IEA: The World Needs New Nuclear Build to Fight Climate Change

From Wednesday's edition of the Financial Times:

For the first time in its 32-year history, the International Energy Agency will next week urge governments around the world to help speed the construction of new nuclear power plants.

Although several countries, including India, China, the US and France, are already planning more nuclear plants, and others such as the UK are in the early stages of backing new reactors, others oppose any addition to nuclear capacity, including Germany and Spain.

However, Fatih Birol, IEA chief economist, said: "“We need a decision almost tomorrow if we are going to act before we reach a point of no return in climate and security of supply."

In an interview ahead of the release of the agency'’s World Energy Outlook, he said politicians needed to persuade reluctant voters that nuclear power was safe and necessary. They also need to create investment climates conducive to investors.

The IEA report -- the first to offer advocacy rather than analysis --– comes after the Group of Eight last summer asked the agency to come up with guidance on how governments could bolster energy security and combat global warming.

For more thoughts on the upcoming World Energy Outlook, visit We Support Lee. And come back to NEI Nuclear Notes next week once the report is released.

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