U.S., France, U.K., and 22 others pledge to ‘triple nuclear power capacity.’

The United States, France, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Sweden, and 17 other countries have pledged to triple the global nuclear power capacity by 2050 through international cooperation.

On December 2, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced that South Korea, along with the 22 countries, adopted a declaration supporting the ‘Net Zero Nuclear Initiative’ in Dubai, UAE.

The Net Zero Nuclear Initiative is a global climate task that recognizes nuclear power as clean energy to address the imminent climate crisis, pledges international cooperation to triple the global nuclear power capacity by 2050, and calls for national support in finance, budget, technology development, and supply chain security.

Kang Kyung-sung, the second vice minister of the Ministry of Industry, who attended the event, said in a speech supporting the Net Zero Nuclear Initiative, “South Korea recognizes nuclear power as a clean energy source and strongly supports the tripling of the global nuclear power capacity.” He added, “Korea is already participating in the international community’s efforts to solve the climate crisis and is promoting the expansion of nuclear power in the energy mix.”

Kang also emphasized South Korea’s competitiveness as a nuclear cooperation partner, stating, “Through participation in overseas nuclear projects, Korea will share its technology and experience in safe design, construction, and operation across the entire nuclear industry cycle with the world.” He added, “Since the construction of its first nuclear power plant in 1972, Korea has built 36 nuclear power plants and has elevated industries such as semiconductors, secondary batteries, and shipbuilding to a global level based on stable power supply.”

The significance of this declaration is that a global consensus is being formed that the role of nuclear power is crucial in responding to the climate crisis and achieving carbon neutrality goals. Particularly, the participation of national leaders such as French President Emmanuel Macron, U.S. Climate Envoy John Kerry, and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson reaffirmed the elevated status of nuclear power as a means to address the climate crisis and international interest in it.