.
But interest has been reignited by the growing international focus on energy sovereignty and the search for clean energies to counter global warming.
Nuclear power accounts for about nine percent of electricity produced in the world, and there are some 440 reactors in about 30 countries, according to the World Nuclear Association.
The UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a co-sponsor of the conference with the International Energy Agency (IEA), has said that nuclear power generation could double by 2050.
It says that China is building 29 reactors to add to its 57 already in operation.
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said Monday that about 40 countries had started building or were interested in building reactors.
IEA chief Fatih Birol said it was particularly in the interest of European countries to strengthen their energy sovereignty by producing more renewable sources — including solar and wind — and “making a strong comeback for the nuclear power.”
