Nuclear power debate

This article was produced by Tanjug in collaboration with European news agencies as part of the European Newsroom (ENR) project.

More than 20 countries called for the tripling of world nuclear energy capacity at UN climate talks on Saturday as part of efforts to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

A declaration endorsed by nations ranging from the United States to Ghana to Japan and several European countries said nuclear energy plays a "key role" in reaching the goal of carbon neutrality.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has vowed to stop building new coal-fired power plants that lack measures to cut carbon emissions.

The announcement was made at the UN's COP 28 climate summit in Dubai, as Japan, heavily reliant on imported coal and other fossil fuels, aims to become carbon-neutral by 2050.

Germany will shut down its three remaining nuclear plants on Saturday, betting that it can fulfil its green ambitions without atomic power despite the energy crisis caused by the Ukraine war.

Germany has said it would keep two nuclear plants on standby beyond the end of the year in a policy U-turn, as the shut-off of Russian gas supplies sends Europe scrambling for energy sources.    

Ten European Union countries, including France and Bulgaria, have launched a joint initiative in support of nuclear energy, world media reported, citing the Figaro newspaper.

This type of energy has an important role to play in the fight against global warming, emphasize the 10 countries in a joint article published in the French daily and several other European publications.

If we want to create a low-carbon energy system, we cannot bypass nuclear energy. This was stated in an interview with BGNES by Prof. Dr. Yanko Yanev, Director of the Institute for Nuclear Knowledge Management in Vienna and Executive Director of the International Academy of Nuclear Energy.

A government-led rescue of French nuclear group Areva and the wider atomic energy industry may cost the state as much as 10 billion euros, but political support is almost certain whoever wins the presidential election in May. 

The Chinese government recently approved of the building of two new nuclear reactors, halting a four-year wait during which any and all nuclear plans were put on hold.

The “Freezing” of nuclear plans came after the accidents in the Fukushima nuclear plants in Japan. The reactors already underway were completed, but none were green-lit until now.