Young people positive about nuclear at climate summit: ‘Build a new power plant? Five and a half years is enough’ | Politics

This weekend, 22 countries – including the Netherlands, France, the US and Poland – joined forces for a declaration in favor of nuclear power. The amount of nuclear energy must triple between now and 2050, says the Triple Nuclear Power Declaration. But not only politicians in Dubai, young people are also campaigning for the nuclear option at the summit.

“Nothing is impossible,” exclaims Arab student Ghayah Alharmoodi. She is petite, 20 years old and infectiously cheerful. She wears one under her robe Nuclear for ClimateT-shirt. She is convinced that even the Middle East, the oil well of the world for almost a hundred years, can make a turn to nuclear energy.

“As the United Arab Emirates, we set an example in the region,” says the Dubai-born woman. “Just one more year of blocks and then I want to work in the new Barakah nuclear power plants.” Since 2020, the Gulf state has commissioned three nuclear power plants – the first in the Arab world – and a fourth will follow soon.

Alharmoodi is used to metamorphoses. She saw her hometown of Dubai change in two decades from neighborhoods with dirt roads to an impressive metropolis with the tallest building in the world. A quarter of all energy required in the Emirates will soon come from the Barakah complex. “In the Emirates we mainly see the benefits. And we believe in our leaders.”

To replace fossil fuels, many more nuclear power plants are needed worldwide. Fifty countries are showing interest in building, according to King Lee of the World Nuclear Association (an umbrella organization of the industry). “Construction or preparation thereof is actually in full swing in 26 countries,” Lee explains in the Net Zero Nuclear pavilion.

But doesn’t the construction of those power stations often take a very long time? “If you look at what China is doing, five and a half years is enough time to build a nuclear power plant,” Lee answers. “They build on time and within budget, just like the Koreans did here in the United Arab Emirates.”

More than five years is considerably shorter than the eight years that The Hague is counting on for the construction of two new power stations, possibly near Borssele. Lee nods. “It takes time to… supply chain to be reestablished in Europe. You need that, just like with electric cars or wind turbines. And you lost some of your knowledge. Many nuclear power plants were built in the 1970s and 1980s in response to the energy crisis. That energy security, in addition to climate, is now another reason to get involved.”

The statement by the 22 countries, signed in the presence of French President Macron, emphasizes that a nuclear power plant requires relatively little surface area. And that nuclear power can be the stabilizing factor in an energy mix with fluctuating sun and wind. Switching off nuclear energy, as Germany and Belgium are doing, actually makes the path to a climate-neutral economy more expensive.

“It’s not just about power for urban areas,” says young nuclear scientist Amanda Nompumelelo from South Africa. “It is also a solution for remote mining projects.” She is therefore pleased with the initiatives of the 22 countries. For example, the call for the World Bank and other financial institutions to support nuclear power as an option, including for developing countries.

Poland is even working on nuclear energy on three fronts. “The first of three large nuclear power stations must be operational in 2033,” says Polish Jadwiga Najder, who is attending a climate summit for the fifth time. “Chemical companies are also interested in the new small reactors. And thirdly, the Polish institute NCBJ is developing a reactor that supplies very high heat to industry. We also have no choice: about 80 percent of our electricity now comes from coal.”

When Najder held her first climate summit in Katowice in 2018, and she also tried to promote the positive aspects of nuclear energy, not everyone was pleased. “We had to grow a thick skin. There is a lot of emotion among opponents.” But she sees that antipathy gradually disappearing. “Nuclear energy is not just a nice to have, it is essential to achieve the Paris goals.”

At the nuclear faculty of the University of Sharjah (near Dubai), where Ghayah Alharmoodi studies, almost 70 percent are women. “It is the only university in the region where women can follow this direction,” she says. She finds it difficult to imagine the sometimes fierce debate about nuclear energy in Europe. “I think nuclear energy is a huge step towards a sustainable future.”