Nuclear energy summit

On March 21, 2024, Brussels will host the first global Nuclear Summit at Head of State and Government level. Leaders will gather in Brussels to highlight the role of nuclear energy in reducing the use of fossil fuels, enhancing energy security and boosting economic development.

Co-chaired by the Prime Minister of Belgium Alexander De Croo and the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Dr. Rafael Mariano Grossi, the Summit will be the highest-level meeting to date exclusively focused on the topic of nuclear energy.

The Summit comes in the wake of the historic inclusion of nuclear energy in the Global Stocktake agreed at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai in December 2023, which called for accelerating its deployment along with other low carbon energy sources. It will provide Heads of State and Government of participating countries the opportunity to share their vision on the key role of nuclear power in reaching net zero and promoting sustainable development, including national plans to fully exploit its potential.

The political discussion will be enriched by a scientific symposium that will bring together key industrial stakeholders to enable them to showcase their latest innovations and help them build the bridges and partnerships that will develop the projects of tomorrow. The goal is to make this summit a global one, and involve partners from around the world.

"Climate change is one of the greatest challenges we face. We can turn it into an opportunity for progress, providing jobs, increasing the quality and resilience of our societies, and offering a real future for innovation and our industry. Nuclear energy has all the assets to be part of the solution to meet the climate targets that we have set ourselves for 2050. Look at what happened at COP28 : we live a  nuclear momentum. We have to seize the moment to create the space that will enable to move from ideas to implementation. This come alongside renewable energies, in which we have never invested as much as we do today, and which are our energy base for the future. We do not have the luxury to exclude any ways to stop emitting CO2, if we want to have a realistic chance of meeting the goals we set ourselves."

- Alexander De Croo, Prime Minister of Belgium

"Nuclear energy is an extraordinary asset whose full potential we need to untap if we are to keep climate change in check. The narrative that pits nuclear against wind and solar is wrong. It is time for the truth to get through, for leaders to pull the necessary levers and help make the global climate goals achievable."

- Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)