IAEA Grossi at Davos: Nuclear Power, Climate Change and Ukraine
25 May 2022
Michael Amdi Madsen, IAEA Office of Public Information and Communication
Nuclear provides the opportunity for a faster transition to a low-carbon energy future and supports the shift to a hydrogen economy, IAEA Director General Mariano Grossi told participants at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting this week. Attending the gathering on Tuesday and Wednesday in Davos, Switzerland, Mr Grossi met with world leaders and discussed the decarbonization potential of nuclear energy for meeting global climate targets. He also discussed IAEA activity in relation to Ukraine and Iran.
Mr Grossi said, describing the IAEA as a problem solver. He said the use of nuclear weapons was “unthinkable” and explained that the IAEA’s focus was on avoiding nuclear accidents derived from an attack on a nuclear power plant or the release of radioactive material. Mr Grossi added that the IAEA is seeking to visit Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station, under occupation by Russian forces, to verify that the 30,000 kg of plutonium and 40,000 kg of enriched uranium stored there have not been deviated for other uses.
Hesitant to describe the conflict in Ukraine as having a silver lining, Mr Grossi did say that there is now, “a renewed conviction that working through international institutions, multilaterally, together will always be a solution — unilateralism doesn’t solve anything it aggravates everything.”
https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/iaea-grossi-at-davos-nuclear-power-climate-change-and-ukraine