This 4th conference on “nuclear energy in the 21st century” gathered, after Paris in 2005, Beijing in 2009 and Saint Petersburg in 2013, nearly 400 participants from 67 Member States or international organizations, in Abu Dhabi from October 30th to November 1st, 2017. In his conclusions, the President of the Conference, Mr. Al Kaabi, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to the IAEA, emphasized the importance of nuclear energy as a safe, reliable and clean option for carbon free energy supply, recalling that a number of countries are considering including nuclear in their energy mix. He also noted the need for increased investment in this sector to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Climate Agreement.
Daniel Verwaerde, Chairman of the CEA and head of the French delegation on behalf of the French government and Ministers who could not attend, said that "nuclear energy, which now accounts for almost a third of the world's non-carbon electricity production, will remain important in the coming years". Moreover, he affirmed the intention of France to “maintain its position in nuclear technologies on the international market as well as in the framework of its international nuclear cooperation”.
Speech of Daniel Verwaerde, Administrateur Général du CEA. © CEA
On the margins of the conference, Daniel Verwaerde held several bilateral meetings with his counterparts. He also signed on this occasion a new cooperation agreement between the CEA and the Jordan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEC) to promote the exchange of scientists and research and development in nuclear sciences and technologies.
Mr Xavier Ursat, Executive Director of the EDF Group in charge of the Engineering and New Nuclear Projects Department, and Mr François Gauché, Director of Nuclear Energy at the CEA, participated in the working session panels of the conference.
A national booth, chaired by CEA, presented to the conference participants the new French nuclear team, working in synergy and promoted their skills.
Delegates from the French delegation in front of the French booth. © CEA
The JAEC was founded in 2008 succeeding the Jordanian Nuclear Energy Commission in order to develop and promote the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. The work of the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission focuses on two main areas, namely, the construction of nuclear power plants for the production of electricity and desalination of water using those nuclear reactors, and also the project of use of the natural nuclear resources found in Jordan, namely, the uranium.