The levelised costs of electricity generation of low-carbon generation technologies are falling and are increasingly below the costs of conventional fossil fuel generation, according to a report by the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency and the International Energy Agency. The cost of electricity from new nuclear power plants remains stable, yet electricity from the long-term operation of existing plants constitutes the least cost option for low-carbon generation. Nuclear electricity is expected to have lower costs in the near future, the report says.

Innovation goes beyond gadgets to touch entire energy systems, World Nuclear Association Director General Sama Bilbao y León told delegates at the General Chair’s Special Session of the American Nuclear Society's Winter Meeting yesterday. The session, titled Nuclear Science and Industry: The next transformation, featured a panel of science and industry experts discussing how innovation is transforming both the current fleet of reactors and preparing for a future with advanced reactors, integrated systems, and smarter grids. The following is the text of her speech.

If the world is to win the fight against climate change, it is vital that developing countries, including those on the African continent, adopt low-carbon electricity systems that can also keep pace with increased demand created by population growth. This was the message of Philippe Costes, senior advisor to the director general of World Nuclear Association, to participants in the Power & Electricity World Africa 2020 conference held on 6 November.

The world needs countries, such as Brazil, to step up and lead the way by expanding their nuclear capacity to help contribute to a sustainable energy future, said Agneta Rising, former director general of World Nuclear Association. She was speaking ahead of the World Nuclear University Short Course World Nuclear Industry Today to be held online in Brazil next week.

Recent moves to decarbonise the electricity supply system have overall been ineffective, said Sama Bilbao y León, the new director general of the World Nuclear Association, in a presentation during Singapore International Energy Week 2020. The coronavirus pandemic, she said, has given countries the opportunity to plan for low-carbon, resilient and affordable energy systems.

"In many ways, the future of nuclear energy is much brighter than it has been for many years. We are evermore recognised and valued for the unique services that nuclear energy offers humanity, and I am immensely proud to have served and lead our industry through these exciting times," writes Agneta Rising, outgoing director general of World Nuclear Association.

World Nuclear Association Director General Agneta Rising said today that the changes needed to transition to a more sustainable future will not happen without the participation of a diverse workforce, and the greater inclusion of women. Speaking to participants in a side event to the International Atomic Energy Agency's 64th General Conference, Rising said the energy sector remains one of the most gender-imbalanced, and that the nuclear sector was no exception.

The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe has welcomed the nuclear industry into its debate on the policy responses required to address climate change and sustainable development. Today, UNECE's Expert Group on Resource Management held a session titled The role of nuclear energy resources in sustainable development as part of UNECE Energy Week 2020.

The 2020s are likely to be a time of uncertainty for global energy systems with the growing recognition that business-as-usual is unsustainable and represents a threat to humanity, but the global transition to low-carbon energy and the post-COVID recovery will be a time of opportunity for the nuclear energy sector and its supply chain, according to the 2020 edition of a World Nuclear Association report that analyses the economic value of the nuclear power industry. The report is the work of the Association's Supply Chain working group, which is chaired by Laurent-Olivier Coudeyre of EDF.

Nuclear innovation is driving improvement in all parts of the industry, enhancing reliability, efficiency, economics and flexibility, World Nuclear Association Director General Agneta Rising told the International Atomic Energy Agency's Scientific Forum 2020 today. She said innovation is accelerating the development and commercialisation of small modular reactors opening up additional applications for nuclear energy.

Nuclear power programmes can benefit society through the creation of high-quality employment opportunities while providing secure, reliable energy supplies, but the industry must make sure it engages in open and transparent communications with stakeholders, as well as being cost-competitive with all other forms of generation, if those benefits are to be realised. These were the feelings from an international high-level panel of nuclear industry and academic experts at World Nuclear Association's Strategic eForum 2020.

Agneta Rising is standing down as director general of World Nuclear Association next month and today announced her replacement as Dr Sama Bilbao y León, currently head of the Division of Nuclear Technology Development and Economics at OECD Nuclear Energy Agency.