The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Conference on Climate Change and the Role of Nuclear Power was held in Vienna from October 7 to 11. The conference was organized with the support of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA), which is part of its structure.
The conference is the first of the kind event organized under the auspices of the IAEA. It was attended by about 550 representatives of 79 countries and 18 international organizations to exchange information and experience, as well as to conduct objective discussions on the role of nuclear power in combating climate change.
Polina Lyon, Chief Sustainability Officer, was among of the representatives of ROSATOM. In her report, she addressed the challenges associated with the formation of regulation in the field of sustainable development. The EU Taxonomy for Sustainable Financing was considered as an example. The speaker noted that, despite the direct contribution of nuclear power to the achievement of at least six UN Sustainable Development Goals, the classification prepared in the EU does not include nuclear projects as potentially “sustainable”. According to P. Lyon, additional criteria for confirming “sustainability” similar to the OECD regulation in the field of export credit may be an alternative solution, instead of excluding certain sectors. P. Lyon emphasized the importance of security guarantees, transparency and economic efficiency for nuclear projects. In addition, she pointed out the need for a constant dialogue between energy market participants to jointly develop balanced energy solutions for sustainable initiatives.
Vladimir Artisyuk, Adviser to Director General of ROSATOM emphasized in his report “Climate Change & Nuclear Power. Russian Case” that the role of nuclear power in the process of reducing greenhouse gases is significant. In this regard, the expansion of Russian nuclear energy technologies is a serious contribution of Russia to the global combating climate change.
Also on the sidelines of the conference, the IAEA and the Rosatom Technical Academy signed an agreement under which the Technical Academy will assist the participating countries in the process of training personnel and strengthening management skills in the field of nuclear power and industry.
In addition, the conference participants could visit the exhibition stand of ROSATOM, which presented advanced Russian projects in the field of nuclear power and demonstrated the role of nuclear technology in achieving sustainable development goals.
