Agreement to boost nuclear energy in developing countries

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the World Bank have signed a collaboration agreement to promote the use of nuclear energy in developing countries with financial support, as well as technical support in security matters, reports the EFE agency.

The memorandum of understanding, signed Thursday in Paris by the IAEA director, Rafael Grossi, and the World Bank president, Ajay Banga, lays the foundation for a collaboration to “support the safe and responsible use of nuclear energy in developing countries.”

In statements to EFE, Grossi “absolutely” ruled out that the possible construction of nuclear power plants in such countries would involve a risk in terms of proliferation of nuclear weapons or nuclear accidents, writes Agerpres.

“Any country that wants to build, or that builds or that has a power plant, is mandatorily inspected by the IAEA”, so that “all nuclear installations” are subject to this supervision, primarily “so that all the nuclear material is always there and is not used for anything else”, he said.

Grossi recalled that of the 440 nuclear power plants that exist worldwide, many are already in developing countries, such as Argentina, Mexico, Brazil and South Africa, “and that they are operating and give hope that such plants can also be developed in poorer countries”.

In this regard, he stressed that any nuclear project must meet many procedures and that a country cannot build an atomic power plant “if it does not have a number of instances that ensure that there is an adequate infrastructure” to support it.

“There is no – he added – a nuclear project that can be installed where there is nothing, without any control, without any government supervision. That is not possible”.

In addition, he noted, the agreement signed on Thursday is “precisely a way in which the World Bank can determine the viability of a nuclear project in a country” and, if a project without technological capacity and without any control were to appear, “we are the first to say that it is not viable”.

The memorandum stipulates that the two bodies work in three key directions, starting with the development of capacities for the safe use of nuclear energy, with safeguards, with planning and this in everything related to new technologies, fuel cycles or waste management.

The extension of the life of nuclear power plants in operation is also being considered, since this extension is considered “one of the cheapest sources of low-emission electricity in terms of costs”.

Last but not least, the aim is to accelerate the development of small modular reactors, which offer flexibility, low costs and could have a wide use in developing countries.

Banga pointed out that the World Bank last financed a nuclear power plant project in 1965 and that, with this agreement, “for the first time in decades”, it is returning to the world of atomic energy.

In particular, he referred to the demand for electricity in developing countries, which is set to double by 2035, and explained that the WB’s objective is to help them have the energy their inhabitants need, giving them the flexibility to choose “the path that best suits their development ambitions, national context” and their specific contributions.

Currently, 31 countries operate nuclear power plants, which generate 9% of the world’s electricity. There are over 30 developing countries that are considering the possibility of resorting to nuclear energy to meet their needs.