Events
CIEP & CSCP Conference: "Security Challenges of a Global Nuclear Renaissance" March 10 2009
After a decade long standstill, interest in nuclear electricity generation has increased dramatically in the light of concerns over high oil prices, climate change and security of energy supply. Currently thirty new nuclear reactors are under construction worldwide, which will be added to the 439 of the global reactor fleet. An even greater number of reactors (218) is proposed and could be constructed in the next decade. Although it is very opaque whether all proposed reactors will actually be built, it does send a clear signal that the industry, regulators and the international non-proliferation framework will need to be strengthened across the board to accommodate any significant rise in nuclear power generation world wide.
Despite the supply security and global environmental concerns that drive the possible expansion of nuclear power usage, these particular concerns could be replaced with other security and environmental risks. As the non-proliferation treaty (NPT) will be reviewed in 2010 the supply assurances will have to be balanced against non-proliferation assurances. In particular strengthening of the non-proliferation regime via the IAEA is a topic that will need to be addressed and for which various proposals have been tabled in recent years. The Clingendael International Energy Programme (CIEP) and the Clingendael Security and Conflict Programme (CSCP) jointly organise a conference to address these global geopolitical and proliferation implications of the global nuclear renaissance.
To establish a global view on nuclear power developments Clingendael has invited Stan Gordelier of the OECD/Nuclear Energy Agency (tbc) to present the recently published Nuclear Energy Outlook 2008. In addition, the geopolitical consequences of such a outlook will be discussed by Prof. Dr. Coby van der Linde, Director CIEP, while non-proliferation and security issues will be discussed by Arend Meerburg, Member of the International Panel on Fissile Materials. Ms. Marlies Hoedemakers (tbc), the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, will establish a perspective on the various proposals that should safeguard the supply of nuclear fuel for civil electricity generation.
The second part of the conference will then turn to some of the key players/regions that will have a stake in a nuclear renaissance and the NPT. Under chairmanship of Ben Bot, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands (tbc), various experts will discuss the regional political perspectives. First of all Christian Cleutinx of the Euratom Supply Agency will discuss the Brussels’ perspective and several of the key European players. In addition the transatlantic perspectives of the of the new US government will be analyzed by Jeffrey Lewis of the New American Foundation. To asses the view of various "new" stakeholders in a nuclear renaissance Paul Aarts of the University of Amsterdam will discuss the Middle East and Iran in particular, while Dr. Sanjay Sharma will look into the Asian market with a special focus on India.
The conference will close with a reflection by Ruud Lubbers, former Prime Minister of the Netherlands, on ways out of the current non-proliferation stalemate, followed by a discussion with participants. The conference will be held on March 10th, 2009 at the Clingendael Institute in The Hague.