World's first ever Nuclear Energy Summit held in Brussels | Current Affairs | Vision IAS
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    World's first ever Nuclear Energy Summit held in Brussels

    Posted 30 Mar 2024

    2 min read

    • Summit was jointly organized by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Belgium to promote nuclear energy. 
      • It was organised in the wake of the historic inclusion of nuclear energy in the Global Stocktake agreed at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP28), 2023.
      • Inclusion in Global Stocktake called for accelerating its deployment.
        • Currently, nuclear energy is responsible for around 25 % of global low carbon electricity production. 
    • Summit was attended by more than 30 nations (including India) and European Union.

     

    • About IAEA
      • Genesis: Established in 1957 as an autonomous international organization within the United Nations system
      • Objective: Works with its Member States and multiple partners worldwide to promote safe, secure and peaceful nuclear technologies. 
      • Safeguard Mechanism: The global Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and other treaties against the spread of nuclear weapons entrust the IAEA as the nuclear inspectorate. 
        • IAEA has also evolved additional Protocol mechanism; it enables IAEA to verify the peaceful use of all nuclear material in States.
        • India is part of this protocol. 
      • Members: 178 (Including India) 
      • Key Initiative: Atoms4NetZero
      • HQ: Vienna, Austria

    Relevance and Challenges of Nuclear Energy 

    • Clean source of electricity with minimal Carbon Footprint.
    • Technological advancement in the form of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) will make it more feasible. 
      • SMR’s are advanced nuclear reactors that have a power capacity of up to 300 MW(e) per unit. 
    • Perennial Availability. 
    • Challenges:  Safety concerns post-Fukushima nuclear disaster and Vulnerable to cyber-attacks , High upfront cost of building a nuclear power plant, Long delays, etc. 
    • Tags :
    • Nuclear Energy
    • Nuclear Energy Summit
    • International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
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