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World Nuclear Association today welcomed a record 800 delegates to their annual Symposium in London. The Symposium will address developments in fuel, supply chains in emerging markets, finance, end energy users, and the role of nuclear energy in meeting the world’s decarbonization goals.
Dr Sama Bilbao y Leon, the Director General of World Nuclear Association, said that the growth in attendees from outside the sector showed that “the global nuclear industry is at a crucial moment. Decision makers from outside the sector seriously want nuclear for its benefits – clean, reliable, secure, affordable energy. And for the socio-economic development, the jobs, the ability to decarbonize the entire economy.”
Highlights from the start of the Symposium, included announcements from:
- ENEC confirming that UAE’s Nuclear Power Plant Barakah unit 4 had entered commercial operation, thus completing its building programme. The full-fleet operations will enable the generation of up to 25% of the UAE’s electricity demand.
- Orano announcing the selection of Oak Ridge, Tennessee as a preferred site to build a multi-billion-dollar U.S. uranium enrichment plant.
- Westinghouse launching its Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) System, Hive™, to deliver custom GenAI solutions for its global customer base.
World Nuclear Symposium follows the release of the World Nuclear Performance Report 2024 last month, which stated:
- Global nuclear electricity generation increased in 2023 to 2602 TWh, providing 9% of the world’s electricity—second only to hydropower among clean energy sources.
- Significant construction programmes are underway, with 64 reactors in 15 countries, while over 20 new entrant countries, such as Ghana, Poland, and the Philippines, are at various stages of developing policies to enable construction of their first nuclear plants.
Friday’s Symposium programme will include announcements on upcoming Net Zero Nuclear activity, as well as sessions on financing deployment, power partnerships with end users, and the high-level closing panel.
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