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Nuclear power generation is attracting worldwide attention these days, amid the serious energy problems.

The second nuclear energy summit meeting took place in Paris, France, on March 10.

In his opening address, the French President said that nuclear power generation would play a key role in simultaneously attaining the three goals of offsetting carbon, boosting economic competitiveness and creating jobs by 2050, and called on all stakeholders in the public and private sectors to play their part in steadily increasing investment in the generation of nuclear power, a genuine energy source of the future.

At the meeting, the Rwandan President said that nuclear energy is not complicated or dangerous, asserting that if international standards are clear and powerful cooperation is made, it is possible to safely introduce this technology also to developing countries. He stressed that abundant and stable electric power is needed to attain the national power generation goals and that this is the reason why his country’s nuclear energy programme constitutes the core of its energy development strategy.

The Ethiopian minister of irrigation and lowland development said that reliable electricity supply is vital to meeting the needs of the citizens in their living and maintaining economic growth, adding that as Ethiopia cannot meet the future demands with renewables alone, it will push ahead with a strict peaceful nuclear energy programme.

Ethiopia has continuously expanded its power generation capability by using its abundant renewable energy resources, such as geotherm, hydropower, wind power and solar heat. However, as the demand for energy has rapidly increased and the serious climate crisis has given rise to various problems in the use of the renewables in recent years, it is directing its attention to the use of nuclear energy and taking relevant positive measures. It has established independent nuclear control bodies and pushed ahead with the work to use nuclear energy in conformity with international law and safety standards.

Heads of state and government and high-level delegates of more than 30 countries and heads of international organizations, who attended the second nuclear energy summit meeting, issued a joint statement calling for making all the people benefit from safe and controllable nuclear energy.

On the same day, the energy ministers of the Group of Seven also got together to discuss the use of nuclear energy at the International Energy Agency headquarters.

Amid the intensifying research for enhancing the safety of nuclear energy use, the European Union recently announced a strategy for the introduction of a small modular nuclear reactor.

The president of the European Commission stressed the need to put the reactor into operation by the early 2030s and stated that Europe would invest 200 million euros in developing innovative nuclear energy technologies.

Many countries have set it as their national policies to return to the use of nuclear energy and are encouraging investment and cooperation to that end.

Experts predict that the proportion of nuclear power generation will increase rapidly in the future in the field related to energy development and use around the world.