 This is the year the world slowed down. Amidst great suffering and economic hardship, we held our breath. But while humankind struggled, the lockdown gave nature a short reprieve. We were given a glimpse of how clean our world could be. But we know that once we find a way out of this devastating pandemic, our climate challenges will not have gone away. So how can we restart our economies while keeping our air fresh and making our climate stable? Because even in this recession, emissions are still too high. But abundant, low-carbon energy is already here. And we need more of it to drive the clean energy transition. Every day, new innovations and scientific breakthroughs are taking our most powerful energy source and turning it into our most viable chance. Advanced large reactors, even safer and more efficient. Small modular reactors, more flexible and with lower building costs. Innovations in waste management. Deep geological disposal and recycling. Hybrid systems that combine renewable with reliable. Running on smart grids that are guided by artificial intelligence. New nuclear technologies are here to power a cleaner future. And change the world. Good morning, hello, and a very warm welcome to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Scientific Forum 2020. Whether you are joining us here, live in the room, your Director General, Excellencies, or whether you're with us online, we are very, very glad to have you with us. And our ranks, of course, are a bit thinner this year. As you will see, our room is emptier, but it's never looked more beautiful thanks to the green light bulbs in front of everybody's place. But the fact is we have a very big online audience with us as well. And I'd like to extend a special greeting to them. I'm Melinda Crane, and it will be my pleasure to accompany you as moderator over the course of these next two days. Before we begin, let me give you just a little bit of information about the format and procedures we are using due to the unusual circumstances we find ourselves in. The agency is taking all precautions to ensure everyone's health and safety based on the Austrian authorities' health guidelines. So what that means is that our program has been adjusted. We will be taking longer-than-usual breaks every two hours in order to fully disinfect this hall. Also, I'd like to ask everyone to please wear a mask when you're moving around this room or around the conference centre. You may remove your mask if you like when you're seated, but of course that's not a requirement. We also are required to keep a record of all persons who are here with us live in the room. So you will find a form at all of the seats in the room. If you would please fill that out and hand it in for each session, that would be very, very helpful for us. Thank you very much. This event is being live-streamed, as I mentioned. We have a big audience available. If you are trying to find it, you'll find the link on the IAE website. And for those of you who want to participate actively in the Q&As, you can do that by using the chat function on the IAEA conference's app. And you should have received instructions for how to get there through our social media channels, if not perhaps take a look at them and you will then find out how to access the app. To all of us who are on WebEx, to all of you who are on WebEx, please keep your microphones on mute when you're not speaking. That is very important to ensure the quality of the broadband. We have a special extra moderator with us this year. He's Jeff Donovan. He oversees communications for the IAEA's Department of Nuclear Energy. And he's going to be serving as moderator for your online questions. Why don't you stand up for one second and wave to everybody so our online audience can at least see your back. Thank you very much, Jeff. Great to have you with us. For those of us following on social media, if you hear something that interests you that you think is noteworthy, please send out the message under hashtag Atoms4Climate. Ladies and gentlemen, it is almost five years to the day since the world community signed up for the Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. And as you know, just a few weeks later, a few months later, the international community also agreed on the Paris Climate Accord. At the heart of these two groundbreaking agreements is recognition that sustainability and climate equilibrium present perhaps the greatest challenge that human beings have ever confronted. In the intervening years, which had been the hottest on record, we've seen ever more extreme weather, wildfires, sea level rise, the spread of disease, and of pests. If we are truly serious about our 2050 climate goals, we must act now. A crucial priority, as we all know, is reconfiguring our energy systems to ensure that rising demand will be met by low carbon sources. Nuclear power currently supplies nearly a third of the world's CO2, green CO2 neutral electricity, but it can still make a bigger, a decisive contribution to the clean energy transition, and that's what we're going to be talking about at this year's Scientific Forum. In our first two sessions today, we will hear about the latest innovations in the nuclear sector, and we'll also drill deeper on nuclear's role in that clean energy transition in combination with renewable sources. Tomorrow's sessions will take stock of recent developments in managing the nuclear energy life cycle from uranium mining all the way to waste disposal and decommissioning, and they'll address solutions for overcoming barriers such as costs, finance, and technical resources and capacity, also, of course, with the help of IAEA support. So that's what's in store, and we begin now with words of greeting from our host, from the Director General of the IAEA, His Excellency Raphael Mariana Golzi. You're very welcome. Yes, either at the center or at the podium, as you wish. Thank you very much. It's great to be here with you, and with all of you present here in the room, or connecting with us through the web. Like you said, when opening our forum this year, we need to have a discussion on the realities of the nuclear global market and what nuclear energy is doing, can do the challenges that we have, the solutions, the avenues that can take us to where we could be with the contribution of nuclear energy and what could happen if this is not the case. You just said it. We all know it. Nuclear energy is already making an important contribution. When I started as Director General of the IAEA, I thought that it would be important to raise our voice, not in a controversial or polemical way, just to remind everybody that, of course, nuclear has a place at the table. And as such, it's going to be through the IAEA part of the global societal debate on climate change and the challenges ahead of us. My first trip abroad as Director General was precisely to go to the conference of the parties of the Climate Change Convention in Madrid, a place where normally the heads of the IAEA would not consider to go. And then we considered that it was essential to be there and be part of the discussion. And there was a start of the discussion. And now when we are en route to Glasgow, to the next conference, we are preparing to be there and to be part of this debate. We believe that a dispassionate, science-empirical-based debate is absolutely essential. When we see every model, every pathway to reaching the goals that we have set to ourselves as an international community in terms of global warming and the reduction of global temperature, it is obvious that in every one, every model that has been constructed, not by the nuclear industry or the IAEA, by the international panel on climate change, the world's topmost scientists coming from all corners of the world, they all coincide that nuclear needs to be part of the mix and their level of participation must be much, much higher. Of course, to get there, we live in free societies. There is no magic hand or central planner that is going to be deciding that we will have more nuclear. There are many forces of play here. There are economical aspects, there are commercial aspects, there are also technical aspects and things that the industry itself must do to offer itself a viable alternative in the industrial world but also in developing countries that are craving for clean energy that need the kind of answers that nuclear energy can provide. I hope that in the course of the forum we are going to listen from those who are closer to these debates. I hope we are going to be looking into, for example, the problems we have in terms of financing, in terms of a level playing field when it comes to accessing credit, which is needed nationally and internationally to finance our projects. But as I was saying, there is also the innovation, the modernization of our industry that requires more modularity, more flexibility. The old times of the huge mega projects are gone. We will continue to see important big projects, 1,000 megawatts or more capacity reactors being built, but at the same time, and even in industrialized nations, we are going to be seeing different, more flexible answers to add viable solutions to the grid. And here I'm sure that this debate will be very illuminating in showing us the available solutions that exist already and are open for all of us to consider. So I think we are now at a crucial moment where many, in particular now, when we are living under this unexpected circumstances of the pandemic, where we are going to have the double challenge of not only facing the problems and the traumas of the pandemic, but also the need to recover and to recover in our economies in a sustainable way. So all the more so, nuclear is going to be having a very important role in many economies. Contrary to some narratives, what we see is a steady grow in nuclear energy across the world. In where I come from, in Latin America, and we have Minister Bento Albuquerque from Brazil, I'm very happy that he's going to tell us about their experience, their plans, their ambitions. In Asia, where dozens of reactors are being built as we speak, in Africa, where South Africa is a confirmed user, but also Egypt is adding itself to the list and other countries are considering it, a few years ago to think about nuclear energy in the Gulf would have been considered a joke. Now it's what we are seeing. So those who are saying that nuclear energy is in decline are watching another movie because it's not the one that shows what's going on in the world. Here, in Europe, many countries are either refurbishing their fleets or even considering adding to it. So we do not come to this debate with a perspective of a beauty contest or a, I would say, numerical debate. All we are saying, all we will continue to say is that nuclear has a place at the table. So let's discuss how we can combine our solid, permanent, dispatchable, clean energy in other mixes that will, of course, introduce renewables as it should be and as we all aspire it will be the case. So this is a very key moment, a particular moment. So I think we are going to hopefully at the end of the forum have a lot more to think about, a lot more to inform our societies and to help them and to help politicians and decision makers in the important essential debates that we are going to have. And of course, if nuclear has a place at the table, the table of the IEA is one of the places where we have to be holding this discussion. Thank you very much. Thank you very much, Director-General. And you may please take your seat here because we want to come back to you in just a moment in our panel discussion. We continue now with our opening session with statements from international leaders who are in fact spurring action to make nuclear power part of that clean energy transition and part of the effort to build back better after the pandemic. Our next speaker is the Minister for Mines and Energy in Brazil, as the Director-General has just reminded us. Brazil, of course, faces burgeoning energy demand. Our speaker is also an admirable admiral and served previously as Director-General of Nuclear and Technological Development in the Navy. It's a great pleasure to welcome his Excellency, Bento Costa Lima Leyte de Albuquerque. Please, the floor is yours. Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to start by thanking Gigi Rafael Gross for inviting me to address the selected audience. Thank you very much for the invitation. Congratulations for your initial words. Achieving substantial progress in the decarbonization of the global energy mix is a key challenge of our time. Despite growing awareness since the 92 Rio Conference, there has been no significant change in the share of fossil fuels in the global energy supply, currently at 81%. The main subject of this year's Scientific Forum is therefore very timely. There is growing technical consensus that nuclear energy plays a critical role in promoting a clean global energy mix. The most recent IPCC report argues that only with massive investment in energy transition, including nuclear, it will be possible to achieve the emission reduction targets of the Paris Agreement. Achieving this goal will require, among other things, reassessing commonly held prejudice against nuclear energy. We must overcome a traditional view that claims it is an expensive, risky, and polluting energy source. Advanced in the field, like improvements in safety and security standards, new technology and energy efficiency are part of a new and promising reality. The fast-breed reactors under development, for instance, will burn few more efficiently, reducing storage costs. Small modular reactors are another exciting news. Their small size and mass-scale industrial production offer an advantage in terms of cost and standardization. These innovations will allow nuclear generation systems to integrate competitively with other energy sources in hybrid systems. These arguments are not to question the importance of renewable energy sources, notably wind and solar. Dear friends, the future is clear. Hybrid power systems that combine nuclear technology with renewable, intermittent sources for power generation and industrial heating. Tapping the full potential of nuclear energy requires long-term planning that reduces uncertainty and volatility. Ladies and gentlemen, Brazil is renowned for having one of the cleanest power mixes. Our hydropower and bioenergy potential has historically ensured that renewables play a substantial role in keeping the country's electric grid clean and sustainable. This translates into guaranteed energy security while mitigating climate change. Our energy planning relies on the diversity of our sources. With a population of 210 million and a vast territory, Brazil must use all available options, biomass, biofuels, hydro, wind, solar, hydrocarbons, and, of course, nuclear. In 30 years, energy demand in Brazil will increase up to 2.5 times, and nuclear capacity will grow about 10 gigawatts. In order to give you an idea during the pandemic, the nuclear sector was extremely resilient. It was key in helping maintain satisfactory levels in our hydro reservoirs. The nuclear plant of Angra II played a special role beating its own record in power production. 99.4% capacity production. Ladies and gentlemen, Director General Grossi has repeatedly, and we heard this today, you state that neither you nor the agents is a lobbyist for the nuclear industry, but they rightly insist that it is our collective responsibility to make the facts concerning nuclear energy better known and to encourage a rational, well-informed debate about its potential. In the face of the mountain pack of climate change, the international community can no longer afford to ignore the nuclear sector's solid track record. This forum provides an opportunity to highlight the contribution the IAEA can make to the goal of mitigating climate change. Like in its past editions, Brazil is keen on taking an active part in the upcoming sessions. We warmly welcome Gigi Grossi's commitment to ensure that the agency is present and engaged in this crucial debate. Thank you. Thank you very much, Minister Abu Keke, and exactly you may take that seat, please. And I'd also just like to greet a second Brazilian minister who has also joined us here in the Scientific Forum. His Excellency, Marcos Pontes, Minister for Science, Technology, and Innovation of Brazil. So welcome, Excellency. Great to have you with us as well. We heard from the DG about the path to Glasgow. You will in fact be taking that path a bit later than originally planned because the COP26 has been pushed back on account of the pandemic. But nonetheless, the organisers are moving very actively to prepare this very, very important COP because essentially it will be crucial to meeting our 2030 goals. And we're very pleased to have a statement from the President of the next UN Climate Conference, UK Secretary of State for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy, His Excellency Alok Sharmel. Let us hear his video message. In 1956, the UK opened the world's first full-scale civil nuclear power station. Since that historic day in Cumbria more than 60 years ago, we have worked with governments, institutions, and industries across the world to solve problems and share solutions. We're very proud to have been a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency since 1957, and our tradition of commitment and collaboration continues to this day as we seek to help the nuclear industry fulfil its potential in the fight against global climate change. This year, the world's attention has quite rightly been on tackling the coronavirus pandemic. However, we remain focused on the threat posed by the climate crisis. We do not act, temperatures will soar, seas will rise, and the very existence of many small island developing states will be threatened. To avoid the worst effects of climate change, we need to halve global emissions over the next decade. But existing commitments to reduce emissions fall far short of what is required. As president of COP26, I'm urging all countries to submit more ambitious NDCs, to drive further cuts in carbon emissions by 2030, and I'm encouraging all nations to commit to reaching net zero as soon as possible. We know that a clean future depends on decarbonising the power sector. Power currently accounts for a quarter of global emissions, and as a source of constant low carbon power, nuclear can play an important role. Here in the UK, for example, nuclear is helping us to end our use of coal power and to reach net zero by 2050. In the first four months of this year, more than 60% of the UK's electricity came from low carbon sources, and a quarter of this clean electricity was generated by nuclear power. Nuclear can go further in the fight against global climate change. If we make it more affordable, and we make it more accessible, we're reducing costs and construction times across the industry, helping low carbon power to reach new consumers and markets across the globe. We know nuclear also has uses beyond electricity production, such as providing low carbon heat for high-temperature industrial processes, helping them to decarbonise. But if nuclear is to fulfil its potential to reduce global emissions, we need to do three things. First, we need states and industry to work together to drive innovation. Here in the UK, for example, we've signed a deal with the nuclear industry in 2018. This aimed to reduce new project costs by 30%, and decommissioning costs by 20%. And we're investing over £450 million in nuclear innovation between 2016 and 2021, including R&D into advanced and small modular reactors. Second, we need to work together to pool our resources and expertise. In March, for example, the UK and Canada's National Nuclear Laboratories announced a plan to work together on climate change. In April, the UK and the agency agreed a collaboration agreement to work together to boost efficiency and innovation. Third, we need to develop international standards for SMRs and AMRs so they can be deployed safely and with confidence. We believe the agency's best place to do this, and the UK is keen to support you, just as we're pleased to contribute to your work on climate change. And I commend the leadership that Director-General Raphael Grossi has shown in this area and the fantastic work the agency is doing to help member states monitor and adapt to a changing climate using nuclear science and technologies. I'm pleased to say that the UK is providing the agency an advisor to support these efforts. Ladies and gentlemen, nuclear science and technologies can play an important role in helping us to protect our planet from the effects of climate change. And all of us, industries, governments and international organisations must continue to work together to realise their full potential. Thank you. That was COP President Alok Sharma speaking to us by video. Our next speaker is Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. As many of you will have seen in the recent headlines, the European Union has announced ambitious, new climate targets for the next 10 years. Olga Aga Jerova has long experienced building partnerships between key European stakeholders and the United Nations. She joins us online. This is Executive-General Raphael. This is, ladies and gentlemen, it's not difficult to convince anyone that we are going through extraordinary times. The planet has reached a tipping point and the emergency lights are flashing. I used to say warning lights, but I want to insist that we are in an emergency. The current pandemic has taken its toll. We have now passed the green milestone of 1 million deaths. But there are so many other disasters that have visited us in quick succession. Forest fires have engulfed all continents, taking with them a toll of more than 1 billion animals. Some of the worst floods and droughts ever recorded have been seen in many countries. The human, environmental, social and economic prices we are paying are unprecedented. Planetary temperatures are rising fast as the climate changes are at the root of these disasters. We are already at one degree Celsius above the industrial temperatures. There is no doubt that there should be no debate. The United Nations has announced a decade of action from 2020 to 2030 to accelerate sustainable development goals. But what we are doing is not working. Current modes of thinking and working will not get us there. And energy is at the heart of sustainable development. It cannot be taken in isolation, but it's essential for quality of life. The energy system is a significant contributor to emissions of carbon dioxide and methane. Efforts to green the energy system have brought only modest gains. Over 80% of the global fuel mix is unfortunately still fossil. Renewables and energy efficiency are central to the future energy system. Electricity and transport are decarbonizing, but industry and other sectors of society are becoming more fossil dependent. There is a huge call on critical raw materials required for the future energy system. So we are not on track for two degrees of Celsius. And in the present trajectory, we are heading for a four degrees increase. We need to deploy every technology and to pursue every approach to reverse the trend. We must recognize that every country has its own endowment of natural resources and its own cultural, legislative, and regulatory heritage. And each country will pursue its own pathway to the 2030 agenda. What is clear based on our work at UNEC is that we will not achieve our objective collectively if nuclear energy is excluded. And nuclear energy can be a critical component of a decarbonized energy system. But if the industry addresses its cost, efforts on small modular reactors are a good example, if it addresses the human institutional factors that cause or exacerbate it, the well-known incidents and accidents, and if it addresses waste disposal, and the industry also needs to improve its communications. Many countries include nuclear energy as part of the climate change strategy. In Central Asia and the Middle East, many countries have embarked on new nuclear power programs as they perceive nuclear energy as an important and essential option for decarbonization. Nuclear energy is relevant to the collective outcomes for all countries. The expansion of options such as small modular reactors and advanced technology that uses thorium and safe designs that produce less waste should be attractive for many countries. The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, we are a regional commission of 56 member states from the European region. We are a technical organization that develops standards, norms, and guidelines in several fields pertaining to sustainable development, including energy, transport, trade, environment, and others. Our innovative products and tools often are adapted globally. UNEC has integrated a holistic energy program and our energy standards are deployed globally. As an organization, we are agnostic on energy policy and energy technology out of respect for the unique pathways of countries. The portfolio of available options clearly includes nuclear energy. An example of our global energy standards can be found in our United Nations Framework Classification for Resources, UNFC for short. The European Union, African Union, the Russian Federation, the CIS region, and other major countries like China, India, and Mexico have adopted UNFC or are in the process of doing so. They are also working with us to develop a derivative United Nations Resource Management System, or UNRMS as we are calling it. UNRMS will help countries optimize their resource endowments and align their policies and investments with the objectives of the 2030 agenda. Both UNFC and UNRMS are integrated with the UNEC's practices on environmental management, methane management, and energy efficiency. We have built a collaborative platform on energy. Participants come not only from over 85 countries worldwide, but also from key UN agencies including IAE, our sister regional commissions, international organizations, industry, academia, civil society. We work closely with international organizations such as the IEA, the nuclear energy agency, and the World Nuclear Association. Having a sustainable and integrated approach to energy system management is not just a fancy idea. It's an imperative for the future. It addresses the food, water, energy nexus is holistic and is tuned to a needed balance with nature. At UNEC, we have organized our work into several nexus areas including one, the sustainable use of natural resources, including energy resources. We have projects on carbon neutrality and pathways to sustainable energy with integrated and indivisible management of energy at the core. This is a time of crisis. A message that I would look for coming out of this scientific forum 2020 is emergency acceleration of decarbonization. With integration of all technologies on the path to a sustainable energy future, we must act as a network platform of key principles who can serve as a control center for deep decarbonization. When necessary, policy, technological, commercial, financial and social communication, imperatives need to be agreed as a matter of urgency. In conclusion, UNEC stands ready to work with IEA and other agency partners in this regard. I wish the scientific forum 2020 all success and thank you for your attention. Thank you very much, Your Excellency, for that. We hear next from a leader who has been absolutely instrumental in making the International Energy Agency a global hub for clean energy technologies and energy efficiency. It's a pleasure to hand over, joining us virtually, IEA Executive Director, Fati Birol. Thank you very much and greetings to everybody from Paris, especially to my two of my good friends, Director General Gossi and the Minister Bento. I wish I was with them in Vienna, the city. I lived almost 13 years and we could have many things to talk, in addition to nuclear climate. I'm sure we would cover another important issue as important as those which is football and the station with the Messi, Neymar and Ronaldo and beyond that. It will be a great, great discussion, but hopefully sometime very soon. So thank you very much for inviting me to this forum and may I first pass my congratulations to Director General for making IEA a part of the forces to address climate change. Thank you very much, Rafael, for your timely move in that direction. I said Vienna, beautiful city, Paris where we are also a beautiful city today. And in Paris during the pandemic, we have, of course, like many parts of the world, we went through very difficult days, very difficult days. But like the rest of the world, we have rediscovered many things and one of them is how essential electricity is for our lives. Without electricity, we couldn't talk with anybody. The hospitals couldn't work, carry out their health services. No communication, no television, no Zoom meetings and no meetings like that. And in France, where I live, 75% of the electricity comes from nuclear power and we have understood how important it is to supply electricity in a timely manner without having second thoughts about its resilience. So I am thankful to, on behalf of all of my colleagues at the IEA and their families, the French authorities and the French suppliers for providing us during these difficult times with electricity, 75 coming from nuclear power. Now, ladies and gentlemen, when we look at the 2020, it was a grim year, but I feel about clean energy transitions rather optimistic, rather optimistic. I have several reasons for that, but one of the reasons is that we see that the renewable energies are growing strongly, especially solar and wind growing very strongly. And this is a good news because their cost is becoming cheaper and cheaper, and I believe this is a good news that we should all be happy about. But here I would like to also mention that in addition to this, there is another aspect we should all note, namely many governments, central banks, to address the financial crisis, they have monetary policies, which means ultra low interest rates, which can make many clean energy technologies which require high upfront investments affordable. This is renewables, but also other technologies such as nuclear power. We believe at the IEA, we have the same arm length to all the fuels, gas, oil, renewables, nuclear, carbon capture, all of them. But we believe at the IEA, nuclear power is critical to reach our energy and climate cost for three basic reasons, three basic reasons. Number one, today nuclear power is the second largest source of clean electricity in the world, and in many advanced economies, number one. So this is a huge, huge, huge asset in the fight against climate change. We should not forget it, and sometimes people understand the value of something when they lose it. So we should appreciate the value of nuclear power when we have it, like other things in life. This is number one. We have a strong asset, uphand working, and second largest source of clean electricity. Second point, second reason, we say solar and wind will grow, they should grow and they will grow very strongly, but their availability is bound by nature. What are we going to do in a day with lower sunshine and lower wind? We need in the systems resilience of power systems, we need flexibility, and nuclear power can provide this flexibility to our systems and increase the security of electricity. So not only itself providing clean electricity, but at the same time supporting the other clean electricity sources such as solar and wind to have a higher shares in the electricity system. So this is the second reason why we believe nuclear is very important in the fight against climate change. And third and the last reason why we think nuclear power is very important in the fight against climate change. The energy sector emissions are not only coming from the electricity generation, it is coming from the industry sector, iron steel, cement, aluminum, it is coming from cars, trucks and everywhere. In fact, ladies and gentlemen, the electricity sector is responsible only 38% of the emissions, 62% comes from somewhere else, 62%. So how are we going to find a solution to this? Solar and wind will not go and solve our problems by themselves. So therefore we believe nuclear power can play a very important role by providing a high temperature heat, sometimes in connection with hydrogen energy, and can also help to decarbonize the industry sector emissions. So not only in the electricity sector providing electricity generation without electricity, but also through hydrogen, it can help to decarbonize the other sources of energy sector such as iron steel, aluminum and cement. Again, wind is very important, but we shouldn't forget also other energy sources. When we talk about this, it's a nuclear meeting, but since I see a minister Bento there, in terms of transportation sector, for example, to decarbonize, we have a huge opportunity of bioenergy which can be very helpful to reduce the emissions there. So to finish, dear colleagues, we believe at the IEA the scale of the challenge of addressing climate change is so big that we cannot afford to exclude any solution out of the table. And we believe at the IEA, I believe personally, nuclear is definitely part of the solution. We may all have our favorite technologies. I love solar, the other one, bioenergy, the other one, nuclear, the other one, wind. But the time is not to increase our egos, but to decrease the emissions. Therefore, I believe we all have to work very strongly and reduce the emissions by using all the technologies we have in hand, including the nuclear power. I thank you very much for your attention. Thank you. Thank you very much, Executive Director, and we'll be picking up on a number of the points that you have just made in our further discussions. We hear now from the Chief Executive Officer of Urenco Limited, one of the world's leading suppliers of enrichment services and fuel cycle products for the civil nuclear industry. It's a great pleasure to welcome Boris Schucht joining us online. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for this kind introduction, Melinda, and dear Rafael, many thanks for the invitation to this important IEA event today. I'm very honored to get the opportunity to share some views on the role of nuclear in the future energy system from an industrial perspective. Ladies and gentlemen, as previous speakers have already indicated, our current energy challenges are dominated by the climate crisis and the need to decarbonize our economies. There's a strong agreement among many countries in the world to significantly reduce CO2 emissions in some countries to even achieve net zero by 2050, which is only 30 years from now. Is that realistic? Can we achieve this? And what is needed to achieve this? It is very clear that the development of renewable energies has been a huge success story so far. Costs of renewables have heavily reduced and the share of renewables in many countries of the world is increasing faster than anybody ever expected. However, the IEA with Fatih Birol, a lot of other institutions are clearly pointing out that nuclear can and should play an important role in the clean energy transition. Achieving a sustainable energy system and meeting our ambitious climate targets will be much harder without the existing nuclear power and without new nuclear investments. The main argument which is used often is speed. Excluding one CO2-free technology would mean an unrealistic need for acceleration renewables even more. The consequence would mean it would be impossible to meet our climate targets. I would go even a step further in my argumentation. I think without nuclear and hydrogen as part of the solution for combating climate change, meeting a net zero target will be impossible or very, very costly. Or the other way around, nuclear perfectly complements renewables and hydrogen in a net zero world. These three technologies fit very well together. They are the future of our energy world. Why do I believe this? There are two main drivers for the need of hydrogen or power to gas. The first driver is the need for seasonal storage. In most of the countries and energy systems, we are so far focusing on the decarbonization of the electricity sector. This sector, huge improvements could be achieved just by increasing the share of renewables. Denmark and Germany, for example, have reached intermittent renewable shares around 45% of the electricity consumption, of course, in the highly meshed electricity grid of Europe. What does it mean? It means that these regions could get to these levels of renewables without being too concerned about the availability of storage capacity in cold winter weeks. Outwind and solar power in central or northern Europe. And I do not mean batteries because they definitely do not provide any seasonal storage capacity. The need for seasonal storage is becoming a serious challenge for electricity systems with more than 60 or 70% of renewables. Of course, when renewables are not available, but we will never reach net zero with such an energy mix. Therefore, we currently see first countries starting to develop hydrogen or power to gas concepts as alternatives. The second driver for the need of hydrogen is the decarbonization of the other sectors. For example, heavy duty traffic, steel production or cement production. Decarbonizing these sectors is more complicated, difficult and expensive. We are not progressing at all so far. Let's take the steel industry. This is one of the biggest industrial emitters of CO2, accounting for between 4% and 7% of the CO2 emissions globally. Some companies have started pilot projects to replace coke with hydrogen, the only available technical solution today. Heavy duty transport, as another example, accounts for over 20% of global CO2 emissions. Car manufacturers are making the switch to electric vehicles using batteries. However, this is not a solution for heavy duty transportation. Once again, hydrogen is a realistic option. The conclusion of these examples and the two drivers I have described is very clear. To achieve net zero carbon emissions, hydrogen and perhaps other synthetic fuels will play an essential role. Countries like the Netherlands, Germany and the UK have recognized this and are therefore already pushing for hydrogen. We simply do not have other solutions for carbon-free societies. What does this now mean for the role of nuclear in combination with renewables and hydrogen? Ladies and gentlemen, nuclear power plants are a perfect partner for hydrogen production. They are the perfect partner because they produce base load energy, this high yearly full load hours, which can be used for producing the heat, for changing water and steam and the electricity for bringing down the steam into a hydrogen oxygen. To ensure its cost-effectiveness, hydrogen production would need to be highly utilized. That fits well together with nuclear. However, it makes renewables alone a less effective partner for hydrogen. Nuclear has the highest capacity factor of any other energy source. For example, in the US alone, it produces reliable carbon-free power more than 92% of the time of a year, which means 8,100 full load hours a year. Solar power typically reaches 1 to 2,000 hours, onshore wind 2 to 2,500 and offshore wind around 4 to 5,000, which is still the half. That is where nuclear might make big difference. So my hypothesis is that in the future energy systems, nuclear can be a strong partner for hydrogen to support renewables in making decarbonization goals. Ladies and gentlemen, what do we need to enable nuclear to play this role? As today, a lot of political leaders and government representatives are joining the conference, I would like to take the opportunity to point out three areas where nuclear needs and should get our support. First, nuclear needs a level playing field where carbon emissions have a price. Carbon must get a price in all markets. The key is to have clear, transparent and long-term stable policy frameworks. These have to include all major producers of greenhouse gases to create a level playing field for all carbon-free technologies. Markets where carbon emissions do not have a price create clearly not the right incentive for nuclear power. Second, nuclear needs to become more cost-effective. Although nuclear power continues to grow globally, there remains a question mark about its competitiveness in some markets. Nuclear is cross-breeding Asia. However, we need to achieve the same cost efficiencies in other markets. This is all about standardization, learning curves, regulation and new nuclear power plant designs. It should be our homework from this conference to collaborate to make these things happen. They are our homework to support the nuclear future. And third, nuclear needs to access to finance. We are all aware that nuclear has a very different financial profile with long development period, huge single unit costs and very long technical lifetime. Gas-fired power plants or, for example, solar parks are very different with planning periods of one to two years, technical lifetime of around 20 years and often supported by feed interiors or comparable schemes. That means all countries who want to trigger lifetime extension or especially new nuclear builds need to recognize this situation have to implement frameworks which allow these kind of projects to access to finance. Defining these frameworks is an important political challenge. Developing nations are reliant on funds from development finance institutions to support these projects. These are the three big issues for nuclear in the next 10 to 20 years, level playing field, cost effectiveness and access to finance. To ensure that nuclear can continue to play a role I'm calling on all relevant stakeholders to help create an environment where nuclear energy supports renewables and the hydrogen economy of the future and we have to do it now. As a leader in the nuclear sector for more than 50 years Urenko is ready and willing to play its role and look forward to strong collaborations and making a value of a contribution. We need to work together to refocus energy markets to achieve decarbonization and develop the next generation of reactors and fuels. The future of our industry is exciting. We will do all that we can to ensure its long term success. Thank you very much. Thank you very much Boris and we'll come back to you in just a moment because we want to do a very brief dialogue with a few of our panelists and I know that Minister Albuquerque must leave us pretty much immediately but let me start with a very brief question to you if you would and I'll just ask all who now do address us in this dialogue to please keep your answers pretty short meaning under three minutes if you would. So dear Minister you have been quite outspoken about the role of nuclear and I wonder if you can just tell us why now, what is driving the urgency that you have conveyed not only here but also elsewhere to increase nuclear share in that clean energy mix? It's not urgency. I think energy planning is everything. In Brazil we have two energy plans. The first one is a 10 year plan that we review every year. The second one is a 30 year plan that we review every five years. According to our national energy policy and as I said in my speech Brazil has been operating nuclear plants since 1985 with security and productivity and Brazil has a diversity mix as I mentioned also but we have some other reasons. Some of them was mentioned by my friend Fatih and for other speakers but I'd like to mention some that I took note here. First Fatih has mentioned its clean. The second one I mentioned also by Fatih it helps maintain our energy diversity and energy security. The third one it's a key role in the energy transition. I would like to add some others. It serves the base load. For Brazil this is crucial. Another one it can be close to the load centers. Our nuclear plants in the southeast part of Brazil is located in the southeast part of Brazil. Angra do Geis Rio de Janeiro close to São Paulo where we have our industrial area. It can supply isolated systems also to Brazil that has a vast territory. This is very important using small modular reactors. The other one it keeps us updated in scientific production my friend Marcos points. This is another thing very important. And the last but not least we take advantage of our nuclear technological know-how and our large reserves of uranium. Then I think these are the main reasons that Brazil is adding 10 gigawatts of nuclear power for the next 30 years. That's it. Minister thank you very much also for underlining those very long lead times in energy planning because of course also stresses how very important it is if we want to meet those 2050 goals to get the plans in place right now. So minister you must leave us I know. Let's please give him a very warm round of applause for joining us. And meanwhile I will go on with a question to Director General Grossi and in fact we've heard many declarations here of very strong support for nuclear power yet as you said in your own remarks earlier nuclear absolutely also can make a greater contribution. So let me ask you quite concretely what are the top priorities for that to happen? Well I think that we are not at the moment where we need to see how to inject these thoughts into the wider debate. It is all too clear and we heard experts like Fatih Birol and others now or the president of the COP26 people that are looking at these issues from a general perspective that the facts are there. I think at the same time we need in all objectivity to recognize that we are not there yet that when it comes to the global policy debates there is resistance and there is objection. So we need to understand why this is happening. We need to give the I would say the good scientific debate. We need to offer the policy and scientific debate simply because we still see that factors which are not always objective are still influencing decision making. When certain instances, multinational instances deliberately, deliberately fend off exclude nuclear from financial assistance packages. It is important to understand why. What are the forces at play that end up intaking these decisions that run contrary to scientific and economical evidence? So we shouldn't get angry. We should understand. Most importantly we should be present at these debates. The contribution of industry this is why we wanted to have main industrial actors taking part in this debate. This is very important precisely now that we are integrating into the climate change debate more I would say urgent debate of recovery because we are facing a recession worse than that of 2008. So when we are looking at these things then we may have a better chance. I'm not saying we are going to be successful but we may have a better chance of levelling the debate listening to all voices and as it should be in democracies influencing, explaining, talking to political leaders this is what I'm doing to understand the question marks that are there and providing the answers. I am optimistic but I feel that there is a lot of work to be done, opportunities like this and talking to people like those who are invited here to be important I would say landmarks in this road. My hope is to be prepared to provide in Glasgow a very powerful, unified message from everyone around the table who has something to do with nuclear energy and countries that have integrated and understand from their real needs the role that nuclear can play. We heard it from Minister Bento, Albuquerque that is the same for many other countries represented here and elsewhere. So the challenge for us will be and this is part of the effort to have our voices heard. Thank you very much Director General. So a question now for the UN ECE's Olga Agarrova and yes, here she is and then we'll go in just a moment to Boris Schucht as well. Ms. Agarrova, UN Secretary General Guterres recently called on all UN member states to boost alternative energy sources in the battle against climate change, thank you. And I'd like to ask you to just pick up on what you said a few moments ago and tell us quite concretely what the UN is doing, what it can do to facilitate adoption of all forms of clean energy and again with the request for a very brief answer if you would. Thank you. In my view, changing climate is an existence and we are headed towards between four and six degrees about three individual levels and limiting the price to below two degrees of enormous efforts in all areas. Every technology has its role to play in the future, not only energy efficiency and renew which are of course essential and central to the tide but also high efficiency, low-end technologies with carbon capture, also controlling the tank concentration in the atmosphere and using existing infrastructure to enable the shift to a hydrogen economy. And as mentioned, nuclear, that it will be part of the future energy mix. Nuclear power is a low carbon option in its own right for power production but it can also contribute to decarbonization in other sectors. For example, production of hydrogen for transportation that we are working on or use a small modular reactor for industrial applications or for heating services. The nuclear industry must address its cost competitiveness and safety imperatives and its communications challenges if it is to play the role that the world needs of it. So it is a collective effort of the United Nations. All relevant agencies, funds and programs and UN entities have many activities in their agenda to achieve this goal. Through my energy division, we at UNEC are developing the source of best practices, standards, protocols and investment guidelines that industry needs to guide its investments and the transition to a clean, sustainable future. We do so in collaboration with not only industry but with government, civil society to ensure our products are unassailable and durable. Thank you. Thank you very much. And let me come back now to Boris Shurt as a representative of industry. And we want during the Scientific Forum to be talking also about the challenges that countries face. So let me ask you to just say a word about what you see as the biggest challenge for countries that might be looking to add nuclear or boost nuclear in their energy mix. Thank you very much, Melinda. They are good examples in the world and they are better examples. I think we are all aware that when we look at Europe, we have a lot of the most bad examples that we can learn from them. They are also good examples. When you look for example to China or when that is a project I would like to point out, when you look for example at the Emirates where it's a Imbaraka plant, actually big project is, I would say, at least from my point of view, it's close to on time and on budget. So it's possible today also to plan and to build nuclear power plants but certain circumstances need to be fulfilled. It's about, of course, a front-loading planning. So take your time in the beginning. It's about don't change systems, don't take regulations and concepts while you are already in the final stage of planning or even under construction that is always very, very difficult when you are ending up in this. And then you can see then nuclear has also a chance and nuclear can be then achieved energy source. And this is a challenge, of course, for countries. And one other thing that I would like to mention is we should not forget that the cheapest way of reducing CO2 emissions is extending the lifetime of the existing nuclear power plants. That is something where we also have to set the right frameworks, the right regulation that becomes possible. You see that in certain markets but we see also in other markets where the conditions are not the right ones. We'll take, for example, in the US as an example where 25 years, 30 years old nuclear power plants might be taken out of operation because the regulatory framework is not the right one. They are not profitable because they can't compete without a CO2 price in the CO2 market against gas-fired power plants, which is, of course, respect to the climate change, very strange development. Now, it's all about efficiency, regulation, and the right framework. Thank you very much, Boris Shurt. And we will be picking up on a number of those points in our further sessions at the Scientific Forum. So, dear ladies and gentlemen, let me now ask to play a few video statements with which we want to end this opening session of the forum before we come back to the Director General for a few final remarks. So, we begin with a video statement from the Secretary of Energy of the Philippines. DEI Director General Rafael Grossi, IAEA officials, fellow speakers, conference participants, ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon from Manila. Allow me to greet you all with a little bit of nuclear optimism amid the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. I am honored to join the International Atomic Energy Agency Scientific Forum today, which coincided with the holding of the 64th IAEA General Conference in Vienna. I have no doubt that your theme, nuclear power and the clean energy transition, resonates with a lot of countries that are exploring the use of nuclear energy for a sustainable future. We hope to learn a lot from your today event, which will examine the role of nuclear power in the transition to low-carbon clean energy systems and the way in which scientific and technological innovation in helping drive its future. Three months ago, on June 23 to be exact, I was one of the keynote speakers at the International Energy Agency's annual global conference on energy efficiency. I shared that the time that, in spite of opposition from various sectors, I have been continuously working towards integrating nuclear power as a reliable alternative energy resource to attain our energy sufficiency and meet future power demands. I believe that the time is right for us to embark on a full national nuclear energy program. For a country like the Philippines, COVID-19's onslaught has revealed that energy systems could be interrupted. This has further underscored the urgency of attaining our energy security and sustainability goals. We at the Philippine Department of Energy have been continuously advocating for the responsible development and utilization of all energy resources, including nuclear, under the technology-neutral policy we have adopted. Technology neutrality caters for all possible energy solutions without prejudice to or predisposition against any particular resources. To refresh our memories, the Philippines was one of the first Southeast Asian countries to embark on a nuclear power program with the creation of the Philippine Atomic Energy Commission in 1958. Then in the 1980s, the country became the host to the region's only nuclear power plant, which was unfortunately mothballed due to unfounded allegations of corruption and widespread safety concerns on how the Bataan nuclear power plant could fare in the face of nature's wrath. Now, over 40 years after its construction, the Bataan nuclear power plant is still stands. I wonder, where have all those people who have strongly opposed its operations gone? Really, it is a shame that the Philippines was unable to seize the opportunity to harness nuclear energy at that time. I firmly believe that our country's economic landscape would be much different had we tapped nuclear power then. Instead, our economic development was stunted, whereas our regional neighbors who had boldly ventured towards nuclear had all been transformed into economic powerhouses. Now, we have been given an opportunity to rewrite our nuclear journey. I am related to announce that on July 24, a month after I spoke at the IEA Global Conference on Energy Efficiency, President Rodrigo Rova Duterte signed Executive Order No. 116. Under these issuance, a nuclear energy program interagency committee headed by the Philippine Department of Energy was formed and is tasked to submit its recommendation on national position on nuclear energy to the office of the President at the soonest possible time. The interagency committee is expected to step in and continue collaborative work with the IAEA. This is a major step towards the realization of a Philippine nuclear energy program, one which would benefit our people by enhancing our energy supply levels and help shield our consumers from the traditional power price volatilities. Prior to this executive order, our Philippine Energy Plan already projects the inclusion of nuclear power in our energy mix by 2030, with the evolution of small modular reactors that are suitable for the off-grid or island areas of the Philippines. The possibility of establishing a modular power plant in the country might come sooner, even as early as 2027. We are strongly posing for the passage of the necessary legal and regulatory frameworks to pay the way for the nuclear power, which are among the bills that have been certified as urgent in Congress. I continue my call on my countrymen to open themselves to the idea. Considering the potential of safely utilizing nuclear energy for the country's power needs, doesn't mean that nuclear power plants will immediately come out of the woodwork. Many of my countrymen may raise their eyebrows and ask, why? And to which our response is, why not? Given that the idea of harnessing nuclear power for our energy needs is highly politicized issue in our country, we have been working to ensure that public and stakeholder acceptance is fully and properly addressed. As part of our comprehensive and integrated communication plan, we commissioned a survey firm in the Philippines to gauge national public perception on nuclear energy in 2019. Results had indicated that a majority of Filipinos were open to the notion of going nuclear. With such a positive turnout, I feel that now is time for intensified and informed public discussion on nuclear energy. I hope that our update would open doors for potential collaborative opportunities in the future with the international nuclear energy community or with our participants in this forum. Thank you very much, and I look forward to the rest of the program. Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. It's my great pleasure to join you at the Center Forum on nuclear power and clean energy transition. Nuclear power plant currently produces nearly one-third of the low-carbon electricity, providing a clean, safe and reliable energy source for the world. In China, nuclear power is an essential part of the modern energy system. An important option to deal with the climate change and fulfill the commitment on emissions reduction and the driving force to advance scientific and technological progress and industry upgrade, especially amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, nuclear power has given full play to its unique role in securing energy supply and the resumption of work and production, which shows great potential. I would like to take this opportunity to share with you China's experience in nuclear power development. First, develop nuclear power in a positive and steady manner. As of the Fukushima nuclear accident, the Chinese government had organized a comprehensive safety check on all nuclear facilities, adjusted relevant nuclear safety plans and the medium and long-term development plans resumed nuclear power construction in a reasonable and prudential pace. Present, there are a total of 48 nuclear power units in operation and 13 units on construction in the Chinese mainland, accounting for nearly 5% of the total power generation. Recently, four F1HBL-1000 units were approved by the Chinese government with a total investment of more than 70 billion R&D. Second, focus on innovation-driven strategy. China adopts the strategy of innovation-driven development and places emphasis on self-reliance, collaboration, and co-sharing. At present, China has achieved the lead from the second-generation PWR technology to the third generation. Only its own brand of Hualong-1 was independent of IPR. We have carried out intensive R&Ds on multipurpose small modular reactors, speeding up its applications in fields such as district heating, industrial gas supply, sewer desalination, etc. Positive progress has also been made for the construction of the demonstration projects of the high-temperature gas cool director and sodium cooled fast reactor. Third, always put safety at the first place. The Chinese government has always adhered to the concept of attaching equal importance to safety and development. All new nuclear power plants are required to adopt the third-generation technical standards, and continuous efforts have been made to enhance the safety and reliability of operating power plants. China has established an effective state nuclear material accounting and control system and maintained a sound record. In 2019, the SMSPC became the collaborating center of the IEA, which will make great contributions to the capacity building in China and Asia Pacific region. Four, keep opening up and sharing benefits with other countries. In line with the principle of consultation, contribution, and shared benefits, China has carried out wide-range international cooperation with other countries. China has signed intergovernmental peaceful uses of nuclear energy cooperation agreements with nearly 30 countries. China's cooperation with France, Russia, Canada, and the United States, etc. in the nuclear power field has provided a huge market opportunity for the world nuclear industry. In addition, China has developed its own nuclear power plant, such as Kuala Lumpur, and high-temperature gas-cooled reactor, and is willing to share with emerging nuclear power countries. Ladies and gentlemen, China advocates the concept of lucid waters and large mountains are invaluable assets for development. China is willing to join hands with other countries to promote the safe, innovative, collaborative, and open development of nuclear power with the aim to better benefit the people and the society. Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, I'm very happy to take part to this forum today, even through the yellow link. Scientific Forum is indeed a major annual milestone of IEA. And once again this year, it will deal with a very major issue. The role of nuclear power in the context of the clean energy transition. The COVID crisis showed us more than ever that we have to question our lifestyles and the associated technologies. As chairman of the French Atomic Energy Commission, a leading research and technology organization with a strong, long-standing expertise in nuclear technologies for health and energy, I'm pleased to share with you today our vision and experience The clean energy transition is a necessity for our societies. Indeed, the work of the IPCC confirms the inexorable warming of the planet. Massive human emissions of greenhouse gases in particular carbon dioxide are a major cause for this warning. These emissions result largely from the use of fossil fuels for energy production. It is therefore unavoidable to decarbonize our energy systems. Climate challenges are forcing us to reduce our energy consumption in particular fossil fuels and to strengthen low-carbon energy production modes such as renewable and nuclear energies. The aim of this forum is to identify the place of nuclear power in the clean energy transition. This forum brings together energy and climate experts with governmental and industrial actors, as well as international organizations under the leadership of the agency. Pulling our efforts and sharing our various experiences will contribute to enrich the forum. The current contribution of nuclear power to the energy transition and to the fight against global warming is real. Today, nuclear power plants provide more than 10% of the world's electricity with minimal greenhouse gas emission. Because of its low-carbon signature, nuclear energy is a strong asset in the energy transition. In the medium term, the reduction of our dependence on fossil resources cannot be entirely compensated by an increase of renewable energies. Due to their intermittent nature, their capacity remains limited and must be implemented by a continuously available, flexible and lower-cost energy source. Nuclear energy fully meets this criteria. In France, the electricity mix has been characterized by for several decades by a large share of nuclear power. The production of carbon-free electricity is a major asset for France to achieve its goals in the framework of Paris Agreement. Nuclear will therefore remain at the heart of the French energy transition strategy. Since the beginning of this year, the COVID-19 pandemic has been causing great social and economic distress. It is forcing states and governments to implement policies that further strengthen our resilience in response to health hazards or those resulting from climate change. We therefore need a strong political and financial support and innovation to be able to meet these challenges. This is exactly the decision made by the French government, which recently announced in its recovery plan its support for the nuclear sector through an investment of 470 million euros over two years. A significant share of this amount is dedicated to the new world small modular reactor project. In this recovery strategy, France is also focusing on the development of clean hydrogen produced from decarbonized electricity, which is another important era of innovation. In the medium term, clean hydrogen could become an essential energy vector in the industry and transportation. In total, more than 7 billion euros will be dedicated to the hydrogen sector between now and 2030. In conclusion, the energy transition appears more than ever to be a top priority. By raising this issue, I think BIA is fully in its mission and I'm sure that our work will contribute on a solid scientific and technical basis to guide political, economic and industrial choices for the coming decades. I wish you all a very fruitful forum. Thank you. Dear Director-General, let me ask you this opening session and give us your key messages to take with us into our further discussions. Well, certainly I would say this opening session has exceeded really my expectations. We see from an incredibly diverse array of people with different expertise and responsibilities. From experts to political people we find this common thread where we all know that there is a need to do something which came in two or three of these presentations that I take with me. We need to pull out these resources. We need to bring these messages in a coherent manner so that they can be influential. Preaching to the converted is not going to make it. We need to open these doors. We need to make our voice be heard by those who are part of this debate. We are not a passive spectator. We are an actor and we are going to play our role. This forum and I really look forward to tomorrow when I will learn from you on the ensuing conversations we will be able to draw some conclusions in shaping this message as I said that we intend to take to everywhere where the transition energy is going to be discussed because nuclear has a place at the table and we are going to be saying this very, very clearly and loudly. Thank you very much. Thank you very much Director General and I know you won't be able to attend all of our technical sessions but we certainly look forward to seeing you again at the closing session tomorrow midday. So before we give the Director General just one quick word from me ladies and gentlemen on where we go now. We go into a break and it is somewhat more extended than usual because we will be using it to disinfect this hall. So we will resume in about an hour and 45 minutes from now at 1pm Vienna time so also to our online audience please do come back to us in one hour and 45 minutes when we begin our first session on innovations for climate and development goals really drilling deeper on some of those very, very interesting innovations in the nuclear sector that we've heard mention of in this first opening session. Thank you to everyone who was with us. Thank you to all of our speakers and to all of you following us in this room live and also online. Let's give everyone a warm round of applause.