Is Nuclear Power Key to Green Transformation?

What role will nuclear energy play in a more sustainable future? This issue has long sparked strong reactions between advocates and critics. This will also be a hot topic at the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) held in Dubai this week.

Industry professionals are particularly interested in the ministerial level event held on December 5th; Atoms4NetZero”。 According to the COP28 website, the event is jointly hosted by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the COP28 chair country, and will announce the IAEA's statement on nuclear power, reflecting the; The key role of nuclear energy in net zero transformation;.

In September of this year, the World Nuclear Association (WNA) announced the launch of a program called“ NetZero Nuclear” During the initiative, Atoms4NetZero was verified, with the goal of doubling Earth's nuclear capabilities by the middle of this century.

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi issued a statement saying, '; On the basis of the efforts made at the 26th and 27th meetings of the contracting parties, nuclear energy will be more prominent at the 28th meeting of the contracting parties. As more and more countries recognize the role of nuclear energy in achieving energy security and decarbonization goals, global support for nuclear energy is growing. ”

A big debate

This month, Friedrich Merz, the leader of the center right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in Germany, expressed opposition to Germany's move away from nuclear power. He said that after Germany shut down its last three nuclear power plants in April 2023, the debate surrounding this issue could be very polarized.

Merz's political party is not part of the coalition government led by Prime Minister Scholz. He pointed out that; In our view, the German government has made an absolutely wrong decision, which is a strategic mistake to abandon nuclear energy. ”

Merz believes that we should not only focus on wind and solar energy, all energy sources need to be utilized; Energy supply is decisive for this country, our industry, and our competitiveness. ”

However, Steffi Lemke, the Federal Minister for Environment and Nuclear Safety of Germany, refuted that“ Gradually phasing out nuclear power makes our country safer, as the ultimate risks of nuclear power are uncontrollable. ”

She later added, '; Before we can safely and responsibly address our nuclear legacy issues, we are now facing decades of challenges. But closing the last three nuclear power plants will usher in a new era of energy production. ”

Some environmental organizations such as Greenpeace also agree with this analysis; — Nuclear energy is not the solution to the problem.

According to Greenpeace website; Nuclear energy is touted as a solution to our energy problems, but in reality it is complex and the construction cost is also very high. It will also generate a large amount of hazardous waste… Renewable energy is cheaper, can be quickly installed, and with battery storage, it can generate the electricity we need and reduce our emissions. ”

Although Germany has moved away from nuclear energy, other countries are seeking to expand their production capacity.

For example, France, as a major participant in nuclear power, plans to increase the number of reactors; Sweden is considering building new reactors; The UK also expressed its hope to achieve a nuclear power generation capacity of 240 gigawatts by 2050.