The United Nations' nuclear agency announced it will work to restore faith in nuclear power following the Fukushima Daiichi accident in Japan, noting that the agency still forecasts robust reactor construction in Asia despite a slowdown in the industry.
“In the aftermath of Fukushima Daiichi, the most important thing is to ensure transparency, build confidence and meet the high expectations of the public. But it is actions, not words that count,” International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Yukiya Amano recently told the IAEA board of governors in Vienna. The agency is in the process of drafting a post-Fukushima plan that considers a number of ways to improve the international response to nuclear accidents.
As it does, a UN release dated Monday also indicated the IAEA will put its weight behind efforts to reassure the public that the world's 432 operating civilian reactors are safe. The release also announced the IAEA will trim its estimates for growth in the nuclear field. The agency now forecasts that between 90 and 350 new power reactors will be built by 2030. While Germany, Japan and other countries are scaling back or phasing out their use of nuclear power, the IAEA still expects China and India will lead the world in reactor construction.
“The factors that contributed to increasing interest in nuclear power before the Fukushima Daiichi accident have not changed: increasing global demand for energy, as well as concerns about climate change, dwindling reserves of oil and gas and uncertainty of supply of fossil fuels,” Amano said.