NTI Co-Chair and CEO Ernest J. Moniz and NTI experts traveled to Brussels, Belgium for the Nuclear Energy Summit, hosted by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Belgian government on March 21, 2024. As countries around the world are pursuing nuclear energy as part of their efforts to build a more climate-friendly and secure energy future, the IAEA and Belgian government convened 30 high-level political leaders and over 300 representatives from nuclear industry and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) for a day of important conversations about how to take advantage of opportunities and overcome challenges related to nuclear energy expansion.
In this context, NTI advanced key nuclear security principles from A Global Playbook for Nuclear Energy Development in Embarking Countries: Six Dimensions for Success. Co-published by NTI, EFI Foundation, and Clean Air Task Force (CATF) in December 2023, the report outlines pathways for the responsible, sustainable, and effective development of new nuclear projects and industries in embarking countries.
During the summit, Moniz appeared on a panel about “Establishing a Level Playing Field for Financing Nuclear Power,” where he promoted the Playbook’s concept of building large orderbooks of demand for new nuclear builds. He also moderated a side event hosted jointly by NTI, EFI Foundation, and CATF, titled “Pledges to Gigawatts: A Fireside Chat with Global Leaders on Getting to Net Zero,” which featured IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi and World Nuclear Association Director General Sama Bilbao y León. The group shared their reflections on the progress made at the summit and what countries can do to sustain momentum.
NTI was also one of 20 NGOs from around the world that signed on to the “NGO Declaration on the Future of Nuclear Energy” released at the summit in addition to declarations from the participating countries and nuclear industry. The NGO declaration recognized that nuclear energy is “a uniquely valuable clean energy source that can play a key role in supporting deep decarbonization, energy security, and economic development” and affirmed the critical point that nuclear energy stakeholders “have a shared responsibility to pioneer affordable and abundant clean energy globally without elevating security risks.”
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“The bottom line is that the countries and areas with the greatest responsibility for protecting the world from a catastrophic act of nuclear terrorism are derelict in their duty,” the 2023 NTI Index reports.
Hosted by the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission and the Nuclear Threat Initiative, the three-day workshop brings together senior officials, technical experts, and regional representatives to address emerging nuclear security challenges.
NTI hosted IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi and a group of nuclear energy and security experts for a discussion about the IAEA’s key role in effectively safeguarding the expansion of nuclear energy and related IAEA activities.
