ABU DHABI, 30 October (BelTA-TASS) – Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Yukiya Amano believes that it is necessary to accelerate the pace of construction of nuclear power plants for the sake of providing the world's population with clean electricity without greenhouse gas emissions. Yukiya Amano made the relevant statement during an international ministerial conference, BelTA has learned.
“There is no doubt. The pace of construction of new nuclear power plants has to be accelerated in order to provide people with clean energy,” said Yukiya Amano.
According to the IAEA head, at present up to 70% of the world's energy is generated by burning fossil fuel. He noted that nuclear power plants release virtually no greenhouse gas into the atmosphere. Nuclear power plants account for nearly one third of the world's electricity output.
Hydropower engineering and renewable sources of energy are classified as pure sources of electricity, too. Yet Yukiya Amano believes that the growth potential of hydropower engineering is limited while renewable sources of energy cannot completely satisfy needs of modern economy.
“In order to respond to the growing demand for energy, in the future we should optimally use all sources of energy. Nuclear power engineering will allow securing the growth of modern economy if countries are to fulfill the Paris Climate Agreement,” he said.
According to the IAEA head, at present 448 nuclear reactors are in use all over the world, another 57 reactors are being built, about 30 countries are interested in the development of nuclear energy. In his words, 20 new reactors went online in the last two years. There are plans to commission new installations in the countries, which are new users of nuclear energy. As an example he mentioned Belarus, which will commission two reactors by 2020, and the United Arab Emirates, where a four-reactor nuclear power plant is being built. “The latest projections indicate that the global potential of nuclear energy remains high,” said Yukiya Amano.
