Nuclear leaders – including Clarington Mayor – sign partnership at Nuclear Summit in Belgium
Published March 28, 2024 at 4:06 pm
Clarington Mayor Adrian Foster joined heads of state, representatives from the nuclear industry and other organizations at the first ever Nuclear Energy Summit in Brussels, Belgium, this week to highlight the role of local government as a partner in safe and responsible nuclear energy production.
During the Summit, leaders from host communities representing 18 countries signed the Nuclear Communities Global Partnership Declaration, committing the group to brokering better connections between municipalities and international atomic organizations, government, the nuclear industry and regulatory authorities.
“We are stronger together, and the world is taking note,” said Foster, who serves as Chair of the Canadian Association of Nuclear Host Communities (CANHC). “Nuclear power is going through a renaissance globally, and there is an incredible opportunity to join with municipalities around the world to learn from and support each other in our common goal of welcoming nuclear advancement – contributing to the long-term economic and civic well-being of our communities.”
Countries represented at the Summit included Canada, the United States and several European nations and Foster said local host communities in those countries must be “meaningfully engaged” as partners throughout the process “so we can truly leverage the benefits of nuclear energy.”
Clarington is a founding member of CANHC and Foster said the municipality is committed to supporting clean energy initiatives that benefit residents, the environment and the local economy.
“The nuclear sector is expanding globally, and communities around the world are looking to Canada and Clarington as an example of host community leadership,” he said from Brussels. “Without a willing host community there would be no nuclear sector – and we are committed to being a partner to help ensure the safe, secure and successful deployment of nuclear technology.”
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The landmark Summit, the world’s first high-level meeting focused entirely on nuclear energy, comes on the heels of nuclear’s historic prominence at last December’s UN Climate Change Conference.
International Atomic Energy Director AEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, who co-chaired the Summit with Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo, underlined the need for action. “Acknowledging nuclear’s necessity isn’t enough. It’s on political leaders to foster environments that encourage nuclear development. Without decisive action, the potential for nuclear to support the green transition could be lost.”
On the eve of the Summit, Grossi, de Croo, as well as Belgian Minister of Energy Tinne Van der Straeten met with more than 70 young activists supporting nuclear and renewable technologies to discuss the role of nuclear power in the clean energy transition.
“Net zero needs nuclear because this is the only way we will completely decarbonize,” de Croo said at the youth event. “We will need a lot of renewables, but we will need a lot of nuclear as well.”
The European Commission recently launched the European Industrial Alliance on Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) – which are currently being built at the Darlington nuclear plant in Clarington – to help accelerate development and deployment.
“The IAEA analysis tells us that investments need to accelerate this decade and reach new heights in the 2030s to meet the Paris Agreement target,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. “That requires support from governments to ensure that financing is available and that nuclear’s contribution to electricity security is properly valued and remunerated.”
The one-day Summit was held March 25.
