UAE participates in Nuclear Energy Summit in Brussels

Suhail bin Mohammed Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, led the UAE delegation participating in the Nuclear Energy Summit that was held for the first time on Thursday in the Belgian capital, Brussels.

It was organised and hosted by the Belgian government and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The UAE's participation in this summit reflects the global confidence in the UAE's effective role and its achievements in the implementation of nuclear energy projects in a short period of time. These achievements are role model to be emulated by countries interested in nuclear energy, and the UAE's important role in spreading clean energy technologies and solutions around the world was highlighted.

On the sidelines of the summit, Al Mazrouei met Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan; Marisa Lago, Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade at the U.S. Department of Commerce, Kadri Simson, European Commissioner for Energy, and Rafael Mariano Grossi, IAEA Director General. Mohamed Al Sahlawi, the UAE Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium, the European Union, and Grand Duchy of Luxembourg; and Hamad Ali Al Kaabi, UAE Permanent Representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), attended the meetings.

The first ever Nuclear Energy Summit gathered world leaders to discuss how nuclear power can help drive sustainable development.

Co-chaired by the Prime Minister of Belgium Alexander De Croo and the Director General of the IAEA Rafael Mariano Grossi, the Summit came in the wake of the historic inclusion of nuclear energy in the Global Stocktake agreed at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai in December 2023, which called for accelerating its deployment along with other low carbon energy sources. More than 25 countries launch declaration to triple nuclear energy capacity by 2050 at COP28.

Leaders and representatives from 32 countries at the Nuclear Energy Summit backed measures in areas such as financing, technological innovation, regulatory cooperation and workforce training to enable the expansion of nuclear capacity to tackle climate change and boost energy security. The declaration also includes a commitment to the construction of new nuclear power plants and the early deployment of advanced reactors, including small modular reactors worldwide while maintaining the highest levels of safety and security.

‘’ We, the leaders of countries operating nuclear power plants, or expanding or embarking on or exploring the option of nuclear power support enhancing efforts to facilitate mobilisation of public investments, where appropriate, and private investments towards additional nuclear power projects, according to summit’s declaration.

The declaration adds: "We commit to work to fully unlock the potential of nuclear energy by taking measures such as enabling conditions to support and competitively finance the lifetime extension of existing nuclear reactors, the construction of new nuclear power plants and the early deployment of advanced reactors, including small modular reactor.''

‘’We reaffirm our strong commitment to nuclear energy as a key component of our global strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from both power and industrial sectors, ensure energy security, enhance energy resilience, and promote long-term sustainable development and clean energy transition.