At the opening session of the TCS European Policy Summit organised by Friends of Europe and Tata Consultancy Services, devoted to the decarbonisation of the EU, on Monday 9 December, the Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), Fatih Birol, reaffirmed his support for nuclear energy as a necessary source for the massive electrification of the European economy.
“Nuclear power must be part of the electricity mix”, he insisted, explaining that despite the high initial costs, nuclear power was a “safe and carbon-neutral” source of energy at the dawn of a new “age of electricity”, alongside renewable energies,
While Mr Birol acknowledged that countries were free to choose their mix, he once again regretted Germany’s decision to close its existing nuclear power plants.
He also pointed out that, over the last five years, 85% of all nuclear power plants built worldwide have been located in China.
Mr Birol intends to bring the subject of nuclear power to the table at the Davos Economic Forum at the end of January 2025, and to publish an IEA report on the financing of nuclear power plants, in particular small modular reactors (SMRs), beforehand.
Also asked about his vision for carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies, Mr Birol explained that the history of CCS was a “story of disappointment”, not having received the necessary support, despite its critical importance. “CCS is a game changing technology, but it still can be if the right incentives and support are given”, he said. (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)