In an announcement concerning the Nuclear Energy Technology Roadmap published today, the International Energy Agency declared that “nuclear energy is one of the key low-carbon energy technologies.”
As part of the IEA scenario to reach a 50% cut in energy-related CO2 emissions by 2050, the organization has proposed that nuclear energy capacity grow threefold, to 1,200 GWe, providing 24% of world electricity production in 40 years time. The IEA described this growth as “ambitious but achievable.”
The press release notes that challenges remain to this expansion, including policy, financial, and public acceptance, but “the roadmap finds that nuclear power is a mature, low-carbon technology that is ready to expand rapidly over the coming decades. The latest reactor designs, now under construction around the world, build on over 50 years of technology development. The roadmap notes that these designs will need to be fully established as reliable and competitive electricity generators over the next few years if they are to become the mainstays of nuclear expansion after 2020.”
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