世界各地领导人齐聚国际原子能机构科学论坛：核创新促进净零排放，一致认为：气候变化的影响不可否认，核能是缓解气候危机和减少碳排放的解决方案的一部分。 论坛于原子能机构大会第六十七届常会期间举行，原子能机构总干事拉斐尔·马里亚诺·格罗西周二在论坛开幕式上表示，创新将支持把核能纳入实现净零目标需要的解决方案，且已经在进一步提高现有反应堆群性能、安全性和寿期方面发挥着重要作用。 不过，格罗西指出，为新的核项目创造公平有利的投资环境仍然是一场攻坚战。他说：“就为核项目融资而言，我们所处的还不是一个公平竞争的环境”。
世界各地领导人齐聚国际原子能机构科学论坛：核创新促进净零排放，一致认为：气候变化的影响不可否认，核能是缓解气候危机和减少碳排放的解决方案的一部分。
论坛于原子能机构大会第六十七届常会期间举行，原子能机构总干事拉斐尔·马里亚诺·格罗西周二在论坛开幕式上表示，创新将支持把核能纳入实现净零目标需要的解决方案，且已经在进一步提高现有反应堆群性能、安全性和寿期方面发挥着重要作用。
不过，格罗西指出，为新的核项目创造公平有利的投资环境仍然是一场攻坚战。他说：“就为核项目融资而言，我们所处的还不是一个公平竞争的环境”。
在两天的时间里，专家们讨论了新核电技术及人工智能、机器人技术和三维打印等创新会如何推动核电发展，以及反应堆可如何通过为工业流程供热或通过核能淡化海水提供淡水用于电力之外的应用（见单元会议综述）。
观看科学论坛录像，阅读最新一期《国际原子能机构通报》— 核创新促进净零排放。
全球对核能的兴趣日益增加，各国正基于这种兴趣采取行动。在科学论坛开幕会议上，加纳总统纳纳·阿库福-阿多分享了将核能纳入该国电力生产结构的计划。阿库福-阿多总统说：“我们致力于实现清洁、公平的能源转型，充分利用包括核电在内的所有低碳能源的潜力。核能将在这种转型中发挥重要作用。”
加纳正在分析小型模块堆及其快速部署以获得清洁和负担得起的能源的潜力。“我们正与业内专家共同研究在加纳部署这项新技术的可行性，”阿库福-阿多总统说。
在美利坚合众国，核电是清洁能源最大的一个来源，“我们要在2050年实现净零目标，就需要将核能发电容量增加至少两倍，达到300吉瓦及以上，”美国能源部长珍妮弗·格兰霍姆说。美国政府已投资“数十亿美元用于核能的未来，创造了历史性的税收激励手段促进新设施投资和核能生产”，国内燃料供应链的发展正在进行中，她补充说。
美国能源部最近发布了《商业起飞之路》，这是一系列旨在加速部署清洁能源技术包括先进核反应堆的报告。格兰霍姆部长说，先进反应堆是实现净零目标的关键，因为它们有助于氢生产、海水淡化、地区供热、石油炼制和化肥生产等能源密集型产业脱碳。她鼓励更多国家将核能视为一项可持续的长期投资，并利用“原子能开创一个和平与繁荣的新时代，这可能是我们这个时代最伟大的和平项目 — 净零排放世界。”
大韩民国也在投资于其核部门的发展。韩国科学技术信息通信部部长官李宗昊说，自2000年以来，韩国一直在实施其“核电系统发展计划”，其中特别关注发展先进反应堆，因此，在2012年，韩国首座小型模块堆“系统一体化模块式先进反应堆”获得了韩国监管机构的标准设计批文。他补充说：“现在，我们正在‘系统一体化模块式先进反应堆’技术的基础上开发一座更加先进的创新小型模块堆”。
韩国政府认为，私营部门应该在技术创新中发挥领头作用。“对于小型模块堆部门而言尤其如此，其目标是在海水淡化和太空探索等行业取代化石燃料，”李宗昊部长说。韩国政府正在发起“韩国小型模块堆倡议”，目的是向私营部门转让“系统一体化模块式先进反应堆”技术和其他先进核技术，以帮助验证新反应堆并实现商业化。他说：“为了启动这些工作，从明年开始，韩国政府将与相关企业合作，投资开发高温气冷堆，其设计旨在提供工艺热，用于氢生产等应用和其他用途。”
摩洛哥政府正在考虑将核电纳入其能源结构，以确保可靠的能源供应。“摩洛哥特别重视小型模块堆，因为它们具备很多优势，包括具有实现一体化的灵活性，”摩洛哥能源转型与可持续发展大臣莱拉·贝娜莉在论坛视频发言中说，“小型模块堆为热电联产和海水淡化等多样化应用带来广阔前景。”
贝娜莉大臣还宣布，摩洛哥国家核能、科学和技术中心已被指定为原子能机构以研究堆为基础的国际中心（国际研究堆杰出中心），从而使其能够发挥作为全球学习平台的作用。“摩洛哥的国家基础结构现因这一认可而得到加强，为了非洲大陆的利益而保持开放，其中重点是能力建设，”她说。
瑞典在过去40年拓展了不同形式的可再生能源，其中风能提供了很大一部分电力，生物质取代了石油和煤炭用于地区供热和工业过程。“然而，不应忘记的是电力系统非常敏感，必须在技术上行之有效，而不仅仅是增加太瓦小时，”瑞典气候与环境副大臣丹尼尔·韦斯特林说。考虑到在需要的时间和地点使用可调度能源满足需求的要求，以及在无碳排放的情况下满足需求的要求，选择其实有限。“核能是现有唯一选择，”他补充说。
为了实现气候目标和净零目标，研究估计，到2050年核能发电容量需增加一倍或两倍。韦斯特林副大臣说：“全世界每年能否建成20吉瓦甚至40吉瓦的核能容量？我认为这是可能的。我们过去曾经做到过”。他解释说，在20世纪80年代，全球有180多座在建反应堆，仅一年就增加了30多吉瓦。瑞典在1972年至1985年间部署了12座大型反应堆。虽然“气候变化是人类有史以来面临的最大挑战……但我们拥有解决这个问题所需的工具，”他最后说。
去年，法国总统埃马纽埃尔·马克龙宣布了一项建造六座核反应堆的计划，以及一项专门针对核及小型和先进模块堆创新的计划。“我们需要廉价、负担得起且可持续的能源。这不那么容易解决，”法国原子能委员会行政总长弗朗索瓦·雅克说，“这就是为什么我们需要创新。”创新将在应用、方案和技术领域以多种形式出现，也将吸引下一代关注核能领域。
“我们还必须在合作领域共同进行创新。我们必须创造新的合作形式。我们必须建立新形式的研究和技术组织，”雅克总长说。
加纳总统纳纳·阿库福-阿多分享加纳将核能纳入该国电力生产结构的计划。（照片来源：D. Calma/原子能机构）
在开幕会议结束时，出生于巴西的核能影响者Isabelle Boemeke谈到了社交媒体向年轻受众传递信息的力量。“社交媒体听上去可能很肤浅，但事实是，这就是年轻人了解世界的方式，”Boemeke（也被称为Isodope）说，“他们相信影响者关于产品的意见、健康建议和理念。虽然我们看到有人为了不好的目的而利用社交媒体，但我相信我们仍可以利用这些工具，实实在在用它创造美好。”
她提请注意领导人倾听年轻一代的意见并与他们进行接触的价值。“年轻人对此非常开放，他们等着听到像你们这样的人说支持这项技术是没有问题的。让民众了解所有惠益，相当于为领导人寻求现实脱碳道路 — 大胆地以核电为核心的道路颁发许可，”Boemke说。她鼓励身为决策者的听众要勇敢，并在最后问道：“你们是领导人还是追随者？”
2023年9月26日，在奥地利维也纳举行的原子能机构第六十七届大会期间的“核创新促进净零排放”科学论坛开幕会议上，核能影响者Isabelle Boemeke作了主旨发言。（照片来源：D. Calma/原子能机构）
该论坛有一个以青年人为主的部分，设立了一个核领域青年专业人员讨论小组，包括：国际原子能机构初级退役专家Benjamin Bertaux；国际原子能机构运输安全助理官员Loretta Boahemaa Manu；国际原子能机构核工程实习生Yvonne Lin；以及核能倡导者和现任“美国小姐”Grace Stanke。他们表示，核领域对于新生代而言非常“酷”，非常有吸引力，而与大学创建协作研究项目以使学生接触各种职业道路非常重要。小组成员坚持认为促进核工业多样性和包容性非常重要，并同样认为，吸引新的人才，不仅关乎科学，同样关乎核故事的讲述，关乎用创新方式进行核宣传。
Boahemaa Manu和Lin均为原子能机构玛丽·斯克洛多夫斯卡-居里进修计划的进修人员，该计划正向申请者开放，直至9月30日。
科学论坛设立了核领域青年专业人员讨论小组。他们讨论了自己从事核领域职业的动机，以及多样性和包容性的重要性。（照片来源：H. Shaffer/原子能机构）
从中国到英国以及其他国家，世界各国都有扩大其核反应堆群的宏伟计划。到2035年，中国预计将新建150座核反应堆。“我们有太多的燃煤发电站，必须以核电予以取代，”中国核工业集团公司董事长余剑锋周三在论坛闭幕会议上说。
在英国，“我们有一个宏伟目标，即到2050年，英国电网上的核电容量达到24吉瓦，”英国议会副国务大臣兼核与网络部长安德鲁·鲍伊说，“实现能源基本负荷脱碳至关重要，这也关乎物价，关乎生活成本、负担得起的能源以及实现能源安全和独立。”
谈到价格，芬兰气候和环境部长凯·米凯宁在论坛上说，作为发电量为1.6吉瓦的欧洲最大核反应堆，芬兰的奥尔基洛托3号核电厂已使芬兰的电价几年来处于最低水平。他说，奥尔基洛托3号核电厂于4月开始正常输出，这是芬兰停止直接进口电力和天然气的关键原因，同时降低了电价。
在前进道路上，还必须考虑核电相关的公众接受度和融资。“我们必须与社会互动，确保我们提出的技术解决方案最终会被接受，”比利时核研究中心主任彼得·巴登说。此外，世界核协会总干事萨马·毕尔巴鄂说，虽然技术创新至关重要，但还有其他方面的创新。“我们在为新核项目融资的方式上需要创新。我们需要突破常规思维来吸引对这些核项目的投资，”她补充说。
鉴于核领域创新的速度和规模，格罗西总干事持乐观态度。“挑战是存在的，但很明显，我们正在果断行动。我们或许正以不同的速度和方式前行，”他说，“最终结果不会统一一致，因为没有‘一款通用’解决方案。但我们可以看到在目前正在进行的这一全球努力中，核的地位是多么牢固。”
There is growing global interest in nuclear energy, and countries are acting on this interest. In the opening session of the Scientific Forum, the President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, shared his plans for the inclusion of nuclear energy in the country’s electricity generation mix. “We’re committed to a clean, equitable energy transition that harnesses the full potential of all low carbon sources, including nuclear power,” President Akufo-Addo said. “Nuclear power will play a significant part in this transformation.”
Ghana is analysing small modular reactors (SMRs) and their potential for rapid deployment for clean and affordable energy. “We are working with industry experts to study the feasibility of deploying this new technology in Ghana,” President Akufo-Addo said.
In the United States of America, where nuclear power provides the single largest source of clean energy, “reaching our 2050 net zero goals depends on at least tripling our nuclear energy capacity to 300 gigawatts or more,” said US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm. The US Government has invested “billions of dollars in the future of nuclear energy, creating historic tax incentives for investments in new facilities and production of nuclear energy,” and the development of a domestic fuel supply chain is underway, she added
The US Department of Energy recently released Pathways to Commercial Liftoff, a set of reports to accelerate the deployment of clean energy technologies, including advanced nuclear reactors. Advanced reactors are key to reaching net zero goals because they can help to decarbonize energy intensive industries, such as hydrogen production, desalination, district heating, petroleum refining and fertilizer production, Secretary Granholm said. She encouraged more countries to look at nuclear energy as a sustainable, long term investment and to harness “the power of the atom for a new era of peace and prosperity in what is potentially the greatest peace project of our time – a net zero world.”
The Republic of Korea is also investing in growing its nuclear sector. Since 2000, Korea has been implementing its Nuclear Power System Development Plan, with a specific focus on developing advanced reactors, and as a result, in 2012, Korea’s first SMR – SMART – received the standard design approval from the Korean regulator, said Lee Jong-Ho, Minister of Science and ICT in the Republic of Korea. “Now we are developing an even more advanced and innovative SMR based on SMART technology,” he added.
The Korean Government believes that the private sector should take the lead in technological innovations. “This is especially true for the SMR sector, which aims to replace fossil fuels in industries such as seawater desalination and space exploration,” Minister Jong-Ho said. The Korean Government is launching the Korea SMR Initiative to transfer SMART and other advanced nuclear technologies to the private sector in order to help demonstrate and commercialize new reactors. “To kick start these efforts, starting next year, the Government will collaborate with the relevant companies to invest in developing high temperature gas reactors designed for industrial process heat with applications such as hydrogen production and other uses,” he said.
In Morocco, the Government is considering adding nuclear power to its energy mix to ensure a reliable energy supply. “Morocco places a distinct focus on small modular reactors due to their numerous advantages, including the flexibility for integration,” said Leila Benali, Morocco’s Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, in a video statement to the Forum. “They hold significant promise for diverse applications, such as combined heat and power generation and seawater desalination.”
Minister Benali also announced that Morocco’s National Centre for Nuclear Energy, Sciences and Technology has been designated as an IAEA International Centre Based on Research Reactors (ICERR), enabling it to function as a global learning platform. “Morocco's national infrastructure that is now reinforced by this recognition is open for the benefit of the African continent with a focus on capacity building,” she said.
For the past 40 years, Sweden has expanded different forms of renewable energy, with wind power providing a significant share of electricity, and biomass replacing oil and coal for district heating and industrial processes. “What was forgotten, though, was that the power system is very sensitive and that it has to work technically. It's not just about adding terawatt hours,” said Sweden’s Vice Minister for Climate and the Environment, Daniel Westlén. Considering the requirement for dispatchable energy to meet demand, when and where needed, as well as for demand to be met without carbon emissions, the options are limited. “Nuclear energy is the only option available,” he added.
To reach climate and net zero goals, studies have estimated a doubling or tripling of nuclear energy capacity by 2050. “Can the world build 20 or even 40 gigawatts of nuclear energy per year? I would claim it is possible. We’ve done it before,” Vice Minister Westlén said. In the 1980s, more than 180 reactors were under construction globally, and more than 30 gigawatts were added in one single year, he explained. Sweden deployed 12 large reactors between 1972 and 1985. While “climate change is the greatest challenge humanity has ever faced… we are in possession of the tools that we will need to solve this,” he concluded.
Last year, French President Emmanuel Macron announced a programme to build six nuclear reactors, as well as a programme dedicated to nuclear and innovation with small and advanced modular reactors. “We need energy, which is at the same time cheap, affordable and sustainable. And that's not so easy to solve,” said François Jacq, General Administrator of the French Atomic Energy Commission. “That's why we need innovation.” Innovation will come in many forms – in applications, approaches and technologies – and will also attract the future generation to the nuclear field.
“We will also have to innovate in the field of cooperation, in partnership. We have to invent new forms of cooperation. We have to invent new forms of research and technology organization,” General Administrator Jacq said.
The President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, shared Ghana's plans to include nuclear energy in the country’s electricity generation mix. (Photo: D. Calma/IAEA)
Wrapping up the opening session, Brazilian-born nuclear energy influencer Isabelle Boemeke, reflected on the power of social media to inform young audiences. “Social media can sound superficial, but the reality is that's how young people learn about the world,” said Boemeke, also known as Isodope. “They trust influencers’ opinions on products, health tips and ideas. And while we've seen social media being used for bad, I believe we can leverage these tools and actually use it for good.”
She brought attention to the value of leaders in listening and engaging with young generations. “Young people are very much open to it, and they're waiting to hear from people, like yourselves, that it's OK to support this technology. Getting the population informed on all the benefits grants license to our leaders to pursue realistic decarbonization paths – paths that very boldly include nuclear power at the heart,” Boemke said. Encouraging the audience of decision makers to be courageous, she concluded by asking, “Are you leaders or followers?”
Read Boemeke’s interview with the IAEA in the latest IAEA Bulletin on Nuclear Innovations for Net Zero.
Nuclear energy influencer, Isabelle Boemeke, provided the keynote address at the opening session of the Scientific Forum, Nuclear Innovations for Net Zero, at the IAEA 67th General Conference in Vienna, Austria, 26 September 2023. (Photo: D. Calma/IAEA)
The Forum included a segment on youth, featuring a panel of young professionals in the nuclear field: Benjamin Bertaux, Junior Decommissioning Expert at the IAEA; Loretta Boahemaa Manu, Associate Transport Safety Officer at the IAEA; Yvonne Lin, Nuclear Engineering Intern at the IAEA; and Grace Stanke, nuclear energy advocate and current-Miss America. They expressed how "cool" and attractive the nuclear field is for new generations and the importance of creating collaborative research projects with universities to expose students to various career paths. Insisting on the importance of promoting diversity and inclusion in the nuclear industry, the panel shared that to attract new talent, it is as much about the science as it is about storytelling and innovative ways to communicate about nuclear.
Boahemaa Manu and Lin are both fellows of the IAEA Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship Programme, which is open for applicants until 30 September.
The Scientific Forum featured a panel of young professionals in the nuclear field. They discussed their motivation to pursue a career in nuclear and the importance of diversity and inclusion. (Photo: H. Shaffer/IAEA)
From China to the United Kingdom and beyond, countries around the world have ambitious plans to expand their nuclear fleets. By 2035, China expects to build 150 new nuclear reactors. “We have so many coal-fired power stations that must be replaced by nuclear power,” said Yu Jianfeng, Chairman of China National Nuclear Corporation, during the closing session of the Forum on Wednesday.
In the United Kingdom, “we have an ambitious target of 24 gigawatts of nuclear power to be on the UK grid by 2050,” said Andrew Bowie, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State and Minister for Nuclear and Networks. “As vital as it is to decarbonize our energy baseload, it is also about prices – the cost of living, affordable energy, and being energy secure and independent.”
When it comes to prices, Finland’s Minister of Climate and Environment, Kai Mykkänen, told the Forum that Finland’s Olkiluoto 3, Europe’s largest nuclear reactor at 1.6 gigawatts, has led to the lowest electricity prices in Finland in years. Olkiluoto 3, which began regular output in April, is the key reason Finland has ceased direct electricity and natural gas imports, while simultaneously lowering electricity prices, he said.
Public acceptance, as well as financing, surrounding nuclear power must also be considered in the path forward. “We have to interact with society to ensure the technical solutions we propose will be, in the end, accepted,” said Peter Baeten, Director General of the Belgian Nuclear Research Center SCK CEN. Furthermore, while technical innovation is essential, there are other aspects of innovation, said Sama Bilbao, Director General of World Nuclear Association. “We need innovation in the way we finance new nuclear. We need to think outside the box to attract investment into these nuclear projects,” she added.
Given the speed and scale of innovation within the nuclear field, Director General Grossi is optimistic. “There are challenges, but it is clear – we are moving decisively. We are moving, perhaps, at different paces and in different ways,” he said. “The end result will not be uniform because there is not a one-size-fits-all solution. But we can see how nuclear is very firmly positioned in this global effort that is taking place now.”
Follow the IAEA on Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, Weibo and LinkedIn for updates throughout the week: #IAEAGC for the General Conference and #ScientificForum for the Scientific Forum. Photographs from the week are available on Flickr.
The closing session of the Scientific Forum at the IAEA 67th General Conference held at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna, Austria, 27 September 2023. (Photo: D. Calma/IAEA)